DISNEY GIVEAWAY

Don't miss this post and make a deliberate plan to MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONES LIFE THIS NEXT WEEK! For me that might mean being polite to people on the phone that speak ENGLISH, but not the kind that I speak. One of my biggest frustrations this last week. If we all did ONE THING that would leave people smiling, the world will be a better place.

Oh how I wish I could give a trip to Disney to some lucky blogger. I would love that..that's probably a STRETCH right now, but I can give a DISNEY CARE PACKAGE from our UPCOMING TRIP. AND I WOULD LOVE TOO. EVERY comment for the next week, any post, will go in a drawing for a SPECIAL DISNEY GOODIE BAG. I will pick out some things throughout our trip and bring them home to SHIP TO YOU! (if you win) THIS is our first DISNEY CRUISE and its a trip to celebrate PARKER'S 11th BIRTHDAY. I don't want this little man (tween) to ever wonder for one SECOND how SPECIAL HE IS. There are lots of ways to spend money. I love a pretty home but less to clean is better to me in this stage of my life. I like clothes but MUCH less than I did in the past. I still spend too much on BOOKS and probably a few other things. Funny how your wants and needs change as you age. BUT there is ONE THING I NEVER feel bad about spending money on and that's GRANDPARENT TRAVEL. Nothing is more important to me than making memories with the family....AKA the LITTLES! In our case, PARKER has been the biggest recipient of that, as he was the first and only grandchild for 7 years. And then even when he wasn't the ONLY, he was the ONLY one old enough to TRAVEL without his parents...Let's just say he has traveled. He has a phenomonal memory. When people say he will never remember our trips, I just laugh. He remembers the hotel we stayed in at DISNEYLAND when he was 4. He probably knows the room number. We toured NEW YORK CITY for a week when he was 7 and he can still tell me every detail. So no one will ever convince me kids don't remember TRIPS. Just in case you would ever get the impression that we are super wealthy, we are just two people that have always worked hard, been blessed in some other ways, and want to use every dime we have on MAKING MEMORIES. Not sure why I felt it necessary to make that disclaimer, but what I said at the beginning is really true. I would love nothing more than to make a DISNEY TRIP available for everyone. (I did the best I could by giving you a name of someone that will get you the VERY best price). It really is the HAPPIEST PLACE on EARTH and it really is MAGICAL!

OK for some random....think
I am becoming the RANDOM QUEEN. Amanda sent me this cute picture from last night...She found both Parker and Jack in Jack's bed and they told her it was "THE BROTHERS CLUB"! I don't think I have to tell you those boys OWN my HEART.

Below is the newest member of our family. My sisters sons son. It would take far too many of my brain cells to think how that should be written. Where all the s's go. Is he a doll? His Mom and Dad had dreamed of him for a long time. He is a little answer to prayer...and I think he is a really cute answer. They do not live near me so I have not been able to get my hands on him, but I am hoping for the day soon. Remember I am a total NUT when it comes to BABIES. I had the hardest time picking a picture of him, as everyone was so, so cute. His Dad is not bad and his Mom is simply gorgeous, so I don't think he had a chance to be anything but CUTE! MEET WILLIAM!

I probably won't be posting a lot for a few weeks as I have a long TO DO list. School plays and programs, dental work (ugh) and getting TRIP READY. According to my husband that means everything but the refrigerator. Thank goodness he is SUCH a good sport. On the comment section of this post, I would love to know your favorite vacation spot.

SOME PEOPLE JUST MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

If you are anyone that has read my blog for anytime at all, you know I am a DISNEY ADDICT. There is no cure that I am aware of and if there is I don't want to know about it. I LOVE THE MOUSE! We are taking a Disney Cruise very soon to celebrate Parker's 11th birthday. My Disney planner brought my packets to me today. This is a girl that graduated with my son...someone I have known for twenty years but had not seen her in awhile...We actually live about thirty minutes apart. But we chat often on FB and on the phone. As I walked away from her car today, my thoughts were "There are just SOME PEOPLE that make the world a better place, a happier place, and Tammy is one of them!" Never in all the years I have known her have I ever been with her that she was not bubbly, happy, and always makes the person she is with feel special. It is a GIFT and she is the entire PACKAGE. I knew her as a teenager, a young Mom, now her kiddos are growing up...and she is still the same Tammy. I have never known one person that does not love her...She is one of those people, that to know her is to love her. It's just refreshing to be around someone that loves life, loves people, and genuinely cares about others. I do not advertise on this blog, I don't normally even recommend things....but if you EVER need a DISNEY PLANNER, she is FANTASTIC.
It does not matter where you live. She can take care of anyone. She knows Disney and she is totally FREE. She is paid by Disney. You could go on Disney's website and book your own trip and her quote will still be less as she gets in on all the specials long before the public is aware of them. Just for fun I have gotten quotes from all kinds of places on the Internet, many different times where they advertise specials and never has anyone beat her price.
She does the best job of planning. I just saw the plan she did for a close friend that is taking eight family members for 10 days. The schedule she made them was AMAZING...and DISNEY is a place you HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN. I know DISNEY and I have never seen anything so thorough and so well put together. Plus she gets so much JOY out of helping families that really have a tight budget. I did not tell her I was doing this post and I swiped her picture off her facebook page. I hope that's legal. As many times as we have DONE DISNEY, this is our first DISNEY CRUISE, so she has made a ton of calls for me to get information.. No question is too small and she gets back to you promptly. She and I did a little creative airfare that saved me a lot of money.

I really wrote this post to talk about her JOY and how I want to be aware of that in my own life when dealing with clients and just people in general. But I am also passing on to you the name of a GREAT DISNEY PLANNER. If you ever need her, email her at disneytammy@hotmail.com or contact me and I will put you in touch with her. This is not my normal family post, but today I was thinking about how our interactions with others everyday, really DO MATTER...a smile, a word of encouragement, just an ear some days, may make all the difference for someone.

THE WORLD NEEDS A FEW MORE TAMMY'S!

If you have won a prize recently they are going out in the next day or two. I had to recover from Mother's Day baskets and then today spent a special day at the hospital with my good friend and tree partner as she welcomed her first granddaughter. In my opinion there is NOTHING more special than the birth of a baby. NOTHING! Her little Lilliana Victoria was born late this afternoon, totally PERFECT.

THE PERFECT DAY

I am just going to WARN you that you are going to have to indulge me TODAY. After all it's MOTHER'S DAY! Since this is a record of the journey of our family doing LIFE together, I want to record every memory in detail. That MEANS lots of pictures. I really believe that PICTURES are worth a thousand words. So if you stay with me at the end of the post there will be PRIZES...notice the plural.
Our day stay started at CHURCH. Not our normal church..we had decided last night to go the
THE SIMPLE CHURCH. This is a church that is an off shoot of a large Baptist church in our town, one they began a couple of years ago in a theater at THE BOARDWALK. Today only a couple of years later, they have four services. The pastor of the Baptist church sent one of his finest staff members out to start a new outreach, one that would reach the unchurched, those disillusioned with the normal church, those that did not fit in, and probably a multitude of others. Today, every theater is full and they do it three times at this theater and one at another site across town. Only God could have arranged that. It's laid back, a live band, and as we were there today, I could not help but think that this might have been the place JESUS would show up if he was in town. I have heard many Mother's Day sermons and I think today's just might have been the best one ever. Justin Haigler, you did an awesome job correlating the likeness of Jesus and a Mother. And I don't need to tell you when you have all your kids and all their kids, there is not anything to TOP that. No gift, no meal, no anything. As I looked around the table at lunch, my only thought was "God, You are so GOOD"!I got some fabulous pictures and did not get THE GRANDPARENTS in one...but we really don't care...It's much more fun to look at YOUTH. One reason we met at The Boardwalk was to eat at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro for lunch, with a slice of my FAVORITE cheesecake, the Hawaiian cheesecake. It
is full of pineapple, nuts and coconut and the yummiest cheesecake ever. WE had FAR TOO big a ticket, but what price tag can you put on days like today. We had an hour wait but we did not care...and the kids were so good. They had champagne for all MOMS...more about that later in a picture, as it seem like Amanda kept pouring mine and Dana's in her glass, so I think she had more than a few glasses.
We exchanged gifts right there in the lobby...they have an awesome waiting area...other restaurants should take some pointers from them. I got flowers, flip flops, a beautiful card that said you have a spa massage already booked and waiting for you on your Disney cruise, cards with handwritten messages that made this Mom cry, a gift certificate for nails and a pedicure and a book I am ready to read. Regardless of your political feelings, I don't think there is anyone that does not admire this classy lady. To me she was the essence of a First Lady.

OK, this is where you have to endure......Maybe it won't be that bad. I really do have CUTE GRANDKIDS. If you read this post , you know that I am crazy about them.
Parker and Austin Best FRIENDS
Jack, The Life of ANY party!

AMANDA ENJOYING Her CHAMPAGNE

Jack and HIS NUMBER 1 WOMAN

Jack Studying the MENU

Our Little FLIRT
IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN, TOTALLY!!!

Beginning to TIRE of the WAITING

I THINK WE HAVE A LOVER ON OUR HANDS

AMANDA and HER BOYS

GREG and HIS LITTLE MIRACLE

DANA AND HER BOYS

MAY BE MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF THE DAY

Parker and Austin ALWAYS HAVE FUN!

SOMEONE please bring JACK some FOOD or his MOM another glass of champagne!!!!

I told you he is MADLY in love!

Does he look like he has had his picture MADE before?


My BOY and HIS BOY!

TALK about MADLY in LOVE!!!

Grayson so HUNGRY he has resorted to eating his FOOT!

I think Amanda had another glass of CHAMPAGNE!

JACK with UNC and Aunt Dana

Grayson not sure he wants Daddy holding JACK!

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE SPECIAL THAN FAMILY?


Everyone went home HAPPY. Parker got to go home with Austin and spend the night . Jack came home to spend the night with us so his Mom and Dad could go to the movie. This was one minute after we got in the car...

This is his LIFE at our house, so why wouldn't he want to come HERE. Notice, RECLINER, BOTTLE, and a FUR BLANKET, watching his favorite cartoons. So that was my day and I would not have changed one minute of it. A great cup of coffee and reading some great Mother's Day posts have finished off my afternoon. Jack is awake now and raring to play, as in WILD! He had a little SUGAR at lunch.
So let's have some winners....Since I do not have Parker here, just decided I would do something totally RANDOM !

The Mother's Day package is going to my 650th follower,
Bren at SEEKING GRACE ON THE NARROW PATH! This is not a blog I have read long but I love her blog name. Stop by and visit her.

I am so blessed that I want to bless a few more bloggers on this MOTHER'S DAY SUNDAY.

These other 3 winners will be getting a SURPRISE in the MAIL SOON.

They are SAVANNAH at MINIATURE MUMBLINGS

TRACI and BENEATH MY HEART AND MANDY from BURKETTE BLESSINGS! I just had my husband choose random numbers that were special to us. I have been overwhelmed at the response to this post and am still getting comments. I promise there is a post coming from MICAH, sharing his feelings. He really wants to share how having a Dad in prison affected his life and how it challenged him to be the man he is TODAY.