90!

I have been lucky enough to have not only a Grandmother who is incredible in that role but she is such a precious friend.  As far as I look back my Nana has been a prominent person in my life, there for so much more than most grandmother's.  She is incredible in every way and this year she turned 90! What  she does at 90 years old is still so much more than most people do in their 70's. She cooks amazing food, she drives her granddaughter around, she is so much for all of us! I consider it an amazing gift to get to be her granddaughter and am so proud to call myself part of her family!  She means so much to me and to my family! We celebrated Nana with a special dinner at a local restaurant with plans for a big party in Amarillo in the spring! Happy Happy Birthday Nana!!

A big change is coming

Our little family is about to embark on a major change, one which I know God is completely and totally in charge of. This weekend Drew, Everett and I are moving out of the house we have made a home in and are moving across town in with my Mom.

This is a change that we have prayed about for a long time. Knowing that the living situation with Mom and Nana needed to change and that we were in need of more space this solution is God's answer to months of stress and prayer. That being said, I am not an easy customer for change even when it is doubling our living space and giving us room to expand. I will be sad to leave the house Drew and I spent time as newlyweds in and then brought our precious baby boy home to. The house we spent nights hanging out with our friends in and sleepless nights wondering if we would ever sleep again in after Everett refused to. This sweet little house has given us so many amazing memories and precious moments together.

Our new situation will have a lot of benefits. I will get to be in one place and not spending my days traveling back and forth between Mom's house and mine. I won't worry so much about how she is doing or what she is doing or how Nana is handling her when I am away and can hopefully be more "present" for my days. Of course with the benefits there always comes challenges. Mom will most definitely be a challenge. Her attitude always seems to be better when she is around me and Everett always makes her smile. Drew has a very special relationship with Mom and makes her laugh more than anyone. For these things I am thankful and know that even though we will have hard days, long days there will be moments of laughter and happiness and for that I am excited. Above all Drew and I consider it an honor that we get to spend time helping Mom and taking care of her for as long as we can. I will treasure the memories Everett will make with his Nana and the gift he will have growing up with her in his home and the compassion he will learn from caring for those in need. Throughout all the good and bad days we will continue to trust that this is God's plan and that his plan is perfect for us and our family.

I am most grateful for Drew and his compassionate heart. His willingness and insistence that we move in with Mom and help her as best we can. I married a true winner and man after God's own heart! He has a heart for helping Mom and loving her like his own. He gives me strength and laughter when I feel like I have none left in me.

I am beyond thankful to my Nana and her sacrifice the past 4 years as she has given every single moment of her day to care for Mom in her declining health. Nana has given unconditional love, sleepless nights, and exhausting days one after another amongst more  so that we didn't have to take on such a challenge before we felt ready. Nana has fiercely protected Drew and I's time as a newly married couple and then new parents by giving her own life to care for Mom. This sacrifice I can never begin to thank her enough for.  I pray that as Nana moves into a new chapter of her life, living on her own for the first time, and reconnecting with the things she loves and has put aside to care for Mom that she will find happiness and a new joy for life. And also know that I will always and forever need her help and support!

So if you think to keep our family in your prayers as we embark on changes following the path God has laid out before us!

She's turning 85 and is just as stunning as ever!

Today is my Nana's 85th Birthday!

 (This is one of my all time favorites of Nana and Grandy, they look like movie stars!)

I can only imagine the incredible and also devastating things she has witnessed in her 85 years on this planet. What an incredible accomplishment to live through it all and still be smiling at the end of the road... and she is!

My Nana is one of the most incredible women I know. She is strong and courageous. She is wise. She is nurturing. She takes time to make every person feel incredibly special and loved. My Nana is one in a million and I am so blessed she is mine!

When we would come visit Nana and Grandy in Amarillo during the summers or on holidays I would love to go out with them but especially to church because they were greeted by mounds of adoring people who respected and loved them. I remember thinking they were "superstars." I was so proud to be apart of the Blanton family to to be one of Everett and Peggy's honored grandchildren. That hasn't changed. Nana can still go anywhere and someone will come up to her telling her how much she has impacted this person's life, marriage, career, etc. Sometimes I here whispers behind us in line somewhere of people wondering "is that Peggy Blanton?"  I instantly stand a little taller, hold my shoulders firmly back and smile. Yes it is and guess what... she is my Nana!

 (Nana was a rodeo queen for barrel racing)

85 is a big birthday and we decided to celebrate right with Nana this year! We sent out 250 invitations, and made announcements at 3 congregations in town to ask anyone and everyone to come celebrate with us. The venue was none other than the Blanton Place for Encouragement, at the High Plains Children Home. It is the center that was built in honor of Nana and Grandy. It was such a fitting venue because  Nana is so proud of the building, its beauty and its purpose. All of her children were in attendance, which is an incredible fete in itself, along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

 

(Haha my mom's face... no words! Everett and Norah were distracted by the jumbo TV on the far wall)

The day was amazing and we were all proud to be an extension of Nana as we watched hundreds of admirers walk through the doors wanting to offer their birthday wishes. The day was filled with hugs and kisses from old friends, and lots of people wanting to see the babies. All in all it was a day full of celebration for an incredible woman and all the love she has showered on so many in her 85 years.

Happy Birthday Nana!! I couldn't be prouder to be one of your grandchildren!!

 

Nana made everyone wait for the group picture so she could feed Everett some cake, which he was obviously loving! I am so thankful these two have moments like this to share and remember forever!

 And we can't have an event without snapping these two loves together! We tried to hard to finding matching outfits, illnesses kept that from happening and then we both unknowingly switched their outfits the day of and they ended up somewhat coordinating! Both took a little snooze during the party to keep their spirits up!

The Moms in my life

I am so incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by not only my amazing Mom but a Nana who has been so much more than just a grandmother and an Aunt who takes me in as her own and embraces me as her own daughter. These three women have influenced my life completely and made me the woman, wife and especially mother I am today!

I have distinct memories of moments in my life that I shared with each of these women and lessons learned from their teaching.

I remember being a freshman in high school in Abilene and our youth group was doing a "life on the streets" mission campaign. Students who signed up were dropped off at the local homeless shelter where our belongings were taken from us and we were to pick out new clothes from the shelter's closet of donated clothes. I was horrified at the thought of spending my weekend in such a way. None of my friends were doing this weekend event and I absolutely did not want to do it! I wasn't sure how my mom had even gotten around to signing Patrick and myself up but she did. I told her I didn't want to go, I begged and pleaded and I was pretty sure I had gotten her to let me off the hook until I saw she had packed my bad and literally took me kicking and screaming. Yes I was in highschool and yes I was crying when she dropped me off. I was so mad I don't think I even told her bye. Patrick on the other hand embraced the weekend ran right over to his pack of friends. The weekend was not easy. We were separated into groups and all dropped off at the city limits in the wee hours Saturday morning with the goal of walking back to the shelter if we wanted breakfast. I was in flip flops and freezing but too proud to take shelter shoes. We visited camps around the city of homeless communities and delivered food to many. At some point I began to let down my guard and embrace the message of the weekend. Gods love was covering those people as much as it was me and I was no better than any one of them. Sunday we all worshipped together at the shelter and shared a meal. When my Mom came to pick me and Patrick up I told her how grateful I was that she forced me to go. That weekend is one I will always remember but even more than being forced out of my comfort zone I remember how my Mom knew I needed that experience. She knew that it would impact my life in many ways forever. 

My family moved to Nashville the summer after my 5th grade year. My mom was attending PA school and working so a lot of our care was provided by Nana and Grandy. My 6th grade year at a new school brought along a lot of new experiences. One of which was my first school dance. My Nana took me to shop for a new dress for the dance and I remember feeling so special that I got to be out shopping with my Nana. Our tastes differed a bit but we managed to find a nice black spaghetti strapped dress at Wet Seal. Nana insisted that every girl needed jewelry to complete an outfit and helped me pick out a black chocker necklace and black bangles (that look was really in then!) After we pieced the look together in the store we went in search of shoes. Would you believe my Nana bought me my first pair of platform shoes?! I remember thinking I had the coolest Nana in the world. She helped me get ready for the dance and fixed my hair. Spending that time with her just the two of us, shopping for a special occasion is one I will never forget. I have been so fortunate to have an extra special relationship with my Nana that goes beyond the usual grandparent/grandchild bond. She has always been a listening ear, shoulder to cry on, friend and truly Grand Mother to me!

Growing up my Mom had to work alot since she was the sole provider for my brothers and I. This meant that we weren't able to go on many family vacations with her since she couldn't miss work. If it hadn't been for my Aunt Tammy then we wouldn't have been able to go on vacations at all. We would have spent summers, spring breaks, and christmas breaks at home but she didn't let that happen. For as long as I have known Aunt Tammy has taken the three of us on as her own, loved on us, disciplined us, and encouraged us when my Mom wasn't able to. She took us to the mountains with her kids to be with our other cousins during the summers, to visit Nana & Grandy during Christmas Breaks and to San Antonio for spring breaks. Looking back I now realize what an undertaking this was for her to add on 3 kids to her own 4 but she never made us feel like a burden. Always a welcome addition to her clan. I have been so fortunate that my relationship with her has only matured in love and guidance through the years. At every major milestone and every regular day in my life she is standing there encouraging me and helping to guide me. I am forever grateful for her love! For accepting me as one of her own and treating me as such. For loving Everett as her own. As much as I know she loves me, I know it all stems from her deep love and affection for my Mom, her sister. A Bond that runs deeper than the rest and has seen its share of rocky roads but it's a love that conquers. I have always counted myself extra special to be on the recieving end of that bond and to be the one to be named after my Aunt Tammy! She is truly my other mother and one I couldn't survive without!

So Happy Mother's Day to these Moms in my life and so many other's out there who all deserve to be truly celebrated!

A movie night where noone watched the movie

The past week had been funny. Just full of randomness. Tired days. Confusion. Just Funny!

Last night Drew and I went over to Mom and Nana's after work. I picked up Rosas' Taco Tuesday for dinner, although only two people actually ordered tacos. Nana was sent home from the hospital to recover. She was taken off her coumadin medicine which keeps her blood thinned to prevent blood clots. Basically the Dr.'s advice was if we keep her on coumadin she could bleed out, if we take her off she could have a stroke. Apparently a stroke was decided to be the lesser of two evils. Since coming home Aunt Tammy and Kelsey have been taking care of Mom and Nana nonstop so last night was a good time for them to take a little break.

Anyway I picked up Argo to watch after dinner. Great movie! Wonderful story! Nana had wanted to see it and I thought last night was the perfect time. Well it wasn't two minutes into that I remembered how much cursing there is in the movie specifically the F bomb used constantly! I cringed each time it was said. I couldn't look over her direction for fear I would get called out for liking a movie with such foul language. Suprisingly nothing was said and we rolled right on by the first couple of scenes. Eventually I looked over at Nana and saw she had already fallen asleep.

Mom was sitting on the opposite couch making exgagerated head movements toward Nana to make sure I realized she was alseep. Yes, I get it! I half-way considered just turning off the movie and us heading home but was honestly too tired to get up to do even that. So there we sat, Nana sleeping, Mom not paying attention at all, Drew zoning in and out between words with friends games, and me.



Fun Family Night!! These times we will remember forever!

Prayers for Nana

The past two weeks have been a little exhausting.

I have been fighting a cold for a week and a half now and let me tell you when you are pregnant this is not fun. After suffering through for a day on the couch and a sleepless night I decided I needed to visit a real Dr. and not just webmd. Waste! He basically told me that I can't really take anything and that I will get over it.

While I was suffering it out in bed we got a call from Mom that Nana was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance. She had taken a nap in her recliner and when she put her foot down an immense pain shot up her leg and into her knee. After being unable to get up she was taken to the ER. They released her with little information other than visit an orthopedic, no visible fracture, and meds for pain. At her orthopedic appointment he wanted her to start physical therapy, and wasn't sure if something had torn but was confident it would heal itself. After a rough couple of days at home and a few falls Nana's Dr. said she needs to be in the hospital for monitoring and recuperation. She was admitted on Monday and is hoping to be released today if her blood levels are maintained.

I have stayed the past two nights with Mom after Aunt Tammy and Kelsey spent several nights with Mom and Nana at home. It is in these moments and times of uncertainty, struggles, and needing to be surrounded and uplifted that I am all the more thankful for family. To have each other's backs. To have close relationships, to be so close to each other is all the more important.

Mom is a creature of habit and not having Nana home with her was a little upsetting at first. By the end of the days I am exhausted from fighting my cold and growing pregnancy and I am so thankful for a Husband who steps in and loves Mom as his own. He comforts her, listens to her, goes out of his way to make her feel welcome and included. She seems to be more at peace when in his presence and for that I am thankful.

We are praying that Nana is able to fully recover at home soon and get back to some normalcy. She is such a pillar in our family especially life involving Mom. Her sacrifices and love can be matched by no other.

 

Nana is one of the only ladies I know who can wear a hat so fashionably here in the US. I gave her this one as a Thank You for all her contributions for the wedding. She looks incredible!

The Blanton Place for Encouragement

This weekend was such a wonderful occasion for our family. After many years of hard work by The High Plains Children's Center, The Blanton Place for Encouragement was officially opened.

While I was finishing ACU some very dear friends of Nana and Grandy's presented the idea for an activity center to be built in their honor at the High Plains Children's Home in Amarillo. Grandy along with some other elders were on the board that started the home in the 1967. 

Several years ago during a celebration weekend in Amarillo for Grandy's birthday the family all toured the campus and saw the pasture that would one day become this great building. It was said many times this weekend that although Grandy did not know exactly what the building would become he knew it would be incredible.

Last year those of us who could came out for the ground breaking on the plot of land and almost a year exactly this weekend was the official "Open House." In my mind I wasn't picturing anything as beautiful as the building that would be referred to lovingly as "The Blanton."

A stone facade, water sculpture, wood beams in a vaulted ceiling and massive flat screen TVs all in a place proudly blaring my Grandparent's names. This place is gorgeous, humble and every bit a wonderful representation of them. 

Nana, Mom, Aunt Tammy, Aunt Cindy, Patrick, Neeley, Lane, Erich & Ginna, Nicholas & Gaylen with their kids and Drew and I all were on hand to greet all the people whose lives were touched by Nana and Grandy and the Children's home. Bob & Jo Wilburn who gave money to start the building came in for the celebration. Nana looked beautiful and beamed as precious memories of Grandy were spoken.  

This part of the Children's Home is the home to special needs adults who live in cottages surrounding The Blanton and will use the building as a center to fellowship with one another. It was named the place of encouragement because one of the most commonly used words to describe Nana and Grandy was the encouragement for others in everything they did.

I could not be prouder to have Blanton in my blood and this weekend was no exception. 

Below is the article the Amarillo Globe News printed on the front page of the today section about the event.

High Plains Children’s Home and Family Services on Saturday dedicated and opened the new 6,000-square-foot Blanton Place for Encouragement.

“The Blanton Place for Encouragement is an activity center or community center for our adults with special needs who live in Pa and Megan’s Place,” said Craig Howard, executive director of High Plains Children’s Home and Family Services. “This is an independent living community for adults with special needs which is a part of High Plains home.”

The Blanton Place will feel more like a student union on a college campus, Howard said.

“They’ll come over here, play games, hang out and develop their social skills,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful place.”

the facility was named in honor of Dr. Everett and Peggy Blanton for their long-standing history with the children’s home.

Peggy Blanton said she never imagined it would turn out like this.

“My husband and I were in the original group that started the children’s home,” she said. “We were excited to build old cottages for the foster kids but I never envisioned that we would have a building like this.”

Everett Blanton, who died of cancer in 2010, was able to see the site that would become the Blanton Place, Peggy Blanton said.

“It was just nothing but brown dirt out here,” she said. “It blows my mind to think if he could just walk in here and see it now. I was overwhelmed and emotional with just the bare walls up.”

Established in 1967 by the Church of Christ, the High Plains Children’s Home is a Texas chartered nonprofit organization that aims “to establish, maintain, endow and operate a home for children and adults with special needs who are orphaned, neglected, abused, dependent, underprivileged or otherwise taken advantage of.” according to the children’s home information.

Kevin Logan, director of adults with special needs, said the Blanton Place will provide a safe place for its residents to socialize and visit.

“Because of the social disability a lot of them do have, this gives them a secure place to socialize with others like them because it’s hard to do so with others that do not have a disability,” Logan said. “They just don’t make friends with them very well and this gives them a place that will help them feel more independent.”

The Blanton Place will also be open and available to the community, Howard said.

“People from the community can also come out and use the facility for special events as well,” he said.

A True Hostess

Chocolate Cake Nana made for a Sunday night treat.

I remember one day not so long ago saying " I will never get stoked about dishes, it just won't happen!" That
 time has come and gone. One of the things I am most excited about in my new married life is having an organized kitchen filled with beautiful dishes that all match. I am excited to serve dessert on actual dessert plates, and coffee in cups with saucers. I am excited to have serving pieces that match instead of finding random bowls that fit the portions prepared. I don't believe this would at all be a big deal to me if I didn't grow up surrounded by people who instilled in me the joy of hostessing. This seems like a trivial lesson but after years of watching my Nana and preparing to embark on my own hostessing duties I am so much more appreciative and wowed by her meticulous dinner planning and the importance of it. Nana always puts place mats down on her tables, whether it is breakfast alone (before my Mom rises from her slumber cave) or if it is a dinner for 20. The table is always fully set with flatware and napkin. She takes great pride in serving her food in beautiful bowls even it if is just a few of us eating together. She frowns when someone comes to her beautifully set table with a paper cup, and  why not after putting in the effort to make it look amazing I would hate to have someone use a red solo cup instead of my lovely goblets to drink from. We used to all moan and groan when Nana would break out the gold ware for Thanksgiving dinners because it all had to be hand washed. As I watched her get the gold forks out to serve along side a birthday recently I realized she uses these little touches to make moments even more special. She takes such care in her dinner presentations and desserts sharing or even a mid afternoon coffee because she cares about who she is serving and wants to make them feel important. Plus she just really loves her beautiful dishes. I am so grateful and proud to have been able to watch and learn from such a wonderful hostess. I know I will take these lessons with me into many many years of hosting my own dinner parties for friends, family or just my husband and I. Thank you Nana for being such a wonderful teacher.

The past two months I have cherished my time spent in my Mom and Nana's home. I have joked that after I marry I won't move out because they have taken such great care of me. Nana always has a homemade treat around for snacks and takes pride in preparing meals for her guest, me! This time in their home has reminded me so much of the months I lived with Nana and Grandy before moving back to Amarillo. We shared our evenings together, morning coffee, lunch breaks. It was such an wonderful time of quality with Grandy and Nana which I will cherish forever! This time has been just the same with Mom and Nana! I have been so blessed by this time and am so grateful the opportunity it has given me.

Overwhelmed, In the best way.

Sleepless nights are a reoccurring thing in my world right now. The other night I had a dream I shaved my head and woke up freaking out about what to do with my hair for the wedding. Nana and I share our sleepless stories with each other in the morning as she is usually kept awake during hours at night. One of these nights I know we are going to be awake at the same time and have a tea party at 3am.

Nana is the hat queen, we spent 30 minutes trying on hats on Friday night and she looks amazing in each one!

Friday night I got home from work to find my Mom anxiously waiting for my arrival home. She had a plan for the night, which was a rarety! She wanted to have a girls night out with Nana and I. Just the three of us. We ate steaks and had a great dinner together. Mom then wanted to take me to the mall to "get stuff to take with me." Not knowing exactly what that meant but not wanting to disrupt her fun we headed out. I soon found out she meant my lingerie for my shower/honeymoon etc. Let me tell you it is a funny thing shopping for lingerie with your Mom and Nana. I am sure the pieces they had in mind were not the same with what I did but we managed to all agree on some nice selections. Mom then wanted me to get new lotions from Bath and Body Works. It was so sweet to watch her determination as she guiding Nana and I through the mall to the store, she couldn't tell us exactly what it was called but she knew it when she saw it. The three of us topped off our night with some Downton Abbey and homemade Nana malts! My mom is growing increasingly emotional and I am trying to focus as much time with her as possible.

Drew trying out our new mattresses.... a present from my Mom for our wedding!

Moments with Drew are a stolen treasure right now. I look at him and cannot believe that in just over a week he will be my husband. We spent Sunday afternoon together working on our house, well he worked. I sat outside and drank sweet tea as he raked our yard and we talked about the flowers we wanted to plant together.

Time is winding down, and quickly speeding up. I am about through with all my purchases for the wedding and the time is coming to pack it all up for the four hour drive to Santa Fe.

We are having quite the turnout for our destination wedding, we hoped to have at least 40-50 when we started our planning process. We will have 75 guests celebrating with us as we wed. I am overwhelmed by the love shown from so many who want to be there. Feeling incredibly blessed and looking so forward to seeing all their faces.

"The huge flumes from the fire"

My Mom is awesome!
 I adore her!
She makes me laugh, she makes me want to pull my hair out.

This past weekend I was given a beautiful shower from several family friends who attend church with my Mom and Nana. People who have known our family since long before I was apart of it. It was such a wonderful time to have precious women who didn't even know me, love my family enough to offer their time and money to put on a beautiful shower for Drew and I. Hopefully I will have pictures from the shower soon to share.

This disease we are fighting has it's unwanted flare ups and one reared its ugly head at the shower. My mom decided I didn't "talk" to her enough at the shower and by the end wanted very little to do with me. Now for those of you who have been given or even attended a wedding shower you know there is little time to sit and discuss with anyone much less people you see everyday. It is a time for greeting the guests, meeting new friends, thanking hostesses, not to mention being parked in a chair to open gifts for an hour and half. I encouraged my Mom to come sit to my left and watch me open as Neeley wrote my gifts down on my right.

We have seen jealousy become a problem for my Mom and Neeley and Kelsey seem to be hot targets for her when it comes to me. The rational side of her brain completely disappears at times not realizing that she would be unable to write down my gifts but thinking she needed to be in that position, nevermind the fact that I begged her to come sit  with me and each time I opened a present looked to her to show it off she was looking away or mingling with guests.

I write these stories not to embarass my sweet Mom or tease her but to share these very real moments in our lives at this point in time. To give a glimpse into what it is to live with Alzheimer's.

Last night I came home to find Mom and Nana sitting side by side on the couch, Nana drinking her nightly glass of wine she has taken on as a fight against her lack of sleep. I sat and watched them laughing for a minute together and was struck by the precious image.  A mother who in her 80's is caring again for her daughter, a daughter who in her 50's cares for her mom. They worry about one another when they are apart. It is a precious relationship.

I joined them and we sat together looking throught the church directory at people who attended the shower with Fox News on in the background. Listening absentmindedly to the new reports of the day and the man hunt happening in California, Mom exclaims that "The cabin had huge flumes from the fire!" Nana and I die laughing as Mom goes back to what she is doing before she realizes she must have said something wrong but not quite sure what it was. We laugh about it for a long while after this, just three girls all in a different battle with Alzheimer's but madly in love with one another.

Nana's Birthday Celebration

I am going to try to wrap up on sharing 2012 events before 2013 hits... fingers crossed. These past few weeks have been busy busy busy. We have been anxiously preparing for Christmas, shipping boxes, wrapping presents, planning, prepping and spending time together as a family. All the while I have been editing like a crazy person, shooting a couple of sessions including a beautiful wedding on the 22nd and trying to keep one finger on my own wedding planning on the while. Needless to say I am ready for things to simmer down a little and my mind to be focused on just one thing... our wedding.

A week before Christmas we celebrated a wonderful birthday as Nana turned 83. This year we decided to celebrate in a little bit more special way than the usual dinner and presents at her house. A few days before Nana's birthday our beloved cousin Diane passed away suddenly. She was an avid reader of this blog, a faithful servant of the Lord, and wonderful confidante to seek advice from and keep you up on current events in the family. Our hearts were heavy as we celebrated Nana's birthday with that loss on them, knowing that Diane's freedom had come and she was resting in her savior's arms. So as we walked into a birthday celebration, the preciousness of life and celebrating little moments were the priority.

I made reservations at a local eatery, BL BISTRO, which Nana had never eaten at for our entire family here in town as well as Danny and Nancy who had traveled in for Diane's services. We ate dinner together and celebrated a remarkable woman whose life has been a blessing to all of us. We had told Nan we were going to do a traveling caravan in our cars to view some Christmas lights in Amarillo, but we had a suprise in store for her... As Neeley and I walked Nana out after dinner she was suprised to find a stretch hummer limo waiting to take us all on a tour of lights. Nana was so excited! We rode around for an hour before going back to have cake and open presents.

 

She was showered with many wonderful things that we each had searched to find to show some small amount of appreciation for her.

 

 

Nana- You are such a blessing to me. You are an incredible example of a mother, wife, sister, christian, and servant. Your love is never ending and your faithfulness is constant. Thank you for all that you do for each one of us. You tirelessly keep our family connected and strong. I love you with all of my heart!

 These are some coasters I made for Nana of some of her great grandchildren.

Yankee Fans

The past few weeks have been uneventfully eventful (does that make sense?)! I have just been trying to fumble my way through life that is continuously moving.

We had our first wedding of the season last weekend, and I got to take the photos for it with my new camera and I do believe they are some of the BEST ever taken!




I have been doing alot of baseball watching lately as the seaason is getting in full swing. Having played both basball and softball as a wee girl this is the only professional sport I have had any interest in watching, proabably because it is the only one I know the rules for.  Last week was my favorite series of  the season when  the Rangers played the Yankees. It's always fun to be rooting for the odd team out, since everyone around here pulls for the Rangers, especially Drew. At the beginning of that series the Ranger's old catcher Pudge Rodriguez had a retirement ceremony. It made me instantly miss my Dad. I remember sitting in his lap high in the Arlington Ballpark Stadium seats as Pudge would come up to bat my Dad would hand me the binaculars and tell me to "watch my man." I was a Big Pudge Fan! I loved talking baseball with my Dad and it grinded his nerves as much as everyone elses' that I was a Yankees fan.  But lately I have been thinking alot about why I am a Yankees fan, I mean I am from Texas for pete's sake (which is what everyone always tells me!) I get it!. Anyway as I was watching the Yankees get their butts kicked by the Oriole's last night I realized a large part of the reason I am a Yankees fan is .... my Nana.

I originally liked TheYankees because they were of course from NYC. I always wanted to live there and going to a Yankees home game is still my dream! But for as long as I can remember watching baseball with my Nana and Grandy, my Nana has rooted for the Yankees while Grandy in disgust of both of us cheered louder for the Rangers. She does root for the Rangers to win too, but there has always been a soft spot in her heart for the Bronx Bombers. I think her love for them rubbed off on me. As we sat watching their pathetic display of cometitive sportsmanship last night with disgust on both of our faces the camera swept to both of our favorite player, Derek Jeter, and as we both "awwed" over him I realized she is a huge reason that I began to be a Yankees fan. She was the first person who made me think it was OK to root for a team that was  not the Rangers. So Thank you to my Nana for embracing individuality as much as me and encouraging my crush on Derek Jeter!!

Mom, Nana & Zucchini Fries

Happy TITANIC week all! I am so super stoked that one of my Favorite movies is being re-released this week. I really don’t care about it being in 3D just excited to see it on the big screen for what will feel like the first real time ever! But more on that another day.

I had a pretty wonderful weekend this past weekend. Saturday was filled with scouring for treasures with my Mom. We drove around idly looking for garage sales and after not finding any good ones I suggested we take our adventure to the Flea Market. This was Mom’s first time there… she was not impressed. We walked around trying to find something to spark our interests but with me in my floppy hat and she in her Ray Bans we stood out like a sore thumb. As we glanced outside I suggest we just ditch our bargain find efforts and head to the mall, to which Mom happily agreed stating that “was much more our speed.” We had a great day together just the two of us!

Very Early Sunday morning Ginna and Erich welcomed their second daughter, Landry into the world so Aunt Tammy, Neeley, and Kelsey all took off Early Sunday morning to meet her. I volunteered to cook breakfast for guests at Starlight so they could leave and was honored enough to have Nana actually come do all the hard work for me. We woke up bright and early to go make breakfast at 9:30 for ONE man and send a plate to his sleeping girlfriend. It was definitely worth it to though to spend some time in the kitchen with just me and Nana. She showed me her technique to perfectly steamed eggs which I had tried to master many times before as I failed miserably.

Last night Drew and I grilled out some pork chops out in the beautiful weather. He invited some friends from work over, including our long lost friend Tyson. I missed Neeley desperately because it has been a LONG time since I have been the only girl around.  That is the beauty of dating roommates and “good buddies”… we always all hang out together.  Anyway all of my delicious side items were being vetoed such as corn on the cob, parmesan grilled asparagus, and even mac and cheese. They just wanted beans and chips… blah! So I decided I would cook myself a Pinterest recipe I have been wanting to make for a while… zucchini fries. And OH MAN were they good!! The Recipe can be found here. It was very simple to make and was a big hit even with the beano boys I was with.

Let me brag about my Nana for a minute

My Nana is the most unbelievable woman in the world. She is 82 years young and looks as beautiful as ever.

(Some of Nana's homemade orange juice in my Starbucks cup with me at work, the best start to a morning!)

We are BEYOND Blessed to have Nana be here in Amarillo and still be so active. She definitely does not get enough credit for all that she does. She is such a gracious caregiver to my Mom throughout the day and night. She continues to cook up a feast to feed her family with. She is such a rock for me and others when we need a moment to let our guard down. She continually reminds us of who is in control of our lives, it is certainly NOT us.

I cannot imagine what it is like to lose a spouse of nearly 60 years. Nana's world has changed immensley since Grandy's rising to heaven. She lives in a new city, lives with her daughter, is finding a new church home to belong to without Grandy by her side, and is re-learning the social circles she left so long ago.

She is doing an AMAZING job! I am so proud of her. She continues to show grace and strength even when I am sure she doesn't feel up to it. She is walking daily with Aunt Charlotte to keep her mind and body active. She is continuing to read constantly. Neeley is styling her hair now and Nana is rocking a new "do" that looks adorable on her.  She pushes all of us around her to be the absolute best person God wants us to be.

She blesses my life each and everyday!