New additions to the fam

This is Bing and his new brother, Mac. We got Mac from David's little cousin. Mac needed a new home and Bing was more than willing to welcome a new pup to the pack. Clearly they're both good at breaking rules, and Bing is teaching Mac all of his bad habits, like sneaking onto the couch when no one's looking.

This is what I come to. It's like hey Bing, why don't you make yourself a little more comfortable? My boys are so bad.

David let me have 2 little fish in the small 8 gallon tank he no longer needs for our clown fish. They were so mean that we gave them away. I chose 2 tangs, one is black with white polka dots and the other one is black and white striped. I named them Laverne and Shirley. They're feisty little fish but they're cute. 

Fearless

2 Timothy 1:7:For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

We took Bingley to DiOGi Dog Park today. It was built in memory of a Sheriff's Deputy and K9 who were killed in the line of duty. Very tragic story. 

We often call Bingley a bulldozer because he's solid, and he doesn't realize how strong he is. He has been known to knock a few people over a time or two, which is definitely something we're working on. Although he is short and stumpy, he is mighty. Bingley definitely met his match in a boxer pup and several other hounds that were just as forceful and playful as he is. After a while of doggy craziness, I look up to see this elderly lady bringing two of the BIGGEST Rottweilers I've ever seen in my life into the park. I believe the owner said they weight 180lbs. Huge.

 I immediately think that Bingley is done for, being that that he is never afraid to approach the biggest and baddest dogs (which has earned him a nip here and there). I should also so that Bingley's approach is not as graceful or polite as it should be. Sure enough, Bingly caught sight of the Rotts trudging through the grass, and he booked it in their direction. Fearless. Our dog is fearless! All of the other dog owners laughed after seeing how Bing is a friend to all beasts! Surprisingly, the Rotts were very welcoming to our little pup, and they eventually warmed up enough to play. Bing was very popular, especially with the ladies. Come to find out, this elderly lady has owned Rottweilers her whole life and these two (Reba and Bear) are only 2 years old! She told David and I that they  SLEEP IN HER BED WITH HER! One on each side....unbelievable. They were the most gentle, loving pups in the park. Although enormous in size, Bingley still tried to dominate the female and she was forced to put him in his place. He's ruthless!

I often think about fear, especially since I have always been a "worrier." If anyone has ever experienced feelings of worry or anxiousness, you know that it's 1. exhausting and 2. quite overwhelming. I have attempted to stay away from any activity that would elicit fear-- movies, games, Halloween themed parties/theme parks/events etc. I don't understand why people are drawn to those things. Perhaps disdain for said feelings is a characteristic of a controlling personality?? Who knows. I just know that I have had to continuously ask God to help me be free from fear, anxiety and worry. My mother always taught us that we are not to have a spirit of fear. To worry and to fear is to lack faith and trust. I often hear the words, "in the absence of faith, there is a present of fear" replay in my mind. Watching Bingley run fearlessly toward those beasts reminded me of the freedom that comes in believing that a far greater power is in control of my small life and this small world, especially in comparison to His Greatness and power.

 Most people who know me (and David's mother, Billie), know that our theme song is "Wild Horses" by Natasha Bedingfield. When we're together, there is typically at least 2 renditions of this song (sung very very loudly) and I think we love it because it addresses the topic of fear. Our favorite line goes like this: "fear surrounds me like a fence and I want to break free."  I dedicate this song to this post!

It's in the little day to day moments where I see how God continues to teach and move.

Orange Beach to Mobile, Alabama

I recently agreed to travel from FL to Alabama with my mother in law and her mother, Grandma Mary.

We had a fabulous time staying with Uncle Tommy and Aunt Jackie (Jackie is Grandma Mary's youngest sister). We stayed in a beautiful condo in Orange Beach, Alabama which was absolutely beautiful! Who knew that Mardi Gras actually began in Alabama? Maybe everyone does, but I sure didn't. We had the privilege of attending one of the many Mardi Gras parades that took place in Gulf Shores.Aside from the wolves, donkeys, and 90 year old men jumping for beads (with their oxygen tanks in tow), the most entertaining aspect of the parade had to be  the amount of people who got hammered in the face with moon pies.

Hands down best parade I've ever been to. The amount of old people towering over the children was pretty unreal. Me being one of them, of course. The majority of people there were snow birds over the age of 50. How fun is retirement? Is it wrong to want to be retired at the age of 24? On our trip, we ate delicious sea food, laughed, and had a good time with all of the family we spent time with. Here is a picture of Billie Jo, Grandma Mary, and Mary's oldest sister, Geniva.













One of my favorite parts of the trip was the scenic tour they took me on to see where Tony and Billie Jo grew up. I always had this idea of what Mobile, Alabama looked when I would hear their childhood stories. Seeing what it actually looked like was so different than what I had imagined. Maybe I pictured something like this:

I guess it should have dawned on me that David's parents are only in their 40's and surely, their neighborhood wouldn't have looked as "rustic" or "southern" as I thought. I just hear those thick southern accents and my imagination got the best of me :) This is the home where Billie Jo was living when she met Tony, and when her father pastored Knollwood Church. 

This is the house where Tony and his brother, Steven, grew up. How charming were their homes? Southern homes are beautiful. 

The last highlight of my trip was getting to spend the night with Grandaddy and Granny Morrison (Tony's parents) in Tallahassee, where I got to sleep in the tallest bed I've ever seen in my life. How magnificent? It seriously took a stool to get up into it. Best bed I've ever slept in. It's definitely a bed for a princess.

Cheers to 3 years!

Today is a very special day! David and I have been married for 3 years. It's hard to believe that three years have already gone by. David and I often talk about how unbelievable our story is.  One day we should co-write it together so the details never get lost. It really is a remarkable story.  

Mind you, there are many details that I'm leaving out when I explain that I will never forget the day that David called and suggested that we marry before his second deployment. Two days later, I was in California and we were being married by his cousins John and Kari.  Only Kari and piano man were there to watch, but with the blessings of our family, and the peace we felt after much prayer, we knew we were doing the right thing.  

I'm sure many people speculated about our 
decision to marry, but we felt that it was a responsible and right decision that would ensure more stability for us as newlyweds when David returned from Iraq. Especially with me moving out to California when he returned, there were many things that I needed time to accomplish in the 7 months that he was deployed. Although the deployment was a frightening time, the excitement of building a life together kept all of our spirits up. We also wanted to have a "wedding celebration" in FL with our parents and friends there to celebrate, which we celebrated on December 15th, 2007. 

In the 5 years that we've know 

each other, we've 

accomplished 

a lot for being so young. When we got married, David was 20 and I was 21....looking back, that was definitely YOUNG! We're still young! We often discuss how most of our time spent together has been through times of "transition". This obviously makes sense since we married during a very transitional stage of life. I'm very proud of our accomplishments and the life we've set up for ourselves. David completed a 4 year enlistment and served his country through very hard years. I graduated with my bachelors and masters and have a dream job! We are so blessed with supportive families, good friends and are fortunate for God's favor and provision through our young marriage. We are in such a great place in our lives and are excited to see what will come in the next 3 years!! 

Sweet token of love

My friend Karen posted this link on her blog and I'm stealing it from her to post it here.

Phillip Toledano created a pictoral journal of the last sweet moments he shared with his father. It's a lovely, heartwarming gift he created in honor and in memory of his father. I love this project. Click the link or click here to view. It will also be a book available at Amazon.

**FYI: after you click the link, you have to click on the picture at the bottom of the screen to move on to the next page.

First day back to school

Greetings from Lakeland! 

Today was David's first day of school at the University of Tampa. Last night he asked if I'd wake up with him (6am) to take a picture of him on his first day of "real" college. He makes me laugh. I always make a big deal of things so how could I expect to sleep through the morning of his big day? He insisted on standing in front of his fish tank.  

David said his classes seem interesting and he's most interested/excited about Spanish class. How terrible is it that he's going to know more Spanish than I do and I'm the one with Hispanic heritage? What a shame!!!!! 

The last thing I leave you with is a little token of FL love...from our state to yours: 

 

Pink, Woodsy camouflage bedding for a little baby girl. Yes, that's my father posing behind the crib. He threatened to buy it for his future granddaughter. I think anyone in ownership of this bedding has crossed the line. 

Morrison update

It's been so long since we've blogged. We're horrible at keeping up with this blogging business, but we'll try harder since so many of our family members are doing it!

David and I are doing well. As most of you know, I finally got a job in September! I am considered a part-time employee but I work two 10 hour shifts on the weekend at our local Hospital, Lakeland Regional Medical Center.      
                                    LRMC is the 4th largest hospital in FL and I am RIDICULOUSLY busy for 10 hours straight. My role as a hospital social worker is to focus on "safe discharge planning." I have 6 floors which include 2 cardiac floors, Pediatrics, Mother/Baby,  Labor and Delivery, and NICU. In 10 hours, my patients range from all ends of the spectrum; I see patients who are drug addicted and/or homeless, elderly pre/post-op for heart surgery, women making adoption plans, and women and babies whose drug screens test positive. Sometimes I'm simply giving a patient a cab voucher, arranging a home nebulizer for an asthmatic child, and other times I'm discussing Hospice options with families. Every patient is different and that's what I love about this job. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity! One thing that I've noticed that seems to becoming more popular these days, are names that have apostrophes. Some of the most recent names I've come across: Mi'Angel and Jah'Dynasty. Just...can't....understand. You wouldn't believe some of the things that I've seen:) 

David is beginning a new semester, as a transfer student, at the University of Tampa where he will be studying Government and World Affairs.

After begging him to continue with the pursuit of nursing, I've finally succumbed to the realization that he has to pursue what he loves. Truth be told, he loves politics and he loves his country, and I am choosing to support his endeavors. He's already begun the search for internships and he can hardly wait for classes to start. I just love him and want the best for his (and my) future.

Bingley, our little naughty pup, is continuing to be spoiled rotten. If our ownership of this dog is any indication of how we'll be as parents, we're in BIG trouble. If our kids are as cute as Bingley, they'll be just as spoiled. How do you tell a cute face, NO? We're creating a monster.

The newest additions to our family:

 

BeeBop and Rocksteady (two clown fish who are madly in love), Sweetpea (6 line Wrasse), Scampi (cleaner ship), Dwayne (arch eye hawkfish who is terrorizing the tank), Bobi (orange diamond gobi), and 3 Green Chromis which school together. We haven't named the school yet. David's saltwater aquarium hobby is out of control....he obsessed. We're building our coral collection which is my favorite part of having a tank.

I've decided that I will include a little token from FL at the end of each blog. I'll call this piece, "Only in Florida...From our state to yours." So here it is:
Photo taken in my hometown and was seen parked at a nursing home. Keeping it classy.