I have always wanted a tattoo but never did follow through with it. On our beach trip my mom, baby brother and I got inked. I have been wanting my ring finger tattooed for about 6 years now and I finally said lets do this. I do not trust anyone in my town or around my town to do it so while we were at the beach I knew the place and girl I wanted to do it. Husband brother got one from this same place in 2005 and the same people still own and work there. I must say for a tattoo place that's a long time and a rarity.
My mom got a breast cancer ribbon, my brother a cross on his forearm and I got a N on my ring finger. It was a memory in the books for years to come.
I am not scared of needles and they do not scare or bother me. But pain I cant take so that's what I was nervous about was how bad it hurt if it hurt. I don't know if I had my adrenaline pumped up or what but it didn't hurt and believe it or not it took less than a minute.
Maci did really good taking pictures and even a video.
My momma got one side pink for breast cancer for her mom my Nana and the other side black for her brother who we lost to melanoma. we loved how it turned out but my Mom had tears she said it hurt like a monster. But hands down she was a trooper.
Bradley got a cross it so simple and fits his personality
I am no longer a tattoo virgin and cant wait for another. I think I am making it my tradition that each year add one to collection. My next one is going to have something to do with my kids. Thinking of wrist or ribs.
Let me first start off by saying that what works for one couple will not work for every couple because I believe that each of our love language is not the same. We do not all want the same thing out of our marriages. This is how it works for us. I know you are going to feel differently and what works for you may not work for us. That's why it is called How I do it
I'm going begin with what I want out of my marriage:
Man of God- I knew I had to have a man who loved the Lord and who had the same beliefs that I had. Who took his family to church and made sure that it was a priority that the family we will have will be raised in church. Partner in Crime- someone who I can have fun with and even though I make a decision and it may not be the best one they have my back and support me no matter what, share inside jokes with, know things about each other that only the two of us know, experience things together and be able to share the same joy experiencing it, be able to confide in them and at the end of the day when there is nothing going on or no one is around we can still enjoy each other. We have these certain looks or signals that we do when we are around people that means certain things so if you are ever around us and may see one of us make a face or an awkward movement and the other crack a smile or bust out in laughter this is why.
Lover-nope not going there so get out of the gutter One of my love languages is affection so this is very important to me. I need from my lover physical touch with out intimacy. By this I mean that I need sweet little kisses, hold my hand {we have our own hand holding thing we do I don't know why or how it got started but its our thing...I started to share how we do it but then I deleted it because that's our thing, Cuddle and snuggle with me, I don't know why but my favorite is his hand in the small of my back. {He knows this and when he wants to be really sweet or wants something it gets me every time.
Baby Daddy- I knew that when I had kids I wanted them to have a Father who just didn't provide for them but someone they could look up to and who was active in their lives. I wanted the father of my kids to be able to share the responsibilities with me when able. By able I mean when he is not at work I'm not going to call him out of the field to tell him it is his turn to change the diaper. For him to be able to watch the kids all by himself and go and take them places by himself. I wanted someone for them that if I wasn't there I wouldn't have to worry if the kids were taken care of. If I had girls I wanted them to be Daddy's girls and if I had boys I wanted them to be just like their Daddy. I can leave the kids with him while I'm gone and I seriously do not have to worry. I hear so many wives talk about their husband who will not change a diaper or do not feel comfortable leaving their kids. I have to admit I hit the jackpot.
Communicator- This is a hard one because we communicate way to much and I'm sure most would say TMI. We are both very honest with each regardless if it hurts the others feelings or not. A shallow example of this: While in Sams Club we walked by this crockpot and I mention how neat it was that it had dividers and Christmas rolled around and well what do you know one of my presents was that crockpot. I had to tell him while I thought it was neat didn't mean I wanted it and he thought by me saying it was neat it was a hint I wanted it so after letting him know I will not ever have to risk getting a bad Christmas present again. See if I had never told him who knows how many bad gifts I would have gotten in the last 14 years. Now I have an Amazon wish list and it is a joke he will never get me anything for the kitchen for Christmas again so he ignores all the kitchen stuff on my list. That is an example of how honest we are and how it has helped not to make the same mistake twice. lol
Compromise- To compromise is to make a deal between different parties where each party gives up part of their demand. In arguments, compromise is a concept of finding agreement through communication, through a mutual acceptance of terms—often involving variations from an original goal or desire.
This is another major key in our marriage due to us being 2 different and have different like and or needs. Their are certain things I know Nick wants, needs, desires I might not feel the same way about and vice versa but we try to go out of our way to share that moment with them even though we might not share the same passion.
Time- we fully believe that in order to have a successful happy marriage that works this is the most important one. We see a lot of couples who hardly ever together and when they have free time it is not spent with their spouse and think this is why you are married and living together as roommates and not as one. However I am not saying we think that you need to spend all you time with each other we feel you need your own time and space but when you spend more time apart then together that is when we feel the problems come in. We do get a lot of slack about us being together but honestly we do enjoy being together and doing things together we would rather be with each other most of the time. I think this is why Miranda and Blake didn't work you cant have a marriage and only spend a month together in a year. Where is the connection?
Time Out-when you have kids and life is busy its a must you take time out of your day or week to get that one on one time, don't feel guilty if you make your kids go to bed early or drop them off with a babysitter you and your spouse need this time. Nick and I take at least 2 trips no kids just him and I. The kid try and make us feel guilty but it doesn't work we tell them we haul them all over through the year so this is our time to recharge. Even though the cow sale every March is one of those trips and work is involved we still make it fun and enjoy the 2 of us. So take it however you can get it. Even if it is a weekend at home without the kids anything is better than nothing.
Nick and I have both talked while doing this post and we all agreed on these things and that's another things you both have to know what the other one wants out of a marriage and both be on the same page.
Although we love each ether and enjoy being with one another we also talk about how when he gets on my last nerve I want to take the back hoe and burying him. Or run the other one over. Our marriage is far from perfect
on those days we could enjoy being able to come straight home after school
with all of the kids being so active they are always having practice or games so I enjoy and look forward to our afternoons at home
Loving:
when all 5 of us are together
these moments are getting fewer and it makes me sad
it seems like someone has something
Been up to:
Cheer, softball, and repeat
What I love most about this picture is I have my Big and Middle all in one cheer picture.
Mauri is doing her cheer while Maci is waiting to do theirs.
Dreading:
seeing all these Momma's who are sending their kidos off to college has really made me start to thing and I'm so not ready for that. Can I keep them at home forever?
Working on:
I have been doing some updating and redecorating in my house.
I ordered Rhett new bedroom furniture and new curtains. We are turning his room from toddler/little kid into a boy room with sports. He loves baseball and it will have little aspects of a sports theme. I am updating my bedroom with fresh new pillows and throws. I am hoping to get my furniture painted and distressed. My entrance hall I am trying to change it up along with sprucing up my living room. Look here for ideas that I'm getting for Rhett's room
Here is my bedroom that I am going to redo I am going to paint and distress my bed to match my dresser, more pillows, change out curtains and rods add some décor and spruce it up
loving this Master tae a look here for my inspiration
Excited About:
Seeing Maci cheer at her pep-rally's and at football games. This is her first year to become a JV Cheerleader and she has worked so hard and practiced all summer long.
Watching/ Reading:
I'm a Housewife watcher and my favorite is Don't be Tardy for the Party.
my favorite song right now is by Cole Swindle: Let me see ya girl
Wearing: Being that it is back to school and we are in full swing. I have been wearing cheer and softball shirts from Mr P's Tees They are the softest thing I have ever put on my body and they are made from my town so that's a Bonus
Doing this weekend:
Hopefully absolutely nothing and I look forward to it like nobody's business
Rollin' white sand, cold can koozie in my hand, just a summertime strolling
Chillin', breazin', sippin', singin' whoaoaoh
Beachin'
Sorry got a little carried away and cant think of the beach without Jake Owen's song popping in my head. When we arrived it was perfect from the weather to the non Jellyfish, water, waves were mellow and the kids were ready to get down there and hop on in.
My Rhett man was so glad he decided to come and he had the best time.
He spent the majority of his time trying to master the skim board. Bless his poor heart he took some spills and face plants and got back up and would try it again.
This was constant and non stop
Maci and Bradley found the Yolo board and took it out for a paddle. I think my little brother got the best end of the deal. lol This was not the easiest thing to master.
This little fish obsessed boy loved seeing all the fish swim by and it was killing him to catch a few
Mauri found a really big shell and it was so pretty but when we were out in the boat diving for sand dollars she dropped it and we never found it again. She was heart broken. But we did find a lot of sand dollars.
The little bro who just celebrated his 21st birthday a week before the beach had made a couple of comment about how boring it would be going to the beach with women. He started off with a bang then I must say this big sis who doesn't play beer pong was way ahead and he even had to step back and say ok this is embarrassing I'm a college kid and getting beat by my old big sis. We had a good laugh and finally he did come back and beat me. I had on cup left forever and that one cup got me.
Love this picture
Mom, MIL, Grandma whose last day of radiation was the day before we left. I
I am so glad she was able to make it and had a great time.
Maci's early morning walk on the beach she found a leftover grab from the night before and again another perfect day and clear water
The kids and I all agreed we need longer time at the beach,
we have decided a month long trip will be better. LoL
Maci has gotten to the age where pictures are not something she wants to be part of unless its snapchat. So getting in a picture with all of us may or may not have been made with threats.
Can you tell how happy these kids are to take pictures with their Mom
Mauri has become a beach babe and could see her life here
You can take the kid out of the country but not the country out of the kid:
he tried catching this poor bird over and over. Even diving into the sand
Rhett found some big kids who tried to teach him how to do it.
These young men who looked to be high school maybe c=early college kids took time out of their day to help Rhett and I appreciate that. Their Mommas raised these kids right and should be very proud. I mean hello young adults did not come to the beach to play with a 7 year od boy they came to take a peek at the girls and have a good time but when they came over and talked to Rhett and helped him it made Rhett's day. he thought he was just as big as him. This is the kind of characteristic I am trying to instill in my Rhett man.
No beach trip is complete without taking a boat out to crab island
There were quite a few jelly fish out in crab island but we still managed to enjoy ourself
All in all we had a great time and cant wait til next year to do it again
so its only fair to end this post with this:
After a year long decision of going back and forth weighing all the options:
My blog is private now and only open to blog authors I am sorry I had to make it this way but my pictures were being taken and used without my permission. I didn't know I had to watermark them for the uncouth after much thought and trying to watermark all the pictures I hated doing it that way so I decided to only open my blog up to authors only because I know they feel the same way I do.
I am sorry if you follow my blog and are currently not an author. You can leave me your email address in the comments or email it to me and I will add you. But as of the end of this week my blog will be private. I don't play when it comes to my kids and I hate his has come to this. I am in the decision making process of shutting down my IG and only using twitter because thus far that's the only place my pictures have not been taken from. The IG is so hard because I know some of you bloggers who I love to follow have been using IG for the blog so I am weighing heavy decisions and if I keep the IG it will be like the blog for authors only. I hate this is what it has come to. It breaks my heart to know I have to lock my shit up but I guess that's what this world is coming to.
Any ideas or helpful information that will keep my from being catfished or having to switch to private is greatly appreciated.
