All Grown Up

I think maybe we've found the right school to send Alana to!  I don't want to jump the gun, but all signs have led me back to this particular one.  We are going to go check it out tomorrow and see the facilities, etc...but the people seem very nice.  As much as I don't want to send Alana off to school, the day will come soon enough that she has to go to school or I'll be arrested :)  This has been a struggle for me, because preschools are not cheap!  This is the one corner I'm not willing to cut, though...I won't settle for an "alright" place to send her just to save a few bucks.  Instead, I'll be getting rid of my DVR (sniff, sniff) and shopping at the commissary more...Things that really aren't that big of a deal.  I know that we can make it happen...Justin and I are trusting that God will lead us to the right decision.   I'll let you know how it goes!  

And p.s...Like I'm gonna have TIME to watch any tv when nursing school starts!

Tunes for your weekend listening pleasure

Ok so I'm pretty blog illiterate. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I can't figure this out or if it's just not possible in the first place. I was trying to put Justin's newest songs on here (the ones he recorded with Lawson on Wednesday)...however, I guess that's not gonna happen. Instead I shall post a link to them. Please check them out :)


www.myspace.com/theconspiracyof

The Whirly Girls...er, uh Curly Girls

Alana went to bed with braids last night...So obviously, her hair was super curly when we took them out this morning. I got the brainiac idea to curl mine too. We started off taking pictures to show off our hair, but we couldn't see Alana's...and mine just looks crazy...so these are the pictures we came up with. This is what happens when two people are cooped up for long periods of time. I don't recommend it to anyone. Justin will come home and wonder who we are and what we did with his girls. Have a fun, safe and blessed weekend!

Goodbye, Overly-emotional sobby girl.

I really can't believe it, but my choice for the bottom two were actually the bottom two this week. Now if good ol' Kristy could make her departure next week...I was kind of bummed that "Brookie", as I lovingly refer to her, was in the bottom three. There is just a pureness about her that makes me want to see her succeed. Then again, for that very same reason, she will probably be given the boot! I was actually surprised that Fox even allowed Dolly to sing her "Jesus and Gravity" song...Moving on from "reality" tv to my actual reality...things in the Portas household have been going quite well. I'm still recovering from some messed up Eustachian tubes, whatever those may be. Last week I had to go to the doctor, because I was feeling extremely dizzy (to the point I couldn't stand up--difficult, when you have a 3 year old), headaches, nausea...I thought this was a side effect to a new medication I was taking, so I called the doctor. He of course told me to stop taking it immediately and come see him. Come to find out, it wasn't the medication at all but an issue with my Eustachian tubes...I guess they are the tubes from your ears to your throat or something along those lines (I am going to rock as a nurse, haha)...anyways, the fluid was causing my equilibrium to be off and causing me to have headaches, pain behind my ear...the drainage caused the nausea. Isn't it amazing how our bodies work? I like mine so much better when it's working properly. All that being said, I am on the mend and extremely thankful for that. Our family has seen a pretty amazing shift over the past month. I won't dive too deep into the details, but God has definitely had His hand in bringing peace to our hearts and putting a bit of pep in our step. Old friends are becoming new, and we are able to see things in a more radiant light. This is vague, I know...but for those of you who know me best, you get it. And really it doesn't matter if you get it or not...What matters is that you understand how much God really does reward us for our patience, loyalty and simply trusting in Him. I can't believe how life has changed in the past 3 years or so! That being said, tomorrow is whites inspection, and there are uniforms to be ironed, pins to be placed and haircuts to be gotten.

In good old-fashioned Jon style...
Peace, Love and Military creases.

This One's For You, Jess

I really wanted to post my American Idol critique here last night while it was fresh in my head. Unfortunately for me, I had a bit of a distraction. I will give you a hint...It was little and gray, and ran across the room giving me something just short of a coronary. Yup, you guessed right. Another mouse! I am almost positive that this is thanks to leaving our door open while we videotaped parts of Justin's video. We had the screen door closed, but those pests can get in through anything. Alana informed me that we need to "put a towel down outside the door when we leave". Wow, where she comes up with this stuff I may never know! Justin had duty last night, so I was here alone with a broom in hand, standing like a statue...waiting for the sucker to come out from behind my treadmill so I could give it a good whack. It's so funny, because even if I WAS quick enough to whack it, what in the world would I have done with it? It would have given any of you a good laugh to see me, though.

So on to the good stuff...
Where to begin? I guess I'll start with the let downs of the night. Ramiele. Why are you still here? And why do you always wear those high-waisted shorts? You are like 4 feet tall! (I can say this, because I am not much taller). I don't know much, but I do know that short people and high-waists don't go well together. And to top it off, her singing was just so-so. Jason Castro...You are a beautiful boy, but I'm becoming rather bored. Kristy Lee. Why did this week have to be country? She did alright with the song, but she still has the nails (no offense to anyone of my readers who might have the talons that are painted like a french manicure, only with red tips). Not a fan, but you already know that. I'll go for the highlights now. I must say that David Archuleta won his way back into my heart last night. He's back! And it seems as though someone took my advice and gave him a tube of chapstick...Or who knows, maybe David himself read my blog and stopped with the lip-licking madness :) I thought Carly did a good job...she has an amazing voice. Simon, the fashionista, had to rag on her style though. What the heck? Those comments should've been used for two females previously mentioned. David Cook...still growing increasingly fond of him. And hello?! He got his hairs cut for real this week! Yay! I hear he had to be rushed to the hospital after the show, so I hope he has a full and speedy recovery. The only other person I'm going to mention (this time) is Michael Johns. Typically I am indifferent when it comes to him. I think he's a great singer, but I'm not usually entirely moved by his performances. Last night, I realized that he is still very much in the competition. Sometimes I think he is channeling Jim Morrison or something. I actually dug his Dolly song. But who am I to judge? I am not a musician. I am not a singer. I am not even a stylist! All I am is a chick with no night life...that sits and watches American Idol and pretends to be the fourth judge. It WOULD be nice if I got paid for it :) Tonight should be interesting. There are really only two people I'd like to see go at this point...Ramiele and Kristy Lee. Unfortunately, I know the latter will probably be in the final two. Why, America? Why? Thoughts? Who is it going to be?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Dear (Grammy)
Happy Birthday to you....

50 down, and at least that many to go :)

I love you!!!!! xoxoxo

Why, oh Why?

This blog could go both ways...It could be a long rant, asking why God lets bad things happen to good people. It could be a place for me to whine about being surrounded by loss. Instead, I want to celebrate the life that I have...The fact that I am so incredibly blessed to be given each and every breath that I take. I got news that someone I knew died tragically this weekend. It wasn't someone I was "friends" with, but I knew him through my brother and other friends...We went to church together when I first moved to Nashville. Anyway, he was killed this weekend in a freak canoeing accident. It's awful, because he was a really nice kid...just 24 years old. And like I said, as awful as I feel when I hear things like this, I also have to stop and look at how lucky I am to have another day. It's so important to live each day as if it is your last (as cliche as it sounds)...and even more so, to make sure that everyone you know is going to Heaven when they do pass. What's more important than that? Life is precious...and so are all of you!