Chase is probably one of the biggest wresting fans on the planet right now. He watches it every week, has a million “wrestle guys”, knows all the names, has shirts, and hats, and posters, and is pretty much all about some WWE. For Christmas he was fortunate enough to get some Wrestlemania tickets. This was the first time in the 27 years of the PPV that it has ever been to Atlanta. I wanted to go super bad, but the joy it would bring him was well worth it for me to not.
Continue reading “Welcome to WRESTLEMANIA…art”
Category: Friends
Party like it was 1999… 11 years ago
Every New Years, something seems to come up that just screams “let’s out do the previous year!” This year was no exception. The only thing about that was that the out doing of last year wasn’t the amount of drinks one could consume, or the extravagant explosions, it was the the sheer happiness with the place I am in my life. Well, we did have some explosions (SJ has the video to prove it) and there was a good deal of drinks to be had (I have the pics to prove that), but we also had peace and happiness and a ton of love. SJ and I are getting married in 3 months and the holiday’s put us through the ringer. From driving here and there to illness to what should Santa bring this year to a new “puppy”, we had a lot on our plates. Through all that we remained strong and in love as ever.
Continue reading “Party like it was 1999… 11 years ago”
Catching Up…
Halloween Happened…Trunk or Treat, giving out candy, eating lots of candy, and loving the weather.
I went to restore some sanity with HBean. There’s lots to say about this weekend, but what stands out the most is the how much we laughed. It was an awesome rally to be a part of, and a great weekend.
We’ve gotten settled into the house, finally. The garage needs a weekend devoted to it, but doesn’t everyone’s? We’ve gone on dates, made chili, and SB built a doghouse that may deserve it’s only post. In wedding news, we got our save the dates, and found our counselor/officiant for the ceremony. I also found someone to make my dress! Knowing I will be fitted for it soon has motivated me to join Gold’s Gym down the road and finally see what all this “zumba” fuss is about. The jury’s still out on that one…
What’s next though: holidays! This time of year always flies by but it’s my favorite! Hopefully we can get our blog moving a bit quicker and post more often. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Not even sure where to begin
A lot has happened since the last post. Over a month has past and many, many, many things have taken place in the world of the Sniper’s. Rather than have a hum-drum long post going into great detail, I figured I’d give a quick recap. So here goes (in no particular order)…
Continue reading “Not even sure where to begin”
What’s now.
I was driving down the interstate to get a massage in the city this morning when I heard that familiar noise. The same one that always gives my insides a little jolt when I hear it. No matter what I’m doing, it always makes me stop for a second and remember, and ache a bit, and smile.
To the left of me in the HOV lane there were two bikes. A guy on one, a woman on the other. It’s a beautiful almost Fall weekend and between the weather and the comforting sound that the bikes make I let myself for a moment pretend that the couple on the Harley’s was one I knew not too long ago (or so it seems…). A couple that was spending the weekend riding in the mountains or on their way to a bike show or heading up to Helen. A couple that had a dysfunctional balance in life and lived it to the fullest. They were loud and large and crazy and happy. I let them be that couple again, even if it was just for a minute and I soaked in every bit of peace it gave me. I promised myself to save some of that peace in a reserve tank for later use.
Had the daydream been real, and had that couple really been my parents…would I have appreciated it as much as I longed for it today? I got mad at myself once I realized the answer. Mad that I wait until my present becomes my past before I absorb it’s potential and appreciate what I have. I got disappointed that even if that daydream was today, I would still find frustrations with that couple and criticize the choices they made….and now here I am wishing that daydream was real so desperately. The couple on the Harley’s today helped me remember that I don’t want to wait until a year from now to appreciate what today gives me. To stop asking “what’s next?” and start focusing on what’s now.
What’s now is that we’re packing. Ben and Chase are up to 25 boxes (and I helped a tiny bit). Two weeks from today we’ll be in a house starting a new chapter. I’m so excited about it! What’s now is that I have a healthy, ever-growing relationship with a man who I love and respect. I have a beautiful son who has me in awe daily. What’s now is I have great friends, a best friend who at days is like oxygen to me, and family who will always be a work in progress. What’s now is I’m loved. I’m safe. I’m happy. 🙂
Gettin’ Belay’d.
So many exciting possibilities have happened in the Sniper family this weekend…but I don’t wanna jinx ’em. So you’re gonna have to wait!
So Ben and I got invited to go rock climbing this past Friday. It sounds like something to do with good friends to get us out of the house so we decide to give it a try. The week rolls by and before I know it I’m driving home tired, hungry, and dirty. (Dirty b/c I didn’t take a shower that morning b/c I stayed up too late b/c I can NOT put down my new book series…but anyway). So needless to say I was not overly excited about our new adventure. We get to the place though and let me tell you…it’s really awesome! It’s called Stone Summit and I’m immediately intimidated as soon as I walk in the door. There are pros here and 5 year old’s that make me feel completely incompetent. So we walk up to the counter.
Jess: “Um…yeah..so we wanna climb?”
ClimberDude: “Ok…reservation or belay test?”
Jess: “Um…no, and…what?”
ClimberDude: “Do you need a belay test?”
Jess: “Hmm..I have no idea. What is that?”
Ben: “It’s the person who stands on the ground and holds the rope for the climber…”
Jess: “Oh. Um. No.”
Yeah, I’m the last person who needs to be responsible for holding someone up on that rope. I get my gear and shoes, and Bob shows me how to put it all on. It makes me feel even more out of place and awkward but it makes SB’s package look nice…so I comply. Maybe it was my hesitation…or it could’ve been me telling Kit that I’m not even sure I’m getting up ON that wall…but we head to the “training/kid/n00b” area. James shows me how to tie the right knots and gives me enough info to get started. I start to climb and I literally.petrified. The only option I have is to keep going up b/c down is not possible. (Mind you, I’m only about, eh, 5 feet in the air). BUT…I make it to the top. Letting go was the hardest. I kept telling James “you don’t know how heavy I am! Please don’t drop me”, but he lowers me down nice and easy and I’m immediately proud of myself and have a huge sense of release. We practice a few more times then head down with the big boys. These guys were hanging from places in the wall that had me in awe. The muscle strength and balance and physics that it takes to rock climb is unbelievable. Kit, James and Bob are awesome. We all took turns and helped each other out and by the end of the night I was tired, blistered, and sore…but I felt great. It’s definitely a hobby I want to keep up! Eventually…I may even get up the guts to belay someone. Anyone want to be my first climber??!!
He went to Jared. :)
I’m engaged!!! 🙂 Here’s how it went down:
A month or so ago Ben marked a weekend on our gmail calendar as “Do not plan a thing”. Hhmm…my interest is peaked. We’re big on planning surprise trips or dates for each other, so I had a few ideas in my head. A few days prior to the weekend, I was having a crappy day. We found out that canceling our lease would require selling a kidney so my heart was sunken with the thought of driving the same commute to work until at least March. SB lifted my spirits by telling me that the weekend would involve a cabin in Blue Ridge, a hot tub, lots of food and beverages, and four of our close friends: Kit, Bob, Kim, and James. I was stoked! An adult weekend away was the best way to wrap up the summer before returning back to work!
So Friday is finally here and we got off to a late start. I dropped SniperHBK off with his dad, SB made last minute trips to the store, we finished packing, loaded up, stopped for a quick dinner, sat in traffic, sang some Eminem while driving in the rain, and finally made it to Wild Azalea! The others were there waiting and we had an awesome night! We filled the hot tub with beer and laughter and memories and woke up the next morning feeling a little…well…yeah, hungover. It was a lazy day filled with naps and eating and movies. At one point we all decided to go for a walk outside. Ben was very eager about our walk! We went down a trail to the water and by the time I made it back up I was done. Hot, tired, hungover, done. Ben suggested we go for a bit more of a walk (bless him…he was trying!)..but I needed air conditioning and a nap. After some much needed recovery, SB and I went out to the porch to enjoy the view. We both really love the mountains. Thin air, lots of green, lots of quiet. As we were enjoying the view Ben asked me an odd question…
SB: “Are you happy?”….
SJ: “Of course I’m happy…”
SB: “Are you like…the happiest ever?”
SJ: giggling…”I mean..yeah, I’m pretty dang happy”
At this point I start to notice a change. His heart literally felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. I looked up at him a bit confused and asked something along the lines of..”Are you ok?”
SB: “I need you to do me a favor…” reaches in pocket
SJ: Oh…my…God…are you kidding me?
Sweet words…a few tears…and a “Yes! I will!” later…and we were engaged! We announced the news to our friends (who had no idea it was going to happen) and we spent the rest of the weekend floating around in Blue Ridge.
So now the planning starts! We’re not typically traditional people..and this will be a second marriage for both of us, so we’ve thrown a lot of ideas and dates around. Nothing is definite yet…but Vegas in April is looking like a mighty fine idea!
Road Trip – NC (Day 2)
Day 2 of NC was a perfect way to wrap up our family road trip! The boys and I, along with the Bateman’s, headed off to play in the Atlantic for a few hours! After a quick stop at the “Shark Store” for a boogie board, a kite, and sand toys, we arrived at the beautiful beach! As a child, my family typically went to the Gulf for our vacations and the beaches there are gawgeous! I have to admit I was surprised to see how nice the Atlantic was how big and beautiful the waves were. Perfect for boogie boarding and body surfing. 🙂 Chase had the best time playing in the waves. I was a nervous wreck as usual…thinking he was going out too far…worried about the under toe…etc., but everybody had a safe, fun time. We wrapped up the day with some fresh seafood and a great dinner. By the end of the day we were full, tired, sunburned, and happy. We had such an amazing time on our trip, but we all agreed we were ready to be home. One final night in NC and we were heading home to sweet ol’ Georgia. The ride home was nice and quiet for the most part. Chase amazed me as a road tripper and really was an awesome car rider. As we crossed into the Georgia state line we found a Randy Travis station on Pandora that brought me right back to road trips I’ve taken in my life and the trips I took as a child in my dad’s ‘big truck’. As we listened and sang along I laughed and cried and smiled and shared stories and memories that the old country songs brought back to me. I felt lucky to have had the ‘abnormal childhood’ that I often joke about and to have such great memories connected to song…and even more lucky that my son will have his own road trip stories to tell now. This trip was my favorite part of my summer vacation…and little did I know it would soon be tied with another favorite part of the summer…just a few weeks later…
The Pics:
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Road Trip – NC (Day 1)
I am an avid list maker…which inspired to me to change it up a bit make a list of all the fabulous things we did on our first day in NC.
- Survived horrible traffic on 95South, but made it to the Camp Lejeune Inn. Nice and economical!
- Visited the “mall” on base for last minute must haves.
- Had a cookout at the Bateman’s!
- Watched the kids play in the water all day!
- Listened to Marines talk about things and acronyms I pretended to understand.
- Watched Marines grill meat!
- Met new friends. 🙂
- Drank beer and ate delicious food!
- Fashioned a homemade fly trap!
- Ate MORE delicious food. (Hey..it’s vacation!?)
- Played RockBand
- Watched three kids wrestle and tackle a Marine for about an hour.
- Sat with friends and family to watch one of the best fireworks shows ever!
- Celebrated the fourth with my two loves, and awesome friends we don’t see enough.
- Prepared for day 2! BEACH DAY!!
The Pics:
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Wrestle Bowl Fest 2010 (Chase turns 8)
For Chase’s 8th birthday we decided to make him a Rasslin’ Cake. He’s pretty much the biggest wrestling fan on the planet right now and Jess and I are bound and determined to elevate or cooking/baking arsenal. So, after several failed attempts, scouring of the interwebs for the perfect recipe, several trips to hardware stores and/or cooking supply stores, and countless hours standing in front of the oven, we made the best cake we could. It may not have been the perfect cake, but to our 8 year old, it was magical.
The party itself was a ton of fun. We had it at the bowling alley in Griffin. Chase and several friends spent the day bowling, playing arcade game, eating pizza and cake, and generally having a great time. He got a ton of cool presents. Everyone had a great time! In addition to all the kids having fun, the adults did as well. Speaking of adults, this was the first time Jess’ mom and my parents got to meet. They seemed to get along really well! I have a feeling they’ll be seeing a lot more of each other at future functions!
This was my first birthday with Chase and I can’t tell you how great it felt. I really did feel like a dad. Getting to watch him interact with the other kids, watching the joy on his face when he opened all his presents. Cheering him on while he bowled. Helping him try to get that elusive strike. It all just felt right. I can’t wait until 9, 10, 21, 30, etc. He’s such a great kid who deserves the world, and I intend on being there to give him that.
The Pics:
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