Proud to be an American

“Since America felt it was important to build a memorial to the service and the ultimate sacrifice of her veterans, the Honor Flight Network believes it’s equally important that they actually get to visit and experience THEIR memorial.”

For those who haven’t heard about Honor Flight, it is a group that provides a free day-trip to DC for WWII veterans (along with some Korean and Vietnam vets) to tour the monuments that were built in their honor. I think this is such a wonderful service to provide for these heroic individuals! We have had multiple veterans travel on this flight from our area. However, most recently, one of my favorite older gentlemen here in Huntsville got to go…Mr. Newman.



Mr. Newman attends the same congregation as Seth and I. Seth grew up knowing the Newmans…I have only gotten to know Mr. Newman during the past couple years that Seth and I have been married. But he has found a special place in my heart...he reminds me so much of my granddad who passed away a few years ago.

I was so excited for Mr. Newman when he told me and Seth that he was going to get to attend the next Honor Flight trip out of Huntsville! I cannot wait to visit with him and hear his stories from the trip! The folks who fund and support Honor Flight deserve a huge round of applause in my opinion. They recognize that our WWII veterans are a dying generation and deserve all the respect we can give them while they are still here to share their experiences.

My granddad was so proud of his service for the US Navy. He and my grandmother attended his battleship reunions EVERY year up until he passed away…my grandmother still goes when she can. I can remember Adam dressing up in my granddad's Navy uniform when he was little...I even played "Anchors Aweigh," the US Navy's anthem, at my one (and only) piano recital. I think being around him made me appreciate so much more the service that those in the military provide to our country. It is a service that I don’t think I would be brave enough to do…but I am SOOO thankful for all those who have served in the past and continue to serve today!!

(My granddad...Daddy Phillips :) ...is the second from the left. He was pictured here in 2004 with the only few remaining original crewmen of the USS Iowa.)


“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.”

The End of an Era

Last week, Caleb played his last home game as a Madison County High School baseball player. Senior Night came way too quickly this year. It seems like the season just started. Yet Senior Night has come and gone, and today is their last game. Seth and Caleb have both worked very hard this year, and I am proud of both of them!

We had quite a few seniors this year! I'm sure the team will miss them greatly! They are some talented young men!

Redeeming Themselves

As you know, Seth and I have a Nissan Altima that we bought a couple years ago. I have LOVED this car up until last Thursday when "Alfred" started having issues. We have had no trouble at all out of this car since we bought it. Then when we were on our way back from Destin (Seth's dad was driving), Alfred decided that he was done. Luckily, we had stopped for gas, so we weren't in the middle of traffic. The car would crank up and everything seemed okay. But when you pressed down on the gas pedal nothing, and I mean nothing happened. It was so weird! Like the total opposite of Toyota's problem. Luckily, Seth got it going enough to get it home. Alfred went to the Nissan dealer in Huntsville the next day. He spent the next week there getting his electronic throttle changed out. Everything seemed to be going okay....

...until yesterday. I went to pick the car up after work, drove it for about 10 miles, then guess what! It did the EXACT same thing. Except this time I was in the middle of an intersection. How marvelous is that. So, I just waved and mouthed apologies to everyone as I coasted at the speed of a snail into the mall parking lot.

Seth was yet again able to get it going and Alfred went straight back to Nissan. At this point we were getting slightly irritated. Our car was suppoed to be fixed and here I was nearly getting smoked in the side while sitting in the middle of traffic. Not good! The Nissan folks were shocked and confused about what was going on, and they needed to keep it to figure it out. But they couldn't give me a car to drive in the meantime. Really??? The car is under warranty AND they had already fixed it once! As Seth said, if we were angry people, these foks would have gotten an ear full.

Today, Nissan redeemed themselves ever so slightly in my eyes. They did find the problem that I told them about, and guess what, they are replacing the ENTIRE brains of the car because of it! You know that can't be a good sign. And they gave me a brand newAltima to drive in the meantime. :) Now that is much better customer service in my opinion!

The Boys of Summer are Back

It's baseball season for the Bowens again! I've taken so long to post...it's actually almost over! Seth and I went to Destin with the baseball team last week for their spring break tournament. Tough work, I know! Seth may have actually had to work since he had to live with the boys that week. Me on the other hand...I just got to enjoy some games, eat some food, and not go to the office!

The games went pretty well. Caleb had a good week....even got a homerun!! We ended up winning our bracket, but got put out in the semi-finals.

We did have a couple of warm beautiful days while we were there. I had to force the boys down to the beach to take a couple pictures! I mean, c'mon, you can't go to the beach and not take a pretty picture!!

Since they were such good sports, I did take them to get ice cream and to the Bass Pro Shop to stick their heads in the shark. :)

Date Night

For our “big” gift this year from my parents, we got tickets to the Brad Paisley concert in Birmingham. So, last Friday we made the trek down south. Seth said it actually felt like we were out on a date for the first time in forever. We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner….DELICIOUS as always….did a little shopping and headed downtown for the concert.

It was AMAZING!! If you enjoy county music, you should definitely see this concert. He was very entertaining the entire two hours. Here are a couple pictures.

Wedding Bells

January of this year, my cousin Erin got married. It’s strange to think that we have all reached the marrying age. I still think of us as the kids that sold lemonade on the corner and accidentally sledded into the neighbor’s bushes. Are we really "adults" now? Crazy.

Anyway, Erin had a very sweet wedding. I hope that she and Ryan have a lifetime of love and happiness. Here are a few pictures I took of the big day.

Good Ole Santa Clause

We had another marvelous Christmas this year! Santa was very good to us! We have so many Christmas traditions to keep up with for each side of our family, but I absolutely LOVE it! We start at Seth’s parents’ the week before Christmas, then Seth’s grandma’s the Sunday before Christmas, our house a few days before Christmas, my parents’ Christmas Eve morning, my grandparents’ Christmas Eve night, then finally my other grandma’s on Christmas Day. Whew! That is one busy week! But I wouldn’t give anything for it. Sometimes that’s the only time during the year that we actually get to spend with the entire family in one place. So, it’s very special to me.

Here are a few pictures to give you a glimpse into our Christmas fun!

Uncle Seth let Eli open a present from us early…notice he isn’t playing with Nemo, it’s the bubble wrap that has him amazed.

Of course, you have to see a picture of Mama J and her new grandbaby!

Again, Eli is more entertained by the boxes than by what is in it.

Seth and his Grandma

The Phillips Crew

Santa got Dad an air hockey table for Christmas. The elves had to put the finishing touches on it while he was sound in his bed.

Sweet little Luke…always a ham for the camera!

If you can’t find my dad during the festivities, just look for a corner by a door…trying to escape the insanity. J I think he just likes to open his presents early without anyone catching him!

Finally, the infamous money envelopes that we get in our stocking every year at my grandmother’s…we’ve gotten these as long as I can remember. Just a few bucks “to buy a soda pop with.”