15 years together and still in love!

   I am just now getting back to blogging trying to catch up on some major events. On July 2, 2009, Bradley and I celebrated 15 years of marriage together. Thinking back to 15 years ago, we started our marriage on less than promising circumstances. I was 18 years old and he was 20. I was just out of high school and way too young to know what I was doing. All I knew was that I loved Bradley and I didn't understand the point in prolonging the inevitable. I was going to marry him and I didn't want to wait. Our meager income was enough to place us in the "poverty" level on any government chart. We lived in a trailer next door to my parents and I was in school full time. Bradley worked as a counter clerk in a parts store and we barely made enough money to get by. But we were in love!

I look back on those days with fond memories. Although those days were the rocky days of our marriage, we defied the odds and made it through. I believe that our marriage is stronger and blooms beautifully today and that is largely due to the fact that we have built our lives together from such a young age. In 15 years we have overcome any obstacles and delighted in many more joys. We bought our first house together, lovingly referred to as "the little house".

The 900 square foot house in downdown Blountsville was a labor of love and made a great home.  We lived here for 4 years. 

We built our current house together, our personal dream house. Almost the entire house was built overseen by me and most of it completed with our own hands.


We have experienced the greatest joy any person could experience by seeing the birth of our 3 sons, Tucker, Sawyer, and Carter. We also grieved the loss of a child together, lost to miscarriage in 2001. We have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, taken trips, watched school plays, and grown in love. Our life over the last 15 years together as a couple has been a wonderful ride.

To celebrate the life we live together and to cherish each other even more as a couple, we decided that we would take a trip together for just the two of us. This was not a decision we made lightly, since taking a trip with just the two of us meant that we would have to leave our boys behind. We enjoy traveling together as a family, but on this occasion, we decided to invest in our marriage and celebrate US.

We journeyed together to the Dominican Republic on July 1-6. We made memories together that we will recall for the rest of our lives. We truly enjoyed each other's company. We felt like we were in a tropical paradise being pampered. We loved every minute of it. Highlights of the trip were laying on the beach, watching the ocean, eating at the awesome restaurants, taking a boat trip, getting a couple massage and snorkling. We loved it so much and hope that maybe in 15 more years, we can do it again.

His friend has an armpit hair!

My oldest son went to one of his best friends' birthday party yesterday. The friend is a girl whom we have been friends with all our lives. The party was a boy/girl party and there was some serious flirting going on. The boys were trying to throw the girls in the pool and the girls were doing the high pitched squeals. It was hilarious to watch....until I realized that I was watching MY ten year old flirt. TEN! When did he start flirting with girls? It was so distressing! Then, one of his buddies came home with us to spend the night. They rough-housed, rode the go-cart, played with Nerf guns, all the things you expect ten-year old boys to do. UNTIL....the moment his friend casually mentioned to us that he had an armpit hair. You've gotta be kidding me! And he really did. He named it "Bob". He even showed it to us. It was ligitimate. We all laughed and joked with him and I pretended it was funny, but in my mind I was mortified! Could my sweet, innocent ten year old Tucker be old enough to get armpit hairs too? I do realize that it was just ONE hair and it wasn't even on my own child. I am afraid when my own child gets an arpit hair of his own, I may have to take a nerve pill. I can tell, I am not prepared.

I Think I'm a Blogger

As I sat folding laundy this morning, I was thinking back on some fun memories from my 3 boys. I wish I had written them down as they happened. I am certain that my memory has already lost so many adorable moments. I heard some other guys' words of wisdom play in my mind..."It's never too late to start something new." So, I thought, why not now? I guess blogging is kind of like keeping a diary. Only, you give away the key to whomever wants it. I'm not much of a writer. Actually, I am the only one of the 3 siblings in my family who seem to have missed out on that gift. My brother and sister are both quite eloquent in their writing ability. Not me. I can successfully write an excuse to send to school, a grocery list, and I can certainly write out checks to those who force me to pay my bills each month, but creative writing. Not so much. So, I guess this "blogspot" or whatever it's called is mostly for me. If someone else stumbles across the key and wants to read my diary, be my guest. And so begins...."memoirs of a mom".