An interesting survey............

With this survey, you can only use one word answers (okay I cheated once I think and used a hyphenated word). Go ahead and copy and paste it to your blog and try it yourself. It can get interesting.

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse.
2. Your significant other? Steve.
3. Your hair? Brown
4. Your mother? Joyce
5. Your father? Jim.
6. Your favorite thing? Family.
7. Your dream last night? Interesting.
8. Your favorite drink? Water.
9. Your dream/goal? Many.
10. The room you’re in? Family.
11. Your church? Big.
12. Your fear? Loss.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Stuart.
14. Where were you last night? Party.
15. What you’re not? Perfect.
16. Muffins? None.
17. One of your wish list items? Debt-free.
18. Where you grew up? Florida.
19. The last thing you did? Sleep.
20. What are you wearing? Clothes.
21. Your TV? Cartoons.
22. Your pets? Dog.
23. Your computer? Dell.
24. Your life? Blessed.
25. Your mood? Happy.
26. Missing someone? Friend.
27. Your car? Yukon.
28. Something you’re not wearing? Hat.
29. Favorite store? Ebay.
30. Your summer? Full.
31. Like(love) someone? Family.
32. Your favorite color? Red.
33. Last time you laughed? Today.
34. Last time you cried? Unsure.
35. Who will repost this? Mary.

This definitly makes you think. Go ahead and try it yourself.

A new male has been added to the Owens home, yep, I am still outnumbered, and loving it!

Ever since we decided it was best that we give Brady (our last dog) to a lady down the street, due to the fact that he just seemed possessed and wouldn't stop biting, wouldn't mind, and just was not working for our family, we promised Bryce that someday we would get another dog.



Now I swear I did not set this up....but within the last week, Bryce had started to take this cute stuffed, black and white dog, with him all over the place. He even decided to put him in a seatbelt beside him the other day when he went somewhere with his Daddy. When he did it again when he was with me, I decided to snap a picture, just because I thought it was cute. At first the dogs name was Spotty, but then switched to Furball, and back to Spotty.

Bryce said that since he hadn't gotten another dog, he was just going to pretend this was his dog for now, until he got that dog we promised. Bryce reminded us of this promise often. We completely planned on getting another dog, but we weren't going to spend a bunch of money on buying the dog and we wanted to make sure this time that it would work with our family, because our first two tries did not!

Then that sweet little, perfect-for-our-family, promised dog suddenly fell right into our laps.
Mary called me Saturday morning and said that the previous evening she had heard someone talking about how their daughter was thinking of giving her dog away. She is a college student, didn't have the time to mess with the dog and the Mother of the college student didn't want to mess with him either. So I gave the college student a call, asked her a few questions, and Saturday night, I left the boys home with Steve and went to check out this little dog by myself. Just in case I could tell right away that it just wasn't going to work, I didn't want Bryce to fall in love and be disappointed.



He is a Shitzu and Maltese mix, black and white, super soft haired little fur ball, sweet as can be, minds very well, is eight months old, and I decided that we would give this little guy a try. We told Bryce that we were going to be taking care of this dog for a week, and made arrangements with the dog's owner that if we realized it wasn't going to work, that we would bring him back after a week. All agreed. So I loaded up the crate, the dog food, the shampoo, the dog dishes, and his toys and brought him home.



We went promptly to the tub and I gave him a good scrubbing. He was dirty! The previous owners lived out west of town in a kind of country type of area, and he would go outside and get stuff caught in his hair and he was very matted!! He basically lived in their garage and the college student just hadn't had time to do anything with him. I at least got him clean for the weekend and I did try to cut some of the worst off of the underside of his belly.

Here is Jackson when he arrived at our house.
He loves this toy and loves to have it thrown and he'll go chase it. He is very playful, but very gentle. Connor just thinks everything he does is hilarious.



So first thing this morning (Monday) I called the groomer's to see if I could get him in. They told me to bring him right away. When they saw what condition he was in, they explained that they were probably going to have to shave him down close to get it all out and what a different looking dog I went to pick up several hours later.....


............but still sweet as can be!


Here are his food and water stations. Connor still doesn't understand that these belong to Jackson, and tries to push him away from eating or drinking. He is slowly beginning to understand. Connor is just enthralled by everything Jackson does.

Bryce just loves all his "tricks". The previous owner did teach him to sit when you tell him too and as soon as he sits, he lifts his paw and puts it in your hand.

My niece Jessica came over to meet him and she and Bryce have played with him a long time. I think Jackson will sleep very well tonight.
After only three days of having Jackson in our home, we already realized how well he fits in with all of us and how perfect he is for our family, so we asked Bryce a little while ago if he would like to keep Jackson forever. He of course said "Yes!!!" and we told him he now belongs to us. Bryce said "Forever?" and we told him that as far as we could tell, he would be with us as forever as Jackson is alive. Bryce is one happy boy, and so are we.

After spending the morning at the groomer's and the afternoon having three kids play with you almost non-stop, he is now one happy and contented, but tired out little boy.

Slowly going out............ .......and now fast asleep!

Here is some video of Jackson, and different one's playing with him. I just missed Connor falling over on the couch because he was laughing so hard at Jackson.

Are these people for real?!?!? I mean seriously!

These emails are something that I just usually click REPORT SPAM and then delete them and move on, but this one was just so over the top, I thought it was almost amusing. It is amazing to me the time these people put into writing these letters (very poorly I might add) and sending them out. What I want to know is how do they get my email address? The sad part is that you often hear on the news of someone being taken by one of these con artists and they actually give them their bank account information, thinking they are just going to have the emailers millions deposited into their accounts...just like that! When of course they actually get bilked for everything they have in the account.

These people are so pathetic.


Greetings to you,
I am Mrs Mary Foxs,I am 58 years old,i am deaf and suffering froma long time cancer of the breast which also affected my brain,from all indicationmy conditions is really deteriorating and it is quite obvious that, accordingto my doctors they have advised me that i may not live for the next two months,thisis because the cancer stage has gotten to a very bad stage.
I was brought up from a motherless babies home was married to my late husbandfor twenty years without a child ,died in a fatal motor accident Before hisdeath we were living peacefully.
Since his death I decided not to re-marry,I sold all my inherited belongingsand deposited all the sum of $4.6million dollars with the bank. Presently,this money is still with them and the management just wrote me as the trueowner to come forward to receive the money for keeping it so long or ratherissue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf sinceI can not come over because of my illness or they get it confisticated.
Presently, I'm with my laptop in a hospital where I have been undergoingtreatment for cancer of the lungs. I have since lost my ability to talk andmy doctors have told me that I have only a few months to live.
It is my last wish to see that this money is invested to any organisationof your choice and distributed each year among the charity organization,thepoor and the motherless babies home where i come from. I want God fearing,to also use this money to fund churches, orphanages and widows,I took thisdecision, before i rest in peace because my time will soon be up.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank.Iwill also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the newbeneficiary of my fund. Please assure me that you will act accordingly asI stated herein. Hoping to hearing from you soon.
Waiting for your replyYours in HopeMrs Mary Foxs.

Oh okay...I'll get right on that!

Presto-Chango

For any of you that have either attended HSCA/HSBC or driven by the school, you can appreciate these next few pictures.

Back in February FEA/HIM asked Steve to do a landscape project in front of their building on the other side of the road from the Academy and High School. It turned out beautifully and he got a lot of compliments on it. They were thrilled to have it done by the time of their open house, (they redid the FEA building which used to be the old Administration building) and it really added to the looks of the place. In all my 34+ years of living down here, I never remember the school ever looking really pretty and landscaped, but that is slowly changing.

The school then asked Steve to get a design done for the areas in front of the Academy and High School classrooms. The school, within the last year, have installed a black fence in front of both the Academy and High School for safety/security reasons, by the request of the parents and the PTA, and they raised donations to have it installed. It really made the school look different, and it really needed some color and landscaping added. So Steve got the design done, presented it and the money was raised and yesterday our company nearly completed the projects. Eventually he will be doing a project or two for the church as well.

Here are some before and after pictures of the projects he did for the Academy and High School, and from a distance, you can see the completed project he did for the FEA/HIM as well.

Looking towards the Academy classrooms, grades 1-4.


A kind of side view. This is after they had prepped the area for planting.


This is a view from inside the area of the classrooms, facing the boys dorm straight in front, and the FEA/HIM building to the left of the dorm.
Still up inside the classrooms and a side picture, towards the 3rd grade classroom. You can see in the distance a view of the landscaping he did for the FEA/HIM building.

The other side facing the 1st grade classroom, and for those of you that haven't been on Gomez in quite awhile, that is the Hobe Sound Elementary School you see to the right. They completely redid the old one.

Here is the almost completed project facing up towards the classrooms.

This is the view from inside the classroom area, facing towards the 3rd grade classroom.
Facing towards the 1st grade classroom.


This is all exactly the same look over at the high school area as well. There is some more money trying to be raised to plant a couple nice tree's to complete the project, and possibly in the future some landscaping can be done inside the fenced in area up by the sliding glass door/windows you see on either side of the blue doors. It just really looks nice to drive by and see some pretty landscaping. It just really adds to the looks of the whole school.
I've got to say, my husband does nice work. I am really proud of him!!

Connor learned something new...

We love to watch Connor as he discovers something new. The wonder in his eyes, the way he really studies things, the way he figures things out. It is really neat to watch. What most people probably take for granted, and even we probably did with Bryce, we don't take for granted with Connor. We cherish each milestone, every new discovery, every time he learns something new. It may seem minor, but it is a big thing for us.

Today I was sitting on the couch, eating my lunch and he came out with his shirt in his hand with a big smile on his face. I helped him get it back on and then it turned into a game. He was so proud of himself when he would get it back on with a little help and then get serious about getting it back off. So here is a video I did of him today, learning his new "trick". Just hopefully he will learn when it is and when it is not appropriate.:)

Happy Father's Day to my Father and the Father of my two boys.

I have so many things I could say about my Dad. He is a really incredible guy that I have so much admiration and respect for. He is ALWAYS there for us. It doesn't matter what we need, he is there to help us without question. He has helped Steve and I in so many ways, so many times, that it would take a book to tell about it all.

He loves his family very much and it is very evident in the way he acts, the things he says and you can see the love and pride in his eyes many times.

He is also a great Papa. My kids love him. I thought it was so cute too, because when Bryce went to sign his name to the card that I got for him and Connor to give to Papa for Father's Day, he asked if he could also draw a picture for my Dad. I wish I had a picture of it, but it was of a man swinging a golf club, and on the other end of the page was a flag. It was the cutest picture and something Bryce came up with on his own because he knows how much Papa loves to play golf.

For everything you are and everything you do...we love you very much Dad and a very Happy Father's Day to you!


My wonderful dad and his baby girl.

My Dad with his three daughters. (His adopted daughter, Lenita, could not be with us due to having to cook three meals on Sunday for all the TLC people).

Just one more shot for good measure. My Dad was enjoying taking pictures with his "three beautiful daughters". His words, not mine.
Then there is the wonderful guy I married, who is the Father to our two boys. I always wanted to marry a guy who would not just enjoy being a Father, but be the kind of Father who enjoyed spending time with his kids, playing with them, teaching them things, being there for the good and bad, and the kind of Dad who the kids would get excited to see when he walks through the door. I married that kind of Father.

The boys just adore their Daddy. You can often hear Bryce say "Dad, you are the best Dad in the whole world" or "Dad will you play with me?" or "Dad why does...." or Dad how does...." and/or one of the hundreds of questions that Bryce asks on a daily basis, and Steve always patiently answers his questions and Bryce asks a lot of questions. They also have a special thing where Steve reads to Bryce often out of the Bible Storybooks. You know those blue Bible stories that used to be in all the doctors offices when we were kids? We have a whole set of them and Bryce loves it when his Daddy reads to him out of those and then that ends with a big question and answer session with Bryce asking more and more questions about the Bible and about Jesus. Steve thankfully, knows a LOT about the Bible and can answer all of Bryce's questions.

Steve also makes a point of spending time playing with Connor. Connor loves to rough house and if he ever hears Steve and Bryce get going, he comes running very excited. It is very cute to watch.

We have been through a lot with Connor and Steve has never once made a comment about why us, or wishing Connor wasn't ours or that his needs were to great, etc. He has been there every step of the way, always supportive and helping me in any way he can.

I am very blessed to have a man who is a great Daddy to his boys.

Bryce giving Daddy the gift from him and Connor. It is a coffee mug with a picture of the boys and I on it. He loved it! (I got him some other stuff besides that, but only got a picture of Bryce giving their gift to Steve).
Bryce wanted to show Steve the card he and Connor got for him and also was explaining the picture he drew for him on the inside of the card.
Chad and Rebekah Boissevain and their kids, Chase and Grace, joined us for dinner on Father's Day. Chase is a very active little guy who was excited to play with all the kids, so I never got a picture of him, but Grace got a lot of lovin'.

She is the sweetest, cutest, happiest little babies I have ever seen. She is so easy and would be a dream to have. My Dad was really enjoying loving on her. You just look at Grace and she gives you a big smile. She is such a sweetheart and I thinks she looks like a mixture of both of her parents.

We were so glad to have the Boissevains join us, as always. They are a great little family that our family loves to join us anytime we do anything. They have become very special friends to all of us, and a happy Father's Day to Chad as well.

Here is one of those big smiles I was telling you about. I wasn't even talking to her, and she was just looking at me and the camera and smiling. Such a sweetheart.

Hope all of you had a nice Father's Day celebrating your Father's and the Father's of your children as well.

I want to surround myself with friends who soar!

This was sent to me the other day by a good friend. She sent it to me as an encouragement, and I thought I would share it with you so that it may be an encouragement to you as well.

Steve and I have had a lot of discussions lately surrouding friends. Steve was able to go to a special round table meeting recently with John Maxwell as the speaker. Even though the topic was based on business, sometimes things that are said can also be applied to other areas in your life.

John Maxwell was saying (and I am putting this into my own words here, but this is the basics of it) that as far as your employees are concerned, try to weed out the 1,2 and 3's (the ducks-those that just swim in circles) and try to keep the 8, 9 and 10's (the eagle's-those that really soar).

Same with friends. You want to weed out those friends that just are there, kind of going in circles, never moving ahead in life, making the same bad choices over and over again and who just kind of make you feel blah and don't help you move ahead in life. Instead, you want to surround yourself with friends who soar and help you soar, want to see you soar and to constantly climb to new heights. This has really been speaking to me over the last week and came at a really great time in my life. I want to be an eagle and soar!!


Don't spend major time with minor people. If there are people in your life that continually disappoint you, break promises, stomp on your dreams, too judgmental, have different values and don't give their backing during difficult times...that is not a friend.

To have a friend, be a friend. Sometimes in life as you grow, your friends will either grow or go.

Surround yourself with people who reflect values, goals interests and lifestyle.

When I think of any of my successes, I am thankful to GOD from whom all blessings flow, and to my family and friends that enrich my life.

Over the years my phone book has changed because I changed for the better. At first you think you're going to be alone, but after a while new people show up in your life that make your life so much sweeter and easier to endure.

Remember what your elders used to say, "Birds of a feather flock together.

If you're an eagle, don't hang around chickens:

Chickens Can't Fly!