Call it Kismet....

  Just this past Friday, I was whining to the hubs about it being Labor Day weekend and having nothing to do. We had planned to attend church with my MIL on Sunday and hopefully meet up with Arlene, Jon and their kids and go swimming on Monday. B happened to call his mom post- game on Saturday night and she told us that after church, she planned on visiting family in Ardmore, AL. Her brother and SIL had just moved back home from Florida, so she was excited to see them. She invited us to come, but we wanted to make sure they had room for us, as we all planned to spend the night. In the meantime, we journeyed to Wal-Mart for some groceries.

  We didn't hear a thing until 10 AM on Sunday morning,  and we hurriedly packed our suitcases and cooler with all of the necessities. In my rush, I forgot to call/msg Arlene (bad Angel!). Luckily, she is a SAHM too, so she understands the occasional missed phone call and chaos. (Thanks, Ar!) My MIL graciously offered to pay for our gas there and back and she sat in the back of our extended cab with the kiddos. Thankfully, my babies behaved and it was only a 1 1/2 hour road trip.

  My husband grew up in Ardmore, AL. It is literally a stone's throw away from Pulaski ,TN and a 30 minute drive from Huntsville, AL. While I had been there a few times before with him, there was just something very special about this trip. I guess because so much has changed in our lives since our last visit. We are now married with children of our own, living the life we dreamed of back when we were dating, and driving down these same roads.

  To describe Ardmore to you, it's very reminiscent of Mayberry-yes the tv show. While there is more than one gas station, barber, etc, it still very much has a small town feel to it. Even though the big city is just a short drive away, you almost feel like you have gone back in time. It is amazing to have pefect strangers wave and smile at you and actually want to know how you are. The neighbors know each other, customer service is alive (gasp!) and traffic is not standstill (ahhhhh....). There is just something so very serene about smelling fresh air, seeing wide open spaces with actual corn fields, haystacks, grazing farm animals and not much else to distract the senses.

  We had a fabulous time with extended family as we got back to nature (not camping-I am high maintenance, lol). Not once did we worry about calls on cell phones, texts, tv shows, or hopping online. We all could not stay indoors. It's almost as if our bodies had been craving the outdoors. The added bonus of perfect weather, lack of mosquitoes and a summer breeze were even more tempting....

  We sat on the porch swing, then took a walk around the vast amount of acreage, including a stocked catfish pond, storm shelter, and many other cool places.The children ran free like wild horses, with no fear of overbearing parents, screaming for their offspring to stay close for fear of being run over by speed demons.

  The view of the pond, roaming ducks, gorgeous green grass, trees and flowers was intoxicating. There is nothing like sitting on the edge of a dock, feeling a cool breeze across your face, while listening to crickets chirp and fish jumping. It's like the sweetest lullaby ever.

  Later that night, the hubs, myself and the kids hopped in the truck and picked up some breakfast items and Sun Drop (Mtn. Dew is a cheap imitation!) and then proceeded to take a ride through town. B showed us his alma mater, his childhood home and the house that used to belong to his grandparents. He told me of all the fun they would have and how nice it was to walk from his house to his grandparents and be safe. I don't want to sound all cheesy, but I had never felt more in love with my husband  than at this moment. I started having new dreams of us moving to his hometown with our little family and  making new memories of our own. :-D

  Lately, with the new business, Brian's last few  classes before graduation, and his regular job, we have been really stressed. We have also been dealing with some other personal things that have been very draining.  It's like fate brought us on this impromptu getaway. It was like food for our soul. Have you ever traveled somewhere and thought, this could be a new life for me? A place to start anew? Well, Ardmore is that special place for us. With idyllic countryside, a small town atmosphere, the best schools in the state and great job opportunities as well as awesome pay, it seems like a perfect fit. It's amazing how your life can change in one weekend. It was hard to leave-because it felt like home.....

Football Fanatics!

Bama Fever

  This past Saturday began the start of  the NCAA football season. Which means that  if you live in the state of Alabama, you are entering a Civil War of sorts! The best way that I can describe the rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University is to relate it to the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys. Long, bloody and very ugly!

  You can almost smell the contempt in the air as the frenzied SEC football season nears. It is like wading through a literal sea of crimson/white and orange and blue tee-shirts and car flags. They are EVERYWHERE! I think the only thing that we, as opposing fans, can agree on is our mutual contempt for the Tennessee Volunteers... I want to put my car flag on our red truck, but am kinda "skeered" of the keying or worse that might occur to our vehicle. Especially during the sudden death Iron Bowl Championship come November between those two. People come out in droves showcasing their team pride. The excitement is palpable. People down here in Alabama are so passionate about football, that they call their favored school "our team". You would think that we all had a family member playing football on the field come game day. Some folks (including myself) are hoarse the next day from all the yelling at the tv. Or in my case this past weekend, at the radio.

 While I was kinda bummed that our first televised game was PPV, I enjoyed listening to Eli Gold announcing. I can't explain this man's voice. It is like listening to Walter Cronkite. He is amazing. There's just something about  having to imagine  what he is describing at the moment. It makes the game so much more thrilling and vivid....

  I can proudly say,  that I was raised to be a die hard Alabama fan. My grandmother was an alumni and every weekend, I would come over to watch the game at my grandparents' house, which I live in now with my own family. She could call a game like a seasoned professional. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She made me embrace the "Crimson Tide" tradition even more. It didn't hurt that when I was a little girl, Coach Bear Bryant was in his heyday. It's hard not to love a team that is undefeated at the time.  I guess one more reason that this team is so close to my heart, is because my lovely grandparents are no longer with us. So, I guess in a way, I feel closer to them each time I cheer for Bama. :-D

I'm thrilled to say, that the 2009 National Champs didn't disappoint. The new freshmen recruits really came through and I just have to mention the one handed catch by Julio Jones. WOW! The final score was 48-3, Alabama. San Jose went back to Cali deafeated. Hopefully, this weekend's game was just an example for better things to come as this game season progresses. If we are this good with Ingram and Hightower sitting out, the opposing teams are in for it.... Bring it on, Penn State. We are ready!

Roll Tide Roll!

Luau Fun!

Arlene, yours truly and Sasha

  A couple of Saturdays ago, my "new" dear friends Arlene, Jon and Sasha invited us along with some other friends to their luau party. Nothing gets me more nostalgic than anything Hawaii themed, as we took our honeymoon in Oahu in '03 and our son's baby shower was luau themed as well. So, I tend to get extra excited about these type of shindigs. ;-D Not to mention, my girls know how to have a good time!

Since the party was potluck, my first thought was to make Hawaiian chicken, along with a pineapple upside down cake for dessert. However, due to our busy schedule and lack of another vehicle, time didn't allow for such. Instead, I opted to make breaded chicken cubes with a mango peach salsa and I also bought a delish coconut cake (shout out to Publix Bakery, lol).

  As usual, we waited until the last minute to go grocery shopping, so I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off (no pun intended), trying to grab a bite to eat and picking up all my items. The fact that we hadn't eaten yet only hindered our efforts, as we had to stop and look at every appetizing thing in sight!

Luckily, this mama is a master multi-tasker and seasoned procrastinator. I seem to do my best work under pressure. ;-D Fortunatley, I had the insight to bathe myself and the kids, and outfit them in the Hawaiian garb pre-shopping. Once we got home, I quickly chopped and prepped the chicken, threw it into the oven, and proceeded to touch up my hair and make up and change clothes while the food was baking. I was thinking, "Dang, I'm good!" and was so proud of myself for getting it all together. (Those who know me well, also know that I suffer from self-diagnosed A.D.D.).  I was feeling and looking good, makeup and hair to perfection. And then....the sky fell out and it started to pour. Only me! I can't tell you of the mad dash I made to the car with kids in tow. You can only guess that my straight, near "perfect" hair wilted right before my eyes. Thank goodness the "face" was unharmed, lol! Oh, yes. And I might add that we got lost on the way there. But we made it there before anyone else-a shocker. So, this frazzled mom was happy!

  Once inside, we were greeted with warm hugs, Hawaiian music and the smell of yummy food wafting through the air. All my stress melted away as we walked downstairs and were given  leis and cold drinks. The kiddos joined their playmates in the playroom and I was able to relax and chat with my girls. Good food, good music, fab friends and dancing always equal a stellar night in my book! (Even if it means a bad hair day and detour along the way!) Thanks to Arlene & Jon and Sasha for a fantastic evening. We love you much!

Aloha,

Angel

Welcome to my blog!

Hello, everyone.

 My name is Angel and I am from the deep South. I am a stay at home mom of  our two precious children, Austin, 4 and Adriana, almost 1. I have been married to my husband, Brian for over 7 years now, and we have essentially grown up together as we have known each other for almost 14 years. In addition to my domestic duties, I also co-own our new property preservation business. My husband is very busy with his full-time job, work from our new business, and lastly, he is finishing up his last 2 classes in order to graduate this fall. So, as you can see, we live a very full, sometimes stressful but always rewarding life. My children keep me on my toes and definitely can test my patience occasionally. But at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade them for the world. They have been the best gift that my husband ever gave me.  God has truly blessed me with  more than I deserve. And I am so very thankful to be such a lucky girl!

 Writing and sharing life experiences are passions of mine. I feel it is very important for all moms, but namely stay at home mothers- to have a creative outlet and sisterhood. Many times, we get so wrapped up in the chaos that parenthood entails, that we forget to find the humor in life. So, I decided to start this blog for all my fellow SAHM'ers out there. I will share my life experiences with you, and I hope you do the same! We will discuss everything from the mundane to the insane, the necessary to unnessary and major to minor things in life. So, as my blog name suggests: Hissy fits are optional-not only from our babies, but sometimes from their mommies! :-D