i'm it, now you're it...

i've been tagged by my friend Heidi over at Mt. Hope Academy. she is an amazing lady, with three beautiful boys, and a great eye for decorating! if you haven't visited her you must, and then you can thank me, because she will be one you visit often!

1.where have you traveled? as a child, my parents would hop on a plane and go, many i can remember, and many i can not. i have been to new orleans on several occasions, my dad lived there for a while so i guess we'd visit his "old stompin' grounds". we have been to colorado, and new mexico. but one of my favorite places we go, and we go often is las vegas. it isn't the type of vaca that you just sip a pina colada and do nothing on, but it is amazing to see and my husband and i get to re-live our dating days.

vegas in 2003

pregnant in vegas on 2005

and in vegas for my 30th, i mean 29!!!

2.where would you like to live? well... as you all know by now that is a great question, but not one i can answer. i feel like God has a distinct plan for my family and where we are to live, to live out that plan is still very unknown for us. things have been happening that are throwing us for a loop and we are just praying for the answer to be reveled. but, i'd love an old home, one with character and charm!


3.what is your decorative style? wow, another one, hummmm.....well, i too love pottery barn, but try hard not to mimic it. i try my hardest to have a very individual style, not one that came out of a magazine. i do not like to copy and do not like when others copy me, people say that it is a form of flattery, however, i feel like we all have our own individuality and we should work hard on expressing it! although, almost half of the things in my home are from that darn store, i don't think my home screams pottery barn! i have painted in so many homes, and have seen such wonderful styles, i think i have taken a little here and there and created my own. my heart loves an old traditional farm house look. when we re-modeled our last home, i had my carpenter make all the woodwork look like it came right out of an old 1920's farm house, and i love it!!!


4.how many times have you been married? one! we met in eighth grade, and were instantly friends. we dated twice in high school, but nothing serious. the story as he tells it goes like this... i broke up with him when we were in 10th grade, out of "revenge" he asked another girl out and ended up dating her for 5 yrs. you all remember her, april winfrey! (all my fault he claims). we remained friends, not knowing he felt more. he was going to college in a town 60 miles from where i was going to school. he heard that my longtime boyfriend and i broke up, he decided it was now or never, he ended up transferring schools and moving closer to me. where we immediately formed our close "friendship" bond, and next thing you know, engaged, pregnant, married and still best friends!

this is us as freshmen in college and "just friends"!

5.what is your favorite color? green! there isn't many shades of green i do not like. i also like red and black and brown!

6.what is your proudest accomplishment? tough...obviously my children! but to be honest, i think they are just the "bonus" that God has blessed us with. my marriage has to be it for me. as i have said before, we got pregnant before we were married, we were young and both quit school to "start life", and become adults. we have moved every 10 months for 10 years now due to my husband job. we have been through 4 very difficult miscarriages and have 5 babies waiting for us in heaven. our first child was never supposed to make it here, and thanks to the Lord, there is no medical reason he is! the birth of twins only 17 months after our first was born. we have overcome the death of grandparents, and both of our fathers passed away almost exactly 5 months apart. a trespasser in our home that turned our world up side down for months. and the absolute most difficult, being told we were going to have to amputate our sons leg, and seeing our two year old walk with a walker for a year and having a major surgery where they actually took his leg off, and shaved his bone and put a rod and then put it back together! after being in a total body cast for 4 months, and four years later he is the only one in medical history to still have his leg, he is in medical books and the last time we went to the doctor, they video taped him running and jumping and released him totally, now he is free to be a little boy again! Thank you Heavenly Father, you are GOOD and GOOD TO ME!!! and our marriage, by no means is perfect, but it is still going and that is my biggest accomplishment!!!

paysli is not in this picture because she is the one taking it, see, even my 2 yr old is better than i am at photography!!

7.what would we be absolutely shocked to know about you? oh my??? the only thing i can come up with is although i know i may seem very classy and posh, i know, it's rough. i am really not a girly girl. don't get me wrong here, i love pedicures, and getting my hair done and having a great girls night with good drinks. but... i have no problem picking up a gun! i have killed a 300 lb. hog and have shot white tail deer, and built deer stands. i can really get my hands dirty! i love to ride four wheelers and go camping (well, i still do prefer air conditioner) but i can hang with the boys, i'm not to good! and most of the times that i let go and enjoy being dirty, i have the most fun and make great memories with all 4 of my boys!!!

this is a pic of me and my biological father, Spanky.i got to go hunting with him on his ranch in south texas shortly before he passed away!

now i get to pass this on to two, let's see, how about...
1. candid reflections
2. meg @ lucchese to louis vuitton

if you don't feel like doing it, just pass it on to someone you'd like to know more about!! i look forward to learning more about others, and i hope you enjoyed knowing more about me!!! thanks again heidi!!