Home Sweet Home.

Life is funny, when your up, it always tends to bring you back to reality and when your down, it always gives you something to lift your spirits.  Maybe I should have said that God is funny.  He is the One that is paving our way, we are just walking along His path.  We have had quite a year.  Franklin TN has basically, for all intensive purposes, kicked our butts.  July 15th will be our one year anniversary as TN residents, and too be completely honest, for about 10 months of it I just wanted to go home.  But recently, TN has started to grow on me.  It feels a little more like home everyday.  We have been blessed with a wonderful church, a successful practice, new friends, healthy little girls, and a supportive family.  Those are the things that have kept us moving forward despite the bumps and bruises along the way.  Sure, there have been times (many of them) when I have sat and begged Doc to just take me back to ATL and there have been times that he has almost obliged.  But, it was in those times that we found strength in our Lord and kept our eyes on Him and what He wanted.  Sure enough we came out on the other side of things better and happier for it. 

I still miss home.  I am missing out on so much.  My Nana is not well, and I don't get to see her near enough.  I sit here knowing that her days are limited and I am probably going to miss her last few because I am too far away.  I am missing my sweet girls Savannah and Ryan growing up.  Neither of them will know me like I want them too until they are big enough to really remember.  But, I look forward to summers with them running around on our land and playing with my girls and know that will all come in time.  I miss my girls getting to spend time with their cousins, Scooter loves them SO much and has such a good time with them.  I miss my mom and dad.  I have not seen my dad or my brother in two months, that is by far the longest I have ever gone without seeing them and truthfully, it sucks. 

It's hard to be away,  but at the same time, I love my new home.  I love our church, I love the house we live in and the land, I love that it is slower paced and has less traffic.  I know that we picked the right home for our girls.  It does make me a little sad that they will be TN girls because I always thought I would be raising GA girls.  But, that's okay, TN is not so bad after all.  I think I am going to like it here and it's a good thing because it looks like we are staying.  ;)

Have a great week my friends! I know I will, I am going to ATL in three days!! ;) 
Love you all!
Melanie

A Holiday For Who!?

Hello Friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend full of BBQ and sun and fireworks!! We spent the weekend in Alabama with Doc's family and had a great time. 

We got home last night and unpacked, washed the truck (my new truck by the way) and watered the flowers.  After it was all said and done, we both sat on the couch a looked at each other exhausted and I thought, "I wonder why they call this a holiday weekend?" Webster's defines a holiday as: a time or period of exemption from any requirement, duty, assessment, etc.  I mean a holiday is supposed to be relaxing.  You are supposed to come home from a holiday rested and recharged right!?  It is a period of exemption from ANY REQUIREMENT and yet I was EXHAUSTED!! I spent Friday packing the entire family, Friday night riding in the car with two toddlers and unpacking.  Saturday morning packing the truck and riding in the car with two toddlers, Saturday afternoon unpacking (are you tired yet?  because I am not done) Sunday afternoon packing and riding in the car with two toddlers, Sunday evening unpacking, Monday morning packing and riding the car with two toddlers and Monday evening unpacking, washing clothes, watering flowers, washing the truck and putting the kids to bed. Seriously.  This was my "holiday".  Some people sign up for beach weekend, we felt like we had signed up for a UFC weekend.

Doc and I looked at each other and just laughed in amazement of how we obviously have zero regard for our health and need for relaxation!  Don't get me wrong friends, it was fun, but a holiday it was NOT!  So last night I laid in bed and dreamt of a holiday.  A real holiday.  One with ten hours of sleep a night and room service.  A holiday with one butt to wipe and that's the one God gave me. A holiday where the only food that I get on my clothes is what misses my own mouth.  A holiday without lawn mowers, whiny kids, pacifiers, lap tops, cell phones or dirty dishes.  A holiday where Doc and I eat at the same time, both sitting down, both while the food is hot (I know, I know I am getting carried away here but it sure is fun!).

I drifted off to sleep thinking of how wonderful a real holiday would be only to be startled awake a few hours later by a sweet, blue eyed, bald baby girl that needed her mama and I thought to myself, who am I fooling...holidays are overrated.  The truth is we would get to paradise and about 60 hours in we would be missing our girls more than we could bare because that's what it's about, our family.  And they are our family.  Without them, it just doesn't feel right.  Do I want a holiday? Yep!  Will I get one any time soon? I think I just might.  Will I go on a ten day cruise? Absolutely not! But three days with my husband in DC would be nice! ;-) I hope you had a great weekend friends, holiday or not!! ;)

Blessings,
Melanie