Show and Tell: Top Ten Travels

I was worried that I wasn't going to have enough to pull a post together for this week's Show and Tell about travelling. And then I started looking at old posts and y'all - How humbling to be reminded of the opportunities I've worked for and been given and how amazing that I get to share these opportunities with my favorite people ever in the whole entire world. I've seen and done some pretty darn amazing things!!

As usual, thanks for another fun topic, Andrea!

Travel doesn't have to mean "expensive" or far away - some of my favorite trips have happened in my own backyard. An hour down the highway or a trip down the street - it really is who you're with that matters. Maybe you don't have the time to take off from work... maybe this is a season where it's hard to get away or you're not quite ready to leave kids... that's OK! Some of my favorite memories are from some of my quickest getaways!!

CONCERTS

Live music is good for the soul!!!!! This can be at a bar in town or a trip around the world to see U2 in Ireland (I mean, I couldn't do that, but it's probably awesome!)... concerts are some of my favorite travel memories. Cindy hit it out of the park when she scored us tickets to Adele - as soon as it was over, we were ready to go again!

GIRLS GETAWAYS

There is nothing like getting away with girlfriends! Whether to concerts (see above) or with nothing on the agenda at all, time spent with girlfriends is well worth it! Shelly, Holly and I snuck away the first weekend of school for a girls' getaway and instantly deemed it "tradition" worthy!

MINI VACAYS

We could probably never leave the state of Texas and also never run of out things to see! There are tons of treasures waiting to be discovered in your own backyard! We had the best time last year on a 

mini vacay to Galveston. Three hour drive that brought us lots of adventure and fun and laughs that filled our buckets! 

ROAD TRIPS

We set a goal to see all 50 states by the time Landry is 21. Crazy, maybe... Awesome? HECK YES!! Y'all - there is so much to do and see and taste and explore right here in the good ol' U S of A... so we want to do and see and taste and explore it all!!! We are clearly not going to be able to stay a week in each state because sadly we aren't independently wealthy and have to pay for things like gas and clothes and wine and food. But that doesn't mean that we can't have the best time checking off items! We took a quick little road trip to Arkansas last spring break and then decided to go even further and drive to Memphis one afternoon. Car rides aren't always the easiest with wee ones, but y'all... they are always worth it!

"ME" TIME

When one of your lifelong friends sends you a text saying, "Hey.. want to go the Hamptons? I have the house covered just get up here." ... YOU GET UP THERE!!!! The older I get, the more stressed I get, the more consumed I become with other people's needs over my own... the more aware I am at how important it is to take time for myself. You can't fill others' tanks when you're running on empty! Your friend may not send you a random text asking to go to the Hamptons (because who does that?!) but even if it's a trip up the road - GOOOOOOOOO!!!

COUPLES

When Ryan asked me if I wanted to go to Vegas, I honestly wasn't sure. And then we went and I loved it. Of course, we could have stayed at a LaQuinta in Hempstead and I would have been happy. I love spending time with him reconnecting and getting to know who he is in this moment of life. Never underestimate the power of togetherness especially when you are each being pulled in 1283 directions! You will never lose a bet you place all your chips focused on your relationship!

(See what I did there?)

FAMILY FUN

Gulf Shores is still one of my favorite spots we've gone as We5Kings.
Sun - check

Sand - check

Seafood - check

Fun - check, check, CHECK!!!

Y'all. This is one of the most gorgeous beaches, friendliest places, and full of so much fabulous food and fun! GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!!!

And then when you get back from the beach book a trip to New York City. Hands down one of my most favorite places to go EVER in the history of EVER! It may seem overwhelming and crazy cakes to go with the kiddos but y'all there is so much to see and do and tons of cheap or free entertainment! If you are worried or scared or just think I'm crazy, send me a message and I'll give you all my favorite tips and tricks!

OUT OF COMFORT ZONE TRIP

Sometimes you just need to get out of your comfort zone and sometimes you lucky out and its part of your job. A few years ago I had the opportunity to chaperone a leadership exchange program to Doha which is Far Far FAR Away. The sites and sounds were breathtakingly beautiful and I will never ever take for granted that experience and opportunity. If you are asked to do something that scares you - DO IT! You will become stronger and so much more prepared to tackle the next unexpected something that pops up because of it!

But listen, as awesome as all these getaways are, there is nothing like going "home" to refresh and reset... especially when home belongs to Gigi and Pops. I am so thrilled my kids get to do LIFE with my parents - the big and small through it all. We love seeing where they grew up and hearing the stories that shaped them. 

Nothing can take the place of traveling... and I can't wait until our next adventure!!! 

Show and Tell: PROM

Prom was so much fun - especially being from a small town. I feel like the entire high school was there and we just had a fun night with all of our friends. We followed some fun traditions... 

1. Juniors hosted prom for Seniors - they picked everything from the theme to the colors to the official prom song
2. Junior year we spent two whole days decorating for the big night
3. Prom was always hosted in our "cafetorium"; you know the cafeteria/auditorium combo
4. Where you went to eat kind of made a statement... my freshman year one of the guys' parents cooked for us - best steak of my life; sophomore year we went to a "members only" restaraunt, but only after the guys convinced us we were going to Applebee's and Jenni got really angry which is ironic because she hated the food at the club and would have probably loved a chicken finger basket with honey mustard; we travelled out of town my junior year to a place called Frank's where we dined on chicken fried steak; my senior year we went to another "members only" place and I can't even remember the name

 There is nothing like a walk down memory lane... ESPECIALLY when the lane includes 90s prom pics. I don't need to give any further introduction... enjoy!!!

Nineteen Ninety-Four

Thank the lord that I thought to organize my prom pictures so well. Each year I put them in a little photo album for a quick "grab and go" review. I even labeled the albums just in case I couldn't remember the year.

I tried to play it cool that I was going to prom as a freshman (see below) but the truth was I WAS SO EXCITED! I lucked out and broke up with my boyfriend before prom and my friend, Jason asked me to be his date. 

I mean. 

Lucky. Jason.

In case you didn't notice... that's a red dress, with red panty hose and red shoes. I am also wearing red lip stick and red nail polish. I probably also had on red undies. 

True story: the shoes cost more than the dress. My momma really really loves me. 

And y'all. I'll be honest. If I could fit my booty in that dress again, I'd TOTALLY wear the red pantyhose and red shoes. 

The deal was that if I went to prom, I had to also wake up to go to 8am mass. This is how excited I was about that. Also I am wearing my brother's shirt. Because I was clearly on the edge of fashion trending. 

Nineteen Ninety-Five

This started the year of double dating with the bestie and her boyfriend (now husband). I went with the guy mentioned above that I had broken up with. We got back together. And broke up. And got back together. And broke up. 

If I ever wondered where I came up with crazy picture ideas, well... let's just say I got it honestly. Conversation in car:

Mom: Girls y'all look so pretty

Dee: You sure do

Mom: We should go take pictures

Dee: Oh, look....FLOWERS!

Mom: screeeeeeeccccchhh 

Me and Jenni: Ummm... we're in tshirts and shorts.

Them: Get out and take a picture.

Us: 

(Yes, we put the flowers in our mouths).

I went with the understated blue sequin, nude pantyhose and dyed shoes. You know the ones you could get a Payless and dyed to match anything at all. Yep.

I mean, straight out of a prom magazine.

As if we weren't obnoxious enough - we had to snap a cheerleader picture. Sophomores that aren't going to prom got voted to serve as prom ushers by the upperclassmen. It was a huge privilege and that's why Katy and Kati are wearing tuxes - they were ushers. 

Nineteen Ninety-Six

If I had to pick a least favorite dress - this was it. 

I mean, I loved it at the time but looking back it was missing something. Like matching shoes. 

:)

And yes, Jenni and I really did have dates to all these events. We just have more fun taking pictures together. I also didn't ask her permission to post all of these pics. Luckily there are far worse ones I could use, so she won't mind too much.

Nineteen Ninety-Seven

Y'all.

THIS WAS THE BEST.

And not just because we were seniors.

It was the best because... look how cutting edge we were!!

In case you couldn't tell - those are pants which means we were rocking rompers well before they became trendy. We actually tried them on as a joke because who would possibly wear PANTS to prom?

Ummmmm....us.

If I would lose 45 pounds I could wear this every year for Halloween and dress up like I Dream of Jeanie. 

And to prove we really did have dates... here's a super artsy crooked pic that Pops took.

See... dates.

Okay, well at least they had dates!!

;)

This picture still cracks me up 20 years later! Jennifer's hair was so big that it blocked Jeffrey's head from the picture!! HAHAHA! 

Goodness, I can't wait to see more prom pics! Thanks for such a fun link-up, Andrea!

Show and Tell: Embarrassing Moments

Andrea has invited us to disclose our most embarrassing moments this week for her Show and Tell series. And I have to be honest - I don't really that many. 

I mean, there was that time on the first day of athletics in 8th grade where we were all doing our warm-up laps around the gym as lunch was ending when I FELL FLAT ON MY FACE in front of the school.

But I wasn't really embarrassed. 

Then there was that time at work that I walked out of the restroom, down the hall and in to my office being closely followed by Ms. Jean who said, "KATY! KATY! Your dress is in your UNDERWEAR!!"

But I wasn't really embarrassed. 

There was also the time that Ms. Jean gave one of my students a key to unlock my office because she didn't realize I was in there pumping. 

I was totally NOT embarrassed. My student? #mortified

If I really had to sit and think about things that embarrass me, it's honestly the things people never see. My jealousy. My insecurity. My lack of faith. The way I compare myself to others. The stupid choices I made when I was younger.  The way I behaved when people weren't looking. 

Essentially, my sinful nature. 

I'm embarrassed that I don't trust in His plan as much as I trust in MY plan.

I'm embarrassed that I sometimes still care about what people think of me.

I'm embarrassed that I don't get more comments on my blog posts.

Or likes on a FB picture.

I'm embarrassed that I'm being so vulnerable here. 

The good thing is - I learn from my mistakes. I am better because of them. I can move forward and try harder to conquer those shortcomings. 

The great thing is - I am renewed in Him. Every single day, He gives me grace. He lets me start over. I am allowed to laugh at myself in spite of the fact that I will probably mess up 1000 more times. I am surrounded by friends and family to help me on my journey. And that ultimately what others think of me, is nothing compared to how much He does. 

And there's nothing embarrassing about that. 

Show and Tell: My Loves...

Excited to read everyone's love stories today for Andrea's link-up... almost as excited as I am to share mine. I do need to admit that Valentine's Day isn't really that big of a deal to me - Ryan and I haven't exchanged gifts in I don't know how long. We usually get the kids tiny things and I really work to make the school parties as simple and painless as possible. So, yeah... I'm that Mom.

But, I do LOVE to talk about my crew. My people. My loves of my life for all the days of my life.

Radley... 

this boy is kind and caring, sensitive and strong, smart and vulnerable. His eagerness to learn, desire to please, and commitment to be an amazing big brother is such a gift! He teaches us constantly the meaning of love and the significance of grace. He has made every day since the day he arrived one blessing after another. If I had to pick my favorite thing about Radley, goodness... his sensitive heart. He really does want to love people well and he is so eager to serve. The moments we have spent reading through Harry Potter have been such a fun experience for us. I love that he will still lay next to me, hold my hand in public or ask me to stay a little longer after I tell him good night. These moments are fleeting and I want to bottle them up. 

Emersyn...

She is every bit as sassy as sweet. She is like that moment when a sparkler first ignites - so bright that it's blinding. Her stature may be small but she brings a mighty presence to everything she does. She can work any room she enters and I pray that she always keeps that confidence. She is delightful and smart. She is beautiful inside and out. She is our miracle baby, a true message that God designs our families perfectly. And while every moment isn't perfection, every day spent with her is. I love her creativity - in each and every thing she finds beauty and design. She gets lost in her ideas and can create entire worlds out of the smallest materials. She tells people that she is an artist and I want to cultivate in her an appreciation and respect for the beauties of this world. She is fearless and faithful. No matter if Radley or Landry is mean to her, she always defends them, always protects them, always always always reminds us to be gentle in our love. To forgive. She is a peacekeeper. A beautiful soul that I don't deserve.

Landry...

A little after Emmy's first birthday, we discovered that God had mighty plans for us. We had experienced a tough year and our grace was in the miracle of life. She arrived a day late, but was more than worth the wait. The world is a better place because of her spirit. She is determined, she is strong and she may have a slight stubborn in her, too. More than anything - she is a delight. A precious, joyful, loveable, full-of-life ending to our fairy tale. Our baby. Our surprise. Our grace. She still fits perfectly in my arms and tells me all the time that she is going to try to stay little. She made so much room in our hearts that we still feel her arrival today. She is such a combination of Radley and Emersyn in the most extreme ways. There is no putting a definition on this one because she is a game changer. She has never faced a problem that she can't solve and my prayer is that she keeps that resiliency and persistence. That she never gives up until she's satisfied. She is loyal. So very loyal. She is kind and loving and the best snuggler of the group. She loves to be anywhere that her big sister is but she also wants to play football with the boys. She is sugar and spice and dirt and bugs. She is fearless. And she is as lovely as they come. 

These three moments in time define so much of my life. A piece of my heart was given away to each of them - I told them that. They walk around with a bit of Mommy's heart so that even when we aren't together, we are still connected. They love hearing that. They love looking at their belly buttons and pointing to mine. They just love me. Unquestionably. Unequivocally. Undeservingly. 

But there stories wouldn't be possible without his. 

Ryan...

Gosh, what to even say. So much. We have lived a lifetime together, or so it seems. But we still have a lifetime to go. In these 17 (almost 18!) years that we've been together, his love for me has never failed. We have been stubborn and angry and harsh and uncompromising but each time our grace has overcome. We have grown together and we continue to do so. This married life is no joke - and while it may seem like ours is a fairy tale of smiles and laughter, real life happens between these posts. His job has added so much stress and work to our lives these past two years and there is no real ending in sight to his commuting days. We are tired and frustrated and high and low. 

The fact is, I can handle this gig alone. I can do the carpool and homework. The tutoring and soccer. The dance and birthdays. I can bring the teacher gifts and volunteer for the school festival. I can go and do and be and serve. But the truth is. I don't want to. Not without him. And he doesn't want to. Not without me. 

And that is when a love story is born.

When you can do it all alone. But you don't want to. 

This picture is everything to me. I'm not in it, and I wasn't even there to see it happen. I saw it hours later when we were alone in the hospital room with Landry while the bigs were back at the house with Gigi and Pops. I can imagine how he must have felt - carrying his baby to meet his babies. What a joyous thrill to kneel down and say, "Meet your sister." 

I see love. Because my love starts and ends with him. 

Also linking up with Tuesday Talk today!

Merry Christmas from We5Kings...

Merry Christmas and welcome to everyone visiting from Show & Tell Tuesday!

So glad you could drop by! :)

I am so proud of myself for being an actual blogger and planning ahead. This also gave me a legitimate excuse to take all these pics especially since I seem to forget more and more where I put things every year! HA! Ever since I can remember, we've been taking pictures of our Christmas decorations. Christmas was every where at our house growing up and my mom would video tape my brothers and I giving a tour of our home and then send the tapes to our grandparents. (You are welcome for sparing you that kind of tour!)

I love this time of year - our home just radiates comfort to me. I especially love it at night...

Our front porch is such a modge podge of stuff. That table is an old piece of woodwork my PaPaw made that I laid on top of an antique Singer sewing machine stand, the wire basket is a RoundTop find for $5 that I threw some prelit garland into last minute. My momma spoiled me with the snowmen sign that is just enough vintage to make me drool, we bought the JOY sign three years ago for Christmas card pics and the presents were a Canton discovery the year Radley was born! Whew. 

Oh - and I bought this bench at Walmart for $15 my sophomore year in college. You can't really sit on it, but it looks awesome. 

So come on in, drop off a letter to Santa, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Most of things we have collected over the years have huge sentimental value. Our Willow Tree manger scene was a gift from my mom our first married Christmas. 

When you open our front door, the first thing you see is our tree. I love our tree and the story that she tells (and yes, she's a her). I also love packages wrapped in brown paper - we try to stay pretty simple around here. I also refuse to pay a ton of money for a tree skirt, so we just use table cloths. HA! Our tree has also decided to be slightly high maintenance which is why the extra cords for lights since the lights that came with it no longer work.

#thatmadethehubsterhappy 

That was actually last year's tree... this year all the extra white lights went out, so he used 6 different strands of multi-colored lights. I'll admit, they are growing on me... 

I spend hours and hours each Christmas season sitting on our giant green couch, reading books, typing blog posts, addressing Christmas letters, watching silly movies, and snuggling with the kiddos. It is by far my most favorite place to be. Ryan and I have even been known to just camp out on the couch in front of the fire for the night. Many nights - because it is so cozy. :)

And if I'm not on the couch, I am in front of it with a cup of coffee and one of my favorite Christmas movies on repeat wrapping gifts. It is definitely my happy place - 1999 TV and all. It's by far, the best view in the house because if you look to the right... 

I love this space so much more since we added the piano. 

It just opens the room up so much and gives me even more areas to put decorations - ha!

These Santas and my hymn used to look so lost and now they are perfect on the piano. 

And my giant gold Santa loves his perch to make his list. 

As you round the corner you make your way into our kitchen, but first you have to walk under the homemade mistletoe. This is Emersyn's most favorite new addition to the decorations insisting that you kiss whomever walks underneath alongside you. She really wanted to catch Alfie smooching up her Barbie dolls. That girl. 

Our table looks much more festive than this picture makes it seem (ha!) maybe I really should invest in some drapes. Or new paint color. Or finish the bench. 

#additothelist

We keep this Charlie Brown tree around to hold all the homemade ornaments from the kiddos, the lovely musical toys from Gigi and gifts for teachers. 

#whatisSantadoingtoFrosty

#naughtyornice

#clearlynotaposedpicture

#thisisreallifepeople

One of my favorite things about our home was all the built-ins. I am a "stuff" girl... I have tons of it and I like cluttering up all my space. So I did not hold back this year on Christmas and got out more than usual. Each shelf holds a special trinket or memory... most of these are filled with things that were Fely's and remind me of how well she did Christmas. All of her cookbooks are on display alongside her Nutcrackers mixed in with family memories from my family like my Grandmother's village houses, pictures of the kiddos and special items my momma bought me over the years. 

I think it could stand some color but I like it just as it is.

When we first started putting up the decorations the kids convinced me to hang up this garland in the kitchen. When the overhead lights are off and all the twinkles are happening from the trees and garland, there is no more peaceful place to be. 

I maybe went a bit overboard at HobLob...

But I couldn't love this anymore. 

(Thanks, Momma!)

You round the corner and you are back to my favorite room.

(Editor's note: clearly from last year because #whitelights)

A room that becomes the best place to enjoy a movie picnic by the fire...

a room that stores so many precious memories while new ones are being made. 

A room that when I look up and see all that it holds, I pinch myself. It's not the largest house on the street, it doesn't have the highest ceiling or the fanciest flooring, but... 

this room holds all the Santa pics from over the years....

and our sentimental keepsakes. We got a snowman family as a gift the year Radley was born from one of my students so each time we added a kiddo, we added a family.

(There were slim pickings Emmy's year - but I do love that the brother is holding the baby).

And we have tons of stuff to keep us occupied at home! Books, toys, and a ridiculous amount of Christmas movies. It's basically how we should live all year long. 

And I can't forget all the parts of the house that are tucked away... like the bathrooms and kids' rooms. Radley and Emmy picked out bathroom decor one year and they went with the blue reindeer. 

Each of them have their own tree and manger scene in their room as well. Plus we have a 4th tree in their playroom that I didn't photograph. Next year we're adding a tree to the garage so there is one in every window in front. We are crazy. And I love it!

#griswold

And I think that's it! What is your favorite part of the season? What makes your home your favorite place to be? And if you want more Christmas inspiration check out the link-up with Andrea!