Has it really been this long...

since i've blogged?! Ooh my gosh, time flies when you're swamped! :)

Well, where to start, so much going on...the house is coming right along and I will be updating in a few days with pics! Sadly, Rodel is not home for the Holiday's, he is in Iraq (please continue to keep him in your prayers--we GREATLY appreciate that)...WisteriaLane has seen a number of changes, be sure to check out our blog--you won't be disappointed, it's better than ever with a GREAT new look! I'm so grateful for WisteriaLane as i've made friendships via the group that I will forever cherish and it allows me the opportunity to make new friendships too and work with some amazingly talented designers in our quest to grow our businesses and find the perfect balance of home/work. Be sure to search WisteriaLane as there are some beautiful designs available.


Click here to see the WisteriaLane blog now









Raven was recently in Miss Wiregrass Area Outstanding Teen (a scholarship pageant) and won 2nd place...which thrilled me--as the contestants were very obviously "professionally" trained in the way of pageants--though Raven is not, so for her to be able to place with such competition was a thrill for me and she won a small scholarship award (tee tiny) but it was a GREAT experience and she said she had a ball with it!

Here are a few pics...





Here is a pic of the lovely young lady that won, 1st and 2nd Runner up and the very sweet pageant sponsor...





Okay, so here it is...wee hours of the morning and I know there was a reason for me to get up and update this blog--the song..."so small" by Carrie Underwood really spoke to my heart...it's number 2 on my play list and it's so true...the only thing that really matters is "love"...funny how those mountains are not nearly as big as they seem when we see them with the right perspective...and now i'm actually dancing--LOL--at the number 4 tune..."You Sexy Thing", yes--it really does take me this long to do one post, especially when the music is this good--i'm having a ball! :)



Stay Tuned...more to come!
Merry Christmas to you and yours,
Rhonda

Wowza...what a BUSY Summer!!

And I can't believe Summer Vacation is oooovveerr already!!
We've made our move from Kansas to Alabama and are currently living in an apartment while the house is being built.
We are making progress...





The school year ended in Kansas with Raven's eighth grade graduation and she was very sad to leave her friends behind as we made the move to Alabama, thanks to the internet she's been able to stay in touch with many of them though and is eagerly making plans to visit.



Luckily she can always count on her dad to go GANGSTA with her!




After arriving in Dothan, Raven met up with a long time friend and we all headed to the beach!



And that wasn't our only trip to the beach, we discovered ST. AUGUSTINE over the July 4th weekend and had a mini-family reunion with Rod, Tara, the super cute Katie and Mom Pasibe!














We had a great visit!



Our next stop was...you guessed it--Orlando, home of that magical mouse known as MICKY! We'd been promising the kids we'd take them for over a year...





Raven wasn't quite as excited about going to Disney as the younger two, though she ended up having a GREAT time!
One of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to meet up with my Florida WistaSista's!





It's hard to believe Disney was only a few short weeks ago and now Rodel has left for his training in Kansas until he deploys to Iraq and the kids are back to school!

Here are a few first week of school pics (in no particular order)!











Raven's first day of high school started out with a bang--with three arrests, a tassing and lots of media coverage.
Here's a grassroots report of what happened...click here!
We're hoping that the rest of the year is much smoother!

Update coming SOOON!!!

We've been moving from the MidWest back home down South and I apologize for this gap in posting but look forward to catching this site up soon!

Rhonda

I've been TAGGED!!!

I have been tagged by: Baby Threadz and Pickles and Co. Thanks for thinking of me guys. :)


Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Okay...let the FUN begin...hm mm...


1. I'm terrified of snakes and sharks--which is why as much as I love the ocean, I admire it from the shore line, only getting in knee deep to get onto a jet ski or dip my toes in. I also don't go exploring through the woods because I don't want to run into snakes either.


2. I'm a sweet tea drinker and have to have my sweet n low fix each day.


3. Love the smell of men's cologne (not to wear myself of course, but enjoy it when my husband wears it).


4. The quickest way to get a rise out of me is to be ugly to one of my children, I'm overly protective when it comes to my children .


5. I appreciate how my husband provides for our family and the type of person that my husband is: he's honest, would never gain anything through dishonest means, is faithful and loves the Lord. He can also be crazy and super annoying with his wild and loud playing around--which makes him the fun parent--all of our children's friends are crazy about him.


6. The traits I admire most in others: funny sense of humor, insightfulness and natural intelligence (some people just naturally relate to everyone, have the ability to see into situations and bond with people--and the people I've met that have this gift have been down to earth and make everyone around them feel at ease--I totally admire these traits). I also admire my WistaSista's ...they are such a talented group of ladies, my husband for his youthful good looks and hardworking ways, and each of my three children as they grow and explore the world around them without fear and full of confidence...I believe they can each reach any goal they set for themselves, they are truely a blessing.

The traits I admire in myself: I cannot hold grudges-I'm quick to forgive and ask for forgiveness even when it means swallowing pride, I can laugh at myself (and usually end up having to), and I genuinely care about others and would not purposely hurt anyone. I've learned to like myself and not worry too much about what others think. I was previously very embarrassed by my southern accent, but now that i'm 30 something (not going there), I've overcome that embarrassement and am comfortable with the accent and even my freckles! UH OH--never thought I'd say that, LOL, but these things are really not all that important anymore.


7. Quick pick me up on a dreary day: fresh flowers and a new scented candle for the house.
I love to add fresh flowers to the living room and kitchen and light scented candles, makes the space feel extra special.


Seven People I'm tagging:

1. Bumble Bee Designs
2. Sweetpea Totes
3.Cinnamon Girl Studio
4.Purely Princess Jewels
5. Cherry Tree Graphics
6. LilyandEbony
7. Red Shutter Photography Studio

Friends, Fun & Soccer...what else is there?

Wow, what a busy weekend! Between sleepovers, play dates, soccer games and chauffeuring to a school dance, this weekend was non-stop, but fun!



Raven had three friends spend the night after her school dance on Friday, and then spent the night with one of the girl's on Saturday night and only just got home a few minutes ago and though she's not looking forward to the room cleaning chores on her agenda or the laundry folding party we're going to have tonight, she's all smiles!



Raley and classroom buddy Audrey, spent the weekend together except when it came to bedtime! Raley went home with Audrey on Friday, and had a great time until bedtime and decided she wanted mama! Audrey spent Saturday night with us until bedtime, then it was an instant replay of Friday night--mama time again--LOL--both of these buddies bailed on one another when bedtime rolled around but there were no hard feelings as they were happy to have another after church play date today and were busy scheduling their next few get togethers!




Rannon got to have his football buddy Ricky over for the weekend and couldn't be happier to add a little more testosterone to the house as he gets sick of all the girls in and out of the house. Ricky showed up with the black eye (didn't acquire it at our house, and I hear the other kid looks rough too--I'm sure there's a story behind this but I'm afraid to ask).






Rodel illustrates how he handles bullies...he scares them off with the EVIL EYE!!













The GAME was ON, with THREE soccer games on Saturday, Rodel and I got our sports fill for the week and it was as EXCITING and FUN as ever!!



Rannon's team, the JAYHAWKS remain undefeated following Saturday's 7-1 win and prove that they are THE TEAM to beat in the U10 division. Rannon was thrilled to score a goal on Saturday!!




Famous game quote: An older boy that had watched Rannon's game said to Rannon after the game..."Hey, you play pretty good, is this your first year?" Rannon: "Nah, I been playin for years!"
Rannon has been playing since he was 4 years old so the statement is true but to over hear it in the conversation, sounded very funny...maybe this is one of those ' you had to be there moments?' ;)





Raley's team, the ORANGE ROCKSTARS!! were happy to score their first victory on Saturday with an ending score of 6-2. A huge turn around from the previous weeks game!






Raley scored 4 of Saturday's winning goals, though she didn't let it go to her head. At the end of the day it's all about having fun with friends for this lil RockStar!


And the Rockstar coaches agree!!





Raven's team, with one loss under their belt, are proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the U14 division following Saturday's 6-1 win! Raven had the opportunity to play both defense and forward at Saturday's game and got to spend a lot of time on the field.





The week ahead will be just as busy as this weekend was, with dance recital practices for both girls, soccer practices for all three, track for Raven and another game for Raven's leavenworth/lansing reds on Thursday night. Trying to get ahead of the busy week's activities, I'm hosting a house cleaning throw down tonight on the home field with a bit of laundry folding, vacuuming, dusting and dishwasher emptying...sure to be a task plan my three athletes and I can have victory over...after some basic warming up and 1,2, 3 count downs...ready, set, GO!