RIP

RIP

Skillet The Frog Murray

2011-2012

He was a good frog.

He will be greatly missed by his tank mates, Rex and Ringworm.
In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Parker Murray Frog Replacement Program.

Sean is Gone

Well, I won't be needing this anymore, now will I????

Emily sent Sean home.  It was the saddest goodbye evah.  I may have cried a little.  Over a stranger.  I just felt so sorry for him.  I should probably add that I don't really think that Sean was the right one for Emily.  Or maybe I should say that I don't think Emily is the right one for Sean.  I knew it was for the best, but seeing such a nice guy feeling so sad just broke my heart.  I never heard him speak unkindly or act immorally (which says a lot on a show like The Bachelorette).  He is a Christian and obviously loves his family.  I would LOVE to see him be the next Bachelor, but I don't think they will choose him.  The producers probably think he won't cause as much drama as they like to have on the show.  Well, drama is for llamas, because I would love to see a "good" guy as The Bachelor.  

If he happens to be the next Bachelor, I have just the person to nominate.  I know a different Emilee who would be perfect for him...

We topped it!

We definitely topped the two grocery store date.  Oh, yes we did!

My long, lost love...Stir Fry Cafe's spring rolls

There's nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart

I dropped Brian off at Barnes and Noble and headed to Kohl's and Old Navy.  It's still a date even when you're not together, right? 

Look what he bought for me while we were apart! 

A great poet once said, "A truer love hath never existed than that of one who buyeth Alabama's Greatest Hits for thine beloved".  Or something kinda like that.

Wanted: Free Babysitting

Well, I never intended for it to happen.  Of course, I feel guilty about it.  But it is what it is.  

I am one of THOSE parents.  You know the kind, the ones who use VBS as a babysitter. 

 (Hangs head in shame.)

Oh the truth is, we both volunteered all week for the VBS at our church weeks ago.  I even (almost) tried to talk our kids out of going to another VBS since we were just getting back from vacation, and everybody was exhausted.  And of course, there's that aforementioned guilt factor I have with dropping my kids off and not helping at all.  They really wanted to go though!  I knew it would be a fabulous experience for them to learn more about Jesus, spend time with friends, and have fun.  So off they went!

What does that leave us with? Five nights of date nights.  I can't lie.  It's been wonderful to have some time with Brian.  We've run errands, eaten several dinners, celebrated his birthday, shopped a little, and talked a bunch.  Honestly, it's been so lovely.  I am so thankful for ALL of the wonderful people who are giving their time, energy, and love to my children this week! They are having a blast, and the extra time with Brian has just been icing on the cake.

So tonight, we went to One12 Downtown for dinner.  Here is my handsome date.

 His crazy wife who insists on taking pictures of everything all the time.

 We shared this sandwich, and it was yummy.

Now when most people think of date night, they probably think of going to the movies or doing something romantic.  We (especially Brian) think of grocery stores apparently.  So we went to not one, BUT TWO, grocery stores tonight.

 That little guy is Buster.  He was just so friendly and helpful!

 And that, my friends, is some of the best guacamole I have ever tasted.  It was extra spicy! 

 (If you had told me a few years ago that I would even taste guacamole, much less love it, I would have said you were a couple of French fries short of a Happy Meal, bless your heart.)

We have one more night of VBS tomorrow night.  How will we ever top two grocery stores? 

HaPpY bIrThDaY tO bRiAn!

My Brianaby had a birthday yesterday! Yippee! 

 I am always more excited about birthdays than he is.  Every time I asked him how he wanted to celebrate, he insisted that he didn't want any hoopla.  I'm a hoopla kind of gal, so it was a bit hard for me.

We gave him his presents at home.

 The traditional birthday artichoke hearts

 A new shirt and tie

 Then we went to Chop House for dinner.

 (More on that later)

My mom made him a peach cobbler because that's what he requested for his birthday dessert.  

Here it is, minus a bite or two.  

It was delicious, and he says his birthday was just the way he wanted it.  Hoopla-free!

(We are planning to do a little celebrating with Brian's parents this weekend too, so the fun isn't quite over!)

We Interrupt This Blog

To make an official Murray announcement.

There are some changes going on around here.  Our blog has a new name called Meet The Murrays.  You will automatically be redirected to the new site if you visit using My Favorite Things, however it would probably be a good idea to change it in you bookmarks, readers, etc.  You will no longer need to use the blogspot.com at the end of the address.  Here is the official link:

www.meetthemurrays.com

Also, there may be a new writer on here every once in a while.  I like to call him The Brianaby.  So be on the lookout! I will still be the main author of the blog and will continue to post lots of pictures of our daily happenings.  This blog is a great way to record our lives, and that was my original goal for beginning the blog.  However, I have combined My Favorite Things and My Other Favorite Things into one site, so you can expect some crazy to show up here too.  Please be patient while I am still trying to make it all look right. For example, that header up there is giving me fits!

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

We're home!

I sure hated to leave this,

 but coming home to this beautiful scene is awfully nice!

 There's no place like home!

We were looking forward to seeing the furry Murray too! He was very excited to see us.  Unfortunately, he was a little less excited to see what we brought him.

"My family went to Myrtle Beach, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."

We're glad to be home!