Shopaholic in Alabama

Today, my parents are celebrating their 44th Wedding Anniversary. Please join me in wishing them a Happy Anniversary! I'm so proud of my parents and the example they have set for me and my sister. Never in my life - not once, not even for a moment - have I doubted that my parents are in love and will be together for the rest of their lives.  That's such a rare partnership in today's society, and one worthy of celebration.  Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! 

The past few days were wonderful - the DH was home and we were able to spend some quality time together and with our family. Today I'm sad to report, he's gone again. But hopefully, not for quite as long this time... While he was home we spent the weekend in Destin. The above picture was taken at Baytowne in Sandestin. We were with my sister, BIL and the nephews. The grown ups enjoyed a few adult beverages on Saturday while watching the Florida - Georgia football game. Yes, that's a playground you see in the picture. We are guilty of having a beer while the nephews played! :-)  Speaking of pictures, isn't this a cute one?  My sister and her hubby... The nephews were soooooo excited to spend time with their uncle D! They both kept saying "we luv our uncle D" (and not just when they wanted to watch youtube videos on DH's tablet or phone, haha). These three boys, they are my heart. I just want to pinch their cute cheeks and give them a big kiss!  N...

Wow - is it already Tuesday? Sorry if I bailed on you guys for a few days. The DH arrived home a day early (last Thursday instead of Friday as planned). It was a great surprise and we were able to spend the weekend together.  Friday we spent the entire day at the beach. Our weather was gorgeous, mid 80's on September 30. We even managed to get a little suntan. Heaven.  Saturday, we kept our nephews overnight for my sister and her DH to have an out of town "date night". (aren't we sweet, haha!). The boys had a blast and lots of fun with my DH - they seem to think he is also a child (hmmm, might be a little truth there). Wilson and Jake arrived at the beach in their Alabama gear, which I took as a good omen. Wilson was also sporting my BIL's Florida hat - this is what happens when your Mother likes Bama and your Dad likes Florida. Obviously he was trying to keep my BIL happy with him, heehee!  I have to admit, I was a little concerned about how I was g...

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Since I took a blog break that lasted almost the entire month of May, I just realized that I didn't have a chance to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day! The above photo was taken Mother's Day Weekend 2011. My Mother and sister both came down to the beach and we had a girls' dinner out at Cobalt, a local restaurant. It occurred to me that many of my readers are new within the last year, and probably never read my post from Mother's Day 2010. This explains a lot about mine and the DH's decision to be "Childless By Choice". Perhaps it's time for a repeat!  It is very important to me that you, my readers, feel like you actually know me and I'm a real person. Sometimes I think that in the blogging world, there is this sense of trying to impress readers and other bloggers. I'm not here to impress you, but I do hope to entertain you and find new and special friends along the way. I hope you feel like you know me be...

Happy Wednesday, Shopaholics! Please forgive me for the lack of posts here. As you know, I blogged about going to Dauphin Island over the weekend. Little did I know, the internet was out, and the backup internet was out! I was stuck for three days with no internet . No emails . No blogging . No online shopping . We returned home late Monday, and lucky me! Now I'm sick with a raging sinus infection. Today I got a 10 day round of antibiotics. I'm hoping they work quickly, because I'm a pretty miserable pup! While we were on the island, the boys spent a lot of time fishing off the pier. The DH, BIL and my two nephews all had a great time!  The nephews are 6 and 3.5 years old, and they are so much fun! I wanted to share some of the photos, hoping they would bring a smile to your face today! This heron wanted to get into the ice chest - which was where the boys were storing all their fish. Every time he got close to my beach bag, I would get a little concerned as I didn...

Happy Monday, Shopaholics! Sorry I've been a loser and haven't updated in a week. It's been a crazy ten days around these parts! You might remember a few days ago, I told you guys that Mother was at the hospital and we didn't really know what was going on. Thankfully all tests on her heart turned out ok (whew!) and the Crohn's disease is not active at this time (whew!). However......her gallbladder was another story. Based on results of a CT scan, the doctors decided it best be removed and soon - it was removed a week ago Saturday. Mother spent three nights in the hospital and was soooo ready to get home! I camped out over there for a while to monitor her condition. And I have to admit, it was good to take care of someone else for a change! I ironed for my Father, cooked dinners, did laundry, made beds, went grocery shopping. You name it; I did it! Last Wednesday I took Mother to an appointment for her bi-weekly Remicade infusion. This was scheduled prior to t...

Happy Friday, Y'all! Wish I had something better to report around these parts, but I don't. Today I'm going off "plan" to tell you how much I LOATHE Crohn's Disease. My Mother has Crohn's. She's had it for quite some time; we actually suspect she's had the disease since her mid-late 20's but was "officially" diagnosed with it about ten years ago. Mother has been sick, off and on again, for the past two weeks. She had an injection of Remicade last week which really seemed to wear her down. Last night she was rushed to the urgent care, and then the emergency room. As I write this at 1:15AM - I wait to hear from my Father who is with her. Of course I am worried sick. Can I just say that I hate you, Crohn's disease! You are robbing my Mother of the best years of her life - retirement, grandchildren, enjoying time with her adult children, good times at the island, and so much more. Mother is only 63 but you are trying to wear h...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Do you remember last weekend I attended my cousin's baby shower? She was still 4-5 weeks from her due date, so it wasn't time for the baby to arrive.  Turns out, the baby was ready to enter this world and yesterday was the day! When I first heard the news, I thought about how I hoped she'd had enough time to get all those gifts put up and the nursery organized. You know - silly stuff. CG was in labor for a long time today (at least twelve hours seems long to me, but I've never had a baby, remember?). In the midst of all the joy, there was an extremely scary moment when Colt arrived. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck...it was touch and go for about three minutes. Three minutes that felt like an eternity to the baby's mother, father, grandmother and aunt in the delivery room. Thankfully, all is ok. Colt is healthy (6 lb, 9 oz and 21"). Mom and baby are resting comfortably. Along with the rest of the family, I'...

Happy Hump Day, Shopaholics! Imagine for a moment - you don't have any children and you are babysitting a favorite nephew who has the "day off" from preschool. Other than a steady supply of Thomas the Train toys and DVD's, how do you keep the little fellow entertained? Did I mention he has LOTS of energy??? :-) If you're me and DH, you take him to the beach. We already know he loves the beach! So here's what we did. We let him play in the sand... Running in the sand is also fun....because either me or DH has to chase him down... He was fascinated by a washed up jellyfish... Even I was amazed by this man of war jellyfish...it's actually pretty, even though they will hurt you. This is what "mostly cloudy with a little sunshine" means on the Gulf Coast of Alabama...I thought it was a beautiful photo... Clouds rolling in on the beach never cease to amaze me... A perfect day with two of my favorite men on the planet. What more could...

Hi There, my Shopaholic friends. It's going to be a long day here. I had planned a different post for today, but... My cousin's son had an accident Saturday evening. He fell off a balcony, about 27 stairs, directly onto the ground below. He is only 3 years old, and his name is Gabe. What we know about his injuries so far - he has a broken shoulder, and unfortunately is suffering internal bleeding on his lungs and his brain. Naturally he's in the hospital and is being watched very carefully. If the bleeding on the brain isn't better in a few hours, they will have to "go in". We're not sure yet exactly what this means, but it certainly isn't good. My cousin and his family lived in Oregon for the past five years; they just moved back to Alabama less than 10 days ago. My aunt just met her youngest grandson for the first time when they arrived. Gabe is such a beautiful little boy, and a sweetheart. If you're the praying type, please say a little...

Happy Monday Shopaholics! Today I'm taking a little "break" from blogging...do you ever get sick of yourself? I'm sick of myself and sick with worry. I'm worried to death about my Mother, who has been sick for weeks. I took her for a CT scan last Thursday, and am taking her to yet another dr. appointment tomorrow. Mother has Crohn's disease, she was diagnosed many years ago. It has been in remission for quite some time, but appears to be back with a vengeance. We should know more after tomorrow's appointment with a new gastroenterologist. Please say a little prayer - at this point, I'm hoping for no hospital stays or surgeries - but am worried one or the other may be in order. :-( Sorry today's post isn't very upbeat...it just seems hypocritical to blog about something else today. Thanks for reading and have a Marvelous Monday!

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend and living it up! :-) Yesterday I attended Nana's 90th birthday party, sans DH because he had to work. Funny that Nana introduced me to one of her friends as "D's Better Half" - considering he is her grandson! HAHA. This woman has a sense of humor - can you believe she is 90!?!? Ironic that she is turning 90 - and I'll be 40 next month. I tried to spend time talking to Nana about what her life was like when she was my age. Interesting to know that she was divorced from D's grandfather (he was abusive); working full time in a factory, and raising her two sons by herself. This made me really think long and hard about how easy my life is, in comparison. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not priviledged - but I am lucky. While I'm on the subject, people that have no respect for the elderly, I have zero tolerance for them. Did your parents even warn you to be wary of any man who wasn...

Happy Sunday - and Happy Father's Day! I'm more than happy to admit that I'm a "Daddy's Girl". I love my Father to death, he and DH are the most important men in my life. Hands down. Today I'm starting the day with an early breakfast with my parents, Grandfather and his wife. Then off to visit the in-laws, and a cookout at my parents house this evening! It's going to be busy, but these are the days we treasure!  Hope you have a great day - the picture was taken in New Orleans at the Superdome - don't my parents look young??? :-)

Happy Mother's Day! Before I begin the Mother's Day tribute, I want to thank you ALL for your lovely comments on yesterday's post. Honestly, I wasn't sure whether I should post about being "childless by choice" and was slightly concerned I would look super selfish to you all. I should have known better, I had tears in my eyes reading your sweet and heartfelt comments. You all have stories that were just amazing to me, and I can't wait to get to know everyone better! Thank you for being so kind and supporting me. I consider you all my friends and love you! :-)  Last night I had a fantastic dinner out with my Mother, Nanny, and my sister Amy. I wanted to share a few photos with you - and tell you we had some of the most fabulous seafood I've had in a very long time! Felt like a "last supper" of sorts, considering we're starting to hear about tar balls from the oil spill rolling up on the beaches at Dauphin Island, AL. Mom and Nanny  Lo...

Happy Saturday, my friends! Hopefully you're out enjoying a nice weekend with family and/or friends. We're having sunny and warm weather; it's absolutely gorgeous outside! Warning you ahead of time here - my post today is a little different than normal, but I wanted to share an extremely personal story with you all. I debated about whether to post this, but I hope you'll find it heartfelt and honest. I'm preparing a Mother's Day celebration tonight and tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to dinner with my Mother, my Nanny (my only living grandmother), and my younger Sister. My Dad arranged a nice dinner for us (and is paying the bill!). Don't feel too sorry for the boys though, word has it they're going to eat raw oysters and have a few cold ones. After spending a little time with Mother on Sunday morning, we will go visit DH's Mother. Seriously though, today I would like to tell you all about me and the DH being "childless by choice" - a...

Happy Wednesday, my friends! This week is an absolute blur so far, I had to check the calendar to even know what day of the week it was this morning! Whew! Are you ready for Easter weekend? I'm not. I have no idea what I'm wearing - or what DH is wearing! I feel a little behind here....obviously I have about 100 options in my closet but don't we all want to look "perfect"? Ugh. Perfection is an ideal that is increasingly difficult to maintain. What are you wearing for Easter? Tell me all about it. I need inspiration here! Have a wonderful Wednesday! My family is coming down to the beach today, so I'm getting ready. Looking forward to that - and having a little more of a tan in my Easter frock - whatever it ends up being! :-)