The newest member of the double-digit club

Well, my baby turned 10. That can only mean one thing.....I'm getting old!! Seriously, though...how great is this kid?? Life sure wouldn't be as fun and exciting without Payton, that's for sure!! So, here she is with her bestie, Paige, at one of our favorite places - Marketplace! She made the choice to skip the big party and get a big gift - her own video camera. What a wise child....

It's not a party unless the Dossinator is there!

Fun with cupcakes!

We love you, P!! Happy 10th Birthday!!

Working girl

Do I look like I'm ready to save some lives, or what?? Not really. And, I sure don't expect to have to while working in an OBGYN clinic!

I have been blessed with such an awesome job. Long story short: I heard about an opening for a full-time clinic nurse from a friend of a friend, emailed my resume that day, had an interview with the head nurse the next Tuesday, interviewed with the doctor on Thursday, thought both could not have gone better, and was told that I'd hear from them either way on Friday. Nothing on Friday or Monday, so I called on Tuesday and was told that they couldn't wait on my temp license to come in and had to hire someone that could start that week. I was so extremely bummed. I thought for sure that the way it all had come about meant that this job was meant for me. Little did I know that God had an even better plan..... Right as I had started back at square one in trying to find a job, I got an email from the head nurse asking if I'd be interested in being the prn (as needed) nurse for the clinic. So, now instead of working everyday, I only work 3 days a week and get to spend the other 2 with my girls this summer!! Moral of the story: God's answer isn't always "yes" or "no"....sometimes it's "just wait". He never ceases to amaze me.....

4 years and hundreds of study hours later......

And the day finally came! "Better late than never"....those are words to live by. Even though I regret that I've missed out on 10 years that I could've been practicing nursing, I wouldn't have Scott and the girls and the blessed life that I have today, and for that reason, I am oh so glad that I waited. I loved and appreciated my college experience immensely and will miss all of the special people that were in my class. I'm excited to start this next chapter in my life entitled "Working Class Citizen" (and know that Scott is equally as excited). Sherri Primm, RN....has a nice ring to it :)

5th grade Little Olympics

I think it's so cool that I did the Little Olympics when I was in 5th grade, and it's something that they've continued to do through the years. Holland was super pumped about competing! She tried out and earned herself a spot in the 240 relay and the 440 yard run. She and her buddies did the 240 relay together, and did really well! The first time out, they came in 1st which meant they got to go again to compete for medals. The second time, they came in 4th and just barely missed out on bronze. Oh well, they had a great time regardless! Then, it came time to run the 440. Holland was psyched along with about 20 other girls who all realized that the inside is where you want to be if you want to win. Needless to say, the gun fired, she took about 3 strides, and was tripped up. Down she went, face-first on the track. My poor baby....I felt sooo bad! She walked away with a few bumps and scrapes and got to use a really cool latex glove/ice pack that her teacher made for her. All in all, it was a fun day!! Beautiful girls: Teagan, Holland, Jane Ellen, Emily, Sally & Chansley

The best coach ever!! He really loves these kids!

Game-face on: check!

Shaw & Young side-by-side. Booooooo!!! Hissssss!!!

I'd say it was all fun & games, but it obviously was not.

Do a little dance.....

Right before the wipeout.....man, was she focused! She would've won. I just know it.

The first swim of the season

Kids are crazy. That's all I gotta say. Yes, the day may have been warm, but the water was NOT! There's just something about that blue water that draws you in....and something about that sub-zero degree water that has you jumping out. Either way, Payton and her buddy, Raeghan, had a great time!

Love this.....

Guess who's 11??!!

I do believe we've officially hit the "tween" stage...as evidenced by the make-up jobs below... Ha! Just kidding...everyone knows you can't hit the town unless you're all fixed up, right?? We had a great time celebrating Holland's big no. 11! We started out at the bowling alley...Scott was the only one to even break 100...none of us will be asked to join the PBA anytime soon, but we still had a blast!

Holland and her besties: Teagan, Emily, & Marley
Payton BOUNCING it down the lane...

Somehow Holland's score greatly improved once we added the bumpers!

Then, it was on to PF Changs for dinner. YUM-O!! And how cute is this group??

Then, back home for candybar cake and a very noisy sleepover! But, the laughter was music to my ears!! Love you SO much, Holland!!

I forgot our high-dollar family portraits!!

Cruise 2010!!

So, this was the plan: Pack and load the car Saturday night, leave our house at 5 a.m. on Sunday, drive the 10 hours to Galveston, get there at 3 and on the ship before the 4 o'clock deadline, and set sail at 5 p.m. And THIS is what we woke up to on Sunday morning...... Yeah, that's about 3 inches of snow and ice. We had no idea that there was even a chance of bad weather! So, needless to say, we went into panic mode. We got down the hill and out of the neighborhood, turned onto Barrington, and almost didn't make it any further. SCARY!! Luckily, Scott was patient and focused and tried to ignore the dozen or so cars that we passed in ditches on our way out of town. It was slick all the way to the tunnel, and then once we got on the other side, it was like the angel choruses started singing, and it was as clear as a bell! God obviously heard the hundreds of prayers going up his way from our car because we made it to the port at 3:30, got checked in, and were on the boat by 4. We love January beach vacations for many, many reasons, but this right here is the downside and the risk you run!!

Everyone's favorite - the mandatory muster drill!

Our first breakfast. Look at all that food! And Payton doesn't even like cereal!!

The first day out is always the coolest this time of year, so we decided to hit the arcade. For those who might be wondering....Holland won.

And after a few failed (but close) attempts, Payton finally won at the claw game!

I'll let you guess who won this race....

Ahhhh, formal night. The girls hated it, but don't they look nice?!!

Our waiter, Joseph, from India. He's cutting up Holland's chicken here. He was fabulous!! (Notice the fleece jackets over the formal dresses....)

To be completely honest, I'd never seen or heard these guys before in my life, but I'm a sucker for anyone even halfway famous! They are the Texas Tenors, and they made it to the finals on America's Got Talent. I can see why - they were amazing!!

So, this was our first stop - Cozumel. We took a taxi to the beach, sat there for about 2 hours waiting for the clouds to move out and the sky to clear, decided it wasn't going to happen, took a taxi back to town, got out, and the sun was shining like never before! Just one of those things....so, we found a table at Senor Frogs, got our guacamole fix for the week, and enjoyed the sunshine!

One of our many wonderful dinners.

The beach in Grand Cayman. LOVED this island!!

This never gets old....

Back to the arcade for a little Guitar Hero. You do better with your tongue sticking out.

Our home away from home.

And this is Jamaica. Our original plan was to take a taxi over to the Dunns River waterfall and spend the day climbing it, but when we saw that the taxi ride was an hour and a half one-way and $160, we quickly changed our plans. We knew that we wanted to eat at Margaritaville, so instead of paying the $5 taxi there, we chose to ride the shuttle at $15/person that had 5 different stops around town. BIG mistake! We rode it around town, but were too scared to ever get off. NOT a nice place. So....we rode to Margaritaville, found a table on the deck, and spent ALL day there. The weather couldn't have been more perfect!

Ummm, I'm not really sure.

We got to watch them bolt this slide together....quite the production!

And then watch Scott come shooting out the end! He said there was no way to do it gracefully.

Joseph made mice out of napkins for the girls. They thought they were the best things ever!

Gotta love the towel animals that are waiting in your room every night when you return.

The "beds" that Payton made for Patrick and Frankie. I love this girls' passion and imagination!

And our last meal in the dining room right before we got off the ship. Their faces say it all.....