My Dad.

My dad is cool. I looked at so many Fathers Day cards and some were great, but just didn’t “do it” for me. Maybe I’m picky or maybe you just deserve more than a card. Over the years, I’ve received many gifts from you and mom, and I always love them because I know that they are bought with love and thought. But one gift that I’ve gotten several times over the years, are letters from you, Dad.

The other day I was going through some pictures in my photo box, and I found a letter.. One that had not made it into a memory box or a scrapbook yet. It was a letter to Lauri and I on Fathers Day, 1982. What a jewel to find!

There are so many things I have loved about being your daughter. As a kid, I still smile when I think about playing office in your office.. kind of feeling like I was being you. Little did I know that was inspiring in me your hard work ethics, your dedication to your job and your family, and our crazy shared organization skills. I always felt important and special to be helping you work. Other fun fond memories of things we did and things you did for us – dancing us on your toes in the kitchen, the Disney trip, going to get LuLu, and the cheerleading and pageant girl stuff, putting up my basketball hoop on the side of the house and shooting hoops, going to El Cabritoes when Mom had PTA, you sleeping in the hallway when we were all three sick, you teaching me how to drive, you NOT teaching me how to mow the lawn because there wasn’t great success with mom and Lauri, all the nights when I’m sure you were tired from the week but you let us have ½ the neighborhood over to watch movies. The sacrifices you made for us, and continue to do so.

Some may seem like little things, but see, they left an impression on me. The things that you think we as kids will remember may not be. It’s the little things that last sometimes.

Many things about our family are rare these days, the unconditional love, the support, the help, the genuine feel of comfort and completeness when we’re all together, it just makes our family unique. And that is all possible because you and mom raised us right, you nurtured us and we never fully appreciated it or understood it until we faced some of those challenges with our own children. Having you share yourself with my own boys is like an amazing circle completing… I thank God for having the courage and strength and knowledge that you have passed to us and help us through still today Dad.

I have all of your letters, Dad. Every one of them that you’ve written over the years and each time I look at them and read them I swell up with the love that you wrote them with. They are the greatest gift from you.

So Happy Fathers Day Dad! I hope you know how much I love you and cherish our relationship and family. I have seen the saying 1000 times but nothing is more true.. .

Anybody can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.

You are special Dad.
And I love you

Julie
2009

When Life Hands You Lemons...

screw Lemonade, go for the vodka.

So last I posted Bryan and I were celebrating our 15th Wedding Anniversary. The good news is, we're still married. I had also just celebrated my 40th Birthday with a new outlook and attitude on life... well I am still 40 and I still have attitude... lol So since then...

About a week before Bryan's Birthday weekend of surprises, I had a phone call from work. I knew it couldn't be "good" or one of those "just wanted to tell you are awesome" phone calls. No, it wasn't. It was the "we're cutting back because we have to and your job position has been eliminated". That sucked. I had been spending every waking moment working on Bryan's weekend, keeping so many secrets from him I was about to bust... but I'll get to that in the happy part of this blog...

So after 14 dedicated years with the company, my reign has come to an abrupt halt. In all fairness, this job has been more than fabulous to me. Even on my way out the door, my boss took good care of me and got me a nice severance to tide us over until I can find a new job. I am very blessed. I was stressed over the money side of things, obviously, and I cried and threw my fit and the boys looked at me like I was on crack. But I picked myself up and brushed off the mascara and said "damn it this is just a sign its time for me to get back out there". So my quest will begin soon. I am enjoying taking at least a little time to breath for the first time in forever. So sad news, bad news, but hey - that Vodka sure makes those lemons better to take! (just kidding mom)

So on to fun news, Bryan turned 40 on June 13. I had been working for about 4 months straight to plan his weekend! On Thursday, his two best friends from college came to surprise him. It was all running perfectly until he decided to leave work early to mow the grass. But after lots of crazy phone calls and with the help of my dear neighbors, we pulled it off and he was completely SHOCKED to see them pull up in the driveway. After that it was a breeze, cards all night Thursday night, golf already setup for them on Friday and Saturday and the party went off without a hitch! I think, after our 20 years together, I finally surprised him!

So the Feeney house has had a mix of good news, bad news, fun times, and probably one more margarita then necessary but was hard earned.

I guess I thought when I turned 40 that was the opening of a new chapter, but seems I was being lazy about it. The powers that be saw fit to give me a swift kick in the ass to go out there and look for those new doors and new windows and open one and climb on in.

Watch out - Here I come....

15 Years and Counting...

So today Bryan and I celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary. It seems rather unreal to me that we have been married for 15 years, let alone together for 20 years.

Bryan and I met at Elon College (now Elon University). We had a real love/hate relationship that is pretty common at that time in your life. But we always had that something that kept us together or coming back to each other. I guess really things haven't changed THAT much over the years except the hate part... the love part overtook the roots and pushed that part right on out.

Over the last 15 years there have been good times and bad times. Easy times and hard times. Great times and really what the heck moments. We've definitely put those "for better or worse" vows to the test. I am sure that there are more of both of those times to come, after all we are human. But again, I am confident that those love roots will "weed out" the hard times.

I don't really mean for this to be a mushy love ball blog. OK, well maybe a little, it IS after all our anniversary.

So I look back to our wedding day. Bryan was up early to play golf with his guys, I was up early to decorate for the reception, get my hair done, even hit the mall and ate at Chick Fil A. I remember being nervous, excited, and just so ready. I remember the look on my parents face when I was in my dress and ready to take those steps down the aisle. I remember looking at Bryan and thinking THIS is where I am supposed to be.

We had a great wedding, a fun reception and just a great celebration of our vows. I still laugh at how we got back to our hotel room, and sat in the middle of the bed drinking cold coke out of champagne glasses and ate all the food that THANKFULLY my wonderful mom packed for us because we didn't get much to eat at the reception.

So since that day, we've moved to California, we've moved back to Virginia, we've changed jobs, we've had 2 wonderful boys, we've fought, we've made up, we've loved, we've questioned, we've loved again. We've grown up (OK a little) and I can honestly say that we're learning more about each other to this day!

I look at my parents. They've been married for 45 years. They've moved, they've changed jobs, they had 2 wonderfully beautiful daughters (OK HAD to say that), they've fought, they've made up, they've loved, they've questioned, and they've loved again. I think we're on a good path here.

I realize life as a married couple isn't perfect. I have also realized that life isn't perfect. But stopping to smell the roses, see the ocean, hold hands, steel a kiss when you pass by each other, sending an I love you note, and making time to tune out the outside world for even 5 minutes a day to just look into your spouses eyes and really say "hey babe" and mean it... well it's nourishment, it's necessary, and it reminds you that it all started with you two... meeting.. falling in love.. and finding your way.

I can't think of another person I'd rather be finding my way with.

So here is the happy couple, 15 years ago (yes we look 15 years old lol)...

Jules is excited.

For, I think, the first time ever, the Old Man and his beautiful Bride have their beach condo over Jackson's Spring Break. The planets aligned, the stars are perfect, and Bryan got most of the week off. So next week we're packing up our car (could be interesting, our first "big trip" in the small car) and heading North to Myrtle! The weather looks fabulous - sunny and 60s. OK so not bathing suit weather but that's PERFECTLY fine with me. I've never been one to be excited about bathing suits.

The boys are so excited. Jackson is excited to be out of school on break, he's excited to go Myrtle (lets face it its a 2nd home to him as he's been going every year since he was born, and mostly about seeing Mee Maw and Paw Paw! Nate asks every day "we go beach see meemawpawpaw day mama?" He is always excited to go on a trip.. a new place to explore, destroy, and clean up!

I am excited to get away from the house, dogs, mess, and just see my folks and relax and watch how wonderfully happy my boys are to be with them. There is just nothing like watching your own kids with your own parents. (and a little date night out without the kids is always a bonus!) Bryan is excited too, for the potential golf outing! (No matter how crammed the car is those clubs WILL go in the trunk!)

So we're all kinda in AUTO PILOT until next week. I am so glad to have the yard sale behind us, a break from school, a break from work, and a break from NOT seeing my folks!

See ya at the Beach Old MAN!

Pure Joy

So, some of you will remember that I was SO concerned with Nathan's lack of talking. It used to bother me, bug me, and worry me. Well you also all know that that's a thing of the past and he talks ALL the time now! He talks all day long, he talks about everything, he repeats everything (yeah I do mean everything) and he cracks us up. So I thought I would share some smiles with you this morning.

His new favorite saying is "Oh me goss, what de heck?" to everything.

He wakes up and yells "Nat-tan is done seeping mama, get me"

He will ask me where something his, and then say "oh I get it mama you work"

When we are driving down the road he goes into long conversations. "mama ders a biwd, mama ders a light, mama dat biwd white der is fwying" on and on and on. Funny he also says "oh come on people" when we get to a stop light. lol

Last night he told us he was going to "bow up" his new bed. We thought he hated it so much he wanted to blow it up - so I asked him "how are you going to blow up your new bed" and he started acting like he was blowing up his shoe... he was referring to an air mattress.

He frustrated the living snot out of me some days but I tell you what, when he's not screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing things, he's a real joy. Pure and Simple.

My other pure JOY is Jackson. He had a tough semester on his report card in Math. We went in for a conference and discovered that he's making straight As throughout class work but is bombing tests. (The old man can attest, the apple doesn't fall far from the mama tree here). Yesterday he came home with his Monday Mail folder and had mostly great grades. He pulled out his latest Math Test and starting jumping up and down. He said "MOM this is MATH TEST and look" it was a 100%. His teacher had written all over it "100%, A+, TEST in big letters across the top. We are so proud of him for this .... and he got ice cream last night!

Kids are just simply pure joy.

I got tagged again!

Ok thanks Chele! I love posting pictures! Don't have to ask me twice (you just have to tell me to check blogs! LOL)

This time I've been tagged by Chele.

If you’re reading along with me, your instructions:

1. Find your sixth picture folder and in that folder, the sixth picture

2. Post it on your blog with some of the background of the picture

3. Tag four others and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Here is mine!



And so the story goes. This picture is from my actual Birthday Dinner out with my two wonderful sons and my good friend Kelly and her daughter Hannah. Kelly was TRYING to get a picture of me and the boys and Jackson kept making funny faces and rabbit ears and just being an annoying 10 year old. I turned to tell him to KNOCK IT OFF and she snapped the picture. I love it Jackson looks like he's saying "yeah ok whatever old lady" and Nate looks like he's saying "YES its Jackson getting in trouble for once, I bet I can escape mom's tight hold on me and get to that soda machine"....

so there ya have it!

I am tagging...

1. Bran

2. Jennie

3. Jack (ok he's already been tagged)

4. Betzi

Have fun!

10 year olds don't make good sitters.

So last night Bryan was working OT, and the boys wanted to be fed. They can be SO demanding sometimes. Anyway, I asked Jackson to keep an eye on Nathan for me so that I could get dinner cooked and ready without Nathan's oh so appreciated but usually a disaster help.

I'm happily cooking some eggs up and I hear "Mom Mom! Nathan is bleeding everywhere"... panic. Run to Jackson's room.. and there stands Nathan screaming without noise and blood all over his face. I wasn't really sure WHAT he hurt or WHERE it was coming from.

Jackson had no idea what happened. See, they are both together in a 10x10 room but nobody knows what happened. Anyway - Nate ended the evening with a busted lip.

He calmed down, ate a few Popsicles to numb it, and now thinks it's kinda cool and "feels funny" because he has a fat lip.

Thought I would share his new look.