My Sunshine!!

Today is my baby girl's 20th birthday!  Where have the years gone?  Let me tell you alittle about this incredible creature.  She was born on a day that turned out to be one of the stormiest days in the Metroplex.  Our brand new van was destroyed by the golf ball size hail.  While delivering her, the lights flickered off in the hospital.  That should have been our first clue of what the future would hold.   Now when she was little, she was a momma's girl.  She clung to me!  She was so sweet and never gave me a minute of trouble.  Well then this creature turned into a teenager and decided to break free!  And boy did she break!  We went through a few rocky years of her trying to find her independence.  Now she is in her second year of college and along with being her mother, I get to be her friend!  A few weeks ago at a wedding she and I danced the night away.  I wouldn't trade that night for anything.  I look forward to every chapter of her life and am blessed to be a part of it! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADY LEEANN BACCHUS!

Roses are Red.....

My Roses!!!

My Roses are in bloom!  I think I got my green thumb from my Grandma Stolley.  She always had a back yard full of different kinds of flowers.  Most of her's were wild flowers.  She loved Black-Eyed Susan's.  I remember walking around the yard with her as she talked about the different plants.  She also grew rhubarb.  We would pull a piece out the ground, take it inside and wash it, then dip it into sugar and eat it!  Strawberry rhubarb pie is my all time favorite pie.  My Grandma Powers had a little garden outside of her back door where she grew Lilly's of the Valley.  I can still remember that wonderful smell and the perfect little bell shaped flowers.  I love the memories made with these two amazing ladies!

NASCAR & Crawfish

Yesterday was the TMS NASCAR race.  Bob and I didn't go to the race but we did make it out to the tailgate!  Every year our neighbor, Butch, hosts a crawfish boil to raise money for Victory Junction Gang.  This is a charity started by the Petty family to help terminally ill children.  Butch and his team cooked over 500 pounds of crawfish.  To go with that they had potatoes, corn, sausage, oysters, smoked salmon and of course BEER.  They have a pretty cool set up with a tent and even a small dance floor.  We left when all the race fans headed to the track to watch the race.  From the comfort of our home we watched Greg Biffle win the race. 

Bob and his RED SOLO CUP

Wedding

Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Oliver

We celebrated Kevin and Kristin's wedding this weekend.  What a fun-filled weekend!!  We started on Thursday night.  Lisa, Angie, Nannette, Katie and I did some food prep.  On Friday, the furniture was moved, the chairs were set up and later that night was the rehearsal dinner.  At the rehearsal, Tom, Kevin's dad, made a very moving speech that brought me to tears.  Kristin's sister put together a great slide show and her cousins sang them a tribute song.  The boys then moved on to the bachelor party!

The wedding day weather was picture perfect!  The temperature was in the high 70's with a light breeze.  At 4:00 the bride revealed her look to the groom.  It was a touching moment.  The guests were settled in for the start of the wedding at 6:00.  What a beautiful couple stood before them!  Kevin's best friend Phillip married them in a beautiful(quick) ceremony.  At the reception, the drinks were flowing, the gourmet burgers were flying off the grill and the dance floor was over-flowing! Brady had me on the dance floor with her till midnight and I cherished every moment having fun with her.  (alittle sore the next morning though)  I must say, it was one of the best weddings that I have ever attended.

TORNADO!!!

This tornado flew right by our house. (Less than 2 miles away.) A passing motorist caught it on video. (I ride my bike down that frontage road on 287.)  We weren't home when it happened but I did see the destruction on my way home.  Over 100 homes damaged in Arlington but no serious injuries and no death.  We dodged a big one this time!

Couples Friends

It's important in life to have friends.  They can enrich your life in so many ways!  Finding other couples as friends is also important but not always easily achieved.  For the wives to like each other and the husbands to like each other is a blessing.  We are lucky in our lives right now to have two very special "couple" friends ~ The Klotz's and the Lenz's. 

We spent last Friday night at the Oasis at Joe Pool with them.  We had a ball.  We sat on the patio on a beautiful spring evening, eating oysters, drinking wine, listening to great music and even "dancing".  I haven't laughed that much in a while.  That kind of laughter is good for the soul.  After the long month we have had, this was a much needed night out. 

                                                                                                                            

   Looking forward to this weekend when we help Kristen and Kevin tie the knot!!!!!

The Groom to Be!!