Scaredy Squirrel.

Have you ever read the children's book "Scaredy Squirrel?"

My sister gave it to Olivia when she was born and it is a hilarious book. Our star, Scaredy Squirrel doesn't ever leave his nut tree because he is afraid of the unknown. In fact, he is TERRIFIED of the unknown. Life can be pretty scary for a little squirrel, his fears are germs, poison ivy, killer bees, green martians, tarantulas and sharks.

Sounds a little crazy doesn't it? I'll give our star the spiders and killer bees but why on earth would a squirrel be afraid of the other things? Logic tells us that the odds of a squirrel running into a shark are pretty slim but he stays in his tree to avoid all things scary.

Even though he never plans to leave his tree he is prepared in case something does happen and he must vacate. He has the following things ready at all times: bug spray, a parachute, mask and rubber gloves, hard hat, antibacterial soap, calamine lotion, net, band-aid and sardines. In case of an emergency Scared Squirrel has an Exit Plan, in fact he has 4 different exit plans based on the type of emergency he must face. Thoughout this story Scaredy Squirrel watches for potential disasters and spends his day doing so.

Best laid plans...

The inevitable happens... something not part of the plan appears and he is forced to vacate his tree because of a killer bee. He drops his emergency kit on account of the bee and when he jumps to catch his kit he remembers the parachute is inside... the best part of the book comes next...

Something incredible happens, instead of falling to the ground he starts to glide! Scaredy Squirrel is no ordinary squirrel, he is a flying squirrel! SS instantly forgets all about the killer bee and everything else he was once afraid of and instantly feels overjoyed, adventurous, carefree and alive until he lands in a bush...

He plays dead for a while and finally realizes that nothing horrible is happening to him. This unplanned adventure makes SS realize it is time to make drastic changes in his life because even with his planning something surprising happened.

I think we can all be a little like SS. We make our plans, most of which include avoiding things we fear and often times are a little crazy like sharks and green martians, never taking into account that the unknown is around us at all times whether we choose to face it or not. The unknown can be exciting, scary, fun, challenging and everything else in between. We even plan for disaster and create exit strategies for ourselves in case our plans fall through.

The great thing is that we don't have to fear the unknown if we know the one who is in control of it all. I am sure that God laughs at my fears on a daily basis and often times the path I am put on forces me to face those fears.

Maybe it is because I am a new mom and don't have as much time for reading outside of my baby's books but I love Scaredy Squirrel's message and pray that I won't get too comfy in my safezone that I miss out on what God created me for. The truth is we can never plan the future and although we are called to be honest, loving, hard-working and loyal the most important thing we can do is look to God for what our next steps should be in times of disaster, joy and transition.

My husband rocks.

8 years and 5 months ago I met a boy. The first time I saw him was at a mixer on campus at Sam Houston State University. His fraternity- BUX were doing a fundraiser- a slave auction. I stood next to a girl I hardly knew who would later become my roommate and great friend. I turned to her when Ryan took his place on stage and said- "he's the best looking one." Amanda answered with: "ya'll are going to date." Then she bought him and introduced us.

Little did I know she had just given me the best person I would ever meet.

He really does bring out the best version of me and I could not be more thankful for this life God has given us together.

We have laughed, cried and been through alot over these years but I wouldn't change a thing. I just never thought I would be here, married and raising a baby with my best friend, my absolute favorite person on earth.

I know we have so much ahead of us and that there will be seasons of happiness and sadness but I can say without a doubt that my husband rocks. Why do I say this? Well there are a million reasons he rocks but here are 29 things that I love about him to help celebrate his 29th birthday today.

1. He buys me flowers. Pretty often. In fact I have 3 different vases full of fresh flowers right now that he gave me a few days ago for no reason. I LOVE FLOWERS. He just surprises me with them and I almost always have a vase full to make me smile throughout the day.

2. He's a great cook. We love cooking together but I really lucked out marrying someone who helped open Tommy Bahama's.

3. He is a manly man.

4. He is honest.

5. He is a great dad. Watching him with Olivia over the last 9 months has been amazing.

6. He has integrity.

7. He is patient. SO patient. He does not make hasty decisions and he rarely speaks out of turn. He waits patiently for God's direction- this is something I admire so much about him.

8. He loves the Lord more than he loves me.

9. He spoils me, Olivia and our dog Scout.

10. He is a great listener.

11. He is a great pastor to our students.

12. He's a dreamer and encourages me to follow mine.

13. He sings to Olivia with me each night.

14. He reads books with me, out loud.

15. He makes me laugh- constantly.

16. He is protective.

17. He can pick up heavy things. Including me. He carries me around like it's no big deal and that's pretty awesome.

18. He's a great dancer.

19. He can grow a beard faster than probably anyone on earth.

20. He holds my hand almost everytime we walk somewhere.

21. He is slightly girl-scared of spiders.

22. His laugh.

23. He has great hair.

24. He makes me slow down and relax. I can be a busy-body so I need him.

25. He leaves me sweet voicemails and texts throughout the day.

26. He still flirts with me and asks me out on dates.

27. He is very intelligent but doesn't flaunt it.

28. He loves to travel and so do i!

29. He is SO forgiving. He shows grace in a way that I admire so very much.

Happy 29th Birthday Babe! 29 never looked so fine! I love you more than you will ever know. Thank you for being the husband and dad that Olivia and I need. Looking forward to so many more years next to you!

Me and My Girl.

So I have never been very consistent with writing.

I love writing but diaries, journals and now blogging have just never been something that I take the time for on a regular basis. In fact, growing-up you would only find diaries with lost keys and the first few days written in, I have never finished any type of journal.

I am not sure why this is as I was a journalism major and writing is a big part of my job. I love coming up with new ways to communicate to my volunteers at the AHA, writing for our newsletter, my campaign, our website etc. are what I love most about my work. Who knows, maybe I get burned out on writing creatively because I do it professionally.

Anyway, all that to be said that in the past I have tried to catch up with each blog post on the months in between and it just gets a little overwhelming because there is alot I would love to write about but just can't fit it all in! From now on I think I will just write when I feel like it and about whatever random thing pops into my mind. Thanks for keeping up with me- I get emails from alot of you who aren't bloggers but are readers and I am glad you are here!

I have been having a lot of really fun days with Olivia. I have enjoyed every stage of her- I really have! A lot of people have asked me recently if it has been so much more fun now that she's crawling, standing and talking so much more but I can honestly say that each stage thus far has had it's absolutely amazing and fun moments. I can't really choose one stage over another. We totally lucked out that our girl started sleeping through the night at 3 weeks so one that happened it's been really awesome.

Anway, back to my fun days, on Valentine's Day I took Livi to a little party at this baby gymnastics place during my lunch break. It was so fun watching her play and really interact with the other babies. It was seriously one of the best days of my life- just seeing her have a blast and listen to story time, play in the bubbles and ball pit- I actually cried after it was over to Ryan for like 2 seconds. I just love seeing her so happy! It made me realize I would do anything to see her smile and be so happy.

Yesterday we took Livi to the zoo for the first time. We love going and haven't been in a few years but I really didn't have any expectations of how I wanted the day to go because I honestly wasn't sure if she wouldd love it, hate it or not care at all...

We fell somewhere in the middle of loving and not caring. She was happy all day, waving to people, the other babies especially but really didn't care about seeing the animals. She did laugh at a monkey who was right in front of us and threw her bow into the fence where the lamas were but other than that she didnt have too much interaction with them which is be expected from a barely 8 month old. It was just really fun spending the day just the 3 of us, no schedule to keep to, no plans that night or things to worry about- we were just able to emjoy the day. We rarely have weekends like that so it was really great. We also tried a new restaraunt that night since we were in the city. It was a "hot pot" place which means they put a huge pot on your table-top burner and you choose everything you want to go in your soup and you cook it. It was mongolian food and it was pretty awesome! Ryan already said he wants to go back for his birthday.

Before you have the baby its all about preparation- getting the room ready, eating the right things, taking parenting classes, reading all those crazy books (i did not read a single one actually) but you know just doing what you can to "prepare" for this new human being that you are being entrusted with. Once the baby comes you realize that no amount of preparation would have made a difference because you are going to make mistakes, not always know why they are crying, realize that your baby could care less about her wipes being from the warmer first, whether her room is finished or if you are using the best diaper brand. All she cares about is being loved. Well and lets be honest- FED! I have so much more to learn when it comes to being a parent but I think the most important lesson I have learned thus far is to not sweat the small stuff and if at some point in the day you get a great laugh, cuddle time or just a fun moment than it's been a good day in the parenting world.

Parenting hasn't been all sunshine and lollipops these short 8 months- there have been some challenging times when she gets a cold or a stomach flu but there have been so many more happy moments that totally out-weigh the hard ones. As my Olivia is cuddled up next to me just playing with my hair while I type this out I wish I could just stay in the moment for so much longer than it will last! There is laundry that needs to be done, toys that need picking up and I need to go to the grocery store but for right now it's just me and my girl.