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Extreme Makeover - Bedroom Edition

Marty and I have been saving for nearly three years to have a decorator help us with designing our master bedroom. This room has turned into the armpit of the house. The bedskirt was even torn for goodness sakes. We hated everything about out bedroom except for the pieces of cherry furniture. Everything else was in desperate need of a makeover. FINALLY, we had saved up enough money and asked a friend up the street to help us with the makeover.

All we can say is, "Wow." We love our bedroom. Our requirements included: we wanted a room that was peaceful, not too stuffy and somewhere we wanted to retreat to in the cold winter months when the den was too chilly. Beyond that, we allowed her to take full rein. Here's the final product:

Scenic City Half Marathon

In February, I took it upon myself to attempt a second half marathon. I met the coolest friend, Rachel, from Bristol. We ran over 11 of the 13 miles together. I am not sure if I would have had near as much fun had I been alone for the entire 13 miles. Chattanooga hosted the race. The city is beautiful - especially on foot. We even ran across two pedestrian bridges near the end of the race. Besides being FREEZING cold, this was a very fun race. This now counts as state #3 on my bucket list of running a race in all 50 states. I've got a long way to go!

Uncle Russell

The oldest of my two younger brothers graduated from college this past December. For several years, he has worked for the Geek Squad at Best Buy. He was SO looking forward to getting a "real" job once he graduated college. Well, he found one. In Madison, Wisconsin. And, of all times to move, he picks mid-February. Not exactly the warmest time of the year. The day before he left, we got most of the siblings together for lunch and a few pictures. Pictured are: Ellie, Bobby (Grandma), Jackie, Allison, Zachary and Russell.

Russell's been gone for about a month. We miss him terribly, but are very excited about the opportunity he's seized with this job. Hopefully, in a few years, he'll be back in the South.

Ringling Brothers

The morning after our snow adventures, we went to the circus. This was part of Zachary's Christmas presents. He was able to take any friend he wanted with him. Again, he picked McKinney. We arrived in time to go on the floor before the show began. The boys got to see lots of animals up close and also got to interact with some of the clowns and other performers.

Watching the elephant paint the picture held their interest the longest. I don't think either boy blinked the entire time. What great memories I have from my childhood going to the circus with my family every year. It is very special that we are able to make these memories with Zachary as well. I'm sure he'll remember this day for a long time.

Snow!!

We had our second big snow of the year the night before we went to the circus. McKinney spent the night with us since he was going to the circus with Zachary. The spend the night party began with about 4 inches of snow on the ground. The boys were drawn to the snow like magnets. They made snow angels, ate the snow and rode the sled down the side yard. Also, in an unusual display of seasonal fun, I went outside and played as well. Usually, I hide from anything having to do with the cold, so this was quite the unusual event at our household.

Here are Zachary and McKinney eating their snow.

Taking turns on the sled.

Sharing the sled. The fun was quickly wearing off for McKinney, but I think Zachary would have stayed out there all evening.

One last push down the hill before heading indoors.

Pookie even took part in the festivities. She took the longest to thaw out. Snow sticks to her like glue, so we got to snuggle together by the fire for a bit when we went back inside.

Happy Birthday Marty

For Marty's birthday in February, we went to Provino's for our traditional birthday dinner. This year, it included Zachary. Usually, just Marty and I go out, but this year, Z wanted to join us. He ate McDonalds and about a dozen Provino's rolls. Guess you can't eat any better than that at 6 years old.
While waiting for Marty to get home from work, Zachary decided to decorate the house in balloons. We stopped at 10 because I was out of breath, but the decorating was left up to him. I am sure the neighbors were thinking we just had added a boy and a girl to our family by the looks of the front door, but we quickly moved them inside when Marty got home.

Again, not breaking tradition, Marty got a Cookie Company cake for his birthday. He could eat one of those every month and not feel guilty at all.