My name is Valerie and I stalk my husband

My blog buddie Chriann had a funny post about early morning and it reminded me:

I don't have to be at work until an hour after Jeff so I'm never awake when he leaves. Yesterday since it was our anniversary I decided to get up with him when he did. He looked at me strangely a few times but I was determined this was what husbands and wives should do......I was following behind him to walk him to the front door imaging that I was some 50's housewife sending him off with a kiss and a wave........... he turned around and asked if I was stalking him! This morning I stayed in bed :)

Did I mention?

Michael comes home from camp tomorrow :)

He hasn't called once! This should be OK because it means he is having so much fun he doesn't have time to stand in line for the payphone. Even though it would be very easy to call the toll free number I had set up before he went to camp that rings straight to my cell! :(

I'm sure when I see him I will be so excited I give him a huge hug and kiss and he will be mortified that anyone witnessed! Actually I'm pretty lucky, he will be 12 soon and doesn't mind so far......he's a pretty cool kid :)

So.......I just thought I would blog about what is most on my mind. FYI........Davis misses him as much as I do I think. We have gotten used to hearing "wait for Michael" "save it for Michael" being applied to watching a show on TV, playing a game or even food we are eating! And he asks me 3 times a day if it is the day he comes home :) Pretty amazing for all the bickering they do when they are together!

Travis hasn't been feeling well this week so he has just done a lot of laying around and not eating much but I think he is turning the corner. I'm just really happy to have the boys at home for a few days :) They leave on Sunday night for their last week with their Dad......the time was interrupted because of camp this week but I am really looking forward to having them home for good!


(I couldn't find one of Travis looking at the camera on this PC)

Happy anniversary David & Kelli

I wanted them to have their own post. David is my brother. Growing up it was just the 2 of us and I never missed having a sister until I became older because he was just so much fun. We had a few skirmishes I guess, but in general we got along so well and were really great friends. He is pretty cool :) He is so great he even gave me the sister I always wanted when he married Kelli. She is such an amazing wife and mother and is so multi-talented that I envy her.

When we considered getting married on this day, we had to talk to them first. After all.......the day belonged to them already. They were so gracious to share this day with us and I will never take them for granted. We were very happy to dedicate their "song" to them at our reception and I wanted to show these beautiful pictures of them dancing to it because when I look at them I see their love radiating.

Happy Anniversary you 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can see their continued love story here: http://www.davidandkelli.com

2 years ago......

On July 22, 2006 I married the man I NEVER dreamed of.

I always had a certain "type" in mind when I pondered on the man of my dreams. It turns out that he is my ideal mate and even though I didn't believe it for a long time it was nonetheless true. Jeff was my best friend, he became that because he listened. He gave me strength and happiness. The best part was that we could never mess it up by being romantic because he just wasn't my type. :)

Wow....did that ever change. When I first started falling for Jeff I tried ignoring it....but then the phone would ring his tune and my heart would start racing. I found myself daydreaming about him. Every typical falling in love feeling was happening to me and it just didn't seem possible!

We were so wrong for each other.........I even made a list. I think God was pushing me to that list because for quite some time I focused on those items and because they were written down it allowed me to have something tangible to see that the impossible could actually be possible as they just seemed to be resolved. If not for the list, I don't know if I would have realized that God had put this man in my life to be exactly what I needed.

He is. He might be the man I never dreamed of but everyday he makes dreams come true for me that I never even dared dream!!! It really is the little things.......it's the things that are too precious for me to put out there in the blog universe but it is those things done day in and day out that continue to amaze me and fill me with wonder and humble thanks that he does just because he loves me and loves to fulfill me.

I have never been happier in my life and even better than what he does for me is what he IS for the boys :) He is a natural. They run and jump to hug him even if they have only been apart for a few hours, they fight over who sits next to him. They trust him with their hopes and fears and they come to him with their needs.

Jeff, The last 2 years since we have been married have been such a crazy circus at times and such a peaceful, content place at the same time and I love you so much I have a hard time imagining our love growing even stronger and more fulfilling.....but I know it will because you have taught me to expect the most. Love, Val

Thank you honey for being the man you are..............Happy Anniversary.

Since so many of our friends and family weren't able to make it to Massachussets for our wedding I wanted to post a few pictures to show our story that day. Enjoy!


We were supposed to be married in the Rose Garden at the park but as you can see there was a bit of rain.......surprisingly I don't remember that very often. We moved the wedding indoors to an old New England community house from the 1800's that was in the park.


It seems like we must have always planned it that way.....the ceremony was so beautiful and I just had to include Travis playing in this picture. He played the wedding march on his guitar for me to walk down the aisle and it was one of the most beautiful moments in my life




The ceremony was so wonderful and it really felt like not only was I marrying this amazing man but that our entire family was being married.

The meeting house had an old bell tower with the rope coming down through the middle of the room. As the ceremony ended and we were walking down the aisle, the boys were able to pull the rope and ring the bell for all to hear for miles.

Here are a couple of pictures of us after the ceremony.......the rain had cleared up and we were able to enjoy the beautiful park and all that was in bloom.

To-do list: one down, 18 to go

My to-do list just lost an item: organize bathroom.

I will confess that I didn't do the yard this weekend but will have to do something with it this week since we have family coming in next weekend and won't have time then.

Actually I didn't do much of anything that I really needed to do after I did laundry, dishes and other random cleaning. OK OK I also slept in really late and took naps too but I wasn't going to post that! Why is it I am hearing my blog buddies in my head as I type like some kind of accountability system!

One thing did get checked off the list and it was sort of strange the way it happened......Jeff had been AWOL for a while and it wasn't until one of the boys last night said "hey Mom...where's Jeff" (yes that's right......they are home for a week as of 6 pm last night!!!) I realized I hadn't seen him in an hour or so, but I was busy and didn't look for him as it is pretty typical for my strong, silent type husband to disappear to some random idea every once in a while.

Jump to later that night as I pause the movie for a potty break and he says...."oh no, don't kill me when you see the bathroom" and I groan. You have to know that since we moved we have done nothing in our bathroom.......we have a long counter with 2 sinks and piled on the counter between the sinks have been "the boxes". Everything we need for our bath is in these boxes so they are randomly shuffled and opened and have things spilling out of them. Each time I need to wash my hands or brush my teeth I have to empty my sink of the myriad collection filling it. Can you picture it? I was picturing some new havoc created that would make it even harder to eventually organize it.

Well........now picture it as I see it when I walk in......I notice that the counter top has a nice pattern to it, I had never really seen it before. WAIT......I can see the counter, and that's not all. The bathroom is clear........it is sparkly.......there are no boxes, there are hand towels in the holders, the only thing on the counter is a vanity mirror and soap container and right in the middle, a bouquet of flowers. Wow you guys........this is my husband! I don't know why or how, I figured out the when.....he had done this amazing thing. I was so impressed and I told him so right then, but now as I type this I'm not sure he knows how much it meant to me so I think I might have to work on the appreciation some more :)

Thanks honey!!!

Our BFF's

It seems like there are so many anniversary's within a few days of ours.....just this weekend we went to a wedding of some close friends. Last year we spent our first anniversary travelling back from Victoria, TX for 10 hours after our celebrating the marriage of our friends Terrel & Alicia Perkins.

This is at our house....I couldn't steal a wedding pic from her laptop because she wasn't cooperating with my sneaky plans

Today they celebrate their 1st year of marriage. WOW that is as hard to believe as it is to believe it has been 2 years since ours. I just wanted to take a moment to celebrate them and what they mean to Jeff & I. Alicia and I are like sisters. I never had a sister growing up and now that I have Kelli, we have never lived in the same town.


Nothing in my life really seems like it has happened unless I tell Alicia. Jeff often says "you must have told Alicia that" when I accuse him of forgetting something (I think it has become a much used excuse now). It is so great having someone that you don't have to give background to when you want to tell them of something that happened because they know your life so well. We are partners in crime often (BWW) and even the most mundane things in life are better when they are done together. She is exciting and passionate, creative, loving, loyal and the perfect match for Terrell. Terrell and Jeff are hilareous together, they sometimes speak their own language and even though they work together all day they still have a blast when we get together in the evenings or on the weekends. Terrell is loyal, loving, steadfast, calm and flexible. They balance each other in a magical way. Terrell and Alicia are surrogate aunt and uncles to our boys and can be counted on to deliver last minute lunches or the early pick up from school. We also feel like an Aunt and Uncle to their boys (2 cocker spaniels Jack and Andy)


We have been through a lot including loss, extreme joy, extreme lows, road trips, shared hotel rooms, family events, work events and sleepovers with 10 plus young boys. I am so excited for the many more to come.


This post is to honor their great love and relationship. They are made for one another and I don't think their is another person on earth who could fit the other of them so exactly right. I want you both to know that it is a joy to see you together and to have a sideline view to your marriage and all that it brings and will continue to bring for you and those near you.


I love you both

Fix my dead zone!!!

OK.......i'm sure you noticed my to-do list on the side over there --------->

What you probably don't know is that much of it is inspired by the fact that we just moved! Our new move has a million challenges for us inspired by the fact that it is a very old house.....very far away from town.....very much in need of some TLC.

The move isn't long-term in the sense of welcoming our grandchildren because we would like to buy a house "soon" (what a relative term). Since we are renting we don't want to do to many changes but we do want to be comfortable.

I am coming to you blog buddies for some help! Did you see the first 3 items on my to-do list? I am thinking about tackling them this weekend. Here is the problem: our home is set in the middle of a cotton field. I don't believe grass was ever seeded and nothing is neat and organized the way I like it. I am trying to embrace the wildness and go with it. Here is a picture I made because I haven't taken one yet but I will try......especially for some before and after shots:

The only thing the different areas have in common are weeds! The grassy-type area of the lawn is mostly weeds, the area in front of the house has more weeds and the area by the road has less. The grass/weeds are infringing on the gravel/driveway and even on the concrete. I have a few ideas about the weed problem and hope to make them happen this weekend. Are you ready for the part I need help with?

THE DEAD ZONE

This is in the middle if the yard, we realized why it was just dirt and a few weeds the first time Jeff mowed and cut some plastic. Someone before us had laid plastic down and covered it to keep anything from growing.......

yes i know.......

while I have seen this method used before, none that come to mind explain why it was done here. We can't get rid of all the plastic and beg grass to grow (trust me) so I need some ideas for what to do here! The gravel idea isn't something I look forward to because the gravel from the driveway gets thrown in the grass already and has broken a lawnmower blade. It isn't ideal for a sitting area being that we are in West Texas and there is no shade and it is 1000 degrees outside. HELP!!!!!!

I also need to tackle the flower beds, when we moved in they had BEAUTIFUL blooming rosebushes which I know NOTHING about. There was a bare spot where we could see a plant had been removed and our landlady said she removed a wild plant she didn't like. We have lived there for 2 months and I have done nothing but water them. The beds are overgrown with grass and weeds which we will have to hoe out but I need ideas for bedcover to keep them from growing so quickly. Another problem is the bush she cut out has grown back to about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet and is huge.....i don't know how to contain it. The last problem is my lack of rosebush knowledge. All but 1 of the bushes is still blooming beautifully and seems ok........but one of them has doubled in size in the last 2 months and is no longer blooming and has these hugely long shoots coming off of it that I want to cut but was told it will kill the bush. HELP!!!

What I want to be when I grow up

Aren't they beautiful? They are my grandparents, my Mother's parents. I really want to re-create this picture with Jeff.

I find myself thinking so much about enduring love lately. I am approaching my anniversary and I will admit to something. I used the think there was a "recipe" for enduring love. I used to think that if I could ask my grandmothers, and my Mom and other people I respected what worked.......then I could do it and I would have what I always wanted, to be married and in love forever and ever. It didn't work that way for me. You may or may not know, but I was divorced after 10 years of marriage. I have learned some things since then. I'm not sure I'm ready to blog about that stuff yet, but I will say this........I am so happy now and I feel so sorry for the young me that didn't have a clue that sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell her a few truths. But then I wouldnt be where I am now, looking forward to Jeff & I's 50th wedding anniversary (ok..so it is 48 years away)

What I wanted to talk about is this.......the legacy of love I have been given. Now I look at my examples of enduring love and the lesson I learn is so different!! That is because they are all so different......

• I look at my parents who have been married for 37 years and I feel warm and safe and I learn to put God and each other first in my marriage.
• I also have my Granny and Grandad shown above who are neither one with me anymore on earth but who gave me a completely different picture of enduring love that taught me about having a servants heart.
• My Grandma (on my Dad's side) has been married to Hollis for over 25 years now. I learn the importance of being married to my best friend and what companionship can bring to my marriage. I'm also blessed by her continued love for my Papa and their marriage that also lasted over 25 years.

I see these examples all around me and I am blessed that they have shaped who I am and they have also helped shape my marriage.........thank you. I love and honor you.

A few other things.....

As I read other people's blogs I randomly think of things I would blog about if I had a blog. I also find myself driving and thinking about some project and thinking......that would be fun to get blog feedback on! I love feedback so please please please don't be a unicorn (lurker for those non-rossbloggers) and leave me a comment.

Also....I posted my to-do list because I thought it might motivate me and it also might inspire some comments with helpful tidbits. Unfortunately, for the next few days I just can't see finding time for any of them because of more urgent lists! I didn't post the immediate needs because I didn't want to change it that often........it is more for those "one-day" projects.

Speaking of lists! I have a long one that is the "what to pack" list for pre-teen camp. It is not easy packing for a week at camp when all of his things are already packed with him and he won't be here until the night before they leave! Not to mention the huge pile of clean laundry I have to wade through, fold, hang and distribute without the runners I usually employ on a typical laundry day since all three boys are out of town :(

Michael (my middle, 11 yr old) is leaving for church camp this next Monday. In the past this was very hard for me to send him or Travis (oldest, 13 yr old) off to camp because I would miss them each day and I worried about them needing me. This is a unique time for me because they are already gone! They are having their summer visit with their Dad and have been gone for almost 4 weeks :( I have one more to go :). This is always a hard time for me, and for the years that it was just them and me I tended to spend a lot of time at home in the dark with a box of Kleenex and the picture album. Now it is easier because I have Jeff and he is so sensitive to me and is amazingly distracting. So........Michael is coming home a week early in a way but he won't really be home because he will be at camp. Also.....I am already used to him being gone since I have been missing him anyway so hopefully this year at camp will be a little easier for Mom.

Next Friday all my boys will be back home and I'm sure I'm not the only Mom who knows what it is like to take a deep breath or sleep through the night the way you only can when all your little chicks are under your roof. I should say that I know they are having a great time with their Dad....they really look forward to this time with him and all the adventures they will have. He is just a kid like them so it is almost like "boys night" for a solid month.

Just keep telling myself..........one more week.........one more week...........one more week

My first post!

OK. I have been thinking for quite a while that I wanted to have a blog. Actually, this blogsite has been "here" and blank for a really long time. I love reading blogs from people I know and love and enjoy the way it keeps me involved in their lives even when i'm not there day to day. I also like reading blogs about things that I am interested in....like being a Mom and being green and decorating, keeping a simple home. Some blogs I read daily because they uplift me or they make me laugh.

Thank you.

To all of you whose blogs I check out daily and who really do make a difference in my life.....thank you. I have these listed over to the right because I check them regularly and I wanted to share them with you. They aren't mine and I'm sure mine will never be as good or interesting but they help explain who I am as a person because they are what I like or who i like.

I have tried thinking of how I would want my blog to be and wow! i never realized how much pressure this is when i was reading other's blogs. I want to share about my kids........but I also want to share ideas and ask for feedback on my home......sometimes I want to talk about something God has laid on my heart. I couldnt decide on one theme but I think that's OK because it means my blog will be much like my life.........simply cluttered.