It's been awhile!!

I am, self-admittedly, one of the WORST people in the world when it comes to keeping in touch with others. It's not that I don't care, or miss them. I just REALLY suck at it. That being said, although, I hoped that this blog would serve as my way to communicate to those I know and love... I obviously haven't updated in awhile. Let me tell you, a couple of weeks in the life of the Armstrong girls can equate to a lifetime of drama for those that fit the status quo. So, here goes....

I have unofficially "moved" to Butler. We have looked at a couple of houses, both of which I would be really happy occupying. We are in the "guys go and inspect the crawlspace and attic stage" which is one in which I DON'T care to partake. I think I could get used to living there. I am inheriting people who I would put up against any in the world as the GREATEST future in-laws a girl could ask for.

Right now, however, I am on a short hiatus in the Ham. I started off my day with my car breaking (It's still broken, BTW) and then I went to my old school :0( and got as much stuff as I could fit in the car - thanks Chas!! Then... I got a call for an interview at the private school where Rylee and Madi will go. That's Monday at 10... say a prayer for me!

I went out with my friends from school tonight....oh how I am going to miss them. They were so instrumental in helping me through such a hard time in my life.... And somehow found a way to make each day fun. I will so greatly miss those lunchtime and recess talks. No one could ever be lucky enough to work with such wonderful colleagues. There are just no words...

Don't get me started on leaving Bethy, Chas and Sondra... actually... like Bethy said it's not goodbye.... I'll be back. And we will meet for dinners in Tuscaloosa. :0)

On a happy note.... Dwight surprised me with a beautiful ring!!! I have this whole new life on the horizon I am really a lucky girl!!

I hope this helps with keeping informed!! More to come as our journey continues...

Much love!!

Mommie's Day

Oh what a day!! May I begin by stating that I have the most beautiful, amazing, sweet wonderful little girl in the world? I really don't think I need a day to honor me for being a mother. Rylee is the greatest gift I've ever been given.

For the past few days, I've been worried about how today would go for me. It's my first Mother's Day since losing our sweet little angel, and also the 5 month anniversary of Daddy's passing. Friday night, Dwight held me for hours and tried his best to console me as I cried and talked about how much I missed them both. I know he hates it when I cry & he can't fix it, but he was amazing and said the right things.

So, my day started off nice. Dwight and I had a yummy breakfast & then set out to do a little shopping. I had not yet picked up a card and gift for my grandmother (who I was seeing today) so I went over to the cards & the first one I just happened to grab was for "Mommy to Be" so I immediately burst into tears and couldn't stop, so we had to leave Target. It wasn't looking promising... but I medicated, got it together and managed to have a wonderful day after all.

I went and picked up Rylee and we went to enjoy one of my gifts from Dwight... a mother/daughter day at Sips & Strokes. It was so much fun!It was relaxing... ok, maybe THAT was the medication.... :0) And I really like the way my cross turned out. Rylee painted an ADORABLE picture for me. Since I was able to work without following instruction... just looking at a picture - I'm thinking about buying some canvases and paints for the girls and me to play around with over the summer. Madison, Dwight's daughter, is incredibly artistic and talented. Rylee is pretty good for an 8 year old as well. I will stick to the whimsical stuff that has no "right" way to do it. :0) If nothing else, we can create some fun artwork to hang in our new home SOMEWHERE.

We also went and enjoyed dinner at my cousin Alison's house. She has got the CUTEST pregnant belly EVER!! She is having a little boy - he's due September 5th.

As for MY little angel who lives with his Papa in Heaven, I just want him to know how much his mommy loves and misses him being with me. I know I only had a few months of time with him, but he is in my heart and on my mind every single day! Dwight bought me a beautiful charm for my bracelet as my other Mother's Day gift. It has an angel on one side and says "Believe" on the other. And I do... I believe that everything happens for a reason & that Papa and my sweet angel are in Heaven and always with me. Like Dwight said, we have some pretty awesome people watching out for us.

I hope all of you mommies, mommies-to-be, and "will one day be" mommies had a wonderful, blessed day and many more to come. Much Love!!

Great Expectations....

I REALLY need to go pack or go to sleep, but I'm going to blog instead! For some CRAZY reason I woke up at 3:45 this am (after going to bed at 12:15) and could not go back to sleep! So I actually got up and started making those "to do lists" that I so famously create! I made twelve in the middle of the night!

Anyway, although I'm sad about not seeing Dwight this weekend... I'm SUPER excited about the people I DO get to see!! I'm headed to Georgia tomorrow & I'm going to see my "Georgia best friends!!" I haven't seen them since October, some of them even before that! Then, on Saturday, I'm road-tripping with some of my Alabama friends: Mary, Averee, Adair and Cal (Robin & Brock in another car) to another part of Georgia (good thing I'm not driving, huh?) to attend our friend Katie's wedding! I'm so excited to see her and can't wait to see how amazing she will look.....she could give any super-model a run for her money and has more fashion sense and style than anyone I've ever known. I know we'll all have a blast together! We manage to fill the hallways at school with laughter so letting our hair down out of town will be great. I've still yet to reveal the "True James" that sometimes exists on the weekends. :0)

So, as much as I have to do, I'm so excited to have this opportunity filled with fun and friends! And I want to thank God for blessing me with such amazing friends! More to come... Much love!!

So much to do....

I am officially beginning to panic a little!! I have SO MUCH to do and don't know how I'm going to get it all done. Of course, I'm sitting here on the computer rather than being productive. As if venting about how much I have to do will lessen the load. Maybe it will at least help me organize my thoughts and make one of my famous "To Do Lists" that I can start checking off.

First of all.... there is the fact that we only have 17 more days of school (not that I'm complaining) and since I'm leaving after this year....I have a little extra work to do. The end of the year is always crazy with assessments, portfolios, cum folders, report cards, etc. Not to mention that the kids (and their teacher) are all suffering from an acute case of spring fever!! I also need to begin cleaning out my room, getting rid of things I no longer need, ORGANIZING what I do plan on keeping. With no clue of where I'm going to be working next year or even WHAT my occupation will be, there is certainly NO NEED to keep all the things I've accumulated over 8 years of teaching.

Speaking of moving.... I am FINALLY going to get to be with Dwight again when school is out. BUT I have no idea what we're doing about that either. We (he) are constantly changing our minds about buying, building, etc. It's not like there are many options in The Middle of Nowhere, AL! For those of you who don't know... I'm about to move to Edna, AL. Never heard of it? Didn't think so!! Let's put it this way.... I'm 35 minutes from the nearest Wal-Mart & 1 hr 15 minutes from the nearest Target. Talk about a change of pace... I used to live on 280!! So with the move comes registering Rylee for school, which I can't do by 5/1 like I'm supposed to b/c I don't know what my address will be, who our doctors will be, mom's place of employment (I really need to find a job), etc. I guess I COULD always just write TBA across the top of the registration form and give them my money. I'm sure that's what they want the most... I'm trying not to complain too much! At least I get to be with Dwight again & I trust him to make the right decisons for our family. EEK/WHEW!! I'm not in charge all alone anymore! It's altogether refreshing and scary to give up control and let someone else help me out for the first time in a long time!

And then... the wedding. I'm so super excited about getting married in Jamaica!!! Everything is just how I've always dreamed it would be!! Perfect, tropical location, man I love with all my heart, I love everything about it. Planning it has been super easy. Especially since it's just the two of us going. But now I'm working of fun little details like the container I want to use for the sand ceremony, decorations/topper for the cake, flower arrangement ideas, songs, etc. I also need to be working on a guest list for our party in August. It's all fun, but adds a little to my plate.

Well, at least I know that I perform best under pressure! Now, I'm going to go get started on some of this.... probably the fun wedding stuff. :0)

Much Love!

Sunday Goodbyes

Today, I had to do it again.... and it was still hard. I had to say goodbye to Dwight and watch him drive away. It's the first time in awhile that I've gotten so emotional about it. We usually have the girls with us or something else going on. But today, after he gave me as many kisses as he could & repeatedly wiped away my tears and begged me to stop crying, I still couldn't pull myself together. It's so hard to love someone as much as I love him and not be able to see him and be held by him every day.

One would think I'd be used to this by now. After all, we've been doing this for more than 6 months. Maybe it's because I won't see him next weekend. Twelve days seems like an eternity!! I'm trying to focus on the positive things we have going on. Our life together again is just a few weeks away!! We have our wedding in Jamaica and I'm loving planning all the little details! And to think of everything we've been through in those 6 months...so much pain and loss and heartache.... honestly the hardest times of my life! But we've made it through. I've had my doubts if we would- haha! But, we are better and stronger than ever. Of course, I would still like to strangle him every once and awhile, but I restrain myself quite well! :0) I realize how truly blessed we are that God sent us to each other. And I would rather have faced these trials and tribulations a million times over than to not have him in my life.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel!! Only two more "Sunday Goodbyes" to make and then we get to start the transition into our new life!