Happy New Year!!

This year is going to be a great one!  I just know it!  Within this year will be my 30th birthday.  I cannot believe that I will be 30!  It doesn't seem possible.  After thinking about this gloomy 30th birthday, I decided to make the most of it.  I have a few months before it arrives, so I made a list of 30 things that I should do before my big day.  I decided to stay local and see how people see this beautiful area through tourist eyes.  I am probably the worst native because there are many things and places that I have never done.  However, there are a few on the list that are easily obtainable and some are things that I am hoping to do before then, but I may have to extend the list a few months or so...just depends on how things go!

Here it my "30 Before 30" list:

1.  Buy a house
2. Train for Tough Mudder (Event is in May)
3. Take the Pensacola Historical Tour
4. Ft. Barancus
5. Ft. Pickens
6. Ft. McRee
7. Pensacola Lighthouse
8. Revisit the Seanger Theatre
9. Paddle Board
10. Pensacola Ice Flyers Game
11. Big Lagoon State Park
12. Observation Wheel at the beach
13. Blue Angel practice
14.  See the sunset at Pensacola Beach (how ridiculous, right?  I usually leave before then or get there after dark)
15. Jones Swamp Trail
16. Fishing in the Gulf
17. Kayak at the beach
18. Visit the Zoo (they have redone it)
19. Visit the Battleship on Mobile Bay
20. Mardi Gras Ball
21. Bellingrath Gardens
22. 5 Rivers Sunset Tour
23. Ft. Morgan
24. Take the Mobile Bay Ferry to Dauphin Island
25. Dauphin Island
26. Rosey O'Grady's Dueling Pianos
27. Revisit the IMAX theater
28. Hot Air Ballon Festival in Foley (it's in the summer)
29. Beulahfest
30.  Pensacola Mardi Grad Parade

It's not major events, but all events or destinations that I should have already been to.  I wish I would have started this earlier, I probably could have had a greater list if I had a year!  Ashley, don't be alarmed at the historical places!

I will keep you updated on how this goes!

A December to Remember

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth.  I am reminded daily of what a horrible blogger I am and how I need to blog.  It's not that I need to blog, I need something to blog about!  Luckily, I have a great topic to blog about after last weekend.

My big brother married the sweetest and prettiest young lady I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  I am so thrilled to have a new sister and I am so completely happy for my brother.  I know his prayers were answered when God brought her into his life.

We have had a great time over the past few months celebrating the December 1st wedding.  Getting to know a new family and getting to see and catch up with other family members and friends that I haven't seen in a while was a fun time all the way around!

However, I couldn't help but think of me and Heath when we were little.  I kept having flash backs to different times in our lives when we were growing up and seeing him in the center spot light, where he LOVES to be, as a grown man about to be married, well...it can still bring tears to my eyes.  They are good tears of course.

My big brother.  The one who called me Kyle for years because he wanted a brother, the one who made me play endless games of basketball because "Rebecca Lobo's brother made her play all the time too and look where she is."  I guess I didn't realized that I wanted to be the next Rebecca Lobo!  The one who made me catch all of his fast pitches (knuckle, curve and breaking ball all included), the one who made me work with his show steer every day (while mine just wondered around thinking "Sucka!" about his steer!).  The one who stopped letting me go to bow shoots, and sold MY bow without me knowing, because I beat him in one little moving target section of a bow shoot (beat his friend, too!).  Him.  He was getting MARRIED!

I am so happy for Heath, but I do have a few mixed feelings.  For the last 10-12 years, I have been his personal shopper, advisory committee, firing squad, and confidant.  I realize these all will change and while I am glad to see a few of these duties go, I am sad to think of those sisterly duties that I enjoyed.  However, knowing that the trade off for these duties is the addition of an amazing woman into our family makes it a lot easier.

I am excited for their future, as well as our families and the additions that may bless us in the future.  Of course, I would prefer it to be sooner than later, but it has to happen in its own time.

Love you, Buddy

   I hope to have additional pictures soon and will probably blog again about gorgeousness of the whole wedding weekend!

Life As We Know It...

Here is a brief picture summary of what has been going on over the last two months...

Ashley threw me a "going away" party...

...Because I no longer live here...

...I now live with these two.  Which works out nicely because  I want to save  $ to buy a house...and...

...these guys.  They are getting married shortly and they are having showers and parties every weekend.

...and getting to spend time with my soon to be sister-in-law is great!

....I also have my half marathon coming up on Sunday, but after a little accident, I may or may not have broke my toe...we shall see how it feels come Sunday.

I will try to be a little more attentive to my blog, Dad and J. Jason.  I will strive to give you something to read a little bit more frequently.

My Latest Hobby

I am going into month three of running.  Yes, running.  I don't know what has gotten into me either.  It started with a simple plan of attending boot camp twice a week and now I do that and run with a group out of boot camp on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

I hated running in school for sports.  Basketball was THE WORST!  A mile or two BEFORE practice and then practice which usually included full court scrimmage and for the full amount of time.  Then, just for fun, we would end with a couple of suicide runs.  Yay.

Now, in just a mere 70 day's I will be running my first half marathon with my running buddies!  I am actually excited about it.  I don't always look forward to the 4 mile run we do on M, W, & F, and I really don't look forward to our long Saturday runs (the last one was an 8+ miler).  However, there is a great sense of satisfaction upon completion that is priceless.  You may not think it when you are pouring with sweat so bad that it is like a dripping faucet that is steadily running off your pinky fingers while you run.  You just can't stop it.  So...just 70 days and I will be running the measly 13.1 miles for this pretty little thing!

http://www.runningforthebay.com

Get excited!  I will try and keep you all up to date on how it's going!

In other news, my cousins Brad and Nicole came to visit with us this weekend to go see my friend, Bobby, and his band play.  I always love hearing them play and I try to go to see them when ever possible!  I am so glad that Brad and Nicole were able to make it!  Now, Brad, I know that my slight case of OCD is quite amusing to you.  You move pictures around and I move them back.  You move my soap around and I move them back.  You put the wrong shoes in the wrong box and, again, I move them back.  You move my shirts around, out of the alphabetical order that I have them in and I move them back.  But one, just one, slipped by me and I didn't realize it until today...

The way they should be (with a little better folding job-see I'm not a total nut job!)  with the bands of the towels lined up...

The way Brad put them...

I love you, buddy!  You keep me on my toes and I like to think that I give you something to do when visiting...other than leaving all the cabinet doors and drawers open! 

I must go now, I seem to have some laundry to do since half my towels are gone!

Happy Birthday, Brother!

Today is my brother's birthday!  I cannot believe that he's the big 32! It seems like yesterday he was hauling me around on his little bike and I was hanging on for dear life...much like the picture shows!

Then, as we grew a little and reach our teen years and adorned Santa's hat for pictures, I still seem to be clinging to him for dear life...

 ...probably scared that there was going to be more pictures to take and I'm pretty sure one of us asked if there was going to be anymore pictures after this one...even the dog was tired!  Side note:  This was my favorite red sweater!

But, no matter what, I always loved helping celebrate his birthday with him!

Sorry I couldn't be there this year, brother!  I hope that you had a terrific birthday! I miss you lots and can't wait to see you soon!

So....

Its been a while since I blogged.

Tonight I am taking advantage of the newly recorded True Blood so that I can blog.  Ashley watches this horrid show and since the mosquitoes are drawn to me as soon as I step outside, I thought I would blog.  Anything to get away from that show!

This past week I was off and was able to be at home for a little family time!  I really enjoyed it!  Here are a few pictures from my week...

Heath giving Elisabeth and I our plant lesson for the day.

I was trying to get a bolt of lightening in my picture, but I just wasn't quick enough!  However, the clouds look pretty awesome anyway!

My friend Libbie and I went to Coldwater creek for a little kayak adventure on Friday.  We had a really good time!

I always enjoy going home and seeing friends, old co-workers, and family.  All of which are irreplaceable!

Independence Day and a 5k

Yes, I know that I am the worst blogger, ever.  To bring you up to speed, I will use a few photos...

Cleaning like a crazy person

It's been so long since I took this picture, it looks like this weekend I will be cleaning like this again this weekend!

Getting the only cucumber that survived a round of worms right before I ripped my garden up

I was so tired of looking at my garden and seeing it not producing any good vegetables I finally just ripped it up!  FYI, the Farmer's Market sales all the vegetables I was growing for dirt cheap! 


My first 5k

I can mark 'Running in a 5k' off my bucket list, right after I write it on there.  It was really never something that I really wanted to do, it just kinda happened and I really enjoyed it!  The results came in today.  My official time was 38:04 putting me at 172nd place.  While that seems so low, I am quite pleased with the results for my first one.  I was far from last and I was not even close to being last in my age group.  Next year, sadly, I will be in the 30's group; so sad. 

I hope you all had a great 4th of July!  Since I wasn't home to spend it with my family, I was able to spend it with some great friends and enjoy our wonderful freedom and enjoy a break from our busy lives.