Nature Mimics Life

He's my pigeon...

The other morning I was sitting on a patio in Arizona drinking my coffee watching two pigeons on a wall. Suddenly, I realized those pigeons are Cam and I, which made me giggle...

There are certain things hubs is not fond of doing. One of them being moving furniture. Every time we move furniture together, we fight...well, to be more accurate, he moves furniture around the room while I give orders, trying every position in the room. I'm not very good at visualizing, so I have to see the furniture in its place.

He HATES moving furniture and whenever I suggest it, he runs and hides. By the way, it's the cheapest way to redecorate your house. While he is moving furniture around the room, I remind him of that and point to the fact that I am not buying new furniture like I wanted to!

Enters the pigeon couple...
those two pigeons on the wall were definitely a couple (one was bigger than the other. That's how I know). I watched the larger pigeon (let's call it the husband) hop from the wife (smaller one) to a place near a branch with a twig in his mouth several times...can you see where this leading?

She is sitting in one place watching her partner hop around with this twig in his mouth as if he is moving furniture. I can hear him saying, "do you like it here" and her responding "no, let's try it over there". He'd hop back to her with the twig in his mouth and then hop away to a nearby branch and back again. He must have done this a dozen times before he dropped the twig and flew off leaving the "wife" pigeon wondering what happened...

I was cracking up because those two pigeons reminded me of our situation every time I ask Cam to move furniture...he "hops" around the room while I make suggestions eventually leaving me alone in the room exactly the way it was before we started our project. Those were Cam and I's equivalent in the pigeon world.

Of course, I tell Cam about our pigeon "family", which sends him into hysterics because he knows exactly what I'm talking about. Later that day, we were back on the patio watching those same pigeons quiet and "sleeping" next to each other on that same place on the wall. They had made up just like we do every time we move furniture, especially if I can put something on an angle...

Thank you to that pigeon couple for showing me that all species have their "furniture" moving moments...

The Houston Rodeo and the Jonas Bros concert

What a Fun Family Day...
We spent a amazing day recently at the Houston Rodeo (largest in the world) where we had tickets to the Jonas Brothers' concert. I think hubs has recovered from all the screaming going on in Reliant Stadium (sold out).



We started the day with food and carnival rides. I think we scarred Son for life taking him on a roller coaster that was a little scary and fast (he's never been on a roller coaster in his life) What great parents we are...just throwing him in the deep end.



Funnel cakes were a favorite and so was the bull riding. I'm even considering taking barrel racing lessons in the future and no, I'm not too old. And I have to admit I did a little screaming for the Jonas Brothers myself (Love Bug is one of my favs).





This might have been one of the best days our family has spent together. Belle kept saying "thank you" over and over. On more than one occasion, she screamed out "this is THE best day ever". Cam and I felt like kids again going on all the scary rides together.


I look forward to all the fun we will continue to have as a family and feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to have such great kids and a hubs that is SO much fun to live with!

A Phone Call

My mom and I are very close. We talk almost every morning on my way to work. Growing up she was my mom, now she is one of my closest friends. We love to shop together and can be out all day and not even realize time has passed. My dad keeps trying to convince us shopping is not a hobby or a sport. The way my mom and I do it, it is. We talk while we shop and sometimes we have our best talks looking for a great pair of shoes (on sale, of course). I love her tons and can't imagine losing her.

Last night, I got a phone call pretty late from my dad. This alarmed me even before he said "hello" because my parents never call that late as they have usually gone to bed. He told me she was in the ER, couldn't breath, blood pressure was sky high, and was in a lot of pain. His voice was shaky and I knew he was concerned. The very worst thing about the situation is that I was in TX and they were in an ER in AL. All I wanted to do was be with her, no matter what the problem was.

I started thinking about how much I depend on her and how I would never be ready for anything bad to happen to either one of my parents. Being an only child makes us a very tight knit threesome. Sometimes a little too close, but that's another blog. The good news is my mom is fine. She was diagnosed with plurisy (an inflammation/infection of the chest wall lining). She was treated in the ER and sent home, but for a few moments I was looking at plane tickets to see how soon I could be in AL.

I talked to her this morning and she is still in pain, but we are all grateful it wasn't something life threatening. I prayed without ceasing until my dad called with the diagnosis and I knew she wasn't in grave danger. And because I don't tell her nearly enough, thank you mom for loving me and being my biggest fan. I love you, Mom!

A Girl and Her Dad

I am self-proclaimed daddy's girl. When I was growing up, my dad was always there and although I am a parent now, he's still always there. Don't get me wrong, my mom is great too, but I'll save her for the next post.

My dad was at every practice, every game, every riding lesson. He went on every field trip and chaperoned every church camp the youth group went on. Now, that I'm a parent of a tween I understand the need to be with her as much as possible.

My dad is an amazing guy who will stop at nothing to protect his family. He loves his grandkids and his son-in-law, which makes my life so much sweeter.

I used to think he was perfect. My dad could do no wrong in my eyes. Of course, as I got older I realized he wasn't perfect, but he did an excellent job as a parent. I followed him around the house "helping" with projects just to be near him. Anyone who knows my dad knows he's got a great sense of humor and is very loud and outgoing. He yells a lot, but even when he was yelling I never doubted how much he loved me!

So, today and everyday, I am thankful for Tom Hoffman and even at 34 I'm a daddy's girl. Sometimes I don't tell him enough how much I love him and my mom, so I love you, Dad and I miss living close by, but you're always with me no matter where I am because a daughter's love spans time and miles.