Bumble Bees & Mad Hatters.... on the run for sweet Halloween treats!

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We carve pumpkins with power tools b'cuz that's how WE ROLL!

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Let's go CRUISIN' baby!

For about a year Walter and I had talked about taking a vacation sans the kids.  We wanted to have some time to ourselves for a week with no children, dogs, cats, fish, cell phones, laptops or anything else that distracts us from our focus on each other and our marriage.  After all, aside from God, your spouse comes before all others.  With all the traveling Walter does for work we don't get to focus on ourselves very often.  We thought it would be fun to travel with "The Other Johnson's" Lee & Theresa.  After doing some brain-storming we came up with a few options.  I believe some of our choices were the mountains, New York or Las Vegas.  Our first choice was Las Vegas mainly because both Theresa and I have never been.  We did our research and found that Vegas was not affordable so we opted for a cruise. I have been on a cruise before so I was able to give some insight on this sort of traveling experience. We decided to cruise with Carnival and head to The Cayman Island and Cozumel, Mexico.  Our vacation was planned for late October which seemed to work with everyone's schedules so we booked our cruise and let the countdown to vacation begin.  Since we booked our cruise SEVEN whole months prior we had great anticipation and excitement building up for a LONG TIME.  Finally October came and it seemed as though we were counting down the minutes until we packed our sun block and sandals and headed to Tampa!  We were set to port out of Tampa on a Saturday so the day before we dropped the kids off at the grandparents and drove down to Tampa that night.  It was sooooooooooo nice to have my husband all to myself for the next 6 days.  Friday afternoon we arrived and checked into our Mack daddy hotel, The Marriott, freshened up and headed out for a night out on the town.  We rode a trolley from our hotel to Ybor City for some sightseeing and dining.  It was REALLY nice.  Not only did we have a date night but we both were a little giddy about our leaving for our cruise the next day.  Here are a few snapshots we took while in Tampa.

The next morning we got up, ate breakfast and headed to the port to hang out before getting on this HUGE ship.  We drove around a while and took in the sites of the cool city.  When we came to the port this is what we saw... our home away from home for the next 5 days.  Carnival Inspiration.

Our trip was so much fun.  For the next five days we relaxed, enjoyed ourselves tremendously and enjoyed each other.  There are so many details of the cruise that I don't think I could pack it all into a blog so here is a quick recap of our fun and exciting adventure on our Carnival Cruise:

• Meeting two couples from my hometown of Columbus, GA (how ironic is that!)
• Playing miniature golf in the sun while sipping on a fruity beverage
• Visiting the Cayman Islands and napping on Sea Grape beach
• Having steak, lobster and other foods I cannot pronounce for dinner each night
• Winning $600 playing Bingo (SUUUUUWEEEETTTTTTTTT!!!!)
• Taking a private catamaran out to the ocean with all the beverages you can hold, while soaking up the sun
• Doing the electric slide with 40 other strangers while having the BEST TIME EVER..while sipping on a fruity beverage
• Overcoming my fear and snorkeling in the ocean with my honey by my side
• Enjoying an exclusive private beach complete with kayacks, floats, bouncy slides, hammocks, and beds on the beach.... while sipping on an fruity beverage
• Laying on the ship deck catching some warm rays...while sipping on a fruity beverage
• Shopping in Cozumel and planning your retirement on a private beach
• Free liqueur tasting (not a liquor drinker but the coffee liquore was pretty tasty)
• Enjoying adult-only conversation while enjoying live music
• Sitting with my honey, eating our breakfast and enjoying all of God's immense creation

You can see from the pictures we did alot and enjoyed every single minute of it.  Until next time......

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Fill in the blank

1. My ex...needs prayer

2. Maybe I should.....talk less and listen more

3. I love...cool Spring mornings

4. People would say that I.....am a shorty

5. I don't understand... how our country is one of the wealthiest yet one of the most disorganized

6. When I wake up in the morning....I love to smell coffee brewing

7. I lost.... my mind when my children became toddlers

8. Life is.... too short to take anything for granted

9. My past is... rocky but I know God has it all in his hands so I'm taken care of

10. I get annoyed when.... people can't hear me speak

11. Parties are..... fun when you are there with your best friends

12. I wish...I was a size 10

13. Dogs.....good companions and love you no matter how many times you pop their hinies with the coupon book
14. Cats... furniture destroyers with fur and fancy names

15. Tomorrow... I'll be catching up on some serious reading

16. I have a low tolerance.... whining

17. If I had a million dollars... build my husband a man cave, build my dream scrap room, set up my babies college funds and be absolutely debt free!!
18. I'm totally terrified... of deep waters (ocean, rivers, lakes)

19. My spouse... good at being Walter

20. My life.... simple, yet complicated and altogether blessed
 

Lions and pigs and elephants .... oh my!

Labor Day weekend, Walter's cousin Lee, his wife Theresa and one of their sons, Dalton, decided to drive down from North Carolina for a weekend visit. (Side note: I refer to them as the Other Johnsons) It was Superhero weekend at Zoo Atlanta so we loaded up the car and headed to the Zoo....all seven of us!  Here are a few snapshots of our visit

Just call me Brandy the Bookwork

Reading is something I loved to do when I was younger and for the longest time I put my love for reading aside to focus on growing a family.  Now that my kids are a little older (no longer babies) I have a little more time on my hands so I decided start reading again.  After asking around and getting recommendations I got my list made and began my new journey.  Here are a few books I have read and my personal ratings of each book.  Each book was giving a star rating... * I hated it, ** I didn't like it, *** I thought it was O.K., **** I really liked it, ***** I loved it! 

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers... *****  loved this book, made me laugh, cry... I felt truly connected to each character.  Excellent book and very well written.

Redemption (book #1) by Karen Kingsbury *** Good book, but rather on the sad and dismal side.  Although it had a somewhat sad storyline it did leave me feeling as though I needed to finish the rest of the books in this series.

The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers **** This was a really great story of love, finding love in Christ and renewed love in one self.  One of those books that makes you feel really connected to the characters.  Wonderful book with a genuine and rich storyline.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ** A fable about following your dreams.  Not one of my favorite books. A book written in Spanish but translated in English... felt alot of storyline was a bit "lost in translation"

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan **** I really liked this book.  Story of a young Chinese girl and her journey through life with her lifelong friend... aka laotong.  A definite recommended read!

Everything you wanted to know about me

I was reading a dear friend's blog recently and came across a survey she did... sort of one of those "get to know me" kind of surveys.  I thought it would be fun to do my own. 


1. WAS I NAMED AFTER ANYONE?  Brandy is a liquor and was my birth mother's beverage of choice (yuck) and my middle name Lee was my birth mother's childhood best friend's middle name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I CRIED?  I don't remember

3. DO I LIKE MY HANDWRITING? Most of the time

3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Mesquite smoked turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, two kids

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  I would think so

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Who me??? why yes I do on occasion. 

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?  Absolutely not.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cocoa Pebbles (although I never eat it)

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Godiva Chocolate from Cold Stone Creamery

13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes & mouth

14. RED OR PINK? Pink

15. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My weight

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My best friend Kim

17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE ELSE TO PUT THIS ON THEIR BLOG?  Sure, it's fun
18. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black

19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Chicken salad from Chick-fil-A

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My hubby reading my son a bedtime story

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Fuscha

22. FAVORITE SMELL? Fresh laundry, Christmas Cookie Yankee Candle, Babies

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Husband's niece
24. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?  She is a sweet & dear friend

25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Anything sports my kids play

26. HAIR COLOR? Light brown

27. EYE COLOR? Brown

28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No

30. FAVORITE FOOD? It's a toss-up between Mexican, Italian or Thai

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Always Happy Endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Traffic

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Neither - I love the Fall & Spring

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Tiramisu.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Weight of Silence, Tribulation Force & bible study
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Webkinz

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The Biggest Loser

42. FAVORITE SOUND? A light thunderstorm, Baby laughter & cooing, sounds of the forest

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? ? Neither

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Puerto Penasco, Mexico

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can identify just about any american and even some foreign vehicles by make & model if they were manufactured after 1985 just by looking at the body of the vehicle (Cool ...yes I know)

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Fort Benning, GA

47. WHOSE ANSWERS AM I LOOKING FORWARD TO READING? Yours

In His Daddy's Shoes

Just a quick glimpse of Caleb... literally in his daddy's shoes

Catch me if you can.............

Whoa! My last blog came wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in August... guess that means I have severely neglected my blog. It's a new year so I need to get with the program!!!

.... and away we go!

August is back to school time and my little girl has started the 4th grade. WOW! She is growing up so fast before our very eyes. Megan you are so very bright, inquisitive and intelligent. We are so proud of the young lady you are becoming. We pray everyday that God shows you His love and that you are molded to be the young woman we pray for you to be.

The fall season my daughter's U-10 Soccer team went totally undefeated this year! 10-0. Way to go WM Robins! So proud of them. Overall I think they scored 125 goals for the entire season. Simply amazing my friends! Megan scored more goals this season than ever before. She's my shining star for sure. The WM Robins had a very good team and I hope they can continue to shine with their awesome skillz! WORD