You In Cleveland, Me In Louisiana For The 4th...NOT GOOD!

Dear Caitlin,
     Our conversation on the morning of the 4th was not good.  I HATED that you were sitting home alone, while we were all at the lake house getting ready for our 4th of July celebration.  And THAT is exactly when I decided that would never happen again!  From now on, I am going to plan on bringing you home for whatever holiday we are celebrating if Kevin has to work.  I felt terrible just knowing that you were sitting there by yourself all day long with nothing to do and not knowing anyone in the area yet.  SO...You just tell Kevin that's what I'm gonna do!  I was happy, however, to hear that when he got off from work, he took you out to dinner, a movie and a fireworks show.

We had our 4th of July celebration again this year, but it wasn't as big as usual.  David had to work and could not come in either...I missed two of my little chickies! (sad face here...).  It has been  SO HOT here; there's no doubt that summer has arrived in the south.  And the other bad thing is that we haven't had any rain.  At least the river was open this year so we could get out and ride in the boat.  The farmers are pumping the water out at an alarming rate so I hope that it doesn't get shut down before you make it here; I want to go for afternoon boat rides with you and Dad!

Since we did a much smaller 4th celebration this year, I really didn't decorate much.  I did, however put out a couple of things that reminded me of you...

                                         Remember the painting party we went to last year?

                                                       I guess I need to send you yours...

I also found this cute little 4th of July snow globe to set out too...

                                                                    LOVE my doxies!

That was about it for the decorations this year, other than a wreath for the front door.  I did, however, pick up a couple of things to wear that were in patriotic colors...

                                     I got this shirt from Stella Blu to go with my white shorts.

                                          And these two bracelets, I picked up at Terra Home.

Dad and Aunt Cindy pretty much did all of the cooking for our celebration.  We had bar-be-que brisket, ribs, chicken, potato salad and baked beans.  They also made a yummy fresh peach and blueberry cobbler!  I will try to post that recipe on here under "Our Favorite Recipes" so you can try it out.

Josh and Lana came in Tuesday night and were able to spend the 4th with us too.  We all went for a boat ride that morning, before all of the skiers got out there and the river got crowded...

                                                      Dad let Ryan drive the boat...

                                                While Sissy sat close by, as his 1st Mate!

Annie went along for the ride too, but she is still a little nervous about being on the boat...I guess it might have something to do with that time she fell off.

                       It was so hot that Mimi had to let the doxies drink water out of her hand!

That night, we rode the boat back down to town to see the fireworks show.  Dad bought Parker some headphones to wear, hoping that the noise wouldn't scare her; it didn't work.  She didn't like the fireworks at all, but at least she didn't scream.  She laid her head down on Sarah's shoulder and was asleep by the time we got back home.  The fireworks on Cane River were great as usual, though...

OH...we got a couple of new things here at the lake house too!

    Here's Dad's newest toy; an antique candy machine!  Can you tell who keeps asking for "money"?

                 My new toy; a spinning bike since it is too hot for me to ride outside right now!

                   And I FINALLY got to work putting up all of these photos on the wall!

Well, it was a good 4th, but really not the same without you and David here.  I hope that the fall holidays will bring you all back home.  I miss you terribly and can't wait for you to get here in 8 DAYS!  I love you...
                                 Mom

DIY Projects

Dear Mom,

It has been a few days since I last wrote but I have been very busy working on DIY Projects... and you know how much I love those:) So yesterday I finally got a dresser.. but the bad part is, I had to put it together! Before opening the box I just looked at it wondering if it was even a good idea to try and put the dresser together. The box made it look so simple and so I told myself SURE I can put a simple dresser together!So here is a picture of the box... does look easy right?

Okay so after I opened the box.. I soon realized there were SO MANY PIECES!! What the heck was I thinking trying to put together a dresser? I still I was thinking I could possible put it together after I got out all the wood pieces... 

That was until I opened the pack with all of the screws, nails, and other things I didn't even know what they were called! Goodness, I didn't realize these dressers came with some many parts! The instructions had about 30 steps to putting the dresser together too. This is when it finally hit me that I didn't think I could put this dresser together anymore! But, I had it all out and organized it and I didn't want Kevin to come home to a mess, therefore I decided to attempt to put it together:) 

So I started working on this around 10:30am and only took a small lunch break. After many hours of working on this dresser and trying to talk myself out of finishing it about 15 times, I ended up finally getting the whole dresser put together at 8pm!! haha I know, I can't believe it took me an entire day to put this thing together! But hey, I DID IT and all by myself! I was so proud of my work !

The completed project! I think I will go to Anthropology today and buy some cute knobs for it :) 

While working on the dresser ALL day I also prepared a dinner so when Kevin got home we would have something to eat! Here are a few pictures of it... Pot Roast with potatoes..YUM!

I used the cute serving dish Mimi got me as a wedding gift:) 

OH and I almost forgot... I received a special package yesterday while I was putting together my dresser!! It was the special care package you sent me:)) I was sooo excited to get it!

First thing was the Fourth of July piece to add to my dish you got me for Terra Home:))

A new knitting pattern!!!

New knitting needles and yarn for a new project!!Can't wait to start on this:)

Some cute new stationary so I can write letters to everyone with!! You know this will go to good use and I was running out of all my other stationary!

A CUTE Fourth of July cup with my name on it!! LOVE IT!

A new Louisiana t-shirt :)

And of course a cute Fourth of July card! Love it, it is hanging in our kitchen!

So after a LONG busy day, I decided to make a midnight snack for Kevin and I... donuts!!!

Finally bought me a donut maker and I must say it works great!! You need to get one for the house so you can make some for Parker, I know she would LOVE them!

So this cute little home boutique here sells the Doughnut mix at their store but also you can get recipes for other kinds:)

This is them cooking, almost done!

Sprinkled them with some cinnamon sugar! YUMMY!

saving the rest for the next morning!!

Thanks again for the care package!!! It was just what I needed and put a BIG smile on my face:) I guess I need to get ready and go find something to do today for the Fourth of July.. maybe head over to Crocker Park and see what is going on over there. I think I might also look for a bike today!! Well hope to talk to you a little later today:) Hope y'all are having a GREAT Fourth of July!! Wish I was there to celebrate with y'all! Miss you and love you so much !!! 

Love, Caitlin 

Care Package On The Way!!!

Dear Caitlin,
     I sort of figured that you would be getting homesick by now.  I knew that Kevin starting work would leave you home a lot by yourself.  I wish I was there to help you decorate too...AND, of course, keep you company!  However, since I'm not there with you, I decided to send you a little care package.  YEP!  Remember all of those care packages I sent to you that semester you lived in D.C.?  Well, look for one TODAY...I shipped it overnight UPS!  Call me after you get it; I hope you like all the goodies I sent you.  Oh, and by the way...when I filled out the UPS slip, I realized that was the first time I had written you new last name; not so sure how I feel about that.

I hit the ground running Monday morning; I had a lot to do in a very little time period.  So, after grabbing some breakfast, I hit the gym (I love that I have one here now...), showered and then headed to town to run some errands.  You know I can't stand having a busy Monday; I like sitting around in my pajamas, folding clothes and such for at least half of the day.  But, you see, I had to be in Natchitoches by 2 to baby-sit Parker while Sarah went to the doctor again.  Parker Ann (Did I tell you that she calls herself that now?) was sleeping but by the time I left she had woke up.  Here is a picture of her feeding Bitty Baby...

You know the worst part about going there?  It's the "toilet situation".  Now, I realize that YOU are a great example of why having a toilet lock is a good idea (since you once shared a toilet water tea party with your dad...), however, I can NEVER figure this thing out!

Therefore, when I had to go to the bathroom, I had to fight Mia (who was in Sarah's bathroom so her barking wouldn't wake Parker up...) off just to pee!

Well, I headed back home after watching Parker; I had some laundry and dishes to do before I started packing for the lake house.  We will be going there today and not coming back until Sunday.  Aunt Cindy and Uncle Clint will be in some time tomorrow afternoon and apparently Josh and Lana are coming too!  I do love going there for the 4th, but I'm going to REALLY MISS YOU (MORE!!!) not being there this year.  So, I have decided that no matter what, next year you are going to be here for our 4th of July celebration.

I can't wait for you to be here in a couple of weeks.  I know that you have to work during the day but that's OK...I will still get to hang out with you every evening.  And we can stay at the lake and get Dad to take us for boat ride every afternoon.  Doesn't THAT sound like a plan?  While you are here, Dad and I will also decide when we can come visit you in August too (smile here...).

I LOVED opening my mailbox and getting my first piece of "snail mail" from you yesterday!  I will be sending you more too.  Caki and Gayle said they would also send letters.  I know it's not much but it's something to look forward to while you are so far away.  I miss you and love you very much!  Let's Skype soon!
                         Mom

P.S.  Since you are getting a little homesick, I thought I would send you some "smiles"...

                               I know that Rylee Bug would LOVE to come with me to see you!

                                                                  And so would Caki!

      I will have to take you to see Mam-Maw when you come in to visit in a couple of weeks.

                                     And I'm sure Mimi will drive to the lake to see you too.

                                         And let's not forget Pa Pa...and his 2 little puppies!

                  Dad, of course, will get to enjoy having you with us ALL WEEK LONG!

I'm not sure when we will ALL be able to be together again...Let's shoot for Christmas!  Anything before then will be a "gift".

The Norm

Dear Mom,
So I am sorry I have not responded to your letters in a few days... but I haven't had much to write about. Kevin had work all week and I did the usual, unpack and decorate. I am kind of getting bored with this unpacking... it is like a never ending process! I have managed to keep our guest bedroom door shut due to the fact that I don't even want to start thinking about unpacking that room :( We still are in need of a dresser and bed so hopefully this week we will pick one out and THEN I will start unpacking and decorating the guest bedroom for you when you come visit!

Well Friday, Kevin had work till about 4pm so I worked around the house till then. That evening we had plans with some of his friends from work and their wives. We all ended up meeting in Crocker Park for dinner. It was nice getting to hangout with some new people and hopefully we will do it again soon. Most of the wives are doctors as well so I'm sure most of them will be just as busy as Kevin. After dinner we ended up heading home because we both were pretty tired. Saturday we had plans with a couple from Pikeville that Kevin went to school with. They are actually from the area but have moved away because they got matched at a different hospital about two hours from us. We ended up meeting them at the Cheesecake Factory in Crocker Park and we ended up having a great time! As for Sunday, I ended up going to a new church to try it out. Kevin had his first day of work on Sunday so I ended up having to go by myself. I don't think the church was for us, so I will keep looking! I am getting a little overwhelmed with trying to find a church that we both really like... it's hard when you have gone to a church like Calvary. It's like no other churches compare to it. I am just trying to stay positive and pray that God does have a place where we will fit in and meet new people and find a good church family for us. Kevin got home late on Sunday and I surprised him with dinner. I ended up making him corn on the cob, potatoes, and a chicken breast that was stuffed with feta cheese and then breaded with breadcrumbs. It was so good! We called it a night pretty early last night because he was so tired from work.

Today I have just been sitting around the house not doing too much. I talked to Mammaw earlier this morning while I had my breakfast, which was nice! I have made a list of things I still need to do so hopefully I will make myself get up and get motivated to head to town to get a few things! I have a few DIY projects I have been wanting to do so I have been thinking about maybe working on those this week:) I will be taking pictures of the whole process and will upload them once I start working. I believe the knitting shop is open today so I will try to go by and see what all they have too! I really miss you mom, me need to Skype tomorrow because I am getting a bit homesick :( Well I better be off and go run a few errands! I miss you and love you more !!!

                                             Love, Caitlin