Dating

A friend of mine recently asked me about dating.

She wanted to know how on earth she was to find the right guy. 

I'm not expert on dating, but I didn't date any bugaboo's, shoutout to Beyonce. 

You know what I'm sayin'... 

What Mercedes looked for in a fella and what Mercedes got. 

A Christian Guy

This was important to me on so many levels. I wanted a guy who knew about God, loved God and wanted to know more about God. My entire life I was taught to serve God and I also grew up in a local church. I loved going to church for a lot of reasons and am forever grateful for the women and men who took time to help me grow. The memories I have of church are pretty awesome and I'm very fortunate.  

When I met C, he did not go to church. He wasn't a wild child, but he wasn't a saint. I remember the very first time I invited him anywhere, it was actually to church. I saw him at work, we chatted that night and I remember leaving for the night and telling him about my church. I told him what time service started and where it was located. In all Mercedes fashion, I was late to church the next day. So I stumble through to find an empty seat and during our greeting session, I heard my name. I turned around to find C sitting behind me, waving me over. I remember being half asleep and thinking, "Wow, he actually came." 

Mom 

I love my mom, a lot. She's in Heaven now, but I still hold her on such a high pedestal. Mom's are just so cool, I mean the work they do day in and day out, is mind blowing. I remember watching my mom cook meals and my brother would steal food as she labored over the hot stove. How about the endless amounts of laundry she did. Also, keep this in mind. . . I have 8 brothers and sisters. Yeah, you read that right. My mom will forever be such a queen in my eyes. When dating I looked to see how the guy treated his mom. Was the guy nice to her, did he despise her? Did he laugh with her, would he open the door for her, did he act different around her when I was present? In my opinion, I figured the way he treated his mom said a lot about his character. Momma's boys are a different story . . . 

When I met C he talked a lot about his mom. Most of the stories he shared about her were hilarious moments or good meals she'd made. When I finally met her, he was nowhere to be found. Yes, that's right... C told me to come to his house to meet his mom. When I arrived, she was home, but he was out with his brothers. I never meet a stranger, so I opted to eat lunch with his mom and I'm glad I did. His relationship with his mom was/is great. I witnessed him treat his mom nicely and in turn he's carried that over to how he treats Baby M and I. 

Oh and no, he doesn't treat us like we're glass. He runs the chainsaw, the weed eater and opens doors. I cut the grass and take out the trash, on many occasions.  

My dad 

I know it's silly, but I wanted my dad's approval. I really couldn't care about anyone else in the world, but I needed to talk to my dad about my choice. Only one boyfriend ever met my dad. I didn't bother my dad with the other clowns, just C. My dad and I had a pretty funny relationship. He always thought I was up to no good and he was usually right. I could joke around with my dad and I could also get away with a lot around my dad. In my eyes, my dad was such a rad dad. I mean he taught me how to kick the soccer ball, juggle the soccer ball and he also taught me how not to cook. He is forever one of the strongest and most hardworking men I have ever met. So when my dad gave C the thumbs up, I was thrilled. The real test of knowing my dad liked someone was if my dad asked that said person to do something. Anything really. So if my dad asked C to unload some groceries or maybe hand him a cup or maybe run to the store, you knew you made the cut. 

Finances 

My name is Mercedes and I know my credit score, I know how to budget like a wild woman and I absolutely expected everyone else to know and do the same. Real world, most people are not the same. My parents taught us at a very young age the importance of money. They made us save money and I'm forever grateful they did. Then to add to my money savvy-ness I worked at a bank. Let me tell you first hand. . . the Lexus, Audi or Mercedes people drive is usually bought with credit and has a massive payment attached. How about the man who enters the bank with a sick suit, driving said car . . .yeah, he's coming in because he's overdrawn on his checking account. Trust me people, looks are so deceiving. 

When I met C this particular subject provided some good humor. C loved electronics, still does, loved to eat burgers, still does and loved to spend, still does. I'll never forget when I went grocery shopping, broke as ever and C said, "I can't believe you didn't buy Jiff peanut butter!" I think my head turned like in the exorcist movie. Yes, we couldn't afford good peanut butter, until last year. We have worked really hard to learn together how to save, how to manage our money and how to be good stewards of God's money. C's not the bad guy completely in this, he's the one who pushed us to tithe and I am so glad that screaming match took place. I strongly believe we are blessed because we honor God with the first 10% of our salaries and gifts. 

Plans 

I'm a planner. Like I hate surprises, actually despise surprises. The thought of not knowing what I'm doing tomorrow, scares me a little. I'm the person who maps out essentials before a vacation. I'm the person financial people hate, I ask a million questions. I wanted to meet someone that had a plan for their life.I wanted to meet someone who had planned for a good life. I totally understand about life and how plans are changed, shifted or even messed up. I get it. What I wanted was someone that was prepared for what life threw our way. 

I never down someone who has a plan. If you're 35 years old and live with your parents, but you have a plan, sweet. If you're 60 years old and live with your parents and sleep until 4 pm and mom makes you waffles for dinner, not cool. Each and every person I've ever met, no matter the financial status, no matter the family history, whatever is going on, people with a plan make things happen. It's a okay to have loads of erase marks in your plan, trust me, I stopped writing in pen because my plans change soooo much. Life is fun, but planning is essential in seeing your vision come to life.  

If you think I'm crazy, join the club. I wish everyone could just magically find a C like I did. Actually... no, you'd have to live in a small town with miserable temperatures to find him. 

If you're dating, engaged, married - wherever your are in life, always trust your gut/instincts. Seriously, if you don't feel right about a situation or a person, go with that feeling. The dating life is such a difficult life to be part of. I mean some people are crazy, others are super weird, then you met the 1 person who might be good, but then you find out he's married. I am one of the fortunate gals who found my partner in crime in my early days. I'm sure he's still on the fence about this whole Mercedes gig, pretty sure he sticks around for the occasional chicken and dumplings or chocolate pie. 

Adios Pals! 

Mania

These past 2 weeks were a little wild, but so much fun! 


Nephew Mania 
To kick off the goodness my nephew flew in to spend 2 weeks with us. He is such a good kid, but he's 100% teenager. I didn't realize how much I disliked teenagers until I was fighting with him to leave girls alone, stop wrestling in the pool and to actually go to sleep before 3 am. My sister and I chipped in and bought him an iPod Touch and he pretty much lived on that thing the entire two weeks. We also found out he's a very picky eater and that he loves to swim. It was amazing to see him in action with our daughter and pups. I'm not sure what his calling will be, but I know one day he'll be an amazing father and hopefully he'll also adopt a few pets because he's great with both!

While visiting, Rich ran his very first race and killed it! Seriously, he placed 10th in his age group. I was crying when he crossed the finish line.  Yes, I'm the emotional aunt. 

Then of course we did have to do the essentials, Krispy Kreme visit and Graceland writing on the wall stop.

Of course, we slept at the neighbor's pools and he also put 1,000 hours on the ATV. Aside from crying about mosquito bites and losing some sleep, I think he really enjoyed his visit.

Graceland, Race & Krispy Kreme 

Yard Mania 
Next on this list. . . C and his crazy ideas. I have a hard time seeing the end results to one of C's magical ideas, but I trusted him. He has literally begged since November to remove the bushes from the front and side of our home. He said bushes attract bugs and look hideous. He had me at attracts bugs. . . 

Yard Demo Begins

So of course the rain won't stop, so that makes the work both easy and difficult. It's difficult because we can't use the ATV to pull the bushes, instead we have to dig them out. It's easy because the ground is soft from the rain. My nephew, MIL, C and I worked really hard on this for almost a week. We worked some hours here and there.

The end result is beautiful. I didn't snap a pic of the other side of the house. This is the front and one side.
I love our front porch so much more than I did. I'm glad I listened to C and I hate how much pretty stuff costs. . .

After the Demo 

Birthday Mania 

Lastly, we made sure to celebrate some birthdays! 

Baby M celebrates on the 18th and C on the 26th, so we had cake and pie for both of the birthday peeps. 

My family arrived in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday and we had the party late Saturday afternoon. We invited our close friends and family to help us celebrate. We had cupcakes, smash cake, pies, pinata, BBQ and the most amazing lemonade drink ever. 

We still have some celebrating to do as C's birthday is just 2 days away! 

We are truly humbled by the generosity shown to us these last couple of weeks. The time, gifts and help given was very much appreciated. 

Recipe Alert: 

Oh and before we part. . . Here is the lemonade recipe. I pretty much winged it and am OH SO GLAD I did. Take it from me, we had over 50 people attend the party and only a sip was left. This is the bizniz.

What you'll need: 

Simply Lemonade - Not sure the size, they're not the full blown jugs, but the middle size, usually $2/piece. 

Buy 4 containers. 

1 - regular lemonade

2 - raspberry lemonades 

1 - blueberry lemonade 

Orange Juice - the cheapo kind 

3 cups is what you'll need. 

Sprite 

you'll need an entire 2 liter 

put your juices in the fridge hours before the party, let them get nice and cold. 

Pour these bad boys in said container and stir. It was divine! 

Adios Amigos 

Birthday Gal

Maggie Rocks the Big 1

I still cannot believe we are parents and now it's even harder to believe we have a 1 year old little girl. She's a wild woman and such a blessing. I try to talk to God, tell him just how grateful we are, but my words don't match my emotions, the dictionary doesn't hold a word to describe the gratitude in my heart. 

We snapped a monthly picture and we're so glad we did. We can see little changes in her every month and we love looking back at these hilarious moments. I can still remember begging Blue to not lick her face or hearing Blue cry outside the door because he couldn't come in during picture time. How about the time she cried for 10 minutes after I took the 6th month cookies away from her or the time she almost fell off the chair because her beloved tomato toy was on the floor? Ah, these pictures were not easy to snap, but are full of hilarious memories.  

C and I are truly blessed to have joined the Parent world. The year passed quickly and we all survived, but we know we had a lot of help. 

Special shoutout to the greatest Mother in Law who does way too much to list, she's pretty much the reason we survived.

Thank you a million times to our family.  

Thank you to the countless pieces of advice, baby sitting gigs and time from our family & friends.

The support and love we have received was/is amazing. 

 5 things about Baby M 

She's Strong 

From day 1 she fought for her life. The pregnancy was a difficult one for her birth mom. She had a lot of stress, bad choices and the atmosphere was often scary. Then at birth, she came early, little miss impatient. I'll never forget when the nurse told us we needed to pray that Baby M wouldn't take her first breath right away. I'm no doctor, but basically some toxins from drug use and discharge were found in her sac and they feared she'd face some problems if she inhaled any. My anxiety went from 95 to 195 at this point. I remember looking at C and him giving me the grin, his grin is a simple way of telling me, "It's alright." Baby M passed, she didn't inhale any of the toxins, but because she was early, she was very little. She was 4.6 lbs and three weeks early. The doctor let us hold her and then whisked her away for some tests. After about 3 hours he comes in and tells us that Baby M is strong and her tests results stunned the hospital staff, every test she passed with flying colors! He wanted to watch her eat in the nursery and then if all went well throughout the night, she would be free to leave the next afternoon. Baby M showed her strength from day 1. She's fought more battles than some adults I know and she's still standing strong. 

 She's Inpatient 

She does not have time for slow moving people. It's true, if she's hungry or tired, you have .5 seconds to respond before she goes into her hulk mode of throwing the craziest fit. She may be small, but she never skips a meal. She knows what she wants and she knows when she wants it. I fear this will only get worse... Prayers are appreciated. 

 She Loves 

She is so generous on giving hugs and kisses. Pretty sure she pushes her limits with some of the babies in the nursery. If she's in the kissy or huggy mood, she will force her hugs and kisses on you. If you cough or sneeze she's the first at your feet to let you know she heard you and wants to check on you. When we walk in the door, her eyes light up. That look alone, can give me the strength to move mountains, to lock eyes with the crazy little gal is so beautiful. I hope others can feel her loving spirit. 

 She's C's #1 Fan 

I remember people telling me about little girls loving their dads, but seeing it, is pretty amazing. I have the privilege of sharing parenthood with one of the most generous and humble men I've ever met. He loves God, me and Baby M, in that order. I remember the days when he worked nights, the countless times he missed sleep because he could hear her cry or the appointments he never wanted to miss. C has his flaws, but to Baby M he's the cream of the crop. From the moment she came home, he's put her to sleep just about every night. She cries for me to hold her a lot, but the second he enters the room she has to be near him. If he's outside, she wants to see what he's doing . We have a routine - bath time, TV time and then sleepy time. Before bath time she can be found beating on her drums with C or listening to C play his drums. She's his biggest fan. I'm grateful she has such a strong male in her life. One that will guide her through the storms and lead her by example. I'm also forever grateful that when Baby M departs and enters her adult life, I'm still left with one handsome fella, my husband. 

 She's Ours 

She's a Martinez & a Rodgers. Forget the fact that she was adopted, she's legit one of us. She has my crazy attitude & hair. She has C's evil grin and love of music. She has our humor, the dance moves we do, the funny voices we use and the crazy ideas we have, she shares our humor. 



Happy Birthday to the coolest 1 year old gal! 
 I am grateful for the long period of uncertainty. In the 7 year wait, our marriage grew stronger and we, as individuals grew stronger. 

Hug your kiddos tight! 

Almost a Year

I can't help but think about time this week.
A year ago seems like forever ago.

On Wednesday morning I met a lady who designs amazing cookies. I ordered cookies for the office, thanking them for a sweet gift for Baby M. I literally passed the sweets around and expressed my gratitude and I return to find my phone buzzing. 

It was one of the many texts I'd receive that day.  

The texts continued well into mid-morning and most were from our birth mother.  

The night before she had visited the hospital because of pains coming in and out, she was then sent home. 

Our birth mom refused to go back to the hospital until something actually happened. 

I finally get a text at 11:24 am. The text told me she was in unbearable pain and was at the grocery store. 

Then my phone lights up 20 minutes later,  it's the hospital and our birth mom is on the other end.
She's crying and tells me they've admitted her and she's in labor. 

I remember hanging up with her, sobbing in my office.
I pulled myself together and I went in my to talk to my boss.
He knew the moment I walked in, maybe it was my red eyes, my red nose or the fact that I was still trying to hold back the tears.
He smiled and said, "It's time, be safe and don't you dare worry about work." 

C worked nights at the time, so of course, I couldn't call him. I called the hospital and asked about the time frame and they said it could be 8 hours or so. I opted to wake C up myself. 

I remember walking into the room, he wasn't asleep. He was laying down, fully awake. 

I asked, "Why aren't you asleep?" 

He said, "I had a feeling, then I heard the garage door open, then I glanced at my watch."

I said, "Get up, we have to pack and get on the road. The time is here!" 

He laughed and just stayed in bed. I kept urging him to get up. 

He laughed and said, "What's today's date? Is it the 18th?"
I replied, "Yes, it's June 18th, why?"
He laughed again and said, "I can't believe she's going to share a birthday with Brent." 

I laughed and we were out the door in no time.  

C and I made the drive and probably said 3 words the entire drive. 

We arrive and we literally walk in the hospital with our keys and paperwork. 

I'm terrified. 

Every horror story I've ever heard about adoption could slowly start unfolding the minute those doors open. 

All the what if's started to cloud my brain. 

I called our attorney and told him I was scared. I remember him asking me if I was crying. 

I laughed and said, "of course." 

He said if anything went wrong, he'd be there within 2 hours. 

He told me to call no matter the time. 

We walked in the room and our birth mom's eyes light up. 

Until that very minute, she was alone. No one came to the hospital with her. 

I can still see her, laying in the bed, crying from the pain and she was alone. 

About an hour passes and I walk a guest out of the room, I figured it was a good time to get a drink, maybe a snack. I quickly find out this small women's center doesn't cater after hours, it's 5 pm on the dot and only vending machines are available. I'm walking back and I see a terrified C standing in the hallway. 

I glance over and he said, "Mercedes, she was in pain, I called the nurse, go in, now!" 

I walk in the room smiling and quickly get scolded by the nurse.
The nurse told me, "Look, if you want to see this birth, stay put!"
Within minutes, our birth mom went from pain to pushing. The doctor couldn't get to the room fast enough, our birth mom delivered our baby girl in one push, the nurse delivered Baby M. 

I remember the moment I saw her, the nurse glanced at our birth mom, then back at me. 

Then our birth mom pointed to me and said, "her first."
I asked the nurse to hold the baby until I could grab C.
We both walked in together and met her together. 

The next few days were a blur. 

Doctor visits, birth mom visits, sleeping schedules & uncertainty. 

Watching our birth mom say goodbye to Baby M, hearing her talk and seeing her hug her tightly is something I will never forget.
I remember her whispering to Baby M, "I did this for you, I did this because I love you."

Tomorrow is Baby M's birthday.
Tomorrow we celebrate with cake, donuts and some good meals, but I think she knows she's celebrated daily.

4 things I learned this year:

Family is Everything.
True friends are a gift.
God has a plan.
Generosity has a face.

My sisters

If you don't have a sister or sisters, I'm sorry. 

My life without these crazy Latino gals, would be pretty bland. 

I  have 4 sisters and they are just as crazy as I am.

My youngest sister is a free spirit. She's the one that trusts the emails about needing money, she's the one that stays awake to watch the shooting star no matter the early shift the next morning. She and I have far too many inside jokes and if she ever wanted to embarrass me she could go on for days, maybe even weeks with stories. 

When I was little, I was super scared of just about everything. I mean I hated sleeping in my own bed, hated the dark, hated people things around me. I'm pretty sure sharing a room with me was awful. I remember waking her up just about every night telling her I was having bad dreams or that I was scared. She never hesitated, sometimes she'd let me sleep next to her in bed or she'd walk me back to my bed and lay on the floor next to my bed until I fell asleep. I'll never forget the early days or the days we went to school together and I'd steal your lunch. I love you and I'm forever grateful to have a Josefina in my life. I wish I had your free spirit. 

My other sister is a kindergarten teacher and her students - present and past, will never have a teacher as devoted as her. I pray Baby M has a teacher like my sister. Just about every trip to Oklahoma, we stop in and do something in her classroom. I've cut out numerous laminated pieces of art, I've vacuumed the reading circles and I've also watched several dances and performances she's helped put together. She is without a doubt the family favorite. It's pretty well noted if we're arguing and this sister starts to cry, someone is going to die. Don't ever make this sister cry, because you'll have an army behind her ready to pounce. 

When I was younger she and I went on several adventures. She and I have too many memories to share, but just about all of our greatest memories involve doing something we weren't supposed to do and eating too many calories while doing it. I think God knew I needed a Francisca, he knew I'd need a partner in crime. 

My next sister is too much like me, that we tend to argue just a tad bit too much. She and I are a lot like my dad, stubborn and not easy going. She's strong and pretty darn wild. She's the sister that asks a million questions before finally saying yes. She's also the sister that will go to a rap concert, country concert or a Spanish/Mexican fiesta . . . all in the same day if needed. She's the rock star of the familia. 

When I was younger she was always too cool for Mercedes. Today, it's a lot different. She and I share a lot of common interests and she lives in my favorite city - Dallas! My niece and nephew are true testaments of her hard work and her strength. No matter what life brings my way, I know I could call this sister at 2 am and she'd answer and be ready for whatever I tossed her way. I'm glad to know this sister is on my side. My life needs the fire Margarita brings. 

My last sister is the glue that holds us together. She's the mom of the bunch and the Jedi master. She's seriously one of the smartest people I know and C also agrees. She and I share a love for trashy reality shows and high calorie foods. 

This sister really helped me understand life for what life really was. She promised me I'd have awesome days and in turn some not so good days. She also told me I'd lose some friends and make new friends along the way. She was right and I'm so glad she took the time to help a sista out. She's the sister that hates the heat and outdoors about as much as I do, while she's also the sister who would travel 1,000 miles one way to watch an outdoor lacrosse tournament. God knew I needed Juanita for a lot of reasons. 

Also, it wouldn't  be fair to not list the two ladies that were adopted by my family, the two that keep my brother's in line. Here's to the medicine doctor, Nicole and the photo savvy mommy Jaymie. They know just how crazy we are and they still stick around to see more of the craziness! 

My life without these ladies would  be so bland and I would probably be a lot skinnier. I'm pretty sure when they call me it's so I can make them laugh or to help encourage them. These ladies are strong and devoted. I could not be Mercedes without little pieces of these gals. 

I'll leave you with a story I shared and pretty much had them in tears. . . 

Pumping gas and eating a doughnut at the same time. A school bus is passing and I trip over the gas pump and I drop my doughnut. I wasn't embarrassed, I was ticked off that I lost my doughnut. 

Tired

Are you tired? 

Well, join the club. 

This weekend Baby M and I drove some miles to celebrate her oldest sister's birthday. 

The birthday party was so adorable, lots of cuteness and wild kids = great party. 

I personally was so hot, that I wanted to shove the entire package of ice cream cups in my face and then pass out under the tree. 

Birthday Singing (said ice cream cups)

 This birthday party was pretty rad because both of Maggie's sisters attended and I was able to snag some pictures of them together! The collage pretty much shows how hard it is to take a picture of three wild gals. 

Before heading home, I did a quick airport run to pick up my nephew. Since I was headed out for the birthday party, we had my nephew fly to that airport. He's going to spend a few weeks with C and I. I think he's enjoying his trip so far, especially when on the first day he tells me, "I wish I could move here." 

#winning

So far he's become obsessed with the ATV, loves the neighbor kids and begs to do yard work. 

I came home from the grocery store and he was chopping a small tree down. I try not to ask questions anymore, as nothing surprises me anymore. 

The Random Acts of Kindness are still a'flowing. On Sunday before heading to the grocery store I noticed two older kids and a little girl riding their bikes. Then I noticed the brother letting her ride on his bike, while the other brother was pushing a bike while trying to also steer/ride his bike. 

It was so hot outside. 

Both of the brothers looked miserable. 

So Mercedes offers them a ride, they're great to refuse from a stranger - which I loved! I'm so glad they declined because it shows they were raised to never trust a stranger, I'm 100% okay with that! So I offered another solution, toss the tot's bike in C's truck and I'll follow you three home. The lived about a mile and a half from the house, so I probably looked like a stalker or a parade going by with the ole hazard lights flashing. . . 

3 cheers for awesome brothers

Wishin' everyone a super rad week! If you live in Memphis, hope you enjoy wearing rain boots. 

Cody

As Father’s Day approaches and as his birthday also draws near, I’m taking a moment to post about the coolest guy I know. This guy is hilarious, makes me very angry, asks way too many questions and is the nicest person I've ever known. I still remember when I met this fella, a handsome guy starting a new school. I had no idea he’d turn into my best friend and years later my companion & even more years later the father to our Baby M.

CODY

Cody & I met in 2001 and later really started our friendship while working at a clothing store. He was the new guy, nicest dresser I’d ever met and he smelled like a dream. A lot of people ask me when I knew I liked Cody. The moment I knew I’d marry my then best friend, a guy I had not even considered dating, was in the scariest moments of my life. 

I was 17 years old and I had already lost my mom and all of my siblings were off to college, minus my little brother. One night when C and I were working together, I rushed home on my break to change pants – everyone was wearing jeans except me and I wanted to change! As I turn the corner to my house my heart drops. I rush in and I see my little brother crying. He is rushing me out the door and tells me to go to the hospital. In my driveway was an ambulance and my father was already in the unit getting care. The siren lights started as I pulled out of my driveway. I called my job and told them what was going on and I remember hanging up, while parking at the hospital. I remember my little brother running to the entrance of the hospital and screaming for me to run. For some reason he thought the faster we got in the faster we could get my dad admitted. I was 17 years old and no one would talk to me. I was a minor and so they called some close relatives. The close relatives didn’t want to tell us bad news, so they kept us waiting. About an hour in I finally called my sister who was 3 hours away and I told her what happened and what was going on. She immediately called the nurses on staff and she called me back, telling me to stay calm she was on her way. Next thing you know, my brother is calling the hospital and I hear my name over the intercom. He tells me he can’t get a flight out so he’s driving, he’ll be in from Michigan by morning. We STILL didn't know what was going on, but I knew for my siblings to be heading our way, it was serious. Through the roller coaster, no one will let us see our father. My little brother starts telling me how hungry he is and I have $0, I’m too scared to leave and the cafeteria is closed so I’m at a complete loss. I remember someone tapping me on my knee and asking me if I was okay. I looked up and it was Cody. My little brother has met him several times before and promptly tells him “Mercedes doesn't have money and I’m starving.” My little brother shot straight to the point - FEED ME! Without hesitation Cody stands up and tells my brother he'll take him to get some dinner. I wanted to stay, but I needed to watch my little brother, so I went too. We leave for less than 10 minutes and when we’re pulling into our parking spot I can see the relatives frantically searching, they’re searching for us. My dad had taken a turn for the worst. The time is about 9:30 pm, I know Cody has a 10 pm curfew on a school night, so I beg him to go home.  He refuses and stays until my sisters arrive and barely made it home just after 11 pm. The next morning I remember a knock at the door. I also remember thinking, “who the h#$L is at the door!” I open the door and it’s Cody. He’s on his way to school and wanted to see if we needed anything.

That’s the moment. 

He had no idea that in that very moment, I knew he was legit, he was in for the long haul. That’s the moment I knew I could possibly marry this guy. 

A lot of people said we were too young to understand love, but I knew. I could list the countless sacrifices C made for us, but the list is forever long. I’ll leave you with a few of my Cody favorites.

He’s Tough

He’s physically and mentally tough. He’s endured a lot of heartbreak over the years and I've just about made him check into a few mental institutions, but he still stands strong. I believe he’s the strongest man I've ever met.

He’s Smart

His ability to think outside the box will blow your mind. He can solve any problem faster than anyone I know and he’s a whiz at planning or organizing.

He told me a long time ago about 3 of the smartest people he knew, I told him I knew 2 - him & my sister.

His heart is Big

His love for others is so amazing. He doesn't love with conditions, he loves because it’s what God has instructed us to do.

If I could have tried 1,000 times again, I could never have found another Cody. I feel blessed to know he is riding the waves of parenthood with me and I can’t believe I get to grow old with this cool cat. As he celebrates his first Father’s Day and turns 30, cheers to you. Special thanks for spraying our house for spiders last night at 10 pm. - Yes, that's what happens when I have to kill 5 MASSIVE spiders in one week. 

May you always know how truly loved you are and how grateful we are to have you.

Wow, It's June!

Hola, June. 

I cannot believe it's June already. Seriously June - August are so expensive for us. 

Lovely Tags are due on the vehicles. 

Birthdays Every Day, Every Weekend, Every Second 

Vacations 

So if you have a couple thousand dollars, shorty swing my way. 

Speaking of spending money I don't have . . . 

I went junking/thrift store shopping and went a little wild. 

This lovely cart has provided a lot of laughs since entering the home Friday. Baby M loves to push it around and she loves getting in the cart. It's adorable because she squeals when she's pushing the cart. 

I'm sure our dogs hate this cart. Why? Because she shows no mercy when pushing this joker around, anything or anyone in her way is at risk. 

I have searched high and low to find an adorable high chair that I could repaint. I wanted to paint the chair a really cool blue type minty color. So I found the color, but was lacking the chair. The prices for the chairs are pretty ridiculous and it's because a lot of people will pay those prices. 

So I'm hanging out on Saturday, boom, my MIL spots a yard sale sign. It's the 100th sign we've seen, but I decided to swing by this sale. I'm so glad I did! I bought this chair for $10! I actually tipped the lemonade stand his kids had $5, so not too shabby for $15! 

The chair needed some cleaning up, then a quick sanding job, 2 coats of paint and 2 coats of poly and it's good as new. I love the color, it really pops and it's gender neutral! 

I saw some adorable banners for highchairs, plus 1,000 more. 

Some more awesome finds . . . 

Who doesn't love adorable napkin holders? 

A dollhouse 

 Let's not forget that I went to visit some awesome shelter pups and also visited the adorable Spencer. He and Baby M chased each other non stop. He was generous with his kisses too. 

 Alright party peeps, have a great week and a fantastic June!