New Year's Resolutions

I have to be honest and say that I am not into resolutions. I think it sets you up for a lot of failure. All this pressure about it being a new year and needing to be better at something- losing weight, get rid of a bad habit- only to give up within 2 weeks.

This year, I've picked some things that I really want to improve on. There's a lot of ground I feel like I can cover and Jeff and I can do some of these together.

1. Work on debt- this is a long-term goal for me and Jeff. We have some major things we'd like to do, not only this year, but in the years to come. Taking trips, making some improvements to our house, selling and buying a new house are all plans for us in the coming years, but some progress needs to be made in order to make all this happen.

2. Cook at home- this was something I promised myself I was going to do last year. I won't say I was overly successful, but I did add a few more dishes to our rotation of dinners and learned how to brown ground beef and cook chicken in the crock-pot. I hope to make more progress this year, especially as Cooper eats more table food.

3. Eat healthier- I have gotten into a terrible habit of eating Chick-Fil-A for more meals a week than I'd like to admit. At one point, not too long ago, I was eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I plan on getting back into that habit, bringing Jeff and Cooper along with me. It's better for all of us, not only health-wise, but financially.

4. Take time for the small things- I've already started working on this. I'm taking time out of each day for myself, usually reading for 30 minutes each night before bed and always working out in the mornings. Now that Cooper is older, on the move, and starting to understand how to play, I'm finding such joy in watching him discover how his toys work, how much he knows, and how happy he is.

There are more things to work on and improvements can always be made, but I feel like these are some of the issues that can be worked on in which little victories can lead to big ones.

What are some of your resolutions?

A Year in Pictures

What a year it's been! 2010 was eventful, unusual, and fast-paced.

2010 was snowy in Memphis. We avoided taking Cooper out in it, but I did take lots of pictures because we were home together a lot:



Finally, the weather began to improve, right in time for Easter. We had taken Cooper to church before, but Easter was the first time we sat in the sanctuary, which was short-lived. At least he looked cute, thanks to YaYa's sewing talents:


As soon as Easter was over, Jeff and Hondo took a quick trip to Augusta, GA, to take in a practice round for the Masters. This is the 2nd time they've been able to go and Nana and Hondo are going again in 2011.

The spring season brought an infestation of roof rats, as mentioned a number of times in the blog. Our next door neighbors, who live in squalor, are apparently breeding "who knows what" in and around their house. The "who knows what" moved right on over the property line, and thus began an 8 month battle of trying to get rid of the rodents.

May is a hectic time for me at work, between state testing and graduation. I had just finished a presentation with the senior class on their last day of school and was starting to feel like the end was in sight when I got a phone call that scared me to death. Jeff had gotten in a wreck and all the witness would tell me was that I needed to get to the scene as soon as possible. I was able to talk to Jeff, but he sounded groggy and I didn't know what to think. Here's what I found when I got to the wreck site:

Jeff was headed home for lunch when a car swerved into his lane. In an effort to miss that car, he swerved, not realizing there was a parked furniture delivery truck. The car that caused the wreck stopped, but left the scene when they saw Jeff climbing out of the top of the truck bleeding. Thankfully, the witness who saw the wreck verified Jeff's story and stayed with him until I got there. Unfortunately, his injuries landed us at the MED for almost 12 hours. Kyle stayed with me, Nana, and Hondo for part of the afternoon while YaYa and Pops kept Cooper and one of mine and Jeff's friends, Dave, visited, but the MED is one of the absolute worst experiences I've ever had. By the grace of God, Jeff escaped with scrapes, bruises, and a cut tear duct, which was repaired the next day. Here he is on our way to surgery:

And here is the picture from the junkyard that insurance used for claims purposes:

Obviously we'd have preferred for the wreck to never have happened, but are thrilled that the outcome wasn't more serious. It's true what they say: objects can be replaced, but people can't.

We are very lucky that Aunt Leigh, Uncle Mark, and Regina have a pool at their house and are gracious enough to let us use it during the summer. Cooper preferred to drink pool water in the beginning, but liked to play and be pushed around in his float, too. After a few times in the pool, we dunked him and he was perfectly fine with it. Do we have a future swimmer on our hands? Cousin Regina, the star swimmer of the family, certainly hopes so!



July was busy, but fun, as we started of the month in Dyer, TN, with Jeff, Tori, Tori's parents, and her friends Justin, Allison, and Samantha Little. Then we ventured to Horseshoe Lake, AR, to Aunt Leigh, Uncle Mark, and Regina's cabin for the 4th of July. We made in back in time for the fireworks in Germantown, too!

Tori and Sam with Cooper and Jeff



We took our annual vacation to St. Pete Beach and had a great time. Our friends Kim and Gavino got married and we are now able to say that 4 generations of my family have vacationed at the same place.

Cooper and YaYa checking out the gulf.


Hanging out at the pool with Jeff, Uncle Kyle, and the Angricks


Pops helping Cooper model some Janie and Jack summer wear.

August brought the beginning of a new school year and a new day care situation. Mrs. Lara has been an absolute God-send for us. She loves and takes care of Cooper like he's her own, is reliable, and so willing to help out whenever I need to stay late at work. It has been wonderful, especially compared to what we had become accustomed to.

Soon after school started, though, Grandmama's health began failing. She had some very close calls, leaving us all on speed dial with one another in case something happened. Eventually, her health improved enough to be moved out of ICU, then to a nursing home. Unfortunately, her doctor decided there wasn't much else that could be done and the decision was made to send her home with hospice. I know it was as bittersweet for her as it was for us. It was nice for her to home so we could visit whenever we wanted and we could take Cooper to see her, though.

September brought my 29th birthday, Cooper's first steps, and a trip to Jackson to visit Jeff and Tori. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. Jeff and Jeff golfed, Tori and I got pedicures, and we all hung out, enjoying our time together.

October was so busy for us. Cooper turned 1- I still can't believe it.


We took a trip over Fall break to Destin with Nana and Hondo:


Once we made it home from Destin, we had the visitation and funeral for Grandmama, spending lots of time with my family, as well. Not long after that, we celebrated Halloween with Cooper as "The Cat in the Hat":


November was much calmer and we all enjoyed Thanksgiving. Cooper and I had 3 days off together and Jeff had Thanksgiving and the Friday afterwards off work. Cooper wasn't a fan of turkey, but did love pumpkin pie and, of course, rolls!


Aunt Kim with Cooper

December was a whirlwind with Jeff and I both busy at work, Jeff's 31st birthday, and the holidays. Not to mention, we have a fully mobile toddler on our hands! Cooper is running like crazy. We just follow him throughout the house, trying to make sure he doesn't hurt himself somehow.
Santa was very good to Sweet Cooper, even if he wasn't sure what to think of it:


In addition to going full speed, Cooper has been blowing kisses for a few months now; will bring books to us to read to him; will give Avery her toys to play with; and pull on the refrigerator door, point to his food cabinet, or try to drag his high chair into the kitchen when he's ready to eat. We've found new favorite foods in chicken and dumplings, bologna, grilled cheese, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and Eggo cinnamon toast waffles. He's definitely mischievous, often doing something he knows he shouldn't, then smiling and running off when he gets caught.

We are all hopeful that 2011 will be a much better year for us. We're excited about the things to come- Jeff and Hondo's trip to Scotland, our trip to Florida, watching Cooper grow- and dreading other aspects (ahem...someone turns 30 in 2011), but are thankful for our family, friends, and the blessings that have been given to us.

Happy New Year!

2010 Favorites

Hard to believe that 2010 is almost over. Honestly, I'm glad. It's been a rough year, but there have been lots of favorites.


After seeing Jersey Boys at The Orpheum in January, it took the #1 spot as my favorite musical. I can't wait for this show to make another stop in Memphis!


Pedicures at Gould's Day Spa. I'll take a pedicure just about any way I can get it, but at Gould's, I don't get as many ingrown toenails and the polish stays on my toes longer.


Saucony running shoes- I was pretty dedicated to New Balance, but decided to give Saucony a try. Now I don't know that I will ever go back. These are the most comfortable running shoes I've ever worn and would like to really get back into running in 2011.

I have to include something about St. Pete Beach, the place my family has vacationed for over 20 years. I love this place- everything from the quiet beach, to walking to breakfast each morning, to relaxing at the pool, but especially the people we spend time with on our trip. I can't wait for vacation again!



Candymaker in Destin, Florida, has THE best truffles I've ever tasted. After taking my parents' suggestion of trying them when Nana and Hondo took me, Jeff, and Cooper to Destin, I was hooked and had to bring a bunch home!


Glee. Love this show! It took me a few weeks to catch up on the 1st season and get into the 2nd season, but it was definitely worth the time.

As mentioned in a previous post, I love to read. After hearing a lot about the Stieg Larsson trilogy, I was thrilled to receive the first two books from Mama and Daddy for my birthday. I probably wouldn't have picked them up shopping at the bookstore, but I am so glad I gave them a chance.




Just Dance 1 and 2- after 15 years of dance lessons growing up, I still love it. I got Just Dance 1 right after Christmas last year and it was a nice work out change from the treadmill as I was trying to lose baby weight. I got Just Dance 2 for Christmas this year and it's already a favorite!


Green Apple Active yoga pants. I found these on zulily.com, a website that caters to moms and their kids. They have super deals and I got these pants for really cheap. I gave them to Jeff to give me as one of my Christmas gifts and after wearing them the first time, I am in love! They are so comfy and soft. Maybe one day I'll actually use them for yoga instead of just working out or sleeping.

Of course, my favorites things in the world aren't things, but my sweet boys- Cooper and Jeff:

Nothing compares to being loved and loving these two. I'm a lucky girl. Although this year has been difficult, having Jeff and Cooper in my life have made the hard times easier and the fun times all the more enjoyable. There's nothing like hearing Cooper make kissing sounds and call out "Mama" or "Dada"- thanks, Mrs. Lara!

I can't wait to see what 2011 brings for all of us!

Stepping Out of the Box

This post is probably one of the more superficial ones I will write, but anyone who knows me, knows I love pedicures. I typically stick to 3-4 OPI colors: Dutch Tulips or Cajun Shrimp in the spring/summer; I'm Not Really a Waitress or Big Apple Red in the fall/winter. I've used the excuse: "I'm getting an ingrown toenail. I have a MEDICAL reason for needing a pedicure!" Jeff just sort of waves me off, knowing that I need pedicures as much as he needs golf, which equals a lot.

When I got my pedicure the other day and went to pick out my color, I saw this one and really liked it. It's nothing I've really thought about trying before, but I figured I'd give it a whirl.


OPI Midnight in Moscow

I had second thoughts as the pedicurist was telling me, "The first coat looks like oil going on, but the second coat makes it look really good!" Huh...she was right, though. It's a really dark, almost black, color with a little purple and red in it. Definitely nothing I'd normally wear, but I like it.

Brrr...

Y'all, it is some kind of cold in Memphis. Bitter, nasty, bone-chilling cold. It either needs to be snowing or, as I prefer, 85-90 degrees.

Here's what Cooper looked like before going to Mrs. Lara's today. The snowsuit is compliments of my godfather, Mike and his wife, Dixie. Cooper wore this last year and it was huge on him and now he's just about outgrown it. He was none too happy about having to wear this today. Between the new shoes, the layer of clothes underneath, and the snowsuit, he could barely walk.




Like my socks that don't match my outfit? Whatever...it was 6am. The sad part is, I actually have those socks in the same color as my sweater, but they weren't at the top of the drawer this morning.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Today is Jeff's 31st birthday. We've had a lot going on this weekend to celebrate, but Jeff says that it's amazing how much things change in 10 years. When he turned 21, he had the typical 21st birthday night out and also went to the casinos in Tunica. This year, we've spent most of the time running around or hanging out at home! Jeff says he's more excited that Cooper is now 14 months old.

Friday night, Jeff went to the Robert Earl Keen concert with Nana, Hondo, Pops, and Uncle Kyle. Cooper and I stayed home and went to sleep VERY early. Cooper had been battling a cold and I had been busy at work with state testing, so we both needed the rest.

Saturday, Jeff went to the grocery store while Cooper and I ran to Pops and YaYa's house to get some Christmas and birthday presents I had shipped there. I wrapped everything once we got home, then Jeff and I took Cooper to Nana and Hondo's house to spend the night. Jeff wrapped some of my presents while I went to a movie with our friend Kevin, I met Jeff at home, then we met up with Kevin, Jeff, Tori, Keith, Perlman, and Perlman's friend Mark at El Porton. Little did Jeff know, Tori, Kevin, and I had conspired to have Jeff serenaded!


*Thanks to Kevin for taking the picture!

I went to church this morning, then Jeff and I met Cooper, Nana, and Hondo for a birthday breakfast at Cockadoo's. YUM! Nana and Hondo go to Cockadoo's almost every weekend and we've joined them enough that the waitresses all know (and love!) Cooper. One of them even walked around with him for a few minutes so we didn't have to eat in shifts. After breakfast, I helped Nana pick out some Christmas gifts, then Jeff, Cooper, and I ran some errands, including mine and Cooper's first trip to Bass Pro Shops. Let's just say I never need to go back, but Cooper did love the huge fish tank. Next stop was Stride Rite for a new pair of shoes, then we made the trek to see Santa! Cooper did great right up until I put him on Santa's lap. Santa gave me specific instructions on how to turn Cooper towards the camera (also where Jeff was) and get him good and smiley, then drop him off in his lap and run over to the camera. He said, "This isn't our first rodeo and you've got about 3 seconds to get out of the way for the picture to be taken before he realizes you've played a trick on him!" He was hilarious and we had our pick of two pictures- one of Cooper standing in Santa's lap looking stunned and one reaching for us in full-scream mode. As soon as I went back to get Cooper, he was fine, waving at Santa and smiling.

I made Jeff chocolate chip cookie dough brownies for his birthday, he opened his presents, and now we're relaxing before heading back out in the bitter cold to see Frannie and Papaw and go to the Nana and Hondo's for Jeff's birthday dinner. Hope your weekend was fun!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

It's officially Christmas at the Radford household. After thankfully discovering that no critters had taken up residence in our well-packed Christmas tree, Jeff put up the tree, then napped and watched football.

"What?" you say, "Your sweet husband, who is normally so helpful around the house, left you to decorate the tree on your own?"

Yes, he did. Okay, I lied. Jeff watched me decorate for the first 30 minutes, THEN watched football and took his nap.

You see, I come from a long line of perfectionist tree decorators. My grandfather, Alfie, was meticulous about his tree; all his and Grandmama's decorations, actually. This gene was passed to Daddy and then to me. One of my favorite stories about my parents is from their first Christmas. They were decorating their tree and decided to use those '70s-ish foil icicles. Mama proceeds to start throwing the icicles all over the tree and Daddy stops her, telling her she needed to drape them on each branch.

See? Perfectionists.

For mine and Jeff's first holiday season as a married couple, I had visions of a Rockefeller-type Christmas. We'd have Christmas music playing, be enjoying some hot chocolate, and decorate the tree together. Let's just say it didn't end up that way, he had to get Daddy on the phone to calm me down, and from that point on, Jeff has put the tree up, then left me to decorate.

Today was no different. Cooper was with Nana and Hondo because they wanted to take him to Nana's family reunion. It took me almost 4 hours, lots of moving ornaments and filler pieces around, but the tree is finished...for today. I will move ornaments around, finding "better" places for them until it's time to take the tree down, but here you go- the 2010 Radford family Christmas tree!