My goodness that's a lot of pictures....

So, I have a lot of pictures I would like to get out there for everyone. It's been hectic these last couple of weeks because of holidays/school/work/you fill in the blank. I'm going to just post all the pictures I have and date them and give a little explanation as to what they are. So...Enjoy!

Lauren loves Groucho...don't let her face make you think differently. Groucho in return LOVES Lauren's hair.

He also loves Leslie's hair too. I had both Les and Lauren over for dinner that night and Leslie and I made

STRAWBERRY PIES!

He loves him some Leslie

Our pies turned out awesome!

  There has been A LOT of geocaching going on. My friend Levi has helped me find a lot that I didn't want to go find by myself. Here is what all we found!

4/16/11 Down by the Creek: Part Dux GC1TF2N

4/16/11 SEMOG 2007 Poker Run 05 GC11E4A

4/16/11 Common Pleas Community GCX30Z

It had been raining a lot and I bet Levi he couldn't make it across this little bitty rock path. I lost.

4/16/11 Land of Lorimier GCRJHJW

 We dropped off the Bones and Roses Geocoin (the one on the right) and picked up the CacheVenturers SG - May 06

 4/16/11 A View From Old to New GC158CW

We had to smash some money on the train tracks. :)

 4/16/11 U-Turn Clyde!!! GC26C69

4/16/11 Forgotten History: Historic Fort D GCZPET

4/16/11 Safe LZ travel bug hotel GC10YM7

This was the nastiest smelling geocache I think I have ever smelled. I didn't take a picture of it but it left our hands smelling TERRIBLE!

4/16/11 T4005 GC2RQQQ

I thought this one was pretty cool because it was set up by a boy scout.

4/16/11 Brookside Park GCWTXR

I couldn't resist posting this picture. I have the cutest kid EVER! The Minnie in his hands is his favorite toy now a days. He takes it with him everywhere!

I love sleeping with Groucho. He's like a little hot water bottle at 102 degrees!

I ran a 5k on the 23rd of April. It was so much fun. The weather was a little rainy but it was well worth it knowing it helped people in Africa.

My friend Jen and I after the race. My face was SO red!

I've been on a strawberry pie making kick if you can't tell. I love strawberry pies! These were for Easter weekend.

My little man looks so big on Easter! We went to church with my Grandma Marge and John. Stratton was such a good boy all through church.

He loved his Easter basket. I used green army men for the grass.

He found most of the eggs all by himself and he laughed every time he would find an egg.

All his army men.

My and the little man. (boy I look tired)

They were having a war on the coffee table.

This was a self timed picture. Not the best one we had but it's the only one I got of the whole family together.

Derek just LOVES taking pictures.

April 25th Derek and I went and got to see my favorite band in the ENTIRE world. Avenged Sevenfold! Sevendust and Three Days Grace opened the show for them. Derek and I went and got drinks during Three Days Grace. Derek kept making fun of the bass player that was wearing skinny jeans so we left for a little bit.We had really great seats and the show turned out to be so much fun even though we were under a tornado and sever thunderstorm and flood warning.

Derek wanted me to take a picture of the sound equipment for the people at work.

They're almost on! I was SO excited!

I couldn't get a good picture of the two of us. I was too shaky and Derek kept making stupid faces.

 Notice the guy hanging from the ceiling?!? That started the show. It was crazy!

The figure up in the top left corner is the guy that jumped from the rafters.

The pyrotechnics for this show were amazing. They were SO hot because we were so close to the stage.

Synester Gates is amazing! Not to mention he's really good looking too :)

 M. Shadows isn't too bad looking either. Haha.

The image on the back screen was of their late drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. He was such a huge part of the band and you can tell this show and this tour was to remember him. They did such an amazing job and I hope they come back our way again soon.

Friday Confessions

I confess that I've been dying for Friday to get here so I can finally post something short and sweet so you all know I haven't fallen off the side of the Earth.

I confess I have been severely slacking on my blog lately and I'm NOT ok with that. You as my readers deserve better than that.

I confess I have at least three posts halfway done but haven't had the time or energy to finish them so I'm just going to make one big post and get it out there. (there are 81 pictures and a few videos involved!)

I confess I have been obsessed with a new show on the National Geographic channel called Taboo. I love it but I wind up with my hands over my eyes for half of the show and wanting to throw up at the end of it.

I confess I've started to read trashy romance novels! *gasp*

I confess that I feel like crap because of my allergies but I'm too stubborn to take the medication to help. I hate taking meds.

I confess I have spend more time on couponing than I have my homework this week. Thus I'm behind in my homework and I have A LOT due next Monday.

I confess when I was little I used to be DEATHLY afraid of storms. I mean like hide under my bed or act sick so I could go home from school kind of scared. I had no rhyme or reason to be so scared but I just was. I could care less now. We hardly go in the basement for bad storms unless it gets really windy outside.

I confess I can't WAIT for my nephew Payne's birthday party this weekend. He is such a cutie and I love him SO much. He is the cutest one year old I know! I will have many many pictures to post I promise!

I confess I didn't get to post a Happy Birthday post for him so I'm going to make it up and make a really special post JUST for him. You'll have to wait and see to find out.

Friday Confessions

I confess that I have baby fever...BAD! I want another little one running around the house. I just can't afford it. 

I confess that I have been wanting to get another tattoo but...I just can't afford it.

I confess I REALLY want to take Stratton to the Circus this weekend but...again...I just can't afford it.

I confess I am REALLY tired of not having money to do cool things like go to the Circus! I think I'm just going to break down and go on Sunday who cares! I think $52 is totally worth a huge smile on my little mans face!

I confess that I was kind of disappointed that the "big storm" that his the other day wasn't "that big"

I confess that I have been sleeping on the couch until I can get some more earplugs so I can sleep without listening to Derek snore all night. 

I confess that I sleep with earplugs in at night.

I confess I have been obsessed with couponing lately! Ive been clipping like a mad woman.

I confess that I haven't even picked out an Easter Outfit for this Sunday yet. What to wear, what to wear?

I confess I'll probably pick out something cute for Stratton to wear than pick something that matches his. Yes, I'm one of THOSE moms. :)

I confess it's getting harder for me that my husband hasn't been supportive of the things that I do to help others. (i.e. I'm walking a 5k tomorrow and he's not going with me to cheer me on.)

I confess I feel like I'm getting cabin fever. I have no windows in my office so I look like a vampire and the only days I've been outside have been on the weekends that have been FULL OF RAIN! 

I confess I've been using 

this product on and off for the last few weeks and I have stopped putting it on before bed. 

Reason being: I fell asleep with it still kind of damp on my legs and seeing as how I sleep on my side with my legs together, the space where my legs touched stayed wet longer than the other areas thus creating a lovely DARK line of sunless tanner on my inner thighs. Sexy I know.

I confess that I have been weighing my options for school and work...and it's not been easy. I hate growing up.

 Lastly, I confess that I might not be a "religious" person but I love Easter and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend with family and friends celebrating the One who gave His life for you!

Decision Making...

and how I'm apparently terrible at it.

I am by my very nature a person that loves to love people. I don't know a stranger and I (most of the time) know no enemy. I forgive very easily and I hate to hold grudges. 

That being said...

I like to know that my past friends (both male and female) and boyfriends are doing well in life and I get a little tinge of excitement when something goes well in their life too. (i.e. getting engaged, getting married, getting pregnant, having babies, graduating college, getting a good job, etc...) I love being able to celebrate when they do. I love when happy things happen to people who have been in my life. What I apparently shouldn't do is show that I have that excitement for them. I'm not the kind of person that hates people out of my past. If it weren't for those people I probably wouldn't be the person that I am today (both good and bad). The thing that sucks about the past is that more often than not it should probably stay there. This is where my bad decision making comes into effect. 

I have a few "friends" from my past that I don't talk to for numerous reasons and some in my life currently that I probably shouldn't have. But, none the less they have and will drop in and drop out of my life. 

There are a few things that get me into trouble....

1. Having friends that are guys.

I know that I am a married woman and I know that I have a wonderful husband and son. But, what I should probably step away from is having friends that are guys. It looks bad and to be quite frank, people judge you when they see you with a guy that isn't your husband. Now I know I would NEVER cheat on Derek or even think about cheating on Derek but I never want to put myself in the kind of position where it could be questioned. I have a few good guy friends, not near as many as I had in high school or the first couple years of college but a few. I'm starting to break that bad decision making patten by hanging out with the ones that I can truly trust and the ones that Derek trusts as well.

2. Congratulating ex-boyfriends or ex-boyfriends significant others

Like I said before, I love to celebrate when something goes well for someone out of my past. But, this too needs to be broken. Apparently it looks like I'm still caught up on the particular person, when in reality...I'm just really happy for them (the ex and their significant other). I don't say or do things to be malicious or rub it in their face that I dated them first...I'm just genuinely happy for them. I mean it's not like the whole time I was with that person it was horrible. We obviously had a few good times in the past. But, another lesson learned. Don't congratulate any ex boyfriends or their significant others. No matter how long ago it was that you dated them. They probably don't care and their family will think you're still obsessing over them.

3. Don't try to befriend girls that you went to high school with who you don't talk to anymore

They obviously aren't in your life anymore for a reason. I've tried be-befriending a couple people from my past and it just doesn't work. Nine times out of 10 the reason why we stopped talking in the first place was some stupid petty fight...and yes 7 years later it still will come back to bite you in the ass. So, make NEW friends but keep SOME of the old. The best people I have in my life right now are the ones who are still always there for me no matter what. They are there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on or someone to understand the same situation that I'm going through. I'm very thankful for the people I have in my life now. It's nice to know that not every person out there is going to end a long friendship over not paying them back for a $2.50 lunch tab. Remember it's the quality of a friendship not the quantity of friends you have.