Don't ever call my kid a brat

disclaimer: I know I have been a parent for all of 10 weeks and I have a lot to learn but the following rant blog comes from so much more than the ten weeks I have under my belt of mommyhood. It comes from over 14 years of childcare( teaching, babysitting, sunday school, day care centers, nannying being an Aunt etc)
On with the show.
I complimented a woman on her daughter the other day. I commented on how cute and sweet she was. "Oh no, *she replied* she's a monster" Other replies I have heard recently are "he's rotten" "he's bad" "she's a brat"
I myself have used such adjectives to describe certain children, (he's spoiled rotten) etc,
However now that I have a little one of my own I am horrified to think of such names/descriptors being used for such precious little people. Ok perhaps when you are at the end of your rope, exhausted and tired of cleaning spilled juice off the floor for the tenth time that day I understand the temptation to describe your not so angelic little boy as such... but let me give you some food for thought.

What nicknames do you have that you love? My husband calls me sweetheart and baby (among many other loving handles). It endears me to him. I love hearing him call me; "honey? where is the tape?" Something so simple can put a smile on my face. Why? Because though it is an often mindless name used so habitually that it almost sounds weird to me to hear him use my real name, it is what he thinks of me. Honey; Sweet, enjoyable, pleasurable, something used to make bitter things easier to swallow. Baby; someone to cherish and protect, to hold close and nurture. Sweetheart; my heart is sweet and tender to him, worthy of honor.

Now what if he called me something else? Say, the B word. Or even merely 'woman'. "hey woman get me a coke" That denotes such disrespect and malice. The name's you use for someone can either give them value or devalue them. I guarantee if you were to call a woman a b!+@# they will act like one to you. But what if you call her angel? Or princess? It changes everything.

Here is my point. Don't ever call my child a brat, tell her she is rotten, spoiled, or bad.
She is beautiful, perfect, created in God's image, hand crafted by her Heavenly Father. I want her to know even now that she is not only a priceless treasure worthy of honor love and respect. But that no one has the right to hurt her, touch her in any unwanted manner, treat her badly or in any way make her feel like she is unworthy.

Parents, your children should always feel a little better about themselves when they go away from talking with you. Don't make them feel unwanted or unworthy by constantly pointing out every flaw and mistake. Love them, guide them, cherish them and this one is often left out, respect them. Don't punish them for lying to you and then turn around and lie (even teasingly) to them. Don't slap them for hitting others. Don't get in their face and yell for talking back to you. I believe in spanking yes but there is a difference in loving discipline for a purpose and just being a bully. Your child should never fear you or feel the need to hide their heart from you. We as parents must be a safe haven for our children. They should know that NO MATTER WHAT you will always love them and be their biggest cheer leader. Yes it would be hard to deal with a child that consciously and purposefully disobeys you but what are your actions teaching them? Is your kid a biter? Do you ever playfully chew on them? Is your kid acting out hitting and scratching others? Is he watching tv shows or playing video games with any kind of violence? ( i will expound on this in further blogs.. I have a theory about the link between games/shows/movies and behavior.)

Anyhow, I know this was a bit of a disorganized rant but it needed to be said.
Parents LOVE YOUR KIDS and treat them with dignity and respect!! and if you don't then stop having kids.  And that is how Kris C's it:D

Me and my gang

Friends are those who know you better than you know yourself. Be you crazy, solemn, spastic, sincere, funny, serious or somewhere in between they let you be yourself and love you all the more for it.
They do not shy away from true emotion and when they ask you how you are, a true friend waits for the answer. They do not judge but will give you a good swift kick in the rear should the occasion call for it.
I have such friends, they are my Sunday school group friends and they have shown me that it really is ok to be me. I love my dear friends, and here is a little bit of why.

Clown car? or Time machine??;)

babyshower:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20's party

20's party guys

there are no words...:)

80's party:)

and THAT is how its done!

If a picture paints a thousand words than... nuff said:)

Hailey Belle's birth story

I want to talk about my Hailey Belle. (so what else is new:))  Particularly her birth.
Some know this but not everyone knows that I had her at home with a midwife. This was something I had known since I was a little girl that I wanted to do. You see I along with my sister were born at home with midwives. (Rob my little brother was a hospital birth because he was 11 lbs!:) Can't say that I blame her, but she still had him naturally with no pain meds. My mom could rival wonder woman:))

I met Cathy Allen Rude when I was about 11 weeks along. She was an absolute Godsend. I asked a pool of my friends what midwife they recommended and three separate friends who were all together unrelated highly recommended her. I now know why.
Cathy is the perfect mixture of sweet and nurturing, funny and laid back, and strong and knowledgeable.
She held my hand through the pregnancy giving me great advice along the way. With her nutrition advice I was able to only gain 25 lbs. I didn't have any real bad side effects of the pregnancy and made it through with out a whole lot of stretch marks. I tell you this because she strongly encouraged me to drink a lot of water, eat healthy, and stay active. And as a result I felt great clear through to the birth. Now I did get a bit swollen near the end and slowed down but finished cosmetology school weeks before I gave birth and was doing hair/makeup and babysitting the night before my water broke:) So her methods really do work.
Friday September 10th Drew and I attended an 80s themed surprise party. I had the fun of doing all the girls hair and makeup.

Here's us at the party

And here is me and my ladies:)

 Aren't we fabulous? Yes my mom laughed at what we think the 80's looked like too but bear in mind most of us were 6 at the end of the 80's:)


 The party was a blast but very tiring. The next morning, Drew got up fairly early for a Saturday to go to a shooting range with two of our friends and left his cell phone with me. Our friends baby was asleep in the bassinet (I was babysitting) and I had gotten up to pee 5 minutes after he walked out the door and low and behold my water broke. I freaked out and called my friend Krystal to tell her to have her husband tell my husband, and to calm down a bit. Now for those of you who have not yet had children let me debunk a popular myth surrounding your water breaking. Though I am sure it has happened for some at some point... rarely does it happen that your water breaks and moments later your writhing on the floor with contractions. For me, I felt a lot lighter (5 lbs to be exact:) and full of energy. Over the course of the day that slowly built to where my contractions were getting stronger but it had been 12 hours (10 pm) and they were so minimal  that I went to the store with Drew to pick up a few things:). So Cathy and I agreed we would call it a night and she would come first thing in the morning to begin my I.V. antibiotics. Our amazing friends Chris And Krystal stayed the night with us that night in case my labor picked up in the night. *now that is what you call true friends*

Around 8 the next morning I could tell a marked difference in my contractions but they were few and far between so we began augmenting labor using natural methods. It did the trick in making my contractions pick up. They grew ever stronger through the course of the day. I was coping but they were tougher then I realized they would be. They were strong enough to make me dilate but because they were so sporadic, by 4pm I was only 31/2 cm dilated. We did more augmenting and exercises to help me progress but by 630 or so I still hadn't changed at all. Because of how long my water had been broken and my cervix being so stubborn we agreed it would be wise for me to transport to the hospital so we could start pitocin. We packed my bags *I didn't have one packed because I was three weeks early and hadn't planned to go to the hospital* and Cathy called ahead.

They admitted me right away and the nurse went about checking me, taking blood, doing what nurses do. All the while I began vomiting profusely and the pain level with my contractions was easily an 8 1/2. I was so ready to have that baby at that point and not in a great mood. The nurse came in the room when we had been there about 30 mins or so to inform me that I would be receiving a c section. The Dr was not even at the hospital, hadn't stepped a foot in my room seen my stats or looked at my charts and had made an arbitrary decision. Period no questions asked. We told the nurse that would not be happening and she came back in the room and handed me a cell phone. (I was in the throws of contractions and vomiting mind you) It was the Dr telling, not asking me that the only way she would come to the hospital was so she could do a c section. I refused. My parents began talking about filing a complaint with the hospital and low and behold she arrived shortly after that.
She walked in the room and spoke with Cathy who showed her my extremely thorough charts from week 11 clear through the end of my pregnancy, told her about my labor and requested she give me pitocin. (They give EVERYONE pitocin!) But the Dr refused stating she would not waste her time doing so and we could not make her.
More transpired with said Dr including her lieing to us regarding the state of my health and the babies trying to scare me into a C section. She left us with no choice. However, I had Cathy who knows her stuff, Krystal who is a very knowledgeable nurse, both my parents who are brilliant and most importantly my husband who loves me more than life itself all of which I trust with my life. We all six agreed that the best thing to do was leave, go home to get in the water tub and relax until the next morning when Cathy's Dr would be on call.
I live one mile from a hospital so if needed I could easily and quickly transport back should the need arise between now and then.

So around Midnight after having been in labor for 38 hours I got in the car once again and headed back to my apartment. I took a hot hot shower drank a glass of wine *midwives orders* and climbed into the water tub. With the heat/water/wine I was able to actually relax enough to pass out between contractions and get a little rest. After a few hours in the tub they had picked up again but this time (still throwing up and shaking at this point) I was exhausted, overwhelmed and didn't feel I could go on anymore. We decided to get out of the tub and move to the bed, I felt like I could be more comfortable on my bed. When I got there she checked my cervix and I was 7 1/2!! I had progressed from a 3 1/2 to 7 1/2 in just 2 hours! Talk about miracle!
I got into the polar bear pose with my head on Drew's lap and rocked through my contractions. They felt like they were mostly in my back and my birth canal. After about an hour or so I felt the overwhelming urge to push, told Cathy so and she checked me and you would never believe it but I was fully dilated!! God had answered our prayers in an amazing way. I began pushing and 24 minutes later she was born!

Feeling her soft little head and then just moments later hearing Cathy tell me "Kristyn take your baby!" I was overwhelmed with joy and the love of the Lord. Holding the most precious little thing I had ever seen in my arms for the first time I just thought "that was one of the hardest things I have ever done but she is SO worth it!!"

Here is me holding my doll for the first time;

I was exhausted and sore but madly in love. I will never forget Andrew's face when he held her for the first time;

And here is us as a family for the first time;

I love how she locked eyes with him instantly:)

I could draw some parallels between natural labor and a long marathon. Its physically tough, its long, can often hurt and requires real commitment. However when you reach the finish line you look at what you have accomplished and you wouldn't take back one second of it. The thing that kept me going through the contractions and vomiting was though it hurt at that moment, I knew it would soon be over. However if I had had a c section with her I would have pain for weeks and weeks.
Once it was all said and done and I was all cleaned up I was actually up and walking around! By day five I had lost almost all my baby weight and felt up to going out to dinner with my hubby.
Though I had some minor internal tears they healed on their own and the recovery was so short  and I felt so good that I had to be told to stay off my feet and stop doing so much by week two!

Though at that moment I didn't love the intensity of it, looking back I love the the fact that I was cognizant and I truly experienced every aspect of her birth. I was there, and I experienced (fully aware) how powerful God created my body to be.  Here a Dr tried to trick me into putting my body through major surgery for the sake of her convenience. When a mere 4 and a half hours later my precious baby girl was born at home the way I have always wanted her to be. The way God created it to happen.

I will never doubt God's power again. I feel more empowered as a woman then ever before and if the Lord allows I will have every one of my children at home. And to tell you the truth I really look forward to it:)

Here is Hailey with her amazing midwife:)

Check out Cathy's website 
http://www.christianmidwife.net/index.html

Her associate Connie Blokkum who is midwife as well as a lactation consultant can be found here

www.babiesareblessings.com

who moved my cheese?

If you have not read the book "who moved my cheese?" then the following post may not make a whole lot of sense.. It is a short book (almost a pamphlet) with a really cute allegory about adapting to change. It revolves around two little mice Sniff and Scurry and two little men Hem and Haw who all live in a maze. Ok it sounds odd I know, but I encourage you to read it. It contains a lot of wisdom regarding what most people find very hard to adapt to let alone embrace..
I wrote this paper as an assignment in my first semester of cosmetology school but it contains a lot if information about who I was and who I am today...
With that said here is my take on "who moved my cheese"
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

      Reading ‘Who moved my cheese’ I see so many parallels to my own life.

I, Kris stand here at the edge of my maze, peering nervously into the

unknown. My maze is attending cosmetology school, it is being married, living in

Houston, and having a job. These are such normal activities most might think, but once

you hear my story you will understand.

      When I was 8 my father announced to my family that we were selling everything we owned and moving to Nashville TN. One month later he pulled into our driveway in the mobile home that would be our place of residence for the next three months, while he attempted to pursue his musical career.

      My father was not afraid of change; in fact it seemed to be his intimate bedmate. Because of his wanderlust, change was the only constancy in my family’s lives. By the year I turned 21 my family had moved well over 30 times, residing in 5 separate states.                  Dad always seemed to be taking on different jobs, resulting in the aforementioned moves. He smiled at change, embracing anything new and exciting. I however learned to despise it. If it weren’t for change I would have maintained friendships for more than a year or two. If it weren’t for change, I might actually have a childhood house full of memories that I could one day return to with my children. I hated change! It was my mortal enemy.                       When we finally settled down, I found my cheese. That cheese was security and stability. It was having friends who didn’t just know me as the new girl, and actually knowing my current address.  My cheese was knowing how to find my way around, and not having to keep boxes just in case we were to move again. It was actually painting my room the color I wanted it to be. These things may seem so simple to most, but for me this was what I had been looking forward to most of my young life. I found my cheese!   I finally belonged somewhere. I was a member of a large church, I had many friends, I was popular and well liked by a lot of people! People finally knew my name. Kids looked up to me and their parents wanted them to be like me. I was the queen bee and I loved it.            Eventually I found even more cheese. I got a boyfriend who I thought was Mr. Right. I thought life was complete. I really had it all now, a man, popularity, esteem and position.            Then one day out of the blue all of my cheese was taken away. Unfortunately he turned out to be anything but prince charming. He broke my heart and stole something that could not be replaced. I made a mistake in trusting that boy and because of that mistake I lost my reputation, my positions in the praise team and youth group, and all of my “friends” were told they were no longer to speak to me. My parents no longer trusted me and my self esteem was shot. I went from popular role model, loved by most to a broken, friendless out cast. I was devastated. All that I thought I knew was now gone. I fell into a dark depression for almost a year. I couldn’t understand why this would happen to me. I lost my faith in everything and everyone. Weighted with despair I began attempting to drown my disillusionment with bad crowds and poor choices. I was a lot like Haw. I could not understand why my stability and security was ripped away from me. It wasn’t fair. I was a good person! I deserved my cheese!

  Months went by, and I stayed in the place that I knew and had grown comfortable with,

but my cheese never returned. Every once in a while I would peek my head around the

corner of my proverbial maze wondering what I might find. I knew I had to do something positive with my life if I wanted to rise above the pit I was currently inhabiting. I went back and forth on several career choices (including cosmetology). Though any time I would get close to committing to something I would feel the icy fingers of fear wrap around my resolve and I would back down. Months went by and turned to years and I had grown so tired of my dark pit of mediocrity. I knew if I didn’t do SOMETHING productive I was going to end up doing something really stupid. So I finally kissed my parents good bye, scrounged up every penny I could find and went to college. It was a short journey because after one semester, personal reasons kept me from continuing on, but it was by far one of the best decisions I had ever made. Like Haw, I found bits and pieces of promise along the way. Sometimes it felt like two steps forward, and one step back, but the most valuable thing in all of this was the lesson to just keep moving! I was finally was feeling the freedom of overcoming my fears.  No I didn’t become a world famous singer, and yes I fell and scraped my knees a couple times, but I was doing something positive, I was finally walking forward and trying new things! I had been holding myself back for years, full of fear and low self esteem, allowing the unknown to paralyze me from action. No more! I determined to never let fear keep me from finding my cheese. Even if that meant going against what I had known, or thought I knew.

While in school my boyfriend proposed and we were shortly thereafter married. This is a whole other story for a whole other time, but as we began to walk the maze of life together, the journey didn’t necessarily get easier, (in fact, it may be a little more difficult) but the lessons remained. There have been several opportunities to practice the lessons of changing with the change, the most recent being that which brought me to HCC. When considering attending school, I had a huge decision to make. I was terrified by the prospect of leaving my good paying job (my current cheeseless station) to take the steps necessary to become a stylist. It is my dream to own my own salon, but in order to get there I must walk through the maze. When making this very difficult decision I remembered my favorite quote of all time;

  “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered

by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much,

because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

I finally gave my notice at work, drove to HCC and filled out my application. This has been a scary journey. And is one that is only beginning. But anytime I begin to fear failure I remember that true success is not a mile stone, but a journey.

I feel like I have been Haw most of my life. Swayed by the objections and fears that have

been cast on me by well meaning Hem’s in my life. However after reading Who moved

my cheese I have determined to not wait so long to change with the change, but be ready

and vigilant when change comes. Like Sniff and Scurry I will pay attention to change and be swift to spring into action. When the tide starts turning I will put on my board shorts and get ready for one gnarly adventure. Here’s to change!

Beginning my career

Today is my baby's two month birthday. Hard to imagine two months ago I was holding her for the first time. Pretty awesome.
But this post is not about that. Well not exactly. 15 months ago I enrolled in cosmetology school. My plan was to go through school, graduate, take my test right away and begin working asap. However, on the first day of my second semester I found out I was pregnant. That changed my plans a bit (as previously mentioned). The new game plan became go to school as much as possible to graduate as soon as possible so I would be done by the time she arrived. The subsequent months were exhausting, though it made my cosmetology school time fly by. Before I knew it I was hugging my school mates farewell and packing my giant school case into my trunk one last time. I loved and hated my time at school all at the same time. I somehow managed to finish with a 4.0 but not without a fare amount of literal blood, sweat and tears shed. I am so glad I went when I did and now I have a really exciting career to look ahead to. All I have left is to take my test.
You see the state board licensing procedure is as follows. State board written test must score 70% or higher. I took that test and passed. The next step is to schedule and take my practical test and must score 70% or higher. Once that is completed I will be able to begin searching for a job. I feel confident in my skills but am oddly nervous about failing. It's been so long since I was in school... and I really care a lot about my score. So what they tell you as long as you pass that's all that matters. Its true I suppose but wouldn't passing with a 98 feel better than barely making it with a 70? Who am I kidding as long as I have my license who care what the score is.

The next step for me is to go to school practice my skills one last time then go and take my test. After that I will begin the process of job hunting (which I sincerely hope doesn't take too long)
My ultimate goal is to do formal hair for weddings/proms etc so I can work on the weekends and Drew could stay with her then, and I could stay home with my baby during the day. To be able to stay with my angel would be a dream come true.

As this road progresses I will update on here but for now I have a haircut  to do:)

Plans?

Plans are funny aren't they? I am a big planner. Always have been. And lists are my best friends. Being such a scatter brain they are actually quite imperative for me. Ever since I was a little girl I would sit and dream up what my future would look like. Where would I live (we moved a lot), what would I look like as a grown up? Who would I marry? What career would I have?
Fast forward 16 or so years.

I love my life. It's not quite what I had expected or planned it would be a year ago:) In fact my husband and I had planned to be childless professionals till we were upwards of thirty, saving as much as we could to buy a house as debt free as possible and then when we were nestled into our newly acquired house, then we would consider parenthood. Isn't it funny how life changes things? Rather how God chuckles when we make plans?;)

January 19th 2010  I felt a little different and found out that afternoon that little Miss Hailey Belle was well on her way via a pregnancy test. Funny little things those tests. It's amazing how a little plastic stick you pee on can carry so much weight. Looking down and seeing those three digital letters simply stating "yes" my whole world began to spin. "wait.. what? When? how?"
SURPRISE! We would soon be parents. After about two months of shaking our heads, wiping the nervous sweat from our brow and staring at each other in shock and awe we began to come to grips with the new plan. Though scarred out of my mind I was cautiously excited. I would finally get to be the thing I have wanted to be since I was 12 year old. A mommy.
You see after being diagnosed with endometriosis and having awful periods my entire adolescent life I was sure I would never be able to carry a baby to full term.  So though I was excited with the prospect of being a mommy I didn't want to really embrace the idea till we were "out of the woods" as they say.

We now look at our little angel in shock and awe but this time for a different reason. We are amazed that God in His infinite mercy and love chose us lowly wretches to be her Mommy and Daddy. We can't for the life of us figure out why except that He just loves us that much.
Hailey is amazing. I cannot even begin to express to you how much I love that little jelly bean. And as much as I love her now, my love only grows with each new day. I know why and how a parent could easily lay their life down for their child without a second thought. I will do anything and everything in my power to ensure her safety and happiness all the days of her life. And if anyone ever hurts my little angel I am not afraid to go to jail:).

It's funny when you look at plans. They never quite turn out the way we expect them to and yet still we plan.
I think I will always be a planner. It's part of what makes me tick. But along the road I will smile at each detour that brings me to a glorious new destination that wasn't quite on my map and thank the Lord for bringing me there:)

Future plans include: job, house, business venture, newer cars
It will be interesting to see which ones come true and if so how they will....
To be continued

Mom and Dad's story

This September my parents celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary. In honor of their celebration I wrote out their story (with a little bit of creative license). I am so glad to say that after 37 years my parents are still married and more in love than ever.
Here is their story;
 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess, who lived in the land of enchantment.
This princess had a special ability to light up a room with her smile. She was the fairest
in the land and all who knew Princess Marilyn loved her.
Even though she was loved by all, she was facing the worst sentence imaginable for a 17 year
girl.. She was grounded. The punishment would be in place until she was able to secure a job.
And only then could she be courted by the many young lads begging to call upon this fair
maiden.
So one bright sunny morning Princess Marilyn arose and determined it was time to escape the
prison of punishment and get a job. So out she went.
As she traveled high and low through out the land something in her was calling out. Wooing
her to one particular place. As she passed it by her heart lept within her chest! Not yet
knowing why she ventured inside. Once she stepped foot within those fateful walls instantly
she knew what it was that was pulling her like a beacon to General pants.
There before her stood a strapping young man. Unlike any man she had ever seen or even
dreamed of. He was handsome and charismatic. But beyond that Princess Marilyn knew there was
something more to this man.

It was a normal day like many other days at the General pants store. The employees were
clocking in discussing their stories from the previous night. Bobby Rex had been newly named
manager and was flexing his managerial muscles by instructing the newly hired cashier in how
you make change on a cash register. As he was heading back to his office something in the
store window caught his eye. He took a second look. And there breezing into his shop like
music in motion was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. It truly was love at first sight.

The instant connection between these two young strangers was so palpable it was felt like a
beam of sunlight shining throughout the world. Angel and birds were serenading their songs of
love as the two who were created specifically for one another were finally united.

She floated on clouds of fairy dust her radiant sapphire eyes sparkling like stars in a clear
blue sky. Her golden locks bouncing with every step. Bobby Rex a typically confident well
spoken salesmen was locked in the look of love.

And then she spoke. She introduced herself and they spoke for a very short time before Rex
new what he must do! He had to ensure he would see this angel of light once again. He could
not let this Cinderella escape in her magic pumpkin! So he did what any red blooded male
would do and asked her out to dinner.
Marilyn's heart leapt within her chest once again and as she opened her lips to accept his
dinner invitation only to remember her previous crime.
She regretfully informed him that until she had a job she was not allowed to date.
Rex looked around the store deciding which employee he could fire to make a place for this
gorgeous girl!
  But he knew what he must do. He picked up the phone and called every one he knew in upper
management at any and every establishment. Within 10 minutes he landed her a job turned to
her and told her he would pick her up at 7.
From that point on it was a fairy tale in motion. Upon being asked what made her know that
Rex was the one, she answered with a faint giggle in her voice that he treated her different
from any man she had every encountered. He truly made her feel like a princess.

The days flew by and within the month they were engaged and quickly married.
These young lovers at 17 and 19 years old began an adventure. Full of mountain tops and
valleys but through the air force and beauty school, raising three gorgeous children:),
starting businesses, dominating the car business, multitudes of moves and homeschooling;
two common denominators were what kept them together in a world of divorce.
Firstly placing God squarely and firmly in the center of their marriage. And secondly truly
being best friends. And as a first hand witness I can accurately account that both of these
 have been consistently true.

Mom and Dad I just want to tell you both how very much I love, honor, admire and respect
you. I am so very grateful that you chose each other first and second only to God. By doing
so you taught Kat Rob and I to live our lives with passion, honor, and integrity.
You taught us the true meaning of love; that it is not an emotion or a feeling. It is a daily
decision. Love is not the candle lit dinners and the walks on the beach. Love is in the
nitty gritty of life. Its when you forgo a weekend of golf with your buddies to come home
and take care of honey dos just to be home with mom. Its when regardless of your migraine
you scrub the house to a shine and have dinner waiting so dad can come home to a clean house.

John 13:35 says it all; 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another."
So thank you both for not only showing the love of Christ, but living it every day.
And here is to many many more years of wedded bliss!

My Dad

Now let us talk about my Dad. Where to even begin? I love my Dad. He is (I am convinced) a genius. You can literally ask him about ANY subject and he can give you at least a brief summery of how it works.
You can give him the most random inanimate object and within minutes he can write you a song that rivals anything on nick jr.
I remember testing him with cow pies. And he wrote a song that has stuck with me to this day.
This is just an example of how he made my childhood fun. Everything was a chance for adventure to my Dad, we would often travel with his work and during our long road trips we would play games and sing songs to make the time fly. Singing with my Dad is by far one of my fondest childhood memories. It was these many sessions that established my love for singing and proved to be fairly efffective singing lessons. He taught me how to find the harmony to any song, the importance of blending and breath control.
And let's not forget karaoke! (by far one of my favorite hobbies). My dad can walk into a joint pick any song, sing it and he has a standing ovation. His voice is so beautiful, much like Ricky Valley he can hit notes that not many people would even try.
When most men would take time for themselves playing golf or various other activities my dad chose his family. We were always together as a family and I can contribute that to my Father. It was priority to him and for that I will always be grateful.
I love my Dad and am so grateful to have one who loves me the way he does. He is a Pastor now and is leading his flock the way he led our family. With wisdom strength and love. There aren't enough men like my dad in the world, if there were it would be a much much better place.

My mom

My mother is the sweetest mom ever. (ok Mother Therasa was pretty great). She is the strongest woman I know. Her heart is so big and so tender that the people that others avoid and reject my mom actively seeks out and befriends. She has endured such heart ache that would break a heartless man, but she sailed through it with grace and poise. If asked, I am convinced she would literally give you the coat off her back. I have seen her give more even to her own detriment. My sweet mom loves her family so much that when my sister was little she decided to stay home and home school my siblings and I. This is a strong independant woman were talking about so being cooped up with three toddlers I'm sure was no easy feat. But she did it and made sure to raise us up the way she and my dad felt was best.
Not only is she strong, poised and gracious, she is also incredibly smart. Last year she went back to college to get her degree and has decided she wants to be an English professor which I think is absolutely fabulous. Those future students are going to be very lucky to have her class. She sailed through her first semester with a 4.0 and is well on her way to do the same in her second.
I deeply admire my mom and love her with all my heart. I am so blessed to have her in my life. She has the perfect advice to give when it is requested but also knows when my stubborn self needs to figure it out on my own. She is a loving "Mimi" to my daughter and I know she will be a huge part in raising my little girl to be a wise godly independent woman.
 I love you so much mama and am so grateful I get to be your daughter!:)

It's kind of a funny story...

Any time you meet a young married couple, what's one of the first questions you ask? "How did you two meet?"
The reason this question is asked repeatedly is for many reasons depending on the person. Could be mere curiosity as to what makes people tick or perhaps a mental census of sorts as to how two different people choose one another.
Coming from two separate and fairly distant states, Drew and I are asked this pervasive query regularly. We usually give a brief summery but in the interest of back story I will go into slightly more detail as to the origin of our relationship.

It all started one night. I was recovering from yet another bad break up with yet another buffoon. I had decided that all men were jerks and I would give up dating completely. I had a blog at the time and threw myself into my writing as a way of licking my wounds. Writing had always been rather cathartic to me (still is) and this was no exception. I had been keeping this blog for almost two years at that point and had quite a collection of posts with everything from poems to political rantings to my novice attempt at song writing.
One particularly boring night I signed in to my blog to add to my collection when I saw that I had a message. I opened it up to find the picture of the cutest guy I had ever seen smiling back at me in a tux. The message simply stated " I just wanted to tell you I read your blog and really like the way you write."
I was floored. I caught my breath and went to his blog. After reading a bit I soon realized that this dark handsome stranger had been in the same home school group I grew up in. Did I tell you that? I was home schooled for all of my young life. In an ubur conservative fundamentalist, not very well known organization. I bring this up because it plays into our relationship in a pretty big way. Having spent most of your young life attending seminars, studying curriculum, working at training centers and walking there entire way of life, good or bad whether you like it or not it shapes you. So to find someone who not only understood that fact but had been a part of it too was huge.
I read his blog (which was no small undertaking since he had had his blog for years and wrote. A LOT.)
I was so impressed by the way he thought. He was genuine. Uneffected. He was the real deal and I was instantly smitten. But wait! I was done with relationships right?
I messaged him back that I too liked the way he wrote and would love to chat, in fact my I.M. name was (fill in the blank) and almost instantly received an I.M. We began chatting and it was like talking to an old friend. Never in my life had chatting felt so natural and easy. He was funny, sweet, a little naughty *just enough to intrigue me* and we agreed about almost everything we talked about. Six hours later we exchanged numbers and switched over to a phone call. His voice sounded strangely comforting to me. We talked for another two hours and finally (quite groggily) bid our adieus. Over the course of the next 7 months we talked almost every day in one form or another. Finally we felt it was time to meet in person.

He flew into Texas and man was that a nervous drive to the airport! I called my friend Lara at least 4 times in the 30 minute drive to go pick him up. How would I greet him? Do I shake his hand? Do I lay a big wet one on him? Here was a man I had never met that knew everything about me and whom I deeply loved. What greeting fits? He landed and we were to meet in the baggage claim. Only having pictures to go off, of it was like finding a needle in a hay stack. He called me as I was looking around we talked for a full minute before he told me "I see you" I said you do? Where are you? "Turn around". And there he was. Taller than I imagined and sexier than his picture. I melted. He had this mischievous smile on his face and he walked up. It was awkward and warm and exhilarating and amazing. Finally hugging the man who already had my heart. You may call us crazy, meeting in an airport for the first time, and we would agree with you. He later revealed he waited till he got a good look before he revealed his location:). Wanted to make sure I wasn't a large balding man I suppose;).
I was terrified driving to the airport because of the unknown, but he pointed out the fact that I could have just gotten in my car and driven away while he was the one flying into a large town 1,000 miles from home at the mercy of a girl he had never met in person. Grateful we were who we said we were we walked nervously out to the car loaded his bags got in the car and just stared at one another for a full minute before we leaned in and shared the sweetest, most passionate, purest kiss I've ever experienced. As cliche' as it sounds, it felt like the entire world was spinning around us and we were frozen in time. We truly lost all track of time, finally getting to embrace the person we had fallen so deeply for over the telephone.
The time we spent together was far too short but felt like a slice of Heaven. Going swimming, dinner, movies shopping, the things young dating couples get to do and take for granted when they live near one another. Any moment spent together was a rare commodity for us and we cherished every second. The day before he had to leave I cried my eyes out because I didn't know the next time I would get to see this man of my dreams again. But the one thing I did know was I LOVED that man.

Over the course of the next two and a half years we traveled back and forth between Texas and North Carolina visiting one another in our home towns. Eventually August of 2007 Drew arrived at the airport with something small and shiny in his pocket:) He was so excited he didn't make it past the parking garage. He dropped to one knee right then and there and said "Kris, I don't want to spend one more minute away from you, will you marry me?" I melted into a puddle right there. I grabbed his face kissed him and said "of course!!!"
We were married Feb 2 the following year. I remember hearing a sermon on Adam and Eve years ago. "if God can create a bride for Adam out of a body part, don't you think God could bring you a spouse wherever you are?" Amen. God did just that. He brought me my Adam through the internet:D
People have asked me if I suggested long distance relationships and if internet romances work.
My answer is this, as far as long distances go, it all depends on how patient you are. It's tough not having the gratification of a physical hug or seeing the facial expressions during a conversation. Having someone to accompany you to a party or a dance partner at a wedding. But if you are really patient and you both are willing to make major sacrifices it can be very rewarding.
As far as internet romance goes, once again depending on the two in the relationship, but if there is 100% honesty, great communication and full disclosure it can be great. Look at us:)
 In three months we will celebrate our three year anniversary and it only gets better every year.
I love you honey!
And that is the rest of the story.

Our story begins...

This is the official start of my blog. No its nothing fancy, just the introduction of the craziness. Because I (kris) am at the helm of this literary ship, know now that it will be all over the place. I'm certain most of the time it will be about my amazing young family. Although because this is my brain we are dealing with there may be a fair amount of random musings regarding whatever latest thought has taken up residence in my brain. Now let me warn you before we get very much further in. I am a creative writing enthusiast and actually received a pretty high score in my English placement test. However,  as you may already be aware, I cannot promise you this blog will be free of typographical errors be they spelling, sentence structure, or grammar. I will do my best to avoid such pratfalls but please do not begrudge me for it. I love the creative side of writing, but in my attempt to sound more intelligent and/or clever than I really am I sometimes tend to misuse words and phrases. My sister gets a kick out of pointing this out for me. I digress.

To get things started let's go with introductions.
Though I will go into our story later here's a brief summery of the main cast of characters.
There's the leading man Drew. (the light of my life and my main squeeze). He is by far the smartest, best looking, and sweetest man I know. (thank God I married the man!) He is a network admin and a genius with computers and the internet. His main interests include Computers, basketball, technology, reading, video games and me;) (among other things)
Then there's Me (Kris) I am a budding hair stylist (just graduated cosmetology school), brand new mother, novice writer, actor and aspiring singer (mostly on the karaoke front).
And then there is little miss Hailey. I call her Hailey Belle:) She is the newest cast member in our motley crew.
God blessed us with her the day before my 26th birthday and what a birthday present she was! Her interest include eating, sleeping, pooping/peeing (preferably in fresh diapers or on daddy) and being all around adorable. Though (at the time of this blog) she is a mere 7 weeks old I am convinced she is a genius. (takes after daddy). I taught her a new trick. I ask "Hailey, wheres your tongue?" and she sticks it out! :) Ok I know most of you are probably rolling your eyes since I was once there too, but my kid is smart! :D Your baby can read ain't got nothin' on her!;)

Our play is set in a "rural" little town here in good ole Texas. God truly has blessed Texas because the prettiest little girl on the face of the earth now resides in this Heavenly land. You can stop rolling your eyes now, I'm a new mom so I'm entitled to gush from time to time:D But I will take a break for now.

In the posts to come I will go into more detail as to how our little cast came to be but for now it's late and the princess has finally drifted off to sleep and so shall I.