Happy Halloween from SouthFirst!

I think I am able to say that I have the best work family ever! Today was our halloween party and we only had 2 or 3 that didn't dress up! We all had a blast!!

We had special appearances by Betty Boop...

and The Village People

and what do you know... Flo stopped by!!

and that ole' Comer Tiger :)

Stay tuned for pictures of the kiddos and I this weekend!!

:)

I love this man.

I can't believe that I ever, for one second, doubted that I loved him. I can't believe that there was ever an ounce of my being that thought he wasn't the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

I do want to spend the rest of my life with him.

I do want to raise our children together.

I do want to grow old with him.

I do love you David Matthew Myers!

My Bestfriend's Wedding...

Sunday, October 10, 2010 (yep, 10/10/10), my best friend got married. finally.

Me and Shea-baby relaxing pre-ceremony.

They've been together and in love for 8 years. Jake professed his love for her and gave her a promise ring several years ago. To outsiders, this ring looked exactly like a wedding set. A total of 3 karats!!

I remember being at work one day admiring it and then the next day it was gone. Shea said Jake had taken it to have something done and he would bring it back soon. A light went off in my head and I couldn't help but be overly excited for her! I knew what he was doing and she had a feeling he was, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. Two and a half weeks later, she showed up with an engagement ring that put those 3 karats to shame (and it was smaller). He had her promise ring taken apart and made into not only a necklace, but matching earrings.

About 8 months ago, they bought a house together and have started to really settle in and make it their own. Around knee surgery, moving, losing her grandmother, and adjusting from working fulltime to being a stay at home, she planned this wedding. And she did a FANTASTIC job!

From every little detail, she made sure it was personal and warm.

The wedding party enjoyed helping decorate before the wedding, relaxing and stressing (of course) while getting ready, and dancing the night away together! The date, the time, the venue, the dresses, the tuxes, the flowers....I could go on forever...was perfect!

I love these two people like they are part of my family and I have come to love each person in their family as well.

I can't imagine my life without Shea-baby and Jake and I'm so happy for them and so very proud of them! I love you two more than you know!!

finally fall

Here are the pictures from our day in the country on Sunday. Hope you enjoy!

Sammie took this picture

Anheiser had Mahlon distracted

I love this picture because it looks like something horrible happened, but they're just watching Matt make a sandwich!

Sammie was pouting (funny tidbit.. Mahlon likes to mimick Sammie when she gets to whining and he'll curl his nose and go "waaa waaa waaa"..it's too funny!)

"Trick or Treat..smell my feet"

I love this one, but it looks like the hay is going in his ear..ha

Isn't she beautiful!??!

She thought she was "hot stuff"

We hated that we didn't have Mason there to do this with, so we're going to plan on doing it again once we get him! It was a lot of fun and the perfect weather to go hang out and have a picnic in the back of the truck. I love Fall!

Country kiddos

Saturday we went down the property that we hunt on and took the kids. I took a few pictures of the kids on the hay bales and then we rode around the hay field in the back of the truck. Clearly, the kids had a blast!!

Completely Sammie's creation!!

This is so typical! "I SAID CHEESE WOMAN!"

I love this..he was holding on for dear life..

Can you see Mahlon AND Anheiser?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's pictures! More hay bales, but better fashion! :)

I miss this man...

James Edwin Patton...better known as "grandaddy" or "pawpaw pattpatt"

I'm having a hard time lately. I suppose it's because it's getting close the anniversary of when we found out about grandaddy's cancer.

October 31st used to be a day that I looked forward to (because I love getting the kids dressed up and I love the atmosphere), but now I'm sitting here dreading this day. I remember every minute of that morning and I remember the phone calls so vividly that they hurt. I had just gotten to work and had a note on the bulletin board to call Jan. This was rare, but I thought "well, maybe she's calling to let me know they won't be home tonight", so without hesitation, I called and said "hey, you called?". I remember being very upbeat and excited that morning...until I heard her voice and I knew something was wrong..something was very wrong. She gave a heavy sigh followed by "Sarah, I've got some back news. They took grandaddy to the ER last night and he was airlifted to UAB. They think he may have brain cancer." . She asked if I was ok to which I forced out an "uh huh". But I wasn't. After she filled me in with the details, I cleared my face and began my work day. I didn't speak to Matt at all that day because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold myself together. I kept telling myself that I would talk to him when I got home and could see him and let him hold me. I didn't do that. When I got home, I saw him, and my heart broke. Without saying a word, I went to my bed and sobbed. He knew something was wrong and gave me a few minutes before he came in. He knelt beside the bed, rubbing my hair, and asked "baby, what's wrong." My words were, "I'm not ready to lose him." "Lose who? what's going on?"...Once I was finally able to tell him, he did exactly what I wanted him to do...he held me and he comforted me. I spent the next couple of days traveling back and forth to UAB. Grandaddy had brain surgery to have the "spot" removed, successfully. But to see him in ICU was heart breaking. He was out of it and couldn't hold his eyes open (thankfully), so I quietly held his hand while I cried and told him I loved him and that he was as handsome as ever. Bless his heart, the only thing he was worried about was me seeing him without his teeth. I didn't care. I wish I could see that toothless face again. I wish I could hold that big rough hand again. I wish I could tell him how handsome he is again. Not long after he got to come home, he got the shingles and I gave birth to Mahlon. We spent the next couple of months having phone conversations because we couldn't be around him. Once he was well, we went down as much as time would allow. I wish we would have forgotten about every other "priority" we had and spent more time with him. This man meant the world to me. He was always there for me. Even if he didn't approve of my situation, he always let me know he loved me. Even if all he said was "me too". You see, that's how he replied when you told him you loved him. I wish I could hear that again. From now on, when I have a memory of him I'm going to post it here, so that I'll always have it. And if you have one, please post it. I would love to read it.