First Day of School

See their excitement!

Hailey's Birthday July 16th

My baby girl is growing up. All she wanted for her birthday was to go to Dollywood and spend thr day. We surprised her with a party at the house when we returned. Her daddy got her a My little pony birthday cake while we were out all day, and Mathew, Papaw, and MomMom surprised her too. She was so excited.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Silver Lining

Amber skies stretch out across mountains of indigo. Blackness bleeds to grey and light breaks. As down slowly lifts the shadows. A path once forgotten as I strayed looking to follow those from before. Kicking up dust with their swollen shoes signs linger across the earth strung across the shore.

Not as easy to look within and see with eyes blinded by life's rose colored lenses. To see the truth as bare as a rigid desert.

Beyond the walls of brick, beyond chain link fences.

I will not view the world in black and white, as only coal dust in mouthand sweetness of new snow.

I will see the reds, the gold, and the silverlining, adjusting the tip of my soul to capture both ebb and flow.

I really can't give credit for this, although I would love to. I read it somewhere and wrote it down a couple years ago. If you know who wrote it please let me know.

This poem means so much to me. I know it may be insane. I have a problem that i have to spend a majority of time working on. When I struggle with it I always remember this poem. I seem to expect the best out of people, not everyone, of course, but my loved ones. I'm pretty sure it has alot to do with my upbringing, although it is what I rebelled so much against as a teen. It reminds me that I have to see the silverlining, to chill out and not expect so much from people and situations. I have to go with the flow and feel content with that. So far it is working although it has taken years to fall into place. I can sit back now and relish in content at my family not seeing the flaws that we all carry, but the light that radiates from within.

I'm sure everything I have been through with my children and family in the last few years is complimenting of that. My oldest son has struggled with an addiction, that in the beginning I dismissed as a typical teenage experiment only to have my whole world crash before my eyes when I realized the progression was so severe I could lose him at any moment. He Has been through treatment. Made remarkable changes to his life. I never thought I would see him finish school, which I struggled and pushed for before his treatment. I realize now that he needed to be clean and focused to achieve that and want it for himself and not because I wanted it. He will be coming home in recovery in 45 days after being gone for 5 months. He is returning with his GED enrolled in a local community college, with set goals in a major study. If you only new how proud I am, when I look back at the road that led him to this point, I know God has walked with him every step of the way, the light has radiated all around and smothered the darkness, I feel so blessed and can only pray he also sees his blessings.

I have 3 more children, Tyler he is getting in the teen stage a battle within itself. Always a quiet, shy and heart warming child. The teenage body snatchers are on the loose. Those hormones must be some dirty little devils. He has started highschool, I remember how tough the first year was for me. Plans to play ALL the sports, he is very focused. He has been so supportive of his brother......and me. ALWAYS  noticing the right moment for a good laugh or warm hug. I pray those bodysnatchers will skip the next couple of years.

Hailey- the baby. She is 9 and has grown up so much the last year. She is in 3rd grade. Loves school and her family. Always laughing and smiling. She can be alittle obnoxious especially to the older ones, but thats part of being the youngest. When I look in her eyes I see me more and more everyday.

Candas- she is 16. i married he father when she was a little thing, raised her for 9 years. Her father and I split up and divorced and she began a whole new life away from me. I have always felt a huge loss from being split up from her. I always new she would come back after she realized the circumstances. The whole family new it. We also new she would have a rough life. But she is back now, 16 going on 21. Way more mature then I expected, she moved back in right before school started, the whole family IS SO EXCITED!

My husband is a wonderful man, his kids are grown but he loves mine and treats them as his own. Of course he puts up with me too, not an easy task, I am known to be a little crazy sometimes, of course I mentioned that before. He has stuck through all this craziness and kept his sanity. He must really love me. Although we have our moments, he is a catch and my kids and I are so lucky to have the opportunity to make him crazy with us. lol

So the whole family is almost back together. Mathew will be home in 45 days. I couldn't be happier everything has fell into place. I know we all had to go through what we have to be who we are today. Thank GOD !!!