The Plasma Car

I want to give a shout out to the Plasma Car. My girls are in love with it or I should say, it's knock off from Target. I ended up buying a second one because they were spending more time fighting over it than riding it. Now both girls are content and we have hours of entertainment.

11 Years Ago

Eleven years ago, this is where Howie and I stood before God, our family and friends to commit our lives to one another in marriage.

Today we will renew our vows in the very same spot, this time with just a few present, but still with the same importance as the day we entered into this most sacred covenant of marriage.


During our ceremony, we will hear 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This reading, as well as other readings chosen for today, remind Howie and I of our commitment to each other, our family and most importantly to God.

Happy anniversary Howie! It is a very blessed day here in the Avery House.

Such is Life!

Howie and I were both working on our Master's degrees before we were engaged. I was getting mine at UT and Howie was attending Arizona State University (ASU) in Phoenix. We moved Howie out to Phoenix in the hottest part of the year. I have never before felt like I was actually standing and walking around in an oven. It was very surreal. After boarding the plane at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, I cried as the plane left the ground, knowing that Howie and I would spend the next year or so apart as we both finished up our Master's degrees at our respective universities. On one of my trips to visit Howie, I was surprised by a proposal.

(Our first home in Phoenix, Arizona. Howie looks angry in this picture, but it was just the sun in his eyes )

Howie took me to a beautiful restaurant called "Such is Life". We had planned on becoming engaged, but the time and place of the proposal was to be determined by Howie. I was convinced that it would be on this trip, but as the time grew nearer to my departure, I was increasingly convinced that this was not going to be it. At the restaurant I, as my Scarlett O'Hara self, was bitterly complaining about how hard it was to be apart and to not know when we were finally going to have an official engagement. Suddenly as the violins serenaded us at our table, and I pouted with tears streaming down my face, I looked up to see a little black box with my engagement ring. The rest is history. Howie had wanted to make sure that his proposal was a definite surprise. Although I don't like to admit that I was so pouty, I am glad that our engagement was a surprise.

Avery House Beginnings

Howie and I met each other in the summer of 1995 while we were in college at UT. We were both RA's and in training before the start of the new year. In those days, Howie wore his hair long, tanned for the better part of the day and spoke with a very thick New York accent

(A picture of Howie that I took when we first met.

This was not his car, but don't you think it should have been?)

The moment I saw him and heard that New York accent, I was in love. We became friends and later started dating. Our first date was at the Hermitage room at UT on Howie's bonus bucks. It was a wonderful first date, and I will always treasure the fact that Howie didn't let his lack of money keep him from wanting to take me out to lunch and show me a good time. As we are getting ready to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary, I am so happy that I met that boy from New York. It has been a wonderful 14 years and counting.

Happy Birthday Josie-Bea Originals!

For the one year birthday of Josie-Bea Originals, she has gotten a new look! Come take a peak at www.josie-beaoriginals.blogspot.com. If you'd like a Josie-Bea Originals button for your own blog just copy and paste one of the pictures below. Add a photo gadget to your page then for the URL link that it asks for paste the following: http://www.josie-beaoriginals.blogspot.com. Then those who click on it will link to the Josie-Bea Originals blogspot.

This one is animated.

This one is static.

I had this idea for my logo of a little girl walking through daisies carrying a flower umbrella while a little bee followed behind. I was so fortunate to find an awesome graphic designer on Etsy who put my idea into graphic form. I think she did an amazing job, and I LOVE my new logo.

Thanks everyone so much for your support of Josie-Bea Originals. I started this business one year ago this month and it has really grown steadily. It is a true blessing from God to have this little part time business that allows me to stay home with my girls. I have enjoyed the creative part as well as the learning part of this business. I'm looking forward to the 2ND year of Josie-Bea Originals

A Trip to the Smokey Mountains

We had a wonderful time with Grandma Beverly, Aunt Rhonda, and Nana at the River Stone Resort near the mountains. We enjoyed Dollywood, swimming, creek walks and the mountains on our little mini vacation to the mountains.

Swimming with Aunt Rhonda

Playing games with Daddy

Wet clothes after the River Battle

Nana and Grandma Beverly riding in style around Dollywood

So It's Been Awhile . . .

Life has been very busy in the Avery House during this month of May. I have now taken on the embroidery work for a local children's shop as well as a gift and specialty shop which has made me much busier with Josie-Bea Originals than ever before. It's great to have such steady work and I love it! God has blessed me and my family again with allowing my business to grow in this way and thus allowing me to continue to stay home with our girls. Needless to say, blogging has not been on the forefront lately, but it will balance out again. We also just got back from spending some quality time with Howie's mom, my mom and Howie's sister Rhonda in the Smokey Mountains. I will post pictures from our trip in another post. Until then, life is good.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day 2009: Me and my girls.

Happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers including grandmothers, aunts, friends, and teachers. We hope you have a wonderful day. We are blessed to have each of you in our lives, and we love you all.

Happy Birthday Howie!

Today is Howie's birthday. He is turning 8 according to Emma-Caroline, who said when asked how old she thought her daddy was, "Well, Daddy's big, he's even bigger than you, so he must be eight."
Howie is a wonderful father and husband. He works very very hard for our family and has been supportive of me staying home to be with our girls. Howie is a fun-loving dad who would lasso the moon for any of his girls. He is my best friend and I am so happy that I have him in my life.

Howie we all hope you have a very happy birthday. We love you very much!

Capturing Life in Photography

We recently went to take family pictures with the photographer A.K. Vogel. Although I love the pictures we have had made in the past in a studio, I have always longed for photographs that captured us as real people living life. A.K. Vogel not only has an eye for photography, but also an eye for life. These are only a few of the amazing pictures that A.K. took of our family just last Thursday. I was and am amazed at her gift. See what you think.