Classic Hilton's

Our community group recently took mini-DISC tests.  According to these results, I am an "S", followed by a "C". "S's" tend to be relationship oriented - supportive, loyal, agreeable, resistant to change, indecisive, and lacking initiative. "C's" tend to be more self-disciplined, orderly, detail oriented (sometimes overly so). We also learned that in times of stress, we tend to revert to our secondary personality as a defense mechanism.  (Now to reveal the Texan in me:) I say all that to say... Life with an infant is challenging.  Life with an infant and a five year old? Yep, challenging.  Adjusting to life as a full time stay at home mom of an infant and a five year old while living with your parents?  You get the idea.  But things are going well.  We take it day by day. We have something resembling a routine, but very loosey goosey.  My predominately "S" personality revels in the relationships -- playing with Brooklyn,...

Today was a great Sunday for worship.  For the first time in a very long time (and ever in Cumberland history) I got to lead worship for C3.  Singing in public as myself (as opposed to a character in a musical) is an incredibly vulnerable experience for me.  For whatever reason, it has become the physical representation of my insecurities as a person and an artist. But God has been working on my heart and today He allowed me an opportunity to give some of that back to Him. The experience of preparing the songs, letting go of my self-centered nerves, and then worshiping with the kids was incredibly rewarding. After singing, Grayson needed to be fed, so I went to the nursing room where I met up with some beautiful and sweet ladies who also have infants. We couldn't actually hear the message, but I so enjoyed chatting with them.  I didn't know many people when Brooklyn was born. This time around, having Grayson with other moms/friends also having babies has...

This was a lovely weekend. I flew with my family (Grayson's first airplane ride!) to California where we celebrated the future and remembered our foundation. Chanell and I (with MUCH help from Mom, Edie, and Judy) hosted a bridal shower for Jenna in San Clemente. The whole day was so laid back and (for lack of a better word!) lovely! The theme was coffee and boasted mimosas, chicken salad croissants, spinach salad, and a scone bar featuring a delicious assortment of preserves. Dessert was brownies (which will likely show up as the groom's cake on the big day) and lemon bars topped with blueberries (representing not only Jenna's favorite sweet treat, but also her wedding colors of yellow and navy). Everything was so elegant. Chanell made some beautiful coffee and candle centerpieces and we had little tributes to Brett and Jenna all around the room, including a letter written by Brett as a surprise to Jenna! Of course my favorite anecdote of the day had to do with the hou...

I'd been feeling so drab lately.  You know it's time for a change when the only thing you can do with your hair is pin it back and pull it up.  Even when I did try to fix my hair, it felt so heavy. And with the weather getting hotter, I could only wear it down for a few minutes before it was just too hot. Plus, there's a sweet little boy who likes to sit over my shoulder and grab anything he can fit his tiny hands around! So I chopped and stacked and smoothed and textured. I'm very pleased with the results. I haven't tried to style it myself yet, but I am confident that I'll be able to do something with it!

I love hearing birth stories.  Especially when I get to tell my own! Brooklyn was a healthy, happy fetus.  She was a kicker from the start. We had tickets to go see Wicked just before my due date, so naturally, she came early.  I went in for a normal appointment and the doctor decided that since there was a growing potential for hypertension and pre-eclampsia, she was comfortable inducing labor now.  It was Thursday, May 16th, 12:00 pm. While Mom drove me to the hospital, I called Ray and said, "are you ready to be a Daddy?".  He left work immediately, but since he was working out at Stone Mountain, it took him awhile to get there. Labor progressed slowly.  I was hooked up and given various drugs and fluids. We passed the time by playing Friends Trivia , which I am awesome at! I don't remember the exact timing of how the day went, but I know it was dark out when they finally broke my water and the contractions grew painful enough that I was ready fo...

I used to be a real stickler for wanting movies based on books to be like the book.  I guess in my mind, the book tells it so well, why change it? As I have matured, my understanding of these two very different mediums has evolved so that I now recognize that it all comes down to the story. A boy escapes the tragedy of his life and happens upon a circus.  A girl jumps into the performer's life head first, never looking back.  They bond over a shared tenderness for a four ton, whiskey loving, polish speaking elephant.  Together they build a life of adventure, love, and family; each giving the other what they were missing. This, in a nutshell, is the story behind Water for Elephants.  I read the book.  I saw the movie.  I thoroughly enjoyed them both.

Today was supposed to be my first day back at work.  Instead...           Ray and I started the morning in prayer.                 Brooklyn and I had breakfast before school.   Grayson and I walked the neighborhood.            We took a mid-morning nap.        Brooklyn had a friend over after school.                                      We had dinner.        Brooklyn and Grayson and I listened to a story on tape. Today was supposed to be my first day back at work.  Instead... It was awesome!