Anniversary Weekend

Another anniversary trip is in the books! This one was wonderful and special and another big time favorite!! It was super last minute and almost didn't happen at all so that made us appreciate it even more. The trip that almost wasn't, but thankfully was. =)

We decided when Garrison's surgery was scheduled for May 26th that we'd have to plan something last minute for our anniversary as long as his recovery was going well and we felt comfortable leaving him. So early last week we made a final decision to go ahead with a weekend getaway and started looking for a place to stay on or near a beach. The beach was our first choice because of how much we loved last year's trip and because the beach is honestly one of the cheapest trips you can take. Wellllll, we had ZERO success finding anything. Places were either already booked, out of our price range, or required a minimum stay. It was so discouraging and frustrating. We searched every beach town we knew along the gulf and the Atlantic, we searched mountain towns, cities in the southeast, places we'd never been, places we'd been more than once and nothing was working out. Such a bummer!! After more than one place fell through, we FINALLY took a chance on a hotel just outside Panama City late Wednesday night. Phew. We were a tad nervous but sooo relieved to have our stay booked and our trip officially planned!

Friday morning bright and early and ready to kick off our weekend! (So thankful that I'm finally totally relaxed and at peace about leaving my babies. I've come a looong way. =))

I read this book most of the way down along with being in charge of the radio off an on. Terrell was sweet to share the radio this year. 

Meanwhile our boys got to have breakfast with Granna, AnAn, and Piper and Anna got the sweetest picture of the big boys walking Piper out. Presh!!

 We made it to PCB in time for lunch and to get checked in early. Yay! This was the view from our little balcony. #deepandgratefulsigh #beautiful 

We unpacked a little, grabbed some snacks and drinks, changed into swimsuits, and got ready to spend the whole afternoon at the beach!

This was our view from our beach chairs and umbrella. =) We just relaxed when we got there. It was seriously the perfect afternoon.

The water was gorgeous. Very tropical island like. 

Before our first swim in the ocean!

We had the best afternoon together. Resting, relaxing, toes in the sand, breeze blowing, fun swimming, taking  a walk on the beach, bliss. =) 

Around 5:00 Friday afternoon we went back to our room to get ready to go out.

We really wanted to try new places this trip so we decided on Schooners after reading reviews/recommendations and other than it being waaaay across town from where we were staying, it was perfect. We loved the view, the food, the atmosphere, everything.

It was a really fun night with good food and a beautiful sunset.

Good morning Saturday. =) 

We had another gorgeous day on Saturday and made it to the beach early so we could enjoy the whole day. The weather was perfect! We ate breakfast in our room (there was a McDonald's across the street so Terrell got us biscuits) and then packed snacks for the rest of the day so we wouldn't have to leave for lunch.

I finished this book and loved it! It's one I'm glad I have my own copy of it because I'll want to read it again in the future I know. And I must say the sand, ocean, sun, and blue skies were the perfect setting for reading it. =)

Ready to walk on the beach and swim in the ocean with my love!

I could not get over how pretty the water was. Ahhhhhh. Just beautiful. 

When we eventually got hungry and pulled out our snacks there was a seagull nearby that we decided to share with.... so then we attracted everybody and fed the whole group. =) They loved us. Haha.

It got more and more crowded Saturday afternoon and our "neighbors" weren't the most pleasant but we enjoyed our day to the fullest. Lots of relaxing, swimming, snacking, reading, walking, more swimming, and more relaxing made it perfect. 

We had reservations at another new (to us) restaurant for Saturday evening so we came in and got ready for our fancy date. =) We had a delicious meal and a great time at G. Foley's. We loved our special anniversary date. 

And of course we decided to splurge on dessert! Sooo good!!

Sunday morning we slept in a little and then woke up to clouds and eventually a down pour as we were packing up and checking out. The perfect time to head out and make our way home to see our babies!

I started a new book and dozed most of the ride home. =)

Our boys greeted us with smiles and hugs and it was a sweet reunion! Yay!! #reunitedanditfeelssogood

They had a great weekend with Granna and Papa and got to do all sorts of fun stuff. We got to hear all about it and were so thankful they had such a fun and special weekend. HUGE thanks to my parents for keeping the boys plus Bailey all weekend long and making it a wonderful one for our babies!! 

Our anniversary weekend is something we look forward to so much and this year was a challenge to get it planned and make it happen, but we did it and had the best time. An annual getaway as a couple is soo good for us! Even more so as the kids get older and we find ourselves so busy. We can't recommend it enough. If you're considering it- do it, plan it, make it happen. =)

Happy 12th anniversary to my forever favorite person!! Looking forward to so many more anniversaries and getaways with you!!

Friday Favorites: Our Start to Summer Edition

Our start to summer has been interesting so far. Between a tonsillectomy recovery, several rainy days, and lots of time at home without much to do, we've had a "testy" and trying summer kick off. Lots of crazy fighting, days of too much TV, some cabin fever, boys getting into trouble, and an occasional exasperated and frustrated mama just about sums it up. 

But thankfully it feels like we've turned a corner. Thank you Lord. Garrison is almost fully recovered, the boys are playing together much better (finally! without anyone being left out), and we've started having some great weather again which means happier and more active boys. Yay for the hope of summer fun and goodness! =)

Here are a few of my favorites from our start to summer...

*POPSICLES. Since Garrison's surgery these things are like a new food group at our house. We've gone through an estimated 60 popsicles in 2 weeks. It's crazy, but apparently delicious, wonderful, and a summertime must-have. =)

*We have been so blessed by everyone praying for Garrison and checking on him during his surgery and recovery... and we've even been given lots of DQ gift cards! One rainy day last week I decided to take the boys to spend some on the ice cream of their choice for our afternoon snack. We had a fun and yummy little outing.

*They sat on the same side so they could face the TV and watch college softball. Haha. They loved every second and every bite. =)

*On Sunday we celebrated our anniversary with a family date night!

*It was a fun way to celebrate!

*And of course we went out for ice cream afterwards. =) Garrison's recovery isn't helping anybody's beach bod. Ha!

*Earlier this week I let the boys play in the rain for a good stretch of the afternoon! They loved it. After a day of cabin fever it was perfect for all of us!

*A game of Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel with my littles was fun this week. Garrison and Terrell were busy searching for Garrison a new fidget spinner since we had a mix up with the one he originally picked out and ordered. 

*On Wednesday the weather was perfect. Sunny with pleasant temps! So we ran some errands and went to the park. The zip line thingy was the biggest hit. And mama had to demonstrate before anyone would try it. Hahaha. #hopenobodywaswatching

*Garrison made this picture of Austin since I had to lift him up and push him across. I got a workout from our time at the park! But had some much needed outside time and enjoyed it lots. Cold juice boxes and water waiting in the car for the ride home along with my fave radio station and it was our best and most quiet drive in a while. =)

Yesterday was all about trip prep. Terrell and I were finally able to find a place to stay for our anniversary weekend and we're heading out this morning! We are super excited. And relieved since it almost didn't work out. More on that later. The boys are pretty thrilled about their weekend fun coming up too. "Granna and Papa Weekend" or "Granna and Papa Camp" (they keep wanting to name it, haha) is going to be fun. =) Happy Friday, Happy Summer Weekend!! 

12

On Sunday, Terrell and I celebrated 12 years of marriage. I don't feel old enough to have been married for 12 years!! So I'm not sure how that happened. Ha! June 4, 2005 is the day we officially became Team Selph. =) We watched some of our wedding video and reminisced quite a bit over the weekend. Such a special day that began an adventure filled 12 years and counting!

And I couldn't resist a little look back over each anniversary. =)

1st Anniversary! We celebrated with a trip to Myrtle Beach. That first year was pretty challenging! But I'm thankful we endured it together.

2nd anniversary! We celebrated with a trip to Disney and Universal and had the best time ever. We loved this trip. We finally felt a little settled and had bought our house in Covington, I had started teaching, and we were about get Bailey. =)


3rd anniversary! We had just found out we were expecting! We went on a cruise and planned for our first baby. It was a really exciting time for us.

4th! Garrison Cade had arrived and we were settling in as new parents. =) I had just finished the school year and was staying home full time and loving it.

5th! We were in Cape San Blas on a family vacation. =) I was selling Premier while staying home and we were waiting for God to bless us with baby #2.


6th! We celebrated with an anniversary getaway to Atlanta and went on a Turner Field tour as part of our weekend. This summer we were busy planning and preparing for the arrival of our 2nd baby boy!


7th! We were a family of 4! We had just made the tough decision for me to go back to work part time and it turned out to be such a blessing for our family.


8th! Our weekend in Savannah was one of our favorites! Little did we know we were expecting again! We found out Father's Day weekend we'd soon be a family of 5. =)


9th! Mama and Daddy to 3 precious little boys! Even though we loved our life in Covington, we felt a stronger and stronger yearning to move back to Bville and The Lord blessed Terrell with a wonderful job opportunity! Later this summer we made the long awaited move back to our hometown!!


10th!! We were back in Barnesville after almost a year of renting while we waited for our house to sell and finally about to close on our forever home! This was such a sweet and exciting weekend and summer for us.


11th! Last year we had probably our favorite anniversary weekend ever. We went to the beach! We enjoyed it so much and had the best time.


Now, here we are. 12 years later. And what a ride it's been. God's faithfulness is never failing and His grace is always abundant.

It hasn't always been easy. We've had our rough stretches, our challenges, our issues. Honestly there have been some really hard days. But our commitment throughout the journey and our love for each other hasn't changed. Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1

12 years worth of many adventures, lots of laughs, plenty of tears, tons of challenges, and countless memories. It's all been worth it and we praise God from whom all blessings flow.

So thankful for the man God made for me! Happy 12th Anniversary to my love!! Looking forward to many, many, many more!!

Season Recap

A couple of weeks ago we wrapped up our 5th season of Spring baseball. 5 Springs in a row spent cheering, coaching, playing, sweating, loving, and practically living at the ball field. This season was another one full of exciting plays, dirt stains, a worn out mama, an awesome coach daddy, good games, busy evenings, tons of practices, and fun memories. 

And these 2 were the cutest players ever and my most favorite Trojans!

While it was definitely fun, this season was my most challenging yet. Every season is busy, and every season Terrell coaches is a huge commitment, but this season was tough on mama.

I started working full time...

Plus I was a dug-out mom for Austin's team...

Plus the wife of the head coach for Austin's team, wife of the assistant coach for Garrison's team, and mom of the busiest little mascot around! 

I LOVED watching my boys play. As I always do. They both had really great seasons. Garrison's team was undefeated while Austin was a little all-star stand out on his team. 

They both had a ton of fun and loved playing. Which makes it all more than worth it.

But I struggled with the commitment this season. I didn't even see every single play of every game. Every practice and every game was double duty for us and back to back. We had some long, late nights. I typically left the 2nd game early with Layton and whoever had already finished their game in effort to get some of our household in bed at a decent hour.

Most of those late nights, by the time we got the last boy in bed and I did all of my "night before" chores to get ready for the next day, I fell into bed exhausted myself. 

So while I had the best time watching them play, cheering them on, assisting in the dug-out, and laughing and hanging out with other baseball moms, I was also SPENT. And that was an unfortunate distraction for me this season. Working full time is game changer. A big one.

Thankfully it didn't effect my enjoyment of the games. The games were the best. I enjoyed every single one. 

It was mainly the craziness revolving around the games... practices, an almost impossible schedule, getting everyone fed, late nights, being away from the house almost constantly, the usual. But this season add in tons more responsibilities for me, and it was hard. 

But I know I will look back and treasure these memories. 

 And I know all 4 of my boys agree that the craziness is worth it and they loved every second. 

Even though this season was challenging, we made it. My boys had fun, they learned a lot, and their friendships, work ethic, and good attitudes grew.  

The season was long for this mama.

But short for my guys. I know they would've kept playing if it weren't for a tonsillectomy and out of town trips this month.

Next year my littlest will be joining the line-up and it's possible things might get even crazier. But the years are short and I want to savor it all. The craziness, the excitement, the highs and lows, and their love for the game. Baseball may not be something they play from now on.... or they could play throughout high school. Whatever they choose and no matter how crazy it gets, I don't want to miss it. 

Baseball 2017 was a whirlwind. I'm glad we're done and thankful for the off season. But I wouldn't trade the memories, fun, or excitement of the season for anything. 

Until next year.... when I'll be cheering on a 9 year old, 6 year old, and 4 year old. =)