Hugs and Stuff to Dianne

Some of you know and some of you don't know, that, my sister-in-law Dianne has breast cancer for the 2nd time. I know! How do you get breast cancer a second time and you've had them romoved? Cancer no matter where it comes back at is always called where it orginiated from. Make sense? I didn't know until Dianne told me.

So, she had lunch with me today at Colby's, we had a great lunch. I learned a little more on her blog than I did at lunch...shame on you Dianne...it's okay though...

Want to send you out some blog hugs and stuff cause you ROCK Dianne.

What a difficult conversation we had the other day, probably the most difficult one in 21 years I've known you. I promised to stay strong and I will, you know I will, and I'll shoot you the truth when you want it...(lol)

Dianne.
You.
Rock. (and glow)

And These Are The Days of Our Lives...

Today was my first day of NOT taking the girls to school. Mary Margaret drove them to school. I was and still am a ball of wadded up nerves.

What did I do to make myself feel better?

I stalked them all the way to school and took their picture in the parking lot. I am that much of a stalker.

Today is Taylor's first day of High School. 9th grade. She is extremely nervous. Mary Margaret's first day of 10th grade.

Last night Tim was in rare form. (I secretly think he was nervous for the girls, that's the only explanation for the way he behaved)

I called to see if he wanted to ride home with me after I picked Mary Margaret up from work. He said he needed to stay in town, he wasn't finished with his work. I told him I was picking up Chinese and he was asking a million questions about where I was at.

We get home, get the junk out of the truck, all 3 of us walk up to the tiny front porch, I get my house key ready....and this wild man runs from behind the house screaming like a bear on crack, waving his arms. I ran to the end of the porch with no railing...I could have broken my neck falling, Taylor ran down the steps and to the middle of the yard screaming..."no no no no" Mary Margaret was standing sandwiched between the screen door and house door crying that she had peed in her pants. Tim said it looked like I was running place screaming at the top of my lungs. I think we woke up Dianne and Clayton's roosters and maybe all of Parkin, Arkansas which is about 15 miles down the road. Tim. Is. Not. Funny.

He had been at home the whole time waiting outside in the mosquitoes for 20 minutes just to scare us, which I assume was the reason for all the questioning.

His pay back? Mary Margaret came to me wanting to talk about her "monthly"...I told her Tim said that the next time she wanted to do that, he wanted to hear everything.

So she did.

Meet Christina...my little cousin

Christin is a senior this year! Yesterday we did a quick Senior Session and she rocks!!!! I loved taking her pictures and can't wait for the next two sessions!!!

Best Rip Off?

This little girl/gypsies knows a good deal when she sees one! How do you like her hair do? She was trying her best to annoy us and it did not work.

Now back to her good deal...
While we were on vacation in the Smokey Mountains, we stopped in Cherokee, North Carolina. Mary Margaret saw these Indians dressed and getting ready for the Native American Dances. She begs for us to stop and get her picture with a real live Indian. Tim gives in. The first was dawg drunk and spilling his beer everywhere. He told her he would be glad to take his picture with her and he did. For free. Good deal right?

The second one is sober and smarter.
She asks for a picture.
He says, you'll have to take it with your own camera.
She says ok.
I get my cell phone out and take the picture.
She asks him if he can dance.
He says yes and the rest is muffled to me. She's all happy and runs back to the truck real fast and runs back and hands him a $10.00 and walks off really fast, almost a run. She looks stunned.
I asked what happened.
She says he told me he'd do a picture and a dance and that he works for tips. So I went and got some of my money, a $10 and asked him for change and he ran.
This would be the part where she got the BAD DEAL.

The next day, we rode the train for the 2nd time, and she tells the story to one of the train workers. He laughs and says...Was it the dude in Cherokee? She says yes and shows him the picture. He says....
He's not even Indian.
He's Mexican.
Me and Tim say...Thumbs up Mary Margaret.

I LOVE IT

My friend Joanna left this comment on my blog...

and

I

Loved

It!

You know that whole saying raising teenagers is like nailing jello to the wall, right? I say we throw the jello at their faces and yell, "Nailed it!" :)

Dolly Wood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Dolly Wood, to me, was just another amusement park.

Was I amused that Tim would NOT ride the scary roller coaster? Yes.
Was I amused that Tim found the camera while I rode the scary roller coaster and took pictures? NO.
He is amazing with the camera.

Tim totally rocks at getting just the right shot.

Of course he was waiting at the exit for me. Did I say that the roller coaster was scary? IT. WAS. SCARY. My hair got a little messed up and I was hot. How sweet was it of Tim to capture this moment.

I want one of these skillets...

Tim's parents rocked the scooters. I would like to point out that Tim's mom was guarding my camera. Tim must have tied her up and got the camera or maybe he flashed those baby blues at his mommy and she was mush.

We have no clue who these characters are, but what the heck, the girls were smiling so I snapped the shot.

Smokies continued

We rode the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad in Bryson, North Carolina. The route we took followed Lake Fontanna. I think one of the most beautiful lakes I've seen.

The train we rode...I was not supposed to hang out the window, but, I just couldn't resist. Tim was my lookout...

This is us just before we hiked to the highest point in the Smokies. Notice the look on Mary Margarets face...we all looked like that by the time we made it to the top. She made that face in almost every photo that day because she was being a "little" difficult teenager.

Great Smokey Mountain Vacation

We headed for the mountains for our vacation this year. The Great Smokey Mountains. I thought Crowley's Ridge and the Ozarks were pretty, the Smokies take my breath away! They look like the go forever when you are at the top looking down. Yes, we hiked to the top. God's handi-work is amazing.

On our way to the top, we crossed into North Carolina.

Tim's sister, her husband, and their one year old granddaughter, Addison went with us. First night, Tim was messing with her head, she didn't want him touching her so she pulled away real hard, causing her face to smash into a bowl of mac and cheese. For days this is what she did when Tim looked at her...

Pink Toes!!!!

Butler Toes are PINK in honor of our sister-in-law Dianne Littlejohn Billings who is a cancer survivor and battling cancer a 2nd time and in memory of Tim's grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Butler, his Uncle Wayne Butler and in memory of my Uncle George Brawner, my good friend Terri Jackson, and my Aunt Nannie Jane. Also in honor and memory of all who have fought and won and fought and lost. Let's help find a cure! Yes, that's Tim's toes you see painted pink!