2007 May archive at Filtering Life

Archive for May, 2007

I’m a Wiener!

Published by Kelly May 31st, 2007 in For Kicks and Giggles. 22 Comments

Not as in hotdog, as in saying the word winner with a Dutch/German accent! (Think Austin Powers Gold Member). Isn’t that veird?

Very cool and sassy mama, Jamie over at BlondeMomBlog, had a Mother’s Day giveaway…and guess what….I won! How cool is that? The best part, I got this amazing wrap from MetroMamma. This wrap is the same one worn by Tori Spelling. You know I roll like the stars. Although, do we really consider Tori Spelling a star? I think hers burned out a few decades ago. Anywho, I am thrilled with it. It is so comfy to wear and gives the best back support, as we all know, Chloe is no featherweight, so support is SOOOO important. The coolest part is the bling. (Joy, you would love this!)
Chloe was kind enough to postpone her nap to be my immodest model.

Do you like it Chloe?

I see, no comment.

Here I am being a brave girl and showing you my backside (Cringe)

and the bling…..only the best for my princess.

Chloe, still nothing to say? You act like it is really bright out and I pulled you out of your crib to shoot this picture.

and the full body view….oooh la la! Checkout those hamhocks!

Now I promise you I did not get dressed up just for these pictures, I quietly and graciously celebrated my 31st b-day yesterday. I am officially “IN” my 30’s. (swallows golfball) It actually is quite comfortable, but the only scary thing is that I am 9 years from 40!!!! 40 people….40!!!! Wow, I just don’t feel that old. I do like my 30’s, I can definitely say that I care less and less what people think and more and more about being me and slowing down my life and pouring into my family. So here is me and the hubs going out to paint the town red. You might not recognize him with his shirt on. Tee hee.

We had a great time! This b-day was so relaxed and wonderful. I got some amazing gifts from my family, I really felt beautiful and special. Thanks for the emails and calls from everyone…you sure know how to treat a gal! Tonight is girls night, wine and dessert at my favorite restaurant…can’t wait!

One random shot. When I got home last night I went in to check on Chloe, as all mommies do…and this is what I saw peeking out from the bumper. Could you not just eat those chubby little fingers off. Man I love that little girl!

Water + Hot Weather = Fun

Published by Kelly May 30th, 2007 in For Kicks and Giggles. 13 Comments

So as promised on photo extravaganza week….another round. Memorial Day goodness. After months of scrimping and saving we finally broke down and bought a pool. This is no ordinary pool. This bad boy cost a whopping $19.97 at Walmart and only took my brother-in-law 45 minutes to pump up. Poor Sammy…He was my nanny/slave boy all weekend. Just a snap of my fingers and I had pretty much everything I wanted. (Ryan was out shooting a wedding all day Sunday) While the cat is away, the mice played.

Here she is in all her aqua glory. Ain’t she a beauty? She does have a shallow and deep end, but only because the yard slopes. I am thinking about charging admission.

Ryan helped introduce Chloe into the big blue bathtub. Here she is checking it out and sizing it up.

Chloe is in beach body shape….lookin’ good, lookin’ good Chloe.

(The above pictures are courtesy of Uncle Joe)

It was a little too chilly for Chloe’s taste. Every time we tried to sit her down she made this face. The nervous whine.

We finally took Chloe out and the boys took over. We could play the game, gay, straight or brothers. You be the judge. That’s not a ghost in the left side of your screen. That is Ryan in all his milky Irish glory. Yes ladies, he is all mine, every white square inch of him. He is going to kill me for this.

As all brothers tend to do together, they resorted to being kids again. Sam kept filling up a rubber ducky and squeezing it’s belly so it looked like he was peeing and of course Ryan had to catch it in his mouth. They then proceeded to laugh like hyenas the whole time perfecting their arch. I think the maturity level averaged around 11 or 12 while they were in the pool.

I wish I had pictures from the rest of our afternoon. We went to my brother’s and had a crazy water balloon and squirt gun war. I was literally a drowned rat after running around and being drenched from head to toe. It was so much fun and GOOOOOOOOODDDDDD BBQ on the grill that night, double yum.

******ATTENTION SINGLE LADIES WHO AREN’T PSYCHO*****

I told Sam I was going to pimp him off on my site. All I ever hear about every time he visits is how “stupid” the girls are where he lives. I said most of my readers are mom’s, but there are some single ladies that read. So, if you are into military men….and he is VERY high up on the military food chain ( he eats rocks and sleeps with his eyes open and can kill you with his pinky) Sam is a lovable guy, 24, wants a very active, athletic chick who likes the outdoors and the beach. He is a very adventurous, is a great conversationalist when you get him one on one and a big softy underneath all that military crust. So if you are in or near North Carolina, drop me an email.

Check out the goods girls…..

He also played nanny this weekend to Chloe. Awwwww……….. Look at that nurturing side.

Chloe cracks me up in her stroller. She just makes herself at home.

Photo Week- Tuesday’s pictures

Published by Kelly May 29th, 2007 in Chloe Grace. 10 Comments

This week I am declaring photo week, which let’s be honest, isn’t really much different from my normal postings…I just have so much to do. Our business, praise Jesus, is doing so well, we have pictures to edit up to our eyeballs and more and more weddings to come!!!! So, not to deprive you of the world’s most adorable baby….I will try to put some pictures up each day this week…but I will be light on the text. Me…nothing to say….this is surely a passing phase! Do you really care what I say? Seriously, you all are a bunch of users, if I don’t put pictures up then I get comments, “Where are Chloe pictures?” What am I? I tell ya, I tell ya. Kidding.

We had a great Memorial Day…pictures to come later. Let’s just say it has been many years since I have been in a water balloon fight and squirt gun war…but I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. It is good to be a kid again.

Chloe montage…..”Going up the food chain”

We finally introduced teething biscuits and puffs. She looks like an old person with no teeth trying to chew. I laugh so hard watching her move her tongue all around and listening to the little puffs dissolve between her gums. This is a full body experience, there isn’t one piece of flesh the cookie has not been stuck to.

Here she is a little confused what to do when a big chunk broke off. A little help mom!

death grip on the cookie nub

a little something on the chin Chlo

We successfully navigated the cookie. Clean up on aisle two.

Chloe is in love with fresh fruit. Again she looks like a total Neanderthal eating, just like Uncle Joe….but it is cute when a baby does it! Those mesh bags are ingenuous!!! Why didn’t I think of that? That is the crap that makes people millions and it is so simple. Hello Baby Einstein…I have a camcorder, classical CD’s and toys…where is my money?

Chloe…it won’t bite, I swear

There you go….don’t give me that look, I promise there is food inside, you will like it…mango…mmmmmm….fresh mango…come on.

Ummm…your technique needs a little work. Trying using your hands too.

There you go. Wow…show it who’s boss.

Ease up a bit…let the juices come to you. That’s it. Good girl.

Toy Murderer

Published by Kelly May 24th, 2007 in Life in General and Sew Smart. 13 Comments

That is going to be the headline in the newspaper. You know you are about to go postal when you are harmonizing to the nursery rhymes that every toy seems to be equipped with. The worst offender is Baby Tad (thanks Amanda!) Chloe loves it, of course, but I know every single word to all the songs and silly little things it says. Let me tell you, I am pretty amazing at my shapes and colors! If I could give myself a sticker it would say, “You’re TERRRRRRRIFIC” and a cat would be on it. Remember those?
I wish I had audio because you would need to hear this one toy. It is the most ridiculous singing voice. It is super mature, all sexy with runs and licks in the song. “Baa, Baa, black sheep have you any wool….ol ol ol, OOOOOOOHHHHH OHHHHH, Yes sir, Yes sir Three, eee, eee, eee, bags full.” Again, doesn’t translate through typing, but it sounds like it could be on the light and easy station. Do you even put that on your singing resume? Sexy voice found on the Zip Rhyme toy.
Chloe is playing in her crib right now and is cracking me up. She is going through a growling stage. She sounds an awful lot like a trapped bobcat. It is quite impressive the volume and grrrrr she can manage for her age. She has such a low voice. She does not make squeaky, screechy girl sounds. I wonder if that is indicative of her future speaking voice? Chrissy…did your mom say you had a low voice as a baby? I mean I love your adult voice you raspy seductress.

So I signed up for the Tea Towel Swap over at Crafty Daisies. Not that I am a big tea drinker, but it is fun to create. I was inspired right away and this is what I came up with.

Don’t you love my photo shoot, because you ALWAYS drink tea under a plant…very natural! My old roommate Kristie got wigged out if plants were near food, she thought it was very unsanitary, like they drop dirt and dust on things. Funny girl.

Second View:

So Renee, who ever you are, I put it in the mail yesterday…enjoy! Hope it remotely matches your kitchen. Looking forward to my towel. Keep an eye on out on Crafty Daisies if you are interested in a future swap.

Next on the sea of randomness, we will dock at Peony Paradise. Did someone slip me a mickey? My mom brought me a small bouquet of peonies off her bush. They are my absolute favorite flower. The smell is heavenly. If I could grow them in my nose, I would….don’t think I wouldn’t try. (The Bobcat just growled at me again, I think “cribtime” is over.) Anyway. put your nose close to the screen, maybe you can smell them. They are just that magical.

If you haven’t guessed already, I have absolutely nothing funny or interesting to share…SOOOOO….let me default to Chloe pictures seeing as I have denied you the two previous posts. Wow, that was painful to get to this point.

Chloe Chilling on the Front Porch, take one! (You have to forgive her squint…it was pretty bright out)

Nice volume on the hair sprout wouldn’t you say?

Giving the Ryan, pouty, bottom lip. LOVE IT!!! Is there nothing NOT round on this child?

Chloe showing off

Very sick of the sun by this point.

So yeah, earth shattering post…I know, I know. I am just good for that stuff.

Coming to peace

Published by Kelly May 22nd, 2007 in Confessions. 7 Comments

Most of you who regularly read my blog probably know I live in Lynchburg, Virginia. Many people outside of Virginia usually ask, “Isn’t that where Falwell’s college is?” Yeah, I’d answer sheepishly, it is. It is funny how life happens in cycles. I wanted to go to Liberty University ever since I was in 5th grade. Pathetic, I know. What it really boiled down to was we visited the school and I saw some hot college guys and I knew this would be the place for me. Yeah, I know…5th grade…scary boy crazy Kelly! I knew who Jerry Falwell was, but I have to be honest, I have never been into politics so it meant nothing to me to be affiliated with him. I did want a Christian university and I did want to be in the south (18 years of bitter northern winters will do it to you!) That was my only two stipulations. I set the bar high didn’t I?

I have played several roles since moving to Lynchburg 13 years ago: student, staff at LU, Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce member, city employee, and resident. I have gotten to see through many different lenses, some very close up and some very far away how Lynchburg and Falwell are viewed. When I was a student I loved every minute of my time at LU. It was a blast…yeah it had rules….but I made some of the most amazing friends of my life, got involved with the most incredible church, and experienced the love of Christ on a totally different level, away from my parents, forging ahead and figuring out on my own, what I believed.

Jerry Falwell’s name is synonymous with controversy. Ironically, for all the thousands of times he has spoken, he has only gotten in hot water over a handful of comments. Love him, hate him or be indifferent to him….the world knows the name Falwell. He was a man of unwavering standards, a man who rose well before dawn, read his bible and prayed for this county and God’s people. He wasn’t perfect, Lord knows he never tried to be popular, but for a man of 73 years he accomplished more than 10,000 people could.

Jerry was a staple around Lynchburg. When I worked at Liberty for the Vice President, I saw him all the time. He thought it was rather funny to scare me each and every time he came down to my office by standing behind me and loudly snapping in my ears at the same time. I have a photo of me playfully socking him in the gut after he put me in a head lock. He was always a kid at heart, loved to play pranks, loved to terrorize students by chasing after them in his SUV even going up on curbs for a laugh. He had a supernatural way in which he remembered people’s names. It blew me away, no matter what country he had been to, he always came back and embraced little ole Lynchburg with familiarity and approachability.

Once I was out of college and working in Lynchburg I began to really see how controversial Falwell was. There were times I was really embarrassed to be a Liberty grad. I always hoped to avoid that question when people would ask me at a networking party, “How did you come to Lynchburg?” If I said Liberty University I got one of two facial expressions. You can guess what they were. People weren’t shy to bash him or praise him. I fell somewhere in the middle. I didn’t agree with everything he said, but I did think he was a very good man at heart. Even Larry Flynt, founder of Hustler, found an unlikely kindred in Jerry Falwell.

I was at my old roommates house last Tuesday when I got the news from Ryan that Jerry died one hour earlier. An eerie chill came over me and a sense of shock. Not because we were so close, but because you just assume someone will always be there. I had just seen him a few weeks prior driving behind me giving me his big boisterous wave. A small sense of shame came creeping in that I know I had not always been the kindest about him. Deep down, I admire his tenacity, I admire that he didn’t care what people thought, that to the best of his human ability he tried to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t popular. I know myself, I know that I can cave when it comes down to feeling stupid or I have to stand up for what is right. As I get older, this gets easier, but my humanity seems to sneak in a lot and point it’s cowardly finger at me. You would never call Jerry Falwell a coward. That is one word that is not synonymous with his name.

My parents came down this weekend. They are very faithful Falwell advocates. My dad wanted to go to his viewing on Sunday and I decided to go with him. We stood in line for over an hour to get our 10 seconds standing two feet away from his pale, lifeless body. I didn’t feel as though I wanted to cry, although I have to admit I welled up. Jerry Falwell is a VERY large man, with a VERY deep voice, and a VERY strong hug. Here he was, his body slowly decaying, clenching a beautiful leather bible, surrounded by more flowers than I could count. There was a peace about him, like one that surrounds a man who has made the most of their life. No loose ends, nothing regretted, just a laborer ready to go home. I was one of the 33,000 people who viewed him over the 5 days, not to mention the thousands and thousands that were at his funeral today. Who has an impact like that? His funeral was beautiful, inspiring, and spirit filled.

When death disrupts your life from a distance, you begin to think about your own mortality. Who would come to your funeral, what would they say, will you be remembered, have you made an eternal impact, did you waste your life on frivolous pursuits or did you take your handful of years and live them to the fullest? Did you know love, experience love, and live love? Did you have eyes to see those in need and live outside of your own selfish ambitions? Did you see the wonder of this glorious planet through travel, music, food, and laughter? Did you come to live in the freedom that a relationship with the Lord can give you while you spend your years on this earth? My motto over the last ten years is that I want to live the extraordinary life, not the ordinary life. I have never had the American dream in my heart. God designed me to have wings, to travel, to experience, to meet people and taste different cultures, and to spread the love of Christ where I go. We eagerly await our time to leave Lynchburg as a family.

As unlikely as an inspiration as a funeral can be…it was to me today. We all know that life is short and yet we live as though it lasts forever. May you be inspired in your own life. May you realize that the most important thing you can do is invest in the lives around you and drink in the richness of an abundant life, one that God so generously gave us.