Trying to figure it out...

Something has really been on my mind lately...do you ever do that?  You know, where you just let it turn and turn and you just think and think until it about drives you batty?  Well...I am so there! 

When we lived in New Braunfels, I had a great, exciting and challenging job!  I was a Selections Coordinator for a Custom Home Builder!  I loved it!  I was able to meet with people, use my imagination and creativity and most importantly...I felt, well, important.  When the housing market crashed so suddenly, I lost my job.  We were seven weeks pregnant with Abigail when this happened, and at the time...honestly, I was thrilled!  I was able to be at home with Paisleigh, who was 15 months at the time, and since I am SO sick at the beginning of my pregnancies...I was glad not to have to call into work all the time and could just veg out in my pj's all day! 
Then, we decided to move back to Lubbock, which is home!  I was so thankful that God led us to this decision!  I believe that this is the best move, literally, that we have ever made!  We are close to both of our families and the girls will know ALL of their family!  WONDERFUL! I was lucky enough to find a job with Covenant as a Patient Representitive, which is front office, and I do like it!  I get to see people and I work with people that I really do enjoy....but-----here lately, something has really been pulling at my heart strings to find something else!  To do something more challenging...something that gets me excited...something that drives me! 
I have always considered myself, ummm....unique.  Which I do not think is a bad thing, at all!  I love to be creative and a little different!  I love people and I love work--when it is challenging and exciting!  Now, please do not get me wrong...My DREAM JOB is to be a stay at mommy!  However, at this point...that is not looking like an option for me right now!  and....that is ok!  I really like the girls day care facility, their teachers and how clean it is! :) Plus, Paisleigh LOVES it!
So, my friends!  I have decided to set a goal for myself, an ambition, an adventure!  I have decided what I want to strive to do with my life (since I am 27 and not getting any younger), besides serve God, be a loving wife and a perfect (wink wink) mommy!  I want to be a BUSINESS OWNER! 
Yes, I am going to open my VERY OWN Home Decor store!  This has always been a dream of mine and I know it will be long hours, challenging, adventerous, exciting and frustrating; however, I CANNOT WAIT!  I have so many plans and ideas and at the same time...I am so nervous and scared!  I have a hard time believing in myself sometimes...and, I need to overcome this...because I CAN SUCCEED!  My husband is SO supportive and my family is behind me, which means the world! 
I am starting to develop a business plan, ideas and looking at property!  So, please pray for me!  Pray for me to believe in myself and to never loose sight of my dream--even when things get hard!  and...PLEASE, if you have any advice or similar feelings...please share...I am all ears!

Thanks for reading, I do appreciate it from the bottom of my nervous heart! :)
Lauren!

A Pretty Amazing Evening....

Greg and I had an opportunity to be involved in an event that was absolutely AMAZING last night!  The sunday school class that we have been attending put on a "Thanksgiving Basket" event through our Church.  Over 200 baskets were filled with food items and donated by people within the Church!  Then, last night, a group got together and went to a place in downtown Lubbock, Tx called Jacob's Ladder and delivered the baskets to the less fortunate first hand!  It was absolutely moving! 
Jacob's Ladder was opened about 10 years ago and every Tuesday night, they have a meal and have a worship service afterwards.  Last night, we were able to join them in their worship service!  I think that this was the most moving part for myself--they held there hands high, clapped and sang at the top of their lungs to Our God!  They praised His name and gave thanks for WHAT THEY DO HAVE!  How awesome and humbling is that!  They may not have many "material" things in their lives, but they have God in their hearts and Faith in their lives! 
To be quite honest, I was REALLY nervous and did not know what to expect!  I am the kind of girl that turns pretty much any moment into a "kleenex" moment!  I did not want to get there and turn into a blubber ball! However, when we arrived and saw the individuals and precious children that were receiving these gifts, my heart was filled with love, joy, hope, a touch of sadness and most of all I really, I mean really, realized how many individuals out there, even just in our little town, need to know there is love out there for them and help too! 
I am really thankful that Greg and I had this opportunity and that we took a step forward and actually participated!  It really opened my eyes, but most of all....I think it really opened my heart! 
Pretty Awesome!

Just Catching Up....

We have been a bit busy lately!  I think the saying is true that time flies when you are having fun!  So, I will not ramble on too much and get to the catching up!!

Halloween 2009 was a blast!  Paisleigh carved her first pumpkin with her daddy and it was Abigail's first Halloween!  Paisleigh was so proud of her pumpkin and LOVED seeing it all lit up!  Abigail was a wiggle worm and Pais was a lady bug!  So Precious! 

 

Our Lady Bug!!

                                                                Our Wiggle Worm!!

                                               Sisters and "Bugs" Forever!! Too Precious!!

And....Our Nona and Great Granny came to see us right before we went Trick-or-Treating for the FIRST TIME!!!

Haha! Love this one!!

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Earlier that morning we went to Aunt Becky's (Greg's Sisters) Baby Shower for Baby Caden, who should be making his arrival within the next month or so!  We had a great time seeing all of the precious gifts that he got!  We also were able to catch up with some old friends too!

Mom and Abigail

Juice and Precious Michael!! (This is Greg's cousin's, Katie, little boy and Mom!!)  Aren't they adorable!

Paisleigh, who by the way would NOT smile for the camera for anything!  Little Stinker!!  But, she is still so cute!

Aunt Jennifer and Abigail

Me and My Beautiful Momma!

Paisleigh and Grammie!

Nona, Paisleigh, Grammie and Abigail!

We had a wonderful time and I feel like a horrible Sister-In-Law as I did not get one picture of the girls with the Mom-to-Be, Aunt Becky!  However, she is by far the most precious pregnant woman I have ever seen!  Love you Aunt Beck!

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I just have a few more pictures and stories about the girls....so hang in there....we are almost done!

Last Sunday morning this is how Paisleigh ran into our bedroom dressed: Her pj's, her sunday shoes and Abigail's headband and bow!  I LOVE HER and HER IMAGINATION!!

So, our little Miss Paisleigh has been getting into EVERYTHING here lately!  She is HILARIOUS and we love it!  I was getting us ready for Church last Sunday morning and Paisleigh went up to her playroom while I was getting miss Abigail ready and all of the sudden I heard "MOMMA, I STUCK!"  Now, sometimes Paisleigh does this just to get your attention...so, I yelled from the bottom of the stairs "Pais, are you REALLY stuck?"  Her answer, "YES MOMMA, I STUCK!"  Abigail and myself trucked up the stairs to our playroom only to find Paisleigh in this situation!! :

 

 

HAHA! I have NO IDEA how she climbed into Abigail's exesaucer all by herself without toppling over....but, she did and it made my day!!

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Here are a few pictures of our Beautiful Abigail Grace, who is now 5 MONTHS!

 

 This little booger this past week hit another huge milestone!  SHE ROLLED OVER FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM BACK TO TUMMY!  Paisleigh and the rest of the household were SO EXCITED!!

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And, to leave on an extremely happy note!  Greg's Great-Grandmother and the Girls Great-Great Grandmother celebrated her 97th Birthday this past Monday!  Isn't she precious!

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Have a wonderful week...and if you made it through this ever so long post! CONGRATS!! :)

Love,
Lauren

I love these--and I am bored at work! LOL!

I have been tagged once again...and I love it!  Head on over to Alexis's Precious Blog to see her answers too!  One Word Answers People.....

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk

2. Your hair? Sassy :)

3. Your mother? Survivor

4. Your father? Strong

5. Your favorite food? Pasta

6. Your dream last night? Non-existent (that I know of?)?

7. Your favorite drink? Tea (peach, that is!)!

8. Your goal? Store

9. What room are you in? Office

10. Your hobby? Creating

11. Your fear? Harm (to my children)!

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? LOVE
13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something you aren’t? Perfect (This is so a great answer Lexi!)!

15. Muffins? Fresh!
16. Wish list item? Remodel

17. Where did you grow up? Hale Center, Tx

18. Last thing you did? ate lunch

19. What are you wearing? Scrubs

20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? Dog

22. Your friends? PRECIOUS

23. Your life? WONDERFUL

24. Your mood? Good

25. Missing someone? Hubbie and Girls (I couldn't pick just one!)!

26. Vehicle? Montero

27. Something you’re not wearing? Jeans

28. Your favorite store? Hobby Lobby (AMEN!!)!

29. Your favorite color? Green

30. When was the last time you laughed? about five minutes ago

31. Last time you cried? Yesterday, Reading Mckmamma's blog about her precious miracle Stellan! Through God ALL things are possible!  Go check it out....it is UNBELIEVABLE!!!

32. Your best friend? Mom and Sister!

33. One place that I go over and over? Work

34. One person who emails me regularly? Mom

35. Favorite place to eat? Abuelo's

I promise to have a new blog post coming soon about what the Girls have been up to....and into!  :) Have a great day and join in the fun with this questionaire!!

I have been tagged....and it was fun!

I have never really participated in these before....but, I was tagged by Alexis at "Where He Leads Me, I Will Follow"!  She is a wonderful writer and has a precious blog!  You should check it out too!  Anyways, here we go.....

A - Age: 27




B - Bed size: Well, we have two beds right now...our "real" bed is a Queen; however, we are sleeping upstairs right now in our new house with the girls and that bed is a King!  I do have to say....I like the King a lot better!  HELLO ROOM!!



C - Chore you hate: Potties....and our new shower....eck!



D - Dog's name: We have a six year old Yellow Lab and his name is Nash!



E - Essential start your day item: Coffee, The News, Hubbie and Babies!



F - Favorite color: I love Green...and Red! 



G - Gold or Silver: Silver



H - Height: 5'8"



I - I am: loving this cold weather today!! The high is supposed to be 58....ahhhh Perfect!



J - Job: Wife, Mommy and a Patient Rep. for a Maternal Fetal Doctor...and an Independent Demonstrator for Uppercase Living! My website is: http://laurenbrownd.uppercaseliving.net/



K - Kids: Paisleigh Marie (2 years)--my feisty little punkin!  and Abigail Grace (will be 5 months on the 29th of this week)--my little smiley giggly angel! 



L - Living arrangements: We are just getting settled into our new house!



M - Mom's name: Lynn



N - Nicknames: Cocoa (my middle name is Nicole...and my Family calls me this--shhhh, don't tell anyone)!



O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I had a couple of different stays in the hospital during this pregnancy with Abigail!  Trying to keep me out of labor!  Whew...and it worked!



P - Pet Peeve: Incorrect Grammar.....



Q - Quote from a movie: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!" My utmost favorite movie of ALL TIME...Dirty Dancing!



R - Right or left handed: Right



S - Siblings: I am the oldest...I have one younger sister, Angie, who is 21!



T - Time you wake up: Usually around 4:00 to 5:00 am...when Abigail wakes up to eat and then I get ready for the work day!



U- Underwear: Cheah! That is so totally, like, duh! (LOL! I loved this answer of Lexi's ....so I am leaving it!)--Lauren



V - Vegetable you dislike: I honestly like all vegetable!  Except maybe eggplant...it just looks weird!



W - Ways you run late: Usually when I am putting Abigail into her car seat and she spits up....Happens ALL of the time! :)  But, she is so precious doing it! lol!



X - X-rays you've had: My teeth, my head and do Ultrasounds count?



Y - Yummy food you make: I try to make a variety of Yummy foods!  We like to experiment...my new knack is trying new recipes out of the Racheal Ray cookbook....The "BOB"! 



Z - Zoo favorite: The Elephants....because, they just amaze me!  They are so big!
 
Ok, now it is your turn!!  I can not wait to read your answers.....
Have a WONDERFUL day!
Lauren

Ahhh....A little "me" time this week!

The doctor that I work for has been out this whole week!  It has been great!  We have only seen 6-12 patients everyday compared to the 50-70 we usually see in one day!  AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  So, the past two days I have taken off the afternoons and let me tell you...I have SO enjoyed it!  On Tuesday, I cleaned house and prepared dinner BEFORE I picked up the girls!  Yesterday, I had lunch with my lovely sister, got my oil changed (which was way overdue), got a hair cut (which was way overdue as well LOL)! and I READ A WHOLE MAGAZINE!!!  WOW!  I have not done that one in a while!  It was a much needed little hiatus and I just wanted to express my joy!

On another note!  Greg and I are going to have our first "Date Night" since sweet baby Abigail was born almost 5 months ago!  Friday will be the first night I will not be with both of my girls!  I am very very nervous and anxious about it, but I know they will be in wonderful loving arms of Greg's Mom's!  So, with that being said....I am very very excited about my hubbie's and my night out....and alone! :)

Hope you all have had a great week just as I have had!
Love,
Lauren

Now...for a post on time!

This weekend, we had a lot of fun! If you know anything about Hale Center (where I am from) you would know that every year the school has a Harvest Festival! It is one big fundraiser that all grades participate in and on the last day they hold a carnival...and this year we went back for it because my Mom was in charge of it! She worked so hard and it turned out great!! Paisleigh had so much fun! They had a costume contest and she won for her age group! She looked adorable! It was held at the elementary school, so we tiptoed out for a bit and played outside too!

We had a sick one this week....

Paisleigh had a yucky viral infection this past week! Luckily it was NOT the flu! Whew! I just really hope we pass that one up! However, our little one was running fever on Monday and Tuesday and just felt plain awful all week! Although the pictures tell a different story!! Oh well! So, Greg stayed home with her through Wednesday and I was THRILLED to be home with my girls on Thursday and Friday! IT WAS MUCH NEEDED! We had a really good time just hanging out! Paisleigh and Abigail both were perfect, but I was defiantly exhausted by the end of it all!

A week late, but too cute to pass up!

Well, we have been very busy it seems! The past two weekend have been full of fun and exciting adventures for us! Last weekend the Girls and I were able to meet my Sister (Gigi), Mom (Nona) and my Grandmother (Granny) for the Texas Tech Homecoming Parade on Broadway! We had so much fun and Paisleigh LOVED it! She even gave us a guns up!!





It was really a lot of fun to have all four generations together again! I have missed being with all of the girls so badly! It was great to finally have a Saturday full of events again! Oh yea...and the girls and Mom's pictures ended up in Lubbock Spotted Online! They were precious!!

We also went and got Paisleigh's hair cut for only the second time! She was so good and so still while she was trimming her up! Afterwards, Paisleigh went running through the mall swishing her hair side to side like she felt so wonderful! It was adorable!













































I really enjoyed watching Paisleigh's expressions! I could just tell she loved her hair and she felt like the little princess she is! :)

RACE FOR THE CURE!

We woke up early Saturday morning for a very exciting adventure! We participated in the 2009 Race for the Cure here in Lubbock! This was a very special morning for me, Angie (my sister), my girls and Greg to all participate in! Many of you know that my Mom is a Survivor of Breast Cancer! She is going on two and a half years of being CANCER FREE!! PRAISE GOD!! We are all so very proud of her and the battle she has overcome so graciously!!
It was a very chilly morning, but we had a wonderful time! There were TONS of walkers/runners and it was all very amazing to me that there are so many people out there that are effected by this cancer! It really was an overwhelming sight to see how many supporters there are here just in Lubbock! Pretty Cool!
One of Angie's good friends actually ran the 5k in Mom's name! We actually saw her running as we were finishing up our walk! Thank you Courtney for loving our Mom too!!
Greg also walked in memory of his Aunt Kathy Shirey, who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2003. We also walked in Celebration of Bess Bills (Greg's Great-Grandmother who is now 96) and Greg's Grandmother Phine Brownd, who are both also survivors of Breast Cancer!!

This is defiantly something that we will do every year! I want my girls to know how hard Mom fought and how proud of her we ALWAYS will be!!











Thank You Mom...For Being You! We LOVE YOU VERY MUCH NONA!!