it is really late and I cant sleep...sometimes when I cant sleep I start daydreaming about all that has happened over the past few weeks. it all seems so surreal. its like I have been in this terrible dream and I cant wake up. but then, when I do finally wake up I realize it wasnt a dream at all. it really all happened. no matter how many times I go over it in my head everything remains as it is. there are no variables that change or any pieces I have missed. I just have to come to grips with the fact that she is gone. when God takes someone out of the world they are gone forever from this world. but they have just begun their eternal life with Him in heaven. when u think about it that way it is very comforting. we will continue to hurt for her and yearn for her to be here but she is in a much better place. a place where all of her sins have been washed clean, although she had very few. she is in perfect condition and feels no fear or tortureous thoughts. we can all be thamkful for that. That is where I now am in this whole process. the thankfulness of her being in heaven, at peace greatly outweighs the pain of her not being here. I will always miss her more than anything, and im sure my days will still be sad, but ultimately she is in heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I will thank God everyday for that. dad,and I will eventually learn how to move on in life , but it wont be without her...no, she is still very much a part of our lives,through our memories of her and by the example she left us of how to be true christian servant! I love u mom and always will everday of this life and the next:)

Mt Rainier with Dad and Grandmama!

My Dad and Grandmother have been in town for a couple of weeks and we have been super busy.  My Dad has been totally remodeling our house. It looks so so good!  I cannot believe all that he has done.  He is an amazing handy man and a work horse.  I am so thankful for him being here!!! He is the best dad ever:) Love you DAD!!! I will post some pics soon of all the new stuff we have done, but first I want show some pics of Mt Rainier.  It is a mountain that is about 2 hrs from Seattle and it is spectacular.  It is 14,000 ft and is beautiful.  Me, dad, and grandmama went up last week and loved it.

This is our view of Mt Rainier when we were about an hour away.  It gets so much bigger.

We are getting closer...

This is a half way point, already 7,000 ft up the mountain.  

More to come!!!

Things we have been up to lately...

We went to Alaska in June and I totally forgot to post pics.  So I am a little late, but here are a few.  We went with Will's parents and his cousin. We had a blast and saw so many beautiful sceneries.  If you have not been to Alaska I would recommend going.  God's creation is truly amazing!!!

Here is a glacier that was so big and beautiful. What a gorgeous backdrop.  Next we have a grizzly bear!!! Yikes, cant believe we got so close.

How cool is this shot!!! Actually I will let you in on a secret...this was a animal conservation.  This bear was behind a fence, but it looks like we were out in the middle of her habitat, in the wild:)

This is a shot of us in a tiny plane flying over Mt McKinley.  It is also known as Denali.  The biggest mountain in the continental US.  It was pretty awesome. We had to have oxygen because the plane was not pressurized.

So beautiful!!! There were so many more wonderful sites, but these were just a few.  We were so lucky, we had great weather on our flight tour. 

This crazy picture

THis picture makes me laugh so hard. I just thought I would change it up with something totally different. It is not like us at all to not be smiling, which is why this is so funny. The picture looked so modern and crafty I thought we would use it. I am trying o spice things up a little. Goodnight and God Bless!

So things are not how I would have planned...

Hello friends, family and fellow bloggers. I have not posted anything in quite a while. I am now going to make blogging a priority. I am going to start focusing on things that take up time and are productive. I like projects that are enjoyable and ones that you can show your creative side in. So today is a new day of writing, picture cropping, zooming, venting, sharing and exploring this new social media network...
If you didnt already know, my mom past away 6 weeks ago. Wow, has it ever been tough. But it is only tough because we are not prepared for times like these when we are blindsided by disaster and tragedy. But the only way to cope in a situation like mine is to throw your hands up to God and say I surrender. I will continue to have bad days and months, but I can honestly say that God has wrapped His arms around me and my family and shown us a peace that I could not have imagined three weeks ago. When tragedy strikes, your best friend is shock for at least a week. And when that shock wears off, things can get tough. The reality of the situation finally sets in and you realize that the person you love so much is really gone. That hurts so bad, but it also allows you to be human and feel things so deeply. After the reality set in of my mom's death, I just got really sad. I would occupy myself with lots of stuff to do during the day, but at night, my mind would slip into the world of the what if's and could have's. That is when I realized that wasnt going to help anyone. God allowed her to leave this earth. No matter how she was taken out. She was in Heaven now with God. He took her in and is loving on her now. She is in perfect condition. She is not sick or scared and has complete peace. THat brings tears to my eyes. Good tears! She was the most amazing mother and I am not just saying that. THis all hurst so bad because we were so close and she was my best friend. Everyone who knew her loved her. They were drawn to her infectious personality. She could light up a room and make everyone in it feel so special. She had that ability to make ppl feel like she had known them her whole life. She was special and the most compassionate person I will ever know.
I cant stop there...she loved Auburn football!!! I cant believe how this season is turning out becasue my mom would be so excited right now. Somehow I feel like she has a hand in this whole thing. I bet she has all the angels wearing orange. I will stop here tonight, but one thing makes me rest easy. My mom is a guardian angel to anyone who knew her. She is in heaven looking over all of us. I love you so much Mom and miss you everyday!

Goodnight!

Go Seahawks!!!

A little bit of football...

Above are a few pics of Will on the field.  I wanted to post some from highschool, some from college, and some from Seattle.  I cant get over how young he looks in his Opelika Highschool football pic:)  Time flies when you're having fun!!!

We have been off the radar for a while...

We have been so busy lately.  Going back and forth from Alabama to Seattle has been our drill.  Will is in the middle of spring workouts and mini camps.  He is plugging along and I am so proud of him.  I have been in the process of getting my personal training license.  I am studying, but have not been very diligent. I am trying to be better.  I wont be certified until the end of summer, but I am still excited to get it behind me.  I am also volunteering at a place called Child Haven in downtown Seattle.  It is amazing.  This is what I am most passionate about.  It is a safe haven for battered and abused children.  I work with babies from age 6 months-15 months.  I absolutely adore these children.  God works in these children everyday.  They are so happy even though their little world is broken.  We are loving the northwest.  Everything is so green and lush. As soon as it gets just a little bit warmer, it will be amazing here. But dont get me wrong, I am super pumped to be going home to Alabama for the month of July.  I cant wait for Lake Martin and the beach.  I love the southern humidity:)  Not many people do, but I truly do.  We have been working on some home renovations too.  We just got new appliances in the kitchen and I have been working the interior decorating aspect of the house for a while now.  I just cant decide which direction to go with our den.  That is a work in progress, and will eventually have some pics.  More to come soon!!!