Did someone say Luby's...for Thanksgiving?

First of all, for all of you who do not know...Tim's favorite restaurant is Luby's. Can you imagine his excitement when we found out we were all going there for Thanksgiving dinner!!! As you can see...he is gleaming.

Here is the whole group...minus the photographer. We had a great lunch and I must say, that is the easy way of doing Thanksgiving Dinner. With my family, the guys would have been in the kitchen for hours after the meal cleaning up and complaining most of the way through it...or making up dances whilst singing the latest "Brother Love" track.

Me and Lexie at the rehearsal dinner for Scott and Amanda's wedding. We went to Dave & Busters. We had a lot of fun!

The cutest...Papa and Meme..aka Davey Crockett rangling his longhorn with his gorgeous mistress by his side!

This is San Antonio Riverwalk. I was expecting fun, but this was over the top. The Riverwalk was so much better than I imagined...I want to go back when it is warmer. We had a really good time and ate lunch with the fam in a cute little mexican restaurant.

Tim and Scott - the groom. I'll take the one in black and brown please!

Tim's friend Todd and his family picked us up in San Antonio on Sunday morning. Helen and I had a great time in the back seat with the camera. Here we are being cheerleaders. Go Fight Win!

Jack, Cindy and Helen
Both sides of Tim's family with the lovely Bride and Groom.

Me and Papa at the wedding. I love you Papa! - Hurricane (this is my nickname from papa...hurricane cindy came through when tim and i were first dating and papa gave me the nickname. i think i have been a hurrican in tim's life, but one of those hurricane's that you really love)

Riding the train at a cute park in downtown Houston.
This is Henry. He is 1 and was really excited to be in the car. I have a burst eardrum to prove it..
A weird little "beaver - look alike" that we saw at the park.
I don't know if you can get the perspective from this picture, but the squirrels were huge. They looked in the 17 lb. range. Yikes.

Todd, Kim, Jack, Helen and Henry Elgie. We had a good time with them and they very warmly opened up their house to us!

Good trip, good to be home. We missed IO a lot. She stayed with some of our dear friends here in Charlotte. Bobby and Tabitha Hoffman were so kind to watch io along with their own two dogs Daisy and Joey. They are both big dogs and Tab said that within a couple days IO was ruling the house. She has been at home all day with me today and she seems down. I think she misses her new friends. They said that IO and Joey were inseperable. So cute.

Our floor...redone. So exciting!

The before...the after...and some in betweens...

Here is our living room before the carpet was ripped out.

Here is the little angel who left us with "blessings" all around the living room, thus the change of flooring. Here is where IO sits everyday waiting for her daily walk...or walks. Ok..it is time to get started. Smile boys. They were so excited to pose for each of my pictures!
Ok, this is the job I ended up doing. Yes. Brian called me the "cut guy" I am just going to take that as the highest compliment. This is called the mitre saw. Call me crazy, but I've got some mad skills behind the saw!

Tim made sure to mark our names down in history that we were here...and in love! I love you Tim Crowder!
Quick interjection of fun. I left for the weekend...not the one that worked on the floor.

I met up with Stephanie in Chattanooga a week and a half ago. She was rowing in a Regatta...entitled the Head of the Hooch. Good title...and good times. I am so proud of her. Rowing is a very challenging sport!

Have you ever seen signs for Rock City? This is something we saw every time we went to Atlanta..which was a few times every year growing up. Steph and I were so excited to actually get to stop at Rock City, which was never allowed in the Darr trip. We laughed so much up here remembering how much we wanted to stop and realizing why dad wouldn't stop. I'm not going to lie to you...it was fun to have the memories, but dad was using his wisdom. Not quite as amazing as the signs might make you think....for over 250 miles out!

Cathy, Christy and the boys came up from Atlanta to meet up with us for the day. We all had a good time.



John Brown...John Brown...hmmm....Not the same one, this was of the abolitionist not the evangelist. I bet they would have gotten along well.

The big guns start bringing in the flooring...what a stallion!!!

Our wonderful friend Brian, who helped us through the entire process. Brian is a very skilled craftsman and he made our floor look like perfection. We are very blessed to have him and his wife Patsy as great friends!

Look at my precious Tim wearing his cute shirt with our picture on it! The verse on the shirt says "I have found the one whom my soul loves." So true!!
Ok, I'm not going to lie to you...the day started off slow. I was cracking up..to myself...I didn't know what to do to help for the first couple of hours. So, I changed my hair style about 4 times. None of which the guys noticed. (which I am ok with) These guys have become really close friends...so glad to have the Johnson's in our lives!!
And now...drum roll...the final product. We are so pleased. It makes this room look so much nicer. And now...it is time to decorate for Christmas. You can never start too early.

A touching letter....

This is from a girl who almost aborted her baby 4 years ago. These two women were there that day to save her and her baby from a huge mistake.


November 11, 2007

Dearest Marilyn and Carmen,

Even though we haven't spoken in so long I want you to know that you will always have my love. I think about you everyday. I am reminded of you and Ms. Carmen each time Destinn gives me a kiss and a hug. All I ever wanted was to be loved and needed. Through sin, God gave me a gift. I loved it before I knew it and I worried that I'd be forced to give it away.

I thank God for his angels that had been there that morning to have given me shelter to run to. The night before, I prayed for you and Carmen. Sure enough you defended my baby -- you saved my life and gave enough for Destinn to have life. On May 24, 2003 I gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy with all your love and support.

When Destinn is old enough, I will tell him about the two most wonderful angels that saved him and protected him from the evil because God loved him so much. I know that Destinn will always love and thank his angels that saved and protected his life. You will never be forgotten and will always stay in our hearts.

I can never thank you enough for the greatest gift. Whenever he smiles, runs to me for a big hug, and every "I love you Mommy". May the Lord bless his angels! Now I feel needed and loved so much by my little man, more than ever. Destinn is four years old now and I have learned over the years that God has His ways and His ways are bigger. When something is almost impossible to manage, He has His ways to make everything work out just fine, if you give it all to Him.

I love you- Mia and Destinn

Crowders Mountain really exists!

Crowder's Mountain...here we are at the top! Last Tuesday Tim was sent home from work early because there was a gas leak at work. So, we came up with a plan and after going out to lunch at our favorite little mexican restaurant and sitting on the patio....we went to Crowder's Mountain. This was our first time there and we had a great time. We took the hike to the top marked "strenuous" and it was that. It was so much fun though. IO went with us and she loved hiking. She did bark at everyone else out on the mountain, but still good times! We could see all of Charlotte from the top.

This is Io exploring on top of the mountain.

Tim and IO at the top. These pictures of IO were taken on the way home. As you can see with her sleepy eyes she was out on the drive home. So cute. She worked really hard running up the mountain that day! This was taken last weekend while Tim and I were working in our yard. He was trimming the bushes and I told him that he should wear my sunglasses because the tree branches were flying. So...this is cute Tim in his Isaac Mizrahi's..work it tim.

My girl is growing up...

This one is for you girls...a real sacrifice.

We tend to get a little modelesque when we get together. Can you blame us, look at those hotties.

These pictures were sent to me at very small resolution, so sorry.

This is a video that my sweet Courtney Horvath made for me a couple of years ago for Christmas. It has become something that I watch every so often and can always go back to good times with great friends.

Today is my precious friend Courtney's birthday. Happy Birthday my dear friend! She and I have been friends since Mayfield 1996...ish. We really became great friends through an accountability group started by our dear friend Amber Rice. I knew there was something unique about Courtney from the beginning. She is real and down to earth. She is ready to laugh at any time. She has unique beauty that eminiates from deep inside of her. She is a rare jewel of a friend and I love her like nobody's business.