Three Years

As the year comes to an abrupt end, I'm forced to accept the fact that my sweet little girl turns three tomorrow. Nope, I cannot believe it's been three years since she was born. Although, you would think that special day would remain fresh in my mind with all the event replays I get from my oldest sister.

Let me just say, dating as a single mother has enough obstacles without your sister insisting on showing your significant other the video of you giving birth. Luckily, I've managed to intercept all attempts and made it perfectly clear that I would remove whomever shows this video from my family tree rather promptly should it be released. Believe me, I'm not above disowning a sibling.

I'm pretty sure out of the top 10 things you should never do to your sister, showing her birthing video without her consent is right around number 1. Yes, Gabriel and I are very close, but there's just something about seeing me eighty pounds heavier and pushing a baby out (in high definition) that makes me a little nervous. Silly me. By the way, Lauren, this includes releasing the video to Youtube. Thanks. :)

Awwww, you know I'm kidding about the disowning part...I'd probably talk to you again in a couple years. hehehe

Three years old....wow! Ellie has made some pretty great progress this last year. She's now speaking in full sentences, potty trained, and binky-less (which is the most recent development). She's so grown up now and I have to say she has every bit the attitude to go with it...not real sure who she gets that from. ;)

She is extremely independent and voices that independence with every task she takes on. It's always, "No, Mommy, let me do it" or "I can do it myself, Mommy" which is a little annoying right now, but I'm sure I'll be thankful for it later. She has just got to be the most precious thing I've ever seen!

Happy early birthday, Miss Ellie!

Concussed Part II

There isn't much I can say about waking up the day after your first time skiing. Pain pretty much sums it up I think. I guess that's normal though, after you spent the night before beating your body against the side of a mountain.

So we're ready for day two on the slopes! We wake up, grab some breakfast and then head to the slopes! Joining in on the freak show was Judson, who was smarter than I and decided to spend the day watching rather than skiing. Not us though, Lauren, Paul and I were off again to conquer the mountain.

I do have to say the conditions Saturday were so much nicer. There wasn't any snow blowing in our faces, the temperature was warmer, and the sun was just glistening off the snow. Perfect day for some ski action.

What a blast! I was doing so great. You would never guess that I was the crazy person rolling down the mountain just the night before.

In congruence with the Friday night twilight ski, we had our "apple cider" flask full to keep us warm and to assist with any unsuspected anxiety that may sneak up on me. Although, seeing as how my skiing efforts were really starting to pay off, the flask was just adding to the fun. So we're just movin' on up to new slopes; having a great time. Then, as mid-afternoon approaches, I look at my ski buddies and say, "Ok y'all, let's hit the big one from last night!"

What a rush! It was so great! Yes, I actually made it down on several occasions...without falling! I was so proud. Lauren and Paul gave a few shouts of excitement before we headed back for our last trip.

How 'bout a little explanation about why this was my last trip down the mountain....

Lauren, Paul, and I lined up for the ski lift to take us to the top. Another guy, we'll just call him Joe for reference purposes, was headed to the top as well. Seeing as how this was a four person lift and he was all alone, we coaxed Joe into riding up with us. After a little chit-chat and a few good laughs, we start approaching the top of the mountain. Lauren politely asks Joe, "Which way are you going?" Joe, who was meeting some of his friends at the top, informed us that he was headed down the right side of the mountain.

I found myself mildly intimidated by his statement, mainly because his decision to head down the right side meant he had to cross in front of me to get there. Under normal circumstances, proper chair lift etiquette might state that all chair lift parties must exit the lift together and then worry about which way they want to go.

My thought process during this quick conversation was that I would wait a few seconds and let him off first. That was nice, right? That way Joe could just get off the lift and head straight for the right side. Yeah......

A few seconds in ski-lift-time can be a really long time.

So there I am, sitting on the lift and I see Lauren, Joe and Paul get off the lift. It isn't until now that it comes to my attention I am about to get left on the lift...alone. So what do I do? Seriously, what would you have done?

I jump off the lift, which was suspended a good five feet in the air, and land on my skis for a brief second before the momentum actually catches up. My skis went forward and my butt hit the snow. That would have been ok if the momentum wasn't such that the whiplash motion sent my head to meet the snow as well.

Spell it with me now...c o n c u s s i o n

That's right, not only did the sobering knock in the back of the head have me seeing stars, but it also had me questioning what the heck I was doing on the top of the mountain! Time, at this point, had no relevance and the throbbing I was feeling (and hearing) faintly resembled the sound of horses' hooves cantering about on my head. That seems like an accurate description seeing as how all I could mutter out was, "Hey guys, have we been riding horses today?"

Surprisingly enough, Lauren and Paul were able to contain their laughter (I'm thinking only because they actually saw how hard I hit the snow/ice) and helped me ski to the bottom of the mountain.

Ahhhhh, never a dull day out with the Davis girls!

Skis...Check! Concussion...Check!

I should probably just go ahead and preface this post with an age-old comment (which is perfect for this discussion): If you can't laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?

Skiing: a sport in which participants must travel on skis... hmmmmm....

Snow is a funny, funny thing. Having been born and raised in the south, I can only think of a few select times that we actually had enough snow to play in. I'm not talkin' that ice/sleet stuff that we manage to get every year, I'm talkin' the beautiful, white, fluffy snow that you see in pictures. You know, that snow that's ideal for skiing. So, you can imagine my reaction when myself and three others decided to hit the slopes a few weekends ago in North Carolina.

Aside from being consumed with excitement, I have to say I was dealing with an extreme amount of anxiety. There's just something dreadfully intimidating about standing at the base of a snow covered mountain with your feet strapped ever-so-tightly to two long pieces of wood. Ok, so the standing part wasn't near as intimidating as the feeling I got when the the infamous words came out of Paul's mouth, "It's ok, Evelyn. It's really not that hard, just point your skis downhill and go with it."

Hmmmm...

"And go with it" just doesn't seem like the last words I want to hear before I die. Ok, ok, so we were just heading to the bunny slopes...which brings me to the first of many questions I still haven't found the answer to. Why would someone stick the bunny slopes at the bottom of a steep hill? I'm sure there's some angry little man somewhere nearby just peeping through the woods at the (for lack of a better word) beginners bustin' their tails just trying to get to the bunny slopes.

So there I go, completely clueless as to how I was going to manage this, but somehow staying on my skis and reaching the bottom. I'm thinking, "Not bad, not bad. I actually might be able to make it through the weekend without breaking anything." So after getting a brief lesson from Ski-Pro Paul, who glides like a penguin across the snow, I decided it was time to give the bunny slope a go.

I should probably add a little background information on the scenario in which we experienced that Friday night. After renting our skis, arriving at our cabin, throwing on our ski clothes and heading to the slopes, we made it for the twilight skiing. Sure, sounds fun right? Skiing in the dark while they're making more snow...so exciting, huh? Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Not really all it's cracked out to be. So anywho, we arrive at the slopes and decide beer and some shots are only going to make this experience that much better! So we hit the bar in the lodge and then the slopes...which brings me back to the bunny slope incident.

I'm in my skis and headed for what looks like a conveyor belt, but for skiers to ride on. There comes question number two, "Who sticks a conveyor belt in the snow and expects you to actually ride on it, WITH skis on?" Like other experiences in my life, a little alcohol and my inhibitions are out the window.

I approach the conveyor belt, skis pointing up the mountain, and I step forward to gracefully ride to the top of the slope. Not so much. There was nothing graceful about whatever it was I was doing. One ski made it on the belt and the other was left squandering behind (with my leg still attached to it I might add). In a naive attempt to balance myself and reposition my skis, I managed to plummet off the right side of the belt (which was conveniently a snow covered ditch about two feet deep). At this point there isn't much I can do except laugh. Lauren, who is bent backwards laughing at her sister, tries to get out an, "Are you ok?" Paul, who is the most encouraging person I think I've ever met, minimally contains his laughter long enough to help me back on the conveyor belt.

Ahhhhh, an excursion to the top of the bunny slopes. ha

At this point I'm thinking, "Holy crap, this is going to be a long trip!" We Davis girls don't just give up though. Nope, that would be too easy. Instead, after three more runs down the bunny slope the most interesting thing happened. Words of mild courage came out of my mouth, "I think I'm ready for the real slopes now."

Dun, dun, dun....

Excited about the sudden change in pace, Lauren and Paul decided we should probably get on the ski lift closest to the bunny slope. They saw no need in taking off our skis and climbing to the top of another hill in order to reach the next ski lift, when there was a lift right next to us. Sounds good to me. So, still somewhat agreeable at this point, I line up for the lift with Lauren on one side and Paul on the other.

What a nice ride, I'm enjoying my rest and the somewhat dark scenery when I start to realize the lift ride is really taking a bit longer than I expected. On top of that observation, I start noticing the incline at which we're traveling at this point. Still oblivious to the idea that nor Lauren or Paul really knew where we were going, we finally reach the top and I hop right off the ski lift. I'm thinking, "Ok, this isn't going to be so bad...at least I made if off the lift."

Then I hear it, words that sound a bit like uncertainty coming from Paul. Personally, I cannot think of anything less comforting that the sound of uncertainty (borderline fear-for-my-safety) coming from the person teaching you to ski...at the top of a mountain! So I look over my left shoulder and all I see is the edge of the mountain. Lauren who is fearless, just pushes right off and heads down. It's apparent, as I watch her instantly disappear off the edge, what I was about to deal with.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, we had taken the ski lift to the highest point. I take one look at Paul and say, "Nope, I can't do that." Of course his reply is, "I'm sorry, I didn't know we were going to the top. It's ok, I'll help you down the mountain." What else was there to say except, "No seriously, I can't go down that." Then he goes about fifteen feet ahead of me (or below me considering the circumstances) and stops. He throws out a, "See, I'm right here. You'll be fine...promise."

So there I go, all the while thinking I'm going to die and a bit relieved we visited the bar before heading up the slope again. Of course, I ski a bit then panic that I'm going too fast and plop right down. Then up...ski...then fall again. This continued for about six good falls and then I decide, "Ok, I can do this." So I brace myself for what could possibly be my last trip down the mountain, and I head downhill.

I must have gone ten more feet before managing to make a ninety degree turn to the left. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of experiencing skiing (or a black diamond), let me enlighten you on what a ninety degree turn going mach three down a mountain will do to you. I'm pretty sure my tail end hit the snow first, then all I could really see was snow and my skies going different directions over my head. The only word that comes to mind is tumble, and that's putting it lightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong. You meant stay ON your skis....Ok, that makes sense."

Ahhhhh, good times.

Well, I actually made it to the bottom in one piece. Face covered in snow and water...which was a mixture of face-plants into the snow and the snow from the blowers blowing in my face the whole way down. So, Paul hooks us up with some goggles and we're off to try it again.

I, with my knees still shaking and a death grip on my ski poles, head toward the ski lift for the intermediate slopes. Lauren and Paul truck along right beside me with nothing but words of encouragement, "Don't worry Evelyn, this one won't be near as bad."

So we ride the ski lift up and I actually manage to make it down the slopes several times without falling. I was doing pretty good for myself. Aside from the few ice patches that resulted in loss of control and a quick fall, I think I was really getting the hang of it.

Note: Never get cocky when you're attempting a new sport.

So Lauren, Paul and I decide to go down the same intermediate slope a few more times before calling it a night. We get on the lift and make our way up to the top. I wasn't really aware of this, but did you know they have a little "lift shack" (I'm pretty sure I just made that name up) that someone sits in so that they can stop or slow the lift if needed? And you would think that since they're paying someone to work that little shack they would actually stop the lift if....let's say...three people pile up underneath it. Yeah, that's what I was thinking too!

Lauren and Paul try to prepare me for our (awkward cough) lift dismount by telling me which way to turn so that we all make it off ok. In this particular case we needed to make a hard right off the lift to what I would now call the "safe zone"...b/c apparently there are lots of unsafe areas when getting off the ski lift. I'm thinking, "I got this. All I need to do is make it over there without knocking Paul or Lauren down."

Sounds pretty easy, right?

As we're proceeding off the chair lift, I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking about. Whatever it was it obviously had nothing to do with getting off the lift safely. I hop up and with one not-so-swift motion I manage to take Lauren and Paul down with me. Unable to contain my laughter, I just sit there. I glance over to Lauren, who is holding her head with a confused look on her face, and manage to get out a, "Sorry, Lauren." She just looks back at me and says, "Ouch, one of those poles in front of us must have hit me in the head."

About that time, out of nowhere, the ski lift chair smacks into the back of Lauren's head. As Lauren assumes the fetal position, I hear Paul say, "Holy crap, the chair just knocked Lauren in the back of the head....twice." Being the insensitive (somewhat tipsy) sister that I am, I reside in the snow consumed with laughter. It wasn't funny that Lauren was hurt, or that the lift chair was still swinging from left to right, but more the fact the chairs were still flying by...one after another.

Finally pulling it together, I lean over and ask Lauren if she's ok and all I get in return is a, "Do you think you could move over!" So I try to move to the left, but given our positioning that particular maneuver just wasn't happening. Paul pulls me out of the way and then Lauren to safety. (I'm thinking his calling should have been a lifeguard rather than a doctor given the dragging technique he used to get me out of the way.) In retrospect, with my huge blue ski suit and immobile body, I'm sure I looked like the beached whale of the scenario. The analogy fits quite nicely, seeing as how I needed a crane to assist with getting me back on my feet.

What a tough one though! Lauren gets up, shakes a little snow off and heads down the mountain like a pro. We decided to do another trip down the slopes and then called it a night. We figured we had done enough damage for one night.

Hide-and-Seek

Having siblings is a wonderful thing. Lauren and I were reminiscing the other day (as we so frequently do) about some of our adventures throughout the years. Being the youngest of three girls really puts things into perspective for you. I mean, growing up you have the usual actions that tag you as the youngest: hand-me-downs and a push-over attitude (mainly b/c everything through adolescence was handed to you), but somewhere on the third child disclaimer there must have been some fine print stating: Official guinea pig as needed.

Man, we used to love playing hide-and-seek in the dark. I can remember getting the whole neighborhood together on the weekends right at dusk to start playing. Ah, good times! Though, the most memorable hide-and-seek moment comes from a game between just us Davis girls. This was last year...ok, kidding. I must have been about 8, Leslie was 10, and Lauren was topping out at 13. Old enough to know better.

In accordance with our aberrant adolescent attitudes, we decided against taking the game outside. Instead, we had brilliantly come to the conclusion "inside has way better hiding spots!"

There were always rules (we were way too bossy not to have rules):

1. Upstairs only
2. No turning on the lights
3. Switching spots permitted if the occasion calls for it

So, off go the lights upstairs and there we are, Lauren and I, coordinating our hiding efforts as quickly as possible. Leslie, who was named It right from the get-go (we weren't always the nicest to Leslie...but we love you now! :)), resided in one of the four bedrooms upstairs counting to fifty.

I should probably add that Lauren and I were inseparable growing up. I wanted to do everything she did. So, when it came time to find a hiding spot Lauren was the go-to girl. We scurried around for a good ten seconds before testing the first spot. Shower...no good, b/c the water inevitably got turned on at some point during the hunting process. Under the sink...no good, nowhere to hide all the stuff already under there. Closet...no good, dead giveaway. Behind the door...no good, you're trapped once she suspects the spot. Then Lauren whispers a brilliant idea into my ear, "Evelyn, we're going to hide you in the dryer! It's empty, you're tiny...it's perfect!"

With my perma-grin shining ever so brightly in the dark laundry room, I climbed right in with no other objection except, "Don't forget about me, ok?!" Lauren, in a hasty rush to find her own hiding spot, secures the dryer door and hurries off. After a good five minutes pass I realize that I have the perfect spot! Not only has Leslie not found me, but I've kept her looking for five whole minutes (give or take some time...dryer time goes a lot slower than normal time).

Then, as my cognitive timer strikes the ten minute mark, I start to question my decision. A number of things begin to run through my mind at this point: Am I going to run out of air in here? What if someone turns the dryer on? Are dryers made to open from the inside? Am I going to die in here? Not to mention I had a mental picture of a dog being stuffed into a microwave before exploding (too many scary movies). Driving myself into an eight-year-old ball of dryer fear and fury, I kicked the dryer door open and poked my head out gasping for what I thought was my last breath.

Yes, I did overreact...as most children do, but I'm happy to report none of my fear-induced questions became reality. Although, that would have probably made for a better climax to my story: Then out of nowhere I heard footsteps approaching the dryer...getting closer and closer. Before I could say or do anything I hear the control nob to the dryer clicking past the first cycle and on to the permanent press cycle...dun, dun, dun. With one flick of the wrist I was 75lbs of tumbling flesh headed for a permanent press.

Oh well! I like my ending pretty good seeing that I was the innocent victim experiencing it.

Anyway, to better understand the consequences to these dryer actions, you must understand my parents. Mom and Dad had purchased a new dryer some years before this incident. During their perfect dryer selection, they decided the most user-friendly door would be one that opened like an oven door. So you see, in order for me to climb out of the dryer I had to sit on the door itself. In my opinion, I think there should be a weight limit posted on the dryer door...you know, for situations such as these that may arise.

I think it's obvious at this point what happened...I broke the door. In my defense, I didn't actually break the door off the hinges, I just warped it a little (generously speaking). Ok, so we may have had to rig the door closed with a three foot long piece of wood lodged ever so tightly between the handle and the door jamb for years after that, but a small price to pay for a daughter saved from being dried alive if you ask me.

Needless to say, we got quite the lecture from Mom: "You three are so selfish, you don't think about anyone but yourselves! Just wait until you have kids and they destroy everything you own! See how you like it!" Do to my PG-rated blog, I'm of course leaving out the profanities that were thrown around in that lecture. In retrospect, we deserved it...and a good beating.

I think it is of utmost importance to explain why it is I was left in the dryer for so long. It seems Lauren didn't have enough time to find an adequate hiding spot (due to the time it took to stuff me in the dryer I'm assuming). So, upon the completion of Leslie's counting, Lauren was found and tagged almost immediately. Then, our parents informed us it was time for dinner, so Lauren and Leslie headed downstairs to eat....without me. At least their priorities were exposed early in life.

***Oh, and I forgot to mention that we, the wonderful daughters that we are today, did in fact purchase a new dryer for the folks. This one has a door that opens to the side...just in case. :)

BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

29 years! Just thought I would take the time to wish one of the best sisters in the world a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" I must admit I am a little bummed that I cannot be in Knoxville, TN to celebrate this wonderful event tonight. Maybe this weekend!

If you haven't had the opportunity to meet my sister, I'm afraid you are missing out. I can't think of any description I could post on here that would even begin to capture her personality. She sees what she wants and gets it. She wants a good time and makes one. She's always smiling, always laughing, and always a bit mischievous. She's successful, driven, determined, caring...a Davis for sure! :) Her personality is the kind you crave when you're deprived of it and cherish when you're graced with it. She's a wonderful sister and best friend. I'm so proud to be her sister and I can't wait to celebrate 29 more years with her!

Here's more about Lauren if you want to get to know her!

July 4th Weekend

What a wonderful holiday weekend! We went to Knoxville to visit my sister and had a great time. It is always nice to spend extra time with the whole fam. This first picture is of Ellie in her July 4th dress! Wasn't she a doll?! Let me just say that dress only lasted through dinner. Little Ellie had a huge accident in her pretty new dress. Yes, you heard me correctly...poo all over the place. For those of you who have never experienced such a grotesque event, let me enlighten you.

It's a funny thing...kids and their bowel movements. They can just keep that stuff to themselves until the next thing you know you're up to your elbows in nastiness. You think I'm kidding? I wish. I do have to say it wasn't THAT bad since it was my own daughter, but had it been anyone else I wouldn't have been able to do it.

So, we were enjoying our nice 4th of July dinner at The Olive Garden. They seated us in a private room because there were eight of us (or maybe they knew the fate of our night already). We enjoyed a great dinner, wine and conversation. Little did we know that while we were enjoying the atmosphere, Ellie was destroying the ozone layer with her own fireworks. That's right, I took her out of her highchair so that she could walk around the table while we continued our conversations. Well, she hadn't began her little escapades then, instead she waited until she was down doing her own socializing before relieving herself at the same time.

She was walking around the table and who did she pick to surprise??? Uncle Judson! Oh yes, he picked her up with an, "Awww, she wants to sit with me." Next thing we knew he was saying, "Ummm, I think someone had an accident..." followed with an "ALL OVER MY LEG!" Oh man, it was so funny. Judson stood Ellie up and had a huge brown, pure liquid, spot on his freshly pressed khaki shorts.

Needless to say, Lauren and I rushed her to the restroom and, to our surprise, Ellie had messed all the way up the back of her diaper and into the cute July 4th dress. Oh, and it didn't just go North. Nope, those cute sparkling red and blue sandals adorning her precious dress were now adorned with something I can assure you I didn't pay extra for. Lauren and I thought, "We can handle this...we're pros!" Sure, sure. So what did we do? Yep, we stripped the baby butt naked in The Olive Garden restroom and washed her in the sink. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Luckily, I always keep a spare outfit in her diaper bag for times such as these. Though, I never thought I might need to keep a hand-held pressure washer in her bag too. Wonder if they make those? Hmmm. ;)

Well, we managed to get Ellie all cleaned up and the outfit and shoes washed out. We even made it to the fireworks early! She wasn't in her red, white and blue, but she was still precious.

This next picture was taken outside Lauren's apartment before dinner.

Ah, our night out together. Finally. It has been too long since our last night out together. It's always a good time with the Davis girls. Those of you that have brothers and sisters that you are close to know what I mean. It is fun to go out with friends, but nothing like spending the night out with you sisters! Too much fun!

July 1st

Look how cute! This picture is from the weekend out by the pool. Yep, we're getting ready for the big holiday weekend. I think I mentioned it before, but we are all going up to visit Lauren in Knoxville this weekend. I could definitely go for some time away. Tennessee isn't as far as I would like to go, but it will do for now. Lauren has lots of fun stuff planned for the weekend...I see great photo ops in my near future! :)

After our chaotic weekend, I find myself more mellow than usual. Maybe it's the delayed recovering process. Recovering from a weekend full of excitement and trying to redirect that energy to another work week. It's just hard to find that much excitement in a work week. I do have the weekend to look forward to and it is a short week! Yay! Then it's back to school for me....blah! That's ok though, I'm thankful I had some time off. I can't believe it is July 1st already! Maybe this quarter will fly by like the rest have.

So here is another cute pic! It would have been much better had Ellie turned to smile too. That's ok though, it really captures her refusal to listen to what I say. I am sure I have years and years of that to look forward to.

I never post all of my cute pictures on here, but I do have tons of pictures on Myspace if you want to check it out...it's always easier to post pics on there.

I better get going, work awaits!

Weekend Fun!

Well, the weekend was good. Lauren and I got to spend a ton of time together...never enough, but good enough until Friday rolls around. :) We stayed around the pool, played with Ellie, went shopping, got manicures and pedicures, went out to dinner, clubbin' on Saturday, and farewells on Sunday. It was a full weekend. I am missing her like crazy now though. :( Good thing we are taking a trip to Knoxville Friday to visit for the 4th of July! Pretty stoked about that!
Lauren, even though the night ended completely different than we planned or expected, I still had a great time hanging out with you! "That girl is so dangerous...dangerous...that girl is a bad girl!" Man, I'm still singing it! :) I thought I would post this second picture for you too. Gotta love those Waffle House calls. ;) Oh, and I figured out what those red marks on my hands/arms were from...digging in the bushes! Thanks! I thought you would appreciate that.

Pure Excitement!

So, I was trying to play catch-up on my celeb gossip yesterday and I read that they are working on the Transformers sequel! Set to release sometime in June 2009. I am beyond excited right now! It's sad, I know, but that is seriously my favorite movie. I'm talking watched-it-like-1000-times favorite movie. I can't wait to see more of Bumblebee!

Moving right along....

So Lauren is home! :) We spent the afternoon yesterday lounging by the pool, gossiping, playing with Ellie....you know, the usual. Then we got our cute little Davis selves ready and headed out for sushi with Mom, Leslie and Creo. We had so much fun; just chillin' with the fam. Lauren and I are headed out Saturday night and I am supa excited about it! So as usual, I'm wishing today was FRIDAY! That's ok though, having that extra day gives me more time to spend with the sista! :)

Anything new and exciting? No, sorry. My life has been pretty simple these last few days. No complaints from me though, it's nice not having to stress about school right now. Breaks are always fun! :) Well, that's it for now I guess. I really need to get back on that picture taking business....I'm gettin' behind on my job here!

Tuesday's Gone...

Oh geez, where do I even begin?! I cannot believe the weekend already ended and I'm on Tuesday again. Where does the time go? Everything has been a bit crazy, as usual, but the good thing is that the next weekend is just around the corner...again. :) I did have a good weekend. Sushi Friday night and a relaxing Saturday and Sunday. Stress-free to say the least. It was nice for a change. I had the opportunity to work on my scrapbook both nights (yes, I'm a wild woman...scrapbooking on Saturday night) and I even finished my James Patterson book! I'm even more excited about starting the next one. What else? I got some great workouts in over the weekend too. Mostly swimming and a nice run. I actually lost 5lbs! That's even more exciting. Weighing in at 140 now! Supa excited about that too!


Ellie and I got to spend the weekend together. She is so freakin precious! I started fiddling with her hair on Saturday and actually got it up into pigtails. Oh my goodness! Are those pics not the cutest pictures ever?! She is such a mess. I'm so very thankful that I have her in my life.

So anyway, Lauren is coming home this week!!! I am so excited! She is coming home tomorrow and staying until Sunday! This will be the longest visit since I went to Knoxville for Christmas. Sure, we get our weekend visits, but this is a whole vacation! I know she is excited too. She always loves coming to see Ellie. Even more now that she has precious pigtails.

Well, I guess that's it for now. I know, I know, no post for three days and that's all you got? I'm such a disappointment. ;)

Summer Fun!

We had a wonderful weekend! Lauren came home to visit (to visit Ellie mostly I think) and we had so much fun! Although, we always have fun together. We spent all day Saturday out by the pool playing games and swimming. This picture was taken during a brief pause from the volleyball game. Aren't we cute?! Josh and I kicked some serious butt! :) So, in the picture: you know Josh and I, and I showed you pictures of Lauren, but I have not talked about the Jud-man yet. Judson has been a boyfriend to Lauren for three years now. He just recently proposed over the Christmas holiday, so we have fun planning ahead of us! Judson is a great guy and even though he makes fun of my obsession with green, I still love him! :)

Ellie was swimming all by herself this weekend! She still had her floaties on, but she was kicking around like she knew exactly what she was doing. It was too precious!

Then my favorite! I wish every weekend could be spent lounging around the pool with close friends and family. I guess the older you get the harder it is to actually relax on the weekends. There always seems to be something that needs to be done. Not this weekend though, we had a great time together!

Josh took some really cute videos of Ellie swimming, so I thought I would share one. It was so bright over the weekend that the reflections are crazy, but it is still an adorable video! Check it out!

Family Matters

I just realized that I have not taken the opportunity to talk about my family yet. What kind of person does that make me?! I know I have mentioned Ellie quite a few times, but I left the rest of my family out. So, here is a little Davis Klan background info for ya!

I am the youngest of three girls and I have a half brother who is the oldest; topping out at 42. Lauren, the oldest of the girls, will be turning 29 on July 30th. She is the one standing in the middle in the picture above. Lauren is currently working in Knoxville, Tennessee, but you never know where she will be next. She is an anchor/reporter for the CBS affiliate in Knoxville. That's right, I do know famous people. Lauren graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and has worked in the news industry ever since. Click here for her full bio! No, she hasn't given me a deal on UGA alumni tickets yet (hint, hint), but I still love her! You send her off to work and what happens? It's Vols this and Vols that...shame on her for forgetting her roots. ;) I guess it all comes with the territory.

Leslie is my other sister and just as wonderful. No fighting now, I love you both equally (that's what my Mom would say anyway). Leslie just turned 26 and she works for the same hospital I do. She makes a lot more money than I do, but I am attributing that to age. Ok, so it might have something to do with the fact that she has a Bachelor's in Biology and a Master's in Public Administration. Nah, it's totally an age thing! Yes, Leslie and I are still living at our parent's house. Hey, you have to save while you can. Leslie is working towards medical school where she wants to study plastic surgery. Fun, Fun! Speaking of that, she actually has her MCAT this Friday. Yikes! Friday the 13th! Maybe not the best day to choose to take the HARDEST TEST OF YOUR LIFE!! (Just kidding Leslie...no worries:)) She'll do fine though. She never lacked in the smarts department.

So, those are my sisters.

The oldest of the Davis siblings is Jack. I am such a bad sister, I don't even have a picture of Jack on my computer. I will try to get one soon! We do not get to see him as much as we would like, because he lives in Indiana. We shoot for annual visits, but sometimes time just gets away from us. He has two beautiful daughters and a new wife. I haven't had the opportunity to meet his wife yet, but she sounds sweet. Hopefully we can coordinate some sort of visit in the near future.

Ah, Mom and Dad. Aren't parents great?! My parents, Jack and Laurie, are coming up on their 32 wedding anniversary this year. Actually, it is tomorrow. Wow, 32 years! Now that is an accomplishment. Believe me, I say that with the deepest sincerity. Ellie's father and I did not even make it through the first year after she was born. Mom and Dad made it through all of us, and then some. My hat goes off to them and all of their hard work.

I guess that is it for now. I could hardly sum up my family in one post, so I am sure you will read more soon!