Road Trip!!!

Here it is! The long awaited start of blogging about our recent family vacation!!! Many of you have already been following blogs by Superman and the bestie but here's my side. First, let me warn you that I don't have NEARLY as many pics as they do! And my side isn't as professional as theirs.

We started super early on a Wednesday morning. When I say super early, I mean we left the metro before 7:00. And when you're packing 2 families (4 adults, a 5 year old and two 2 year olds) into a rented minivan that is quite impressive!

Everyone knows that when you're headed out on the road, an important accessory is a cool pair of sunglasses. So, I was not surprised at all to see these divas with theirs. Thankfully, Avery had an extra pair because somehow, Chloe had forgotten hers in OKC! And poor Hannah . . . being the "big girl" she got stuck between the two carseats. But she was such a trooper - she only complained once (when we hit a bump and her head hit the side of Chloe's seat)! :-)

Our big stop for the day was at Groom, TX. Home of the 9 story cross. This was a great place to let the girls get some energy out - and a good photo op for Superman & Jen. Superman and I had visited this monument on our honeymoon 6 years ago but it was still very moving. I'm still amazed at the artistry as it takes you through Christ's final days on Earth. Thank God for His love and sacrifice!

After a LLLLOOOONNNNGGG day in the car, we finally arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico!!! That evening we found some dinner and rest. The next morning took us to new heights - literally. We rode a cable-car tram to the top of Sandia Peak. It was absolutely breath-taking. And I caught very few pics of this. My 2 year old (gotta love her!) was in a "hold me" phase so I had very little time with a free hand. Fortunately for me, I'm married to a professional photographer!

Here, the girls are taking time out for a snack. Jen and I sat with them while Superman and R went exploring.

And here is proof that Superman truly is a professional. He actually has the photo he was taking posted in his blog of the trip.

And I'm nearly positive Hannah's going to follow in her daddy's footsteps. In my next post, you'll see the first event of the Balloon Fiesta we attended through the eyes of a 5 year old.

This camera she was given for her 5th birthday and the child is getting really good!

We actually got to do a little exploring. Chloe was obsessed with picking up rocks. I think Superman was on the lookout for the next great picture.

And you can't tell here, but Chloe put a couple of holes in the bottom of her pants. While daddy was taking a pic of her and Hannah sitting on a rock, she decided it would be a fun slide . . . 2 year olds! Gotta love 'em. Right?!

Anyhow, that was the 1st 36 hours. Next time, you'll get to see Hannah's perspective!

My Most Boring Post

Get your attention? Well, this IS truly the most boring post you'll get from me. Why? I've been trying to blog all week about our recent family vacation. But when we were gone, I needed to dump my memory card and the only place to do that was on Superman's laptop. If you follow him on either his blog, his business website, his Twitter or his Facebook you will notice that he has completely been hogging the computer this week! Now, I'm not going to completely complain because he is trying to market his business and I'm proud of him. BUT . . . my blog is starting to grow cobwebs. :-)

Anyhow, as you anxiously await my next post, feel free to keep up by checking out Superman's blog and my bestie's blog. They are both up to date!

BTW ~ If you follow Superman's blog (or facebook or Twitter . . .) he often offers "specials" for his followers. Check him out!

Labor Day Outing

Like most working parents, Superman and I have to wait for the weekends or holidays to have "day dates" with our kiddos. What stinks about that is so does every other working parent so the "fun" places are crowded. On Labor Day, it was no different but we decided we didn't care and took the girls to the zoo. We didn't care how crowded it was - we were going to have a fun day at the zoo! And fun we had :-) Here are some pics to sum it up . . .

Right now, they are at the ages where they love each other!

But Chloe's not as sure about water - she's kinda girly

Hannah on the other hand LOVES the water!

Trying to tell sissy "it's okay, c'mon in!"

And although daddy is a real photographer, mommy is the blog photographer so I'm rarely seen in my own blog . . .

Except when I make Superman take a pic of me with my girls! I love those 2 faces. They make my smile big and bright :-)

My Superman

Now, if any of you are following Life With Jen & Ronnie, let me clarify something. I called John "Superman" WWWWWAAAAAYYYYY before she began calling Ronnie "Batman." Actually, calling him "Superman" started because of his being a Superman fan and THAT started long before we met. To make my point here, there is a pic I really wish I had scanned into my library. John still has it framed. It is him as a little boy with his dad flying him around their living room pretending to be Superman. Every time I see it, I smile. But I'm also serious about him being a Superman fan. I mean, it's nearly insane! We have - in our home - 3 copies of the original Superman movie. (And that is NOT an exaggeration.) But enough about his passion for Superman, let me tell you about my "Superman" (as he will from now on be referred).

I first met Superman in April of 2001. I was in my dad's office talking to this secretary when this guy started to just barge into my dad's private office. I had never seen this guy and he was close to my age so I said "umm, can I help you?" (Did I mention that I was single and he was good looking?) A few words were exchanged and as he walked away, I said to Ms Cleo "I'm gonna marry that boy." I learned his name and that he was the youngest son of the pastor whose church was merging with ours. Over the next year, we became very good friends. I was single, he was single. Everyone asked if we were dating and we would both answer "no!" But in my heart, I still knew he was the one.

That first year of friendship brought many heartbreaks. If you haven't noticed, I said I knew HE was the one. He didn't know yet that I was the one. It wasn't until a ski trip with family and friends to Red River, NM in January 2002 that Superman finally realized that he had true feelings for me too. We shared our first kiss there and he officially called me his girlfriend.

We talked often about marriage and the future but nothing too serious. Superman was working on a degree in Graphic Design and we knew nothing would progress in our relationship until he had graduated. Often, the time we spent during our dating years was at his house while he was either working on projects, studying for tests or writing papers and I was hanging out with his parents. But I didn't care ... I liked his parents and I got to spend more time with him! It was during that time, though, that I realized his love for Superman. I watched the original Superman for the first time (you would have thought I told him some horrible thing when he learned I had not seen it) and it created a special bond between us.

I started getting really anxious about if the relationship would go anywhere because I was (in my opinion) becoming an old maid at the ripe old age of 25! When we talked about the future, it always included marriage but it seemed so far down the road. I remember very distinctly going with his family on a camping trip over Memorial Day weekend 2003. On that trip, I overheard his sister saying "those two will be at least engaged if not married by this time next year" and I remember thinking "oh, God, could you please make that come true?!?"

June 20, 2003 was the night Superman threw me for a loop. Unbeknownst to me, he had been talking with his parents and shopping for the perfect diamond and working with a jeweler to design the perfect ring for me (low-set in the band so as to not interfere with my work as an RN). In a way that would seem strange to other people but fit perfectly into our life, Superman proposed to me. He was so sweet. The proposal was at our church - the place we first met! We had already planned a date for that evening but what I didn't know is that he already had everything planned and our parents were waiting for us at Steak & Ale (which sadly no longer exists). We had a lovely celebration dinner!

The next year was a whirlwind. While I planned the wedding, Superman completed his degree and graduated in May 2004. The rehearsal dinner was perfect and the wedding (on June 26, 2004) was absolutely beautiful! However, I only know this from the pictures. Here's where I get to tell on Superman . . . he was our videographer and I have YET to see the footage. He has it but won't show me until it's completely edited. WHAT?!?! I'm being patient though (well, sorta) because I've seen other wedding videos he has completed and if they are that good after only 2-3 weeks of work, I know that mine is going to be spectacular after (now) 6 years of work :-) We honeymooned in Red River, NM (remember the significance of that place?) and enjoyed the beautiful weather with a hot air balloon ride, a night at "Cowboy Evening" and driving around taking photographs of the beautiful scenery.

In the past 6 years, life has brought many changes but the 2 biggest ones were the additions of our beautiful daughters who you will learn about tomorrow. Superman became even more of a hero to me when they joined our lives! He is a wonderful daddy and his girls love him so much . . . and that makes me love him even more!

Okay, okay . . . I know I've probably bored you gushing about our past so I'll keep it brief to tell you about Superman. He is a son, brother, Christian, husband and father. He is also a friend, co-worker and photographer. He will only use Apple computers and is a wonderful designer. He also is a better interior decorator than I am! He ministers when and where needed and God leads. He is the rest of me that God had in store and I cannot imagine life without him.

Now, I couldn't add a bunch of pics to the past because they are archived in a different location of which I'm not sure (Superman moved them somewhere when we got a new computer). But here are some pics of my Superman with people who are important to him ...

Meet the Narrator

So, I haven't taken the time to introduce you to the characters. But we started on a special day so I wanted to pay honor where it was due :-) Now, it's time to get to know the people you will be reading about. We'll start tonight with the narrator (that would be me).

Now, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Tabitha and I have had many titles in my life. I started life as "daughter". Next, I became "sister". Then, my most important title came next . . . "Christian" (we'll talk more about this in time). Next was "nurse". Then came "wife", then "mom," then "sister" again (I'm sure we'll talk more about that at some point too!), and finally "mom" again. Throughout those additions, there are also several times I became "friend" along the way. Here are some pics of me with special people in my life ...

WOW! That was exhausting! And the bad thing is . . . I know there are more pics I would have liked to include but well, I just don't have them all in my library!

So, you know who I am now. And you've seen me with people that are important to me. Now . . . a little more ABOUT me.

My family means the world to me. My husband, John loves me for me! My girls, Hannah and Chloe, light up my life! My parents are awesome - their love and support have brought me to where I am today. My brother, Joshua, has a more advanced degree than I do but the best part of him is his wife, Emily :-) My other siblings, Dallas, Makenna and Serriah, brought more adventure to our lives when they joined our family. I have several family members by marriage who I love very much. I have been blessed with IN-laws (as opposed to many peoples claim to have OUT-laws) who treat me as if I've belonged to them my entire life! I love my church family and thank God for the ability to worship at Rancho Village Baptist Church.

I love to sing. Especially if I am singing in worship and praise of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I enjoy working as a nurse in an OB/Gyn clinic. I love to get together to play games with family and/or friends. I enjoy watching movies and my favorite TV shows are on HGTV :-) well, other than Private Practice! When it's football season, I cheer for the Sooners! I love to help my husband with photo shoots (check his work out at JDM Designs by clicking here). The list could go on and on but you would probably get tired of reading if there were much more ;-)

The rest of this week - unless anything extremely exciting happens - will bring the rest of the characters to light. I'm sure more will be added along the way, but the main players, I think you need to know. Tomorrow night . . . a peek into my wonderful husband!