Mommy & Me Swim Class

This week, Maddix and I have been going to a Mommy & Me swimming class at the pool. It has been fun, except for a couple of days with cold weather. Maddix seems to like the water and his favorite thing to do is to stand on the side of the pool and wait for me to count to three and then jump into my arms. Except, he sometimes doesn't wait for me to get to three. And after doing this a couple of days, he's gotten really brave. On Friday, he just wanted to jump in and did not want me to catch him! I didn't let him do it, because I know he'll freak out when his whole head goes under...crazy little Kamikaze. As for the second picture, we were starting to get ready to go to swimming lessons and Maddix spotted his Grandpa Larry outside and just insisted on trying to get out there. He knows he has to put on shoes and a hat, so he improvised. He had his swimming diaper in hand and put that on his head and slipped his shoes on. Who cares about pants when you've got underwear on? Next thing I know, I see him trying to escape out the front door looking like this! He just kept saying, "I ready Grandpa" over and over. Who knows, maybe he'll be starting a new fashion trend for toddler boys?!?

Chantilly Place

I have always wanted to be an event planner or a wedding planner. I love everything about weddings and have many ideas. I don't really consider myself a creative person, but when it comes to weddings or parties I really feel like I found my creative niche. My mother and father-in-law have a beautiful blue Victorian home with a gorgeous yard. They've had their kids wedding receptions there and various nieces as well. In Roosevelt, there is nowhere nice to have a reception/wedding. Since Pam has had several weddings at her house, all of them I've been around for and helped plan, we really got thinking last summer. My brother-in-law Beau was getting married and we were helping with that wedding. I mentioned many of my ideas and also told Pam how I'd love to be a wedding planner. She said that since she always puts a lot of work into her yard regardless if there is a wedding that summer or not, that I could establish a wedding business and offer it to the public. So, I got to thinking about a name and came up with 'Chantilly Place'...which is a sort of pun on Chantilly Lace a special lace used for wedding dresses. I think it sounds so quaint and weddingish. Then I began designing brochures and distributing them around town to floral departments, hair/tanning salons, etc. Well, it got off to a slow start with no paying customers last year, but we still did two weddings (Beau & Nicole and Pam's niece Laury & Johnny). Well this year I decided to take a chance and put some more money into my advertising. I made up a radio ad and had it played on X94, the young/hip radio station. It went as follows with the classical song that is played at many weddings now by Pachbel, titled 'Canon in D' playing softly in the background. "Nestled on the grounds of a grand Victorian estate, is a beautiful location to have the garden wedding or reception you've always dreamed of. Chantilly Place is a naturally beautiful outdoor area adorned with fountains, pergolas, gazebos, and flower gardens. This a beautiful place to have a wedding from late spring thru early fall. For more information call Lisa at 725-0577. Book your wedding today at Chantilly Place where they say something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue...we'll be your something blue. Located in Roosevelt at the "Blue Victorian." The 'blue Victorian' is the unofficial name people in town use to refer to the Glines' residence. Pam and I are partners. I am in charge of advertising, getting business and being the one with whom the brides work. Pam is in charge of keeping the yard up. Then we both pitch in on the wedding day for set-up, etc. Well, the good news is that this summer we have two bona fide weddings booked that are not pro bono. Both brides are having their wedding and reception with us. Now we just have to pray for good weather on those two dates since we are an outdoor facility only. I am really excited to see how both weddings turn out. I think both brides have great taste and it will be fun to see how things turn out. It has been something to keep me a little busy and has been nice to put some of the things I learned in college to use as far as advertising, PR, etc. Now if we could just get brides with substantial budgets and could decorate very extravagantly, my wedding planning dreams would be complete. My next venture in further establishing this business is creating a website or a blog.

Happy 30th Birthday Ben!

On May 30th, Ben turned 30 years old. We had a small get together at his parent's house with his brother and sister-in-law, Beau and Nicole, and Granny Helen. We had yummy cake and ice cream! Maddix is such a good little helper, trying to contribute to the blowing out of the candles. He thought the cake was for him. I can't believe Ben is 30, and I'm almost 29! Time really flies when you get older. I remember being little and always waiting to get older. I couldn't wait until I was a teenager, then sixteen, then eighteen, then twenty-one. Twenty-one however seems like the last birthday I was anticipating!