what else did we do in beaver creek?? a photo storybook!

we greeted mimi and gb with big hugs at the airport

we had fun biking from avon to edwards and then having lunch by the river!

daddy threw the kids around in the pool (which is probably their favorite thing EVER)

we fished at the lake in avon

drums at the kids symphony concert in vail

the kids were able to enjoy trying to play the instruments

even crunch was given a try

an awesome "date" fishing with my bert. oh and a really cool guide!

i got my toes done at the spa, sat by the pool at the hyatt and had some mom time! ahhhh!

crunch enjoyed spraying the hose with a real firefighter at the beaver creek friday night cook-out!

ice skating in the village! peanut's all time favorite!

to the 4 eagle ranch for some horseback riding and lunch

zip line tour

beaver creek rodeo....PS. that is NOT crunch (surprisingly enough!)

saying goodbye! thank you for the AWESOME time!

camp

my little girl is at camp for her second summer. i miss her already even though it has barely been 24 hours! we flew in from Colorado and headed straight for camp. we got there a few hours late and just in time for the dinner bell. her little bff (and her parents who happened to be our bff's) had her bunk made and ready for her and she never even looked back to say goodbye to me as she ran off to catch up with her cabin as they crossed the bridge to the "mess hall"! i followed her and felt like a camper for a minute. i heard them sing the prayer that i had sung at her age, after we dropped her stuff at the very same cabin that my parents dropped me off  MANY moons ago. it smelled the same.... old wood, dirt, summer, sweat, and all the stuff of camp! oh, i wanted to STAY! PLEEEEEEEEEASE LET ME STAY! the creek spilled over the side of the waterfall as we crossed the bridge and i remembered everything about it. now, the new memory will be leaving my baby for a week. WAY TOO SHORT for her. WAY TOO LONG for me. she will ask (beg!) to stay another week. as i did. we'll say no, as my parents did! BLAAAA! i have turned into "PARENTS". who would have thought?

someone help me with this one

I just checked my feedjit (which tells me how people find my blog, where the people that read it are from, etc. everything but the name of the person). WILL someone tell me why people are searching for "sad facebook status'"? why would someone want to read some one's sad status? are you in search of a good cry? or, could it be that by checking other people's sad status' it might make you feel better about your own status? seems kinda sad! come on peeps! search for happy stuff. there is enough time for our own unfortunate events.. like a broken bone.....or your untimely break-up.........your search for your birth mother............um, snif....or an unfortunate death of a beloved pet.....OK....i gotta go now.........i can't think of anymore sad stuff................ HEY, i could google it. i guess.

hanging in the balance. FEARLESS!

BERT, my father in law, and i, went on a "zip line adventure"! yes, we defied gravity over a HUGE canyon near beaver creek. it was an absolute BLAST! i was nervous, until i got harnessed up and saw how (seemingly) safe it was! the two guides who consider themselves to be a comedy routine (successfully) were VERY careful, and thorough with directions and safety.

riding in the swiss military truck that took us to the canyon.

 in our little group was a family from NYC (7 and 9 year old included), a mother and daughter team, and the three of us. one of the most exciting parts of the trip happened on zip line 6 (out of 7) which happened to be the tallest zip line. i do not remember the actual feet (but HIGH) above a canyon my "zipping" came to a halt, due to my weight and a non-running start! so, there i was, dangling above a canyon with a creek running through. a view of the eagle river and steep cliffs on either side. i gripped my camera and started taking pictures of my feet above the canyon as the BRAVE guide hooked up to the line and zipped down to save me. he hooked his legs around me and started pulling (hand over hand) up the line until we reached safety. i was so busy taking pictures that i did not even feel the slightest bit of unease! the BRAVE KNIGHTLY GUIDE (who is a Vail firefighter by the way and does work with Ryan Sutter of the bachelor!) then had to repeat the same action with the mother from NYC. he was VERY tired and we were all hot as the heat index had to reach the upper 90's! 6 zips back and forth and one giant zip back to the starting point took two full hours that were so enjoyable, i would suggest it to anyone! the only accident they have HAD has been one broken ankle. oh and i burned my toes in my chocos because the sun was fierce. Alpine Zip Line Tours! try it if you find yourselves in the beautiful Vail valley! we had so much fun with these guides and the fun loving group, it was a trip well worth it!

my best camera shot yet!

a close-up of the guide saving me!

Bert's dad "zipping" for the final LONG zip home!

another "damsel in distress"?

yes, we know you are our hero! no need to GLOAT!

my honey coming in for a landing!

my view while dangling

FUN! let's go again!

someone posted thier trip on you tube if you want to watch some zipline action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciRS-yCMVmg&feature=related

check out zip adventure

http://vail.whattodo.info/Vail-CO/Activity-/Zipline-Tours/Zip-Adventures/200/

beaver creek, colorado! paradise on earth!

bert's parents are blessed enough to have a place in the beautiful ski resort town of BEAVER CREEK! WE are blessed to be invited to visit!  i have come to appreciate the summer trips more than the winter ones! there is MUCH more to do in the summer. biking, fishing, hiking, floating, arts! there is always something going on! we have already biked, fished, the kids went to the rodeo, i had a pedi at the spa, and we have played in the pool.

New Latitude Movers Birmingham Alabama

So, with my sister and her family gone to madison, i miss them every day! there has been a steady flow of visitors there to see them and i don;t even think that they have their last box unpacked! apparently, this little suburb of Jackson, ms. is like "mayberry". the day that they left was very hard but i have to be honest, my brother in law made it a ton easier! well, not him specifically but the moving company he works for. New Latitude! yall, for real, i can't tell you...well, i can and i am right now...how much more painless this move was because of them. formally "changes in latitude" they are now "NEW LATITUDE". same company, only better because my brother in law is there. and i might think he is one of the greatest guys EVER.
one girl that used them to move her said they should be called the "Hot A-- Movers" (her words) because the guys were so cute that moved her.
so, on moving day, with camera in tow, i headed to Emily's house for the move, to say goodbye, and see these H.A.M.'s for myself. SHE WAS RIGHT! but not only were thew HAM's cute, muscular, and fun to watch. they were efficient, kind, and FAST! they broke NOTHING. they were well dressed, articulate and funny!
these Birmingham Movers merged with people movers and hired my brother in law. of course, that was nothing but a smart "move" on their part because they are already a very family oriented business. i have known the owner and his wife for many years. i love them! and i love my brother in law and am SO PROUD of this moving company. let me tell you one of the most special things about them. the couple that owns it has an autistic son, who is delightful! but, they have poured their heart and soul into autism awareness, help for their son, and oversees mission in the form of an orphanage in the Ukraine that houses autistic children. they help support it financially and also visit. they help with therapy for the kids, and have helped set up a "skype" situation where a therapist HERE can help the orphanage director THERE. this is who these people are! i love them all. they are family.
by using NEW LATITUDE, you participate in the wonderful things that they do!
i have not met anyone that has used them that has not been so surprised at how GREAT they are. moving, was a "good" experience(cause moving is never GREAT, let's be honest!). and they use them over and over.

some of the businesses that they work with are:
Z gallery
Restoration Hardware
Siebels
Cabinets for Home Depot and Lowes
Office Depot

they will move you to or from anywhere. no matter how big or small the move
here is their story
http://www.newlatitudemovers.com/Our-Story/p/4

here are their links:
www.newlatitudemovers.com
www.facebook.com/newlatitude

www.twitter.com/newlatitude

is my sister looking at his muscles?

i got some great pics of a couple of  HAMS that "moved" emily!

samsonite turned rainbow bright!

ROCKIN' camp suitcase
$2.00 garage sale mustard color Samsonite hard suitcase......totally retro
acrylic paint
gloss medium to paint over the top
VOILA! camp suitcase!
if it comes back nasty, into the trash it will go!
total price about $5.00

you can see a little of the original suitcase...color, and all. (forgot to do a "before" pic)

i did the monogram and the name. she did the "decor"

"camp rules" by me. decor and letter "scramble" that reads o l e  m i s s  by bess "peanut"

what i did not do and should have:

lightly sand the suitcase

prime with "gesso"

paint!

(the paint will inevitably chip off of our suitcase.)

splish splash!

broken pinkie toe! what can you do?

well, apparently you can break it "good" enough to go to the doctor and have it "re-set". i tripped over a tricycle and looked down and my toe was numb and pointing sideways! barf! i laid on the ground and waited for crunch to "finish telling me a story" before he would listen to me tell him to get the phone. i could not walk so i called bert and "sweet thing" came home! an urgent care doctor did and x-ray to confirm it was broken and then he fiddled and pulled on it and then referred me to a foot doc! so, this morning (thanks to my dad that knows people...and has semi-bad feet himself) i went to the doctor (who fit me in right before his vacation!). he requested for his face not to be shown. but i photo'd everything else. the pic of me screaming is a retake. i was screaming to bad to actually photograph myself!

pinkie is pointing left! ouch!

whatcha gonna do? doc? whatcha gonna do?

oh, you are just gonna numb me up and then slide it into place? oh that is a big needle!

for the love of ayyyyyyyy*%&%^%$ (shrieking) STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now, you are just gonna slide it into place? ooh nice and numb! by the way, that needle was HORRIBLE!

that looks and feels MUCH better!

thanks for fitting me in! i feel much better. now you have fun on your vacation, silly monkey!!

meanie-weenie

this little 9 week year old daschund mix is one rebellious little pup! he is biting and not stopping! i know i know! "all puppies do it!" this surpasses the norm. we went to a jump-start training class this morning. we learned a lot at once. the assessment: VERY SMART PUPPY learning to dominate us! it was suggested that we begin classes ASAP and even a possible puppy boot camp if that does not work. this will not be cheap SO i am going to diligently work with Rebel to get him in shape. puppy class was interesting with Crunch running around the room like a maniac. he was like a poster child for hyper! it was stressful but the teacher said it is actually helpful to have the "stresser" in the class. HA! i have never called Crunch "the stresser" but it totally fits in with the other names!
if the four classes do not work.....well, i will have to sell that aspen tree painting (below) to afford a week long boot camp. I WILL NOT HAVE A MEAN DOG! i just won't. that defeats the purpose of why i got the dog.
"with a REBEL yell!"

how else can he be the new Ole Miss mascot? he must learn to behave as every good OLE MISS dog would. polite, precious, and full of "suthen chom"!

finished HUGE aspen tree painting!

this one is for my dining room. it is 64" wide! big. i might have to sell it to afford puppy training classes for "REBEL" the meanie/weenie dog! i am thrilled how it turned out!

this shows the scale of the painting. i used the nail that was already there and it has to be re-hung.

distraction from Him. the enemy's delight!

"i lift my eyes up to the HILLS. where does my HELP come from? My Help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth. HE will not let your foot be moved, He who KEEPS you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep." Psalms 121:1-4

oh, how many times i have tried to pray, and been distracted my FLESH and life? MORE than i could ever count. He loves me anyway. how may times have i tried to read a devotional, or my Bible? while fighting my eyes from closing, and the distractions of wandering thoughts? a MILLION times. He loves me anyway. upon a friend's advice, i agreed (FINALLY) to awaken before my children to spend time with God. but, my children become a distraction....they awaken WAY before they usually do, when do a quiet time (because i am not going to act like i do this every day) asking for milk, waffles, cereal bars....the whining will begin and i get so frustrated that i stop my "quiet time" and go ahead and begin the day. irritated. Lord, why am I doing this? why am i trying to be with you when you and i BOTH know that something will stop me?
for example, this morning. the dog awakened me with his little squeals from his kennel. he wanted to go outside. i looked at my watch...5:45. OK, well, i feel pretty awake. i will do my quiet time! so, i put him in his kennel and tried to start my reading.....squeal!...squeal...! this went on until i decided to take him out and HOPED he would sit with me. well, he sat with me but continued to BITE me with those little razor sharp teeth, wanting to play! it hurt! and left me angry at him. i flicked him on the nose and said, OK you are out of here! and i put him unhappily back in his kennel, only for my finger to get a real grazing from one of his sharp little "fangs"! UGGGGG! a distraction. once again. the kids will somehow HEAR in their deepest of sleep, the pecking at my computer keys, and come right in and "waller" all over me. i will say, "i am spending time with the Lord" and it will not matter, they want me and i do not feel like disciplining them while i am supposed to be HAVING A QUIET TIME!
a few minutes ago while i was reading the psalm 121 a freakin MOSQUITO came over and bit me! like my friend says, "you can't make this stuff up". the phone will inevitably ring, i will run to answer it to keep the kids from hearing and it will be the MOST chipper telemarketer, or my bug man scheduling a drop by! i am thinking, "do you know what time it is? "EARLY- thirty" and i am TRYING TO SPEND TIME WITH THE LORD! by this time. oh, and i almost forgot, moss the dog and all 90 lbs of him, laying next to the couch where i sit will let out a green bomb which forms a halo around my face and no matter where i move, i smell the stench of the world stinkiest toot! I GIVE UP!
isn't that what SATAN wants?  i hate even typing his name because he does not deserve the space on my computer. he wants and loves to distract me and watch me being frustrated enough to STOP my quiet time with his ENEMY! the LORD. HE HATES ME! he really does. well, he is NOT INVITED to my quiet time! "in the name of JESUS get the HELL out of my house!" he has to flee.
so, why am i still distracted. because i am imperfect, "fleshy", tired, and my true desire is not to spend time with GOD. there, i said it. it's true. my TRUE desire is to go back to sleep, but the Holy SPIRIT that lives within me, awakened me this morning, with a whining dog, and a heart reminder to take this time to be with MY CREATOR!
what i learned this morning:  from the book: ONE THING by Sam Storms  pgs. 151-152

We must celebrate how God has made us and find satisfaction in His presence. THE SACRED ROMANCE, they explain (brent curtis and john eldredge's book),

...calls to us every moment of our lives. It whispers to us on the wind, invites us through the laughter of good friends, reaches out to us through the touch of someone we love. We've heard it in our favorite music, sensed it at the birth of our first child, been drawn to it while watching the shimmer of a sunset on the ocean. it is even present in times of great personal suffering-- the illness of a child, the loss of a marriage, the death of a friend. Something calls to us through experiences like these and rouses an inconsolable longing deep within our heart, wakening in us a yearning for intimacy, beauty, and adventure This longing is the most powerful part of any human personality. It fuels our search for meaning, for wholeness, for a sense of being truly alive. however we may describe this deep desire, it is the most important thing about us, our heart of hearts, the passion of our life. And the voice that calls to us in this place is none other than the voice of God.

after reading this passage this morning. and while writing this post (congrats for making it till the end) i realized something.... our greatest "distraction" should BE the LORD. HE should interrupt our thoughts, or comings and goings, our decisions, etc. The voice in the wind, the song in our hearts. THE HOLY SPIRIT resides in those that have accepted Him into their lives, and hearts as the savior of our sinful selves.

dear Lord,
I pray to you this morning that i will not let the distractions and frustrations of life GET me. i will know from where my help comes from. i will look up to the hills and know that you are there. NOT SLUMBERING. you reside so comfortably in my heart and i am so grateful beyond words that you chose me to be yours. Lord, may the words of my mouth be a reflection of my heart today. i love you.
in Jesus' name, AMEN

the kids are rousing....funny, they awakened RIGHT as i was finishing up! funny how that worked out this morning.

fool me once...well just don't try to fool me.

sweet husband tried SO hard to find people to come to my "surprise party". but, as USUAL to all of my past birthdays, EVERYONE is out of town! he snuck on the computer and looked at my e-mail list but still does not know of all of the fun friends that would have liked to have come. the ones he knew of, he called, e-mailed and one by one they could not come. NOW, i was not friendless! my bff's brooke and brook and my family, minus my mississippi sis (which made me tear up a little) were there.
the PLOT:
how to get liz to mexican restaurant for big surprise:
*tell liz we are all going to her parents house for her birthday
*send brother in law over early to "pick up" kids to take to nana and bobo's for a "craft" they were going to do before i was to arrive. when really they were going down the street to a babysitter[weird, and my first clue which made me change my clothes into something nicer]
*"run by" the mexican restaurant (which is a mile the other direction) to pick up chips and cheese dip? for nana's "mexican fiesta". [oh crap, i better put on make-up i am pretty sure at this point we are having a party]
*pull up to resteraunt and ask liz to run in and get the cheese dip. [oh my gosh could this be more obvious?]
*everyone jump up and yell surprise!

who is that orange man trying to get in the picture next to my dad?

Bert tried SO hard to make this a surprise and it was...right up to the point that the plot began! we had so much fun and the three people that were there (not in my family) are three of my faves in the world so it ended up being so much fun! we told stories about my mom's attack shih-tzu, "puddy" and how she attacked and permanently maimed more than two family members and other friends of the family. but, for some reason, mom always had a way of blaming it on the victim. then when pud died and we were all relieved, mom was MAD at everybody because none of us cried. i am telling you "kujo" had nothing on this dog.
then we came back to our house and mom made us watch michael jackson videos and we ate cake.

the big surprise~ a brand new CANNON REBEL EOS 500 digital camera! i am snapping pictures like a regular shutterbug and CAN'T WAIT for my blog pics to be EXTRA SPECIAL!!
PS i named "rebel" the dog before i got my REBEL camera!!....... I KNOW!

memory: my last spend the night party was at my friend reggie's house when i was in the 4th but i ended up going home right before bed because i was always afraid i was going to catch the stomach bug suddenly and i might throw up and i would not have my dad there to comfort me. this was an ongoing fear of mine right up until...?.... NOW actually. i have not thrown up since the third grade and i can't because i don't live with my dad and he can't be here to comfort me. so no barfing for me! NO WAY! (note to self) bring this up in my next psychology session.

birthday dress rehersal

i set out on the 1st, which is the EVE of my birthday to run around for the whole day! it was my birthday "dress rehearsal". i DRAAAAAAAAAG out my birthday, and mothers day as long as possible because it is one of those "just for me and i can do what i want so don't say anything about it" kind of days. it's my excuse for selfishness. which sounds horrible but i do it anyway. my birthday is the 2nd of july but i did not have a babysitter for that day so i went out the day before.
if you are one of my regular "junky" readers then you know about my journey from the death of "frannie the dog" to the search for a new/used dog. so...ok i have been a little down because after putting my efforts into two dogs and then something happening with both of them, it has made me feel a little depressed.
so, feeling "entitled" to a good birthday i left at about 10:00 and headed to one of the bigger thrift stores near birmingham. ESPECIALLY known for their "bric a brac" section. if you do not know that term than you just don't know a thing about the second hand world. it means: everything else. like home goods, baskets, picture frames, figurines....everything else. now you are caught up. please don't hold me up to have to explain these things in the future. thanks.
i started out in the bric-a-brac section and the same phenom happens in these isles as does the grocery store. you circle the isle and end up making eye contact with the same people over and over. usually, it is fine. they are just regular folks for the most part. BUT for some reason on this birthday's eve...the people were somewhat too "thrifty" if you know what i mean. like sometimes i won't buy something in the thrift store without smelling it first which only a true veteran can do without completely humiliating herself....[what is liz doing? oh she is sniffing the couch over there.] well this group of three people were so thrifty it went down in the books or the blog, for me. big lady in a wheelchair, big older daughter pushing her, and an "un-medicated" completely obnoxious little boy that would pick up EVERYTHING and say "NANNY LOOK AT THIS!" or "CAN I HAVE THIS, NANNY?" AND "HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS......NANNY!? the woman would lose her cool and say "I CAN SEE IT! I GOT EYES DON'T I? then he would grab something else and say "WHAT ABOUT THIS ONE NANNY DID YOU SEE IT DID YOU SEEEEEEEEE THISSSSSSSS????" well, this is when nanny lost it with the boy and told the tiny asian lady who was pushing a cart of bric-a-brac to the floor to go ahead and "RUN OVER THE KID!" about this time i was next to them and we were looking at the same shelf. i caught a wif of NANNY and that was all she wrote...i reversed my cart and SKIPPED a lane to get away from her. literally gagging and committing the carnal sin of skipping a lane at the thrift store, i finished up bric-a-brac and headed to the books. this is one of my favorite locations because there are a TON of books and it could take hours of mindlessness and you could end up with rockin' coffee table books, books for your friends, neighbors etc. i started to browse when i heard "snort"..."snort"..."snort"  every three seconds or so this pasty white man was snorting (gag) phlegm! uggggg barffffff. he WOULD NOT STOP! i had to leave the books LEAVE THE BOOKS without looking! this is not normal for me AT ALL. i never leave a thrift store halfway shopped. but between stinky lady, obnoxious kid and snot man i HAD TO GO!
i ended up with
a commemorative mississippi plate
a pair of jeans to re-sell
two jelly jars for the kids
a book about will rogers
a duvet cover for peanut's bed (fully sniffed)

leaving the thrift store early was indeed providential because it gave me time to "swing" by the humane society where i adopted the most precious weenie dog mix EVER! he is a puppy and his name is REBEL!! if col. reb gets replaced (ug!) i am writing this little dude in! "the ole miss fighting weenie dogs!"

more on REBEL the dog later!! and a possible RANT on the unfair happenings at my alma mater!