happy deadline day!

as of right now, 12:11 pm, i have completed my deadline. the new mortimer jordan high school is officially designed, detailed, and specified to near perfection. and as for me, i officially have my nights back, my weekends back, and (hopefully) my stress under control. but i think the best feeling right now is a sweet sense of completion. i can prop my feet up and tell myself job well done. heck, all i am missing is a smooth glass of wine to round out the celebrations.

so, this project that has slowly consumed my life over the past 6 months is over and gone. i think i am finally realizing why this project has been harder than others. you see, terry is a coach and teacher for mjhs. there were, are, times when i know things about terry's school that i can't talk about. not bad stuff, just job related stuff that if word got out it would be obvious where is came from. on a normal project i get to come home and vent to terry about crazy happenings but not on this one. this one has been silent. this one has kept me from being able to communicate to terry about my work side of life. kinda hard. on the flip side, i have put every bit of thought, energy, excitement and loyalty into this school. i have a personal attachement to the jordan blue devils and dang it, i made sure that it is the best. it has been fun to know the ins and outs of a school, it's staff, it's athlectics. to take that knowledge and incorperate it into a new building to make it, well, like i said, the best.

but more than anything, on this deadline day, i am happy to say hello to my life. to spending weekends with terry and addison riding our bikes and heading to the zoo. to actually cooking dinner and not hitting up the drive-through. to thursday nights with friends that we miss so much. to emails that i have long forgotten to respond to. to my life. it is a good, good day. happy deadline day!

from baby steps to giant leaps

little miss had a big weekend.  friday night addison went to bed in her crib safe and warm. saturday morning she climbed out of her crib...well, climbed and fell more than likely. whatever the case may be, we realized that it was time for a little change.  for we know our little girl and if she figured out how to escape once, she will figure it out again, and again.  and again.  so we have officially moved into toddlerhood with a toddler bed.

the funny part of all this is when i put her to bed last night for the first time i semi-threatened (a sweet motherly threaten) her that she was NOT to get out of the bed.  technically she didn't. but i do think she was a little tempted...

the temptation must have faded because i am happy to say little miss made it through the night. then we had some fun at pottery barn kids purchasing some new linens to celebrate her big girl transition.  

addison had so much fun helping me make her bed for the first time.  she was so excited even bryson (our little neighbor and addison's bestest friend - seriously, she wakes up asking for "brysie") came over to view her new digs.  

onto the next milestone..."brysie" has just been potty trained so he is all about going tee-tee in the big potty. addison, who must do everything exactly like "brysie" has become, how should i put this, obsessed with going tee-tee.  this afternoon she said "i tee-tee" so i took her to her little potty, she sat down on it for the second time in her life, she asked for some privacy, and she tee-tee'd. just like that. seriously? it cannot be this easy people.  or maybe it is for us. maybe that is god's little piece of mercy for terry and myself.  all i can say is AMEN!

baby steps...

...to simplicity.

we live in mccalla. i drive to work 40 hours a week in downtown birmingham. i then drive to pick up addison in gardendale. and finally, we land back home in mccalla around 6 on a good day.

terry is teaching and coaching in morris, north of gardendale. there is nothing we can do to change that. but we can make things a bit more simple. so, i am cutting back. to 30 hours. it might not seem like a lot but when i get to leave at 2:00 as opposed to 4:00, well, to me that is A LOT. so yeah.

next step, moving addison to a daycare closer to home. baby steps.

mountain fun

we had an all out relaxing weekend in the mountains.  there is something about hanging around a campfire all day listening to life around you that is so comforting.  i bonded with annie over silly faces.  the food was made and eaten here and there.  babies slept.  cameras clicked.  adults smiled.  it was good.  it was sad to leave but the joy comes in knowing we get to meet and do it all again.  hopefully soon.  

beautiful baby annie

silly baby annie

sweet baby annie

aunt brooksie and addison justa swingin'

still swingin'

we miss you three already.  come back soon!

chacos

in my new attempt to be positive, here is a post about my happy for the day...

i love my chacos.

i pulled them out this morning and my feet fell in love again. they are the one shoe that still fit from my pre-pregnancy days. all the high heels and flashy boots in my closet just sit and stare at me. i used to wear them and be that girl with the bcbg stilettos and swanky tops. now all i crave is a good ole outfitters store with nalgene bottles, rainbow flip flops, kavu bags and this seasons new shade of green chacos.

which brings me to this, i am heading to the mountains in just a few hours and i could not be more thrilled. it is in the mountains, with my chacos on, that i feel most at peace. i need that. i need some peace. peace and happiness if you will. happiness will come from a tiny little 11 pound bundle of baby girl named annie. the word is she likes her mama the best but maybe, hopefully, i will be able to convince her to like me just long enough to swing on the porch while i tell her a story of how her mama would fall down the stairs and pretend to have broken her leg so i would run and call 911. or how her mama learned to take her diaper off at naptime and smeared poop all over her crib. fun story. maybe history will repeat itself. but not this weekend, please.

so, me, my happy feet and green chacos are signing off and hitting the road for the beautiful north georgia mountains. have a great weekend - catch you on the flip side.

adele

my music style is very eclectic. i like being that way, it keeps me guessing :). seriously though, in the fall i love country. something about pumpkin patches and hay rides screams a little red headed stranger and bocephus. in the winter i love some nora jones or some ray lamontagne...you know, something to curl up to and hang out by the fire. you get my drift.

birmingham actually has a great new radio station (surprise, surprise) that fills all of my modern, indie rock moods - which is the mood of this early spring. it was thanks to this fun little radio station that introduced me to adele. i love! her sound is kind of a throw back but she has some fiest in her too. today while working and tuning into pandora.com (another love) i decided to plug in adele and see what the old cyber-station would give me. well...apparently adele has her own version of the much loved bob dylan classic "feel my love". i am officially a fan. it was a great remake of an already incredible song. shannon and terry, don't waste your time because it isn't lil' bow-wow or kanye or whoever. it is just a girl with one name and a funkly beat. adele. check it out.

right now...

...i am at work. on a saturday. it is not fun and it is not the activity of choice but it is what i have to do. work.

so here is my question to put out there...when is enough truly enough? this work, this job - it is the one thing i have been completely good at in my life. it is one of a few things that make me feel good about myself. but it is also one of the many things that make this life a little difficult right now. so what is the answer? i have no idea. until i figure it out, i work.

but, do not fear - next sartuday i will not work. next saturday i will be hugging and loving and ooo'ing and aaahhh'ing over my neice. my little tulsa bundle of love. and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

snow in athens