Massie

I had trouble choosing my favorites to show you all, so here are a bunch of photos of a really cute little girl named Massie.

Enjoy!

:j

My cousin, Tracie

If it weren't for my cousin Tracie and her incessant nagging begging for blog posts, there is a good chance that this blog would have died months ago. I guess it kind of did die for a while, but I am in the process of reviving it. Anyway, Tracie turned 21 this week, and so this post is for her. (I'm lying about her age, by the way so that I don't have to write as much - and to protect her identity.)

21 Things I Love about Tracie

1. She instinctly knows when 2 o'clock rolls around because that means it's Happy Hour at Sonic.
2. She's been known to buy my drink at Sonic - but only if it's Happy Hour.
3. When her baby is throwing a fit, she calls it a come apart.
4. Her name is alliteration, which I love.
5. She named her baby Jenner after me. (That isn't entirely true, but I'm going to claim it.)
6. She comes to visit us once a year even though we don't go visit her.
7. She is also a school librarian.
8. She cried bawled through the last Harry Potter movie.
9. She reads my blog.
10. Not only does she read it, she tells me it's funny.
11. She brings Tonya with her when she comes to visit.
12. She can tell a story like no one I know.
13. Her little boy is adorable, and he is excellent at impersonating a monkey.
14. She comments on my Facebook albums.
15. She is a wonderful mom to Jenner.
16. She has the best Arkansas accent.
17. When referring to appointments with her OBGYN, she calls it an "open house" (Is that blog appropriate? Probably not.)
18. She is open about her Facebook stalking, which I appreciate as one of her stalkees.
19. She's hilarious.
20. She's laid back.
21. She's my relative, so that has to say something!

Happy Birthday - a little late.

:j

Summer days slipping away....

Summer is officially over for me. It's back to work, so I thought I would give a quick tribute to the lazy days of June and July - especially since I didn't blog much about it during the actual months.

My summer started with a hiking trip with my family. We went to the Buffalo River area in Arkansas. The reason we went was Decoration Day and a family reunion. We hiked, canoed, and had a lot of fun as a family.

It ended with a trip to Colorado. (Well actually, it ended with a trip to the lake with my sister-in-laws, but I didn't take any photos there, so it doesn't get a full write up.) Anyway, in Colorado we hiked some more, drove a lot, and just enjoyed each others company. It was one of the best road trips ever. The scenery was gorgeous and the people were so much fun.

In between those trips, I hung out with friends a lot. We played volleyball, washers, card games, and stayed up way too late. 

Oh, and I planted a garden. Unfortunately gardening and traveling don't really go hand in hand, but I'm still looking forward to a pumpkin harvest this fall!

Plus I spent some time at camp and VBS with my church.

The best part about my summer was I got a new sister-in-law!! Watch out world, there are 2 Jenny Colliers now!

Yep, it was a good summer.

:j

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Momma turns 51 today, so here are 51 things I love about her. (Please send up a quick prayer right now that she doesn't kill me after telling you all how old she is.)

1. She throws really good parties.

2. She puts up with me and my incessant need for words of affirmation.

3. At any given time she can come up with at least 5 routes to get you anywhere in town.

4. She's pretty good at finding cute stuff on clearance for my house.

5. She loves her grand baby more than anything. Including her own children.

6. She is a good cook. She is famous for her dirt and baked beans.

7. She allowed me to grow up without having to make my bed everyday.

8. She didn't let Dad name me Rachelle.

9. Even when we my brothers did stupid things, she never yelled at us growing up.

10. She puts up with my brothers and I.

11. She's really good at Tetris - seriously - it's a talent.

12. She taught me the importance of a good eyebrow wax.

13. She's really good at doing taxes. I'm amazed at her 10-key speed.

14. Her eye for color is the reason my house looks decent. If it weren't for her, my entry way would be puke green, and I'm not joking.

15. She can't stay awake for an entire movie.

16. She gets addicted to reality television easily.

17. She raised me right.

18. Her heart for God trumps everything else.

19. She gets tickled at my grandpa easily.

20. She listens to me whenever I go off on rants about random topics.

21. She doesn't take herself seriously.

22. She has good advice.

23. She always packed the best road trip snacks.

24. She and Dad always provided for the family.

25. She didn't let me walk out of the house without my hair brushed when I was little.

26. She was fair about who got to sit in the front seat growing up.

27. She plays piano well.

28. Growing up, she always complimented me and pushed me to my best.

29. She attended all of my band and choir concerts.

30. She puts a lot of effort into picking out the best gifts for people.

31. She's creative.

32. She makes sure that everyone at her house feels welcomed.

33. Her house always has starburst jelly beans. I don't like them, but my friends do.

34. She bought certain types of soda even though we didn't drink them because she knew they were my friends favorite.

35. She lets me invite people out to swim at her house all the time.

36. She is incredibly giving.

37. She still makes sure we eat together as a family at least once a week.

38. She selflessly devoted the vast majority of her life to raising my brothers and I.

39. I can count on her to get me a good appointment at the doctor's office.

40. She tries very hard to get us to sing around the piano at Christmas.

41. She still makes Easter Baskets and Valentine's gifts for us.

42. She reads blogs and then calls me to tell me to read them.

43. She is an excellent Facebook stalker.

44. She models being a great wife and mother.

45. She hates coffee and tea, but still makes it for Dad.

46. She packs really good lunches.

47. She has an excellent eye for decorating.

48. She is loyal to her friends and family.

49. She goes out of her way to find shoes for baby Cash and his fat feet.

50. She cleans my house for me when I'm out of town.

51. She puts up with me - although she does tell me I'm a mess at least twice a day, and she says she worries about me about fifteen times a day.

Oh, and sorry for the absence. I'm back now, so Tracie can stop calling me out on Facebook for not blogging!

:j