~ AloHa ~

i remember counting down the days to hawaii, back when it was like 213 days or something. i can hardly believe our trip has come, and gone already! the trip we had been planning since summer of 09, when lucas was just a tiny lil babe. (for those of you who may not know, my best friend since 3rd grade, loni, and her hubby jake, made the move to hawaii in 09. they both have jobs on the island of kauai... she is a math professor at kcc and jake works in the courthouse as a prosecuting attorney. if you've heard how expensive the cost of living is in hawaii, you heard right. so what a blessing for nate and i to be able to visit and stay with friends and save costs on a hotel... we wouldn't have been able to afford the trip otherwise!) 
anyways, so may 18, 2012... it seemed the day would never get here... then before we knew it, we were on the plane back home! we had an AMAZING vacation... seriously it could not have been any better. everything we saw, did, ate, etc, was just wonderful! if you have never been to hawaii, i would try and plan if a trip if at all possible. i'll tell you this much... we went thinking it would probably our only time to go. and we came home saying- we will totally be back! it was that awesome, and well worth every penny spent! i want to document as much of our trip as possible, even though it might take a while! i think the easiest way is to break it up into days. so here goes arrival day! stick with me and maybe you'll feel as though you were there too! ;o)

 i heard from so many friends how awesome hawaii was, but i also heard as many times, if not more, how awful the flight was. well guess what... i was prepared for the worst, and it was not nearly as bad as i expected! :) we went from bham to houston to LA to kauai. i def think traveling was easier since it was broken up into 3 flights. the first leg was about 2.5 hours long, the next about 3.5, and the last about 5.5. i think that's correct... i might be off a little. anyways, movies, books, itunes, and the excitement of it all made the flight over pass by quick. and a xanex and exhaustion made the flight home bearable! ;) this pic was on the way to hawaii... 

we made it!!! welcome to kauai... the garden island. 

and oh my, throughout the week we would learn why it is called the garden isle. never in my life have i seen a prettier place!!

loni and jake picked us up at the airport... and loni made nate and i these beautiful FRESH lei's! they were so soft and smelled so good. i hate that they didn't last longer, b/c they were so awesome!! i love this pic of us at the airport!! ALOOOOOHAAAA!

eating at duke's restaurant and bar after arriving friday night! beautiful view during dinner... starting the trip off right!

me and loni... best friends reunited! :)

 

next up... day 2 on the north shore!

it's been a year...

It’s been a year.

Since my heart stopped beating. My world crashed down around me. My life was changed, forever. I can remember parts of it like it was yesterday. but it’s still all such a blur. It doesn’t seem real. This did not happen to me. im living someone else’s nightmare, right? I mean, this was not in my plan… how could this happen?

Ive tried to find the words, but I just can’t. nothing can come close to describing my life on that day, and the days to come..

My heart was breaking. I had been betrayed. Abandoned. Lied to. My trust was broken. My innocence was lost. My mind was blown. This could not be happening to me. to us. but it was… this was my reality. I didn’t deserve it. I never saw it coming. In some ways, I feel like I should have known. If only I would have paid more attention. Gone up there more. listened to others. Set boundaries. But it was too little too late. Nothing could change what had happened.

But I never gave up hope. I would not let this define me. I would not let Satan defeat me. I would not leave. I would stay and fight. For myself and my children. For my husband and our marriage. My family.

God opened my eyes to the many blessings in my life and was so real to me… he never left my side. He gave me strength. When I didn’t think I could go on, or when I thought I would never stop crying, when I thought about how this would affect my future, he protected me. he gave me peace. He would not let my mind wander to the “what ifs.” He put people in my life to help me, to encourage me… in such a time as this.

I learned that he was and is my everything. My hope, my trust, my joy, my provider. My comforter, my peace, my strength…not only my strength to go on, but to love and to forgive… he held me in his hands and wrapped his arms so tight around me. he protected me.

Unfortunately, Satan was also  more real to me than ever before. I realized that he tried to destroy me. to break me. to tear me down. but I’m so very thankful that what satan meant for evil, the lord meant for good!

It’s been a year.

They told me we could overcome this. That we would be stronger because of it. that we would learn certain lessons that we could not have learned any other way. I did not think it possible. But today, I am here to tell you, they were right. We have overcome this… we are stronger because of it, and there are several lessons we had to learn… and although they were hard lessons, and they hurt, I’m confident they will help us in the future.

God is beyond amazing, and has truly worked a miracle in my life. I’m blessed way more than I deserve. I’m thankful that he has made beauty from our ashes. It’s not always easy, and we aren’t perfect by any means. But as He promises: Love NEVER Fails! 

hey wow...

so yeah... apprently the month of may has come, and gone! and i didn't blog even once! and apparently haven't really updated anything since easter. oh my... things have been busy, but also i was a little lazy! :-) quick rundown... the weekend after easter i went on a beach trip with the girls for a long weekend... it was awesome and a much needed break! 

then, at the end of april, i can hardly believe i'm saying this, but we registered trace for K-5. what the heck??  when did my baby get old enough for kindergarten? oh my... time flies! he was super excited to visit the school... we were just there for a few minutes, where we turned in all the paperwork and they did a few evaluations on him. he was bummed that we didn't get to stay for longer! he seems super excited about starting school! i'm excited for him, but i'd be lying if i said i'm ok with it! ;) august 20th will be here before we know it!

in early may i had the chance to earn some extra money by working the talladega race! i dressed up like a cowgirl, greeted people and checked id's at a tent, and made some easy cash! :) i actually had a lot of fun!! pretty cool that i got to sit in this car... the same car that won the race that day!!! i felt super cool! ;)

next we had mother's day weekend... where i was pampered and treated like a queen! i got a massage, a pedicure, went shopping... and got this super cute gift from the kids and nate! LOVE it!! also got a new duvet cover for the bed!

our church always does something special for the mothers for mothers day... this year we had a brunch. it was super cool for us to be there with 4 generations on mom's side of the famliy... nana, mom, me and shannon, and lala belle! love this picture and will always remember this special time!

the boys are crazy as always... getting so big. i'll leave you with 2 cute pics that i just have to share!

sweet sweet boys

silly, silly boys!!!!

eAsTeR at meme's

 my precious family <3

this melts my heart. my 3 biggest blessings!!

another wonderful easter celebration... filled with lots of food, fun, and fellowship. the eggs and baskets and bunnies are fun, but we know without the crucifixion and ressurection of jesus christ, easter would mean nothing! thankful... that HE IS RISEN INDEED!!

easter morning :)

seriously... could these boys get any cuter?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

love love love them!