JOIN THE PARTY

Monday, February 28, 2011

A fun party is starting.  Link up at Lynette’s.   There are great prizes, including a GREAT one from me.  I want you to WIN.
Check out her blog and pick up the party button. 
It is always fun to get to know other bloggers. 

For those of you new here, my name is TERESA.  I live in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

We go by real names here.
I am married to Jack (38 years) have two kids Greg and Amanda, two kids-in-love, Dana and Micah and

 4 Little's…Parker, Jack, Austin and Grayson
They light up my life. If you don’t like Grammy stories you may not like this blog.
I have TWO BLOGS…one family blog…Grammy Girlfriend
and a Holiday blog,
 A BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING…
because that’s my business…holiday decorating…So here’s getting to know me better…
How would people describe your personality? (If they could only use ONE word.) Are they right?

energetic and at the moment NO

What celebrity/celebrities would create a “Star-Struck” feeling if you saw them in real life? 

Tim McGraw, Brett Favre,

What is your comfort food/drink?
 coffee, diet coke, ice cream

  Movies: Action, Drama

Books: I have never met a book that did not want to come home with me….we are readers….of everything



Music: Country, Christmas



If you inherited a million dollars, what is the first thing you would do with your money? Give money to families with sickness and make life easier for them….then take the entire family to Disney for at least a month.
THEN take hundreds of little kids that have NEVER been.


If you could live anywhere at all (and take all your loved ones with you), where would you go?I will have to think on this one…I really would just love to travel with them about three weeks out of every month. 


Strange Talent?
I am not very talented.  I can tie hundreds of bows and never look down…

MY  favorite blog
Kat at Just a BeachKAT
love her honesty and sincerity.


What’s something you consider yourself to be good at? Sending cards, decorating Christmas trees, planning trips

What is one of your favorite things to catch a whiff of? coffee
When you leave a social gathering, do you wish you had talked more or lesstalked less?

If money wasn’t a factor, what stores would you shop in? Probably would not changeTarget, Central Market, Dressin Gaudy (local)


  What is your greatest fear? Losing a family member or chronic illness
  What is your greatest accomplishment? hands down
Raising TWO great kids that are hard workers, great parents and make the world a better place. 

Be brave – tell us something very random and weird about yourself.


My husband was the football coach, I was the cheerleader….but its lasted 38 years.


Do you have a strong desire to do something you’ve never done? What is it? 
Be a Disney PLANNER

PARKER’S DAD

Thursday, February 3, 2011

I could not decide which blog I should post this on.  This is a post I have thought about writing many times.  A post that I will have run by Amanda before I post it.  There are things that are just family business, but I am hopeful this post will encourage someone.  I have received many emails and comments about PARKER, THE BABY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.  If you have read my blog for anytime you know Parker is our oldest “little” who is eleven and not so little anymore.  It literally seems like yesterday that my then 18 year old Amanda, sitting in our pastor and good friends office, both of them crying and looked at me and said “Mom, I’m pregnant”!  I can tell you a thousand things that would have rocked my boat more than that.  She will confirm to you that my reaction was not much more than, “We need to get a nursery decorated”!  And we did.  I had just finished tree season and so from that very ordinary day in January until May all we did was plan, decorate, dream and eat.  We laugh at how many times she and I ate out.  Within a week we knew it was a boy.  And this was a boy that I could not wait to get my hands on.  From that moment in the delivery room when I got to cut the cord, I have been crazy in love with this boy, a love I never knew existed.  Thank you Amanda for handing me that precious gift. Parker was our only grandchild for seven years.  When Greg married Dana, we were blessed with Austin.  Then eight years after Parker, Jack came on the scene…and then the next year we were blessed with Grayson.  BUT PARKER had a LONG TIME where he was the one and only.  He and Amanda lived with us the first five years of his life.  He is the meaning behind the title of this blog.  He DID CHANGE EVERYTHING. 
In  other posts I  have told you all about him. He is brilliant, he is well traveled, he knows the Mouse well, he is kind, he is well mannered,  he is handsome, he is a little adult that takes being a big brother to Jack very serious. Parker and Jack
He said tonight, “Grammy doesn't Jack have the cutest laugh” and he does.   Parker bears the name of both my grandfathers, his great-grandfathers. He is called by my Moms maiden name, his Moms middle name.  There is no doubt in my mind he will be a world changer.  Yep, he is pretty near perfect, at least this Grammy thinks so.  I have told you all that before.  I have also told you how protective we were when Amanda married.  How scared we were.  In some cases, how we needed to back off.  Amanda knew who she loved.  I just needed to be sure that person knew how to love and parent Parker.  I don’t have to tell you I had some pretty hard qualifications.  Amanda married Micah when Parker had just turned 8.  (I think) You can read the Micah post here.  I got this one wrong…and everyday I am thankful that I did.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think Parker would ever be such great friends with the man that married his Mom.Micah and Parker
What I have never talked about is Parker’s Dad.  Actually Parker gets really lucky here.  He has two.  He has never wanted for male role models in his life.  He has an Unc (Greg) that has loved him as much as his own from the day he was born.  He has two grandfathers that think he is “the best thing that ever happened to them”!  He also had the privilege of having his great grandfather in his life for his first eight years.  This boy is blessed.  And he should be spoiled and I guess he is, but most days I see nothing that would give that away. 
BUT he does have a Dad that he loves very much and that loves him very much. This next part will just be from my perspective.  (just a disclaimer since its my blog)  Have we always had a great relationship? NO
Have I always wanted Parker to have a relationship with his Dad? Yes 
Amanda had to grow up overnight.  Brad had a choice and for a some years he chose a different path.  A path I hated and I think he would tell you one he hated.  Never was he totally out of Parker’s life, but at times on a very limited basis.  I think there was a period of time I gave up hope. There was a period of time I did not really care.  It was easier that way. Did we have problems?  Absolutely! 
Brad moved away from our town for a few years and in that time I saw a huge change.  I am sure he would tell you I watched him closely, always afraid that it was just temporary.  It took a couple of years for me to really think it was a REAL CHANGE.  Now that it has been more than a couple of years it makes me so happy when I see how much he loves Parker and how Parker is so proud of him. I think in many ways Parker saved his life.  This is the bonus.  He and Micah have become friends and do lots of things with Parker together.  They have been on a weekend camping trip, watched ballgames, shared meals…that means everything to Parker.  Amanda and Brad have a good relationship…So what was once a not so great situation, to put it mildly, has totally changed.  And in my book, that’s a good thing.  Meet Brad, Parker’s Dad. 
brad and parker