Banksisms, Part 8

After the heaviness of my posts last week, I thought it was high time I lighten things up a bit. And now, without further adieu, I present the last round of Banksisms (Want more laughs? Check out Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7): 

Momma: "Banks, put a bite in your mouth." 

Banks: "Mom! I'm going in for a swallow!"

Ha! 

(While playing race cars, he was pretending to be the race announcer and said...):

Banks: "Folks, if I was any more excited, they'd have to throw me out of the booth!!!"

There is nothing like the imagination of a 3-year-old.

Banks: "Mommy, do you want to hear a dirty story?"

Momma: "Ummm...I guess so??"

Banks: "A horse jumped in the mud."

This kid needs his own show in Vegas.

Banks: "I wish Johnny's mommy had a different kid that was nice."

Buuuuurn. Luckily, he said this privately to me. I would have been mortified had he said it in public!!

Banks: "Mommy, when we get home, can I go poop?"

Momma: "Sure, buddy. How badly do you need to go?"

Banks: "Just a little bad."

Love the measurement system he uses. 

Banks: "Is Raleigh awake yet?"

Momma: "No, not yet."

Banks: "But the ice-poples are gonna melt!"

He usually calls them pop-stickles, which I love even more.

Banks: "Mommy, you're my best girl in the whole wide world."

If you need me, I'll be in a puddle on the floor. 

Banks: "Mom, I wish I were a foot."

Momma: "Why?"

Banks: "Because they're beautiful, and they're so impressive!"

No child of mine better develop a foot fetish. Blech!

And that, my friends, just may be my favorite round of Banksisms yet!!

Coffee Date Friday: From Beaufort

Hey y'all! Here I am, again, linking up with Rags to Stitches for Coffee Date Friday, this time coming at you from Beaufort, South Carolina, where my stepbrother is marrying the love of his life tomorrow. So, while I am enjoying some delicious, Southern coffee, and pouring you a steaming hot cup of your preferred caffeinated beverage, here is what I would share that has been on my mind this week: 

...My hub and I just joined a co-ed kickball team for the Fall with our neighborhood friends!! Yahoo!!! Seriously, I am so excited about it. When we were young and child-free in the ATL, we played on a co-ed flag football team and loved it. We are hoping to have just as much fun with our kickball team, which HAS to be fun given that games are on Friday nights, right?! As for the team name? The last I heard, we are still undecided, although my favorite two that were being thrown around are "Alchoballics" and "I've Got 99 Problems But My Kick Ain't One." Suh-weet.

...My hub was out of town alllllllllll week. Specifically, from Monday night through late last night. And we were up and at 'em bright and early this morning to get in to Beaufort for the bridal luncheon, rehearsal, etc. Whew! Someone pour this Momma a glass o' vino...well, after my coffee, of course. ;)

...Did I mention that my little buddy will be knockin' 'em dead in his first ever gig as a ring bearer tomorrow? Oh man. I seriously cannot take the cuteness that is his ring bearer outfit. If you follow me on Instagram, I apologize in advance for the proud Momma overload. 

...As cliche as it may sound, I would share that I absolutely cannot BELIEVE that it is August. What the what? Where in the world did the summer go? Although, I will say, I am getting my first real itchin' for a cool breeze, college football, fireside s'mores, pumpkin lattes, and ever-changing leaves. 

...My hub and I are going to start volunteering in our church's children's ministry this month, and I am so excited about it! One of the reasons I pursued a career in pediatric neuropsychology is because I love spending time with children. Another reason is because I am passionate about helping others. Put the two together and throw in Jesus? Well, Hallelujah! 

...I would tell you that nothing in the whole wide world makes me happier than this:

...And finally, I would say that I hope Randy and Mariah have a beautiful wedding weekend that is all they have ever dreamed it would be. Here's to great times, great family, great friends, great laughs, and great memories. 

All that being said, I would hope that most of the conversation would focus on all things YOU. I would tell you that I love to listen, that it is one of the reasons I pursued psychology as a career after all, and I would enjoy every single second of you-dom that was so graciously shared with me. 

I would wish you the best and then hurry on my way to get ready for all the wedding weekend festivities. After all, a girl needs to freshen up for these kinds of things, right?! 

Happy weekend! And happy coffee consumption!

Swim in the Sad

Sometimes you need to swim in the sad,

To let hope diminish when things feel too bad.

Sometimes you need to drown in your tears

Let them fall freely and hold tight your fears.

Sometimes the weight of the world is too much,

The storm rains upon any traces of luck.

Sometimes the blue has all faded to grey,

The promise of happy's just too far away.

Sometimes the hurt stabs straight to your heart,

This life isn't fair.The world falls apart.

But. 

Always know this, when your world is too dark,

I'll weather your storm, I'll hold tight your heart. 

When the darkness, the heavy, the tears just won't end.

Shower your desparation on me, my dear friend. 

I'll hold you afloat as you drift in the sad,

Be your shield as you pelt the world with your mad.

I'll offer a light when yours just won't shine;

And when your heart breaks, gladly give you mine.

I'll offer my faith as a safe place to hide,

Until sadness and hurt and mad all subside.

So, swim in the sadness, but also please know, 

One day, your own light will once again glow.

Until then, sweet friend, I will keep you afloat,

And offer my strength and my prayers and my hope.

Sometimes It's Hard

It is easier for me to deal with hard things by not dealing with them at all. 

There are certain dates, certain situations, certain events, that are just HARD based on my own childhood and life experiences. 

These things? I just can't think about them too long. I can't let myself get lost in thought about the couldas, shouldas, or wouldas. I can't let myself experience the full extent of emotion that I feel tugging on my heart, begging to force it's way into my life. Because the truth is? I worry I will crumble under it.

So. I put up this barrier. And it's strange-I can actually feel myself physically building this barrier around my heart. It's my own form of self-preservation, of self-protection. And then I force myself not to think about what's going on around me and what's trying to invade my heart. 

It's not healthy to not deal with these things. I mean, good Lord, I have a doctorate in psychology. I know what is healthy coping. I know what is unhealthy coping. But. I don't want to cope sometimes. Sometimes, I just want to shut off my thinking, build up my barrier, and escape into the easy.

One day, I'll face it all.

But not today. 

Today, I'll focus on the sunshine, of the beautiful life I'm living, of the love and laughter that surrounds me. And breathe deeper knowing my heart is safe for now.

Coffee Date Friday: From the Road

Hellooooo again! I am linking up with Rags to Stitches for my third Coffee Date Friday. Today, were we to share some caffeinated delights together, we would likely have to FaceTime or Skype while we did so, as my little family o' four and I are headed to Winston-Salem for a weekend with one of my sisters, her hubby, and my niece. While chatting and sipping on sweet, sweet caffeine, hopefully without spilling, here's what I would share with you today:

...This week, one of my best friends and her two sons came to stay with us for a few days. We had a great time, complete with trips to the playground, fresh Fort Mill ice cream, a trip to a local farm, a fun poolside playdate with another one of our college friends and her two precious girls, and another playdate with one of my closest Fort Mill friends and her two boys. My favorite parts of the visit, however, were at night, when our kiddos were tucked away and slumbering soundly while we drank wine, chatted, and discussed all things Royal Baby.

...I would say that I got up extra early 4 out of 5 days this week to go for early morning runs. It was amazing in that, during the clear-sky mornings, the moon would be shining on my right and the sun, rising on my left, as I ran. Quiet. Peaceful. Breath-taking. My favorite new way to start the day.

...I would tell you that my precious Raleigh now sings the dinner blessing with Banks, and it is one of the best parts of my day. I think I may have mentioned to you a time or two that she looooooves to sing. And that sweet baby voice just kills me every time. 

...I would tell you that I have this stereotype in my head of what a stay-at-home momma is supposed to look like: She is supposed to independently keep the house spic-and-span at all times, cook delicious, made-from-scratch, healthy meals, constantly teach her children new concepts and promote cognitive development, garden, iron all laundry, and on and on. You know what? I think supposed to can be a very dangerous phrase. Who determines what things are supposed to look like in my world? In yours? Some out-dated ideals? Some modern ideals? What makes them ideal anyway? I am going to attempt to strike supposed to from my vocabulary. 

...I would share that Banks thoroughly enjoyed his first (of many) fishing trips with his Daddy and Pop last weekend. And I totally teared up, in the middle of a restaurant, in the middle of lunch, in the middle of a Bachelorette weekend, when my hub texted me photos from the fishing excursion. 

...I would also let you know that, while I have been on a roll with my Bunco winnings for many months in a row, I was not so successful last night. That's okay, though. My neighborhood girls and I still had a great time rollin' dice and drinkin' wine. 

...I would tell you that you that next weekend my stepbrother is getting married. And that exactly three months later, my baby sister is getting married. And that six months after that, my stepsister is getting married. We are in wedding overdrive in our family for the next 9 months. WooHoo!

...I would share with you, most importantly of all, that I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT AGAIN!!!! Yahoo!! This time, it's my big brother, Damon, and my sister-in-law, Jamie, who will be growing the family. I am so excited I can hardly stand it!!!!

Of course, before signing off on our virtual coffee date, I would sit quietly and happily listen to you sharing the latest scoop from your life. I would cross-my-heart and promise to keep your secrets safe with me, all the while looking forward to our next get-together. I would wish you the happiest of weekends before signing off. 

Until next time!

A Bride and Her Girls

Over the weekend, eleven of us gathered to celebrate the last single days of my little sister, Whitney, who will marry the love of her life, her high school sweetheart, in November. While I will not share all of the intimate details of our weekend away in the mountains, nor some of the more graphic photos of the party decor/games/desserts(!), I thought a fun recap of our weekend was in order. 

We gathered Friday night for a girls night in. When the bride and all her girls arrived, there were handmade, bedazzled, personalized cups waiting as well as a soundtrack that was created and given to each girl and played on repeat for most of the weekend. There were also some graphic decor and snacks awaiting the party guests, but I'll leave those photos to the imagination. We dined on order-out pizza, enjoyed quite a few adult beverages, played some games, and talked the night away, reminiscing and laughing until our stomachs hurt. It was a great start to an awesome weekend.

Relaxin' and waiting for the rest of the girls to arrive in our GORGEOUS home for the weekend. All credit to my amazing sister-in-law, Jamie, for finding this mountain estate. 

Sistas

Soundtrack for the weekend, made with love by my sister, Jessie

Drink up!

Saturday was spent enjoying a homemade breakfast before heading out for an afternoon of wine-tasting, dining, and shopping. After freshening up back at our mountain estate, the bachelorette shenanigans and pre-partying began. There was a menu of heavy tapas that was devoured (both pre- and post-party), a special outfit supplied for the bride to wear, lingerie gifted, a large (self-made!) dice rolled to determine the order in which many (fun! and many, original!) games would be played, and even more adult beverages consumed while said games were going on. Next, a van arrived to whisk us away to downtown Asheville, where the fun continued at several different stops and ended at a gay and lesbian dance club. No, I'm not kidding. Yes, it was awesome. 

Ready for a day on the town!

The vintage view that greeted us upon arriving at the winery

Apparently, Hendersonville's mascot is a bear? They were everywhere. 

The beautiful bride, getting ready for a girls night out!

So easy to make this large dice: Buy a styrofoam block from a craft store. Use Modge Podge to adhere cardstock to each side. Write on each side. Voila. 

My favorite game of the night: JeoPARTAY! (and the only one I'll describe for PG purposes): The bride had to answer questions that were pre-answered by her fiance. There were four categories for the questions. She selected the category and the penalty given should she incorrectly answer the question, which was written on the flap of the envelope [e.g., "Take a Shot"; "Finish Your Drink"; "Avalanche"; "Drink for 3"]. To prevent her from having to drink too much for this one game, the penalty for each question was assigned to one of the party guests. Thus, everyone was involved and participating. Fun!

Ready for a very fun and very memorable night on the town with her best friends

All the sistas :) 

Without a doubt, it was a weekend I'm sure none of us will forget (right, Whit, Jess, James, Shelbs, Clare, Lauren, Hannah, Shelley, Manning, and Madison?)! 

And now, I will continue to attempt to recover from the weekend and all its celebrations. Whew! 

Coffee Date Friday: From the Back Porch

Hi! You're back! So glad we can enjoy a cup o' Joe together again this morning for Coffee Date Friday (linking up with Rags to Stitches). 

Today, I'm opting for an extra large cup of some homemade Dunkin Donuts coffee along with the same.exact.breakfast. I eat every single morning: two slices of peanut butter toast with honey. So, pull up a chair and sit alongside me on my back porch as we enjoy a little catching up before the kiddos wake up. What I would tell you as we took in the view would be...

...This whole back porch coffee thing is becoming a regular morning routine for me. I've been getting up a few minutes earlier than my typical 6:00 am alarm so that I can get ready for the day and still have 10 or 15 minutes of alone time on the back porch before anyone else in my house stirs. It's just me, my thoughts, and my coffee. And it's quite peaceful. Although, I am also proud to say that twice this week, I used my early morning wake-up time to go for a me-only jog around the neighborhood. Although it's hard to motivate myself to run 2.5+ miles first thing in the morning, I always feel great afterwards. And what else can beat a sunrise view?!

...The Bachelorette weekend has arrived!! While I will not spill the secrets of all that lies ahead for my baby sister as all her sisters and best friends spoil her rotten, I will tell you it is going to be a weekend of epic proportions. 

...Yesterday afternoon, we met with a very, VERY reasonably priced (!) interior decorator to help us try to figure out how the heck to make our grown-up home (when did that happen?) not look like something a fresh-out-of-college-newlywed couple threw together. Need evidence that I need a little help in the home decor department? There is a crooked floor lamp, from Target, that serves as the sole lamp in our family room. It is almost 10 years old. And this is just one example. There are many more. Yep-it's time for some updating and growing-up-ing. Of course, I have hundreds of Pinterest pins taunting me. I am just scared to pull the trigger. So, hopefully, Frances isn't gun shy. 

...My little boy, my baby boy, is turning FOUR in just over two months. Say whaaa??? Pure craziness, I tell ya. I am doing something a little different for his birthday this year and am excited to watch it slowly come together over the next couple of months. 

...I had three glorious weeks, back-to-back, that my hub didn't have to travel over night. Pure bliss. But, this week, he was back to his travels, and was gone Monday through Wednesday. Whew! I'm glad he's back home...just in time for me to take off for my girl's weekend...ha!

...But also? I am excited for what this weekend holds for my hub and my kiddos. My trio is headed to my in-law's, where my son will go on his first ever fishing trip with my hub and his Pop. If you know my father-in-law, you know that, aside from family, fishing is his passion. So, bright and early tomorrow morning, three of my favorite guys will be hitting the lake on Pop's boat in search of some fresh catch. Meanwhile, my little lady will be soaking up lots of one-on-one time with our Nana. And right about that time, I'll be wine-tasting. Sounds like a win-win for all! 

...I am spending the next three weekends out-of-town. And that will take us in to August. What the what? Where in the heck did the summer go?



So, after also hearing about all the comings and goings and plans and non-plans (which are, often, the best plans!) for you this weekend, I would bid you adieu as the first of my early risers made his way to top of the stairs to await his Momma's morning hug and kiss. 

See you back for more coffee soon! Have a great weekend. :)