~The Bishop Family~

~September~

2010-10-02T07:30:00.001-07:00

*go state. GO STATE!!!!!
The first weekend of September, me and Michael headed to Starkville for the MSU game. It was such a fun weekend getaway for us and to make it even better.....STATE WON!!!!!! yay :) We spent the night in a cabin at Lake Tia'Kata (SP??). We woke up the next morning and had breakfast on the outside deck overlooking the lake. It was SO fabulous. We were SUPPOSED to go shopping on our way home, but after a silly argument and 2 hours of not talking...we decided to just go on home ;) I tell you that, because we're a normal married couple...we argue....about silly things!

*GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!
2 weekends later, we went to the LSU/MSU game at Death Valley. I am a big LSU fan, so I had to cheer on the Tigers this time. (side note: if you DON'T cheer on the Tigers at Tiger Stadium...you could possibly die. seriously!) We had such a fun weekend in Baton Rouge. Michael and I went with my sister, a guy I used to baby sit for, his new girlfriend (BOOOOO!!!!), and another couple that were SUPER fun! We tailgated at a little pub before the game and then went back after the game to eat and dance!! As always, we had an awesome time...but we were SO ready to see the kiddos!

*Tailgate Party at Co-Lin
Are you seeing a serious pattern here? Football is consuming my life. And I'm LOVING it!!!!!! On September 23rd, we had Senior Night at Co-Lin. All the High School Seniors in our district were invited to a Tailgate Party for the Co-Lin/Jones game! Free food and free admission to the game! We had a blast!! The Trailblazers were there to meet & greet...and I was able to snap a few shots of them! I LOVEEEEE this group of students!! :)

*New hair-do
It's fall, so what does that mean.....time to change my hair!!! haha!! Of course I wanted to do something wild and crazy....but Michael made me promise I'd keep some blonde in it. So, my fab hair dresser put some dark underneath and kept blonde on top. I loveeee it!! This is the only pic I have of it so far, but I'll take more soon!

*Testimony
Michael and I got to share our "relationship testimony" to the youth group at our church this past Wednesday. It was our first time to ever share this with a group, and it was SO neat!!! The students were really interested in what we had to say, and it was neat to let God use our story to minister to other people. If you don't know our story, go back to my February 2010 posts. God is good. All the time!

*Parker
He is sick. The poor kid has the worst allergies! He's got a runny nose, bad cough, watery eyes. The whole 9 yards! :( But besides for that, he's loving school, still trying to walk, fighting with his sister, loves being on the go (i've ruined both my kids), he loves to scream, loves bathtime with his sissie, hates to go to sleep (but he is sleeping in his own bed!), he has 5 1/2 teeth, he's in size 4 diapers, eats everything in sight, loves playing outside, and has super long wavy hair (michael wants to cut it so bad, but it's just not gonna happen!) :)

*Abby
Here is my interview with my Abby Lynn:
1)What is your favorite color?
pink
2)What is your favorite thing about school?
I like to play on the monkey bars, and I like to play on the slide. I like to play in the kitchen. And I like to do centers. I like to eat snack with my friends.
3)What do you like about church?
I like getting a sticker when I sign in. I like my sunday school class. I like to learn about Jesus. He takes care of me. He loves us so much.
4)Who do you like to cheer for?
Co-Lin Wolfpack!!!
5)Who's your best friend?
Allison Hamilton
6)What do you and Allison do together?
play hide-n-go seek and play on the playground.
7)What's your favorite show?
Wonderpets, Dora, and Yo Gabba Gabba
8)What do you like to do at home?
play on the iPad, play outside, watch cartoons
9)What do you like most about yourself?
my muscles
10)What is something you wish for?
Disney World

Well, there you have it.....straight from the 3 year old's mouth! :)

Now Abby wants to interview me:
1)What do you like to do at home?
play with you and Parker. cuddle with daddy.
2)What do you do at work?
i go to high schools and talk to students.
3)What's your favorite part about going to high school?
i like to get to know the students and make friends.
4)Do you like to eat salad????? (haha)
yes, sometimes
5)Do you like to play on the playground?
yupp...i love to play with you and parker and daddy!
6)Do you like to play golf?
Not really, but I like to go drive the golf cart with daddy
7)Do you have to do homework?
nope....
8)Do you like to go to the beach?
YES!!!! I love going to the beach! It's my favorite :)

Well, I hope yall enjoyed this fabulous blog post! haha!!! We are getting ready to enjoy this beautiful day at the OleBrook Festival. Stay tuned for pics next month :)

August Update & Birthday Parties

2010-09-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Ok....oh my gosh....where do I even start?!?! I've had several people ask me when I was going to blog again. I thought to myself....."When do I ever have time?!?!??!!??" Ahhhhhhhhhh.....story of my life!!! But tonight is the night. I don't care if I have to stay up til midnight. I am GOING to update my blog. If not for me....for yall!

Here's what we did in August:

*Princess Party
Abby and I went to a princess party at our church. This was such a NEAT idea!! They had a princess party for the girls and a pirate party for the boys. The girls got to have their hair done by a local stylist, get their makeup done by the mommies, nails painted, they did crafts, they sat down at a table that was decorated for nothing less than a princess, and then they got to watch the Veggie Tales movie, "Princess Sweetpea" or something like that?! I almost didn't stay.....Abby insisted that she was big enough to be by herself....but they needed more help, so I stayed. And I'm SO glad I did.

*Sissie Beach Trip
So....I tried to plan one last "girls trip" to the beach before school started. It ended up that the majority of the girls had something going on that weekend, so I asked Lauren if she'd want to go just me and her! Off we went! We had never been on a trip with just the two of us before, so we were SUPER excited!!! We always have the best time together....I just couldn't wait to be together for 3 days! We stayed with my aunt and uncle so it was also nice to spend some time with them too. We got there late Friday night, so we just went to bed. Saturday it was a rainy blah day, so we went to the outlet malls. Since we weren't able to get any sun that day, we went to the tanning bed!!! :) After the tanning bed, we walked over to a Mexican restaurant where we were told that we were too SHORT to sit at the bar!!!!!! hahaha.....after insisting that we sit at the bar, we realized very quickly that the waiter was so right! So...we got a booth! hahaha!!! We went to eat with our aunt and uncle that night and then went out to Seville Quarter. It was my first time there, but it DEFLY won't be my last. We had soooooooooooo much fun!!!!!! Except for when a guy asked Lauren if I was her MMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!????????? ugh! I can't talk about it. So, then Sunday we woke up to another blah day. We hung out for a little while and then headed back home. It was such a fun, relaxing, hilarious trip. I love you, sissie lu!

*School started
When school starts back at Co-Lin, it's a madhouse!!! We were SOOOOOOOOO busy for about two weeks, and I went home everyday exhausted! When Co-Lin starts back, that means that it's time for my babies to go back to school. Abby LOVES her new preschool class, and Parker is getting adjusted to his toddler class. He's the youngest in his class. But I just love having my kids on campus with me! Now that school has started back, I am on the recruitment road again. I LOVE IT! I've already been to Enterprise, Copiah Academy, and tomorrow I go to Loyd Star. It's so fun!! And I'm also a co-sponser for our Trailblazer (student recruitment) team. We have such a fabulous group....I'm so excited about it!!

*4 year Anniversary!
Yupp....Michael and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary!!! It's a tradition that we go somewhere for our anniversary instead of buying eachother stuff. 1 year-Ross Bridge Resort in Birmingham, 2 year-New Orleans, 3 year-Bed & Breakfast in Natchez, and 4 year-Beau Rivage. We decided not to do a big trip this year, because we're going to Disney World in January and Hawaii in April. And plus, we had some friends that were going to the Beau that weekend to see a show, so we decided to go with them. We had a blast!! We saw some "circus/acrobat" show that Friday, ate at the buffet, went to the club, and then the next day we shopped! The past 4 years with Michael have been the best of my life. Yes, we have had some rocky times and some stressful times, but there is NOBODY else in this world that I'd rather share my life with. The good and the bad.

I'm sure there are some things I left out about August but it's 10:00 and I've still got to talk about Parker's birthday....hehe....

I cannot believe my little baby is already ONE! Sigh....
Since he is 12 months old, I just feel like it's appropriate to list 12 things about Parker being one:
1-he calls me and michael by "name"....MAMA.....DADA
2-when you ask him where something is and if he doesn't know, he'll do his arms up like "I don't know!?"
3-he is off the bottle and off baby food...nothing but real food & sippy cups
4-he sleeps 1/2 the time with us and 1/2 the time in his crib. Hey, it's a start! :)
5-i bought him curl shampoo because i'm determined that he's gonna have like perm curly hair!
6-if you take something from him he'll say, "MINE!"
7-he's not walking yet, but he'll stand up from a sitting position
8-his personality is absolutely adorable....he is such a happy funny kid!
9-the kid eats alllllllllllllllllllll the time...and only weights 18.5 lbs?!
10-he hates hats
11-he loves to throw balls back and forth
12-he finally has teeth.....6 of them!

Ok, here are SOME pics from his birthday/party. For a full album, check out my facebook page because it seriously takes 5 minutes to upload ONE picture!!:)

Thanks to everyone who follows my blog. I wish I had time to blog more, but I do what I can :) I started this blog just for fun....I never thought I'd touch other people's lives through my experiences. God is good!

one tired mommy,
Tonya

~JULY RECAP~

2010-07-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've gone from blogging twice a week to once a month. Yall, I just do NOT have time to blog anymore!!!!! Soooo...I was thinking the other night and came up with a perfect solution! I'm just going to blog at the end of every month and give a brief recap. And that way I don't feel so guilty when I forget to do "Ton's Thoughts on Thursday" or "Friday's Friend." I was going to stop blogging all together, but I get great responses from people when I pour my heart out into this silly blog. Sooo....I'm not leaving just yet. And you can count on the fact that I won't limit myself to just once a month. I will share what's on my heart when I feel the need!

So, here's what happened in July:

*Parker turned 10 months!
During this month he....learned how to crawl up our stairs, says & waves bye bye, started eating table food for every meal, has gotten at least 238403 goose eggs on his head (one actually called for an ER visit!), hates bathtime (because he had an underwater adventure that he did not like!), has developed such a fun/funny personality, puts any phone up to his ear and starts "talking", doesn't like formula anymore (this month we're introducing whole milk!), and STILL HAS NO TEETH!?!????!

*We took a family trip to Bonita Springs, FL
17 hours on the road....34 hours total! The kids were great!!!!! We had a full 4 days in Florida, and we had the best time! Michael won this trip through his job at Farm Bureau. We stayed at a beautiful resort and enjoyed time by the pool, at the beach, shopping, eating, and hanging out with great friends!

*We took Abby to see Storytime Live in Jackson
The day after we got back from Florida, we told Abby we had a surprise for her. She lovesssssssss surprises!!! When we got to Thaila Mara Hall, she realized that we were going to "meet" Dora, Kai Lan, The Wonderpets, and The Backyardigans. She was SO excited!

*Our Hatti Besties came to visit
The Essers made a trip to Brookhaven! Ever since we've had Parker and they've had Caleb, we've done a TERRIBLE job of making trips to see eachother. But as always, we had the best time....and couldn't even tell that it had been a month since we'd hung out!

*Baby Collin was born!!!!!!!!
Ryan and Whitney are dear friends of ours. We've known them for three years without any kids, but now God has blessed them with a sweet baby boy. I am just SO excited for them!!! I can't wait til he gets his shots so we can have his "welcome out" party!

*I got glasses
I started having real bad headaches, everyday! And I could tell my vision was a little off. Sooo....for the first time in my life, I made an eye appointment. The doctor told me that I had very minor vision problems, but it's the minor problems that cause the bad headaches. So, I have glasses now. I don't have to wear them all the time....just whenever I feel like I need them. (I could really use them right now, since I've been on the computer for over an hour...but they're in my car, and I'm just too lazy to go get them!)

*My sister graduated!
Lauren just graduated from Dental Assistant School at Hinds. I am SO SO SO proud of her! She absolutely loves what she does!! She has put in her resume at different places around the Jackson area, but she's also thinking about moving out of state. I told her to GO FOR IT! She's never lived away from home, and I think this would be a good learning experience for her!

I know I'm probably leaving out alot of stuff, but I've been on this computer for way too long! Plus...it's 10:30....like 2 hours past my bedtime! haha!!!!! But before I leave, alot of people have been asking 2 things:

1-No, I'm not pregnant. Sorry to leave yall hanging. I did end up taking like 6 pregnancy tests and they all came back negative.
2-I still don't know anything else about my dad's health. Obviously I've talked to him since that night, but he hasn't said anything else about it....and I haven't brought it up. Thanks to everyone who called, messaged, or emailed me. Yall have been such an encouragement to me! Please continue to pray for my dad!!

night night,
Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-07-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yay!!!!!!!!!!! I'm actually getting to do this today!!! Michael took Abby to run some errands and Parker is watching Baby Einstein. I'm not sure how long this "me time" will last, so I better get to thinking....

Ok, so I had alot I wanted to talk about today, but all that has changed. I just got a phone call from my dad. A very disturbing call. As I'm typing this post, I am in tears. Tears of confusion. Tears of pain. Tears of worry. So, today is the day that I'll tell of my daddy issues.

My parents got divorced when I was 6 years old. I don't remember hardly anything about my parents being married. The only parts I do remember are things I'd rather NOT remember. My dad was and still is a real bad alcoholic. He was physically and verbally abusive to my mom. That's really all I've ever been told about their marriage, and I respect my mom for not revealing all the details. My dad had "every other weekend" custody of me and my sister while we were growing up. I remember having alot of fun with my dad, but I also remember him passing out on the couch in the middle of the day and leaving me and Lauren to fend for ourselves. He would also drink and drive and I would sit in the front seat and when he would start falling asleep, I would tell him to wake up. I had to learn to drive at the age of 12, because sometimes that was the only safe way for us to get home. I would call my mom sometimes and let her know when we were heading home and she'd call the police to see if they'd track us. But like I said, I do have good memories. We used to get together with all of my dad's family and have big cookouts. Even though all the adults would be drinking, me and all my cousins had so much fun together!

As I grew older, I would try to talk to my dad about his behavior. He would just get really mad at me, so I stopped voicing my opinion and started praying for him! I knew that nothing was impossible with God, but after years of unanswered prayers I began to question if it was even possible for dad to clean up his act.

I've shed many tears for my dad. Some of the tears have been over the guilt of not going to see him like I should. Some of the tears have been over the resentment of him not wanting to see me. He has always tried to provide for me and my sister. You can tell he wants to, but it's just like he doesn't really know how to love us to the fullest. There are barriers that I've never been able to conquer in my relationship with him. I don't think I'll ever be able to. I want to know that in the end, I have no regrets. Unlike my dad. I think he'll have alot of regrets. I think he does currently. One of those being the fact that he didn't walk me down the aisle, or even attend my wedding. I still can't really talk about that to anybody. It hurts. Bad.

It got even harder when I had kids. My dad was actually at the hospital for Abby's birth, but he only stayed for a little while and then left. He was not there when Parker was born. Again....that hurts. Since I've had kids, he has never once came to see them. I always bring them to him. He LOVES his grandchildren, but once again, there's a barrier there. A barrier that he doesn't know how to get through...or doesn't care to. I've tried not to take any of these things personal, because I know it's him. Not me. People have told me that I have done everything that I can do. It's his turn. I've tried to go on with my life and not go out of my way for someone who doesn't return the favor. But he's my DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll always love him with my whole heart, no matter what. I'll always want to go out of my way for him, even if that means driving 2 hours to see him only to get to his house and him be passed out on the couch.

But you know, out of all of that....there's a deeper issue. It's an issue that I have just discovered exists. My daddy issues have caused other issues. I've learned that growing up without a dad has hurt my heart beyond repair. Throughout high school, I was always looking for a guy to make me feel special. I wanted someone to fill my daddy void. And even now that I have found my husband, I still put pressure on him to fill that void. I've just recently learned that nobody can fill that void but my Heavenly Daddy. So, why is it so hard for me to allow that to happen? Because my view of my earthly daddy is clouding my view of who God is. It's hard for me to imagine that there's a God who is loving, who will never fail me or let me down, who will hold me in His arms and rock me. Because I never had a dad that would do those things. I just can't comprehend that kind of daddy love. I hope to understand and experience it one day though.

So, now I'll go back to the phone call I just got from my dad. I only talk to my dad about once every week or every 2 weeks. He usually calls to check on us and see how his grandbabies are doing. But tonight was different. I could sense distress. He told me that he's had a couple of "breakdowns" lately. I asked what he meant. All he said was that he had been to the doctor and the doctor told him his health was getting bad. Now, I'm not oblivious to the fact that my dad has been smoking and drinking since he was a teenager, but nothing prepares you for this kind of conversation. I asked him what this all meant. He wouldn't tell me. He just kept saying, "It's nothing, Tonya. I'm ok. I don't want you to worry about me." YES I'M GOING TO WORRY ABOUT YOU!!!!!!! Now, tell me what's going on. But he never would. Some might say that's selfish, and it is. But that's just how he is. He has never wanted to do or say anything that would hurt or scare me. He wants me to think he has it all together, even though I know better. So, that's what I'll do. I'll just keep loving him like I always have. And when, or if, he's ready to talk then I'll be there.

In the meantime, all I can do is pray for him. There's still time for God to perform a miracle. All I want out of this life is to see my family in heaven. Including my dad. Please pray for my dad. Larry Odom. Pray that God will save him and change him. God doesn't just work at youth camps and church services. He can save a 52 year old alcoholic as well.

Thank you for letting me get that out. As always, I hope this post will speak to someone else that is experiencing a similiar situation.

love never gives up,
Tonya

B-O-R-I-N-G post!!

2010-07-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

So......is there even a point in updating my blog if I have no pics to upload???? Y'all, I don't know what is wrong with me lately?! I took a pregnancy test yesterday hoping that would explain my memory loss, exhaustion, irritable moods, loss of interest in Facebook and blogging, etc etc etc. But.....it came back negative. I'm still not 100% convinced though. I'll probably take a few dozen more this week just to make sure.

*Pregnancy
If it turns out that I AM pregnant, you may wonder how Michael and I would feel about that. Well.....Michael is just hoping that I'm not.....yet. He wants another child, but he doesn't want one right this second. Me, on the other hand, I would be excited and overwhelmed. Excited because that would mean we'd be through having kids before the age of 30. Since I am a c-section mama, the doctors really only recommend that you have 3...maybe 4. Overwhelmed because.....well, just because! Two kids is crazy enough. Three kids would SUPA crazy!!!! But a huge blessing.

*I'm old!
So....I just turned 26 on June 24th. It was a FABULOUS birthday.....or should I say birthMONTH. Turning 26 was awesome. I got spoiled! I got an iPad, a new car, a new 5 piece set of luggage, a couple candles, a new "happy" for my HAPPY EVERYTHING plate, a wonderful lunch from my co-workers, a pearl necklace from my sissy, and LOTS of fabulous homemade happies from my baby girl! :) Oh Oh Oh, and I can't forget about my awesome "birthday party" at Paintin Sisters (it's Brookhaven's Easley Amused). 7 of my awesome friends, my mom, and one of my aunts were there to celebrate and paint with me! I can't WAIT to put up pics of our night. SOOOO fun!!! Turning 26 has already shown me a couple signs of aging. Michael and I went "out" (to Reed Pierce's) to eat and hear The Colonels and for the first time I realized that I'm an old fart. The band started playing at 9. How DARE them!!! Don't they know that's my bed time??? And we didn't leave there until 12. Yes, I was a zombie. But it was SO fun! Michael even got to get on stage and play 1 song with them. And the second sign of old age was when I was walking up the stairs to Sunday School the next morning and my knees felt like they were gonna give out. Sigh...

*YAY for VACAY!
I've had the summer blahs. Things at work have been kinda slow, I've been sad about not being home with the kiddos, I've been opting to stay inside instead of beating the 100 degree heat to get a tan, etc etc. Needless to say, I need a vacation!!!!! 9 more days!!! Next Wednesday, me and the fam will be driving 14 hours to Bonita Springs, FL. Yes, FOURTEEN hours. We WILL be breaking the drive up.....for sanity reasons. This trip is courtesy of Farm Bureau. Well, actually courtesy of my husband's hard work!! In other words, this trip will be FREE!!! Even better! Every parent knows that a vacation with 1+ kid(s) is no vacation at all....but it will be a change of scenery. :)

*Kiddo Update
Abby is FINALLY "swimming" by herself. She has one of those life jacket swimsuits. Haha, you know what I'm talking about? Well, you put that on her and she turns into super toddler. Hopefully she'll be swimming without it by the end of the summer. If not, oh well.
Parker is weening himself off of the bottle. He has no interest in formula anymore. I'm not real sure if it has anything to do with the fact that I've introduced him to chocolate chip muffins, homemade mashed potatoes, cap'n crunch, cinnamon rolls, goldfish, and other yummy treats. No....that probably has nothing to do with it. Well, the doc doesn't want him to go totally without just yet. He says that Parker still needs the nutrients that formula offers, so he suggested that we start putting it in a sippy cup and then switching to whole milk next month. Gosh, my little baby boy is growing up way too fast!!

Ok, well it is almost 10:00 and I'm thinking that I'll have to call in sick tomorrow if I don't hurry and get my full 8 hours of sleep!! haha!!! And plus, I've volunteered to host Girl's Night Out tomorrow night and it's gonna be a video scavenger hunt! I've got lots to do to get everything ready. My goals for this week: post new pics on Facebook and blogger, hire a housekeeper, start making lists for our vacay, shampoo my carpet, get a tag for my freaking car, and make sure I'm not preggie before my new tanning appointment!!!

I hope everyone has a great week! Bear with me as I try to get caught up and get back on track with Thursday's Thoughts and Friday's Friend.

scatter-brained,
Tonya

(ps-i've typed this whole post on my iPad and I'm not gonna proof read it. So, please forgive me if there are any errors)

UPDATED PICS

2010-06-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm finallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy getting around to posting some updated pics! Before I do, let me share a few thoughts (since I didn't get to yesterday).

*Parker-is the most precious baby in the world!!! At 9 months he: weighs 18 lbs and is 27 1/2 in long, eats like a pig, loves to snack (on crunchies and yogurt melts), isn't real interested in juice, when you get on to him-he smiles and keeps on going, he has a favorite paci-like just one-and when we can't find it the world stops, he grunts to communicate, he points, everything is da-da-da-da-da, and his favorite show is The Wonder Pets.

*Abby-is HILARIOUS!!!!!! She never ceases to amaze me with what will come out of her mouth next. Here are a few quotes from this week: "Mama, I'll be sweet TOMORROW," "Me and Daddy saw a rainbow and I saw God's house under it," "Hey, (stranger) did you know that I got an iPad?," "I need to water the tree because God told me to"....and the list goes on.

Here are some updates pics from the past few weeks:

Tune in Sunday for "Friday's FriendS." I will honor all the dads in my life!

night night,
Tonya

LOTS to say!!!!!!

2010-06-12T11:47:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'm wayyyyy behind on blogging this week. As well as household duties, and sleep! I am in the recliner right now after a long morning of ACT supervising.....and after a super long day in Jackson yesterday. 7 hours. 2 kids. By myself. EXHAUSTED!!!!!!!!! But for some reason, I still can't manage to sit still. I have been cleaning my house since I got home. And I have made plans tonight for the fam to go to The Cunningham's house (http://tonbish.blogspot.com/2010/05/fridays-friend_14.html) for a cookout/water slide party. Life is short. Might as well have fun.....and be exhausted! :) My goal is to eventually catch up on "Ton's Thoughts" and "Friday's Friend"....post new pics....funny stories....and updates.....but right now all I want to do is sleep. So....I'm gonna catch yall up on some of my thoughts from this week. The next post will be updates and updated pics! (hopefully!)

*My dream car
Soooo....I got a new vehicle this week. If you refer back to last week's thoughts (i think), you will see that ONE of my dream cars is a white sequoia. Well, Michael got a phone call from his cousin, Justin Bishop who works at Herrin Gear Toyota, the other day and he told Michael that someone just traded in a white sequoia. We went to look at it and I fell in love!!!!! IT IS FINE! Exactly what I wanted! It's a year older than the Burban was and it has a little more miles on it, but a Toyota will long outlast a Chevy and they ended up giving us $1,500 more than we paid for the Suburban!!!! That is UNHEARD of with a trade in! So....we left there with the Sequoia AND $2,000 in our pocket! HELLO.....no brainer! And I'm one happy girl :)

*Junk food JUNKIE!!!
I cannot force myself to eat healthy??? I've been working out alot lately, but all I can eat is junk food. So.....I'm pretty much working out so that I can eat! I'm getting nowhere!

*Migraine
I get a bad migraine about once every 6 months. It starts with seeing dots in my right eye. That's how I know it's about to start. So, Wednesday I start seeing dots. I take a pain killler (which ends up being expired). An hour later, I'm layin on the couch moaning....no lights.....no sound...sick as a dog. I finally go get in the bed at 8:00. I wake up the next morning feeling much better but super drained! YUCK!

*iPad
I got an iPad for my birthday! Michael cannot wait to give presents. haha! I was sooooooooooo excited. Michael's mom got one a few weeks ago, and I have been playing with hers. Now I have my very own!!!! Well, Abby thinks it is partially hers. ha! Which it pretty much is...I've downloaded more apps for her than for me! I can't wait to get lots of fun apps on it.....for me!!!

*Gum
I had a random thought the other day. Can you imagine that? ha!! I was chewing gum....which I rarely do because I hate when it loses flavor. And I started thinking. Is gum really made from whale fat? If so....what does tasteless gum taste like? Gross.

*5 hour energy shot
OH.MY.GOSH. I have never taken one of these, but my boss has told me several times that they work really good for her. So....yesterday before I ventured off to Jackson, I decided to take one. NEVER AGAIN!!!!! It made me very anxious and super tired!! I was real shaky and had bad anxiety all day. It was either the energy shot, or the fact that Jackson motorists make me a nervous wreck....and I had the kids all day by myself. Either way....it was a very tiring day!

*Red, Yellow, Black, & White
Sooo....we went to see my dad yesterday while we were in Jackson. I had both kids in the waiting room because I had to feed Parker. Abby was walking around seeing what she could get into. All of the sudden she sees a little boy playing a "gameboy" (i don't know what they call them these days). She inches over towards him, and the little black boy (about 6 years old) tells her that she can watch him. So, she goes and gets in the chair with him. After a few minutes of watching him, he offers the game to Abby so she can play. He sits there and teaches Abby how to play and they are having the best time together. They got a few looks from other people in the waiting room, but it warmed my heart SOOOOOOOOOOOO much to see my sweet girl playing with this little boy. She has never questioned the color of someone's skin. Not once. Michael and I don't refer to people by the color of their skin. I've always been the type of person to judge someone for who they are on the inside, not the outside. I hope Abby continues to do the same.

*Spray tan
Sooo...I fell in love with my spray tan I got several weeks ago. So much so that I went to Sally's and bought a self-spray tanner. It comes with a refillable "gun" that you put cans of tanner in. I wasn't real sure how I was going to spray myself....so I got Michael to do it. Poor Michael thought it was gonna be a one time thing. Little did he know, it would need to be done every 3 days! haha!! It works really good....and it sure beats laying out in the 100 degree sun! It's called Salon Bronze. If you have a hubby that would be willing to spray you....go get some!

*What's in my bag???
Brittany Grooms, my fellow mama of a 9 monther, tagged me in a post called "What's in your bag?" Well, she made this an entire post, but I'm just too tired/lazy to go take pics of everything in my purse, so I'll just tell you what's in there. Right now I have: a can of hairspray (a big can, because my travel size ran out), 2 brushes, a make up bag, my wallet, 13 receipts, a couple happy meal toys, my iPod touch, phone charger, finger nail polish, tweezers, "Dare to Discipline" book, lotion, pain killers (oh, the joys of having kidney stones), a pair of earrings, gum, my co-lin name tag, 5 pens, a pencil, coupons, my vera bradley business card holder, and the security tag that came off my key to my new car! oh, and of course some money! :)

Ok....this post has taken me about an hour to write.....with a baby that's trying to escape out the back screen door, and a toddler that's trying to talk me out of "rest time." Daddy is outside helping install our tankless hot water heater. I think it's about time to call in for back up :) I hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay tuned for more updates a new pics!

living life in the fast lane,
TonTon

~Friday's Friend~

2010-06-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

~Ashlea McGuire~

(May 2009~I was 6 months preggo)

So, today I want to dedicate this post to a friend that I don't get to see or talk to that much, but I do still consider her a good friend!!!!!!!!!

Ashlea and I kicked off our friendship in a pretty hilarious way!!!!!! We were sitting in a history class at Holmes and I really didn't know Ashlea all that well. I leaned over to her and said, "Hey, do you wanna be in the Holmes beauty pageant?" hahaha!!! I can't remember exactly how the rest of the convo went, but I know it took me a while to talk her into it. And I'm sooooooooo glad I did, because doing this pageant together is a memory I will NeVeR forget!!! First of all, neither one of us had ever done a pageant before. What in the world possessed us to do this??? I can't stop laughing as I type this, because I still don't understand why we did this? Anyway....the day of the pageant, we had to drive to the main campus of Holmes which was in Goodman. The whole way to Goodman we kept asking eachother, "WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?!?" Well, we get there, get our hair and make up done, and head for the stage. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I really can't stop laughing!!!! I seriously don't remember details about the pageant, and it's probably because I've blocked it from my memory!! All I remember is that neither of us got in the Top 20, so we decided to cut on out....even though we were supposed to wait til the end of the pageant because they wanted all the contestants to come back out on the stage. We opted not to do that. We were ready to get out of those stupid dresses and go get a freakin burger!! Our parents started looking for us when they noticed we didn't return to the stage. We met them at the cars and headed home. I can't remember the ride home at all, but I'm sure it consisted of 2 hours of nonstop laughter!

So....from then on, we developed one of the best friendships I have EVER had! We made SOoooooooooo many friends at Holmes and always had something to do. We'd go boating after school, go to parties on the weekends, road trips, we'd spend the night with eachother every single night of the week, and let's not forget college nights on Thursdays! We LIVED for Thursday nights. No, really....we did! I won't even go into details about those nights, but let's just say....I'm so glad we didn't end up dead or in jail! There was always some kind of drama going on around us, but Ashlea and I always managed to stick together through it all. Well, until something happend.....and I am racking my brain but cannot remember what it was....and it kinda took a toll on our friendship. We didn't talk for a really long time, and I was so sad because I knew that I had lost one of my best friends in the world.

Well, we both ended up at USM and we started patching up our friendship. Ashlea hated USM and I loved it! She ended up moving back home and I ended up dating a guy, getting pregnant, marrying him, and moving to his hometown!! Ashlea has also gotten married and is still living in Clinton. Even though we live an hour away from eachother, we still do a pretty good job of keeping in touch.

Ashlea, I wish we could hang out more because I think about you ALL the time and I really miss you!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you and Dan, and even though I haven't been able to get to know him that well.....I can tell that he makes you SO happy!! I cherish all the memories that we have together, and even though we aren't able to make new memories very often....I will always cherish the ones that we are able to make! The song I chose to put with this blog is Daniel Beddingfield's "I gotta get thru this"....I don't know if you remember, but this is the song we listened to the whole way to the pageant that day. I hope you laugh as much as I did while I was typing this!!!!!!! I love you with all my heart!

NOT a pageant girl,

Tonya

~tOn'S tHoUgHtS oN tHuRsDaY~

2010-06-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

*I need a hobby!
My typical summer day consists of: waking up at 6:00, working from 7:30-4:30, coming home and cleaning the house, cooking dinner (or picking up fast food), playing with the kids, catching up on some DVR (like once a week-if that!), bathing kids, straightening up the house, and then crashing!!! However, the 1st Tuesday of every month is Girl's Night Out and the 3rd Tuesday of every month is Bunko. So, that's a good break!!! But something is still missing. I NEED A HOBBY! Anything! But what???? I don't have the time (or patience) to scrapbook, I'm not athletic, and I'm so busy being a wife and mommy...do I really have TIME for a hobby??? Maybe being a wife and mommy IS my hobby? Who knows....let me know if you have any simple hobby ideas :)

*I'm an idiot
Today I had to workout alone, because my workout partner had to run some errands. So, I'm in the fitness center by myself and I decide to try to tumble!!! hahaha!!! I'm pretty sure I haven't tumbled since high school....or junior high even! Well, it was very obvious when I landed on my head, broke my back, and pulled every muscle in my body. I laid on the floor and thought I was dying. My back will never be the same.

*Master's Degree
So, I'm wanting to go back to school. Is that the stupidest thing ever??!?! Well, ever since I've worked at Co-Lin, I've wanted to teach! Maybe not full time, but I want to be able to teach a class or two at a college level. The only way to make that a possibility is to go back to school to get my masters!!!! It'll have to be an online program, and I'm really scared about being disciplined enough to keep up with school work, work full time, and take care of mommy/wifey duties??? I was wanting to start in August, but I haven't done ANY research....so it may be next year?!

*Bonita Springs, FL
The whole fam is going to the beach in July with Farm Bureau!!! Michael won another trip, but this time the whole family gets to go!!!!!!!! I'm SOOO excited, because this resort is supposed to be super nice! I've been doing alot of online shopping.....trying to find the kiddos some cute matching outfits to wear while we're there! Michael doesn't want me to match them EVERY day we're there, so I decided to compromise.....they'll match every OTHER day :) (I also got them matching swimsuits from Kelly's Kids!)

*Spray Tan update
A few people have asked me about my spray tan I got a couple weeks ago. I LOVED IT! It wasn't orange at all, it lasted a week, and it didn't sploch when it faded. If we had an extra $120 in our budget for tanning, I'd do it every week!

*Birthday Bash!!
Michael and I have birthdays in June that are 4 days apart. In the past, we have combined our birthdays and had 1 big party. I'm trying to think of something fun we could do this year?? I want to rent a limo and get it to bring us and all our friends to Jackson. But omg, that would cost a fortune....since it would be 2 hours of travel! So....who knows? We may just have another big cookout, because our last one was SO much fun!!

*A sick hubby=a sad wifey
I hate when Michael is sick! He is my rock, and when he's sick I feel like the whole house falls to pieces! It makes me sad to see Michael moping around. But he has been a great sick husband. All he could do for a couple days was just lay around....but when he saw that I needed help, he would force himself off the couch and help me tend to the kids. I really appreciate this, because truth be told.....when I'm sick-I just want to mope....not help!

I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow! I'm so excited it's finally Friday.....and I'm even more excited that I get off at 12:30!! yayayayayyayayayayayay :)

TGIAF (Thank God It's Almost Friday),
Tonya

MY 100TH POST!!!!!!!!

2010-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

So....I've been thinking long and hard about how to "celebrate" my 100th post. I've come up with nothing! haha! So, I guess I'll just share 100 things about ME!....the good, the bad, and the ugly! I'm not sure if I can come up with 100, so I'm gonna get Michael and Abby to help.....

100-i love to be comfy

99-i love a clean baby

98-i bathe my kids every other night.....because i once heard that if you bathe too much, it washes off "essential oils" that your body needs? haha....i dont know?

97-i watch cartoons more than my shows.

96-i'm ok with that

95-i carry a big purse, because i like to cram random crap in there! (ex: a full can of hairspray, a miniature makeup bag, two wallets, a water bottle, a video camera, every kind of medicine i ever might need, snacks, LOTS of receipts, etcccc)

94-i laugh real hard (Abby came up with that one)....but I do LOVE to laugh!!!

93-i am OCD about a clean house.

92-if i'm ever in a bad mood, it's probably because my house is a mess

91-my definition of a messy house is:a few dishes in the sink, a couple toys on the floor, and beds unmade

90-i have blue eyes (Michael came up with that one. He's so creative!)

89-i loveeeeeeeeee the beach

88-i love to shop. but i am a penny pincher!! i will talk myself out of 99% of the things i put in my basket

87-my favorite flower is a SUNflower

86-i don't like to plant flowers. i just want someone to do it for me.

85-i unconsciously suck in my stomach/tighten my abs at all times

84-i love to be super cold and then crawl underneath a warm blanket.

83-i don't like to be hot

82-i am TERRIFIED of bees, wasps, horseflies, etc.

81-one of my biggest fears is that i'll be trapped in my car with any of the above and it would cause me to wreck

80-i'm a scaredy cat (Abby came up with that)

79-i love how Michael's arm pits smell. i guess i should say i love the way his deodorant smells!

78-i have no musical talent

77-i love to write

76-i had a poem published once

75-i'm starting to get baby fever already! YIKES!

74-i take lots of pics

73-i don't ever print them out

72-i have a nervous habit of pulling my eyelashes out

71-i'm incredibly beautiful (Michael came up with that one)

70-i am VERY insecure!!!!

69-i don't mind washing or folding clothes....but i hate putting them up!

68-i hate for people to be mad at me

67-i have no athletic ability

66-the only sport i like to watch is football

65-i am very tender hearted.

64-i WILL own a Corvette before I die. Either a brand new one, or a black Stingray convertible.

63-i love to watch people and try to figure out their "story"

62-i hate science and history.

61-i really don't remember anything i learned in school. i memorize, test, and forget.

60-i used to pick up my steak and eat it....until my first prom. my parents made me learn how to use a fork and a knife.

59-i love to organize.

58-i love lists.

57-i used to be in charge of our bills and budget....until this past March, Michael took over. it has been so nice!

56-i love to shop online because i love getting packages

55-the greatest joy in my life is being a mom and a wife

54-i try to fix people's problems because i want everyone to be happy

53-i can be envious at times. it's a constant struggle.

52-i like to decorate.

51-i have the MESSIEST car!!!

50-i have a chicken pox scar on my nose

49-i love spending time with my family.

48-i hateeeeeeeeeee bugs!!!!! if i see a bug in my house, i immediately call the exterminator!

47-i have made abby terrified of bugs. she will cry until i call the exterminator.

46-i love sweet tea, but i can't drink it because of my kidney stones

45-i have passed 6 kidney stones, gotten 5 blasted, and still have about 7

44-i hate when my husband is sick. he is my rock.

43-i assume.....alot!

42-i've only been in the ocean like 5 times in my entire life. i hate sharks and jellyfish.

41-my favorite color is light blue

40-i like to go go go!!!

39-i want long hair. but i have no patience to grow it out.

38-i love to dye my hair brown in the fall/winter.

37-michael likes it blonde.

36-i haven't always had bad time management, but 2 kids and a full time job will do that to ya!

35-i am VERY easily entertained

34-i can't stand for my hands to be sticky

33-i hate every picture of myself (see #70)

32-by the time i'm 30 i want to be: debt free, through having kids, and a stay-at-home mom

31-i love party food.

30-i'm silly (Abby came up with that one)

29-i miss my grandmother.

28-my dream job is to be a marketing rep/event planner at Disney World

27-i'm outgoing and love people (Michael came up with those)

26-I turn 26 on June 24th!!

25-my favorite shows: anything on TLC and HGTV, 24, The Bachelor/ette, American Idol, The Office

24-i love to make new friends

23-i freakin LOVE to dance...in the car, at work, at home, at a club, anywhere!!

22-i love me time. because it's very rare.

21-i have daddy issues.

20-i'm not where i want to be spiritually

19-i love to play games.

18-i like to plan and host parties!

17-i like attention

16-i like to read. i just don't ever have time.

15-i love a molten chocolate cake from Chili's

14-i like to travel

13-i have wrinkles under my eyes.

12-i want botox.

11-when i have an idea, i want it done right away!

10-i loveeeeeeeeeee Christmas. i love decorating, i love buying presents, i love being "Santa Claus," i love hosting parties, i love going to parties, i love celebrating the birth of Christ

9-i love to exercise. i just don't do it enough

8-i don't like to eat healthy stuff

7-i want to own a boat

6-i love to blog. Michael said it's like my BFF! ha!!!

5-i used to have my nose pierced.

4-i have crazy random dreams! i used to keep a dream journal.

3-i love chocolate chip pizza from Mazzios.

2-i clean out my fridge like once a month.

1-i love a good bubble bath!!

i'm just a girl,

Tonya

~Friday's Friend~

2010-05-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

~Mallory Whitlock Hall~

(June 2008)

I'm so excited about telling this story, because it's such a neat friendship story!!! Mallory and I started our friendship in Junior High. She was new to town, and our class loved getting to know her! My memory has pretty much vanished due to age and having 2 kids, but here are the memories that I have of junior high days with Mal.....going to pick her up for prayer breakfast, hanging out at her house after school, spend the night parties (sometimes on week nights!), cutting thru her neighborhood to go to Traceway park to watch our guys play baseball, laughing our heads off (Inch High Private Eye haha!!), and of course all the drama that goes along with junior high! haha!

Well, in ninth grade Mallory announced that her family was moving to Alabama! :( It's never fun "losing" a best friend....especially when they're moving to another state! I think we tried to keep in touch for a while, but then we pretty much lost all contact....until....

We found eachother on FACEBOOK!!!!!! Gosh, I love facebook. Once we found eachother, we started talking and catching up. After about a year of "facebooking" eachother, I told her that Michael and I would be in the Birmingham area and that I'd love to get together while we were there. We were both so excited about seeing eachother after all those years! Well....at the last minute, our trip got cancelled. When I told Mal, we were both really bummed. She told us to still come and we could just stay with her and her husband, Austin. I immediately agreed! When I told Michael he said...."You haven't seen this girl since 9th grade and now we're about to load up our family and drive 7 hours to stay with them??" hahaha....it did sound kinda silly when he put it like that. But we went anyway! And I'm SOOO glad we did!!!

We got to their house in Cullman, AL around midnight. It was such a neat reunion and we were both just so excited to see eachother! We introduced eachother to our husbands and to Abby. We all ended up talking for about an hour and a half and then decided it was time to crash! The rest of the weekend consisted of: a festival, fishing, eating, sight seeing, taking LOTS of pics, playing Apples to Apples, going to their church, and catching up! It was such a fun weekend, and you would've NEVER thought it had been 9 years since we had seen eachother. Mal's husband is a GREAT guy and him and Michael hit it off instantly!! And of course Abby loved them, and they loved her! I was so sad when we had to leave to go back home.

Since that reunion, they have come to Brookhaven to stay with us, we met at Ross Bridge and spent the weekend together, we've met a couple times in Jackson, we talked about moving to Cullman and all living together (hahaha!!!), and we try to keep in touch the best we can. Actually, I think Michael and Austin do a better job of keeping in touch than me and Mallory. SHAME ON US!! :) However, ever since I had Parker, I've been chasing my life in a full sprint....and still can't catch up!! It's been wayyyyyyyyyy too long since we've seen our Hall besties, and now Mal is preggie and they've moved into a new house....so we've GOT to get to Cullman AsAP!!

Mallory, I am SOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo happy for you and Austin. Yall are going to be the absolute best parents in the world!!!! (Well, besides for us! haha) I hope we can plan a trip this summer, because once baby Hall gets here....it will be even harder to plan trips! I'm glad that we have "reunited" and I hope our friendship continues to grow....even with 7 hours of distance between us! I love you, girl!

your friend,

Tina Tanya Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-05-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

*HGTV
....I'm obsessed! I could watch HGTV all day...if I didn't have a job or 2 kids! And it gets better....Michael loves it too!! He'll watch it sometimes without me! :) Gotta love a man who can watch a show about redecorating and remodeling! hehe

*Nawlins
Yes, so we are making our 4th trip to New Orleans this year. Except this time we're making it an "All About Abby" trip! We're leaving Parker with my parents, and we're taking Abby to the new children's museum and to the zoo. We're just staying one night, so we've got lots to cram into 2 days....lots of eating, sightseeing, shopping, and playing! The past 9 months have been hard on Abby. She's gone from having all our attention to having....well....not all our attention. So, that's why we decided to leave Parker behind. We want and NEED some alone time with Abby! Oh, and our Esser Besties will be there, so it'll be extra fun!

*Campus visits are my favorite!
One aspect of my job is to give tours around campus. It's one of my favorite parts of my job, because I never know how it's gonna go down. But I loveeeeeeeee meeting new people, so it's like I get to meet new friends every day :) Anyway, I had a guy come in the other day for a campus visit. I asked his name and he had to repeat it twice for me to understand......"Da Hottie"....That's probably not how you spell it, but that's how it's pronounced! haha!!! So....can I just call you "Hottie"?? hehe!

*Curly hair????????
So....Parker's hair is getting longer....and CURLY! He's got a few places on his head that have ringlet curls! I'm in love. Who does he get curly hair from? Well, my dad and my sister both have curly hair. There's really nothing cuter than a little boy with curly hair.....even though he'll probably hate it when he's older. I hope the curls keeping curling :)

*Didn't I just get a new car?
Yes, I did! And I really do love my Burban Bus! But I have a dream car.....a 2010 2 toned White/Tan Toyota Sequoia. Oh. My. Gosh. They are FINE! Michael told me to go get me one! (I really am blessed to have a man that is on board with any and every idea I come up with!) But we just can't afford it right now....and I'm happy with my vehicle. But...one day....I will have one!

*Birth control update
UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! It's just another reason to hate being a woman! Can't life just be easy? And perfect? YES IT CAN! But not until we die.....sigh....so, until then we'll just be hormonal and crazy! haha!!! So, Monday night I forgot to take my pill. I woke up Tuesday as Satan. I was mean, irritable, emotional, and just blah! Well then Tuesday night I take Monday's pill AND Tuesday's pill. I woke up Wednesday nausiated! YAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!! I called my OBGYN's nurse and asked her what the heck was going on. She said that when you miss a day, your body kinda freaks out. YA THINK!?!?!? She told me to keep taking it for another 2 months to see if everything will just even out. I told her that in 2 more months I may be divorced, unemployed, have no friends, and be in Whitfield. I'm thinking that I'd just rather take my chances that we'd have 200 more kids than to stay on this birth control any longer. We'll see.

*Adding a member to our family?
No....not a child. A dog. Michael and I have been tossing this idea around for about a year now. We just keep talking ourselves out of it, because we're gone so much. Who would take care of the dog while we're gone. And is it really fair to leave it all the time? I'm not the type of person to have a pet just to have it. I want to be able to play with it and make it a member of our family. So....are we ready for this yet? I'm just not sure? Yeah, it could be an outside pet....but I would feel bad leaving it out in the cold/rain/heat while we're inside enjoying the heat/dry/air. If you have any advice, then please do share!

Ok....it's 10:00 and I'm tard!!!!!!!! I hope everyone has a FABULOUS FRIDAY! And a WONDERFUL WEEKEND! And a MEMORABLE MEMORIAL day! hahaha!!!

your friend/sister/wife/daughter/co-worker,
TB ;)

~Friday's Friend~

2010-05-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

~Brandi Barrett~

(2009 Beth Moore Conference)

Once again, this is the ONLY picture I could find of us!!!!!!!!!!! What is the deal??!?!? Have we seriously only taken ONE picture together since we've been besties?! Well, it's a good thing we're having a cookout tomorrow night. We're all having a photo shoot....all 16 of us--and all 12 kids!!!!

Anyway.....I met Brandi Barrett at a Christmas party in 2008. It was a progressive supper, so we were able to hang out and get to know eachother throughout the night. However, we REALLY became good friends because of our "Bachelor" girls group. We met every Monday night to follow Jason through his journey. And then we all ended up hating him....rightfully so!!!!!!!!!!!! So, once we started hanging out more, we realized that not only did we get along so well, but so did our kiddos and hubbys!!! We started getting the families together for cookouts, after church lunches, and play dates. I. Love. The. Barrett. Family.

Brandi and I are so alike in lots of ways. We're both have very outgoing personalities, and we both pour ourselves 100% into our friendships. I learned early on that Brandi would be a keeper! haha!! We started going to eachother for prayer, to vent, to laugh, and just to talk. It's the type of friendship that when you go one day without talking to eachother, you're like...."something's wrong!" Over the past year and a half of our friendship we have: had sleepovers, gone to the beach together, been through pregnancies together, attended church together, and hung out on a daily basis......until......

The Barrett's moved! :( It was a sadddddddddd day when Brandi told me they were going to move to Monticello, but we all knew that God was calling them to move. It's been so neat to see God work in Brandi's family over the past 9 months. Not only has God blessed them with a new home and a new job...He has also blessed them with their second child--John Henry. I just wish God would call them back to Brookhaven now :) Brandi and I don't see eachother much anymore, and we don't talk every day like we used to....but when we do talk, we just pick up where we left off.

Brandi, you are such a precious friend to me. God not only blessed me with a friend, but he blessed my whole family with friends. I hope that once our lives get back to normal, we'll be able to make more trips to see eachother. We will NOT let 20 minutes drive us apart!!! Thank you for always being there for me. I love you so much!!!!

your friend,

Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-05-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

*Spray tan
I've been taking this antibiotic that won't allow me to be in the sun. UGH!!! So, for the past week I haven't laid out or gone to the tanning bed. Well, when you have super fair skin, you have to tan consistently to keep color. Needless to say, my tan is GONE! Soooo.....I've decided to take the plunge and just get sprayed! I go tomorrow. I've been sprayed once before and I loved how it turned out. I'm excited about being tan again....but this only lasts for a week. What will I do then? Hmmmm.....

*Forever Young
Have you heard this song by Jay Z? Well, turn up your volume and you can! (I couldn't find the edited version, so you'll have to excuse some of the dirty words) :) I heard it on the way to work this morning, and now that I have this commute alone.....I jam out! Sometimes I use this time for praise & worship, sometimes I use this time to just be silent, and sometimes I use this time to get my jam on! So, this morning I got crunk about being FOREVER YOUNG! I may age year after year, but I can promise you that inside I will be young foreverrrr!

*Half day Friday
Yes, I work through the summer. Most people think I have summers off because I work at a school. Well, I don't! It's a big bummer, because it's a ghost town around Co-Lin during the summer. But we DO get off at 12:30 on Fridays, so that's a big plus! Some Fridays I'll go straight home to my kiddos so we can play....but some Fridays I'll keep the sitter til 4:00 so I can go enjoy some me time! Like tomorrow......exercise, hair appointment, and spray tan! YAY for Fridays!!!!

*Wigs
My close friends know that I get real bored with my hair!!!!!!!!!!!! I change something about my hair like every 2 months. Well, now that I've cut ALL my hair off, I can do nothing now but wait for it to grow. B-O-R-I-N-G!!! Not to mention that I have 320480298340398 layers, so it will be a hott mess while it grows out. Well, one of my co-workers gave me the brilliant idea of wearing wigs! hahahaha!!!! HECK YES! I have no idea where to even buy wigs....but I'm about to find out. The first one I will purchase will be a black bob. I've always wanted to know what I'd look like with black hair. :) How perfect is this??? Now I can change my hair without really changing it. No, I won't wear wigs every day....but I think it'll be super fun to do every now and then. And plus....I can't wait to see everyone's reaction! There's never a dull moment in my life....I'm always looking for ways to keep it interesting. (As if 2 kiddos aren't enough)

*Childlike faith
So, last night Abby was too scared to sleep in her bed, so after an hour of arguing with her about it -Michael and I decided she could sleep with us. Abby and I were cuddling, and she looked at me and said...."Mama, when I die will I go to heaven with Jesus?" Oh my goodness! What a sweet question!!! I'm not sure Abby's ready for the "how to be saved" talk yet, so I just kept this conversation as innocent and simple as possible. So, I said to her...."Yes baby, you'll go to heaven!" And then she asked, "Will Jesus make me into an angel?" I said, "Yes He will! And you will be the most beautiful angel!!" Then she said, just as concerned as can be, "But mama, I don't even have an angel costume!" haha!!! I couldn't help but kinda laugh, and then I said, "Well, Jesus will have one for you when you get to heaven." She asked, "But will He have a tiny one that will fit me?" Then with a knot in my stomach I replied, "Yes baby, but hopefully you'll be big when you get to heaven. I'm not ready for you to go just yet." And she said, "It's okay mama, I want you to go with me." I still tear up when I think about it. My sweet baby girl is so in love with Jesus at such an early age. She doesn't really know all the details about who Jesus is, but she doesn't have to....all she knows is-she loves Him! Where is my childlike faith? Why do I overanalyze everything? Jesus wants us to grow in our faith, but He also wants us to keep the childlike innocence and just love Him for who He is.

Alright, well this laptop is about to die....and I'm way too lazy to go get the charger out of my room!!! :) I hope yall have a good night....tune in tomorrow for Friday's Friend!

much love,
Tonya

Breaking FREE!!!!

2010-05-16T15:35:00.001-07:00

So, today I was finally able to finish the FIRST session of the "Breaking Free" bible study by Beth Moore. I hope each session does not take me a week to complete, but if it does, then so be it. I don't want to rush through this study....but I don't want to drag it out either. I am SO excited about what God is going to do in my life, and I want to share a little with yall along the way.

*When you live in fear of the spirit, you live in defeat!*
Wow! When she said that, I was like...."NOOOO!! I don't want to be defeated!!!" Well, I'm going to be, unless I stop living in fear! I never realized that living in fear of the spirit was giving Satan total victory in my life. That's my motivation to break free!

*The people of God can be very OPPRESSED by the enemy.
-The definition of oppressed is...to overwhelm or crush.
-Do you feel overwhelmed or crushed? Oh, I do!
-4 reasons why we can become crushed by the enemy:
1)Testing-God will allow it, in order to grow us.
2)Chastisement (or punishment) for rebellion against God
3)Lack of submission to God's authority
4)Weakness in warfare
.....Ok, I think I can pretty much relate to all 4 reasons!

*For the Christian.....
-Our prison doors are locked from the INSIDE!
-Satan does not not not hold the key!!! He has no authority in our life, so STOP giving him permission!

*In order to be free, you must recognize and forsake all other "gods" or idols.

*God recognizes our fears and insecurities....
-This was neat for me to understand, because I always feel bad when I feel fearful or insecure. But God recognizes this in me...and He wants me to know that if I will stick with Him, He will make me a "mighty warrior."

I am very encouraged as I start this journey of breaking free. God doesn't promise that this will be an easy, painfree journey. But He sees the potential in His children , and He appoints the experiences necessary for us to fulfill our destiny and march to victory.

Thank you, Jesus, for recognizing my sinful filthy self and still loving me. Help me to understand that in order to break free, I've got to stop allowing satan a foothold in my life. Help me, Jesus, to surrender my whole self to you, so that I can be the wife, mommy, friend, sister, child, and Christian that I am called to be.

marching towards victory,
Tonya

~Friday's Friend~

2010-05-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hellooooo.....almost forgot about this today! Usually I'm counting down the days til Friday's Friend, but this week has been ca-freakin-razy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael's been outta town (BOO!), my birth control has made me a maniac (super BOO!), I started an antibiotic that makes me drowsy all day (super duper BOO!), and my kiddos started a new routine!! But....enough about me....let's get to today's friend:

Sandy Cunningham

So, me and Sandy have been besties for a little over a year now. However, I've known her for almost 2 years. The first thing I really remember about Sandy is meeting her in Sunday School. Michael and I had just joined Easthaven Baptist Church, and we started going to the young married adult class. Sandy was pregnant at the time. I remember that, because one of our first Sundays in the class, they were having a baby shower for her. I didn't bring a gift. I'm sorry, Sandy...and Carson! Geez, I started off as a terrible friend, didn't I!?! Anyway, she had Carson in November. That's when I started to hear the name "Sandy Cunningham" ALOT more!!!

She had a veryyyyyyyyyyyy rough delivery with Carson. I won't go into details, but she was in and out of the hospital for about 2 months. She finally had to have surgery, and the doctors told her there was a 50/50 chance that she'd make it through. I still did not know Sandy very well at this point, but everytime we'd get an update at church-I would pray for her! I just couldn't imagine just having a baby and then not getting to be with it for almost 2 months!!!!!! But she got through it.

So....I guess it was a couple months later that The Cunningham's invited us over for dinner. That was the first night that we really got to know them more. You know, sometimes it's a little nerve-racking when you go to someone's house that you really don't know. You ask yourself, "Do they eat the same things we do?", "Will we have things to talk about?", "Will our kids play good together?", "Will our personalities clash?", "Are they weird???" hahaha!!! Well, to answer all those questions....The Cunninghams and The Bishops are pretty much the same people! We have the same interests, we eat the same type of food, we enjoy the same hobbies, we watch the same shows, and our kids love eachother! It was just a match made in heaven!!! :)

Over the past year, Sandy and I have gone on trips together, laughed together, cried together, shared secrets, started a Bunko group, hosted lots of dinner dates, and just do things that best friends do. I treasure everything about my friendship with Sandy. I know without a doubt that if I need her, any time of the day, she will be there. And I hope she knows the same about me! But I do have to tell you one thing that Sandy and I are not allowed to talk about....our worries. Sandy and I are both worry warts, and we have learned that if we call eachother to talk about these worries...it only makes us worry more!! Example: Tonya-OMG, Sandy! I've been having real bad pain and I'm afraid it might be cancer. Sandy-OH GOSH TONYA! I'm so sorry to hear that! You should go to the doctor right away and start chemo! hahahaha! That's not an actual conversation, but it defly could be! I love you, Sandy. :)

I have been so incredibly blessed, since we've lived in Brookhaven, to have the best friends EVER! The Cunninghams have been such good friends to our family. Once again, God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams with friends that care about me, my husband, and my kids as much as we do!

Thank you, Sandy, for being my best friend. I love you with all my heart!!! And today I dedicate this post to you....and to many more years of watching our friendship grow, watching our children grow up together, and watching our husbands get old! haha!!

TGIF,

Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-05-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

*Birth Control
...is of the devil! Ugh!!! I haven't been on BC in like 3 years, so I don't even remember what it's like. Until now. I got on the pill this past Sunday. My doctor recommended that I get on "seasonique" (sp???) which means I'll only have a period 3 times a year. I thought that was a fabulous idea. Not so much. It has made me a crazy person. I cry for no reason. I want to scream at everyone I come in contact with. I feel S-I-C-K all the time. No. Thank. You!!!!!!!!!!

*To work or not to work
(sidenote: this probably isn't a good day to have thoughts, because with my hormones out of whack, most of my thoughts have been negative) So anyway, I left my daughter crying this morning. Her first year of "school" has just ended and now she's staying with a sitter. She's not used to this one bit. She misses her teacher and her friends at school. So, this morning when I had to leave for work, she cried and asked me not to leave her! UgHhHHhhhhHHHhhH!!!!!! That is the absolute HARDEST thing for a mother to do. The whole way to Crystal Springs Awards Program, I cried. I felt so guilty. "Why am I working?"...."Why did I just leave my child at home crying?????"....."Why don't I just quit my job and stay at home?" Well, first of all...we can't financially afford for me NOT to work. And my job requires me to be full-time, so part-time is not an option right now. Secondly, my children are being taken care of. They just need to get used to this new routine. Thirdly, this is where God wants me. He has blessed me with an amazing job. So, if I must work then at least it's doing something I love to do with people I love to be around. Fourthly (is that a word?), I'm hormonal. Usually I wouldn't have been bothered so much by this, but today I was.

*Tired
I'm on an antibiotic that I have to take in the morning and at night. Here's the kicker....it makes me drowsy! Work+drowsiness+queeziness+hormones=ughhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

*Shout out to a couple co-workers
Susann-thanks for putting up with my ill mood today. Hopefully tomorrow I'll make our walk around campus a little more pleasant :)
DJ Brew-thanks for putting my ill mood into perspective.

*Breaking Free
So, I finally started the first session of this bible study on Tuesday. And that's as far as I've gotten. Go figure.

Ok, that's all I can come up with today. I'm not in the mood to think....especially not happy thoughts!

ill,
Tonya

Happy EVERYTHING!!!

2010-05-09T17:40:00.001-07:00

Soooooo many reasons to celebrate today! #1)It's Mother's Day #2)It was baby dedication for Parker #3) Parker is 8 months (and 1 day) old!!!!

Today I am celebrating my 3rd mother's day. But today was DOUBLE the pleasure :) Having 2 kids has been an adjustment, but it is such a blessing! People ask me if we will have more kids, and I'm just not sure I can answer that question right now. I am so happy with having 2 kids, because we're not outnumbered as parents! And....we have a girl and a boy. PERFECT! So, who knows? I guess the best way to answer that question is....we're not PLANNING for another one...we're just letting God do His thang! So, anyways....my mother's day has consisted of: breakfast in bed, family pictures, dedicating my son to the Lord, more family pictures, lunch with BOTH families (I'm so blessed to have families that like to hang out together), nap time, a stroll with the kids around the block, a stir fry dinner made by my hubby, posted some long overdue pics, and now I'm sitting on the couch relaxing. Sometimes I think to myself, "Self, remember how fun it was being single, doing whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted?!" and then I remind myself, "Self, that stage of life is gone, and being a mom is much more rewarding!!!" But I have to say this...every day is like Mother's Day for me, thanks to my wonderful husband. Yes, he treated me like a princess today....but he treats me like that everyday! I am so incredibly blessed to have Michael Bishop as my husband. I love you, baby!

So, today was special for another reason. We were able to dedicate Parker to the Lord. For those of you who don't understand what I mean.....dedicating a baby to the Lord doesn't "save" them....it's just a commitment to "Train up a child in the way he should go, so when he gets old he will not depart from it." It meant so much to have our entire family (except Matthew and Kristen) there to celebrate this dedication. Abby and Parker are so blessed to have grandparents, aunts, and uncles that care about them so much!!

Ok, let's talk about my little man turning 8 months old!!! I can hardly believe that we'll be celebrating his FIRST birthday in 4 months! Yes, I have already started planning his birthday party! The them will be "TRAIN up a child in the way they should go..." So, trains will be the theme. But anyway, here's what the past month has consisted of:

-Parker is eating like crazy!!!

-He's weening himself off one of his bottles

-He's "army crawling" everywhere!

-He fell off our bed for the first time. He was fine...it just scared him....and me!

-He growls at you when he gets mad at you. (ex: if you take a toy away from him, or tell him no)

-His last day at "school" will be Tuesday.

-He's starting to go to bed earlier. Around 8, instead of 9. Abby, however, is still our night owl.

-When someone says hey to him, he sticks his hand in the air and waves.

-He loves playing with his sissie. They will sit in her room and play by themselves. It is so nice, because I'm able to get things done.

-His next checkup will be in June, so stay tuned.

Here are some other pics from today:

a super happy mommy,

Tonya

~Friday's Friend~

2010-05-07T20:13:00.001-07:00

Today I will dedicate this post to my MOM!

(2008)

Diane Lynn Hossie (maiden) Odom (first marriage)Barnes (current marriage)

My mom has been my mom for almost 26 years. Not only has she been my mom, but I can honestly say that she has been my very best friend for 25 years, 11 months, and 7 days!! Now, let me clarify what "very best friend" is NOT.....she was never the best friend mom that bought me and my friends alcohol, or let me have guys spend the night, or let me spend the night with guys, she never let me roam around town without her knowing where I was, or let me go off on co-ed trips. Yes, it was frustrating to me when I was younger because alot of my friends had parents that let them do those things. Now that I'm a mom myself, I can totally see that the boundaries she set for me were more than necessary! So, what DID my mom do? Well....first of all, she was a single mom until I was in 10th grade. Growing up without a dad was hard (I'm just now starting to see how much it unknowingly affected me), but my mom did a FABULOUS job of raising me and my sister. She knew how to demand respect, but she also knew how to have fun while doing it! She would let me and my sister skip school to take us to the fair, she would take me and my friends rolling, she would come dance with us at some of the Methodist dances, she was all about a slumber party, she would turn our (hideous) minivan into a "limo" (haha!!), she would take us on picnics, trips to the beach, go on field trips with my class, and despite our 1 income family....we NEVER did without! We may not have had a closet full of designer clothes, but she worked hard to make us happy. It makes me tear up just to think about all the sacrifices she made for us. My mom starting cleaning houses when I was very young, and she still does. For those of you who are homeowners, you know that cleaning your house is hardwork! She would clean 4 or 5 houses a day in order to pay our bills, put food on our table, and make sure we never did without. She didn't just work to "get by".....she worked her butt of so that we could have nice things. Some of my favorite memories are when she would let me go clean houses with her, and I would pretend like that was my house. It was so fun, because it was like I had lots of houses :)

My mom dated several guys throughout my childhood, but I knew none of them were "the right one." Until my 9th grade year. She met this guy at a body shop where our car was being fixed. I remember when she told us about him, I knew. I knew he was the one. Just by the way she talked about him. It was kinda bittersweet. I wanted my mom to be happy, but I didn't want to share her with anyone. So, Billy proposed to my mom about 3 months into their relationship. I don't remember alot about the engagement, and it was probably because I wasn't willing to open up. I mean, I had gone like 9 years without a dad. I didn't know how to act. I finally started to warm up to him after the marriage, and I grew to love him like my own dad. He was everything I could've ever imagined for a step dad....no, for a DAD....to be! But enough about Billy...I'll save that for Father's Day :)

So, back to my mom. It really was an adjustment for me when she got married. I didn't like sharing her. I was used to having her full attention, so I didn't like her giving attention to someone else. But I adjusted to it, and after a while I finally realized that Billy wasn't just someone taking up my mom's attention....he was someone that completed our family.

Over the last 10 years I have seen my mom happier than ever! And when Abby came into the picture (well, after the shock/disappointment wore off), her happiness went to a new level. It absolutely warms my heart to see my mom with my children. She would do ANYTHING for my kids. She's already asking when #3 will be here. (not real sure if there will be a #3??) But not only is she a great "Mimi"...she is STILL a great mom! I know that I could call her anytime and ask for anything and she would do everything in her power to meet my need!! For heavens sake, she comes to my house on a regular basis to help me clean and organize my house. Some may call that spoiled. I just call it lucky! Lucky to have a mom that cares that much about me and my happiness.

Mom, I love you with all my heart. I'm so glad that God has allowed us 25 years together, and I hope He allows us many more years to come. I don't know what I'd do without you!!! You provided me with a lifetime of good memories. When I look back on my childhood, I smile. And it's because of YOU! Given the circumstances, my childhood could've been hard and sad. But you worked hard to make life good for me. For Lauren. For you. You found the Lord. And you shared Him with us. For that, I will be forever grateful! Thank you for being the BEST mom in the world! Happy Mother's Day!

so blessed,

Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-05-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

*Wrinkle Release

I do not iron. So, thank God for Downy Wrinkle Release. Who would want to iron when this spray can do the job for you????? Pick out what you want to wear. Spray some wrinkle release all over it. Jump in the shower. Put on your make up. Get kids ready. Eat breakfast. And wah-lah (i know that is NOT the correct spelling)....your clothes are hanging up, ready for you to put on. And you didn't even have to waste time ironing! Works for me! :)

*Facebook clean-up

So, yesterday I decided to delete some of my facebook friends. Why? Oh, I don't know? haha! Well, mainly because I was watching a show where this kid was kidnapped because some "stalker" found them through MySpace!!!!!!!!!! So, I decided...."I'm not really FRIENDS with 950 people"....so I went through my friends list and started deleting. If you were not deleted, then congrats....we're FRIENDS! hahahaha!!!!!

*New office/New attitude

Well, not really a NEW office. I just got bored yesterday at work (which hardly EVER happens), so I decided to rearrange and organize my office. I moved my computer closer to the window so that I could enjoy the view while I work, I cleaned out my filing cabinets, I dusted, I redid my bulletin board, rearranged my bookcases, and made a list of things I NEEEEED for my office (flowers/plants, something new to hang on my door, candy for my candy dish, curtains, a rug, maybe a couch haaaaa!!!!!!). So, when I got to work today my attitude was totally refreshed. It's just something about an organized office that makes you want to work!

*Headbands

Yes, I have joined the headband club. I went and bought several headbands yesterday. You know, the ones with the big flowers on them? SUPER CUTE! But when you're 3 year old asks you if she can borrow them, you start wondering....am I too old for this? lol!

*Mothers Day

When did I turn into such a procrastinator??????????? I have not bought a single Mother's Day gift, or bought food to cook for my entire family that I'm having over, or a new dress to wear. Yikes!!! I have several "ideas" for Mother's Day, but I haven't done anything yet! As far as the food, we may just have something simple. And as far as a new dress....I may just have to re-vamp an old one?!

*Dedication

While we're on the subject of Mother's Day, I also want to share that Parker will be dedicated this Sunday! It's the absolute best Mother's Day gift EVER!!! The Lord has blessed me with 3 pregnancies, and rewarded me with 2 beautiful children. I'm just so excited about seeing the Lord use my children in the years to come. And I look forward to the day when I can meet my baby that He took home.

*Exercise update

UGH!!!!!!!!! There is no update. Because there is no exercise. What happened to me?? I used to work out EVERY SINGLE DAY. Now I'd just rather eat. Motivation, where art thou???????

*Shout out to all my Co-Lin followers

I'm so excited to know that I have several co-workers following my blog. I love yall!

*Brookhaven Spring Carnival

Do you live in the Brookhaven area? Then you doNOT want to miss out on this!!! This will be the first time Brookhaven has ever seen a carnival to this degree. Rides. Games. Food. It's going to be like a miniature MS state fair!!! It starts tonight and goes through Sunday! Bring the kiddos. It'll be a blast!!!!!!

*National Day of Prayer

Yes, it is today! If you're not able to participate in a group prayer today, then pray on your own. Pray for our country, pray for your spouse, pray for your friends, your co-workers, your children, YOURSELF!!! Here are several things that are on my prayer list for today, join me in lifting these up:

-a friend messaged me last night and said that one of her friend's TWO YEAR OLD daughter just found out she had a brain tumor. They were doing surgery today. (that really hits home with me!)

-a co-worker's son (almost 2) has been having seizures. They are running tests today.

-my mom's pap smear (sp?) came back abnormal and they're running more tests today.

-my dad is not a Christian.

-a friend of mine lost his mom to cancer a while back, and my heart has been hurting for him all week with Mother's Day coming up. Pray for those who have lost their moms. Sunday will be hard for them.

pray without ceasing,

TonTon

TURN YOUR SPEAKERS ON

2010-05-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

I just have to share these lyrics with you. This song came on while I was driving home for lunch, and it was like the exact cry of my heart! I've been really encouraged by the text messages, facebook messages, and comments about my blog post last night. I'm really excited about those of you who feel the same way I do and those who are going to do this study with me! I hope this song speaks to you like it did to me. Turn the volume up....

Let The Waters Rise lyrics
by: MIKESCHAIR

Don't know where to begin
It's like my world's caving in
And I tried but i can't control my fear
Where do I go from here

Sometimes it's so hard to pray
You feel so far away
I am willing to go where You want me to
God I trust You

There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If you want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

I will swim in the deep
Cuz You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm and the calm of the sea
You're never out of reach

God You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand

God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I'm holding on to You

God your love is enough
I will follow You
I will follow You"

let the waters rise,
Tonya

I'M SCARED!!!!!

2010-05-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

Ok there, I said it. I'm a scared'y cat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm scared of: bumble bees, sharks, being robbed at gunpoint, someone breaking into my house while we're sleeping, death, my kids getting a fatal disease, getting cancer, roaches, something happening to someone I love, letting someone down, a tree falling on our house, not seeing my dad in heaven, etc...etc....etc. Like I said, I'm a scared'y cat! Big time!! But the thing I'm the most scared of is....the end times.

I'm a Christian, and I know Christians shouldn't be scared of the end times. But. I. am. Antichrist. Christians fighting for their lives. War. Mother Nature going crazy. I've always been scared of this, but today was the first time that I realized just how much this fear was affecting my spiritual life. For the past year, I've been thinking that I fell into a pit. I've been trying to get out, but I've gotten no where. Well, today after hearing a sermon at church, I figured out that I'm not in a pit. I'm under bondage. A bondage of fear. A paralyzing fear. Something deep down inside of me wants to break free, but my flesh is just too scared. Just like I don't watch the news because I don't want to hear of bad things....I don't want to read the Word or deepen my spiritual walk, because I don't want to know what other bad things are going to happen. What are my kids going to do? Will they survive this crazy world after I'm gone? If it's this bad now, then what will it be like in 20 years? 10 years? NEXT YEAR, for crying out loud?!!?

So, there is no doubt that I'm in the middle of spiritual warfare. Satan knows that fear is my greatest weakness. It doesn't take much to make me afraid of something. So, he (satan) is having a HAY-DAY with this!!! Satan's goal since the beginning of time has been to lead Christians astray. Make them question their faith. Make them question God. Make them question eternity. But you know something.....satan will NOT win this battle.

Last week, I googled "Beth Moore" to see what bible study I wanted to start. Automatically I thought of the "Get Out of the Pit" book, but for some reason her "Breaking Free" study kept standing out to me. Well, now I know why. I don't need to get out of a pit....I need to BREAK FREE!!!!!!

I plan on starting the study tomorrow, and I feel led to blog about it. Maybe daily. Maybe weekly. I don't know. But I want yall to join me on this journey. You may not be under the same bondage as I am, but if you're under ANY bondage at all then break free with me!

Thank yall for allowing me to be honest with yall. It's not something I'm proud of at all, but it's real. It exists in my life. I'm ready to be free. And I'm willing to share my testimony in hopes that it will help someone else out there. I'd love some feedback throughout this journey, if you feel led.

weighed down with fear,
Tonya

~Friday's Friend~

2010-04-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today I will introduce one of my BEST friends in the world!!!!!!

(me, Jenn, and Tiff, 2008)

Jennifer Esser

First things first. It just took me 30 minutes to find a freakin picture of me and Jenn. And as you can see, I still could not find one of JUST us!!?! Mainly because I'm not on my computer, where all my pics are saved....but....I couldn't even find one of us on Facebook?!? What the crap! That's pathetic, Jenn. We must do something about this. Next time we're together, we're having a photo shoot! And then I'll make a "Ton/Jenn" album on FB!

So, anyway. Jennifer and I have been friends since 2004. But she hated me back then! hahaha!! She says she didn't hate me, but she did. I'm just kidding she really didn't, but she just never talked to me! We both worked at McRae's together (yes, it was still known as McRae's). We worked in the children's section. She was finishing up at Pearl River, and I was just starting at USM. Which is probably another reason we weren't best friends right off. We both had a different group of friends at the time. However, our friendship is all because of our husbands. (That's the only thing we'll ever give them credit for! haha!!) Michael and Jennifer's husband, Justin, started working together. They didn't know eachother either, but they actually talked to eachother! ha! Ok, I'm sorry. I'll stop. :) So, anyway. Michael came to the mall to take me to lunch one day, and while we were in the food court, Michael said..."there's a guy I work with. Let me go say hello." And then I'm like..."umm...he's with a girl that I work with?? weird!!" So....that's how it all started.

Jennifer and Justin got married in December of 2004. She quit McRae's around the same time, so we didn't have that connection anymore. But thankfully our husbands still worked together. Well, as I said before, we were running with different groups, so the only times our paths crossed was when the hubs wanted to get together. Jenn found out she was pregnant real soon after they got married. I found out I was pregnant shortly after. Being pregnant at the same time definitley made our friendship stronger! Jennifer had her son, Austin, in August of 2006. I had my daughter, Abby, in January of 2007. They are 5 months apart and best friends! After having kids around the same time, going to the same church, and living right across the street from eachother...our friendship was no longer just a basic friendship. Jennifer was my best friend. She was the type of friend that I had longed for my entire life. We are alike in some ways and totally opposite in some ways. But our personalities compliment eachother. We've never had a "fight." We've never really even been mad at eachother. When we hang out, it doesn't matter what we do. We always have fun! It's so neat because our husbands are best friends and so our the kiddos. Jenn now has another son, Caleb, that was born March 8. He is exactly six months younger than Parker. We hope they'll soon be best friends also! By the way, Jennifer's maternity leave ends on Monday. Be praying for her as she goes back to work. It's never easy to leave your babies!

The only downfall of this whole friendship is that we now live an hour and a half from eachother. And when you have 2 kids, it makes planning trips a little difficult. But we make it happen. It may only be once a month, or once every 2 months, but we make it happen!

The Essers are family to us. They're not LIKE family, they ARE family! God blessed me with a friendship that I didn't know could exist! And even though having 2 kids has made us crazy, busy, maniac mommys....we know that no matter what, we're just a phone call (or text message) away.

I love you, Jennifer Esser! I know I've told you this many times, but you are such a blessing to me....and I seriously don't know what I'd do without you.

the crazy obnoxious friend,

Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-04-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

*The Lord woke me up at 4:30 this morning and literally SHOUTED at me to get up. I said, "No thanks, I'm way too tired!" Then He proceeds to make the cat start meowing (behind closed doors), so I had no choice to get up. But....as soon as I let the cat out, I went back to bed. So, what did the Lord have to tell me at 4:30 this morning? What have I done??!!? I've been begging God to rescue me from this freakin pit that I'm stuck in. And when He tries to call out to me, I say..."No thanks. Too tired. Goodnight." UGHHHH!!!!!!! Pray for me. This warfare is driving me NUTS!

*I've been assigned the new Trailblazer Advisor at Co-Lin. The Trailblazer group is our student recruitment team. They help with on campus and off campus recruitment. I was a co-advisor this year, and I LOVED it!! I love getting to work with Co-Lin students, because I don't really get to that much. I'm always out at the high schools working with their students. Which I also LOVE. Anyway, I called my first Trailblazer meeting today. It was so fun. I feel so powerful! BahahaHAhHAHAHhahaha!!!! Mainly we just had pizza, talked a little, voted on our new president, and signed up for a Braves game that I'm taking them to next weekend.

*Parker is PULLING UP! He was sitting on the floor last night and his "Bumbo" seat was sitting in front of him. He grabbed the back of it and pulled up until he was standing on his feet! I was so excited. This little man is growing up so fast!

*Abby woke up at 3:00 this morning, came and tapped me on the shoulder and said...."Mama, can I cuddle with you?" Melted my heart.

*Sophie Kinsella. If you are a reader, then she is the author you need to follow. She is the author of the "Shopaholic" series (which I have not read a single one of). However, I have read 5 of her other books, and they are freakin hilarious!! No, seriously. I laugh out loud the whole way through. Here are some titles to look for: "Remember Me?", "Can You Keep a Secret?", "Twenties Girl", "Cocktails for Three", and "Undomestic Goddess." I've never been a big reader, but I can't get enough of Sophie Kinsella's books. Try one. You'll be hooked!

*I'm so proud of my husband! He is such a hard worker and does such a good job of providing for our family! There are lots of things I like about his job. One is-his job is flexible. If he needs to take the morning off to run Parker to the doctor, done. If he needs to take an extended lunch to drive 20 minutes to bring me some food, done. Another thing is-when 5:00 rolls around, he's off. On occassion, he'll have an appointment at night...but it is VERY rare. So, he's able to hang out with us every night and every weekend. And the greatest thing about his job is-he wins trips. ALL the time! By the way, have I told yall the Austria trip was rescheduled? I can't remember. Anyway, it got rescheduled because of the volcanoes. It has now been moved to June. But Michael has just recently won another trip. It's the big family trip of the year. It's in Bonita Springs, Florida. We leave in July and stay for 4 days. The whole fam. Can't wait! Trips we won't mention are: the fishing trip this weekend (I wasn't invited), the trip to the Beau Rivage (once again, not invited), and some other trip this summer (not invited). But no need dwelling on the trips I don't get invited to go on. We'll look at the ones that I AM going on! :)

Ok, I gotta run. One more hour at work, and I still have a few more things to do.
Hope everyone has a TERRIFIC THURSDAY!

just me,
Tonya

Beach Bum~Days 3 & 4

2010-04-28T19:05:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I didn't have time yesterday to blog about Day 3. But here it is in a nutshell:

Some of our friends, The Clines, came down to Perdido Key (same condo as us) yesterday. As soon as they got there, the guys went to play golf and Brandy and I laid out. I laid out a total of SIX hours yesterday. Totally fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!

Around 5:00, Brandy and I went up to our rooms and started to get ready for the night. The guys got back around 6:00 and off we went.

We had dinner at Mikee's. Total yumminess! And then we went to The Jellyfish afterwards. It was such a fun, laid back night. I love The Clines :)

So, here's what we did today....

We slept in, laid around for a little bit, went to grab some breakfast, hit up some souvenir shops to find Ab's some happies, and then we hit the beach! We only laid out for about an hour and a half, because we needed to get showered and head home. We ended up leaving the condo around 1:00, stopped at Chick Fil A (DUH!) to have lunch, and then got going! I started getting SOOOOOOOOOOO excited once we were 30 minutes away from our babies. I could barely handle it. As soon as we pulled up in The Bishop's driveway, I hopped out of the car.....even before it was in park. Don't worry....I wasn't driving! lol

I saw Abby across the yard, and she started screaming! We ran to eachother like something you see in a movie. Slow motion and all. It was one of my Top 10 best moments ever! Then of course we ran inside to get some Parker lovin.

So....now we're all 4 piled up in our king size bed. Watching cartoons. Loving on eachother. Ahhhhhhhh.....

Having 4 1/2 days alone with Michael has been so refreshing. We needed it. Every couple needs time alone. It makes you a better spouse and parent. And you also get a good tan! haha!!

refreshed and tan,

Tonya

Beach Bum~Day 2

2010-04-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

(my face got real burnt yesterday, so this was my prevention method. kinda hard to breathe!)

Ok, so it's only 5:30, but I'm going to have to blog now because we'll be "out" the remainder of the night!

Today has been so wonderful. We slept in, and I actually got up a little before Michael. I straightened up the condo (surprise surprise!), ate a bowl of cereal, and turned on some Rachael Ray. That in itself was wonderful. I can't remember the last time that I got to watch one of MY shows in the morning. Or anytime for that matter. You can find cartoons on one of our 3 TV's at any given time!

So, after Michael got up, we changed into our swimsuits and hit the beach. At 10:00. We set up our umbrella, chairs, lathered up (michael-sunscreen, me-tanning oil), and got out our books. Around 1:00 we decided it was time for some grub!

After lunch, we headed down to the pool. That only lasted about 15 minutes because the water was wayyyyyyyy toooooooo cold!!!!! Michael looks at me and says, "You wanna go play golf with me?" "HECK YES!!!" I replied.

We got to the golf course around 2:00. Michael made the mistake of telling me that there were alligators on this course, so I spent the next 2 1/2 hours looking for one. And would you know....I found one!!! I'll have to share a pic later. I was SO excited! And I think Michael was just glad that I could finally watch him play golf, and keep score! haha!!!

So....now we are back at the condo. Showered and hungry! We decided this morning that we would go out to dinner tonight and then go see "Date Night." I've heard that movie is hilarious, so I'm really excited about it!!!!!! We've also decided that we will have dinner at Bonefish. Yeah, I know.....we have one of those in Jackson. But...it's my favorite, and we don't get to Jackson very often these days. Bang Bang Shrimp, here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After dinner & a movie, I think we might swing by "The Jellyfish." I'm a sucker for a good live band. Who knows? Maybe we'll stay out past midnight. That'll be pushing it, since I hit the sack around 9:00 last night! HA!!

Anywho~Day 2 with the hubs has been so refreshing. I love my man!

By the way...Mary Lou, does golf count for putt putt? lol! Maybe we can hit up some putt putt tomorrow? By the looks of Michael's putting abilities on the golf course, I think I could probably kick his butt! haha :)

Update on the kiddos: They had a great time with Mimi & Papaw and now they are heading to Bebe & Pop's for the remainder of our trip. I talked to Abby earlier and she asked if we were home yet. I said "No, baby..." and before I could finish she said "Ok, bye!" haha! It makes me feel so good to know that she is having a good time....as are we!

refreshed & in love,

Tonya

Beach Bum~Day 1

2010-04-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!!! Michael and I are at the beach for the next several days. Yes...JUST me and Michael. No kids. No friends. Just us! Don't get me wrong....we love our kids and friends, but we are loving the alone time. We don't get alone time very often, so we're not real sure what to do with ourselves. Let me tell you what we've done so far.

*We slept in

*We ate breakfast at Waffle House (right across from the Florabama). Saw lots of hungover people. Hilarious.

*We went to get some groceries. Sandwich stuff. Cereal. Frozen Pizza. Drinks. Snacks. The essentials to get us through the next several days.

*We changed clothes and headed to the beach. For the next 3 hours. Reading (Sophie Kinsella is the best author ever--i'm on my 5th book of hers!). Laying out. Walking. Relaxing. Ahhhh....

*We came back to the condo. Ate lunch. Showered. Michael went to play golf. I curled up on the couch and watched "Julie & Julia." Now I'm watching Cake Boss. Not to mention that these shows have inspired me to eat NON-STOP!

Our plans for the rest of the afternoon/night include: being lazy, eating pizza, watching movies, and whatever else we wanna do!! Do I miss my kids? YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! But I know they're in good hands, and I'm just trying to enjoy my time doing NOTHING!

Since Michael and I got married with a baby in my tummy, we've never really had much time to go on trips like this alone! Especially not for 4 nights!! So, that's why I've decided to blog about our trip. I want couples to know how important it is to set aside time with your spouse. Even with a full-time job and 2 kids.....it CAN be done!

If you have any suggestions on things we should do while we're here (besides for the "obvious" lol), please let me know! I've thought about things like: Parasailing, bungee jumping, & getting matching tattoos (haha jk!)

*Shout out to my awesome boss who allowed me to make this trip! Lea Ann, you are the best!!! :)

bummin on the beach,

Tonya

~Friday's Friend~

2010-04-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, before I get to "Friday's Friend" let me tell you why "Ton's thoughts on Thursday" didn't exist for yesterday. Yeah, sure I had time to THINK yesterday...but I absolutely had no time to sit down and share my thoughts. I have been SO busy at work lately, that some days I really don't even sit down. Which isn't a bad thing. I LOVE being busy. I LOVEEEE my job. And I LLLOOOVVVVEEEE the students that I work with. However, I just haven't had the time to devote to my blog like I used to. Hopefully that will change once this school year has ended. So anyway, here are some of my thoughts from yesterday:

"Ok, I'm at work 30 minutes early so I can get ready for this campus visit. Where do I start? Oh yes, come up with a campus tour scavenger hunt....get everything ready for the "Do what you love" career game....message my Trailblazers....oh, gosh, where is my phone?!?....reply to emails that I've been putting off....check my voicemail....oh, crap, I was supposed to call that person back 3 days ago! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

"Whew, the campus visit is over and it was a total success. Ah...I love my job!"

"Oh lordy, why in the world did I volunteer to be in the dunking booth? OH GOSH NO! Don't throw the ball yet. I'm not ready!!....Ok, I'm ready....NO WAIT! Ok now....(DUNK) (water up the nose) (come out of the water gasping for air and choking) Oh, fabulous, I'm going to drown in a dunking booth. Get me out of here!!!"

"Ah...now time to get my hair done. (yawn) This is the life. Oh gosh, did I really just fall asleep under the dryer?? Oh my, my hair is platinum! LOVE IT!!!"

"Daddy's got the kids, so I might as well just go tan while I'm out"

"Ok, finally home. Let me straighten up a little before we go eat with the in-laws. (yawn). Can't I just go to bed??"

"Dinner was fabulous. Kids are bathed. This bed is so comfy. Night Night!"
_______________________

So, those were my thoughts yesterday. Now, it's time for "Friday's Friend"

It's really hard for me to decide which friend to dedicate this post to every Friday, but I look forward to doing it! I've decided to dedicate today's post to a friend that's had a very rough week. I hope this will bring a smile to your face after all you've been through this week.

Whitney Holmes

So, when we were moving from Hattiesburg, one of my Hatti besties told me that she knew a girl that lived in Brookhaven. She had gone to school with her, and she told me..."Tonya, you really need to meet her. You would love her!!" Well, I never really thought anymore about it, until....We started visiting First Baptist Church in Brookhaven. Our first Sunday there, we walked into the Sunday School class and sat down by this couple. I started small chit-chat with the girl sitting beside me, and it turned out to be "that friend" that my Hatti bestie wanted me to meet!!!! What in the world?!?! What are the chances? Well, nothing is by chance when God is at work. So, starting that Sunday morning, 2 years ago, we developed a fantastic friendship with Ryan and Whitney Holmes!

They have been such good friends. The type of friends that you call up at the last minute to cookout with. The type of friends that you wear your sweatpants and t-shirt with. The type of friends that can stop by unexpected and you really don't care that your house is a total wreck! The type of friends that you go to the beach with, plan a girls trip with, have a tacky Christmas party with....but most importantly....Whitney is the type of friend that I can share my kidney stone pain with!!!! I finally have someone that LITERALLY feels my pain. So, that brings me to her rough week.

I get a call from Whit on Monday, and she says..."What does it feel like when a kidney stone is stuck?!" Oh no, I thought!! I told her..."Total DEATH!!!" I usually am the encouraging friend, but I don't play when it comes to kidney stones. She was on her way to the hospital, because she was in terrible pain! And on top of that, she's 6 months pregnant!!!!!! I just told her to be prepared for them to put a stint in. They almost had to do that with me when I was pregnant, but mine finally passed. Well, Whit has been in the hospital ALL week but the stone still has not passed. So, yesterday the doctors put a stint in and Whitney said the relief was immediate. Once the stint was put it, 15 stones came out. Bless her heart!!!!!!!!!!! So, I'm talking to Whitney now through text messaging, and she is on her way home. Yay!! :) I told her Michael and I would love to bring her dinner tonight and chat about her lovely week in a hospital bed. So....after work I will go throw on something comfy, pick up some dinner, and head to my kidney stone friend's house. Abby will bring toys and make a mess all over her living room floor, Parker will probably spit up on her couch, and Michael will just make himself at home. Because that's what you do with true friends. You share your home, you share your secrets, and you share your memories.

I love you, Whitney!!! And I'm praying that the last part of your pregnancy goes without complications. God has truly blessed Michael and I with your and Ryan's friendship. And I'm excited about baby Holmes and Parker growing up together. And let's not forget Abby...I'm sure she'll be bossing them around for years to come! :) It's so neat to think back on when Jennifer told me about you...and now to see that she was right...I do love you...and I will always treasure your friendship!

kidney stones SUCK,

Tonya

~Friday's Friend~

2010-04-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Today I will dedicate my post to my friends Jerry Blankenship and Victoria Vaughn.

Jerry

Jerry and I have been friends since 10th grade. He was one of my BEST friends throughout high school and college. Once I got married and moved to Brookhaven, we kinda lost contact. We still messaged and talked here and there, but our different paths weakened our friendship. Jerry was always a prankster and I love that about him! There was never a dull moment with him around. Our group of friends in high school never really struggled with drinking or doing drugs....we just liked to have fun!!! Stink bombs, dumping do-nuts in people's yards or on people's cars, potato guns, rolling houses, and riding four wheelers was what we liked to do. I look back on those times and smile :)

Victoria Vaughn

Victoria and I met at The Club on Lake Harbour. We both worked there. We worked the front desk together, the childcare, and lifeguarded together. And then we hung out AFTER work too. She was one of my best friends through those years!!! We would go out dancing, go to parties, go on trips, and eat at Cozumel about 5 nights a week!! We always had the BEST time together. Every memory I have with Victoria makes me smile :)

Jerry & Victoria

So...about a year ago I find out that Jerry and Victoria are dating. I just thought that was so neat that 2 people that grew up in different towns and went to different schools ended up together. We kept talking about having a double date but never did. Well, a couple months ago I went out with my sister and we ended up at Jerry's house. Victoria was there, so we were able to catch up for about 3 hours. It was fabulous! I realized just how much I missed my sweet friend! And then the very next weekend they came to Brookhaven for a cookout at our house. Just the 4 of us. It was so neat to have a high school friend, a college friend, my husband, and my 2 kids all under one roof. During this dinner, Jerry & Victoria revealed some very exciting news. They are expecting!! At that point, there were alot of different emotions attached to that news. They were scared, unsure, and excited. But since Michael and I had been in their shoes, we were able to encourage them and give them some advice. And then...a couple weeks later we find out they are engaged!!! YAY!!! :)

So, today I dedicate this post to them. To their marriage. To their baby. And to our friendship. Oh, and I must not forget....today is also Victoria's birthday. So, there are lots of reasons to celebrate them in this blog!

I love yall so much, and I am so excited about what God is doing! Yall both mean the world to me, and even though there are about 70 miles between us, I am here for yall--always!

so blessed to have fabulous friends,

Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-04-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hello, world!! Here are my thoughts today...

*Beth Moore

If you're not a follower of Beth Moore's blog, you need to be! http://blog.lproof.org/ Anyway, she had a post a few weeks entitled "10 Things You Might Not Know." She shared 10 random facts about her that fans probably didn't know. Check out #6.... "I love black music" O-M-G, I almost fell out of my chair!!!! A fellow Christian that shares my love for black/booty music!!!! I was SO excited. Beth Moore is kinda like modern day "WWJD?" ha!! WWBMD? So, it made me feel better to see that side of Beth Moore. She IS human. Who knew? :)

*Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa is NOT a pretty sight, but her songs crack me up! Such as, "Telephone." Really?? Who writes a song about their phone?

(this guy is an idiot!)

*Bees

I am TERRIFIED of bees. No...terrified is an understatement!!!!!!!! Seriously, I'd rather go to the tanning bed because when you layout, you chance being stung by a bee, wasp, yellow jacket, etccccc. No. thank. you.

*Pigtails & Swimsuits

Nothing says "Welcome Spring" like pigtails and swimsuits! This was taken on Lu's birthday. We spent the afternoon eating, laying out, and watching golf (thanks to Michael and the Masters-boo!!) But it was a fun day. I love you, Lu!

*I love to drive...

On a pretty day!!! By myself especially. I had to recruit in Crystal Springs today, so I was on the road quite a bit. I switched back and forth between 20's on 20, Pop 2K, 90's on 9, and The Message. Just whatever was playing a good song at the time. As I've previously stated, I love booty music. Especially when I'm driving. I'm sure my fellow drivers get a good laugh!! hahaha :)

*I'm Awesome

Yes, I am, but I'm talking about the song!! Has anyone heard this song by Spose? It is TERRIBLE, but for some reason I'm obsessed. It just makes me laugh so hard when I hear it. And I love telling other people about it. Such as fellow co-workers and students...shout out to Coach OD, Bradley, and RayRay! Yall are awesome...but not as awesome as meeeee ;)

*Reggae

So, I guess today's thoughts have all been music based. Ha! But I love Reggae music. I have NO idea why, but it puts me in the best mood. I don't own a Reggae cd, but I'm thinking about purchasing my first!! Do people still buy cd's? HAHA! Maybe I'll just download it to my iPod. Nope, nevermind....I broke my iPod touch. That stinks. Ok, so a cd it is! I like talking to myself almost as much as I like Reggae! lol

*Today's challenge

Take time today, or this weekend to find a "fun song" on your iPod or on the radio and just make a fool of yourself. Have fun! Dance! Act crazy!! It's so much fun!!!

i'm awesome,

Tonya ;)

~Friday's Friend~

2010-04-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

(2005)

Sissie Lu

Today my post will be about my sister. She is my best friend. Even through the pull-your-hair-out fights, she has always been my best friend!!! Growing up, she was the sister that always wanted to be doing what me and my friends were doing, and 90% of the time, I didn't mind it at all!!! When I was at USM, she would bring a few of her friends and they would come stay with me about once a month. I loved having them come stay!! She's never been a big fan of any of the guys I dated, or the guy I married. I think this is because she hates sharing my attention. Secretly, her and Michael love eachother....they just like to act otherwise. I would do ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING, for my sister. And she knows that. She knows that she could call me at 2:00 am and ask me to come wherever she is, and I would jump in the car immediately!! I've made lots of mistakes as a "big sister role model," but it's good to know that she doesn't judge me. She's also made lots of mistakes, and as her big sister sometimes I just want to slap some sense into her, but I've never left her side. I just want the best for her, and it's hard for me to see her make mistakes and get hurt. However, she learns from her mistakes....even if it takes her 3 or 4 years to learn sometimes! haha!! So....Lauren is turning 21 on Sunday, April 11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe she'll be 21. Sigh. So, while I'm dedicating this post to her, I decided to also list 21 fun facts/memories/funny stories in honor of her 21st birthday:

Lauren hates how I say her name. I pronounce it "Loren"

Lauren is short. Like real short. 4' 11 1/2" to be exact

Lauren thinks she has love handles. She weighs 80 lbs.

Lauren is in dental assistant school at Hinds.

Lauren is single. But in the end, I will have to approve her boyfriend/husband.

One time I kicked Lauren in the stomach while wearing my tap shoes. Mom wasn't home. It knocked the breath out of her. I was a little scared.

Lauren has the prettiest curly hair. She straightens it every day.

Lauren has a shirt that says "Can't poop without peeing." That is her personality.

She was a cheerleader from 7th grade-10th grade. And now cheers at Hinds.

She makes life long friendships with the people she babysits for.

She used to be a live-in-nannny for a family in Madison. The same family I babysat for from 2002-2006.

She gets pissed when things don't go her way.

One time Lauren and I were driving from my parent's house to my grandparent's house (a 5 minute drive), and Lauren decides to show me a "short cut"...so I follow her directions and we end up in Richland (we started in Crystal Springs). No, it gets better. Once we figure out we're 30 minutes away from my grandparent's house, we turn around to backtrack, and we have a blowout. So....we're in the middle of nowhere, 30 minutes away from family, with a blowout, on a road that scary people were driving on, with my 2 year old in the backseat. I call my grandmother, aunt, uncle, step dad, and step brother, and tell them to come find us. Good luck with that, since we have no idea where we are? Sooo...about an hour later, everyone shows up to change my tire and we finally get to my grandmother's house. A 5 minute trip turned into a 2 hour trip. No more short cuts.

I steal my sister's clothes. Sometimes I give them back.

Lauren and I are so different in a lot of ways. Brown hair/Blonde hair. Curly hair/Straight hair. Dark skin/Fair skin. 80 lbs/NOT 80 lbs. High maintanence/Not quite as much.

We're very alike in a lot of ways. Easily entertained. Laughs about everything. Blue eyes. Short. Spontaneous.

We can't stay mad at eachother.

Lauren loves her niece and nephew. And they adore her.

Lauren's car always has a bunch of crap in it. She lives in her car.

Lauren is allergic to kittens. Not cats.

Lauren is gorgeous, and I secretly envy alot of things about her.

So, there ya go...that's my sister. And when I think about what I would do without her, it literally brings me to tears. I can't imagine my life without Lauren. I can't. And I won't.

I love you, Lauren. You are my heart.

one blessed sissie,

Tonya

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

2010-04-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm changing things up a little bit. I AM allowed to do that, ya know...this IS my blog!!!! haha!!! From now on (or until I change my mind again)...I'm going to have "Thoughts on Thursday" and "Friday's Friend." I decided to do this, because friends are such an important part of my life, and I want to devote a post to them every once in a while :) So, here are my thoughts today:

*My Parker man is 7 months old!!!!
And how does he celebrate his 7 month-old-day??? In the doctor's office :( This poor child has been congested since December! I'm really thinking he has bad allergies, but they can't test that for a couple more years. So, right now the doctor is just treating his wheezing with Albuterol and his "crud" with Amoxocillin (sp??). Poor baby! But other than that, he's such a joy! Right now he is: eating his weight in formula, juice, baby food, and biter cookies...sleeping from 9:00 pm-7:00 am (8:00 am on Saturdays)...loving his sister!! He looks at Abby and talks to her like he does nobody else. It is so sweet!...He's not crawling yet, but he rolls to get him where he wants to go...his hair is somewhat curly/wavy...he sits up, and then face plants as he reaches for something...he dances...he laughs nonstop...he has a little separation anxiety, only at church...he loves watching cartoons with sissie...he still cuddles with mommy and daddy throughout the night (I just can't give it up!)...he loves his teacher, Mrs. Maragaret...he waves bye-bye...he says da-da, and only screams ma-ma when he's crying...he lovesssssss taking a bath with sissie (if Abby's not in the tub with him, he cries til she gets in)...he's wearing 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers...etc...etc...etc!!!!! In a nutshell...he's getting so big!

*ACT Supervisor
Co-Lin is a testing site for the ACT, and I volunteered to be a supervisor for this Saturday!! What does a ACT supervisor do? GOOD QUESTION!! haha!! From what I understand, I'll have a room with 28 students and I'll be the one that sits up front and reads the directions, hands out books, monitors their breaks, and basically sits in there until everyone's done. Michael has also volunteered to be a "proctor," which means he will sit in the room with me and help! It should be very interesting. #1-because I love to talk, so 4 hours of silence will probably kill me, and #2-because Michael HATES to sit still, so 4 hours being stuck in a room will defly kill him!!

*Easter
We did not celebrate Easter like usual this year. Normally, Easter is at least a week long celebration...with lots of egg hunts, egg dying, and pictures with bunnies. But not this year. For some reason I let Easter sneak up on me. We didn't have Easter pictures made, I was buying basket goodies on Good Friday, we dyed only a dozen eggs, and didn't attend 1 egg hunt (besides for the one they did at school)!!!!!!! And not only did we not celebrate the secular aspect of Easter, but I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't take a lot of time to celebrate the religious aspect either. Don't get me wrong...I know the real meaning of Easter, and I have a personal relationship with the Jesus that died for me...but people, I am having a hard time fighting through this spiritual warfare that's raging inside of me! I've been thinking ALOT about doing a blog-post-series of my testimony, and it's something I'm still praying about...but I want to share with people what I've been through and how it's made me the person I am today. I can honestly tell you that I've had dry spells before, but they've never lasted this long. But the most awesome part is...when I actually take the time to sit down and let God speak...HE SPEAKS! And he speaks LOUD!!!!! It's such an encouraging reminder that He is still there. He is there on the mountain top with you, and He is there in the valley with you. So, I'm fighting my way through it and I'm not fighting on my own. My God is mighty to save!

*Tanning bed update
I've been going a lot more than I said I would. However, I used my last session the other day. Will I buy more? Don't know yet. Maybe if we had tanning beds like the one pictured!!!! haha!

*Austria update
The picture above is the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna, Austria. This is where Farm Bureau is taking us one night for a "Gala," where we will have cocktails, hors d'oeuvres (yes, I had to look up the spelling), a dinner, entertainment by a Viennese orchestra, and ended with professional dancers teaching us the Waltz.
We have a dinner tonight with everyone going to Austria. I'm hoping and praying that after tonight I'll feel alot better about this trip. Everytime I tell someone that I'm going to Austria they're like, "OH MY GOSH, I'm so jealous!!!" So, what is wrong with me???? Is this normal? I mean, are there other moms out there that would be having anxiety about leaving their kids for 8 days? It would be different if we were going to Alabama for 8 days...but we will be a zillion miles away!!!!!!!! Ok, breathe....and let's talk more about this later.

*Pollen
Pollen + black Suburban = embarassing!!!

*No news is GOOD news...right??
I've never been a big news watcher. Actually, I hate watching the news. There's no need to tell me how many people were murdered, what child has been neglected, how many people are homeless, or how our country is going to hell in a handbasket!!! I am way too tender-hearted to hear about people dying, and way to scared to hear about how our country is falling to pieces. So....I just don't watch the news at all. It works for me. Always has. Until...I put on a sleeveless dress and flip flops and walk outside to find that it's 51 degrees!!! Not to mention that I've already put up all my winter clothes and am stuck wearing a jacket that does not match my dress AT ALL! Neat.

*Challenge~
Here's your challenge for this weekend...watch the news at some point this weekend and look for something positive. (I am also challenging myself to do this). It may be hard to do, and it may take you a couple days of watching...but I'm determined to find some positive news in the midst of all the crap going on around us. Pardon my non-child-friendly language...but that's all it is. There is so much sin around us, and sin=crap.

tired of the filth,
Tonya

ONLY in Mississippi

2010-03-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

I love living in Mississippi. It totally cracks me up sometimes. I wish I could live somewhere else (like New York, California, Michigan) just to have something to compare our red-neck state to! Pretty much on a daily basis I see something that makes me say..."only in Mississippi." So, I decided today that I'll start posting some of these things to share with yall! Here are a few to kick off this series:

Only in Mississippi...

....would you find a pasture of cows in the middle of a neighborhood, in the middle of town!
....would you take money from someone who just pulled it out of their bra
....would you be traveling at 45 mph and have to completely stop for 5 minutes to let a turkey figure out its way across the road
....would you pass a lady driving her electronic wheelchair down a HIGHWAY!!
....would you see a trailer (mobile home) with a brick roof built over it
....would you see cars with logos painted over the entire car, such as: fruit loops, trix, budweiser, cheerios, and other ridiculous things
....would you sit behind a man riding a HORSE through a Taco Bell drive-thru

Those are just a few that I've seen or heard about in the past couple of days. I'm really excited about writing these down on a daily basis so that I can share them with yall. I hope yall fall on the floor laughing like I do!!! Maybe I'll try to post these on Wednesdays, cause we all need a little push to get over that HUMP!

happy hump day,
Tonya :)

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

2010-03-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so today has been a super busy day, and I have to leave my office in 15 minutes to go recruit at Magee. Yes, I have to recruit at 5:00 PM on a Friday. No comment.

*Do-Overs
We've been hosting "Preview Day" at Co-Lin the past 2 days, and Brother Bruce Brady did our devotional both days. He talked about "do-overs." He told the story of when he was younger, him and some friends would play baseball in the backyard. And sometimes as they were running bases, the family dog would get in their way and cause them to get distracted. So in that case, they would yell "DO-OVER" and they'd get to try again. Well, isn't it awesome that God allows us do-overs? He doesn't give us one chance, and then when we fail, throw us out of the game. He allows us to go back to home plate and try again. This little devotional couldn't have come at a better time, because I'm in desperate need of a do-over.

*Easter
Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Am I the only mother of the year that has not even started getting stuff for my kid's Easter baskets?!?! Gosh, I feel like I will never get caught up on my life. Just when I feel like I have a break, something unexpected like EASTER pops up!!! hahahaha!! Well, I did buy Abby some plastic eggs yesterday, because she's been dying to practice her egg hunting skills. And I guess I'll get out this weekend and start shopping for basket goodies.

*Ballyhoo
One reason I'm looking forward to going to Magee. This store is located on Hwy 49, in between Mendenhall and Magee. It's fabulous. They have a little bit of everything: Vera Bradley, Peter's Pottery, candles, yard decor, clothes, kids clothing, purses, wallets, etc etc. I love this store.

*My hair
I'm not loving it as much as I was last week. I have to spray it about every 30 minutes to keep body in it, so then by the time I get home everyday it's like a hot oily mess! YUCK!

*Austria update
I am getting really excited about Austria. I cannot wait to have 8 days alone with my husband.

*Disciple Now
Sooooooo.......guess who volunteered their house for Disciple Now weekend?! The Bishops!!!!!!! God has really laid it on my heart to be more involved with our youth, so when our youth pastor asked Michael about being a host home--I SAID YES!!!!! Then he tells us we have 7th grade boys! hehe!! Once again, gotta love God's sense of humor! We're having our first meeting this Sunday, so I'm really anxious to see exactly what I've signed up for. I'm thinking Michael and I will have some type of leadership position. I'll keep yall posted.

*My job
I haven't talked much about my job lately. There is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God for this job. I LOVE what I do!!!! I seriously look forward to going to work every single day. I love interacting with students every day, I love getting to know all the high school seniors in my area, I love hosting events on campus, I love the ladies in my office, I love the president of our college, I just love my job.

*Working out update
I worked out one day this week. I'm ashamed. I've just been SO busy!! However, I do plan on getting outside alot next week and enjoying this beautiful spring weather.

Ok....I have 1 minute until I have to go, which means there is no time for fun pictures! :( But, I do still need to challenge yall. Hmmmmmm.....

Think of an area in your life where you need a do-over. Make the decision to repent and redo, commit it to God, and then praise God for his mercy in your life.

thankful for God's mercy,
Tonya

Abby & Parker

2010-03-25T12:05:00.001-07:00

I realized the other day that I don't do a good job of blogging about funny or "new" things my kids are doing. CRAP! I need to do that! I want to look back and remember these things. So, here it goes....

Parker:

Just yesterday he started:

-drinking from a sippie cup! He is a PRO!! I gave him one with 2 handles and put a little bit of white grape juice in it. Oh, and some ice. He loved it!!! He was a little confused at first, but once he tasted that yummy stuff, he sucked it down.
-separation anxiety! Yes. We took him to church last night and brought him to his class just like normal, but this time he threw a fit!!!! As soon as I handed him over, he started screaming. Not crying. SCREAMING!! "Hmmmm..." I thought?!? "Well, let me see if this works." So, I took him and he immediately stopped crying. What in the world?? He has never done this before! But I have to admit that a part of me loved this. I love to feel needed. And it made me feel kinda good that all he wanted was his mommy. Can you imagine what he was thinking? "Um, hello mom, I've been at daycare from 8-4:30, you leave me in the car to nap while you and sissie get ready for church, you bring me to church and leave me in my carseat while yall eat, and now you're going to just hand me off to someone else?!?!??!!? No ma'am!" So, I did what any good mother would do. I skipped church service and rocked my baby.
-waving bye-bye. O-M-G!!!!!!!!! I've been showing him how to wave bye bye, and we've been practicing for a while. Well, last night he did it. On purpose. I looked at him, opened and closed my hand, and said "bye-bye." And he looked at me, smiled, put his arm in the air, and open and closed his hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I yelled for Michael to come look, and he did it again. And then of course Abby wants to see, and he did it to her too!!! I am so excited!! Now, if we can just get that boy crawling. Or just show an interest in crawling.
-he's rotten. He used to be so laid back, and he'd lay in his chair/swing for hours just content as can be. Nope. Not anymore. He wants someone to hold him at all times. Me. Michael. Mrs. Margaret. His grandparents. Anyone.

Abby:

-this girl is asking so many questions about God & heaven. There is absolutely no greater feeling that your child asking you questions about the God that made her! Her questions/comments include:
Can we go see God?...How do we get to heaven? Do we float way up there?...How did God put me in your tummy? (I've tried to avoid that question lol)...When will I get to meet God?...I'm so glad God brought me to you...I'm glad God brought us brother.
Does this not melt your heart into a puddle!??!?! She is my little reminder that I've got a lot of work to do to have just an inkling of her faith. It's kinda neat for a mom to look at her child and think...I want what she's got!
-she is a little adult. After school, and before daddy gets home, me and Abby sit and talk about her day. And she just talks to me like my best friend would talk to me. Telling me what she did at school, who she played with, who made her mad, that her friend complimented her on her shoes, and all kinds of stuff. This is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love getting to sit down with her, eat a snack, and just talk. Nothing could ever take the place of those memories.
-we're setting up her first after school play-date next week! Now, Abby has a ton of friends (my friend's kids), and she's able to play with them alot. However, she's never had a school friend over before! Her best friend from school, Allison, is going to come over one day next week to play after school. I can't wait! I think I'm more excited than Abby is :)

So....that's really all I can come up with right now, but I'll try to do better about posting little "funnies" that happen each day. Because it's an every day thing. I think God's sense of humor is most evident when He gives you kids....in alot of different ways.

Stay tuned for Friday's thoughts & challenge tomorrow.

have a fabulous Thursday,
Tonya

Spring Break was a TRIP!!!!

2010-03-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Actually....it was TWO trips! Two totally different kinds of trips. One family trip. One girls trip. And a whole lot of fun in between! Let me explain...

Friday, March 12~
I'm walking on the track during my lunch break when all of the suddden, a co-worker starts screaming my name from the bleachers!! She said the daycare called and said Parker was throwing up! OH FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I hurry over there to get him and then head home. "I guess we'll have to cancel our trip," I thought....Well, GUESS AGAIN!!!!!!! I watched him for the rest of the afternoon, and he seemed fine. Soooo...we packed the car and headed to the beach! What was once a 4 hour drive defly turned into a 7 hour drive! On our way to Florida, we made a stop at the Essers to meet baby Caleb, ate at Firehouse and told Abby the story of our first date there, swung through Seattle Drip so they could warm Parker's bottle for us (lol), switched Abby to my parent's car, potty break in Mobile, fell asleep at the Florida state line, and woke up at my aunt & uncle's house. We visited with them a little and then hit the sack! *Funny story: the bed that me, Michael, and Parker slept in was a double bed (but seemed like a glorified twin). We propped Parker in his boppy pillow to sleep. For those of you who don't know what a boppy is, let me just put it this way....it took up half the bed! So, Michael and I are sleeping on our sides with our butts hanging off the bed. Around 2 am, I woke up with a serious crick in my neck and then realized that my body was on the bed but my head was on the NIGHTSTAND!!!!!! bahhahahahHAHAbBABAhahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday~
The guys went to play golf and the girls went shopping. Well, my mom and aunt got to shop. I got to babysit!! Shopping with 2 younguns is a no-go! So needless to say, I got frustrated, loaded the kids up, and headed back to my aunt's. Oh well....at least I "saved some money!" The rest of the afternoon we just hung out at the house, because it was too windy and chilly to be on the beach. However, I did throw on a tank and walked around the neighborhood so I could get a little sun.

Sunday~
We hit up some souvenir shops, met my sissie for lunch (she was there babysitting for a family), hung out at the house, napped, and ate dinner. Oh, and this was the day that Abby started complaining about her tummy hurting. I just thought it was all the junk food she had eaten.

Monday~
Abby is still complaining about her tummy, but being the great mom that I am, I got her dressed and we headed to the beach for pics!! Here are some of my favorites:

So, then we went to Lillian's Pizza for lunch. After that we told Abby we'd take her to a playground down the road from my aunt's. She played there for about an hour and then we headed back to my aunt's. When we got in the car, Abby tried to tell us that her tummy was still hurting, but before she could finish her sentence------she threw up everywhere!!! How I didn't throw up, I do not know?!!? "So, maybe she was serious about her tummy hurting," I thought to myself?! We get home, I put her on the couch to rest and watch a movie. After a 2 hour nap, she seemed back to normal. YAY!! So, my parents offered to watch the kiddos that night while me and Michael went out. We met Sammie Sones and his fiance Brittany at LuLu's. Our 2 hour wait turned into a 5 minute wait when our buzzer started vibrating only to find out they thought we were "Smith party of 4." So, we smiled and agreed....and sat down. Sorry Smith Family! We had a fabulous dinner...I LOVEEEE the Sones couple! :)

Tuesday~
I wake up to my step dad telling my uncle that Abby had thrown up 3 times in the middle of the night. WhAT?!?!?!?! So, we let Abby sleep in and when she woke up, she seemed fine! We hit the road back to Mississippi, and thank God Abby made it all the way home with no more vomit episodes! We got home around 5:00 Tuesday night, and I went directly to the tanning bed. I was determined to get some "sun" since I didn't get any at the beach!

Wednesday~
I got a little cleaning done, played with my babies, and then went to get my hair done. (See previous post)

Thursday~
I got a little more hardcore about my cleaning, ran some errands, and got packed and ready for my girl's trip. I seriously couldn't sleep Thursday night. It felt like Christmas Eve. I kept waking up wondering, IS IT TIME TO WAKE UP YET?!?!

Friday~
Woke up. Got the kids bathed and ready for their weekend with daddy. The sitter arrived. The girls arrived. And off we went. We got to the coast around 3:00 and shopped at the outlet mall til 5:00. We went to check in at The Beau, got showers and dressed, and headed to Emeril's for our 7:30 reservation!! The best part about Emeril's, besides for the fabulous company, was being able to eat in peace! So, we left Emeril's, went back to the room, freshened up, and headed down to the casino. None of us are big gamblers, so we decided to put a $20 in the penny slots and about 5 minutes later---it was gone. Depressing. How do people gamble? YUCK! So, then we went to the jazz bar and listened to a live band. Then, we headed to the nightclub. Just give me a dance floor and a DJ, and I am good! Whitney, Cheli, and Mandy sat at the table and watched (and laughed) as Sandy and I danced the night away!!!!! And when I say "danced the night away," I mean til about 1am. Which is super late for a bunch of mommys! HAHA!

Saturday~
We all woke up around 7:30 (so much for sleeping in!) and got ready for our spa appointments. We went by the coffee shop for a quick breakfast, and got to the spa around 10:00. Tonya: facial, Whit: prenatal massage, Sandy, Mandy, and Cheli: pedicures. It was FAB-U-LOUS!!!! Afterwards, we drove "the strip" for about 30 minutes looking for an Olive Garden and then ended up back at the Beau and had lunch there. Funny story: it takes 5 girls and a GPS to not know where we're going! After lunch, we went to see Hairspray! Through our exhaustion and doze offs, we really enjoyed the show. By this time, we are all super tired and ready to get home to our babies and hubbies. But you know we made time for a Chick Fil A dinner on the way home. YUMMY!

It was a perfect trip. I LOVE my friends. There are so many funny stories and inside jokes I could share, but I'll spare yall! One thing I do know is---we will be doing girl's trips ALOT more often! Here are a couple pics:

Sunday~
We went to church, and then had lunch with my parents and sissie. Today has been a lot of R & R, and a little cleaning.

So, now I sit here in my bed....listening to my little man and my wild woman talk to eachother. They melt my heart. And let's not leave out Michael. Even with his abnoxious obsession with the TV show, Cops....he melts my heart. And even though I had a grrrrrrrrr8 time on my trip with the girls....nothing is better than coming home to my precious family! And I'm even looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. A week without my co-workers is long enough for me!

I hope everyone had a great week. I know I did. :)

girls just wanna have fun,
Tonya

~My New Do~

2010-03-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so first of all....thanks for letting me vent yesterday. I'm feeling MUCH better!! Even though it was 55 degrees today and I'm sooooooooooo ready for warm weather!!! But that's beside the point. So...I took a few pics of my hair today (on self timer, so they're not the best pics). I'm liking my hair alot better today...whew!!!

Front View:

Right Side:

Left Side:

The bangs (not as short V.B. had them):

Yes, I'm in 5th grade and still make kissie faces for the camera!! It's just how I roll....and plus kissie faces make any hairstyle look good! hahahaha :)

Ok, so there ya go. My new do!! And I'm a little irritated because I spent 30 minutes cropping each picture so that Parker's dresser and box of wipes weren't in the pictures, but....for some reason the edits didn't save?!?!?! OH WELL...I'm not about to do all that over again. So, just overlook the background....I was snapping some pics while my little man was rolling around on the floor.

Anyway.....I am about to hit the sack, because tomorrow I leave for our girl's trip to the coast!!! Never been so excited in my lifeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! Shopping, spa, food, dancing, Hairspray show, more shopping, defly more food...ahhhhhh....I need this!!

I'll have pics and play-by-play details of my Spring Break in a few days. Until then...yall enjoy your weekend.

ready to roll,
Tonya

The dreaded "Aunt"

2010-03-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Ughhhhhhhhh I HATE when Aunt Flo comes to visit!!!!!

First of all, she decides to come while we're at the beach...seriously? thanks alot!

Secondly, she puts me in the absolute worst mood of my life!!!! Like, really, don't talk to me today. Lots of people always comment on how positive and fun I am....not today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No sir'ee!!

Then...I went to get my hair done today (I'll talk about that in a minute) and my hairdresser tells me that color doesn't take real well when your hormones are out of whack! WOO HOO!! That's fabulous news!!!!!!!! I LOVE paying $100 for highlights that might not take!

And just FYI--don't do anything drastic to your hair while Aunt Flo is visiting, because no matter how cute your hair looks, your aunt will tell you otherwise! I will eventually post some pics, but I just can't today....my bad attitude is showing in every pic that I take! *disclaimer: I loveeeee my hairdresser and I loveeeee my haircut....I just need a day or 2 to get used to it!

Everyone is on my nerves! And I know I'm on my husband's last nerve!

Does anyone else have an aunt that brings a sharp knife with her that she jabs into your stomach over and over????? Yes, that's my favorite!

And....forget the fact that I've been working out like a maniac, cause I seriously look and feel like a big fat cow!

Have I mentioned that my attitude sucks?? Do I even have to mention that? Hello, Captain Obvious!!!!

Oh, how I love being a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I do have ONE reason to be thankful for this dreaded visit....it means I'm not pregnant!!!! Yes, for a second, I thought I might possibly (against all odds) be pregnant again. OmG, it makes me nausiated just thinking about being pregnant with a 6 month old!!!!! Don't get me wrong, I love love love my kids and I love being a mommy, but I'm not real sure I'd want another one right now!

If you're a guy and you just tortured yourself by reading this post....so sorry! But now you know that your wife, girlfriend, or "gal" friends are not the only ones!! And once again, I have proven not to be perfect! Whew...I feel much better!

bring on the chocolate & midol,
Tonya

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

2010-03-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is a little early for Friday's thoughts, but I've got soooooo much to do today. Blogging is NOT on my to-do list, but I'm sure I can fit it in :)

*Packing for the Beach
Yes...I said "packing." As in, I am STILL packing for a trip that we leave in 8 hours for!!!!!!!!!! Why didn't I do a little each day? Heck if I know?! I have no excuse whatsoever...I just didn't want to! So, last night I'm running around the house like a crazy person (nobody needs to comment)....I'm rushing in and out of each room, packing clothes, trying to find suitcases, wondering why things I need are in the dirty clothes hamper, trying to keep Abby out of the suitcases, and of course barking out orders at my ~wonderful~ husband! (Love you, Michael!) Yes...he is a great husband. He's just running around behind me asking, "What should I do now?!" haha! We also had some friends stop by last night...one surprise visit was to check on my hubby's burn on his hand (Shout out to Tim & Sandy)...and the other surprise visit was to use our bathroom, hahahaha! (Shout out to Trey & Ashley) So, by 9:00 I decided I had enough! I hopped in the tub and then got in the bed. Yes, I left LOTS of things undone...along with a long to-do list for today. Sigh....

*Trike-A-Thon
So, both my kiddos participated in a Trike-A-Thon for St. Jude yesterday. Between the 2 of them, they raised $225! It was such a beautiful day for it!! All the mommys (and some daddys) got to go down to the track and watch! Here are a few pics from the event:

Most parents were putting helments on their kids. I was putting sunglasses on mine :) And plus...a helment wouldn't fit over her pig tails...DUH!

Parker was just chillin. He didn't care, just as long as he had his fist to chew on!

I think Daddy got more of a workout than Abby!

Parker was just taking it all in...and he lapped his sister about 3 times. But who's counting?! :)
We even got a famliy picture!!

*Tanning Bed
Oh, how I hate you! I really am not a big tanning bed supporter. However, I knew I needed a LITTLE color before we got to the beach. So, for the past 2 weeks, I've been going every other day and staying in the bed for like 8-10 minutes. Well.......I went one last time last night and fell asleep in the bed. O-M-G!! This body was just not ready for 20 minutes in the tanning bed. Needless to say, I am burnt to a crisp today. From neck (because I cover my face) to toes! The whole reason I was going to the tanning bed was to get ready for the beach, but now I'm afraid I won't even be able to go to the beach! lol!!!

*2 new babies!
Two of my very best friends had sweet babies this week!!!!!!!!!!! They were both boys~Caleb Andrew Esser and John Henry Barrett. I have not met either one, but you better believe that I will be getting some Aunt Tonya lovin over Spring Break! Here are my sweet babies:

~Caleb Andrew Esser~

~John Henry Barrett~

*Day trip to New Orleans
So, Michael and I STILL have not gotten our passports for Austria! I am alot of the reason why we have put it off for so long. I just didn't see any need to get a passport for a trip that I was not going on! haha! I have really struggled with being away from my babies for 8 days! E-I-G-H-T!!!!! But I'm doing a little better with it. I'm actually getting excited about spending 8 days with Michael, and no kids. Ever since Parker's been born, Michael and I have not gotten to spend alot of alone time together. Sure, we've had date nights here and there...but no "getaways." So, I'm getting pretty excited about this trip! Ok, so back to New Orleans. We've decided to just make a day trip to New Orleans one day next week to get our passports and take the kids to the zoo! Abby has only been to the Hattiesburg zoo, and for those of you who have never experienced the Hatti Zoo...it's TERRIBLE!!!!! So, I'm really excited about taking Abby to the zoo in NO. I'm also excited about NO food...yummy! And I guess I'm a LITTLE excited about getting our passports. :)

*MY HAIR
It's about that time of the month that I fall into this hair rut! It needs to be highlighted, the length is annoying, and it's super freakin flat! Thank goodness I go next Wednesday for a re-vamp! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. Here's a reminder of what my hair will look like....except it will be blonde:

If anyone has any comments or advice, or can think of any reason I should NOT do this, please speak now...or forever hold your peace!

*Challenge
Ok, so my challenge to yall is this....
Be spontaneous this weekend! (or next week, if you have off for Spring Break) Break out of your shell a little and maybe do something you've never done before!! So, basically what I'm asking you to do is...challenge yourself!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend, and for those of you who will off next week for Spring Break....ENJOY!

so thankful for sunshine and spring,
Tonya

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY, PARKER!!!

2010-03-08T08:11:00.001-08:00

Yupp, that's right...Parker is 6 MONTHS OLD today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't believe for a second that it's been 6 months since I had my little man :(

**Here's a brief run-down of the past 6 months:

~Parker was born at the same time the swine flu was born
~I worried myself SICK over Abby and Parker getting the swine flu
~Seriously, I cried non-stop over the thought of it
~I kept Abby home from school for 2 months so that she wouldn't be exposed to it
~I pretty much stayed in the house, with both kids, for 2 months so we wouldn't be exposed to it
~I turned into a HUGEEEEEEEEEE germ-a-phobic, and made everyone sanitize their hands about 50 times when they came to visit
~I drove my friends crazy
~I finally got on Lexapro (I'm thinking I'll have a Lexapro post soon)
~The Lexapro kicked in, and life was good...once again!
~I started back to work...full time
~November was a super busy month for me, but I loved being back in the real world again!
~December was all about Christmas...shopping, parties, pictures, food, Santa...
~November and December= still no set schedule...kinda crazy at the Bishop house!
~January, Abby turns 3, still no set schedule
~February, a schedule is starting to be set
~March, here is our fabulous schedule:
-I get up at 6:00 am every morning and spend the next hour getting ready..by myself!
-I get the kids (and the hubby) up at 7:00 am and spend the next 45 minutes getting them dressed, fed, and packed up. (Michael helps get bottles ready, bags packed, car warmed up, and kids buckled in)
-I drop the kids off at school around 8:00 am and then head across the street to my office (perfect set up)
-I pick the kids up at 4:30, and head home to do whatever activities have been devoted to that specific day (Monday-family time at the house & 24, Tuesday-gymnastics & American Idol, Wednesday-church & American Idol, Thursday-family time, Friday-weekend plans begin)
-Michael, Abby, and I eat dinner around 6:00.
-I feed Parker his dinner around 7:30.
-Parker gets his last bottle for the night around 8:30.
-Both kids are in bed by 9:00. (This may sound late to some...but it works for us)
-Michael and I spend the next hour and a half together!
-Hit the sack around 10:30

**What Parker is doing at 6 months:

-rolling over. He does not like to lay on his back, he immediately flips over.
-starting to scoot a little bit. If you lay a toy out of reach while he's on his stomach, he will inch towards it.
-grabbing noses, pulling hair, poking eyes. If you're laying close to Parker or holding him, he will reach up and pinch your nose, or grab your hair, or poke your eyes! I loveeeeeeee this, because when you say "OUCH!!" He'll look at you and laugh.
-loving on his sister. Parker L-O-V-E-S Abby!!!! He always wants to see what she's doing, and he's even started "bothering her."
-talking. And when I say talking, I mean coo'ing! He has started to say "Da-Da" a little bit, and he'll scream "Ma-Ma" only when he's crying! Hey, I'll take whatever I can get :)
-he loves cell phones. I seriously don't know why we waste so much money on toys, because all he ever wants is a cell phone!
-he's spending lots of time in jumpers and walkers. I didn't think we'd ever get to this point. But he loves his free standing jumper and the door way jumper. He also loves his walker...even though he can't move it yet :) Poor baby has his mommy's short legs
-as mentioned before, he is finally sleeping the entire night in his crib! He's always been a good sleeper, but he's going from 8pm to 8am with no bottle...and that makes things so much easier on me!!
-he's chewing on EVERYTHING. He's been doing this for a few months now, so I'm just waiting for a tooth to pop up any day now. Anytime he has something in his hands, it goes straight to his mouth. However, his favorite chew toy is his fist.
-he's a happy baby! This child has the most precious smile that will melt your heart in a second! And the best part is, he is always smiling. However...catching it on the camera is a different story. Both my kids are hard-headed picture takers!

**The 6 month check up:

~He's in the 30th percentile for weight (15 lbs), 50th percentile for length (25 3/4 in), and 75th percentile for head. He's got his daddy's head ;)
~Dr. Smith said everything looks great, and his previous wheezing has stopped.
~And props to daddy for taking Parker all by himself. Michael hatessss when the kids have to get shots. He will literally leave the room and make me sit in there with them. But he took Parker today all by himself and sat with him through the shots. He's such a good daddy!

**The past 6 months in pictures:

~September~

~October~

~November~

~December~

~January~

~February~

~6 months~

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above"

Thank you, God for this perfect gift!!

one proud mommy,
Tonya

P.S.-Happy 1/2 Birthday to Ryder Wilson also!!! :)

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge....on Saturday!

2010-03-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I wasn't able to post my thoughts and challenge yesterday, and here's why....

Yes, that's my husband's car. Yes, he was in there. Yes, he is ok. Yes, the person in the other vehicle is ok. Yes, it's a miracle that nobody was seriously/fatally injured. Yes, our car is totalled. No, it wasn't his fault. No, nobody else was in the car (thank God).
So, here's what happened....in the order that I found out. I'm finishing a campus visit when my phone rings. Michael's picture pops up and I think he's just calling to say hey, like normal. He tells me that he's been in an accident. I don't really think anything about it, because I figure if he's calling me, then he must be ok. He tells me that the car is totalled and he's going to the ER. OK!!!!!! NOW HE HAS MY ATTENTION! "I am on my way," I tell him. I announced to my office, on my way out the door, that Michael's been in a wreck and that I'll keep them updated. So, I pull up to the scene of the accident and when I saw the car, my stomach dropped. From the looks of it, I'm expecting the worst! But then I see Michael, standing up, talking to the cop, with no blood, and I feel a little better. I ran to Michael and gave him a quick hug as he's explaining things to the cop. While he's talking to the cop, I start getting details from a friend that was talking to Michael on the phone when it happened!!! Ryan tells me that he was talking to Michael when all of the sudden Michael yells..."OH SHIT!!!!" (you'll have to excuse his language...but can you blame him??) Then Ryan hears screeching tires, followed by a loud crash! After the crash, Ryan just hears Michael groaning. He said his heart stopped and he was thinking the worst possible outcome. *Side Note: THANK YOU GOD FOR NOT ALLOWING ME TO BE ON THE OTHER END OF THAT PHONE LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ryan is screaming into the phone..."Michael, Michael, answer me...say something!!" He finally hangs up and got a phone call from Michael several minutes later. Come to find out, when the air bag deployed, it knocked the phone from Michael's hand and he wasn't able to find it until he got out of the car. So, after I talked to Ryan for a few minutes, I went back to Michael and he told me what happened. He was driving down Highway 51, heading to Co-Lin to play golf. A truck pulled out from a store and Michael slammed on the brakes to try to avoid hitting him. However, his brakes locked up and he skid for about 50 yards, only to hit the truck full force! Thankfully the man in the truck heard Michael lay on the horn and he stopped. If he would've gone a few feet further, Michael would've hit the driver's side door and possibly have killed the man. *Side Note: you cannot hear a story like this and not believe in God's divine intervention. So, after the car was towed, I took Michael to the ER to have his hand looked at. He didn't feel like it was broken, but it was severely burned from the air bag being deployed. The nurse confirmed the friction/chemical burn from the air bag and treated it as a 3rd degree burn. *Side Note: we can handle a 3rd degree burn! I'm just glad it wasn't any worse!!!! We went to clean out the Honda and say our goodbyes to our first purchase as a married couple. Michael is in a rental until we can get the money for our car and purchase another vehicle. *Side Note: we WILL be paying cash for another vehicle....because it's the "Dave Ramsey Way!" :) So, my thoughts for Friday consisted of being thankful God's protection over my husband and being reminded of just how quickly something like that can happen!

Other Thoughts:

*Online Shopping
Yes, this is a picture of a month's worth of online shopping. Thank you eBay & Old Navy. Parker is officially set for Spring/Summer thanks to eBay, Old Navy, Beyond the Rainbow, Target, and lots of great hand-me-downs! Abby's S/S wardrobe is not complete yet, but I've got a good start. I was also able to find some good deals for me and Michael too!!!

*Working Out Update
O-M-G...I did something this week that I have not done yet. I worked out through the pain! Usually when I start hurting, I'll stop. But this week I decided...NO PAIN, NO GAIN! Dumb, Dumb, Dumb! I literally have not been able to walk for 2 days!!!!!!!!! So, I'm going to take it easy this weekend and start back next week....but not so hardcore!

*Breakfast in Bed
No...not for me...for my hubby!!! I knew that he'd be super sore when he woke up this morning, so I got up and decided to spoil him for a change! I made him some blueberry muffins, a glass of apple juice, a cup of coffee, and a side of extra strength tylenol :) He is doing a lot better than expected today, so that's great news!!!

*Spring Break
One more work week until we leave for the beach!!! Just sayin...

*Locks of Love
We're growing Abby's hair out for locks of love. The poor child has my straight, fine, stringy hair!! So, needless to say, it's about to kill me to chop it off into a cute bob....same reason mine stays short...it never looks "great" long!!!! But we're only lacking about 2 inches for locks of love, so we're going to tough it out until we reach that goal! Stay tuned for new hairstyles from me AND Abby!

*Parker is a BIG BOY!!!
Yes...Parker is finally sleeping in his crib from 9pm-7am!!!!! He could've been doing this alot sooner, but I just wasn't ready to give up my cuddle buddy! But Michael and I just tried it the other night, and this new sleeping arrangement is fantabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Both kids are STARTING OFF in their beds, and Abby comes crawling in our bed around 5am. But that still gives me and Michael from 9pm-5am by ourselves!! For the first time in 2 years, we get our king size bed to ourselves!!! Enough said ;)

This weekend's challenge~
Be reminded that life is short and you never know when your last breath will be. Don't take anyone or anything for granted. Make it a point this weekend to tell your loved ones that you love them....just in case they're not there tomorrow!

full of love,
Tonya

~The Lost Sheep~

2010-03-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

I've debated on whether I should save this post and put it into my "Friday's Thoughts"...but then I thought...I didn't think about this on Friday...I'm thinking about it NOW! So, I just wanted to share this with yall. I hope this will challenge you and make you think, like it did me.

I have shared a little bit about my spiritual warfare over the past couple of weeks. However, I haven't shared as much as I'd like to. Like I said before, I like to show that I have it all together...but God is breaking me of that. He is showing me that it's better to be real and open so that people can relate to you and be fed by your honesty. Well...I've been going through this for about 2 years now. I'm not where I want to be spiritually, and I lack the desire to get there!! This is really hard for me because in high school-I was on fire for the Lord! Then, in junior college I drifted and decided partying was much more fun. Then, at Southern, I met my husband and he helped me get back on track. Then, we moved to Brookhaven and "church hopped" for a year. Then, we finally found a church that we felt God was calling us to, but after a while we discovered we weren't being fed spiritually. I take that back..we WERE being fed, but it was more like little snacks rather than big meals. So, over the past few months we've really struggled with the desire to even get up Sunday morning to go to church. We've prayed about it and just haven't felt God telling us to leave that church. Well, this past week, our church has gone through some major changes. I won't go into details, but I will say that I feel like prayers are being answered and that Easthaven Baptist Church is doing what is necessary to follow God's will for our church.

Ok so last night at church, we had a "guest pastor" come in. And I can honestly say that last night was the first time (besides for Sunday School)that I (let me emphasize I, because this post is my opinion)have felt the Holy Spirit and truly left there feeling refreshed. I'm terrible with names, so for a lack of better words, I will call this man "the preacher." So, the preacher gave a sermon on ~remove, restrict, and restore~ He said that the Lord will remove things from your life, He will restrict things from your life, and then He will RESTORE you! This was refreshing for me personally, and for the future of our church. But beyond that, this is what stood out to me the most....

He talked about the relationship a shepherd has with his sheep. I don't have a Bible around right now, so I will have to tell this in "Tonya Translation." You know that when a shepherd loses just ONE sheep, he will search night and day, around the clock, until he finds that sheep. NOT ONE SHEEP gets forgotten. And when the shepherd finally finds that sheep, after it's been rolling in dirt, covered in mud, with sticks and thorns stuck in it's fleece...you know what he does with that sheep? No, he doesn't just leave it there to die. He doesn't think that the sheep is useless just because it got dirty. No, he takes the sheep to be cleaned up. The first thing that the shepherd will do is to shave the sheep to it's bare NAKEDNESS. He doesn't just wash the sheep, he strips it of all the filth. WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW!!! Praise you, Jesus, for not turning your back on us when we're filthy. Over the past several months I have felt filthy. I'm not in the Word like I should be, I'm not spending quality time with my Savior, I'm not being the "go tell it on the mountain" Christian that I should be. I'm just simply going through the motions. And I have felt like God has given up His search for me, and decided to take his flock of sheep and go elsewhere. BUT NO!!! That is not what shepherds do, and that is not what THE Shepherd (God) does with his sheep (us). I needed that simple reminder last night that I have NOT been forgotten. God will search for the next 50 years if He has to, until He finds me, or until I'm ready to be found. And at that time, He will take me and strip me to my bare nakedness. And He will let a new fleece coat cover me. A new, fresh, clean fleece coat! And you want to know the even better news...He will strip you naked as many times as you need. We are all sinners, and we will all have filth in our lives at some point. But don't be ashamed and run from God. Let Him find you and clean you up. You are his sheep, and He loves you!

ready to be found and stripped,
Tonya

~St. Jude Trike-a-Thon~

2010-03-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

~Donations due by March 10th
~Donations in any amount
~Checks payable to St. Jude
~Send donations to:
Tonya Bishop
P.O. Box 649
Wesson, MS 39191

I am VERY blessed to have two healthy children, so I want to do what I can to help those who aren't so fortunate. Help me, Help them!

thanks,
Tonya

My Weekend...in pictures!!

2010-03-01T08:13:00.001-08:00

*Food & Friends Friday*
So...I went to Crystal Springs Friday night around 6:00 and got ready to go out with my sister. First of all, being in Crystal Springs with just my sister, my mom, and my step dad was so neat, because we never get to spend time together-just us! And secondly, it was sooooooo fun "getting ready to go out" with my sister. No kids. No husband. No worries. Just getting ready for a night on the town with my sissie Lu.

This is a picture of us after we ate at Margaritas...heading now to a "going away party." This is a terrible picture because I defly look like Casper the friendly ghost!!!!! But...oh well! Such is life :) So...after we ate at Margaritas, we went to a friend's house. A friend that I haven't seen in years...Jerry B!!!

While everyone was partying it up...I went and visited with another friend...one of my very best friends back in the day...Victoria!!!

Victoria and I spent the next 3 hours talking and catching up! Then I looked at the clock around 11:30 and thought to myself..."this is wayyyyy past my bedtime"...and I still had an hour drive back home! So, Lauren brought me back to my car and I headed home. It was a fabulous night!! Didn't do much. But just getting to hang out with Lauren and long-lost friends was perfect :)

*Saturday Surprises*
We woke up Saturday to SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!! Immediately I knew that we had to take advantage of this beautiful day. No cleaning. No laying around. No. NO. NO!!! Well, I take that back...I did clean a little, but then got in the shower and talked to Michael about what we should do the rest of the day. We decided to load everyone up and head to Jackson. We told Abby that we had lots of "surprises" in store for her! She was SOOOOOOOOO excited!!!! So, mommy went to tan and get her eyebrows waxed (necessities, of course!) and then we hit the road. First stop-CHICK FIL A...Duh!!!!!!! We told Abby that was her first surprise...but it was actually mine :) After we ate and played at CFA, we headed to our next stop. One of my best friends since childhood, Ashli Harper Moore, was in town! So, we stopped by her parents house, let the kiddos play, and we got to catch up for a couple hours. Between the 2 of us, we have SIX kids!! Here they are....

3 of them...Jayden (4), Abby (3), Sam (2)

Selah (1)

Parker (6 months)

Hatti Grace (7 weeks)

...After we played with the Moore's, we headed to GATTI TOWN!! This was going to be Abby's "big surprise" of the day. However, it turned into a big surprise for me and Michael. O-M-G...there are 750 million people there...no exaggeration...ok, maybe a little! Anyways, it was on the verge of a nightmare. We had some friends from Brookhaven meet us there, and we just tried to make the best of it. But after being there for 2 hours, I decided enough was enough. We ate pizza, we played games, took pictures, but when I saw the line to turn in your tickets for a stupid toy...I said NO NO!! We gave our tickets away, and I told Abby I'd take her to Target to pick out a prize. My patience couldn't take one more line...especially not for a rinky dink toy! Needless to say, a perfect day turned sour! I didn't talk the entire hour home. Michael kept trying to talk to me and I finally said..."I'm in a bad mood. If you keep talking to me, I'll probably blow up." He immediately shut up. Here are some pictures from our wonderful Gatti Town night!

sweet Carson

*Sunny Sunday*
Ahhhh....another day of sunshine!!!!!! Well, I woke up in a somewhat better mood but I was convinced that church would not be in my agenda today! Good try, Satan!!! Michael had to go because he plays in the praise band, but I told Abby that we were just going to play at home. SHE THREW A FIT!!!!! "Noooooooo....I wanna go to church!!!" Ok, Ok, OK! So, I jumped in the shower real quick, got ready, got both kids ready, and off we go. And praise the Lord for my child that talked me into going. The Sunday School lesson and sermon were just for me! I needed to be refreshed, and that's just what God did for me! So...after church, we went to eat as a family and then headed home for a stroll through the neighborhood. There's nothing better than killing 2 birds with one stone...family time and exercise! :)After our stroll, mommy and Parker took a nap while daddy and Abby went to play golf.

After nap time/golf time, we loaded up and went to Crystal Springs for dinner. Nothing ends a perfect weekend like a meal with your family. Here's a couple pictures of us playing at MiMi and Papaw's!

gross pic...but Michael and I never get pics together, so I gotta take what I can get :)

Someone told me last week that I had it made. Great husband, great kids, great house, and a great support system. And they were SO right. Sometimes I forget just how blessed I am. My prayer this week is that Satan will not tempt me with things of this world and that I'll take the time to sit in My Father's lap.

just happy,
Tonya

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

2010-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

(oh my heavens, this pic is from 2006!! but...it's the only pic I have saved to my computer. Usually I would go get one off Facebook, but I gave that up for lent...so, this is all I have)

*Date night with my Sissie Lu*

Ahhhhhhhhh....I am SO SO SO excited about tonight! I get to hang out with my sister!!!! For those of you who know me real well, then you know that my sister is my BEST FRIEND! However, we don't get to hang out as much as we used to. Living in Brookhaven, being married, and having 2 kids prevents us from hanging out. So...I messaged her earlier this week and I told her that we were hanging out on Friday, and I told her to make the plans! From what I understand, the plans for tonight consists of me hanging out with her and some of her friends. This may seem weird to some people, since we are 5 years apart. But Lauren AND her friends have always been a big part of my life! When I lived in Hattiesburg, they would come stay with me all the time. They've all been like family to me. They have seen me get married and been around through the birth of both my kids! I am SO excited about getting to hang out with them tonight!!!!

*Sick of snow, ready for a GLOW!*

I'm pretty sure I talk about this every week, but I have never been so ready for warm weather!!!!!! If it snows one more time (I know it's supposed to tomorrow), then I will screammmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!! All I want is to get to the beach, sit in my chair, with my toes in the water, and soak up the sun! Is that so much to ask?!!?

*Spring Break*

Ok, while we're on the subject, let me tell you about my Spring Break plans. First of all, Spring Break for us is in 2 more weeks....WOOHOO!!! (Come on, Mr. Sun) We're leaving on the 12th to go stay with my aunt in Pensacola, and we'll be there til the 16th! This will be Parker's first trip to the beach, and you better believe I'll be taking some family beach pics....DUH! I'll also probably just stay on the beach the whole time we're there...even if it's 25 degrees! I ain't skeered!! :) Anyways, that Wednesday (the 17th) I'm going to get my hair cut...like in that pic I posted a couple weeks ago. So, it'll be super short! I can't wait to see what it's going to look like! And then...the 19th and 20th we're going on a girl's trip to the Beau Rivage. Ahhhhhh....I can hardly contain my excitement. I can't remember the last time I went on an all girl's trip! The plan is to shop, eat, go out, get massages, see the Hairspray show, and come home. Heavenly bliss!

*Working out*

I've mentioned in previous posts that I've started a hardcore workout plan. I'm working out 4 days a week. Mondays and Wednesdays I do cardio, abs, and arms. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do cardio, abs, and legs. I've lost 25 lbs since I had Parker!! Working out has been great in so many ways. Of course, I'm excited to be back down to my pre-baby weight...but also, I look forward to working out every day! It's an hour devoted to just ME!!!!!!!!! I go to the workout room on campus, blare the music, and go at it for a full hour! Ahhhh...LOVE IT!

*Dave Ramsey update*

Michael and I have decided to try to sell our house! Yes, we just bought our house in August, but here's the plan...try to make about $40,000 off our house (we've done lots of work to it), pay off every single bit of debt, live somewhere cheap(er) for a while, save up, and start building. We're actually trying to get in a house on Co-Lin's campus for a while so we can save. At first, I cringed at the thought of doing this...but now I'm super excited about it! Once it gets warm, we're going to do some landscaping and then put a sign in the yard! We're not in any hurry to sell it...we're just gonna see how God works it all out :)

*Classic Rock & Booty Music*

Nothing puts me in a better mood than some CCR, ZZ Top, Pink FLoyd, Guns-n-Roses, Led Zeppelin, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Black Eyed Peas, etc.....
It's my guilty pleasure, and I just can't thank Michael enough for my fabulous Christmas present---XM radio!!!!!!

**CHALLENGE:
Have fun this weekend. Make time for just YOU. Do something that you haven't done in a while. Even if it's just for 30 minutes....go do something by yourself! Enjoy! And don't feel guilty! We all need to be refreshed every once in a while :)

in a great mood,
Tonya

It's DEFINITELY a Monday!!!

2010-02-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

Abby woke me up every 30 minutes last night complaining about her tummy hurting...
Finally fell asleep at 5:00am and woke up at 7:45am....
Abby has no idea why I'm asking her if she feels better...
She treats this morning as any other morning...
Playing, eating, laughing, whining...
So, I guess I'm not taking the day off...
Michael is taking a 45 minute shower....
I go get in Abby's shower...
I have 30 minutes to get everyone ready...
I don't look as ~cute~ as I would've liked...
I drop the kids off and get to work at 9...
I have a campus visit at 9...
And at 10...
Made Parker a Dr. Appt....
He's been congested for 3 months...
Workout at 11:30....
Sacrificed my lunch....
Campus visit at 12:30...
And at 1:00....
Go to the cafeteria...
Decided NOT to pay $5.00 for fried rice...
Starving by this time...
Catching up on bills...
Still starving...
Fixed me some oatmeal...
Put too much water in it....
I try to eat this bowl of watered down crap...
But I can't....
Is it only 3:00???....
Sigh....

Yeah, it's definitely a Monday!

Challenge~

2010-02-19T13:03:00.001-08:00

I was so busy WHINING that I forgot to challenge yall for this weekend!

How about this...try not to be pesimistic this weekend (I'm especially talking to myself). Join me in finding the good in everything and praising God for his faithfulness even when are not faithful!

Love yall!
Happy Friday :)

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

2010-02-19T11:36:00.001-08:00

**This has been a week from "EARTH"!!!!!!!!!!!!
I say "earth" because it's not fair to see it's been a week from HELL! That just gives Satan way too much credit. Also, when you say you've had a day/week from hell, it's saying that in no way has God blessed you. Sooooo....even though this has been a rough week...God is still God, and He has still blessed me even when I'm not worthy of it! I'm just glad it's the weekend. I don't have any big plans...I just need some R&R!!!

**In a Spiritual RUT!
While we're talking about God...I just have to admit....I am in a R-U-T!! I have been for quite a while now. I haven't really admitted it to anyone, because I like to show that I have it all together. But I just have to be real and tell yall that I feel like there are 170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles between me and God right now. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? It's like there's a wall up when I try to pray, I can't seem to make time to spend with the Lord each day, and honestly-I'm struggling with the desire for those things! I feel empty, and I know exactly why that is...so why is it so hard to do something about it?!!? I guess some of me feels like I just keep digging myself deeper into this rut, and I can't even see how it's possible to get out??? If anyone has any advice or personal testimonies, please do share!...and pray for me too!

**My Co-Lin "wolf pups"
On a lighter note...I just have to show off my Co-Lin spirit with my babies dressed in their Co-Lin attire!!! Abby's picture is from 2008, and Parker's is from this morning. I really do love my job and this college, and what better way to represent than with my little wolf pups!

**Pale, Pale, Pale
Ughhhhhhh....I'm so sick of being pale. But I'm just not into the tanning bed like I used to be. And I'm not really to the point where I want to spend $50 for a spray tan for it to only last a week!!! Soo...I guess I'll just keep waiting around for spring and warm weather. But I just hope it gets here soon, because pale is NOT the new tan!

**Sinus crud
Is it just me, or is everyone dealing with the sinus crud right now?!?! I've been very fortunate to have only had a scratchy throat here and there, but this morning I woke up and seriously wondered at what time in the middle of the night did a Mack truck run over me???????? I can't breathe, my head feels like it could burst at any minute, I'm sick to my stomach because all this snot is draining....BLAH!!!!!! Plus...I didn't get any sleep (because I could not breathe) and so not only do I feel like crap...the lack of sleep didn't do much for my looks today :(

**Debt
Ok, I'm trying to be more positive so let's talk about the fact that we just paid off a couple "pieces" of debt!! WOO HOO!!! When I say "debt", I'm talking about: a couple hundred dollars on the Belk card, a couple hundred on the gas card, some furniture, etc. However, we do still have a couple other things we working on paying off (house, car, etc), but we just gotta take it one at a time. Thanks, Dave Ramsey!! :)

**My preggie friends
Jennifer Esser- due the middle of March. She's one of my friends that has babies the "natural way" hehe! So...we won't really know exactly when baby Caleb will be here...but it won't be much longer! Can't wait for Parker and Caleb to be best friends like Abby and Austin! Love you, Jenn!
Brandi Barrett- scheduled section on March 12. WOO HOO!! John Henry will be here in 21 days!!!!!!!! Brandi's on bedrest until he's born, so keep her in your prayers. But not even bedrest can keep that girl's spirits down. Love you, Brandi!
Whitney Holmes- just found out she's having a BOY!!!!!!!!! Parker, John Henry, and Baby Boy Holmes will all be so close in age! It'll be so fun to have some little playmates right here in Brookhaven/Monticello :) Whitney's had a great pregnancy so far...and I'm praying it contines that way! Love you, Whit!
Some other friends that are expecting: Karen Webb, Erin Smith, and Jennifer Cochran. Praying for you girls!! Love yall :)

hoping for some R&R,
Tonya

Will I Survive?!?!!??!?

2010-02-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Soooooo.....I'm not Catholic and I really have NO idea what "Lent" is, but I saw everyone's Facebook status updates last night on what they were giving up for Lent. And I said to myself, "Self, I want to give up something this year!" So, then I started thinking about what I should give up. This usually wouldn't be hard to do, because I would've said chocolate, or junk food, or fast food, or caffeine...HOWEVER, I've already given all that up due to kidney stones and my latest "get ready for a swimsuit" workout plan! Hmmmmm....so, what could I give up?? And then it struck me....FACEBOOK!!!!!!!!! I spend wayyyyyyy too much time on Facebook each day. Totally ridiculous. I mean, I have a husband, 2 kids, a full time job, and an off-line social life! It's just plain stupid to spend so much time stalking people on Facebook! :)

I was so excited about it last night....and then I woke up. haha! Usually one of the first things I do when I get to work is check my Facebook. I like to see what people are doing, talking about, and what pictures they have posted (since the last time I checked...about 12 hours earlier-because I was sleeping!)So, when I woke up this morning the reality hit me. Um....I won't be able to get on Facebook for 45 days?!!??!?!?!!??!?!? Will I really survive those 45 days without updating my status every 5 minutes, uploading pictures (Spring Break, HELLO!!!), stalking my friends, chatting, and the biggest....maintaining Co-Lin's Facebook page!!! Yes, as the student recruiter, one of my job duties is to maintain our Facebook page. Thank the Lord that I have recently assigned 2 other people as admins on that page, so I'll just get them to keep up with it until April! Yeah, I'm going to do this right! :)

So, I guess for the next 45 days yall can check my blog to see what's going on in my life...and I'll definitley be "blog-stalking" more than usual!

I WILL SURVIVE,
Tonya

Snow Day 2010

2010-02-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

"God blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you"

2010-02-12T19:35:00.001-08:00

Ok, first of all let me apologize for yesterday's post that turned into a book. It was the first time I've ever shared our story publicly, so I just couldn't stop! I want to be open about everything, because I want to be real with everyone and I want my testimony to touch other people in the same situation.

Anyway...let's pick up with 2008. So, I told yall that we moved to Brookhaven, but I didn't really give details. Well, we moved into the Bishop's pool house. We were excited because it was going to be a great time for us to save lots of money!!! We also thought we'd just be there for about 6 months....haha....we ended up staying there for 2 years!!!!!!!!!!! Even though it was a little cramped in a 800 sq ft house, it was definitley God's plan for us. I have the absolute besttttttt in-laws in the world! So, great inlaws+ a pool right out your front door+ living for free+ saving money= fabulous 2 years! We were able to pay off some debt and save a TON! So...we started looking at houses in January 2009, and we found one in June 2009. We made a bid, they accepted the bid, and we moved in August 2009! A few other details that I have left out are: Michael went from job to job for 2 years and God finally opened a door for him at Farm Bureau in September 2008. As for me, I was a teller at a local bank for about 9 months, and then got an offer at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in October 2008! Also, I miscarried in August 2008, and then got pregnant again in December 2008. That was such a hard time for Michael and I. There are just no words to describe the pain of losing a baby. But we made it through, and we were so excited when God blessed us with another baby in December! Soooo....we moved into our new house in August 09, Michael and I celebrated 3 years of marriage, and then we had Brandon "Parker" Bishop in September 09. I took off for 2 months and went back to work in November. I worked my butt off in November and December, trying to make up 2 months of recruitment. But I loved every second of it...I absolutely love my job as the student recruiter for Co-Lin!

Well, that brings me to 2010. We celebrated Abby's 3rd birthday in January and we just enjoyed a SNOW DAY today! (pics will be posted soon!) And as a new year has started, we are so excited about what God has in store for our family in 2010. A few things that will be happening this year: Michael and I are going to Austria in April, Family trip to Destin in July, and hopefully Christmas in Disney World!

So...that is our love story-in a nutshell! There have been hard times, good times, sad times, and impatient times...but our love for eachother, for our kids, and for our God has never waivered. I am SOOO blessed to have Michael Brandon Bishop as my husband. We do not have a perfect marriage, and we never will....but one thing is certain---we will make it through whatever comes our way...and we will make it through together! I'm so glad I decided to devote this week to my "Valentine" because with 2 kids running around, he gets put on the back burner sometimes. So Michael, I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart. God truly blessed my broken road...that led me straight to YOU!

Since there won't be a post with Friday's thoughts and challenge, I want to challenge you through this post. At some point this weekend, sit down with your "Valentine" and talk about your love story. From Day 1 until now. It'll be a fun time to talk, laugh, and re-live the memories of when you first fell in love. I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day.
To Sarah: I hope you start feeling better, and I'm praying Todd stays healthy.
To Brittany: I'll be praying for Ryder's derm appointment next week and that he'll start feeling better soon. Both my babies have had the crud for several weeks! :(
And to everyone else: Thanks for following my blog, and have a great weekend!

so in love,
Tonya

"This much I know is true..."

2010-02-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we talked yesterday about how my husband was a **rockstar** haha! Let's move on to 2006.

From January 2006-May 2006, nothing really special happened. Just continued my education at Southern and followed the band around when I could. However in May, something SO unexpected happened.

On Mother's Day, I remember laying in bed with my mom and just feeling really sick. I wasn't throwing up, but I felt real nausiated. I laid around all that day, and when I got back to Hattiesburg on Monday I felt even worse!!! I was pretty convinced that it was just sinus drainage, because I had felt like that in the past. So...on Tuesday May 16th 2006, I went to the doctor. I told the doctor that I had sinus drainage that was making me sick and that I just needed some medicine. End of story. Write me a prescription and let me leave. So...the doctor took a urine sample and told me to wait in the room. Well, I waited for what seemed like 3849083493 hours!!!!!!! She finally came back in the room, and with the biggest smile on her face, she said..."You're pregnant!!!" O-M-G...I almost threw up!!!!!!!! I started balling crying, hysterically! She told me to calm down and that everything would be okay! WHAT??? NO...everything will NOT be ok. I'm 21 years old. I'm not married. I'm still in school. I'm not married. I'm not married. My parents are going to kill me. I'm not married. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I call Michael and tell him to meet me at my apartment. When he got there, I was still crying hysterically and when I told him the news, he broke down and started crying hysterically. (one of the three times I've ever seen him cry!) Michael leaves my apartment to go meet his dad to tell him the news and get some support. Me, on the other hand, decided not to tell my parents until the baby is 25 years old, because I knew support is not what they would offer. My parents were in Disney World at the time, so Michael and I decided to wait til they got home to tell them. After Michael told his dad, his whole family decided to come to Hattiesburg to be with us. We sat down and talked, they loved on us, took us out to eat, and assured us that everything would be okay. Soooooo....a week later, we made the trip to Clinton to break the news to my parents. Keep in mind that I've had to talk to them for an entire week without them knowing this big secret! After we eat dinner with my parents, we sit on the couch and Michael mutes the T.V. All the while, I just feel like I'd rather die than tell them. Well, Michael breaks the news to them and, just as we expected, they go CRAZY! They start yelling, and saying mean things. We finally left and I cried the whole way back to Hatti. My step dad called me the next day to apologize for how he reacted, and my mom didn't talk to me for 3 weeks. (side note: she is the best MiMi and support system for me now) :(

Well, on June 20 (Michael's birthday), Michael proposed. I wasn't expecting it to be so soon, but we decided that we would get married before I started showing. So, we got married on August 26th, 2006 and it was definitley the wedding of my dreams. It was small and simple, but it was still the wedding of my dreams. We went to the Bahamas for our honeymoon and everything about it was wonderful.

When we got home from our honeymoon, I moved into Michael's trailer. During the fall semester of 2006, I continued to go to school. I finished up my semester in December, and I was 9 months pregnant!!!

On January 7, 2007, I had Abigail Roselynn Bishop. It was the greatest day of my entire life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of OUR entire life! We lived in Hattiesburg, in the trailer, until August 2007. At that point, we felt God calling us to Brookhaven (which is where Michael was from). I knew that God was calling us there, but I didn't go without a fight! We were leaving a wonderful church, our best friends, a mall, Target, Chick Fil A, etc....to go to a town with a Wal-Mart! And I was NOT happy about it!

I finished up my college career at USM the fall semester of 2007. I had to communte from Brookhaven 3 days a week, study every night with a 6 month old, and had a husband that took a job that required him to be gone every week-home on the weekends!! So, needless to say, it was T-O-U-G-H!!!

This post has turned into more of my personal testimony than my love story with Michael. But...through that year and a half of hard times, Michael NEVER, NEVER, NEVER left my side...and I promise you, I made it difficult for him at times!!! Things did not work out like we had planned, but we look back now and we wouldn't change it for the world! He is my prince charming, and he is the best daddy in the world.

Tomorrow I'll wrap up our love story...
Stay tuned :)

God's timing is perfect,
Tonya

"Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms..."

2010-02-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

So, where did we leave off?
Oh yes...our first date/first kiss :)

Well, I forgot to mention in the earlier posts that Michael played in a praise & worship band when I met him. He played bass for Jason Elam, along with Chris Brown and Justin Teasley. They would travel all over the United States and play at church camps, revivals, Disciple Now weekends, etc. This was a little different for me, because I wasn't used to having a boyfriend that was gone almost every weekend. But I learned to LOVE it!!!! I was able to travel with them some, and I made an effort to attend alot of the local events and even some out of state events. One of my favorite memories was when they played in Gatlinburg, TN with Jaci Velasquez, Third Day, and some others. They have also played with Big Daddy Weave, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, and other big name Christian bands. It was so neat to experience this, and it grew me so much in the way I worshipped!! It was also fun to watch the little teenage girls run up to Michael and ask for his autograph after they played! HAHA! So, that's pretty much how Michael and I spent the next 2 years of our relationship. In January of 2005, I moved back home to take some classes at Holmes and then transferred back to USM in August 2005. The long distance relationship didn't really bother us all that much. We both made it a priority to see eachother as much as possible, send eachother letters and flowers (I received lotsssssss of flowers), and Michael would show up for surprise visits very often! The summer of 2005, I served as a summer missionary through the BSU at Southern. They sent me to Lake Tahoe to serve and I was ecstatic to go!!! However, when I got there 2 things happened: 1)I started having very bad pain in my side and lower back, 2)I missed Michael like craaaaazy!!!!!!! I visited the doctor every week while I was in Lake Tahoe trying to figure out what this pain was. They finally sent me to the hospital for an MRI, and that is when I first discovered my kidney stones! They found SIX while I was in Tahoe!! They gave me the option to have surgery there, or go home. I decided to go home, because I wanted to be with my mom...and...I was ready to see Michael. So, I ended up serving in Tahoe for a month, and then went back home to finish my summer in Clinton. When I moved back to Hattiesburg in August 2005, I started living with Brandy Bell (Byrd). Michael and I continued to date and our love for eachother grew much stronger! As I continued my education at Southern Miss, Michael decided to put school on hold and traveled with the band full time. He would still work at the fitness center when he wasn't traveling, and I went to work at Belk.

The story gets better...
Check in tomorrow for the next chapter :)

my boyfriend was in the band,
Tonya

"Others Who Broke My Heart, They Were Like Northern Stars..."

2010-02-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we left off at our first unofficial date at Firehouse Subs (which is still one of our favorite places to eat!). So it was September 25, 2004 when we officially started dating. But let's rewind for a minute. Before we officially started dating, Michael swept me off my feet everyday! Here are some of those memories that stick out in my mind: One day Michael was driving through our apartment complex (because he lived there too, not because he was a stalker ha!) and he saw me and my 2 roomies (Crittle and Brittany B) dragging our bags of garbage to the dumpster. He stopped and threw all the bags into the back of his truck and took it to the dumpster for us. He was always sending me flowers with the sweetest little notes. He came over and watched a movie with me and Crit before we had to evacuate Hatti for one of the hurricanes, and then he talked to me on my phone the whole way to Jackson to keep me awake. And I could go on all day. So, like I said, we officially started dating on September 25, 2004, and this was our first date:

Michael came and picked me up one Sunday afternoon to go to church. (That already says a lot right there!). As we're driving to church, I was trying to be nice and pulled his visor down to get the sun out of his eyes. Well, little did I know that he stored his 980834243 cds under his visor, so when I pulled it down all those cds hit him in the face and dumped into his lap! HAHA! I was so embarassed, but now that is one of our fondest memories :) So, we went to church and then went to eat at Chili's. Which is where we found the chocolate molten cake. That cake has ended up being another one of our most fond memories. After Chili's, he took me to his apartment and we watched a movie and had our first kiss ;)

So, the other guys that had broke my heart served as Northern stars that directed me right to Michael. It's funny how things work out. When you're in the midst of heartache, you think your world is coming to an end. But it's really just God's way of taking you out of that relationship so that you can find your true love that awaits! I really don't regret any relationship I ever had, because each one of those relationships made me who I am today.

Our first date was the next chapter in my love story with Michael. I'll tell you more tomorrow...

no regrets,
Tonya

"Every long lost dream led me to where you are..."

2010-02-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

So, as we approach Valentine's Day, I decided to devote this entire week to my wonderful husband. It seems as though I've overlooked him throughout my blogging career. It wasn't intentional. But that's why I want to devote a whole week to letting yall know just how blessed I am to have this man as my husband.

"Every long lost dream led me to where you are..."
There were YEARS of long lost dreams in my life. In high school, I was a lovestruck teenager that thought my first "real" boyfriend was the love of my life. After 2 years, I realized that God was leading me somewhere else. During my college years at Holmes Community College, I went from one long lost dream to another. When I transferred to Southern Miss, I was dating a guy that I had known all along. I really felt like he was "the one" that God had for me. He went to State that semester and needless to say, the long distance relationship just wasn't working out for us. At that time, God brought Michael Bishop into my life. We met at a BSU fish fry and ended up working together at a fitness center in Hattiesburg. Ben and I broke up, and a few weeks later Michael asked me on a lunch date. He asked me while I was walking on the treadmill, so I was not as ~cute~ as I would've liked to have been. But I'll never forget our first unofficial date at Firehouse Subs.

So, that's how my long lost dreams led me to Michael.
Tomorrow you'll find out more of our love story.

so in love,
Tonya

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

2010-02-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

**Superbowl food for lunch!!
Today the cafeteria here at Co-Lin had superbowl food for lunch. You don't have to tell me twice. I was down there as soon as my lunch break started! I just wanted it all...but settled for a chili dog, nachos and cheese, and tater tots! Mmmmmm....:) And a sprite...all for $4! Can't beat that with a stick!!!!!!!! It was very yummy, but now I'm stuffed! (and kinda wish I would've used my lunch break to workout instead! haha)

**Pink, Fuzzy Northface jacket
So, I got this Northface jacket last year (08) for Christmas, but I've only worn it a couple times because I'm a weird-o about things matching. And since I don't have a million things with pink in them, I've just pushed the jacket to the back of the closet. Until today. Mainly because today is dress down day and so my nice coats wouldn't look right with my jeans and plain jane top. Anywayssss...it's been fabulous. It's one of those real soft ones (don't know the name), so I could actually just zip myself up in it and fall fast asleep. Ahhh.....

**When will my babies ever get better??????
Abby and Parker have had the crud for about a month now! It's driving me crazy!! Abby is actually getting better, but I think Parker is getting worse. I took him to the doctor yesterday, because he started coughing so hard that he's making himself throw up! But of course the doctor found nothing wrong. Which I guess is a good thing that nothing major is wrong, but I just want him to feel better! And. stop. coughing. Besides for the coughing (and occasional projectile vomit), the kiddos are in good spirits. Abby is still as non-stop as ever. And Parker man is still trying to tell us everything about everything...he's a non-stop chatter box!

**A weekend in Hatti
So, the kids are staying with my parents tonight, and then we're getting them back tomorrow on our way to HATTIESBURG! We're going to stay with our Hatti Besties, The Essers! We try to get together with them at least once a month. We just take turns driving to eachother. It's always a fun relaxing time of catching up, letting our kids play, eating good food, and slumber parties!!!!! Oh, and of course a little Hobby Lobby and Target are thrown in there too :) But this trip is especially special (haha), because we're going to visit our old church while we're there!! So, we'll actually get to catch up with lots of friends. Can't wait!

**A new hairstyle!
This past Tuesday I went to get my hair done! I get sooooooo bored with my hair, so every 6-8 weeks I have to do something different. I'm either changing colors, adding colors, changing styles, or whatever. So, I found a pic (of Victoria Beckham of course...she's my hairstyle role model!) and I brought it with me on Tuesday. Debbie (my stylist) and I decided that I WILL rock this hairstyle...but I'm going to let it be my Spring/Summer style...so I'll get it cut like the pic above in 8 weeks! YAY! :) So, all I did on Tuesday was got the 4 colors touched up (2 blondes and 2 browns), and cut a few bangs (so I can get used to it before I go all the bang-way), and she cut more choppy layers! loveeeeee it....loveeeeee Debbie! (Debbie Brown, in Wesson...call her...she's great!)

**Swimsuit body
I made a decision in January that I was going to start using my lunch break to workout. Now, how much easier could it be? We have a workout facility on campus and it's RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from my office. But for some reason, I talk myself out of it everyday. I'd probably still talk myself out of it even if I had someone bring all the equipment to my office. Ughhhh!!!!! I'm very fortunate to be back at the weight I was before I got pregnant. But it's not my weight I'm trying to control...it's the out of control untoned muscles and flab! I just want to look good in a swimsuit again. Is that so much to ask?!??!?! So......maybe Monday? Monday is always a good day to start anything new! ha!! I'll let yall know how that goes next week in Friday's Thoughts.

**Girl's Trip!!
In my last post, I talked alot about the fabulous girlfriends that I have in my life! Well...several of us have decided that it's time for a girl's trip! So, March 18-20, we're gonna go to The Beau Rivage! The musical "Hairspray" will be there, so we will go to that on Saturday...and the rest of the time, we will do whatever we want! Cannot wait!!!!! Good food, good friends, lots of dancing, of course some shopping, some spa treatments, and sleeeep! :)

Ok...well, that's all I have for today. I hope yall have enjoyed my randomness :) My challenge for you is: have some girl time this weekend! Find some girlfriends to go shopping with, eat with, and talk girl stuff with. Give yourself some time to just be a GIRL...not a mommy or a wife...just for a couple hours. You will be amazed at how refreshed you will feel afterwards. A little time away from your husband and kids will make you a better wife and mommy!

a refreshed wifey & mommy,
Tonya

Girl's Just Wanna Have FUN!!!!

2010-02-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have decided to write about the fun times I have with my girls every month...thanks Crittle, for the idea :)

On the 1st Tuesday of every month, some girls from my Sunday School class get together for "Girl's Night." Someone different hosts it at their house each month, so it's a good time to meet new people and see everyone's home! It's up to the "host" as to what we do each month. Usually we just eat, talk, and LAUGH...ALOT! Everyone brings a yummy dish, so that way no one person is responsible for all the food. And plus...you get to try new things and get new recipes :) This month was my turn to host! We've been living in a pool house, so it was hard to have more than 4 people in our house at one time. I tried to have a pool party one month for girl's night, but it ended up that on that particular night, we were moving into our NEW HOUSE! :) So, back to hosting the party...my mom came over Monday while I was at work to clean my house. Yes. I. am. spoiled. So, yesterday I knew I had to get my hair done at 3:30 and probably wouldn't get done until 5:30...which would give me only an hour to get home and get ready for the party. Well, that is where my wonderful husband comes in. He picked up the kids from school, went by and picked up my chicken salad that I ordered (because I wouldn't have time to make anything), picked up a game that I needed, fed Parker, forgot to take Abby to gymnastics (haha, yes he did, but we won't dwell on that lol), made sure the house was spik-n-span, and got himself and the kids out of the house before the girls arrived. SIDE NOTE: I am totally blessed with the greatest husband in the world. I don't say that enough..but I'm thinking that I'll have a blog post dedicated to him soon! Anyways...so I got home in enough time to change clothes, put some fun music on, and breathe for a minute. Once the girls got there, we put out all the food and started munching! After we ate and talked for a while, I pulled out the arts and crafts! hahahaha :) I am a nerd when it comes to hosting parties...I love games, crafts, and acting crazy! I thought it would be a neat idea to make Valentine's cards to send to a local nursing home. So, that's what we did...we spent the next hour and a half making cards, talking, and laughing! It was a blast. It's alwayssssssss a blast with these girls! If you don't have a group of girls that you hang out with at least once a month...find one! It's such a good thing to have some girls that you can be real with, honest with, and accountable to. here is a picture of our group back in October (I think?) at the Art Barn in Wesson. It's kinda like Easely Amused.

*I look terrible in this pic. It was my first outing after Parker was born, so excuse the pale, flabby, black roots of a mess! LOL!

Ok, now let's talk about our Bunko group! On the 3rd Tuesday of every month, we have a DIFFERENT group of girls that get together for Bunko! My girl's night group is girls from my church. My Bunko group is more of the girls that we hang out with/talk to on a daily basis. SIDE NOTE: It's such a blessing because this group of girls are all really close and our husbands are all really close too...and...our kids are all the same ages and loving hanging out together! God is so good. Anyways...Sandy Cunningham and I came up with this group back in November. Several of us had been talking about starting a Bunko group for a while, so Sandy and I sat down one day and just did it! Our Bunko "kickoff" was in December at my house. Everyone brought their favorite breakfast dish and an ornament to swap. It was a blast! January was our first month to actually play the game. Whitney Holmes hosted it at her new gorgeous house, and the way we play is...when it's your month to host, you buy the 3 prizes and provide all the food. We don't pay to play each month. So, all you have to worry about is when it's your month to host, and then you don't have to worry about it for another year. Last month was hilarious, because I had spent all day refreshing myself on how to play (used instructions that I got off the internet), and when I started explaining it to everyone, I realized that the way the internet told me to play was totally retarded! So, it took us a couple rounds to all get on the same page, but it ended up being a great time! We've also talked about making each month a new theme. So, when it's your turn to host, you come up with a fun theme! (ex: Luau, Halloween costume contest, formal night, etc.) We didn't have a theme in January since it was our trial month, but I look forward to seeing what the girl's come up with in the future. Here is a pic of our group at our Tacky Christmas party:

*This isn't the whole group...some of the girl's weren't able to be there.

I hope yall have a group of girls that you can get together with on a regular basis. Michael and I have been very blessed with the greatest couple friends throughout our marriage. And I do want to add that some of our very best friends are not in either of these groups mentioned above, because we had to leave them in Hattiesburg. :( We make a point to make weekend trips to Hattiesburg at least once a month to see these friends that have proven to be some of the best friends we have ever had! And I definitley don't want to leave out any of the girls that have been by my side throughout college. It's sad to say that I'm not really close friends with anyone from high school (even though I love keeping up with them through facebook & blogspot). But my Holmes friends, college roomies, and Southern Miss classmates are still very dear to my heart.

Crittle, I hope this is what you were expecting from this post. Thanks for the idea. It's always neat for me to write these things out, because it reminds me of just how blessed I really am in the area of friends.

a true friend,
Tonya

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

2010-01-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

I just have to admit that I LOVE following Sarah Scott Broadus's blog when she has "Wednesday Words." I've been thinking....I wanna do something like that!!! hehe :) So, I have come up with "Friday's thoughts." This will just be a fun time for me to be completely random (which I love), and share whatever is on my mind :)
So...today's thoughts:

~I love drink mixes that you add to bottled water! Since I am prone to getting 20 kidney stones a year, I have to drink LOTS of water. BARF! I hate water!! So, thank God for these little packets that turn boring water into a tolerable way to fight off kidney stones!

~Pizza Hut in McComb has TERRIBLE service!!!!!!! We went there last night and waited, NO LIE, 30 minutes for someone to just come get our drink orders! And when you have a very thirsty 3 year old...that is no fun! Not to mention: the phone was constantly ringing off the hook, our waiter was 10 years old, he was also waiting on his family (which got VIP service), the delivery guy looked like he was high on something (not good to drive while high), and it took about 2 hours to get our 2 pizzas! However...Abby did meet a friend (in the bathroom haha) and they played together the entire time we were there (not in the bathroom the whole time). And we were there with some friends, so at least it was a good time to visit...just not a good time to be hungry.

~I cannot, not, not stay on top of household chores! My goal has gone from: having a clean house, to having a clean living room and kitchen! haha!! I just give up on Abby's room, because as soon as I clean it, she comes in and destroys it! And our room is the gathering place every morning for breakfast, cartoons, dressing room, etc. So, it's pointless to clean our room because every morning it's back to mass chaos!!! Oh well....such is life!

~My husband just called and asked me on a date! WOOHOOO!!! The in-laws will keep the kids, we're going to eat at Biaggi's, and going to see a movie! LOVE DATE NIGHTS!

~I am incredibly excited about starting our new "Dave Ramsey Budget" this month!I am a "nerd" when it comes to making a budget and living by it. I love checking our account everyday to see what bill has been paid so that I can put a check by it on our budget excel! hahaha :)

~I get off at 12:00 today! I was going to take the kids to Jackson to see my dad, but the weather is just too blah :( So, instead...I'm going to leave the kids at daycare until 4:00, and enjoy 4 hours to myself. WHAT!?!?!?!? What will I do? I dont know...but I've already promised myself not to clean or be productive. I think I'll go pick up some fast food and a chick flick, get in my pjs, and lay around until the kids get home. Ahhhhhhhhh......

~My hair is out of control! My roots are starting to show, the length is bothersome, and it has NO body! But.....I go Tuesday to get it done. I don't think a $100 hairstyle is on the Dave Ramsey budget...but...I. don't. care. That will be my splurge for the month :)

~I counted weight watcher points this week just for the fun of it. HAHAHAHA!!! There is NO way I could ever do weight watchers! I am allowed 20 points a day...and apparently, I eat that many points in ONE MEAL! I really admire those that do weight watchers, because that takes a lot of self discipline. YOU GO GIRLS!

~The calendar on my desk is still sitting on January 13th, and that's only because a student changed it from September to January. And while we're on that subject, this is what January 13th says..."Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God's best gifts."

~Why is it that I have 1,000's of pictures on my camera or saved to my computer, but all my frames have way outdated pics in them???

~I need advice/tips/encouragement. Michael won a trip to Austria through Farm Bureau. We leave April 25 and come back May 3!!!!!!!!!!! The kids are not allowed to go, so I am stressing about leaving them for so long. Can anyone give me any advice on this? I'm having a real hard time with it :(

Thanks for wasting 5 minutes of your day reading my thoughts for today. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. And I challenge you to--date your spouse at some point this weekend. It doesn't have to be a dinner/movie date. It could just be a TV date after the kids have gone to bed. But make a point to set aside some time for just yall this weekend.

a random thinker,
Tonya

ABBY'S 3RD BIRTHDAY SLIDESHOW!

2010-01-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I can finally breathe!!!!

2010-01-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

I am SO excited that I can finally breathe and rest for "a minute!!" In August, I was busy with a new full-time job, being 9 months pregnant, being in a new house, and getting ready for all the changes that 2 kids bring you. From September to November, I had Parker and kept Abby home from school because of the swine flu. So, needless to say, I had my hands full and didn't have time to think, much less REST! In November, I started back to work and was busy cramming 3 months of recruitment into ONE! Then in December, I was buying and wrapping presents, hosting Christmas parties, going to Christmas parties, watching Christmas movies, being Santa Claus, and just trying to enjoy the holidays in my "spare time!" In January, I started back to work, got Parker settled in at Co-Lin daycare, advised/registered a billion students, finished up my College Preps at the high schools, started Abby in gymnastics, planned a birthday party, HAD a birthday party, hosted a baby shower, and now....I can finally breathe!!!!!

Whew...I think I just now realzied how crazy busy my life has been over the past 6 months!!!!!!! I'm really looking forward to just taking it easy for a while and maybe getting to rest a little. I was asked to join Junior Auxillary of Brookhaven this past week and I was soooooooooo excited about it, because it's something I've wanted to do since I moved here. But after someone explained it to me in great detail, I just wasn't sure if I'd be able to do it right now? I don't like to commit to something and only be able to give 10%, and I don't like to over-commit. So, JA just might have to wait another year or two...but it is DEFLY something that I want to do!

So, Michael and I started a Dave Ramsey "class" at FBC of Brookhaven. We've only met twice, but I am SO excited about learning how to manage our money a little better. For those of yall who KNOW me, you know that I am O-C-D about everything...but especially money!! I have a strict budget that I write out every month, we do the "envelope system", and we always have money saved (well, until Christmas wiped us out). But one thing I've never been good at is--paying off debt. We don't have much debt at all, but I get so stressed out about it. SO, I'm really excited to let Dave take over and have financial peace!

The kids:

*Abby- Like I said earlier, Abby has started gymnastics! And she is loving it!! She is the youngest and smallest in her class, but she can hold her own! She keeps up with the big girls and does everything they do! In between her class meetings, I "practice" with Abby. We practice cartwheels, flips, splits, balance, and toe touches (more like spread eagles hahaha). She LOVES practicing and showing me and her daddy all her "tricks."

*Parker- is eating BABY FOOD!! I can't believe it...but Dr. Smith gave us the go ahead on baby food at Parker's 4 month check up. We started him with rice for a couple weeks and then introduced CARROTS! Well, actually I introduced carrot apple mango first....BIG MISTAKE! He was obsessed...and wouldn't take his bottle for 2 or 3 feedings! But then I got him some plain carrots, and he has done so good with them...and is still continuing to suck down his bottle. I nursed Parker for 4 months and then switched to formula. He started off taking 4 oz, but now he takes 5 or 6 oz! Him and Abby have both had congestion/cough for the past week. Probably because this stupid MS weather keeps going from 15 to 50 to 70 to 45 to 60. UGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I hate when my babies don't feel good! Parker started daycare at Co-Lin this month. His teacher is Mrs. Maragaret and he LOVES her!!!!! Parker is one of 3 babies in his class, so he gets lots of attention. The childcare is right across the street from my office, so I go check on him alot :) I am so blessed to have both my kids on campus with me, and I am forever grateful to Mrs. Mary Price for making it happen!

So, I keep forgetting to "dump" my pictures onto my computer so I can share them with everyone! I'll try to do that later today and have a "picture post" to share soon!

ready to rest,
Tonya

My babies are growing up soooooooo fast!!!

2010-01-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we just celebrated Abby's 3rd....yes, THIRD...birthday!!!!! And we've also celebrated Parker turning 4 months...sigh! It seriously feels like just yesterday Abby was learning to crawl...and now we're almost ready for Parker to begin that journey! Wow....

Abigail Roselynn Bishop
-27 lb, 34 in
-She starts gymnastics TOMORROW!! I can't wait for her to have a little "hobby" that's an hour focused on just her! I'm so excited because her class is every Tuesday at 5:30, so that means I'll be able to take her every week and watch :)))
-She LOVES her baby brother. Of course she gets jealous sometimes, but for the most part she is a great help!
-She has so many friends...and she talks about them all the time. She gets so excited when we have play dates with them. And Michael and I don't mind these play dates one bit, because the parents of Abby's friends are some of our best friends in the world!
-She is very creative. However, she doesn't like to play by herself very much. She wants Michael and I to be part of her pretend play at all times, so there really is never a dull moment around here. I can't wait til Parker can play with her!
-She is sassyyyyyyyyyy and acts just like me! It really cracks me up, so I end up laughing when I should be getting on to her for certain things.
-I could go on and on about how precious she is, but all summed up....she is a pure joy!

Brandon "Parker" Bishop
-13 lb 2 oz, 25 in
-He is laughing!!! We just found out, like 10 minutes ago, how to make him laugh hysterically!! (SP??) It's the most precious sound in the world.
-He is such a happy, laid back, chill baby! He has his moments, but really the only time you'll hear him cry is when he's hungry....and sometimes he fights sleep like WHOA!
-He is FINALLY sleeping in his crib (a little ha!). For the first 4 months of his life, he slept right next to me in our bed every night. I loved that time (and still do), but I knew that it was time to get him in his crib :( So, he sleeps in his crib from about 10-4, and then when (if) he wakes up crying, I just put him in bed with me. I'm not the kind of mom that will wake up in the middle of the night and try to rock him back to sleep....or just listen to him cry himself back to sleep....he goes right back to sleep when I lay him down with me, so that's what we do!
-He's rolling over! From front to back...and occassionally back to front.
-He smiles nonstop...melts my heart every time!
-He lovessssssss watching T.V., so I got him some Baby Einstein movies and he'll watch the entire movie!
-He's getting alot more hair on the top of his head...my mom made a mohawk with it today :)
-His doctor told us to go ahead and start him on cereal and some veggies, so I can't wait to see how that goes!
-He is a total mama's boy...and I'm okay with that! When he's upset, he doesn't want anyone but me.

Okay...it's taken me an hour to write this blog...trying to cook dinner, then eat dinner, playing with Abby, watching The Bachelor, and trying to just relax a little. I'll try to be more consistent with these blogging updates....but I'll go ahead and apologize when I'm not :)

I love my life as a mommy and a wife,
Tonya

These are a FEW of my favorite things...

2010-01-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

I'm a random blogger....I can't help it! haha!!! I have no rhyme or reason for anything I blog about...or anything I do, for that matter :) But I've just been on a kick of finding happiness and excitement in little silly things. Such as:

*Snuggies- obviously snuggies were the #1 Christmas gift of 2009 (well, maybe not #1), because I ordered 4 in the beginning of November and they were on backorder until Jan 17! SERIOUSLY!?!? No thanks! So, I cancelled those and went and bought some to give as gifts. Well, then I wanted one REAL bad....but...all the stores were sold out?? Soooo...finally Wal-Mart got some in and I about pee'd in my pants when I saw it. It's like a light from God shone down around it. The box with the pink snuggie on the front, so warm and cuddly, ahhhh....I've been snuggled up in it ever since :)
*Carmex- there is no greater feeling than the burning sensation of Carmex on your chapped lips. LOVE IT!
*Germ X- thank you, swine freakin flu for making me a crazy germ person!!!! Not just me, but I make Michael and Abby disinfect their hands after they touch anything that may have a germ on it! But it's been good, because for the most part we've stayed pretty healthy...just a mild cold and about 303402834 kidney stones (but germ x doesn't help with those)
*Fire- i am loving having a fireplace in our new house! and michael is undeniably obsessed!!!!!! there's just something about getting in your pjs, wrapping up in your snuggie, starting a fire, and watching TV with your hubby, or playing on the floor with the kiddos.
*Fried rice- YUMMY!!!!!! I could probably eat Bonsai every day of my life. But since we live an hour from Bonsai, it just can't happen that way. But...I have a husband that makes the 2nd best fried rice EVER! It just makes my tummy so happy! :)
*Getting my eyebrows waxed- I'm not sure there are many people out there that love putting hot wax on their eyebrows, followed by putting a piece of paper over that hot wax, and then ripping it off with no warning. But i LOVE it....and i also love having the stray ones plucked. HAHA!! I love freshly waxed eyebrows....even though mine stay red for about a week afterwards!
*Clean babies- I love giving my babies a bath. First of all, it's probably good for them to stay clean. Secondly, i love the smell and sight of a clean baby.
*Facebook- I'm just not sure what I'd do without it. I love to stalk people and their photos. Confession: I have about 10 people that I search for right when I sign in, to see if they've added new pics or to see what they're up to...but I will never say who! heehee!
*Sweet tea- It has become a treat for me, since sweet tea is a kidney stone's worst enemy. I mainly drink water, but sometimes I'll splurge for a large sweet tea....and I enjoy every drop!
*Wheel of fortune- I'm so good at this game! I wish they'd come to Brookhaven so I could win millions.
*XM radio- Michael got me XM for the 'burban for Christmas, and I'm obsessed. POP 2K and 90's on 90 are my favorites.
*A clean house- I'm real OCD about having a clean house. I cannot stand for things to be out of place. But I get it honestly. However, I have just recently found someone to come once a week to clean for me. I cannot wait!!!!

there are many more, but the Bachelor just came on so I must go watch! Happy New Year, by the way! I hope God blesses each one of you in 2010.

easily amused,
Tonya

The countdown to Christmas...

2009-12-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

So, on my way to work this morning I was really struck by something. I have very random things that go on in this blonde head of mine, but sometimes the Lord uses those random thoughts and turns them into an idea!!!! So, as I was heading to work, I was just thinking to myself..."Gosh, I'm so warm with my heated seats and the heat blowing on my face"....and then my thoughts were turned to those less fortunate. I was thinking about the homeless people that are sitting under bridges in this 30 degree weather with no heat or blankets, or the people that have no cars and walk or ride their bike to work, or perhaps the kids that have no warm clothes....it really made me sad. I take SOOOOOO much for granted, and I don't even realize it! That's when I started thinking, "WHAT CAN I DO?" I know I can't help the world, but if I can help just ONE person a day, then I can make a difference in that person's life. So, I'm going to countdown to Christmas in a whole new way this year, and I want YOU to join me!!! We have 7 days left until Christmas, so that's 7 lives that we can help! If we commit to help at least 1 person a day from now until Christmas, then that's 7 lives that we can impact!! Maybe you could bake your elderly neighbors some cookies, or offer to wrap a pregnant friend's Christmas presents, or maybe you see a stranger at Wal-Mart that needs help loading their groceries into the car, or you see a hitchhiker on the side of the road and you offer them a jacket that you have in your trunk. Whatever it might be, let's try to help those in need this holiday season! I'm going to include Abby in on this too, because I want her to learn at an early age what Christmas is all about. So, I'll try to update my blog every day over the next 7 days and tell yall about what opportunities the Lord has brought to my plate that day. And pleaseeeeeeeeeee share with me too!!!!! I hope to hear from some of yall over the next 7 days.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
Tonya :)

My heart overflows!

2009-12-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

The best way to sum up the past 3 1/2 months isn't "overload" but "overFLOW"!!

*Abby- She will be 3 on January 7th. She is a precious angel....sassy...but precious!!!! She is SOOOOOOOOOO much like me, it totally cracks me up. She uses phrases that I do (ex: I told her to clean her room one day and she looked at me and said, "I'm so sure!") WOW'zers!!! And even through her sassy'ness, she has already started to show a love for the Lord, and that melts my heart like nothing else in this world. (ex: I told her one day that me and her daddy were very proud of her, and she asked, "Is Jesus proud of me too?"....and when we sit down to eat, she promptly reminds us to hold hands and say the blessing). She is so into Santa this year...and Buddy (our elf on the shelf). I didn't think anyone could love Christmas more than me, but I have definitley met my match! :) And last, but most assuredly not least...she is the BEST big sister!!!! She loves her baby brother more than I could have ever imagined! She's had the "crud" for about a week, so I've TRIED to keep her away from him, but that is not physically possible...she wants to be loving on him at all times!

*Parker- He is 3 1/2 months old!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!?! Where does the time go? I cannot get enough of him!! Since I've started back to work (full time), when I get home, all I want to do is cuddle and rock with him. Needless to say, he is spoiled R-O-T-T-E-N. (ex: he never spent one night in his bassinet, and has not slept a wink in his crib...I have to have him cuddled by me!!) Call us bad parents, but Michael and I loveeeeeeeee our kids snuggled in the bed with us (it just makes for creative romance LOL). Kids are only little once, so we're saving the hard core schedules for their teen years. I know the day will come when they won't sleep with us, and they won't hang out with us on Friday nights, so I'm enjoying this time while I can! Other things Parker is doing: Cooing (he talks constantly...especially to Abby...he LOVES her!), he smiles all the time (especially at me...he is a big time mama's boy!), rolling over (sometimes....he's pretty lazy for the most part), fighting sleep (ugh...this is my least favorite...once again, it's my fault because I spoil him and now he thinks he HAS to be rocked to sleep!), he loves to watch TV (especially football with his daddy), he flares his nostrils when he gets excited, he loves chewing on his hands (i think he might be trying to teethe already), and oh my gosh...this boy poots more than anyone I know!!!!!!!!!! haha!!

*Michael- Michael is still working at Farm Bureau, and is doing SO great! He's won about 5 trips since August, and even though I tease him about it...I am SO proud of how successful he's been! He's really enjoyed being "Handy Man" in our new house. He takes so much pride in our new home and is constantly looking for things to do around the house!

*Me- I am working at Co-Lin as the student recruiter, and I L-O-V-E my job!!! It's hard leaving my kids every day, but I look forward to spending each day with great friends! I am also in love with our new home. It's the best feeling to get off work every day and go to a cozy home. However, keeping a 2400 sq ft house clean is ALOT harder than keeping a 700 sq ft house clean! haha!! I think all our Christmas parties have slowed down, so I'm really looking forward to just relaxing over the next 10 days and enjoying the Christmas season!

I hope yall have enjoyed the pics and updates....but most of all, I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY Christmas, and a fabulous New Year!!!!!!!

Jesus is the reason for the season,
Tonya :)

The WORST Blogger EVERRR!!!

2009-11-28T08:02:00.001-08:00

Ok, so it's been almost SIX months since I've blogged!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I've been very busy, but seriously, how long would it have taken me to simply blog a little here and there?!?!!? Soooo....today my blog will consist of a brief overview of the past several months, and then pics will soon follow....

July-Our big highlight in July was our family vacation to Washington D.C. I was 8 months preggie and was a little on the miserable side. However, this was my first time in D.C. and I really enjoyed it (besides for walking soooo much!!). Abby also had fun, even though she didn't understand the historical greatness of this city! It was a great time for everyone :)

August-Ok....you ready for this??? In August, I started full time at Co-Lin as the student recruiter, Abby started "school" for the first time, I hit the 9 month preggie mark, and we BOUGHT a house!!!!!!!!! It is an understatement to say that August was CA-RAZYYYY!! But it was also a super exciting time for us! We have been so patient in waiting for God to provide us a house, and it was well worth it because our house is fabulous! God is SO good!! Our families worked so hard to get us settled in before the baby got here, and it finally felt like "home."

September-I worked the first week in September, and then on September 8th we had Brandon Parker Bishop! He was 6 lb 12 oz and was 19.5 inches. He is such a blessing from God!!!!!!!!! Abby loved him immediately and has proven to be the BEST big sister! The rest of September consisted of lots of crying and worrying!!

October-Two words sum up this month....SWINE FLU!!!!!! I spent manyyyyy hours worrying about my babies getting the swine flu. It started to consume me, and Michael and I made the "Lexapro decision." I talked to my doctor and he recommended that I get on Lexapro to balance out my hormones. I always told myself that I'd never get on medicine like that, but I knew that until my hormones got back to normal, I needed some help! Michael and I also decided to keep Abby home from school until Parker had his shots, just to keep her from bringing home any kind of sickness.

November-I started back to work on November 3rd, and by this time, I had my life back! Lexapro literally saved my life and my sanity! And thank God, because November was crazyyyyyyyyyy at work!!!! I had SO much to catch up on and was in a different high school every day recruiting for Co-Lin. Even though it was crazy busy, I was having the time of my life. I am truly blessed to have such an amazing job that I love going to every day! Not only do I have the best job...I have the absolute greatest co-workers ever! So, when I started back to work, Abby started back to school. She was SO excited to see all her friends!! The transition was shockingly easy!! I'm able to go home pretty much every day on my lunch break to see my little man, and being away from him and Abby makes my time with them even more special.

So....that brings me to today. I have been off this past week for Thanksgiving break, and it has been WONDERFUL! I have been able to spend quality time with my 2 children and my husband. November is finally winding down and December 1st is right around the corner! I filled in our calendar on my dry erase board, and December is full of 12 Christmas parties, a couple Christmas parades, cookies with Santa, and much more!!!!!! So, as I sit here in my new house, on my new couch, with spit up on my shirt, my baby in his swing, the smell of syrup dripping off my daughter's face, my husband waiting on the Egg Bowl, the Christmas tree all lit up, and the feeling of contentment...I am reminded of all that I have to be thankful for! God has blessed our family in ways that I would have never dreamed of, and I can't wait to see what our future holds!

a child of the Living God,
Tonya Bishop :)

I'm Back!!!!!!!!

2009-06-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

So, now that the 40 days of Love Dare is over, I can finally blog about my life!!!! :) However, let me start off by saying that the 40 days I set aside to "The Love Dare" was one of the best commitments I have ever made!! It truly taught me how to love my husband in a deeper way, and I'm already seeing a big difference in the way I handle my emotions and how my love for him has turned from "conditional" to "unconditional." I definitley recommend watching the movie "Fireproof" and then going through "The Love Dare" if you haven't already!

Alright, now let me give you a brief overview of the past 40 days of my life...

I think my last post before Love Dare was about Disney, so since our trip to Disney we have been on several other trips. Michael won a trip to Gulfshores with Farm Bureau, and while he was there me and Abby went to Georgia with his family to see my brother and sister in law. It was our first trip to see their new home, and we had a FABULOUS time!! **SHOUT OUT TO MATTHEW AND KRISTEN...LOVE YALL** Then, the very next weekend we headed to Pensacola, FL to see one of my bestest friends get married. **SHOUT OUT TO MRS. MOULDER ;)** We decided to make this wedding trip a mini-vacation for the fam, so my parents went down with me, Michael, and Abby and we were able to shop, tan, and hang out for 4 days! It was alot of fun!! (side note: if Brandi Barrett is reading this blog post, please forgive all my run-on sentences, fragments, and English errors). Anywaysss...after we got back from the beach, I decided that I needed about a month of NO road trips because I was absolutely exhausted. However...Michael won ANOTHER trip with Farm Bureau...to VEGAS!! He was gone for a week, and let me just give a **SHOUT OUT TO ALL SINGLE MOMS/PARENTS** because being a "single mom" for a week just about did me in! I was soooooooo happy when Michael got home, because I was finally able to shave my legs, take a bath (I had been taking showers, mind you), wash some dishes, etc etc.

Ok, so I think all that pretty much brings me to this week....WHEW!!! I've been very hormonal and emotional this week. Lots of pity parties and just down and depressing days! :( But I do have some good news....I passed my glucose test on Tuesday, and Dr. Mills once again reassured me that "baby brother" is still doing great! I cannot even begin to thank all the people who have been praying for this pregnancy...it means SO much! So, let's go back to "baby brother." Why do we call him this, you may ask!? Because Michael and I canNOT agree on a boy name!!!!!!!!!! I'm not real sure what we're going to do about this???? There is ONE name that we have agreed on, but for some reason we just can't seem to confirm this as his name? That name is "Parker." We like either Brandon Parker, or Parker Brandon. Brandon is Michael's middle name. Now we have even thrown Michael Brandon Bishop, Jr. into the mix?!?!? Ahhhhhhhh.....I just want my baby to have a name!!!!!!!!! But I think he'll always be "baby brother" to Abby. She seems VERRRRYYYYY excited about baby brother getting here. She always wants to feel him kick, and even tells me sometimes that he's kicking in HER tummy too! WOW!....pretty impressive, huh?! haha :)

Speaking of Abby....I think I'll use the rest of this post to share some updated pics of my princess. Words just cannot even begin to express my love for this girl. Michael and I are truly blessed beyond words.

Love Dare~Day 40!!!!!!!

2009-06-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

We have reached our final dare!!!! And let me just tell you that satan got a hold of me yesterday like he hasn't got in the past 40 days! I really didn't think I would be able to finish this last dare, because I was so hurt by my husband and satan had me thinking that I wouldn't be able to, and didn't want to, get over it! But....through some prayer, and encouragement from my best friend, I was able to talk to Michael about it and we worked through it! And now when I look back on it, it was NOTHING!!! So, that's how I know it was satan trying to cause me to stumble on this last day! Let's see what our last dare holds for us:

"Love is a covenant"

"Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." -Ruth 1:16

A few notes from today's reading:

~This book may end at Day 40. But who says your dare has to stop? And as you view your marriage relationship from this point on, we challenge you to consider it a COVENANT instead of a contract. These two words sounds similiar in meaning adn intent but are in reality much different. Seeing marriage as a contract is like saying to your spouse, "I take you for me and we'll see if this works out." But realizing it as a covenant changes it to say, "I give myself to you and commit to this marriage for life."
~A COVENANT is:
-a verbal committment based on trust, assuring someone that your promise is unconditional and good for life.
-for the benefit of others and comes with unlimited responsibility.
-intended to be unbreakable.
~There's good reason why God was the One who initiated covenants with His people. He alone is able to forgive the receivers of His covenant when they fail to uphold their part of the agreement.
~The time is NOW, man or woman of God, to renew your covenant of love in all sincerity and surrender. Love is too holy a treasure to trade in for another, and too powerful a bond to be broken without dire consequences. Fasten your love afresh on this one the Lord has given you to cherish, prize, and honor.

Today's Dare:

Write out a renewal of your vows and place them in your home. Perhaps, if appropriate, you could make arrangments to formally renew your wedding vows before a minister and with family present. Make it a living testament to the value of marriage in God's eyes and the high honor of being one with your mate.

To Journal:

~What has God revealed to you during the Love Dare?
~How have your views of marriage changed?
~How committed are you to God and to your spouse?
~Who can you share this with as a testimony?

I hope yall have all enjoyed this journey as much as I have! I'm excited to see what God has in store for the future of our marriage, and I feel like I may be a little more prepared for satan's attacks on our marriage as well! Thanks for taking this journey with me. Love yall so much!

dare to love,
Tonya

Love Dare~Day 39

2009-06-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

"Love Endures"

"Love never fails" -1 Cor. 13:8

A few notes from today's reading:

~Though threatened, love keeps pursuing. Though challenged, it keeps moving forward. Though mistreated and rejected, it refuses to give up.
~So, today your dare is to put your unfailing love into the most powerful, personal words you can. This is your chance to declare that no matter what imperfections exist-both in you and in your spouse-your love is greater still. No matter what they've done or how often they've done it, you choose to love them anyway. Though you've been far from steady in your treatment of them over the years, your days of being inconsistent in love are over. You accept this man or woman as God's special gift to you, and you promise to love them until death!

Today's Dare:

Spend time in personal prayer, then write a letter of committment and resolve to your spouse. Include why you are committing to this marriage until death, and that you have purposed to love them no matter what. Leave it in a place that your mate will find it.

To Journal:

~What were some of the hesitations you had in writing this letter?
~How do you expect your spouse to respond to it?
~How did God help you in writing it, and what did the process teach you about yourself?

One more day, guys & gals!!!!!!!!!

Love Dare~Day 37 & 38

2009-06-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Day 37~ "Love Agrees in Prayer"

"If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father." -Matthew 18:19

Today's Dare: (yesterday's day..sorry!)

Ask your spouse if you can begin praying together. Talk about the best time to do this, whether it's in the morning, your lunch hour, or before bedtime. Use this time to commit your concerns, disagreements, and needs before the Lord. Don't forget to thank Him for His provision and blessing. Even if your spouse refuses to do this, resolve to spend this daily time in prayer yourself.

To Journal:

~What can you do to help your mate be willing for the two of you to begin praying together?
~If you agreed to pray together, what was it like?
~What did you learn from it?

Day 38~ "Love fulfills dreams"

"Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart"

Today's Dare:

Ask yourself what your mate would want if it was obtainable. Commit this to prayer, and start mapping out a plan for meeting some (if not all) of their desires, to whatever level you possibly can.

To Journal:

~What has made you resistant to fulfilling your mate's desires in the past?
~How would it chnage your relationship if they knew their dreams were a priority to you?
~What desires are you attempting to meet?

Love Dare~Day 36

2009-06-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

"Love is God's Word"

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." -Psalm 119:105

A few notes from today's reading:

~Be in it-If this is not already a habit of yours, now is the time to begin reading a portion of the Bible every day. Those who practice a consistent pattern of reading the Bible soon discover it to be "more desirable than gold, yes than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb." (Psalm 19:10)
~Stay under it-It's so important to be part of a church where the Word is faithfully taught and preached. By hearing it explained in sermons and Bible study classes, you'll get a broader, more balanced view of what God is saying through His Word.
~Live it-The Bible lives because it becomes a part of who you are, how you think, and what you do.

Today's Dare:

Commit to reading the Bible every day. Find a devotional book or other resource that will give you some guidance. If your spouse is open to it, see if they will commit to daily Bible reading with you. Begin submitting each area of your life to its guidance and start building on the Rock.

To Journal:

~What parts of your life are in the greatest need of God's counsel?
~Where do you feel the most susceptible to failure?
~What are you asking God to show you through His Word?

Love Dare~Days 33-35

2009-05-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Day 33~ "Love completes each other"

"If two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?" -Ecclesiastes 4:11

Today's Dare:

Recognize that your spouse is included in your future success. Let them know today that you desire to include them in your upcoming decisions, and that you need their perspective and counsel. If you have ignored their input in the past, admit your oversight and ask them forgive you.

To Journal:

~What are some upcoming decisions you can make together?
~What did you learn today about the role of your mate?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

Day 34~ "Love celebrates godliness"

"[Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth." -1 Cor. 13:6

Today's Dare:

Find a specific, recent example when your spouse demonstrated Christian character in a noticeable way. Verbally commend them for this at some point today.

To Journal:

~What example did you choose to recognize?
~How many other ways could you celebrate their growth in godliness?
~How could you encourage them to perserve in it?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

Day 35~ "Love is accountable"

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." -Proverbs 15:22

Today's Dare:

Find a marriage mentor-someone who is a strong Christian and who will be honest and loving with you. If you feel that counseling is needed, then take the first step to set up an appointment. During this process, ask God to direct your decisions and discernment.

To Journal:

~Who did you choose?
~Why did you select this person?
~What do you hope to learn from them?

Love Dare~Day 32

2009-05-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

"Love meet sexual needs"

"The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband." -1 Cor. 7:3

A few notes from today's reading:

~It's true that sex is only one aspect of marriage. But as time goes by, one of you will likely value its importance more highly than the other. As a result of this, the nature of your oneness will feel threatened and endangered.
~Sex is not to be used as a bargaining chip. It is not something God allows us to withhold without consequence. Though there can certainly be abuses to this divinely designed framework, the heart of marriage is one of giving ourselves to each other to meet the other's needs.
~If you allow distance to grow between you in this area, if you allow staleness to set in, you are taking something that rightly and exclusively belongs to your spouse.
~When the love of Christ is the foundation of your marriage, the strength of your friendship and sexual relationship can be enjoyed at a level this world can never know.

Today's Dare:

If at all possible, try to initiate sex with your spouse today. Do this in a way that honors what your spouse has told you (or implied to you) about what they need from you sexually. Ask God to make this enjoyable for both of you as well as a path to greater intimacy.

To Journal:

~Was this a satisfying experience for you?
~If it didn't turn out the way you'd hoped, what do you think is complicating matters?
~Have you committed this to prayer?
~If it was a true blessing for both of you, what can you learn from this for the future?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

Love Dare~Day 31

2009-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Nine more days, guys & gals!! I'm so proud of us for making it this far into the journey! I've talked to a couple people who have kinda been struggling with the past couple weeks. Honestly, I have too! I just don't feel like alot of this applies to me or my marriage, so it's been hard to put it into practice. But what I CAN tell you is that, I have gotten ALOT out of this study so far!!!! God has changed my heart in a lot of different ways, and taught me to love more UNconditionally! So, even if you feel like you're not getting something out of EVERY day/dare...just remember that God might have you doing this only to get a few things out of it! :)

"Love and Marriage"

"A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." -Genesis 2:24

A few notes from today's reading:

~Unity is a marriage quality to be guarded at great cost. The purpose of "leaving", of course, is not to abandon all contact with the past but rather to preserve the unique oneness that marriage is designed to capture. Only in oneness can you become all that God means for you and your marriage to be.
~"Cleaving" carries the idea of catching someone by pursuit, clinging to them as your new rock of refuge and safety. This man is now the spiritual leader of your new home, tasked with responsibility of loving you "just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her." (Eph 5:25). This woman is now one in union with you, called to "see to it that she respects her husband." (Eph 5:33)
~As a result of this essential process, you are able to acheive oneness in your DECISION MAKING, in your PRIORITIES, and in your SEXUAL AFFECTIONS.

Today's Dare:

Is there a "leaving" issue you haven't been brave enough to conquer yet? Confess it to your spouse today, and resolve to make it right. The oneness of your marriage is dependent upon it. Follow this with a committment to your spouse and to God to make your marriage the top priority over every other human relationship.

To Journal:

~Has this been a hard thing for you to deal with?
~How has it affected your relationship?
~If the worse offender in this area is your spouse, how can you lovingly move this toward a better situation?

Love Dare~Day 30

2009-05-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am dragging BIG time today....and I'm gonna need loads of motivation to #1)catch up on some of the Love Dares I slacked on, #2)get my work done today, #3)kill all these spiders that have made nest in my office over the weekend, and #4)just stay awake!!! I loveddddddd my 4 day weekend, but it was incredibly hard to get up this morning and get back to the real world :( So...let's see what Day 30 holds for us! DAY 30!!!! Can you believe we've made it this far?!?! Only 10 more days...I hope God has been doing some incredible things in your marriage over these past 30 days! He has been reshaping me in so many ways!!

"Love bring unity"

"Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given me, that they may be one even as We are." -John 17:11

A few notes from today's reading:

~Wives-what would happen if you made it your mission to do everything possible to promote togetherness of heart with your husband? What if every threat to your unity was treated as poison, a cancer, an enemy to be eliminated by love, humility, and selfishness? What would your marriage become if you were never again willing to see your oneness torn apart?
~Therefore, love this one who is as much a part of your body as you are. Serve this one whose needs cannot be separated from your own. Honor this one who, when raised upon the pedestal of your love, raises you up too in the eyes of God, all at the same time.

Today's Dare:

Isolate one area of division in your marriage, and look on today as a fresh opportunity to pray about it. Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your own heart that is threatening oneness with your spouse. Pray that He would do the same from them. And if appropriate, discuss this matter openly, seeking God for unity.

To Journal:

~Did the Lord open your eyes to anything new that might be giving fuel to this point of disagreement?
~How did you intend to respond?
~What do you hope to see God do in your spouse as well?

Love Dare~Days 27-29

2009-05-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I slacked off yesterday and I am SO sorry! There's really no excuse for it at all....we were a lazy family ALL day yesterday, and I just kept putting it off until I completely forgot about it! Sorry, gals! So, I'm going to put up yesterday's dare, today's dare, and tomorrow's dare. That way I won't forget again during this holiday weekend :)

Day 27~ "Love Encourages"

Today's Dare: (yesterday's dare)

Eliminate the poison of unrealistic expectations in your home. Think of one area where your spoue has told you you're expecting too much, and tell them you're sorry for being so hard on them about it. Promise them you'll seek to understand, and assure them of your unconditional love.

To Journal:

~When you place high expectations on your spoue that they don't feel internally motivated to attain, what does that tell you about yourself?
~What are some better ways to deal with these disconnects?

Day 28~ "Love makes sacrifices"

Today's Dare:

What is one of the greatest needs in your spouse's life right now? Is there a need you could lift from their shoulders today be a daring act of sacrifice on your part? Whether the need is big or small, purpose to do what you can to meet the need.

To Journal:

~How much of your mate's stress is caused by your lack of concern or initiative?
~When you expressed a desire to help, how did they receive it?
~Are there other needs you could meet?

Day 29~ "Love's Motivation"

Today's Dare: (tomorrow's dare)

Before you see your spouse again today, pray for them by name and for their needs. Whether it comes easy for you or not, say "I love you", then express love to them in some tangible way. Go to God in prayer again, thanking Him for giving you the privelege of loving this one special person-unconditionally, the way He loves both of you!

To Journal:

~How will this change of motivation affect your relationshiop and reactions?
~What does this inspire you to do?
~What does it inspire you to stop doing?

Love Dare~Day 26

2009-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

"Love is Responsible"

"When you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things." -Romans 2:1

A few notes from today's reading:

~Love doesn't pass the blame so easily or justify selfish motives. Love is not nearly as concerned with its own performance as with others' needs. When love takes responsibility for its actions, it's not to prove how noble you've been but rather to admit how much further you have to go.
~Pride is very resistant to responsibility, but humility and honesty before God and your spouse is crucial for a healthy relationship.

Today's Dare:

Take time to pray through your areas of wrongdoing. Ask for God's forgiveness, then humble yourself enough to admit them to your spouse. Do it sincerely and truthfully. Ask your spouse for forgiveness as well. No matter how they respond, make sure you cover your responsibility in love. Even if they respond with criticism, accept it by receiving it as counsel.

To Journal:

~What does your mate need to see in order to believe that your confession was more than just words?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

Love Dare~Day 25

2009-05-21T07:36:00.001-07:00

15 more days of the Love Dare!!!!!! Hope everyone is doing good with it. The past couple weeks have been so deep and in a way, I don't feel like any of it has really applied to me. RED FLAG!! I probably need to go back and read through them again and really open my heart to what God is wanting to show me. But I'm kinda looking forward to this being over so I can start "blogging" again! haha...I guess I could blog on personal issues at the same time, but it would just be too much for me and this blog! ha!! :) So..let's get on with Day 25:

"Love Forgives"

"What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ." -2 Cor. 2:10

A few notes from today's reading: (good stuff!)

~Forgiveness HAS to happen, or a successful marriage will NOT work!
~Torture. Prison. When you think of unforgiveness, this is what should come to your mind, for Jesus said, "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." (Matthew 18:35)
~We see all kinds of dangers and risks involved in forgiving others. But when you forgive another person, you're not turning them loose. You're just turning them over to God, who can be counted on to deal with them HIS way.
~It's about freedom. It's about letting go.
~"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." (Romans 12:19)
~How do you KNOW you've forgiven? You know it when the thought of their name or the sight of their face-rather than causing your blood to boil-causes you to feel sorry for them instead, to pity them, to genuinely hope they get this turned around.
~Great marriages are not created by people who never hurt each other, only by people who choose to keep "no record of wrongs." (1 Cor 13:5)

Today's Dare:

Whatever you haven't forgiven in your mate, forgive it today. Let it go. Just as we ask Jesus to "forgive us our debts" each day, we must ask Him to help us "forgive our debtors" each day as well. Unforgiveness has been keeping you and your spouse in prison too long. Say from your heart, "I choose to forgive."

To Journal:

~What did you forgive your spouse for today?
~How long have you been carrying the weight of it?
~What are the possibilities now that you've released this matter to God?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

forgiven & forgiving,
Tonya

Love Dare~Day 24

2009-05-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

"Love vs Lust"

"The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." -1 John 2:17

A few notes from today's reading:

~The progression of lust: from eyes to heart to action. And then follows shame and regret.
~We can lust after people, possessions, power, or prideful ambition. We see what others have and we want it. Our hearts are decieved into saying, "I could be happy if I only had this." Then we make the decision to go after it.
~It's time to expose lust for what it really is-a misguided thirst for satisfaction that only God can fulfill. Lust is like a warning light on the dashboard of your heart, alerting you to the fact that you are not allowing God's love to fill you. When your eyes and heart are on Him, your actions will lead you to lasting joy, not to endless cycle of regret and condemnation.
~Begin with setting your eyes on the Word of God. Focus on being grateful for everything God has already given you rather than choosing discontentment.
~Lust is the best this world has to offer, but love offers you the best life in the world.

Today's Dare:

End it NOW! Identify every object of lust in your life and remove it. Single out every lie you've swallowed in pursuing forbidden pleasure and reject it. Lust cannot be allowed to live in a back bedroom. It must be killed and destroyed-today-and replaced with the sure promises of God and a heart filled with His perfect love.

To Journal:

~What did you identify as an area of lust?
~What has this pursuit cost you over time?
~How has it led you away from the person you want to be?
~WRite about your new committment to seek Him-and to seek your spoue-rather than seeking after foolish desires.

Love Dare~Day 23

2009-05-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

"Love always protects"

"Love always protects" -1 Cor. 13:7

A few notes from today's reading:

~There are some battles you should be willing to fight in your marriage. These are battles that pertain to protecting your spouse.
~Your mate and your marriage need your constant protection from things like:
-Harmful influences- too much Internet, television, or long work hours
-Unhealthy relationships- not everyone has the material to be a good friend. Don't hang out with people who constantly put negative thoughts in your head.
-Shame- You need to protect your wife or husband's vulnerability by never speaking negatively about them in public. Love hides the fault of others. It covers their shame.
-Parasites- Anything that latches onto you or your partner and sucks the life out of your marriage. Addictions: gambling, drugs, or porn.
~Wives, you have a role as a protector in your marriage. You must guard your heart from being led away through novels, magazines, and other forms of entertainment that blur your perception of reality and put unfair expectations on your husband.

Today's Dare:

Remove anything that is hindering your relationship, any addiction or influence that's stealing your affections and turning your heart away from your spouse.

To Journal:

~What did you throw out first?
~Are there others that need to go as well?
~What do you hope the removal of these things will do for you, your marriage, and you relationship with God?

Love Dare~Day 22

2009-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've had a VERY busy week/weekend!!!!!!! I am so sorry for slacking with the Love Dare, but I at least wanted to make sure I posted the dares for everyone! I am still struggling a little bit with my current attitude towards this book?! It just seems like satan is working overtime trying to discourage me along the way! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! But anyways, I'm praying myself through it....I just hope it gets better soon! :)

"Love is Faithful"

"I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord." -Hosea 2:20

A few notes from today's reading:

~Our love for each other is supposed to be how people distinguish us as Christ's disciples. (John 13:35)
~So if love is what we were created to share, what do you do when your love is rejected? How do you handle it when the one to whom you've pledged your life stops accepting the love you're called to give?.....
~"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke 6:27-28)
~If love is to be like His, it must love even when its overtures are returned unwanted. And for your love to be like that, it must be His love to begin with.
~You can give undeserved love to your spouse because God gave undeserved love to you-repeatedly, enduringly. Love is often expressed the most to those who deserve it the least. (WOW WOW WOW WOW!!)

Today's Dare:

Love is a choice, not a feeling. (I'm going to repeat that) Love is a CHOICE, not a feeling!!!!!!! It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction. Choose today to be committed to love even if you spouse has lost most of their interest in receiving it. Say to them today in words similiar to these, "I LOVE YOU. PERIOD. I CHOOSE TO LOVE YOU EVEN IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME IN RETURN."

To Journal:

~Why is this kind of love impossible without the love of Christ beating in your heart?
~How does His presence within you enable you to love, even when it's primarily one-sided?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

loving unconditionally,
Tonya

Love Dare~Days 19-21

2009-05-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am SO sorry that I didn't get a chance to put yesterday's dare up!!! Being out of town makes it very difficult to get this done! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! So, I'm going to put up yesterday's and then go ahead and post today's and tomorrow (simplified versions) :)

Day 19~"Love is impossible" (without God)

"Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." -1 John 4:7

Today's Dare:

Look back over the dares from previous days. Were there some that seemed impossible to you? Have you realized your need for God to change your heart and to give you the ability to love? Ask Him to show you where you stand with Him, and ask for the strength and grace to settle your eternal destination.

To Journal:

~What do you believe God is saying to you?
~Is there a stirring in your heart?
~What decision have you made in response to this?

Day 20~"Love is Jesus Christ"

"While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." -Romans 5:6

Today's Dare:

Dare to take God at His Word. Dare to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. Dare to pray, "Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner. But you have shown your love for me by dying to forgive my sins, and You have proven Your power to save me from death by Your resurrection. Lord, change my heart, and save me by Your grace."

To Journal:

~Write about what this experience has been like for you.
~Even if you are only renewing your committment to receive and express His love, what has He shown you today?

Day 21~"Love is satisfied in God"

"The Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire." -Isaiah 58:11

Today's Dare:

Be intentional today about making a time to pray and read your Bible. Try reading a chapter out of Proverbs each day, or reading a chapter in the Gospels. As you do, immerse yourself in the love and promises God has for you. This will add to your growth as you walk with Him.

To Journal:

~How do you think spending time daily with God will change your situation and perspective?
~How can you make Him a bigger part of your day?

Love Dare~Day 18

2009-05-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

"Love seeks to understand"

"How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding." -Prov 3:13

A few notes from today's reading:

~Some of the problems you have in relating to your spouse are simply because you don't understand them.
~Ask yourself these questions:
-Do you know his/her greatest hopes or dreams?
-Do you fully understand how they prefer to give and receive love?
-Do you know what your spouse's greatest fears are, and why they struggle with them?
~Here's what you can do:
-Ask questions. Proverbs 18:15. Love takes the initiative to begin conversations.
-Listen. Proverbs 10:14. The goal of understanding your mate is to hear them, not to tell them what you think.
-Ask God for discernment. Proverbs 2:6. The Lord will show you what you need in order to know how to love your spouse better.

Today's Dare:

Prepare a special dinner at home, just for the two of you. The dinner can be as nice as you prefer. Focus this time on getting to know your spouse better, perhaps an area that you've rarely talked abuot. Determine to make it an enjoyable evening for you and your mate.

To Journal:

~What did you learn about your spouse that you didn't know before?
~How could you continue this process of discovery in other ways, at other times?
~What were some of the moments that made this evening memorable?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

Ok...I can already tell you that I will not be able to complete today's dare, TODAY! Me and Abby are leaving for the beach today, and Michael will be coming tomorrow. So....I won't be at home tonight to cook dinner for him :( BUT...I will DEFLY be making this one up, because we realy need this dinner for two! Like I said, I'll be outta town all weekend, so I'm not sure how I'm going to work out the next couple of days....they may be a little later than normal, but they'll be here! :)

trying to be more understanding,
Tonya

Love Dare~Day 17

2009-05-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Whew....does this seem to be getting harder for anyone else?? Not only are the dares getting deeper, but they're getting a little harder!! I can handle buying Michael little happys and running errands for him...but dying to myself and putting him first, even when he doesn't deserve it....that's HARD!!!!!!!!!! So, here's Day 17:

"Love promotes intimacy"

"He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." -Proverbs 17:9

A few notes from today's reading:

~INTIMACY is a great blessing but is also the site of great danger. Someone who knows us this intimately can either love us at depths we never imagined, or can wound us in ways we may never fully recover from. It's both the fire and the fear of marriage.
~Which of these are you experiencing the most in your home right now? Are the secrets your spouse knows about you reasons for shame, or reasons for drawing you closer? If your spouse were to answer the same question, would they say you make them feel safe, or scared?
~The atmosphere of your marriage should be one of freedom.
~And yet God, who knows secrets about us that we even hide from ourselves, loves us at a depth we cannot begin to fathom. How much more should we-as imperfect people-reach out to our spouse in grace and understanding, accepting them for who they are and assuring them that their secrets are safe with us?

Today's Dare:

Determine to guard your mate's secrets (unless they are dangerous to them or to you) and to pray for them. Talk with your spouse, and resolve to demonstrate love in spite of these issues. Really listen to them when they share personal thoughts and struggles with you. Make them feel safe.

To Journal:

~How much of an effort is it for you to hold back from saying something, critical or otherwise?
~What have you learned about your spouse today, simply from listening?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

longing for a deeper intimacy,
Tonya

Love Dare~Day 16

2009-05-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

I just have to admit that satan is trying to have his way with me!!!!!!!! I have had such a bad attitude the past couple of days, and last night instead of honoring my husband-I fought with him!! It was over something kinda silly, but I just could not let it go for some reason?! So, I guess you could say that I didn't complete the dare YESTERDAY....but I do, and will continue to, try to honor my husband everyday!

"Love Intercedes"

"Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers." -3 John 2

A few notes from today's reading:

~Most couples spend a large part of their time trying to change their spouse.
~At some point you have to accept that it's not something you can do. But here's what you CAN do. You can become a "wise farmer." He can plant the seed into fertile soil, give it water and nutrients, protect it from weeds, and then turn it over to God.
~But you won't be able to do this alone. You will need something that is more powerful than anything else you have. And that is effective prayer.
~Have you ever wondered why God gives you overwhelming insight into your spouse's hidden faults? Do you really think it's for endless nagging? No, it's for effecting kneeling. No one knows better how to pray for your mate than you!
~One of the most loving things you can ever do for your spouse is pray for them. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)

Today's Dare:

Begin praying today for your spouse's heart. Pray for 3 specific areas where you desire for God to work in your spouse's life and in your marriage.

To Journal:

~Have you experienced the power of prayer in the past?
~What did you choose to pray about?
~Was it easy for you, or did it feel foreign to you?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

I think I'll add myself to this dare. I (my attitude) need prayer just as much as Michael does! :)

a praying wife,
Tonya

Love Dare~Day 15

2009-05-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

SIGH.....Oh my goodness, I am so exhausted this morning! We had a VERY busy weekend that included 16 hours of being in the car!! YUCK!! But it was well worth it to get to spend the weekend with my brother and sister in law in Georgia! So, like I said in my last blog...I went 5 days without seeing Michael, and finally got to see him last night!! Needless to say, some of these last few dares having been kinda hard to complete! I think I'm pretty caught up, except for the "Love fights fair" dare. I just wanted to let yall know that I have not completed that one yet, but I DO plan on sitting down with Michael very soon and working that out! So, let's get on with Day 15:

"Love is Honorable"

"Live with your wives in an understanding way....and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life." -1 Peter 3:7

A few notes from today's reading:

~To honor someone means to give them respect and high esteem, to treat them as being special and of great worth.
~Honoring your mate means giving him or her your full attention, not talking to them from behind a newspaper or with one eye on the television.
~There's also another word that calls us to a higher place in our marriage. HOLY. To say your mate is "holy" to you doesn't mean that he/she is perfect.
~He/she is sacred to you, a person to be honored, praised, and defended.
~Love honors EVEN WHEN IT'S REJECTED!!!!!!!!! (WOW!)
~Love treats its beloved as special and sacred even when an ungrateful attitude is all you get in return. (DOUBLE WOW!)
~That's what love dares us to do-to say, "Of all the relationships I have, I will value ours the most. Of all the things I'm willing to sacrifice, I will sacrifice the most for you. With all your failures, sins, mistakes, and faults-past and present-I still choose to love and honor you."

Today's Dare:

Choose a way to show honor and respect to your spouse that is above your normal routine. It may be holding the door for her. It might be putting his clothes away for him. It may be the way you listen and speak in your communication. Show your mate that he/she is highly esteemed in your eyes.

To Journal:

~How did you choose to show honor?
~What was the result?
~What are some other ways you could demonstrate honor in the coming days?
~Were you able to complete today's dare?

I hope everyone has a great Monday!!!!!!!!!! :)

striving to honor him more,
Tonya

~The Bishop Family~

~September~

*August Update & Birthday Parties*

~JULY RECAP~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

B-O-R-I-N-G post!!

**UPDATED PICS**

LOTS to say!!!!!!

~Friday's Friend~

~tOn'S tHoUgHtS oN tHuRsDaY~

MY 100TH POST!!!!!!!!

~Friday's Friend~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

~Friday's Friend~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

Breaking FREE!!!!

~Friday's Friend~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

Happy EVERYTHING!!!

~Friday's Friend~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

*TURN YOUR SPEAKERS ON*

I'M SCARED!!!!!

~Friday's Friend~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

Beach Bum~Days 3 & 4

Beach Bum~Day 2

Beach Bum~Day 1

~Friday's Friend~

~Friday's Friend~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

~Friday's Friend~

~Ton's Thoughts on Thursday~

ONLY in Mississippi

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

Abby & Parker

Spring Break was a TRIP!!!!

~My New Do~

The dreaded "Aunt"

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY, PARKER!!!

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge....on Saturday!

~The Lost Sheep~

~St. Jude Trike-a-Thon~

My Weekend...in pictures!!

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

It's DEFINITELY a Monday!!!

Challenge~

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

Will I Survive?!?!!??!?

Snow Day 2010

"God blessed the broken road, that led me straight to you"

"This much I know is true..."

"Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms..."

"Others Who Broke My Heart, They Were Like Northern Stars..."

"Every long lost dream led me to where you are..."

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

Girl's Just Wanna Have FUN!!!!

Friday's Thoughts & Challenge~

ABBY'S 3RD BIRTHDAY SLIDESHOW!

I can finally breathe!!!!

My babies are growing up soooooooo fast!!!

These are a FEW of my favorite things...

The countdown to Christmas...

My heart overflows!

The WORST Blogger EVERRR!!!

I'm Back!!!!!!!!

Love Dare~Day 40!!!!!!!

Love Dare~Day 39

Love Dare~Day 37 & 38

Love Dare~Day 36

Love Dare~Days 33-35

Love Dare~Day 32

Love Dare~Day 31

Love Dare~Day 30

Love Dare~Days 27-29

Love Dare~Day 26

Love Dare~Day 25

Love Dare~Day 24

Love Dare~Day 23

August Update & Birthday Parties

UPDATED PICS

TURN YOUR SPEAKERS ON