Galveston 2012

Yesterday, we took our annual trip to Moody Gardens water park in Galveston!  It was a blast!  We got a cabana which I sat under most of the day leaving a couple of times to cool off in the pool.

The park has this awesome Lazy River that you can get in a float and ride along and just enjoy.  I've never done it despite my Dad's best efforts to get me to do it.  Mom and Dad LOVE it but it doesn't seem like my thing.

My favorite part of the day is going to the Splash Pad where water comes up from the ground and I can roll my wheelchair through it and get wet.  It's a tradition to let Lexi push me through it as least once....She laughs the entire time at getting me as wet as she possible can!  This year, her best friend and my "second niece" came with us and got to push me through as well....I think she laughed harder than Lexi did!  I think a good time was had by all!

Funny story: You have to pay extra for a cabana and a cabana boy has to take you to your designated spot. After he did so and brought us a bucket of ice filled with bottled water, my Dad tipped him five dollars hoping it would be an incentive to keep checking on us periodically throughout the day.  About an hour later, Dad was floating on the Lazy River and Mom and I were in the cabana and the young man came up to my Mom and said, "Hey, you know what just happened? I lost the tip ya'll gave me when I pulled out my phone a few minutes ago!"  My Mom said she was sorry and if we saw it, we'd let him know.  As he left, Mom looked at me and said, "I can't believe he came over here and told us that! Is it OUR responsibility to keep up with HIS tip?! I'm sure he thought we'd just give him another five dollars!" After Dad got back and we told him, he had the same reaction.  And then when the guy brought us more ice and water later that day and hung around after dropping it off...All of us were fairly certain he was waiting for another tip....He didn't get one.

After we were all watered out, we changed into dry clothes, said our goodbyes to all and headed home.  Traffic was AWFUL and it took us three hours to get to Conroe (usually about an hour and a half drive) where we stopped for dinner.  I didn't realize until we got home how....Interesting....My hair looked. Perhaps that's why I got all those glances when we walked in.

We finally got home a little after nine and by the time I showered and got ready for bed, I was too tired to get online.  I'll try and post more pictures when they get loaded on to my computer.  As usual, it was a really great, relaxing day! We always look forward to going every year and this year didn't disappoint!

Taken from our Cabana...Beach and Lazy River

Lion, and Tigers, But No Bears.....Oh My!

Everyone that had to work today took today (and tomorrow) off for a little family fun!  Dad is having knee surgery on Thursday, and won't be able to do a whole lot for a good bit of what's left of summer vacation.  So, we're trying to squeeze in a couple of day trips while we still can.

Today, we headed to the Lufkin Zoo!  We loved it and I was pleasantly surprised at how handicapped accessible everything was!  We saw everything from lions, to monkey's, snakes, to exotic birds.  This was a smaller zoo so there were no elephants or bears.  We did however see LOTS of peacocks....Running freely throughout the zoo!  We'd be looking at an exhibit and look down and a couple of peacocks would be standing literally RIGHT NEXT to us!  We would often see baby peacocks trailing behind.  They were everywhere!

This peacock crossed the path RIGHT in front of me!  

Once we finished at the Zoo, we wrapped the day up with a ten minute train ride around the outskirts of the zoo.

Mom and Dad enjoying the ride!

Me and Lexi.  I couldn't get turned around in time! :-)

Kimberly and Austin...He LOVED it!

We had lunch at Cheddars (My first time there) and now we're resting up for another fun day tomorrow!  I really love this quality time we all spend together!  Pictures and details of our day tomorrow will (hopefully be posted tomorrow night!

State Softball Tournament 2012

4TH PLACE!!!

Last weekend the KnockOuts traveled to Beaumont, TX to play in the State softball tournament!  They placed 4th out of 59 teams!

They also played what was their most nerve wracking, nail biting, most exciting game EVER Saturday afternoon.  Playing a team that won all of the last forty five games they had played as a team.....Until playing our KO'S!  We beat them by ONE run (the runner had to slide into Home to make it) in the last second (literally) of the game!  It was INCREDIBLE!!!  I think that's the most excited WE as fans have EVER gotten!  Ultimately, that team went on to place just above us in third.

It was such a fun weekend!  The girls played so hard all weekend with one game on Friday, two games on Saturday, and three back to back games on Sunday!  It left the girls wanting more, and the fans wanting more as well!  No doubt our summer will be full of Softball!

My "Little Cousin......."

Not sure how we got from this.........

To This.....SO FAST!

Time sure flies! Congratulations Landon on getting that high school diploma!  We love you and are SO proud of you!

Our Lives Lately....

This past weekend Alexis and her softball tournament team "Huntsville Knockouts" played in a tournament in Beaumont where they placed fourth! Alexis played some great ball! She was especially on fire the first two games!  We as a family had to pace ourselves in our screaming because our voices were already getting hoarse by the end of the first game! It was worth it though!

Then, Monday night Austin's baseball team, the Red Sox had a game where Austin made his FIRST EVER HOME RUN!  The first picture below is him right after he crossed home plate.....Notice the tiny hint of a smile? The second is moments after the first! He also made Player of the Game and in doing so, got a free personal pan pizza!

Needless to say, this Aunt is very proud of her two kiddos!  My heart swells with pride every time I see either one of them take the field! I'm honored cheer and support my two favorite players, and we will continue to go wherever the games take us! 

To the First Man That Had My Heart.....

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

I LOVE YOU!

A Doggone Special Day....

Happy Birthday, Tazzie Mae!!!!

We Love You SO Much!

First Words....

Today, Mom and I were talking about how several of Kimberly's friends call her "Kim." This REALLY gets under Mom's skin. Growing up, NOBODY, was allowed to call her Kim....Mom would say, I didn't name her Kim, I named her Kimberly." Kimberly is a lot more lax about it than Mom is (especially after getting married) and occasionally, we do hear friends of hers calling her "Kim" and all eyes instantly go to Mom, who's giving Kimberly, "the look."

For me, Everybody calls me "Nat." In fact, very seldom these days do I hear, "Natalie" and when I do, I always wonder if I'm in trouble. Everyone asks why I can be called Nat, but Kimberly can't be called Kim. We always smile as we share that story.

Being born two and a half months early, I was very tiny (not even two pounds) and very sick. My Grandpa (aka Pop) called the day after I was born to check on me and the first words out of his mouth to my Mom were "How's that Nat?" and it stuck. We tell everyone Pop gave me the nickname. And 99 percent of the people I know, call me that.

As we talked about it, I smiled, and blinked back tears as I thought about how cool it will be if those are the first words out of my Pop's mouth when he greets me in Heaven one day...."How's that Nat?" My answer will probably be muffled as the two of us cling to each other in an incredible hug, but my answer nonetheless will be, "Now....I'm perfect, Pop!"

To The Greatest Woman I Know.....

Happy Birthday, Mom!

WE LOVE YOU!

My Prince....

I met a boy. He had dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. I looked at him, he looked at me....And I fell in love! Today, he turns five. And I'm still in love!

Happy Birthday, Austin!

You are already such a tender hearted young man! I'm so so SO proud and thankful that out of all the nephews in the world, God made YOU mine! Thank you for teaching me every day how to REALLY enjoy the simplest things! I love you beyond words, Prince Charming!

Scripture Shutdown!

Last night I found myself wishing things were different. More specifically, that everything about ME was different. And I'm not just talking about physically. I basically wanted a whole different PERSON to embody me last night. I was frustrated on a lot of different levels that I'll save for another post perhaps.

I prayed and found myself even frustrated there. I sent off a text to my TX brother (because sometimes you just need some brotherly love...And I hadn't talked to him in awhile) telling him in short concise sentences that I was frustrated and wished everything about me were different. I then threw my phone on the desk and stormed off to the kitchen, not really hungry, but thought the act of opening and slamming cabinet doors in search of food, might help the pent up emotion.

A few minutes later I returned to my room (with no food) and waiting for me was a text message full of encouragement backed up by bible verses that stopped me in my tracks and effectively shut down my pity party. You can't argue stuff the Creator says about you, or at least I didn't want to TRY in that moment.

These are the kind of people I have in my life....People that breathe God into me when I can't seem to find Him on my own. I not only found myself humbled and comforted, but really thankful! The last sentence of the text did me in:

"You are loved and you are perfect."

Perhaps we should ALL let that one sink in!

Time Flies......

The saying, "They grow up so fast" used to cause me to roll my eyes. Until eight years ago. Now, I get it. I totally get it.

Happy Birthday, Alexis!

It's an honor to be your Aunt, and I thank God every single day for that privilege! Words can't describe how much you mean to me. Love you to the moon and back, Ladybug!

Ten Years Ago: I Danced.

Ten years ago today, my sister got married. While it was a day I know SHE will never forget, it also holds a particularly special memory for me as well:

The wedding had been beautiful. I had been honored to stand beside my sister as her Maid of Honor while she pledged her love to the man of her dreams. And now, the reception was in full swing. The dance floor was packed and I watched as my sister enjoyed her first hours as a wife. As I sat there taking everything in and laughing at some joke my younger cousin had just told me, I heard a voice behind me ask, "May I have this dance?" I looked up, thinking someone was asking the person behind me for a dance. Instead, there stood one of our close family friends, his hand out stretched, asking ME to dance.

He and my sister had graduated together, and now, both his parents worked at SHSU where I was in my second year of college. The family had watched me grow up. I'd never been particularly close to their son, because he was my sister's age and ran with her crowd. And yet, here he was, beckoning me to the dance floor.

It was the first time ANYONE had EVER asked me to dance.

I stared and stuttered for a minute, thanking him for being so kind and declined his offer, telling him, "I don't dance because...." he stopped me mid-explanation and said, "I promise, I won't let you fall. Please, dance with me." I looked around to see if this was some ploy my family or his had put him up to. Each of them were were chatting with other guests, not anywhere close to us, and oblivious to the request he had put before me. I stared at him for a second to see if he was serious, and the look on his face told me he was prepared to convince me further should need be. "I promise.... " he said once more. I smiled nervously and finally nodded. I stood as he led me to the dance floor. Once there, he rolled my walker out of the way and held me as we danced to "We've Got Tonight."

It was one of the few moments I felt just like everybody else. If you didn't know me, and you saw the two of us on the dance floor, you wouldn't know I was disabled. On the other hand, while I felt like everyone else, I also felt like the most cherished person in the room during that moment. I've never felt more safe and secure in my life than I did when we danced. My nerves and insecurities faded and I was just a girl dancing with a guy.

I looked over his shoulder to see my family (and his) in tears at the two of us dancing. That dance created a bond between the two that I share with no one else.

Our friendship was cemented with that dance. He has since become one of my closest friends. He's protective, and will jump to my defense in a hot second. He's the person I would call at 2 a.m. to come hold my hand during an emergency (and he'd talk to me on the phone till he got there). And he'll be the "other guy" that will have to approve of the guy who asks for my hand in marriage (my Dad being the first, of course). He does things that I've always imagined a big brother would do for his little sister. We don't talk every day, or even every week, but he leaves no doubt that he's there, looking out for me.

And it all started with a guy that took a chance in asking me to dance, and in doing so, gave me a forever memory to go back to in the rough times, and created a friendship that will last forever. He showed me I was worth the effort.

He promised he wouldn't let me fall...... And ten years later, he's still keeping that promise!

Play Ball!

Last week, Austin played his first ever t-ball game!

Let me tell you, if ALL of us had as much fun doing WHATEVER it is we do on a daily basis as Austin did out there on that field....We would have fewer bad days! He had the time of his life....And he was GOOD too!

Thanks Prince Charming, for not only showing me how to play on the field, but off as well....All we have to do is "Have some fun out there!"

Quality Time

We are blessed! Every afternoon when Mom and I pick Lexi up from school, she's as hyper as can be and so happy. A sharp contrast to last year when, while she never let on that she DIDN'T like school, she was never like THIS excited about it, and we really think she's totally enjoying her second grade year so far!

Austin enjoys pre-k so much that he wants to eat breakfast there instead of at home, and he cried if we came to pick him up early. So now Kimberly picks him up on her way home from work. While Austin seems thrilled with this arrangement, we hardly get to see him now. We get about an hour and a half of great time with Alexis just by herself. We love it, and so does she, but we do miss Austin. Kimberly usually just pulls up to the house and Alexis gets in and they jet off to practice so Austin doesn't even come in the house.

Tonight, he wanted to stay with us while Lexi was at practice. I was THRILLED! It was the first time I had seen him ANY since Monday (a long time for me) and was overjoyed when he ran to me and threw his arms around me in a bear hug! Mom, Dad, and I took him to dinner at Chili's and I soaked up every detail he told us about his school, and the new friends he had made! I made a big deal out of his coloring, and how well he wrote his name, and I didn't care that he was so hyper you could practically peel him off the ceiling, his excitement over the little things was infectious and I just loved getting to finally spend some quality time with my Prince Charming....How I've missed him so!

I'm so blessed to call myself their Aunt....They make it such an amazing honor!

First Day!

Alexis' sign read, "I am a 2nd Grader"

Austin's sign read, "I am a Pre-Schooler"

Both signs were made by my creative Mom, and both kids were all smiles and seemed to have had a great day! Thanks to those of you who prayed for them yesterday, and those of you that will continue to do so throughout the year!

Dear Pop

Dear Pop,

Happy 89th Birthday! I doubt Birthdays are celebrated up in Heaven quite like they are down here. Something tells me the celebration of life never stops there! I just wanted you to know you were being thought about today down here...More so than usual.

Hard to believe it's been almost 13 years since you went Home. As you know, lots has happened since you left. Kimberly and I both finished school, Kimberly and Justin got married, I survived college, and in the midst of all, that we welcomed your great-granddaughter and great grandson!
I know you held both of them long before any of us did...Still my heart aches when I think about the fact that you're not here to watch them grow. Their personalities are so incredible and I just know you would get such a kick out of them, Pop! Alexis got your work ethic and soul. She works so hard at everything and is so caring! Austin...Pop, he's got your sense of humor...Some of the things he does I know you would laugh so hard at! He loves with everything he's got...And there are times when he looks at me a certain way and I have to do a double take because I swear, I see you starring back at me. So, as sad as it is knowing that you're not here, I know God allowed you to put your fingerprints on them!

Grandma is fine. Lonely, but hanging in there! We visit as much as we can and Aunt Jo and Randy stop by often as well. Still I know she misses you and must crave your company at times.

Mom and Dad are great! Loving retired life. As you know, your name comes up in conversation quite often around here. There are times when it's accompanied by tears, but it's only because we miss you. Mama loves to tell the kids about you!

As for me, well, I think you know. I'm still rollin'. Still working on making my ultimate dream come true, but I haven't made it on the T.V. screen yet, nor do I work behind the scenes anywhere, but my passion still is television and I still pray that doors will open for me to pursue the dream you always believed in with me. I also seem to have inherited your love of coffee, Pop! Bet you never thought I'd be a coffee drinker, huh? I can drink my hot mocha in 100 plus degree temps! I used to think I was nuts, but Mom told me years ago that you were the exact same way, and now I just smile when I think about it.

I know there are countless times you have shown me that you are looking out for me, and I think my college years were times you were working your angel wings especially hard on my behalf. Those moments don't go unnoticed and I appreciate it more than you know. I miss you beyond words, Pop. Everyone told me at your funeral how extra special I was to you....I get it now, Pop. I do. And I'm humbled by how much you loved me and still let me know you love me even today. You were (and still are) my favorite, Pop. Just don't tell the rest of the family, okay? ;-) I hope I'm making you proud.

I have to go now to pick up Alexis and Austin from their first day of school. Now doubt they'll share the details of the day with a certain twinkle in there eye, and I'll know you're there.

I can't wait to run into your arms one day and talk a walk around Heaven with you....Until then, we'll keep moving forward here. Missing you every day, but knowing it's only a temporary ache and that Forever is coming.

So, Happy Birthday sweet Pop.....I love you so much!

Your girl forever,

Nat

Another School Year Begins!

Not for me (Thank God!) For Alexis and Austin. If I could ask for your prayers for both of them tomorrow (Monday).

Alexis will begin second grade and Austin will begin his final year of pre-k. He will be in Kindergarten next year.....Holy smokes!

If you could just say a quick prayer for them as you read this, or whenever God puts them on your heart, my entire family would really appreciate it! We know that His hand will protect them, and meet every need both of them have tomorrow and in the year ahead!

Thank you in advance for your prayers for the two loves of my life! :-)

Another Year Older!

Yesterday was my birthday! I love birthday's and I love celebrating them!

I spent most of my day hanging out with my two loves: Alexis and Austin. They spent most of their day making homemade gifts for me that I couldn't see until that night when it was time to open gifts.

* After my sister and brother-in-law got off work we all went out to eat at our new favorite Mexican food restaurant (the restaurant itself isn't new, just new to US. Kimberly got us hooked on it). It's housed in a trailer, and when you drive up to it for the first time, your first thought that would most likely be, "How good can the food be that gets cooked in a trailer?" Let me tell ya, their fajitas are AMAZING!

After dinner we headed home where I opened my gifts. The big one this year being a new ipod. Mine old one was on the fritz. It's the classic style like my previous one just updated with more room and a few new features. As I type this, it's hooked up to my computer charging and syncing my music. Can't wait to hear music without the sound of static in the background! Alexis and Austin gave me some beautiful heart earrings (one heart for each of them) and presented me with some precious homemade gifts (pictures and cards).

We then had cake (Honeybun--Seriously, it's like a huge honeybun) and milk! After Everybody left, Mom, Dad, and I went to the movies and saw "The Help." Decent movie, but LONG!

As I reflect over the past year, I can't help but think about how blessed I am. Alexis and Austin are both happy and healthy, my parents are still loving retired life, Kimberly loves her job. I've had to let long time friendships go, while seeing new friendships develop leaving me to wonder how I've lived this long without some people in my life. I'm blessed to be able to "do life" with so many incredible family and friends

It's been an incredible year, and I have no idea what the NEXT year holds, but I know Who holds the next year and so I roll on with gratefulness, excitement, and peace!

Celebrate!

August 14 is a day full of celebration.....

Happy Anniversary to my incredible parents! You guys make being married for 41 years so simple and every day I see what true love is just by watching the two of you! You inspire me and I hope the next 41 years are blessed beyond measure! Love you both!

Happy Birthday to Ben Bass! Ben plays Sam Swarek on "Rookie Blue." Thanks for simply being you and for bringing so many amazing people into my life! God bless!