And the Award Goes To....

A few weeks ago I hosted a get-together with some special friends. At our apartment complex they have a theater room you can rent. I decided to take advantage of this so we could all spend some time together. We brought yummy snacks, we even had our own "Non-alcoholic" bartender to whip us up some frozen "mock-tails" (thanks Tiffany!), and enjoyed watching Hairspray (I had never seen it before, fun movie!). I know I enjoyed myself hanging out with the girls. The night was a success!! We found this little golden statue & decided we all needed to pose our "movie-star" winning looks to remember the fabulous night! We all had a lot of fun being goofy & hangin' out with each other! Thanks Ladies!

4th of July

Every year the park down the street from us puts on a huge fireworks display for the community. Aaron & I didn't have much planned this year except walking over to the park to enjoy the celebration. We grabbed ourselves a couple of root beers from Sonic, layed out our blanket & waited for the night sky to light up! This show draws thousands of people from all around (the park was packed full!). I got chills when we all stood up and crossed our hearts as the national anthem began. My parents instilled in us kids to have great pride & great respect for our military. Now, it's a little different for me. Like so many of my friends here, the men we love serve this great nation. Alot of our husbands have been off to fight the war in Iraq or have deployed for long periods of time. There are alot of emotions that come with this knowledge that your spouse may have to leave, but humbling is the best word I can use to sum up my thoughts. Aaron served in Iraq before we met, I honestly don't know how I would deal with it if he had to leave today. I'm very proud of my husband and the person he is. I hold the utmost respect for the military. Here are a few pics of the night....

Paint Balling

Last weekend, several families went camping. We all had alot of fun with each other sitting around the fire (and sadly I didn't take any pictures of the actual camping), of course makin' smores, enjoying the company, & paint balling. The men went off first to play, it was so cute seeing them get dressed up in camo (and my hubs supplied alot of gear, since our closet is packed full of military ANYTHING!).

Aaron is fillin' up on ammunition before the game begins

And here they are about to go off to "war"

This time Gladys & I join the fight (I'm trying to be intimidating, don't think it worked)

I broke down & gave a hint of a smile

This was Gladys & my first time paintballing. It was hot & sticky. I was worried about getting shot because I've seen the bruises those little things leave behind...not pretty. But of course I got shot (I'm not a very good strategist) a few times & one of them hit my face mask so I got to taste it too (pretty gross!). I was shot once on each cheek (& not the ones you smile with either), once on the inside just above my ankle, & then one shot on the back of my arm. I wasn't prepared for the stinging & it took me by surprise how bad it would hurt. We all had fun though. I'm ready for round 2!

Life Lately

We kept cool this hot & humid day by grillin' out beside the pool with our good friends Connie & Ben with their 2 cute kids.

Just a few pics of everyone diggin' into good 'ol burgers

Catching Ben mid sentence


Aaron hanging with the kiddos


Ben & Connie being well...Ben & Connie (we love these guys, lots of fun times)

Me & the hubs relaxing on a hot summer day

Besides the sometimes unbearable humidty, summer is my favorite. I love everything I feel during the season. I love that the sun will set some days as late as 8:30, I love cooking out on the grill. I love drinking lemonade, eating watermelon, laying out by the pool, playing in the water, I love getting together with friends and making memories. I love listening to Otis Redding during the summer. His songs make me want to sit on the front porch, sip an ice cold drink, & rock out to good soul music. Yup, I think this would sum up my perfect summer day. I feel like I need let out a big long 'ahhhhhhhh....' of pure satisfaction.