Strutting the Runway

You know the first rule to overcoming an addiction is admitting you have one. My addiction is being a D-I-wifer (get it? DIY-er but I'm a wife, ha!). There, I said it. I have an addiction. Whew! Glad that's off my chest.

What does a D-I-wifer do, you ask? I shall give you my prime example. Last night was the Submarine Birthday ball celebrating the 112th year of the US Navy Submarine service. It's like prom but much cooler. And, you cannot go through like without ever attending a Sub Ball. There's hilarious speeches, tolling of the bells, the "presentation of the CMC's and COB's", gentlemen in their dress whites (looking all handsome), and even yummy food. But the best part, though, is the all beautiful ladies in their gorgeous dresses - last night was no exception.

Now, as a D-Y-wifer, I can't just go buy a dress. Oh no! It's against the nature of all by being. I have to make my dress. The first step is finding the shoes. Then I can build up from there.

The shoes....

I wanted something tall (check), colorful (check) and comfortable (check). Oh, and cheap.... I mean inexpensive (check). Thank goodness for Ross Dress for Less.

I won't go through the step-by-step procedure, but the final result is the dress. I always struggle with how to make the dress fancier since mine always seem to look so plain. I guess simple elegance is my thing.

Without further ado...

I had to have my handsome hubby in the picture with me. He's the reason I try to look my best.

I can't stop at the dress. Oh no. We have to accessorize...

See how this is an addiction? It just builds and builds. But, I didn't stop with my dress this year. I had the great opportunity of creating a dress for one beautiful lady. She told me what she wanted and I think it was perfect.

Thank you, Jill, for allowing me to do this for you. You looked stunning!!

(If you were there last night, she was the sparkly one with the grand entrance.)

Spring Break: My First of Many

Since Gwyn started pre-school this month, I never thought I would experience/dread/savor Spring Break week. I have so many verbs for this week that I couldn't settle on just one.

Experience: This is her first Spring Break. She had only been to school three times before we "all of a sudden" get one week off. It got me to thinking though. In the future, I will have to plan vacations, work schedules, non-school programs during this time. How weird!!

I was talking with my mom just the other day (which I talk to her practically every day - she's my best friend). We are planning a family gathering at Disneyland next year with my parents, my brother and his family, and my cousin, Sandy. With a year away, I am already having to think about scheduling this around Spring Break or school. This just doesn't seem possible, yet.

Dread: How could I possibly get used to having Gwyn in school for six hours a week when she had only been attending for a week and a half? Oh, I got used to it!!! It was nice only having Brooke to cart around, shop with, and entertain. Why is it that one is so much easier to handle when you have two? I remember when I only had Gwyn - those were the days...HA!

Savor: The pre-school she attends asked for us to send in pictures of your child doing activities during Spring Break. In the beginning, my mind drew a blank. What in the world were we going to do that no one else would? You know, MY CHILD has to be different, of course. We all think our child is special. So, I did anything any of other parent would do.... the zoo, make rice krispie treats, playing at Open Gym, feeding the sea turtles.

So, to sum it all up, I enjoyed my first Spring Break with Gwyn and Brooke. This is probably the best verb I could possibly use. I enjoyed my girls.

Gwyn making rice krispie treats.

She walked the balance beam all by herself!

She finally touched something in the water. Finally!

Hello Pre-School!!

As you guessed, I am not the typical mom when it comes to the first day of school. Did I cry, get scared or pace the floor while Gwyn was in her first class? Um, no. Well... I paced the floor chasing Brooke around the common area so she wouldn't disturb the other classes or the office workers.

My baby girl has officially started school. Bitter sweet when you think about it. Today starts her 14+ year road to graduation (from High School, at least). Hopefully it will be even longer than that if she continues on to college.

So, from something I saw on Pinterest, I am going to try taking pictures of her at the beginning of each school year. I also plan to do this for Brooke, too. Let's hope I can maintain this goal considering my track record on long-term goals.

Without further ado, here is Gwyn on her first day of pre-school.

Happy Birthday, Brooke!!

Sometimes it's hard to believe that Brooke was born two years ago. It just can't be possible. Time has flown by so quickly. Last year, daddy missed her first birthday. But this year, Brooke had a party with the whole family. Both sides (Meador's and Matthews') were all present and accounted for.

Here's the birthday girl!

Although I didn't get to make her cupcakes myself, I found her a little Minnie Cake. She liked everybody else's cake more than hers, of course.

We celebrated this week at Disney World. Can you tell who her favorite character is?

I feel that on her birthday, I should tell you a few embarrassing stories that have happen to Brooke in this week alone. First, Brooke is a little thief. We were waiting in line for a ride at Magic Kingdom, and she saw this lady standing next to her with a bag of Doritos. As the lady pulled some chips out of the bag, Brooke just reached over and took them. And then ate them. We were all floored!

But the craziest story of all happened yesterday morning. Picture this, it was about 6:30am. Wes and I are dead asleep. That's when we both hear the click of the front door shut. Wes popped up out of bed, threw on some shorts and went to check the door. There was Brooke walking down the hallway, crying. She had opened the condo front door and went for a walk. We think she must have been looking for us and used the wrong door. It scared me half to death. Thank the heavens above we heard the door and checked.

But all in all, this day has been wonderful. I would never expect Brooke to be anyone but Brooke. She is special in her own way and just as perfect.

To you Brooke, mommy and daddy love you very much!! We hope you had a magical birthday!

In the Mountains of Tennessee

One of my favorite childhood places to visit is Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN. I just love the mountains and the creeks. As a family we would hook the camper to the truck and take off for a weekend or sometimes a week. Riverside RV Campground would be our destination. I remember once hopping out of the truck and running straight to the pool. And with all my clothes still on, I ran excitedly and jumped in the pool. This was our family vacations.

One places we had to visit on the way to Pigeon Forge is the Sweetwater Valley Farms. Since my girls just LOVE cheese (and love is an understatement), this seems like a very fitting place to stop for a "snack".

Two words: Cheese Curd!!!

Being an outdoor lover, we took a drive through Roaring Fork. The best part of the trail was closed for some reason, but we made the best of it anyway. Gwyn and Brooke were able to play on some rocks, cross the creeks, and run around in the cold for a bit. I would never trade this for anything!

These pictures were taken outside the Ober Family cabin.

Snip, Snip... Sniff, Sniff

My baby girl, Gwyn, got her first hair cut today. While I know deep down this was the right thing to do, I still hated to see any hair be cut from her head. It took so long for hair to ever start growing.

I knew this time was coming sooner than later. And who better to trim her hair than the person she is named after. My Aunt Linda. They both have the same middle name, Jane.

Just look at the hair curling up. I just hope it stays curly, at least a little bit.

Happy Birthday HUBBY!

35 years ago, a special moment happened across the border in Canada. A miracle. A little baby boy was born into this world.

I would like to think he was designed by God just for me, even though I wouldn't arrive for another year or so. God made him perfect in all the right ways.

James Wesley Meador is my husband, my best friend, my cornerstone, my spirit-lifter, my only true love. I could not be where I am today without this man in my life.

So, to you, Wes. I love you. I hope you had a great 35th birthday!