Secret life of the Beaver's

I don't know how to begin this post, other than to say for the last month I feel like we have been living a lie. You see, we now live back in Arkansas. The last few posts have actually been "farewell to SC" posts, but we weren't allowed to share that with the world. We sold our house in Arkansas on my birthday and two days later we were faced with the decision to move back. It's been unreal, to say the least.
The opportunity arose for Bran to return & take over the LR site. As much as I fought it (And trust me, I fought it!), it only made sense. You see, we absolutely loved Charleston. I can't even tell you how much we loved it there. (And I can't dwell on it too much right now or I'll cry.) But for some reason we were needed back here. I'm still trying to figure that part out, but I guess that's where trust comes into play (Isaiah 55:8-9, anyone?).
We are trying to settle into a tiny apartment for now & adjust to being back in our Arkansas hometown. I can't deny it, the warm welcome back has been wonderful. The friendly, familiar faces, the smiles, the hugs, and the laughter have warmed my heart and reassured me I am, in fact, home.

Hanging with Tiger and Rory

This past weekend the PGA Championships were held on Kiawah Island. Kiawah, located a short drive outside of Charleston, is one of our most favorite places. The beach is so quiet compared to other beaches in the area. But we are only allowed to a certain point on the island until we reach a gate and have to turn around for not having the proper credentials. Bummer. :/ Until this past weekend, that is. Bran's company has been preparing for this weekend for a long time. They had access to the 17th hole tent and let me tell you, that's the only way to go to a golf tournament. Unlimited food, drinks, comfortable seats, shade, celebrity stalking, and people watching? Yes, please! B went on Thursday and had a blast! When he had the chance to snag me an extra ticket for Friday's round, I quickly secured a place for the girls to land for the day and off I went to the PGA. (But I'll be honest, a part of me was just as happy to get past those gates than go to the actual tournament! Ha!) 

Mr. Golfer Man in his cute golf clothes.

Cameras weren't allowed, and they had "mobile device" monitors constantly lurking, but that didn't stop us from sneaking some pics! :) The quality isn't the greatest (especially when a pic has been cropped), but, hey, it's proof we were there! All day Thursday Bran kept sending me updates and pics. These are some of my favorites.

Look to the right of the picture. See the guy in the green shirt on the path? That's Tiger Woods. And see the ocean in the background? Yeah, that was our view from our tent. 

Brandon's favorite from day one was Rory McIlroy. He snagged this pic during the first round.

Tiger Woods

This was, by far, my favorite pic B sent me on Thursday. It still makes me laugh. 

Friday was my day to go. I had no idea what to wear, don't have very many clothing options anyway, and quickly realized I didn't match the golfing crowd, but whatever. I'll never see those people again. Maybe I gave someone a nice chuckle. ;)

It was just a tad windy. And I forgot to bring something to pull my hair up. Oops. 

By the time we got to the course on Friday afternoon, the golfers I wanted to see were already completed for the day. That meant no Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, or Davis Love III. But there was John Daly! And, goodness, what a sight to behold in person. I know he's a rebel, but he's a cute rebel. Lol! He makes it fun to watch! Just look at his pants!!! B took this from our seats in the tent. Again, look at the view!

We ventured out of the tent and to the hole behind us. We knew Tiger would be there soon, and while I am not a Tiger fan, my Grandma Faye is and I knew I had to snap a pic for her. Guys. I was NERVOUS! I had my giddy laugh going on and I know I looked crazy suspicious. But who snagged the pic? THIS GIRL! 

I had my phone positioned behind my badge hanging from my lanyard and just hoped I was getting something, anything, as I "snapped" away. And, in the words of my former pastor Larry White, "looky here". I got it! Wait. Is it wrong that I'm quoting my pastor while I brag about breaking the rules and being sneaky? Hmmm. ;)

But it gets better!! Look. At. This. One!!!! Tiger. His name on the board. Oh, and that guy in the green shirt who is TOTALLY STARING RIGHT AT ME!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! BUSTED! But, hey, he didn't have the "mobile device policy enforcement" vest on so I'm safe. ;)

This is B watching his favorite, Rory, tee off of the 17th. 

Tiger was a couple of groups behind Rory and we knew that's where the majority of the crowd was. You should have seen the people flock him. Crazy! After Rory finished the 17th hole we started making our way out. But I had the adrenaline rush still flowing from snapping the pics, that I had to snap yet another one. Guys, I have to confess. I'm GOOD. In a bad way, I'm good. Take another look...

Rory on the 18th. Now come on. That's so cool, huh? Now remember. This was on Friday and I was just snapping pics for Bran. I had no idea I'd be snapping pics of THE CHAMPION! Hahaha! I'm awesome. 

To say we had a great time would be an understatement. It was a fabulous, probably once in a lifetime opportunity. We enjoyed some delicious buffalo chicken sandwiches, cole slaw, out of this world lemon cake, an ice cold can of Pepsi, and, of course, time together doing something out of the ordinary. I'm glad I was a sneaky snake and snapped some pictures of our memorable day. ;)

Beaching it!

Brandon and I have had many days this summer at the beach. We finally have a system down and the proper beach necessities. Now that the girls are home we have two extra sets of hands and more reason to have the insanely huge canopy. There's nothing quite like packing Vanna up and heading to the IOP.

Caylee pushing the wonder wheeler, Bay pushing (as opposed to pulling which is easier) the ice chest, and B carrying the canopy. I had the hard task of carrying boogie boards and snapping pics. ;)

Looks like she figured out pulling was easier! ;)

What is that face?! Lol!

B found us a spot to camp out for a few hours. 

Teamwork!

 Yes, the canopy goes up higher, but we keep it low. It adds more shade that way. 

Time for the water!

Sitting at the water's edge is one of the most peaceful things in the world. 

The girls love to burry my legs in the wet sand. And I must admit, it's very relaxing. Haha!

Beach bums. ;)

There's nothing quite like living on the beach. I'll treasure these days forever. 

11 years

This past weekend Brandon and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. Eleven! We were just 19 years old when we got married and the girls were three and a half months old. My sister stood at my side holding Baylee and Brandon's dad stood at his side holding Caylee. Our pastor performed our short and sweet ceremony in front of just our immediate family on his wedding anniversary. It always meant the world to me that he took the time for us on his special day. My brother held the video camera to capture the exchange of vows, but we later discovered he never hit record. That's ok. It's forever recorded in my mind. The tears and the laughs. I remember after the ceremony was finished we tried to pay our pastor $100 (with money my dad had given us) and he told us to keep it and use it on diapers. We left the girls with my parents for the weekend and headed to Tulsa for our "honeymoon" (provided, again, by my dad). Outback, Embassy Suites, the Rosie O'Donnell magazine, breakfast buffet...all sweet memories even if I was sick with a nasty cold, couldn't taste a thing and was forced to wear my glasses because contacts irritated my eyes too much. So many wonderful memories from that weekend. Not in a million years could we have imagined where life would lead us. We were just like any other young couple getting married in that all we knew was we wanted to be together forever. The only exception was we already had our family established.

We spent our anniversary celebrating as a family. I made a yummy breakfast and then we headed out for the day. We took advantage of the sales tax free weekend and did a little back to school shopping that morning before the crowds got crazy. Then we headed to Myrtle Beach for Dolly Parton's Pirate Voyage that evening. It's like her Dixie Stampede show, but pirate themed. And it's so much better! Goodness, I loved it. Then again, I love pirates! ;) The girls even admitted they might like it more than Dixie. And that's saying a lot for the horse lovers they are. We didn't leave Myrtle Beach until almost 11 and as the time struck midnight, ending our anniversary, Brandon had Matthew West's song "When I say I Do" playing. I love him. A lot. He's my boy. He's my favorite.

To get the party started I made one of Brandon's favorite breakfasts, breakfast casserole. We hadn't had it in forever. I paired it with our "eat your greens smoothie" hoping to balance it out. Ha! ;)

B and his girls before the show. 

Snapping a family pic is hard. Lol!

When B picked up the tickets the lady looked at our seats and said "Oh! You have GREAT seats!". Well, she was right! Front row and center! Not sure how that happened, but we sure didn't complain! 

B & B

C & C

The "stage" was a giant pool with boats on each end. I think B said the pool was 15 feet deep. It has to be because they were diving, jumping, and swinging into the water from super high places. So fun!

The floor in front of us had a strip of floor that was like a gymnastic mat. The pirates did all kinds of flips and tumbling passes. And it was right in front of us! Loved it! They also had a sea lion, Salty, that came right in front of us. So stinking cute!

After the show with all our loot! I. Love. Pirates!

This is Myrtle Beach's new SkyWheel. It's right on the water. I wanted to ride this thing so bad, but Caylee was hesitant. And if everyone wasn't on board I didn't want to fight for a parking spot, maneuver through the crowded boardwalk, and then wait in line. We already had a two hour drive back home so we just drove by and snapped a pic. 

Apparently, to Baylee, anniversaries are exhausting! ;)

Happy anniversary to us! 

Reunited!

Every summer the girls spend some precious, quality time in Oklahoma with their grandparents. Usually B and I will see them sporadically throughout their time away, but since we are 20 hours from Oklahoma, this summer was a bit different. Once Bran left for France that was it until they returned. Once I left my whirlwind three week trip and headed back to SC with B, that was it for me. Two months for Brandon, one month for me without seeing our girls. It was very strange. And I know many parents gasp at the thought. But this is what works for the four of us. Do we miss each other like crazy? Absolutely! But the memories they create will last a lifetime. And B and I get some much needed time to reconnect. It's perfect for us. 

And the reunion is oh so sweet!

We met up with Brandon's mom and sister in Birmingham. The girls were eating breakfast at the hotel and when they saw us walking in the parking lot they ran out to greet us. :)

We wanted to do some back to school shopping with the girls in Atlanta and so we started at one of their favorite stores before we left Birmingham -- Bass Pro Shops! Ha! We thought they'd just enjoy looking around. Little did we know we'd actually find them a few tops, too! WooHoo!

A trip to Atlanta is not complete without The Varsity.

The first day of back to school shopping was quite successful. I mean, come on. The cutest, most perfect dress for the girls from H&M.

Dinner at The Cheesecake Factory before heading home. 

Red Velvet for B & Bay. Banana for Cay & me.

And back to reality. Ha!

We have an exciting couple of weeks ahead of us before school starts. I'm so glad to have my family back together under one roof.