mow wah hee mow wah hah mow wah hee hee hah hah.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I hope you enjoyed your weekend with all of us kiddos. Thanks for being you and for loving me!

We are home from the lake...safe and sound. We had a perfect weekend...truly perfect. We had quite a crew on Dock Holiday....10 of us! It was such a fun time....you really had to be there. We got to meet Libby's family (well, her sisters and their spouses) and they were, of course, just as sweet as Libby is. Allison and Chris and Becky and Jason...all very great people. It seemed to me that we had always been friends after knowing each other for only an hour or so. We played games, drank danny boys, tubed, laughed a bunch, read, ate, laughed some more, ate some more, played cards, danced to Romanian music, caught some sunshine, took boat rides, and more.

from l to r... becky, jason, chris, allison, lib, and jus.

I think Tommy gave me a slight case of whiplash during this kiss!

(Above) This is everyone getting ready to go against my wishes and jump from a cliff that they had no idea how deep the water was underneath!! Don't they all look sneaky? Tommy has been in pain ever since....so it is possible that he learned his lesson!

Kissing the soon to be Mrs. Dozeman!

Tubing is a sport that seems fun while you are doing it---but hurts so bad later that you find yourself wondering WHY you would partake in such an activity. My forearms are like jelly as I type this!

This is Becky and Jason on the red tube and Jus and Libby on the green.....and below is a shot of one of many wipeouts!

Ladies, if you are reading this...it was so nice to meet you! Tommy and I think you are all wonderful! We loved hanging out and getting to know you. Lots of pictures are coming your way! I got some great ones.

And now....must get in bed. Gotta rest up...I'm going to be making some sweet moo-lah with Uncle Rico tomorrow.

together.

sweet pictures of a very sweet couple.
justin & libby june06

75 random thoughts ...post-vacation

1. so thankful for the opportunity of a great vacation at the plantation resort on amelia island

2. it is fun to go on vacation with lots of fun friends
3. the book i am reading is good..the dive from clausen's pier...
4. airplane seats are ridiculously small
5. i think i have serious back/neck problems from said airplane seats
6. never cut it too close and try to arrive a mere 45 minutes before your flight takes off (country t and country s missed their flight out of louisville and had to drive to cincy to even be able to make it to amelia
7. frozen lynchburg lemonades are as good as they look
8. ordering a pizza from room service at midnight is as expensive as the cute little menu says it will be
9. dragging freshly manicured toes on the bottom of a pool can ruin the look quickly
10. i still love beachside bar and grilles as much as i always have

11. as much as i love florida...my hair does not. the humidity gives me a "bad perm" look
12. tommy and i very much love a piano bar
13. music in the above mentioned piano bar reminds me of my dad and brother who both love music even more than i do
14. a full-body relaxation massage is unreal...even though "relax....let it go...clear your mind" aren't things that come easy for this worrier
15. the locker room in the spa was nicer than my house
16. i found a new breakfast drink that i love...orangina...the name makes me giggle
17. palm trees that bend out over the pool are so cool
18. we overpack
19. peeling sucks
20. i wanted to buy a ice cream bath scoop--but forgot

21. i forgot gym shoes--but never felt the urge to exercise anywhoo
22. the staff people at the resort were amazingly nice and always went above and beyond
23. we had a beautiful condo but never even sat on the couch once
24. the writer in me was hoping that our condo would have a guest book/journal thing..i love those
25. tommy looks so cute in his green plaid shirt..it one of my faves
26. gouchos are so comfortable
27. i fell in love with the shampoo and conditioner at the resort...it was called wake-up rosemary and it had that herbal/aveda/spa/refreshing smell
28. i got my hair cut by someone other than carla...yikes...i'm so brave
29. i love the feeling of sleeping with the balcony door open all night
30. i love waking up so early because the first rays of the sun are shining in
31. i love rolling over to find that tommy is silently watching them too

32. i miss my dogs no matter how great of a time we are having
33. i love ultra-chic pet boutiques..even though i would never spend that much on anything like that
34. i only semi-enjoyed my first facial. turns out having a cloth over my face brings on a panic attack...besides that, couldn't tell a difference at the end....thought i was going to come out looking like the noxema girl....and certainly didn't
35. love southern hospitality...and people you meet whom it feels like you've always known
36. i am not a nap taker--but naps on beach chairs under umbrellas are truly good
37. love to smell "home" on my clothes when i am somewhere different
38. saw a new bag at the pool that i love...designer cath kidston...LOVE the stand-up shopper style in the classic rose print...but alas...too much $$ for me to justify. check out her website--she has great products
39. love my friend brook...glad to know her...glad to have time to just hang out and be girls with her while our husbands played golf on the gorgeous ocean links
40. love that brook calls anyone who she thinks is acting less than intelligent a "crackhead." makes me laugh out loud

41. proud that we didn't lose a room key the whole time we were there
42. wish we had been there for longer
43. love hanging out with a group but also being able to enjoy time with just the two of us
44. had our favorite dinner at a restaurant on the island caled PLAE...which stands for people laughing and eating...which i think is a brilliant name
45. enjoyed looking at houses that must be worth $3 to $10 million in some cases...and letting my mind wander as to what the people that live there did to make so much money, if the poeple that live there are happily married, if they have children and if those children are ruined by the ease of being so wealthy, if the poeple that live there believe in God, and how much of their success they attribute to Him, what they do for fun, etc.
46. apart from the fact that my hair hates florida...kind of wishing we lived there because of all of beautiful pictures i could take of families on the beach
47. amazed by the fact that no matter how old i get...i still get in a bad mood on the day i have to leave vacation
48. missed my diet mountain dews
49. loved hearing a friend of ours say that every single night their little son says a prayer of thanks for his teachers
50. i came very close to meditating in a meditation garden...but my rolodex of a mind stopped just short of the real thing
51. laughed until my side hurt when tommy popped the top on my champagne and then (to be funny) tilted it up to pretend he was drinking it..and it exploded all over him....then to make matters worse, he decided it would help if he put his thumb over the top--which only made the spray that much more intense
52. decided that i LOVE little shopping bags...you know, the paper kind with handles...the kind that department stores give out only at Christmas time...on the island even your groceries come in a fancy shopping bag....even if you need like 10 of them
53. paid $4 for a package of goldfish and realized that maybe the outrageous prices are the reason they give out those cute little shopping bags
54. love a vacation where you never have to leave the resort

55. saw lots of babies taking naps in the shade...so cute
56. ate some wonderful creme brulee...i like the top, tommy likes the bottom
57. omlette bars...aren't they grand
58. like the picture below where you can see me in the lens of tommy's sunglasses
59. crazy beautiful weather all but one day
60. floating on noodles in the pool is the next best thing if you can't have a raft
61. love seeing tommy "fight the waves" with his pals like he is back in grade school...so cute
62. love tommy...period.....so, so much....so blessed
63. wondering why i hate applying sunscreen to anyone else so much
64. wanting to get some of that new (or at least new to me) continuous spray sunscreen
65. still freak out when i see the message light blinking on the condo phone...always thinking something bad has happened...never considering that it might be a sweet reminder of a spa appointment the next day

66. love looking...really looking at the ocean...especially at sunrise and sunset
67. got choked up when i saw a wife pushing her husband in a wheelchair down by the water....love to see people practicing full-blown love
68. wondering why i always have the urge to grab an extra towel from an unattended maid cart even when we don't need an extra towel
69. love the look of stucco condos with a terra cotta roof
70. love that i smile in the shower on vacation because i'm always either reflecting on a fun day or getting excited about the upcoming evening

71. i get lots of use out of my cover-ups (thanks mom) since i won't get up out of my lounge chair without wearing one
72. love fancy lobbies and nice people that work at front desks
73. really love that our dogs were so happy to see us last night that their tails almost wagged off of their bodies
74. love that my mom just called from spain and sounded so happy and full of life
75. hate that vacation is over...but giving thanks to God for a wonderful time and for safe travels for all 17 of us!

boat drinks.

So much fun this past weekend...hanging out on Dock Holiday and enjoying the very hot weather! We did lots of relaxing, talking, visiting, and laughing!! And we celebrated...Libby is now a college graduate! Yay for her! What an exciting time for the two of them. We couldn't be happier.
Dad got a new jet-ski for the boat. It is way faster than I ever care to go. (I like to stay around 30 mph which drives Tommy crazy!) Unfortunately, the lake is so littered with debris that it's more work than fun...trying to refrain from running over a tree stump! We did get in to cool off even though the lake is still a bit chilly. I washed my hair in it and nearly froze to death.

Finishing up school this week...parent/teacher conferences and such. An elementary school building is sad without the kiddos. I spent the day working in my room...cleaning, purging, thinking, reflecting.... and it was soooooo quiet. The kids really are the soul of a school. When they are gone for the summer the silence is deafening. I'm thankful for all the kids I've taught. Sending them on their way each May is a proud moment for a teacher. They come so far in the span of a school year...all of them. I love my job--but make no mistake-I love my June, July, and August, too.

Off to do laundry, eat dinner, and get ready for vacation. We have to do lots of snuggling with the dogs..they are giving us the silent treatment for leaving them at home too much. And they thought they got adopted by 2 homebodies...HA! Not this month.

Sidenote...this will be our last Tuesday with television. Next week starts "No TV Tuesdays" wherein we do not watch TV....we talk, read our marriage books, listen to CD's, anything other than TV! Tommy is pumped! Stay tuned for the myriad of excuses he will give next Tuesday. It should be interesting.

PS...Steph, Thanks for reading the blog! I sat and talked to your mom for a good while on Saturday..... we were both wshing that you and Mike (and Tyler, of course!) could have been there! Maybe next time, I hope...the lake wasn't the same without you. Janae and I always talk about the afternoon that we spent floating on rafts, talking about life, and drinking Danny boys. That is, until the ol' water patrol arrived! good, good times...

country C (with the c standing for cute)

LONG POST ahead....I'm making up for not blogging lately...
Sometimes you meet someone and they touch your soul and make you smile down deep...that is what happened to me this morning. Tommy and I got up bright and early to drop off the weim rescue stuff at the Waggin Tails 5K and then we went to the church for our annual Servefest. I signed us up for the nursing home visit. Long story short--we soon found ourselves in the lobby of a local elderly care facility....surrounded by all shapes and sizes of sweet, sweet old folks. My job was to paint nails and Tommy's job was to visit and talk...mostly just to listen. We met many delightful folks...Tommy played checkers with a man who had the most beautiful eyes....I painted 100 fingers all shades of pink, red, and even blue....I met a couple who truly personified the Nicholas Sparks story, The Notebook. He seemed to be in perfect health...while she was so burdened with alzheimers that she didn't remember anything from one moment to the next. I sat and talked with him a bit. He said he comes every day, twice a day...and that she doesn't recognize him ever. He held onto her and smiled sweetly as she repeated things over and over. She spoke of things that happened 60 years ago as though they were current events. Though she was completely confused...she would frequently lean over to her husband and whisper, "Don't you leave me, baby." And it occured to me that maybe, just maybe, that is what God does...her memory is gone...even her basic common sense has up and left...but He makes sure she still has a heart and that heart knows when it feels safe and at home. She may not know who he is--but she sure knows she doesn't want to see him leave. I had to excuse myself because I don't have the tight rein on my tear ducts that Oprah Winfrey has...mine come spilling out and they don't stop. I pulled it together long enough to tell the old fella that I hope and pray that if my mind ever gives out that my husband will be as faithful and dear to me as he was to his sweet Marie.

In a world full of selfishness...there sits a man who stays with his confused wife day after day and holds her tightly and says, "There's no where else I'd rather be."

So...I get it together and get myself a Diet Mt. Dew which always helps me out! I decide to walk around and see if there are any nails left unpainted....and this is when I run into Rita. I know her name is Rita because that is my opening line to everyone...."Hi there...what's your name?" She says to me......and this will forever be a staple in my vocabulary from this point forward......"My name is Rita...but you can call me country R for short." I thought she was HILARIOUS...such a spitfire. She proceeded to name me Queen S...and that is how we carried on for a long while. I wheeled her around and she entertained me until my cheeks hurt. She and I have something very important in common...we both LOVE nicknames. (Though I have never thought of calling someone Country+their first initial until now!) For the rest of the day...me (country s) and tommy (country t) laughed about Rita and her genious nicknaming method. I loved her....she certainly had a special zest for life.
We went there to serve....but ironically, we are the ones who left all filled up. I hope the residents got as much out of it as we did.
We went to Captain's Quarters for lunch. It was SUCH a BEAUTIFUL day. We sat and looked at the water and talked and talked. After lunch we went to visit country n! We watched the Preakness (poor Barbaro!!!) and placed fake bets on who would win. It was a very good thing they were fake because none of us had the winner.
What about Friday's photo shoot baby. Is she a beauty or what? Those cheeks are gonna be famous some day! As usual, I had sooooooo much fun behind the camera. Subjects like this familia make it so easy.
All in all....a great, great day.

Long time...no blog...

I have been a very slacking blogger. My excuses range from being very busy all the way to being a tad bit burned out on the blog thing. I do like it though--and want to keep it up. Maybe when school is out (IN 8
DAYS!!!!!!) I'll have more time. We shall see.
Looking forward to vacation. So
happy to be going
somewhere I've never been...and with fun friends, too. I'm really looking forward to the little umbrella that I will insist on having in my drink.....and the massage!
Heading to the lake, first. Dad--if you are reading this anymore...we can't wait to get down to Dock Holiday! We have been craving a lake trip.
Sad that the dogs will be in a kennel for so long though. 2 trips will make them think we have left them for good! Of course, I will be ready to come home to them! We miss them the most at night!
Here are some recent pictures...I have no idea in what order blogger will decide to post them...so I'll just say that some were taken on Mother's Day...and some are of a recent baby shoot I did.
Happy Tuesday....

yawn.

This photo kind of sums up how I feel today! Tired!! I have a thing for yawning babies though--so I had to post this picture from last week's photography venture. What a cutie this little guy is.

Nothing too terribly exciting to post. We are excited to watch 24 tonight. That show certainly sweetens Mondays for us!
We are hopelessly addicted.

Lots to do tonight! I am just headed out for a stroll around the block. I wish I could say I was going to run the whole time--but we all know that's not true!

Happy Monday.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my dogs to pieces?

Is there anything sweeter?

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Bern Williams

She doesn't have a name yet... but she has already wrapped herself around their fingers! She is too cute! Positive thoughts going out to Blake and Tex tonight...I don't think they'll be getting much sleep.

We are safely back from a last minute trip to the beach! It was so much fun to get away to warm sunny weather. We spent every day on the beach getting a turn (which is a cross between a tan and a burn--heavy on the burn). We went out to eat a cute little places....and shopped at the outlets, of course. According to Tommy, I should not utter the phrase, "I have nothing to wear" for at least 3 months. The beaches are so pretty in Destin. I just love to feel the sand on my feet. They say if you live there - you take it for granted. Yeah, well, I'd like to give it a try and see if I can blow that theory. Sure, I wouldn't go to the beach every day....but I would never tire of seeing the sun rise and set over the ocean, or the smell of the salt in the air, or the sight of palm trees, or the many restaurants with decks out over the water, or a colorful little umbrella in my drink after a long day at the 6 jobs I'd have to take on to live in that house right on the water that I really want! Oh well, I don't think living so close to an enormous outlet mall would be good for my marriage anywhooooo!
Glad to be home safe--even if it is ice cold! Feeling very thankful for the blessing of a vacation with Tommy. I was reminded again of why I am so in love with him. The guy is fun!