In the Meantime...

That's it! A day of blogging and we're officially caught up! Read the posts below to see what we've been up to. For an appetizer, here's some other events from April and May celebrating friends, both new and old...

The Mlinarichs come to visit from Michigan and we have a "Make Your Own Pizza Party" with the kids. Amazing that I have enough aprons for everyone.



My first CHS prom at the Fillauer Mansion. Here is a pic of me and my AP, Lisa...a wonderful new friend of mine.

Of course, we must celebrate the birthdays of our friends, IMOM and DDK.

And my first CHS graduation, what a thrill! Below is a pic of Zach, who I have known since he was a little boy.

It sure has been an exciting and busy spring (read below if you need every detail). Looking forward to a summer filled with getting the house settled, family golf and some weekend water getaways.

What a beautiful life we live...

Mr. and Mrs. Igglers

I have pressed the "backspace" button several times over the past few weeks as I've tried to write this post. And, of course, every other day, I would receive my reminder, "UPDATE THE BLOG". It usually came from the newlyweds in central Tennessee. So, here goes...

Recently, my mother sent me a copy of a letter I had sent to my baby brother. It was written over 12 years ago while I was trying to start my career and he was trying to complete high school. An excerpt is below:

"I'm so proud of the guy that you have become. You have come so far in bball, etc...and I know that as long as you put your mind to it, you will go far."

The letter is written on Winnie the Pooh stationary and signed with a heart symbol and my name. It is amazing that it was written 12 years ago when things were incredibly different, but they seem all too familiar at the same time. Nothing brings me more joy and pride than the picture below...

And how about that photographer catching me and my sweetie in the act???

To see that brother of mine marry that girl brought me to a place of pure bliss. She is a perfect piece that he has been missing for years. To feel their joy and sense the comfort of their love is so refreshing and sweet, it made everyone want to celebrate...and celebrate we did. On May 8th, we gathered in Lebanon, TN to celebrate the union of two of my favorite people. Normally, folks would say "the pictures don't do it justice", but in this case, thanks to a very talented photographer, I think they do.
One of the beautiful parts of the day were the kids. Bobo and Iggs in their truest form, found a way to include all of the nephews and Lily and boy they sure did not disappoint.

My sweet nephew Jaxson charmed the ladies with that intense gaze...

Speaking of intense, this is probably my favorite picture from the whole day. It reminds me of a time in church when I bribed my brother, Tony, with jelly beans in order to behave. Whatever Lily was saying, it worked.

And the crowning moment when the doors opened and the trumpets sounded (and we all held our breath)...

After the 3 little angels walked down the aisle, the doors opened again and there she stood (and yes, I think she looks like an angel too)...

And then there was a moment I will forever cherish. My son stood before a congregation of over 200 people and read I Corinthians. I was so proud of him and couldn't help to be reminded of that excerpt from the letter..."put your mind to it. You will go far." Reminds me of another little red-headed guy from years ago...

Once all of the formalities were over, we headed to the reception for some true celebrating. Here is a pic of the mother of the bride and her girl taking a well-deserved rest...

And of course there wasn't a dry eye in the place as daddies danced with their girls to "Butterfly Kisses".

And check out that grandpa of mine and Aunt Peg breaking it down Mooney style. Gotta love those moves...

We danced until we couldn't dance anymore...

and we sent them on their way to "put their minds to it and go far" (with a brief stop in Jamaica, of course). Congratulations Bobo and Iggs! Enjoy a beautiful life together!

The Texas Ranger and His Beautiful Ballerina...

And so it begins...

Bleacher Sittin'

Ball Hittin'

Sunflower Spittin'

Not to be compared to the...

Toes Pointed and Whirlin'

Tutu Twirlin'

Swan Lake Swirlin'

There's is no greater feeling than watching your kids do something they love. Well maybe there's one...

This picture melts my heart every time! I would say that Robbie and I are their biggest fans, but I would be lying. I think they are each other's and that warms my heart even more!

The Golden Egg

When I was a kid, we would always have an easter egg hunt at the church. I remember not caring a thing about all of those candy-filled eggs...I had my eyes on the prize. My mom would always wrap one of those pantyhose eggs in aluminum foil and fill it with money and I just thought that was the greatest thing ever.

Since we do not typically travel over easter, we have started the tradition of gathering our friends together to have a nice dinner and egghunt at our house. This year was no exception. First was church, with our friends, Zach and Fred...

Then we headed home to prepare dinner (mom) and nap (everyone else). Before dinner, it was time for our easter egg hunt. Now, back to the pantyhose money eggs from my childhood. I figure my kids get plenty of candy from the easter bunny and quite honestly, mom can only handle so much sugar in her kids, so our easter eggs are ALL filled with money. Yep, some coins and some cash. Here is a pic of the kids and Non counting their hunted treasure.


Right before the neighbors showed up with water balloons...

Overall, it was a great day...yummy food, great friends and some money for our piggy banks...

Time to Remodel...

I won't even do it. I could, but its senseless. I know my faithful blog readers (which have now probably dwindled to 2), are fully aware of my list of excuses for not blogging. And, I even know that you consider them just that...EXCUSES. So, all I can say to you is this...a blog remodel is on its way. In the absence of writing, the O'Bryans have been "doing" and man have we had a good time.

Speaking of remodel, allow me to show you the world out of my lens. These pictures were taken seconds ago as I sat on my couch thinking about what to write.

Welcome to the O'Bryans. As you can see from the picture below, we have a new house color and I must say this single thing has made the most dramatic change in the appearance of our house. I was real hesitant on the paint color since I knew I wanted darker, but I battled between what is trendy and what is over the top. Fortunately, "Shaded Fern" was just the perfect shade of green and dark gray. Accented with a white trim and you have incredible improvement.

You can also see in the above pic, that we ripped out the overgrown holly bushes. Not quite sure what we're going to replace them with so we through some mulch down to "dress it up" a bit. Please note the large trash pile by the car. Yes this is ongoing and annoying, but necessary.

Enter through the side door and you will find this...a small little addition off of the former laundry hall. The O'Bryan pallette includes beautiful shades of orange, green and this gorgeous blue. On the floor will be an African hardware with lots of grain. For now, to the left you will see two things: 1. Tate's cleats (which I have asked him to take upstairs a gazillion times and will appear in another post soon entitled "The Texas Ranger and his Beautiful Ballerina") and 2. A bulletin board. This area will be my mom center complete with chalk, bulletin and whiteboards and a desk bench to coordinate household stuff.

Now let's enter the kitchen. As you can see, we've knocked down the wall between the kitchen and living room. The tape marks on the floor will be an island next week and the exposed subfloor is not an artistic expression...it is just there until we lay the floors which will be the last step in a few weeks.

And yes, my stove is sitting in the middle of the kitchen. My accomodating contractor left it there so we can use the kitchen for as long as possible. You can also see our new mounted tv. I can actually watch tv while I cook...what a concept!!!

Next week, they will be ripping out all of the cabinets and find a home for these big boys.

Now let's venture into the cold, dirty place, but first a stop by the new laundry room (also missing floor since it ties in to the gorgeous African hardwood to be laid in a few weeks...

Here it is...the love nest, our master bedroom and yes, those are clothes thrown in bins and anywhere they can land. Now those of you that know me well, know that this completely defies my "there's a place for everything" way of life, so I have obviously had to just let that go...

because if I didn't I would lose my mind. It even travels into my bathroom.

I keep holding on to the fact that through this window (that will eventually become a door) is a large, efficient space just waiting for my organization brilliance....

the master closet addition (insert angels singing here)...

So I guess in my own way, I have listed my excuses. So back to the blog remodel, the house is not the only thing that will be getting a makeover. Thanks to this little guy, I can sense a new change in the O'Bryan house.

Stay tuned...