Soccer Mom?

After leaving my debutante days behind, I was in college and there were so many opportunities that just did not exist in my little town, no, I am not talking about the bar across the street from my dorm kind of opportunities. But, after all the years of cheerleading practice, dance and gymnastic classes, club meetings, and the list goes on, I finally figured out that at college I could be whoever I wanted to be, the real me not the one that had been fabricated to “fit in” to the debutante mold. So, I started hanging out with some people that played on the college soccer team (translation- my first real love, a hot soccer guy) and I would kick around the soccer ball with him every once in a while. I had never touched a soccer ball prior to this and I really liked it. So, I started playing alot, well I mean as much as I could when it did not interfere with my studies. My sophomore year, I was on the soccer team at my college. I played on many teams after that, coached, and even refereed. So, Lesson #1 –I will be careful not to over-schedule my kids just so they will be a part of all the “popular” groups. I will help them find THEIR passion and then provide opportunities to enhance it.

So, that brings me to one of my embarrassing moments. On a whim, I had a soccer ball tattooed on my ankle my senior year. It is not something that I have ever really regretted or been embarrassed about. So, fast forward about 9 years after getting my tattoo. I am 6 months pregnant, and I THOUGHT I was still in pretty good shape - for some reason, even though my belly was much bigger than a soccer ball and I was waddling a bit, in my mind I was still that young girl that could run up and down a soccer field. We were traveling back home from a trip to our friends in Texas and we had to stop to go to the bathroom, I did say I was 6 months pregnant, right. Anyway, as I was walking out of the convenience store, a peppy, cute lady in her mid-30s evidently saw my tattoo and bounced up to me and said, “Oh, are you a soccer mom?” as her van full of soccer kids were beating each other. Lesson 2- there is a point in your life that you become your mother; you are not that young, cute thing that you thought you were back in the day. Reality strikes. I was embarrassed, a little speechless, but from that I did learn that a little dose of reality goes well with chocolate donuts….and double cheeseburgers.. and Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey. I blame all my baby weight on that lady.

NOTE: No offense to soccer moms because my boys will be getting big enough soon and I will be one, I just was not ready when this happened.

Pictures of my guys last night.

Dinosaur hunters preparing for a big hunt.

In anticipation of the big dino hunt, Littlest buckaroo just could not get to sleep.

How I Became a "Society Girl"

Now, before I tell you this, let me assure you that this is not fiction; I do wish at times some of it was. All the girls from my town in Mississippi could not wait until the summer prior to their sophomore year in high school because you could become part of a “social service club”. Well, let’s just call it what it really is, a high school sorority. Now, in my town there are three clubs and they are linked to social status. So, 3 clubs-- one high-society, one mid-level hard-working folk’s daughters, and the bottom one was well, the bottom one. Now, that does not mean that everyone in the high-society one was from very wealthy families but most were and the others were raised as if they were. So, the summer of your sophomore year you sit and wait for “pick-up day”. That is the day when the club members come to your house, pick you up and take you to the home of one of the members. You are then invited to pledge or “rat”, yes, I said rat, because here is where southern irony comes in. You are going to become a member of a club that announces you into society and you will spend your high school years as a member helping others in the community, but before you can do that you will be treated like a mere rat. This is a primer for becoming a belle, you must go through some hard stuff before you can earn the belle title, I guess this is where they get Steel Magnolia. This training is crucial when you have to roll up your sleeves to help Tara from not falling into ruin or you have to throw a dinner party for 8 with only thirty minutes notice... whatever (I am rolling my eyes here). So, you spend the summer pledging which means you are at the whim of all the members and there are even ratting parties where you have to wear ratty old clothes, be berated by the members, and horrible rotting nastiness from the members refrigerators is poured all over you. Not to mention some of the mean member’s favorite things to do were to put either maple syrup or Vaseline all in your hair. Sometimes when we drive by chicken houses the aroma makes it all come back to me. At this point you are saying, why in the world would someone go through that to be part of a club. Well, as an adult I have asked myself that numerous times, but, that was just part of becoming a member of this exclusive club you had desired to be a part of since you were little and you could get through the berating and nastiness by thinking about the beautiful dresses you would wear to the formals and all the fun you would have at other socials. Oh yeah, and the good you would do for all the unfortunate people in the community (part of the motto, I don't think I really helped out much in those years - that is a regret). So, six weeks of buying member’s presents, being degraded, memorizing and reciting an entire club constitution, and so much more, then you go through Hell Night. Well, this is where they just pour more stuff all over you, you are lying on the ground while they do this. They yell horrible things at you, there is alot of screaming going on, this skill has come in handy when in traffic in Memphis at times, but that is about it. I know it is crazy. So, the next day is Instillation Day, you put on your beautiful white dress and become a member. The white dresses are pretty, but our Vaseline soaked hair had much to be desired. But, now we were part of the group, part of this exclusive "group". We had made it through! I think by sharing this I have broken some type of code, I guess I will not be invited to any socials anytime soon, thank goodness because I have not worn a white dress since my wedding.

It is all very silly to me now, my mother and grandmother raised me to be a proper lady, no club could give that to me nor would I let it take it away. Some of the older gilrs were wonderful and I would have loved to have been better friends with them, I really looked up to them. If I had it to do all over again...

The Lord knew to give me a house full of boys because I would have never gone through that stuff with a daughter. Plus, we don't have many debutante balls at a state park (we do have many queens around here though) Little Buckaroo has exceptional manners and is already opening doors (when they are not too heavy) for me and other women. My husband has always treated me like a lady not because he felt obligated but because he respected and admired the lady that I am. Or, try to be. On even days of the month, except when I am tired and am out of coffee.

This is from my senior year. Nice braces and big 80's hair, huh? Oh, but I did love the dresses.

Why I am here

I found The Pioneer Woman's blog through the blog of a girl I used to work with in Memphis. I usually checked hers about twice a month to see cute pictures of her kids. That was really the only blog I ever read, until there was Pioneer Woman. I thought, PW takes great pictures, writes well, is very funny, and has great recipes. Then there was the realization -- wow, she is a bit like me -- lived in the city, married a hunky guy, lives in a rural area. She had found a way to give her creativity an outlet. Since leaving the workforce to become a SAHM that has been the one thing that I have missed. So, almost a week later here I am. I have learned so much about this blogging world from wonderful ladies who have generously given me their opinions and recommendations. My eyes have been open to a world full of kind people that are going through the same things I am as a mother and a woman and are not ashamed to talk about it, to voice it, or support me. For this, I am grateful. So, stay tuned because I am very excited about this new journey and I hope you will come along for the ride. Thanks PW for the inspiration.

We had a fabulous time playing woofle ball in the street with all my brothers, nieces and nephews over the Thanksgiving weekend. Enjoy the following pics.

Big Buck helping littlest buck hit a homerun!

Batter, batter, swiiinnngggg batter. Strike 3 Tyler!

Even grandma got a hit!

Park Wife's Park Life

Here is a little background on our Park life. When I met my husband, he was a park ranger at a park on top of a beautiful mountain. After we were married, we stayed there for about five years. My over-achieving husband then became superintendent of a park that is a historical town. Well, needless to say, we are more recreational park type of people, but here we are in a small town of about 150 with a portion of the town being a state park. The park is a step back into the 19th century with plankboard sidewalks along side streets that have never been paved, with historic buildings and former residences that you can tour. It is really a great tour destination.

But, oh my, this town is so funny! I really should write a book about the craziness. I don’t know how there could be so much wackiness in such a small town. I will give you one funny example that I will talk much more about in future blogs. When most small towns want to raise money for their volunteer fire departments, they usually have a bake sale or a BBQ dinner, oh no, not our town. We had a Champagne Gala with an 18-piece orchestra followed by some old cowboy band that played “dance” music. Alright, you did get that the population of this town is about 150 people right? Well, a few of the men in town are gay and they decided if a fundraiser was going to be done, it was going to be done right. And, it was a wonderful evening and it raised about $26,000 for our fire department, it is all in who you know and who you can get to pay $200 a plate. The whole thing was just funny, the fire chief is well, let’s just say he’s a little bit country and his dealings with the man putting on the event were just hilarious. Talk about cultures clashing!

Anyway, this park we are at now is a wonderful place to visit and my husband is doing an exceptional job running it, he is truly a man of integrity. They are decorating the town for Christmas this week, I will post pictures as everything starts coming together.

Thanks for stopping by!

You did what?

Alright, does anyone else get "baby brain"? Well, since littlest buckaroo will be 2 next week, I guess I can't call it baby brain anymore (kinda like I can't blame the extra 15 pounds on "baby weight"). So, I tend to have bouts with Kid Brain, you know, where you totally forget what you are doing, saying, going, etc. You could be telling a story about how your dog turned over the trash can and totally forget what you are saying. You then have to try to save face, act like you were not right in the middle of a sentence and went blank. So, you start talking about how to make homemade bread. My husband stays confused, he says that at times we have communication issues, he just does not understand how after giving birth to 2 babies, nursing, changing a zillion diapers, kissing boo-boos, teaching, molding little minds, etc. etc. that some of the brain cells just evaporated.

Little Buck loves going over the Mississippi River, we always have to stop so he can look around and see if he can find Huck and Tom, not one siting yet. However, since it is the holidays and I know it is better to give than receive, some lucky person now has a pretty nice Kodak digital camera for the holidays. I guess when we were getting back in the car at the Mississippi Welcome Center in Vicksburg, I placed the camera on top of the car to buckle up littlest buckaroo and well, we had to go to Best Buy on Black Friday. Attack of Kid Brain! Big Buck was not happy. But, I did get to upgrade the camera, so secretly I was snickering.

I appreciate everyone stopping by and please leave comments so I will know you were here. I have a big week of what is happening at our Park and some easy holiday decorating ideas.

Here is a picture of Little Buck dressed up like Huck Finn.

Walking in Mississippi

As we pulled in to my Mississippi hometown for Thanksgiving last week, feelings of nostalgia overcame me as they always do when I travel "home". I am an seventh generation southerner and I have lived all over Mississippi and Arkansas, in Florida, Memphis, TN and Austin, TX and let it be said now, I love being a southern belle.

That was not always the case, at times I was offended that there were parts of the country that thought we still did not own shoes and were uneducated. So, I set out when I entered college to prove them all wrong. At the University of Southern Mississippi, I began as a broadcast journalism major, who had not seen Broadcast News or Up Close and Personal and thought they could be a news reporter? So, I worked on “losing” my southern accent and somewhat succeeded. But, then I changed my major to Public Relations and was happy to reacquire the molasses dipped sweetness of a Mississippi debutante accent – it did not take long. Sometimes it takes growing up a bit to appreciate what you have.

In addition to the geography - beautiful mountains, rolling hills, cotton fields of the delta, marshes, swamps, bluffs and of course beautiful beaches- one of the things I love about being a southerner is the diversity of our accents and our humorous colloquialisms – which I am sure you will be hearing throughout my blog. Why do you think so many great writers are Southern? We love our language. I recommend A Glossary of Southern Accents if you get a little befuzzled.

So, for everyone’s information, I do own AND wear shoes, some very nice ones and too many my husband says. In addition, I am college educated and have CHOSEN to be a stay-at-home mom. I do see the negatives of living in the South, but can’t everyone find a negative where they are if the look? I choose to enjoy, focus on and relish the beauties of this place called the South and am proud to be one of its Belles.

Now, with this all said, I can’t wait to tell you about growing up in the South and how freakin’ funny some of this stuff is. Also, I am very excited about the holidays, I will be sharing some of my simple decorating tips and recipes that will wow all your guests this holiday season. Stay tuned!

Here is a picture of me and a picture of my hot husband with the boys. And, yes, I do have a great story to tell about meeting and marrying this awesome man.

The Park Wife

Big Buck and the Buckaroos

Travel and Thankfulness

We are leaving for Mississippi in just a little while and it will take us about 7 hours to get there. As I am packing, first of all I think, "my goodness, we are only going for four days, why does it seem like I am packing for a month?" Maybe it is because we have to make sure that we have not only clothes, but littlest buckaroo's pow-pows, little buck's dinosaur books and all the toys that they just HAD to take to grandma's. I really need to work on limitations, maybe that will be my New Year's resolution, whew... that buys me a little more time. I then giggle a bit as I am loading the DVD player and movies. Before having babies I must admit that I was a little haughty about kids that have all the fancy gadgets. My family was going to bond when we were on trips together.

"Honey, did you grab the dinosaur DVD?"

I am sorry, where was I? Oh, yeah, I was talking about how I had no idea how a 4-year-old could talk without coming up for air for 7 hours, yes I have readjusted my views. Boy, can you imagine being on the Mayflower? Mom, are we there yet? UGH! and no Dramamine or Benadryl. O.K. don't make the mistake of being haughty if you don't have kids yet, your day is coming.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I want to give a short list of what I am thankful for - I had to narrow it down because I am so blessed. I am thankful for:

• A husband who adores me (the fact that he is good-looking is just like the cherry on top of the decadent dessert).
• The pitter-patter of little feet in the mornings as they approach me with wide eyes, beautiful smiles, and love-love for mommy.
• The words amazing and mommy in the same sentence of a four-year-old.
• My kids will always be able to pray in their school.
• A mother who sacrificed so much of herself and her dreams for me and my brothers.
• Five brothers, I am still trying to think of why I am thankful for them, just kidding.
• Friends who know that it is not just having a friend but being a friend that matters.
• Most of all, I am thankful for God's grace.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and please come back and visit my blog early next week where I will have some crazy Mississippi Thanksgiving happenings to tell you- it is inevitable. Make sure to leave me a comment!

Little buckaroo is obsessed with dinosaurs right now, so I am leaving you with a picture of him with his Ankylosaurus outfit on that I made him. I really need to work on that limitations resolution, I spent 3 days making this for him.

Stephanie

Got Gumption?

I am striving for it. Too many self-help books lately.

My dear friend Lana replied to my email yesterday announcing this new blog and asked how often I was going to post on this blog. Well my stick to it, overly organized, got to do everything just-so part of my personality immediately responded "everyday of course". Then, as I was typing her a response, I thought, well, I really can't over Thanksgiving since we will be traveling to my mom's in Mississippi, and well, then there are times when the boys might be sick, well, and what if my laundry is really piled up, and what if I have some fabulous event to attend (alright, I might be stretching it now). So, I had to re-evaluate. I am just going to do the best I can at doing this daily, this is step 3 I think in overcoming my obsessive compulsive disorder with everything being perfect. Of course I am trying to get through all the steps as efficiently and perfectly as possible, certainly I should complete all the steps before the end of the year, that's my goal.

We will be leaving for Mississippi to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family tomorrow. I have 5 brothers, yes I said 5, and I am the only girl. My husband says that God was preparing me for a house full of boys of my own. That is probably true, but I am not sure if I am ready to be shot by BB guns (thanks Chris), potatoes slung across the table at me (thanks Charles), digging underground forts (makes me crave Chinese food), and the list goes on and on of the injustices of being the only sister. All in all, I can't complain, I was able to play sports and karate chop with the best of them and still dress up in formal dresses for events. Plus, the stories I will be telling on this blog from my childhood are true, you just can't make this stuff up.

So, stay tuned, I am sure there will be alot to talk about when I get back.

Pictures for today are of the boys a few evenings ago sliding into a pile of leaves. No need for expensive toys here, just rake up some leaves. Well, that does require a little work on my part (well, o.k. my husband helped), but look at those faces, PRICELESS.

Stephanie

Look out beloooooowwwww!

My First Blogday

Welcome to my blog!

I am Stephanie, a thirty-something wife to a state park superintendent and mother to two great little boys. My days are filled with little boy dirt, dinosaur roars, Legos everywhere, piles of laundry and THE sweetest hugs and kisses.


These are our boys. I will be posting pictures of them frequently so you can see how big they are getting and because frankly, they are pretty darned cute! I will share the beautiful, bizarre and very often funny journey I am on. Plus, a hilarious, sometimes serious look at going from Mississippi Belle to Public Relations Professional to living on a state park. It has been an exhilarating, bumpy at times ride that has God's hand all over it. I have an extraordinary husband (not to mention good looking) that is more than I could have ever imagined. Seven years into our marriage and I am still in awe of him.

Thanks for letting me share a little piece of our world with you.

Feel free to email me at buckAtwos@gmail.com (name comes from our two little buckaroos). I would love to hear from you!