Nifty, Nifty, Somebody's

But I won't say who. ;)

Mission Accomplished!

Okay, I know that you have been on the edge of your seats, dying to find out my secret.  The secret was for my mom.  August 31st is her birthday and we wanted to do something special for her.  This happens to be a big milestone birthday but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.:)  On Saturday we sent her to have her hair done and then her friend Tracy took her to lunch and pretty much all around Nashville to keep her out of the house.  Thank you Tracy!!! While she was gone, we took over her bedroom.  After some hard work by her incredibly wonderful children (along with some significant others) her bedroom is beautifully painted and redecorated.  My mom is so giving and doesn't do nearly enough for herself and we wanted her to have a special, comfortable place to relax and unwind.  It was mostly a surprise.  She knew something was going on but didn't know at all what it was.  Sooooo, without further ado, here is the new room:

 This bedroom went from white and slightly plain to golden and BEAUTIFUL!  What do you think?

Surprised at her finished room.

Stacey and Emily eagerly awaiting her reaction.

POWER-painting. 

Our accomplice--we couldn't have done it without her!!

What a great family day!  Wes showed off his handy skills and Chris had to work but sent his love from Knoxville.  Amp came over and we celebrated further with a yummy steak dinner and strawberry cake! 

Mom, I know I speak for all of us when I say you are truly an amazing mother and friend.  Hope your day was wonderful and that you have many more special ones!  You deserve it.

Shhhhhh!

I've got a secret!!  I've got a secret!!  Aren't secrets fun?  Do you ever have a secret and you feel like you're going to burst?  Isn't it a bummer when you're not in on the secret?:)  Well, I've got a secret and I would love to tell.  But I won't.  I can't.  It's about something that might happen this weekend.  Don't worry, I won't leave you in suspense.  I will let you in on the secret on Sunday.  Maybe.

Disclaimer:  I realize how this might sound.  This secret has nothing to do with babies.

A Little Preview

I know that Fall is coming when I can't walk in the backyard barefoot because of all these sharp little boogers all over the ground.  This is a sure sign of the coming season!  Oh yes, it's still hot, especially walking around the hospital today in my lab coat with my 40 lb bag to carry.  I know Summer is not ready to let go yet.  However, there is a teeny bit less humidity in the air today and I can feel the promise of clear blue skies and cool days.  Oh yes, Fall is coming.  What is your favorite thing about Fall?

P.S.

p.s. I'm not sure what happened to my blog background.  I've been waiting for it to come back, but as you can see...

The Calm before the Storm

Well, my semester has started!  I've got my books, each syllabus, and schedules recorded in my planner.  Panic has not set in yet.  This is what I am calling the calm before the storm.  I am looking forward to a night of reviewing a little for tomorrow, getting my things together, and not much of anything else.  I might even have time to exercise!  I'm ready to take advantage because these evenings will be few and far between this semester!  Tomorrow begins my rotation in Pediatric Nursing.  I have been waiting for this rotation since I decided to become a nurse!  We get a tour of the hospital tomorrow and then I will be in a school clinic on Wednesday.  Doesn't that sound like fun??  Bee stings and band-aids and tummy-aches Oh My!  I'm ready!  I am so glad, that, in this semester we are getting down to the specifics of nursing, not just the broad foundations.  I feel interested and curious and can't wait to figure out what happens next! 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

Proverbs 1:7

A Farewell to Summer

This is it, my last day of summer.  I have worked but I always had extra-long 4 day weekends that felt like freedom!  I will miss the days at the pool, lazy days spent with Chris, and nice little beach trips.  I am sad to see it end.  

However, I have a little confession to make.  While I am sad to see my thirtieth summer pass by, I have to admit that I am a lover of the excitement of the school season.  Who doesn't love school supplies, new school outfits, and the knowledge that Fall is just around the corner? 

So, yes, I am ready.  I have my binders, labeled and ready for each new syllabus.  There are packages of blue pens and highlighters, and even the little four-colored one that I thought I couldn't live without-you know, the white and blue one that has four color choices.:)  My textbooks are aired out and my little study niche is uncluttered and ready for some serious studying (er...the school supplies are nice but we'll see about the actual studying part).  

So here it is, my farewell to summer.  Farewell to staying up late and sleeping in.  Farewell to a summer crammed with books of pleasure and afternoons of nothing but blog-reading.  It's been fun but I've got lovely things to look forward to.  

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!

Thankfully I don't have to do it alone!  Sometimes I need reminding.  Last night's small group was a good reminder:  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword.......No in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8 

Missing my Daddy right now.  It hits me at the most random of times.  Wishing I could call him and talk to him, tell him I love him.  I thought if I wrote it on here it might help.  This blog can be therapeutic, right? 

Dear Weekend,

Dear Weekend,
         Did you know that you are my last weekend before school starts?  This means you have a lot to live up to!  Could you bring my husband home from work at a good time today?  Also, I would like some sunny weather, not too hot.  85 degrees would be just about right.  I have some not-so-fun stuff to do such as exercising and cleaning.  Could you maybe add a couple of hours to each day?  There are some things on my baking wish-list that I would like to make so I thought maybe we could work out a deal about the calories.  Yes?  Really, though, if I could get some good rest and lots of quality time with my husband, I would be a happy girl.  Being in school means that, sadly, I will miss out on both of these.  OK Weekend, I'm counting on you!

Sincerely,
Regena

P.S. Do you clean house?

Just Us Girls...

Wow, I could not have imagined a better trip.  Our Myrtle Beach trip was excellent!  Our trip was planned so that we would have 3 full days on the beach.  However, we got there kind of early on the first day so we actually had a good amount of time to go the beach on that day.  We took lots of pictures, read books for many hours, ate some good food, and had some quality girl time. 

The first thing we did when we got there was paint our toenails.  We were totally girly!

Sisters.

This is where Mom spent most of her time-right on the water.

Lifeguard stand outside our hotel.  The lifeguards were serious!  If you didn't listen to them, after one warning, they would call Beach Patrol to come arrest you!  Mom cut it close a couple of times.:)

Our last night we went to Broadway on the Beach.  It was great-lots to do-shopping, restaurants, a great way to spend our last evening.

We took a morning walk before we left.  It was sunny and getting hot!  It had been in the 80s while we were there.  We had great weather and a good breeze.  I couldn't have asked for a better time with the girls that I love.

Carolina's On My Mind...

I have a big project due tomorrow after another long day of work but give me one more day and my Mom, my sister, and I will be headed to: