MS Walk 2014

Finally back to sharing the pictures from our recent visit to Texas.  I started blogging about them and got side-tracked by a nasty virus......then the blood moon.......then stress life in general.  Anyway, I'm back at it and excited to publish photos of this year's MS Walk in Fort Worth, TX.

 

 

Hooray for Team Bea!!! :)

 

 

 

The usual gang got together again to support Team Bea this year at Trinity Park.  I love love love this event!  It is seriously one of the highlights of my year.  It's amazing to see how it grows from year to year. 

 

 

Here we are in our bright yellow shirts with bumblebees sewn onto the back.  This year, we thought it would be fun to add wings and tutus......why not?!  Tracey, Charlene, Delanie, Maci & I got together the night before the walk to make the tutus.  (Who knew making tutus was so involved??)  After hours of cutting and tying......we were pleasantly tuckered out.  :)

 

 

The three amigos......together again! :)

 

The picture below is what the MS Walk is all about.  I just love these cuties!  It was such a fun weekend of hanging out and the walk could not have been better. 

 

 

Two of the three musketeers were with us that day.  Garrett had to work so this is the first year that he had to skip the walk.  He met up with us later so Delanie and Lauren got their fix.  Speaking of Garrett......... wait till you see the pictures on tomorrow's post!  I'm giggling just thinking about it. 

My favorite girl looking soooo cute in her bumblebee outfit!! :)  How is it possible that she is now taller than me and twice as lovely? 

Me and Raymond........  Every time I look at her, I just want to pinch her bootie!! Hahaha! :)

Tracy and Doug looking extremely cheerful along the route.  Aren't they such a cute couple?!

Denise and Michael met up with us this year too.  Thank God......Michael is back on American soil safe and sound after a year in Afghanistan.  I got lots of quality time with these guys over the weekend too.  All of which was way over due!

 

Maci's parents - Trey and Cindi - joined the walkers this year too.  They are so sweet!  After a few minutes in their company, you know exactly where Maci gets her goodness.  :)

 

The picture below is my SECOND favorite picture of the day.  Wild Bill was in rare form and Lauren was loving it! :)

My absolute favorite picture of the entire day is below!  Isn't she just the cutest thing you have ever seen???  This is AFTER the walk and look how good she looks.  My sister rocks!!

 

Since Mom couldn't be here in person, Charlene released that adorable bumblebee balloon so she could enjoy it too.  :)

Blood moon

We had a cool (and rare!) occurrence last night. Did you catch the lunar eclipse?

 

Also known as the Blood Moon, it was the first of four total lunar eclipses (where the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon preventing the sun's light from illuminating the moon) happening in 2014-2015.  It was awesome.......and so creepy!!

Delanie LOVES astronomy so she was stoked to check it out.  We made a plan for her to set her alarm at 2:30am (yes, I said AM!) to wake me up so we could see it together.  I woke up to Bailey snoring at 3:30am and Delanie was still sound asleep.  Being the good mother than I am - insert hysterical laughter here - I went into her room to wake her up.  Imagine my surprise when she decided NOT to get up.......insert growling sound here. 

 

I haven't quite figured out how to take a decent picture of the moon with my camera (it always turns out blurry) so the ones I found on the internet will have to do. 

 

The photo below was taken over the Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial in Brasilia. (Photo credit: BBC)

I love how there is one star shining bright beside the moon.  Is that the North Star?  Anyway..... I always secretly imagine that's my mom looking down on us from Heaven.  :)

Happy Birthday Ann Marie!

Happy birthday to you!!  Wish we could be there to kiss your face.  Hope it's the best birthday ever.  :)

Yep.....more snow

Today is April 4th and guess who got almost a foot of snow last night????

Once again, the photos don't do the beauty justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way!

On our way to Texas!!!  Looking mature as usual.....at least one of us. 

 

This cutie was sitting across the aisle from us on the airplane.  He didn't make a sound the entire flight.  There may have been some Benadryl involved.  :)

 

 

Delanie was in charge of snapping the pictures from the air.  I can't think of anyone better for the job. 

 

You know you're in Texas when this is a common sight at the airport.  The last time we flew home, we were greeted by a man in a three-piece suit.......plus a cowboy hat and boots.  Gotta love the south!!  :)

 

A note to the hubs:  I did not post this photo because the guy is handsome.  No one can compete with my smoking-hot husband!!! :)

It's funny how foreign the southern accent sounds after being up north for a few years.  That must mean we are starting to sound like Minnesnowtans Minnesotans.......eh?!

 

 

 

Mighty Ducks

 

Because every single woman in my family is a picture-taking maniac, I thought it would be fun to add a theme to our photos. :)  I found these adorable duck keychains right before our trip to Texas last week and inspiration struck.  Following a Flat Stanley type of idea, I handed them out and asked everyone to take pictures of their duck in unique places.  I'm sure you will see several posts in the future featuring the ducks.  Here's a preview......

 

Charlene had these yummy chocolate-covered strawberries ready for Delanie when we arrived in Texas on Wednesday. 

 

Did I mention that the ducks quack when lit up?  Yep, there was a ton of quacking going on during our trip.  Most of it from Maci (surprisingly!).  Every time there was a lag in the conversation or an awkward moment, Maci was right there to quack people up.  See what I did there??? :)

 

Guess who dumped her duck into the empty margarita glass........go ahead, guess!  That would be Lauren Marie Gates (AKA Raymond).  My precious little lush.  Hahahaha.....just kidding Raymond.  :)

 

Even sweet Garrett got in on the act.  He named his duck "Dino" and took the picture above at work. 

The plan was to post our photos on Instagram.  After setting up new accounts, it didn't take long to start blowing it up. 

 

Maci caught me in the act taking pictures of Garrett Todd.  Busted! :)

 

Chloe was so patient as we were snapping pictures.  We had her wrapped up in a towel like a burrito.  She never even flinched.  Isn't she the cutest thing ever?

 

Happy quacking!! :)

Remembering Mom

How is it possible that an entire year has passed since Mom died?

They say that you choose happiness every single day.  Today - on the saddest of anniversaries - I'm choosing to look on the bright side.  What a glorious feeling it must be to spend eternity dancing with Jesus!!  I'd say that's the ultimate bright side! :)

Since there is no room for sadness today, I thought I would share some of my happiest memories of the woman I was lucky enough to call "Mom". 

Mom was a picker.  We could sit on the front porch step for hours with my head in her lap.  All the while, she was picking at me like a monkey. 

Mom loved life and all those in it.  She never took crap from anyone - ANYONE! - and she taught her kids to do the same.  She was all about treating people the way she wanted to be treated.  She was the first one to defend her kids.  She could tell us how the cow ate the cabbage all day long but she would go down fighting if someone else tried. 

Mom was a fighter.  She loved Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" because she identified with him.  (OK, and because he was a cutie!)  The night she told our family about the cancer, she spent exactly 12 seconds being sad.  Once that was done, she was ready to kick some ass!  I will never forget what she told me after a radiation treatment.  I asked her if she was scared when she heard the lasers start up.  She said, "Absolutely not!  Every time the laser starts, I say: Take that sucker!"

Mom was passionate.  Growing up, there was no shortage of yelling in our house.  In fact, Mom often encouraged it.  :)  She truly FELT life......good, bad or ugly.  I really admire that.  If there was ever someone that lived in the moment, it was my mother. 

Mom was a stunner.  She had that classic beauty that was completely effortless.  I remember hours upon hours of shopping with her.  I loved every second of it.  To this day, my eye is drawn to the type of dress she wore or the high heels that she loved so much.  (She taught me that a girl could never have too many shoes.)  When people would remark about how much we looked alike, I was always incredibly complimented.  I wanted to look like her.......hell, I wanted to be her!  :)

Mom was hilarious.  She would spit out phrases that could cut you down to size while laughing at the same time.  Some of my favorites:  You don't have the sense God gave an onion.  I'm about to show you next week's stars!  I've seen cockroaches prettier than you. (Thankfully she never told one of her kids that.) I'm going to crown you and it won't be queen for a day!  Honey, you know I love you more than my shoes. 

Mom loved Jesus.  She read the Bible from cover to cover.  That same Bible is full of colored, highlighted verses she felt a connection to.  She was always happy to tell you about God's goodness.  She had a unique interpretation of the gospel.  She always had a knack of putting it into "real life" terms.  She was quick to tell you "the Bible says....." when you asked a question.  I treasure those life lessons most of all.  A few weeks before she left us, she was happily chatting to everyone in the hospital room about how ready she was to meet her maker.  You could often hear her say things like "you can't be sad after I'm gone because I get to be with Jesus!".

Mom......it's with a happy heart that I am releasing balloons to celebrate your anniversary in Heaven!!  I hope you're having the time of your life!!! :)