Quality Time

I love my Friday afternoons! I get off at noon and it gives me the opportunity to get caught up on chores and pick up the older kids from school! But it also allows me to spend quality time with JUST Paige. This is the advantage of having kids several years apart in age. I feel like I got 7 whole years of quality "alone" time with Trace. And by the time Marci came along, Trace was in school...so I experienced quality time with her. And now...Paige comes along and trace and Marci are in school, so it's mommy and me time with her!! And let me tell you...she's such a little angel doll face!! I could squeeze the sweetness right out of those cheeks and serve it for dessert!! We played outside today and she just about trips over herself to get to the door when the word "outside" is even mentioned. ;)

She now says: Trace and something that sounds like Marci...uh oh...tank to...an sounds the letter "T" for tv when she gets in the car ;)

Love love love my kiddos and the laughter they bring!!

Honeysuckle

There is one thing that I remember, as a child, that I found so amusing...and that was honeysuckle!! We lived on a farm and I remember vines growing here and there...and gardens here and there...but for some reason the honeysuckle was such a neat treat!! Marci, Paige and I went on a walk after church on Sunday.... It was a sunny, warm afternoon and Marci insisted on wearing her new "Miller" bathing suit !! We spotted some honeysuckle and Marci dove right in!! I hope this memory is etched as a happy one in her mind, as it is in mine!!

Chatterbox Paige

Paige has  her own little language and we think it is precious!  I had just gotten her out of the tub and she was "talking" up a storm!! I grabbed my phone real quick to capture the little chatterbox! :)  This is the first time I've video'd her where it's a mirror image and she can see herself in the phone...she thought that was pretty cool.  She's giving that "baby" kisses and waving Hi and Bye to that "other Paige"...Oh she melts my heart!  Hope this chatterbox brightens your day, like she does ours EVERY day!! :)

Happy 100th bday OREO!

Can you believe OREOs have been around for 100 years?! Oreos are my favorite cookie...in fact, my good ole friend, Stephen Dumas and I share the same admiration for the cream stuffed cookie! We've both been searching the local grocery stores for the limited bday edition cookies but none could be found. Stephen, while on a business trip, found some and brought me my very own!
Here's my critique: (Stephen..this is for you!)
I had to make sure my critique was fair...so I ate a whole sleeve JUST to make sure it was accurate!
The stuffing is sweeter than the original...but satisfactory!  Upon dunking the cookie into the milk (I like for it to get slightly soggy)...the cookie would "cave" and break...that was NOT satisfactory.  The real Oreos will withstand more weight than the Birthday Cake Oreos.  But overall...I have to give them 2 thumbs up!! And send a big shout out to Stephen for thinking of me enough to spend the $4 on them...I know that took alot ;)

Pea Gravel Fun

Trace wanted to go see his friend, Rebekah, play soccer yesterday...Paige got a little restless, so we went over to the park nearby.  Out of all the swings and slides, all she wanted was the Pea Gravel.  She had some admirers that joined in the pea gravel fun too!

I wasn't exactly sure where this little girl's momma was...but we let her join in on our fun ;)

I thought this was so sweet...they were sharing rocks ;)

I had to drag her away from the pea gravel...to see the ducks...she wasn't happy...pea gravel won! ;)

Chancellor Strack

There is nothing more that breaks my heart when I see a parent lose a child.  I put myself in the situation and almost melt to nothing to even attempt to imagine life without my children.  Our 2nd day in Vegas, we were sitting in a restaurant...waiting on our food...the band was so loud that we couldn't hear each other...so we resorted to Facebook.  Jamie was skimming through his newsfeed and mentioned that there was prayer being requested for the Strack Family.  I immediately pulled up my friend, Aimee Strack's page to see if there was any relation.  I started piecing the pieces together...and the outcome wasn't good...in fact, my sweet friend, Aimee and her husband, Scotty, faced what no parent ever should have to face...the loss of a child.  Aimee was involved in a car accident and been injured, and her 3 year old, Chancellor, had not made it through the surgery that was attempted to save his life.  Jamie and I, immediately, got up, left our food on the table and began to grieve for the family.  It just about did me in that I was states away from Aimee, unable to help and support and be the rock for her, like she would be for me.
I will never forget the day that Aimee told me she was pregnant...and the day that she came back to the office with the Ultrasound picture of Baby BOY #3...and the day that she called and said she had gone into labor 4 weeks early...1 week before the baby shower that we had planned.  To know my friend was having to say goodbye to her baby boy....it's just not fair...WHY?  I've had several friends along the way to lose children, and I grieve for them...I told Jamie, it's like my mind is obsessed with it...my heart grieves for them. I go back to the day that my brother lost a classmate in highschool, Shauntell, I think of her mom all the time...My friend, Meredith and new friend Kathryn, losing babies recently to SMA.  A friend, Sherry Honeycutt, that lost her child in a housefire, a patient of mine who lost a child in an accident...she told me the other day, it never gets EASY...it gets SOFTER...if there has to be an opposite to HARD...it's SOFT when it comes to losing a child. I shared this song with Aimee when it came to my mind in that Vegas hotel room.  I know that God doesn't mind the "WHYS" that we ask.

In Church this morning, we had a guest speaker...Teena Elrod spoke about using the tragedy in her life to be transformed to Hope and be totally restored by God's grace and eventually be able to mentor to others.  She, along with our pastor, Tim Montgomery(he and his wife have lost a child) spoke of tragedies...and how God does NOT cause the bad...it is the ENEMY...SATAN...he is the one that tries to shake us and make our faith waiver.
Jesus says in John 10:10  says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
And Bro Tim also shared, that when we survive the tragedy,  and take the same tool that the enemy tries to use and use that tool for good to comfort others...that's how we conquer...and he shared this verse.
Romans 8:35-39 says, "Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”o) 37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,p neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."


I pray for the Strack Family...I pray for Aimee's physical condition(She injured her neck).
I pray for Scotty and Aimee's strength and faith.  I pray for Thatcher and Sauloman...they will miss their little brother.  I pray for their finances. I pray for the driver of the 18 wheeler, that was involved in the accident.  The accident report stated his name is Antwaun Martin from Ohio. Please join me in lifting them up in prayer.

Chancellor Thad Strack departed this world and entered into the loving arms of Jesus on April 10, 2012, in Texarkana, TX. Chancellor was born on October 28, 2008, to his adoring parents, Scotty and Aimee Strack. He was a great little brother and son who loved his family with all his heart. He would tell them, “I love you so BAD!!” He loved to be outside playing and especially liked to play baseball with his brothers. He would be proud and say, “I hit the ball so hard and run fast.” Going to the river with his friends and family was always an exciting time. Chancellor was a strong willed little boy and had a favorite saying “I got to”. It was hard to deny him anything when he told you that, like drinking Bug Juice and eating his candy necklaces. He looked forward to spending the weekends with his Omie and Papo and Busia and JaJa. He would play hard with all his cousins and ride 4-wheelers with “The Bubbba’s”. When he wasn’t playing outside, he enjoyed the quiet time with Diego and his adventures with the animal friends. He had a special friend, Carly, who he loved to dance with, and a favorite friend, Trace, he played cars with. Whenever he saw his buddies, “Keldie and Yance”, it always put a smile on his face. Some of his happiest times was sleeping with Momma and Da-da in their bed and wrestling with “The Bubbas”. He loved his puppy, Mack, and thanked his momma every day for bringing home that puppy.

Chancellor is survived by his parents Scotty and Aimee Strack, his brothers Sauloman and Thatcher of New Boston, TX; grandparents, David and Linda Strack of Conway, AR, and Danny and Pam Akers of Greenbrier, AR; great-grandparents, Margaret Strack of Conway, AR, and Charles C and Jeanne Akers of Greenbrier, AR; uncles and aunts, Brandi Malone of Greenbrier, AR and Kevin and Robin Strack of Sherwood, AR, Christopher and Stephanie Strack (Godmother) of Conway, AR; cousins, Landan and Finley Malone of Greenbrier, AR, and Mason and Heidi Strack of Sherwood, AR; Godfather, Jason Miller (a.k.a. Jason Aldean) of Greenbrier, AR.

He was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, the late Martin Strack of Conway, AR, the late Ted and Rosie Bargiel of N.Little Rock, AR, and the late William C and Dora Maxine Mills of Greenbrier, AR.

His memorial service will be at 11:00 AM, Saturday, April 14, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Conway, AR. The visitation will be at 6:00 PM, Friday, April 13, followed by Rosary at 7:00 PM, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Conway, AR.

Local Services will be held at 6:00 P.M. Monday, April 16, 2012 at Rock Creek Baptist Church, Simms, with Bro. Steve Minter officiating. Memorials may be made to the Strack family benefit account at Bancorp South, # 1120525439

VEGAS

Jamie and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage on May 17!! We chose Vegas as our "reward" for "making it" this long! ;) Neither of us had ever been to Vegas...and I think I had some "preconceived notions" about it...but after actually being there...I can't remember what those notions even were! I'm wanting to say that it was way different than what I'd imagined, for some reason.

Here's my summary of the "Ins and Outs of Vegas":
(I made these notes within the first hour of arrival...)
1.  EVERYTHING in Vegas is Expensive!!!!!!!
2.   Vegas is ONE BIG MAZE!  I felt like a mouse going through a maze...and it was easy to get lost and        
      turned around in an instant!!
3.  People will do anything for money:
(I would've gotten more pictures for examples...but they all expected "tips" for photos...so I passed...unless I could be sneaky and snap one from a distance)
Examples:  Cancer patient asking for money due to lack of insurance.  "why lie...i need beer" signs.  Musicians...from an opera singer with an accordian...to guitarists...people passing out their demo cds in hopes of becoming discovered.  Homeless people with just a cup, begging for money.  Cartoon characters walking around....one of my favorites was "Mickey and Minnie" with a sign that said "Disney fired us". and the list goes on and on and on... OH...a lady with a tiny monkey on one corner...it was crazy!
4.  Stinky...I thought it as pollution...but Jamie pointed out it was the sewer!
5.  The shopping is incredible! I saw shops of brand names that I'd only HEARD about!
6.  Everything is massive! The resort/casinos are like "little cities" when you go inside...there are numerous doors...and you can get turned around quick!!
7.  It is THE biggest sex scandal city ever!...every corner you turn, there are at least 5 men/women standing flicking little nudity cards at you.  We learned realllly quick to NOT BE NICE to ANYONE that asks or offers you ANYthing on the street.  It becomes an automatic "no" or "ignore" -that people could offer you $100 bill and I think we'd pass right on by out of habit!...in fact, 3 gentleman were out handing out church literature and we said "no" before even realizing...but after it hit me, we turned back around and thanked them...assuring them we WERE Christians and weren't trying to be rude ;) hehe
8.  The city really never sleeps...ever...the streets are always full...it's crazy!
9.  No matter how cute you want to look....go for comfort in shoes... TONS of walking! (I learned the hard way...as you will see by the picture below)
10.  What  happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas...unless you're like us...and you're old fuddy duddies...and we have nothing to hide...so...here's our montage of pictures ;)

Night Flight to Vegas delayed...we enjoyed "quality time" waiting forever in the Shreveport Airport ;)

After a plane ride, tram ride, shuttle transport, escalator and elevator...we finally arrived to our room about 3 am...we were exhausted!

This was our first Vegas meal...this did not come with anything else...so basically I paid $5.25 for a piece of bread!  but it was pretty good ;)

We stayed at "NEW YORK NEW YORK"...it was a small..big replica of New York...it was incredible! ...and yes, we did ride that roller coaster!

New york new york

you'll see that i have several pics of shoes...and they're all for a reason...this one was taken because of extreme boredom standing in a ticket line for an hour.  I didn't know Jane Fonda put her shoes up for sale ;)

We visited many of the resorts just to see their "claim to fame"...this was "Paris"...How cool?!

Caesar's Palace...even the statues promote nudity...GAH  ;)

My friend KiKi at work has always said that in her modeling days, MAC cosmetics was the bomb...so we went in and I found their "LIP GLASS" that she's always bragging about...so I got her a tube and myself one also! :)

See Jamie there...he's going to buy me some GUCCI amd LOUIS VUITTON...hahahaha...we didn't even go inside :)

this was for KiKi...i think we were both pretty excited! It is great  lip gloss!

Swatch watch store...never figured this out...

These shoes look like they belong on "Incrediboy"...I expected him to "take off"! hahaha

1st Night...Blue Man Group...2nd Night Brad Garrett Comedy Club...we had fun!

Now who's laughing...cute black dress...cute red heels...ended up in my hand..,.and I walked the streets of Vegas BAREFOOTED...ewwwww...but my toes were screaming at me :)

Nightlife...pretty awesome!

this is my "Jamie was right" picture...but I couldn't wear tennis shoes with that dress! haha

This band was neat at Dick's Last Resort Restaurant

I text Stephen Dumas(b/c he and I share the same "frugal" qualities in life) saying that I wish they'd give me monopoly money to play with and then REAL money if I were to win!...welll...right after that, we found a place that gave us $200 free money to play...it was gone within 2 mins on the $5 slots and we left with nothing.  glad it was monopoly money ;)

Jamie is a  Car person...esp Mustangs...no we don't own one...he just dreams of them...and I'm quite sure he was drooling over these.  We rented a car one day to go to the Las vegas Motor Speedway.  and what happened to be right beside it but the Carrol Shelby Distribution Center.  This is where they actually assemble the 'Stangs.  I was "lucky" enough to go on a full tour of the facility.  

This lady was from Belgium...maybe they're trying to tell us that hi-tops are coming back in style.   

Can you spot OUR signature on the  "Shelby" wall?
hint:  We are with Miller ;)

He stayed around AFTER the tour...he asked a few too many questions for my comfort...I heard $100,000...should I be scared?

Then we went across the street to an "Exotic Car" track...Jamie really wanted to drive this...but $500 for 5 laps...if only that monopoly money would've paid more ;)

Jamie finallly found a restaurant with GOOD food...Hooters wings won't disappoint ;)

Trish gave me a tutorial on how to curl my  hair with a flat iron...here was the attempt...I got tired...I have alot of hair!

I don't know who this man is.....

...regardless of the silly hat, I allowed him to drive me around the city in the convertible that he rented.

Freemont Street Experience...downtown Vegas...it was prob our favorite!

Gene? is that you?

Check out HIS shoes!

anyone recognize him?

We Ziplined over the strip...this was on top...getting ready to go down the line

...it was SOOO much fun....

Heart Attack Grill...they give you hospital gowns...and hospital bracelet and the drs and nurses wait on you!  Cute set up!

This was inside NY NY

They thought of everything...a cup holder beside the toilet!

$80 for this purse made out of pop tabs...

Airport Starbucks...this is only my 2nd cup of Starbucks to ever  have...but  it was so cold and windy...it was ridiculous! This is pumpkin caramel spice...and the berry coffee cake strussel was the best thing ever!!!!!!!!! oh yum

Jamie got stopped in security...he forgot to take his laptop out of his bag...these people mean business...and I'm grateful for their dedication to keep us safe!

The next time they design a plane seat...I'd like to be involved in the process...these seats were horrible!  See how the head rest tilts forward? who can sleep like that?  PEOPLE...we need for the headrest to tilt backwards...come on now ;)

FUN FUN FUN :)