Bethany's Father/Daughter Dance 2015

Brooke and Boyd Greene began the father/daughter dance tradition in Statesboro several years ago and it has become such a wonderful community event and fundraiser.  Brooke and Boyd are both people that I am pleased to call friends and a huge shout out goes to them for creating this wonderful time for dads and their daughters.  Tonight, my heart melted as Stan escorted our two little girls to the dance.  This was his first experience taking TWO girls... YIKES!  They were so excited.  We curled hair, dressed up and even put on a little bit of lip gloss.  Stan doesn't like when I draw attention to him, but he deserves so much credit for being the person he is, especially with his role as a "dad", which he takes such pride and care with.  Back when the Facebook invitations and posts about ticket sales began, his wheels began to turn.  He contemplated taking the girls at two separate times, not because he didn't think they would have fun together, but because he wanted Sara to have her own experience and feel like it was special for HER.  He just was putting so much thought into making it special for her.  And I appreciated that more than he will ever comprehend.  Not every man stepping into the dad role in the situation we have would be so thoughtful.  The thing is, he isn't just like that on father/daughter dance day, he's that way EVERY day.  Sure, it's a confusing situation for all of the little kids sometimes, but it doesn't have to be.  There don't have to be boundaries.  After all, family isn't about blood.  It's about who you choose to love and accept for a lifetime.  I am so thankful for this love that he and I share, and the love that spills over endlessly into the children too.  I feel so blessed every single day.  Obviously, in the end, we both decided the girls would have a blast together, so they all went at the same time.  They had a ball and amazing memories were made.

Bone Contusions, Pinched Nerves and Lost Ray Bans... This is Life

So... it's been quite a few days... and I don't give my sweet hubby enough public credit (because he doesn't want it)... but here goes.   I managed to knock a paint can off the laundry room counter on Saturday night.  Where did it land?  Right on top of my right foot, with no shoe on.  Yeah... Fun stuff. The foot I already broke many years ago! Stan had run to grab dinner for us and I had all of the little kids at home.  I sat in the laundry room floor and cried.  It hurt that bad.  The girls were totally unphased by it, but sweet Liam kept saying "It's ok, Mama... Stan be right back."  Even at his little age, he already knows that Stan can take care of most anything.  Flash forward to the next morning and we are all in the truck, headed to AppleCare.  I was so worried about him having to deal with all of the kids by himself.  Not that he can't handle it with ease, but trust me, if you've never been entrusted with two 4-year-old girls and a 2-year-old boy all at once, it's not for the faint of heart.  None of them are bad or unruly children by any means...in fact, quite the opposite. But together, they are a deadly and tiring threesome!  Haha!  Not once did Stan complain.  He took it all so calmly. They dropped me off at my request (I hobbled in with one shoe on-what a sight!) and I told him I would text him when I was almost done.  About an hour and a half later, they picked me back up, cute velcro surgical shoe and all.  Nevermind that he's been battling a pinched nerve in his neck for almost 2 weeks...He was there to help me now.  I cannot tell you how amazing that feels... to have that kind of support from your best friend.  Anyway, it was so swollen and bruised but they called it a severe bone contusion and possibly a hairline fracture.  No cast is needed, thank goodness.... Just time, ice and as much propping as possible.  We are quite a pair right now with our ice and our moans and groans... but we are still laughing through it and cracking "old" jokes about ourselves.  And I'm on him to follow up with the doctor again if his problems don't start getting better soon!

Last night, on my "birthday eve", pretty wrapped packages appeared on our bed... To explain this story better, flash back to Valentines Day.  We spent the day in Savannah, enjoying a date day.  Along the way, we made a stop at Toys R Us, where I managed to take my favorite Ray Bans off my head and sit them down.  STUPID!  I walk away, realize it 5 minutes later and go back to find them gone, of course.  Who turns in a $250 pair of sunglasses right?  After checking, with lost and found, I quickly realized they were gone.  I'm a sensitive person when it comes to stuff like that.  I rarely lose things and beat myself up when I do.  I just consider it careless and a huge waste of money!  For two weeks now I've worried over losing them, but with all the kids, their needs always come before my wants. I unwrapped this gift to find a brand new pair.  He had to go get Chris at The Sir Shop to help him figure out which ones they were and special order them because they were a different style than most people have.  He literally took his phone and they went through pictures of me in those sunglasses to figure it out.  If that's not love, I don't know what is!  The thought that went into that gift meant the world to me.  It wasn't just a run out and grab something kind of gift.  It took effort and time and a whole bunch of love.  I'm amazed daily by it.  I don't always show it probably and I certainly don't deserve it, but those things mean the world to me and I never want that to go unnoticed. I am so thankful for special days and surprises from a man who means the world to me.

I've Got Some Catching Up To Do...

So.... Today is my birthday.  I want to thank everyone for all of the many birthday wishes I've received today through Facebook, email, text messages and other means.  My phone hasn't had this much activity in a while!  I have again neglected my blog, something I said I was really going to try to keep up with.  At any rate, I promise to do better in the future.  First and foremost, in case you somehow missed the obnoxiousness of my lovey dovey Facebook posts this past month or so, Stan and I were married on January 19 at my favorite place on the planet, Disney World.  We were married at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and it could not have been more perfect.  It was just the two of us...No crowd, no production... Just a beautifully intimate service on the beach of Disney's Bay Lake...just the way it should be.  (No worries... I attached a couple of pictures below!)  I really look back at the past year of my life and see the tremendous blessings that have unfolded. I am a lucky girl to have found someone so willing to not only love me, but to love my children as his own.  Our new blended family is taking shape and is doing GREAT.  I know many people hear the horror stories of the merging of two households, but I believe we have done it so smoothly and peacefully.  We are blessed that our kids have just merged into one collective unit.  They all show such love for each other.  Sure, they fuss sometimes...All kids that age do.  The girls in particular truly love spending time together and playing together... and being "princess sisters" and "mermaid sisters". They are quite a pair!  Liam is in his own little boy world, with Stan as his only ally.  Caitlin and Hope are in their own teenage world, so we have every spectrum covered. (No offense, girls.  Love you!) We have had a lot of love and support and we appreciate that more than I could ever express.  We have a lot of unusual circumstances to deal with in our day to day life, but we do it with as much grace, patience and love as we can muster.  I could not ask for a better person to spend my life with and have walking beside me always.  I don't get on Facebook and other social media like I used to (I don't really have time, unless it's to post a picture of the kids or something), so I rarely share things that are very personal.  This is kind of my opportunity to do so. Much love to you all and thanks again for all of the birthday wishes!  38 isn't too bad so far!  :-)