The Love of a child...

My parents, (Miller's Nana & Grandpa Cliff), came to town to help me with a bunch of home improvement projects that have been on the dockit for several months. Since I had Miller, I've only been able to do short term projects because I don't have a lot of time between his naps!

Mom & Lee got to Durham on Sunday afternoon - we went to Lowe's right away (which was Miller's first trip I'm just realizing?) to gather all of our needed "supplies". We went to work first thing on Monday morning. Lee was really helpful! He backed his truck up to my flower beds and popped out the 4 overgrown & 1/2 dead boxwood shrubs. Then he moved inside to plumbing duty - changing out the old toilet parts, replacing them and he also adjusted a bunch of window clasps for us that weren't functioning properly.

Mom dug holes and helped me situate where my new plants/bushes should go. The hole digging - yeah, that was SERIOUSLY hard work! We are talking RED CAROLINA CLAY, people! Its no joke! (She definitely got the raw end of the deal!!! Sorry, mom!)

But the most important goal of their visit was to get in some fun "Miller time"!! Basically they were "paid" in the form of smiles and cute tongue clicks by one sweet little boy! ;o) They didn't want money... they wanted to love on him! ;o)

Today was one of those days when I wished that my family lived closer. These little projects didnt take a LOT of time, but I felt like they were getting done the RIGHT WAY, by people that love me. I really felt LOVED today - not only because the "projects" were getting done, but mostly because Miller was "cooed over, laughed at, snuggled & kissed" - there is something REALLLLY special about your child being loved on by your parents. Its something that can't be bought or sold!

I was really grateful today... for my baby. for working hard. for being raised TO work hard. for having parents that were willing to leave their OWN "projects" to come and help ME with MINE!... but mostly because they wanted to come here to love on my sweet boy!

I'm hoping I didn't scare them off, given I'm already working on the Phase II Home Improvement list... because I know one little boy that needs to spend more time with them!

It was a good day. I hope the next visit gets on the books really soon!

Thanks Mom & Lee!

xoxo

Me* + a baby jogger = A Dream Come True

I've been running for most of my life... I ran in high school competitively and in college/my adult years mostly I've run for fun with an occassional 5k or 10k thrown in the mix.

I've always found it to be so rewarding. Running up the driveway after a hard day at school or the office, with a clearer mind, sweat on my brow and veins pumping hard. It relaxes me.

Today, April 12th, 2011 - 5 months post-Miller, I got to live out a dream.

As crazy as it sounds, I've ALWAYS visualized myself running behind a jogger stroller - with my baby in it. ALWAYS. I can almost guarantee that nearly EVERY mile that I have trekked, has some how, in my mind, played out this day. In college, before the days of "thinking too far ahead", I visualized it. Post college, living in an apartment, wondering if I'd ever get MARRIED, let alone have a BABY, I visualized it. And after 5 years of marriage, wondering WHEN we'd finally get pregnant, I visualized it.

Today, running down the trail with the wind in my hair, sweat on my brow, and my baby in his jogger stroller, I was reminded just how truly blessed my life is... how FULL my heart feels. God is so faithful! This dream, that at times seemed so silly, was a reality today -- MY REALITY!

Today, jogging with my sweet 5 month old, Miller Jameson Bahr, God reminded me of my dream... today it came true and I'm forever, FOREVER grateful!

God is so good!

John sings... AGAIN!

The other night, Molly and I were cleaning up the kitchen from dinner. John had the baby in the living room when all of a sudden, JB started singing "You are so beautiful to me" to the baby.

Now, let me begin this TALE by saying that there are MANY, M.A.N.Y. things that I love and adore about my husband... HOWEVER, his singing abilities are *ahem* NOT one of the reasons I married him.

With THAT being said... he LOVE, LOVE, LOVESSSSSS to "sing" (if you want to call it that) to the children and I for the sole purpose of us begggginggg him to S.T.O.P. His forte - Picking the kids up from school, rides to AND from church, and (his favorite) longgg road trips... (there are no means of escape!)

Ok, so back to the other night....

JB is singing, singing, singinggg to poor little Miller (who is zoning out and wishing he were back inside my belly!)...

John: Youuuuuuuu. areeee. soooooo. beautiful. to. meeeee. (high pitch). Yourrr everythingggg I've HOPEDDD forrrr (high pitch) cant you seeeeeee (scretching, blood curdling pitch).

And I said, "John, you've never sung that song to me?"

When Molly, wiping down the kitchen table in her little-witty-smirkish-almost-12-year-old-self says: "well, I guess you aren't everything he's HOPED FOR?"

We all just about LOST IT.

I snorted, acted like the adult parent that I am...

Stuck out my tongue at her and called her a BRAT!

RUDE!

3 months!

I'm sitting here looking around my house at the dirty dishes, dirty laundry, packing that I should start for our upcoming trip to VA and the other "stuff" that *NEEDS* to be done... and all I can manage to do is stare at my NOW 3 month old baby boy sleeping!

How is it that the weeks go by so quickly when I haven't slept? Its crazy how God fashions this thing called *parenthood*... The heavy belly, the labor pains, and the lack of sleep - all to be replaced with the incredible LOVE that a child brings!

Breathing in and out so slow and evenly -- its such a wonderful, beautiful thing!

This sweet child is SUCH a gift... Wow? Thank you God for entrusting him to me!

Accountability!

I meant to get on here last week and tell all of my 3(!) followers that YES, Y.E.S. indeed, I did go out and order the two savings bonds for my cousins' kids!

I can't tell you how accomplished I felt walking out of the bank with the "my copy" as proof that I had gotten that little chore done. I did it on Friday so I not ONLY accomplished my task, but I also did it within the TIME FRAME that I set for myself. Its the little things people! And its allllll about the accountability.

Now, off to worry about something else that my seriously Type A self can come up with!... Like, maybe the extra 10lbs of baby "love" that just WONT. SEEM. TO. LEAVE. MY. BODY. ;o)

Random thoughts for the day.

I really wanted to write something totally perplexing tonight - but given the sleep deprivation, I'm finding that my thoughts are in short sentence fragments.

These are some of the random thoughts that have crossed my mind today... Enjoy the randomness that follows...

I'm convinced that I'm addicted to chocolate Entennman's donuts - so much so, that our kids KNOW that if they even TOUCH the box they are in DEEP trouble! They are known as "E*s special donuts"... Confession: some days I have 2!

...Which immediately leads to THIS thought: the extra 10lbs of baby *love* that has highjacked my waistline is OVER staying its welcome!!! It really doesn't help that I crave carbs ALLLL day long? That I never feel full? or that I eat cookies like I'm 12! And NO, I'm not exaggerating. I literally baked a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies the other day JUST for myself. Its quite ridiculous. Oh, and GUESS WHAT? Its girl scout cookie time... Uggggg I will be adding an additional 10lbs to the current 10lbs of baby *love* and will basically NEVER wear a bathing suit again at this rate. *SIGH*

Another random thought: Before I had Miller, I was OBSESSED with plucking my eyebrows... it was pretty serious! (just ask my sisters!) Sitting at a stoplight was my FAVORITE time to pluck away - the lighting was/is ALWAYS perfect (trust me on this!). Welllllll, SINCE Miller's arrival - my eyebrows look like a blonde catepillar convention! This pains me!

How about THIS one: True confession: for 1.8 seconds today when I was pulling into my driveway, I *thought* about life with a minivan... EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK! Don't panic my faithful 3(!) blog followers! I snapped out of it at the 1.9 second mark - but WHEW! Close one! At that thought, I IMMEDIATELY ran into the house, up the stairs, threw open my cabinet, got out my tweezers and WENT. TO. TOWNNN. on THOSE hideous eyebrows for a full 20 minutes.... MUST. FIND. ELAINE. UNDER. THIS. MESS. PRONTO. SHES. LOOSING. HER. MARBLES.

(7 feet of blonde eyebrows later)

The world looks more like I remember it - and the baby seems excited (thus the photo above!) to see that his mother has eyes again! Whew... a WIN-WIN!

Things I'm wrestling with...

These are some of the thoughts that I've been wrestling with during midnight feedings...

It bothers me when people insinuate that I "just" became a mom 10 weeks ago. I've been a parent for 5.5 years - yes, it's different now, BUT I've been a "mom" for some time. I have 3 kids - not 1! I wonder if people would think the same thing if I had 2 adoptive children, and then had Miller? Wrestle.

When I say I'm going to do something, its REALLY important for me to do it - its about integrity for me. I told my cousins I was going to get their children $50 savings bonds over a year ago and I haven't done it yet... and it REALLY bothers me. I doubt they have given it any thought at all, but I beat myself up over it on a REGULAR basis. So much so, that I have a goal to get it done THIS week! (I'll keep you posted.) Wrestle.

I want to be a more generous person - like my husband and my grandmother. I want to give to people as SOON as God tells me to give them something. My goal is to be more obedient to His voice. Wrestle.

I'm so Type A that I often get lost in the "put things where they belong" mode. I think this secretly drives my husband and children crazy. In the long run, having the "stuff in its place" probably doesn't really matter? I mean, I want my house to be in some kind of good order, but more importantly(!), I want my kids to remember me as a genuinely loving parent - one that allowed for mistakes to be made and yet, fun to be shared - not a clean house freak. So what if they left their game on the table or their craft stuff out? I really want to make memories they will cherish, not rules that pester the crap out of everyone? I contemplate this A. L. O. T. -- Type A style! Wrestle.

I want Molly, Mack and Miller to be known by others as children that are compassionate for others. I want them to be known as the "kids that can play it forward". I pray that every day for my kids - I ask God to help them make good, Godly choices that they can play forward and see how it affects themselves and others around them. What are ways that John and I can facilitate that?... Wrestle.

There is so much about life that I have contemplated lately - not just because Miller was born, but because I've actually HAD time TO think (thank you midnight feedings!)! God has revealed things in myself that I need to work on in order to be all that He has called me to be!

So, if God's called me to be a stay at home mom/wife, I want to do it well! I want to be known as a mother of 3 kids, not 1... a woman of integrity... who is generous... yet, somewhat neurotic and type-A - but not so much that my kids wish I take meds!... and I want to be a woman of compassion so my kids have a good example to follow. I have alot of work to do - but I'm believing that God's called me to these things for a reason. ;o)

Miller's 1st MLK day.

Today, Miller and I had to go to my dentists office. Its about 40 mins from our house.

While Miller is a realllly good baby, hes not a huge fan of long car rides yet. So about 1/2 way there he started getting a little fussy - so, we talked! The topic: Martin Luther King and why we celebrate a day just for him. He instantly stopped fussing and just listened!

While I talked, and Miller listened, I too reflected on how monumental Mr. King was for our country. What an incredible legacy he left behind. What I love most about his legacy is that he was truly a man of great love. He had a love for ALL people, not just one race.

I believe that God gave that incredible man a dream. He obeyed God. If we all acted out the dreams that God gave to each of us, instead of living out of fear - I believe that this world would be A MUCH better place.

Just something to think about!

A New Year... A New Life!

Wow! It's hard to believe that the last time I posted a blog on here was OCTOBER 2009? How did that happen? Where did the time go?

Let's see if I can do a quick recap...

Mission Trip to Haiti, photography classes, photography business, a trip to Turks and Caicos, a dear friends wedding in Mexico, another wedding in New Jersey... Oh -- and this little thing called a BABY!!!!! ;o)

On November 11, 2010, I gave birth to Miller Jameson Bahr. He was 6lbs 10oz, 21 inches and precious! No, like LITERALLY P.R.E.C.I.O.U.S.! He's the BEST thing that I've ever done with my life.

People told me time and time again when I was pregnant that "its a love like no other." I shrugged. But It's SOOOOO true. There is absolutely NOTHING like a love you've ever experienced before. A love so strong and deep that it has scared me to death. I can't even begin to describe it, but I've heard it said like this before: "it feels like your heart is outside of your body". Its true.

Its a wonder that Miller has any skin left because I've practically kissed it off!! I'm totally, completely, and passionately in love with this new role that God has called me to.... Being a "Mommy".

I'm praying that God will continue to impart wisdom and discernment to John and I as parents. Not only for Baby Miller, but especially to Molly and Mack as we go from a family of 4 to a family of 5! This "blending" is such a delicate dance - and its one that I've prayed about for many, many years.

2011 is upon us, and I'm hopeful that the blessings will be many and that the wisdom and discernment will abound!

Cheers!

Haiti mission trip and John K. Bahr!

So John and I took a mission trip to Haiti last week with a team of 10 others from our church (Crosspointe Church) in Cary, NC.

I'm still processing a lot of what I saw, smelled, and experienced but the MOST profound thing that I can say without a doubt - is that my husband, the one and only, John K. Bahr, is my hero.

We were separated much of the trip, just doing different missions, but I was able to watch him from a distance on several occasions. Every time that I watched him, without him knowing, I thanked God for his heart. My husband has a servants heart. He never once complained and he is always there for whatever the task at hand may have been.

He not only shared a room AND bathroom/shower with 9 other men, he didn't sleep well (which is nothing new), but it was also veryyyy veryyyyy hot in Haiti... I never once heard him utter a complaint.

I love his heart. I love his desire to be a better person. I love that God chose HIM for me!

Balancing act.

Over the last several weeks, our lives seem to have spiraled out of control. From John's "extended stay" at Duke, my Granny passing away, and other "stuff" that I don't feel at liberty to discuss with the WORLD via the WORLD WIDE WEB... John and I have been left feeling tired, worn out, run down, beat up, and just overall... BLAH!

Last week, I began praying about where I was with everything in my life. And God revealed things that needed to be addressed, cleaned up, worked on, and refreshed.

Balance. I needed it back in my life.

So, last week I started with getting back to a regular schedule. When I got home in the evening I worked out, I had quiet time, and I forced myself to take time to just "be"... this meant less cell phone, email, and Facebook time. I had to unplug.

Tonight, after a very busy weekend, I feel like I'm ready to try and tackle next week with the same strategies that I implemented last week.

Focus. Balance. and Quiet time.

Cheers to hopefully another successful attempt at finding it.

JB's "extended stay" at the hospital...

Who knew that a little cut from a pocket knife (4 stitches worth) would cause us to have an "extended vacation" at Duke University Hospital?

While the majority of this experience was a scary time, John and I were able to share a lot during those 4 days.  Basically, time stopped for a little while.  We were FORCED to slow down, "unplug", wait, pray, and just let the Dr's do what they do best.  

There were several funny things that happened... 

Yesterday, JB's manager and friend, Mark, came to visit him in the hospital - which was completely unexpected and appreciative.  He said:  I've got a little something for you from the office.  He reached into his pocket and pulls out a little white, plastic knife that was signed "get well"  "get better soon", etc and signed by all his work mates.  Hilarious!  I WILL be framing that and putting it up in the garage where the "incident" occurred.

Then this morning, I ran down to the cafeteria to get us both some (really baddd) coffee.  I set it up in front of him on the tray and put a straw in the cup w/ a lid and warned him that it was INDEED hot!  When i noticed that he was struggling w/ it, I bent the straw so he could reach it. I turned around and heard a horrible grunt and moan - I looked and JB had taken a sip out of the straw, but b/c it was bent it downward, the hot coffee spilled out onto his chest.  The poor man had 2 hands that weren't "available" to wipe away the hot coffee... Bottom line, he burnt his whole chest.  

I felt sooo terrible - then he looks at me with a serious look and says:  "are you TRYING to kill me? now I've got a CHEST WOUND to boot!  Guess they'll be sending me to the BURN UNIT NEXT!"  We both busted out laughing!  I mean at THAT point, you had to laugh.

I will say that now that we are finally home, showered, and happy about the promise of sleeping in our own bed - I can't help but reflect on how incredibly fragile life really is.  Sheryl Crow nails it when she sings that every day is a winding road!  

a fresh hair cut... an ode to Kim!

Tonight I got my haircut.  While that isn't exciting to anyone OTHER than myself, I am so incredibly happy about it!

I love my girl, Kim Young at Mitchells at Southpoint... Let me tell ya, she's AWESOME!  

I told her tonight that I wasn't leaving until she gave me her cellphone number -- b/c I told her that if she EVERRR leaves Mitchells and doesn't tell me about it -  I WILL kick, scream, and cry!  I even told her that I would FLY to Korea to FIND her and have her cut my hair... ;o)

People, she's THAT good and I love her.

So, tonight before I got in the bed I had to give my girl, Kim a shout out!... even though she doesn't read my blog.  I don't care. 

Basically, she made my day and I'm grateful.

 

Molly-isms...

Molly is 10... going on 38!  She is very intuitive, insightful, thoughtful, caring, and has acquired a very funny personality.  Molly is my sidekick and I just love being in her company!

Last weekend when we got the kids, I hadn't seen them since our trip to Disney World and I had really missed them.  

Molly came up to me and said, "Um, do you have something for me?"

Me:  what do you mean?  We are getting ready for dinner?  No.

Molly: You know... something for me?

Me:  Nope. (thinking to myself - JUST BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN U IN A WHILE DOES NOT WARRANT A GIFT???  maybe I can make a lesson out of this...)  

Molly:  So, you mean, you don't have a gift for me... IN YOUR BELLY?

Me:  Dumbfounded?  What???? WHAAAATTTTT????  NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Later that weekend, we go to Barnes and Noble.  I go get coffee, John takes the kids upstairs to the kids section and when I get up there, both kids are in their dads lap (big surprise!) in an over stuffed chair.  

To no surprise of coarse, John and Mack are looking at a book about "fancy-handled-knives". Molly, on the other hand, is "hiding" the book that she has chosen.  (She's at the stage that she can (and WILL) read anything - and age "appropriate-ness" is always a factor!)

  

Me: Molly, I hope that you have chosen to read something that is age appropriate?

Molly:  ummm

Me:  Mol, really - I dont want you reading something that you know isn't appropriate!

   (me, looking at the book that she is hiding... I GASP!)

Molly;  I KNEWWW you were going to do that and I'm ONLY looking at it for the book I'm writing.

ME:  DEER IN HEADLIGHTS...

Ummm, yeah.  Its the one and only:  60,000 BABY NAMES!

Good grief... this kid is hard up for a sibling?  Someone PLEASE send my kid a baby doll!!!!

... that cries, poops, stays up ALL night, and that needs funding for a college education!

SIGHHH... welcome to my life!

What I love most about myself???

Tonite, I had a Hot Totties meeting with some of my most favorite women!

We started with an icebreaker where we threw a ball of yarn from one person to the next and we had to answer a question that our President (the one and only, rockin' SUZANNE!) came up with.

Several questions like:

• What kind of animal would you be given the choice?
• What is the best gift ever given to you?
• If you had to lose one of your senses what would it be?

My question was ....

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF????

On the spot, you dont have a lot of time to think about a question of this caliber! Of coarse, I started out with, "ummm, wellllll, there are JUST. SOOOO. MANY. THINGS. ITS. REALLY. HARD. TO. CHOOSE."

I quickly came up with: My personality.

I'm really grateful that God granted me the ability to laugh... both at myself and lifes' many insane situations.

But I have to say that after thinking about the question the rest of the evening, I do, INDEED, love a lot of things about myself....

I love that:

• I can forgive myself for mistakes that I've made.
• I've worked really hard to be a successful woman.
• I've got an AMAZING network of friends... outside of where I'm from!
• I have a very happy marriage.
• I work hard to love myself - regardless of lifes UPS and DOWNS!
• at the end of the day, I know, that I know, THAT I KNOW, that God loves me right. where. I. am.!... I really love that I know that... b/c there are people that I love very deeply that still don't know that!

So for what its worth, I really DO love a lot about myself.... and honestly, not in a cocky, conceited way... but in a way that I'm really proud of... and today, on the 55th wedding anniversary of my very beloved grandparents, I'm happy to say that because of their endless love and reinforcement, I believed what they said about me... " I have a lot to be proud of."

Overwhelmed and testy!

So why is it that on a Saturday when I WANT to enjoy a day at the pool is it THE most overcast day of the year?

Tell me then, Whyyyy is it that since its an overcast day can't I sleep in past 7am?

Whyyy is it that when I get up at the crack of dawn do I feel the need to do YARD WORK?

WHYYYYY CAN'T I ENJOY A LEISURE DAY OFF PEOPLE???

WHY CAN'T I SIT STILL FOR ONEEEE MINUTE AND NOTTT FEEL THE NEED TO DO LAUNDRY, CLEAN THE HOUSE, DO YARD WORK, AND WELL... JUST EEEENNJOYYY IT????

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGgggggggggggggggg...

Husband on the other hand...

Slept in, read a book (yes a WHOLE book), worked out with the guys, smoked a cigar, and watched a movie.

WOMEN? Why aren't we wired to just CHILL?

... oh wait, thats right?!! B/c if WE "chill" NOTHING WILL GET DONE AROUND HERE???
GOOD GRIEF!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed and testy tonight... sorry fellas!

...ahhhhh, that's better!

Tweens 101

So lets just say, that there is a little girl who just turned 10.

And then lets say that she has had "the life talk" at school.

Just "imagine" that one day you come home from work, haven't eaten all day, and the tween starts in... You inhale a piece of leftover pizza, while irritably TRYING to listen to a tween that is in crisis about a "mishap" that occurred on the playground.

Lets say that about 20 mins later your stomach starts hurting from said inhaled pizza and tween crisis. You turn to tween holding belly and say, "um, my stomach hurts". To which the tween says, "oh, aren't we near the end of the month".

Me... "Well, technically no - its the 2nd." (completely clueless as to where this is going b/c having a tween is uncharted territory)

Tween... "Ohhhhh, well you knowwwww, crapping in your stomach and irritability towards the end of the month... Humm, don't be "offensive" (not knowing how to correctly use the word) but you MAYYYY be starting your period."

Me... collapsed on floor.

Seriously people? I'm not ready for this...

where ohhhh where is E*????

Dear Blog,

I'm saddened that I have neglected you in such a horrible manner!

The question is: Where Ohhh WHERE is E*????

Answer: Running around with her head cut off... using a chain saw to cut down trees in the front yard... walking, grooming, feeding, loving a dog... tending to much needed weeding in flower beds... tending to laundry that has taken over the universe... Children that are turning into tweens? (think about this for more than a moment... INSERT PRAYER REQUEST HERE... thank you, moving on)... wedding for youngest sister... support letters for a mission trip to Haiti... the usual - dusting, mopping, scrubbing, and other domestic bliss(!) that requires a womans touch... Sighhhh... and AGAIN, Laundry that has taken over the universe... photography shoots... photography classes... was there mention of a tween living under the same roof???... AGAIN, I say, PRAY people!...

Blah, blah, blah...That is where she has been.

If you love her, please send her a word of encouragement... or twelve! If you have your own laundry (no pun intented) list, and would like to share in her misery... open a bottle of wine and batten down the hatches! After about 1/2 a bottle the laundry and the dog all start to look the same and you remember that in the end, Love is the only thing that matters!!

Life is good, but better with WINE,
E*

Neglect during tax season...

During tax season, (can I get a shout out that another year is BEHIND us!... Woot! Woot!) there are MANY things on the home front that get what one would call "NEGLECTED"....

This is a list that I've come up with:

• Toes - no need to elaborate here, just understand - them DOGS WERE BARKIN'... LOUD!
• Laundry - we ALLL are very well aware of my "love" for laundry... well, lets just "say" that you have an "excuse" for 3 months(!) to "neglect" it??? Really people, what would YOU DO? DUhhhhhhh???? what I did.... let me put it this way, when the "last resort, ugg I HATE these" DRAWSSSS are the only "drawers" LEFT... we GOT A PROBLEM! SERIOUSSSSssss Problem!
  
• Zayleigh - she looks less like a dog and more like a veryyyyy fluffy cat - fortunately, shes getting groomed next week. However, by then she may look more like a Gremlin? I'll keep you posted?
• Kids - lets just "say" that we had the kids for about 4 days, and welllllll - something about them taking a bath???? I dont know, memory is failing me???? Ok, fine. They didn't get one? I think I have to give back my "stepmom of the year" award for that? however, i'm happy to report that they survived - but they started calling themselves "Pigpen"?
  
• Facebook - didn't remember my password? Nuff said?
• Blog... SHAME, ohhhh the SHAME!

But this is allll behind me for another 9 months!

I WILL report HaPPILY(!) that I'm doing WELL w/ getting bday cards/packages to loved ones on or BEFORE(!) their bday! (insert New Years Resolution here)...

Happy April 15th, PM~!!!
:-)

My little ole' hometown...

The time has COME to finally head back to the little ole' town that raised me.

The town with no stop lights, only one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. The town that only had "a" grocery store until a few years ago. The town where EVERYONE knows your name, your family history, and all the "dirt" that you've ever been "accused" of... (note: 3/4 of it wasn't the actual story, of course!)

This little town has a place in my heart that no city, state, or vacation site can full!

This town is the place of my roots, my heart, my integrity, my values, my fondest memories, my family, and long time friends.

It's where my life began.

It's probably my ultimate place of "rest" and being my "true" self.

It's Home.

... ahhh, can't wait!