Celebrate

Happy 25th anniversary to Leven's dad and stepmother! We drove to Shreveport Tuesday night to celebrate the occasion with dinner at Superior! The weather had been pretty bad throughout the night and the lights went out while we were eating. That was a first! Still the food was incredible and we laughed and laughed. Leven gets his humor from his daddy for sure!



After eating we headed over to the boats to do a little gambling! Not a good night for The Barker's!

Also yesterday was my baby nieces 1st birthday! So happy "day late" Baby Brittyn. Aunt Dev loves you!


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This past weekend I had my second volleyball tournament up in Ft Worth. My team is improving each practice and each game. It's hard for us to compete with all those other teams bc we aren't considered an "all-star" team. My girls are ALL from the same school. We don't win many games but they are getting better and better and come next Fall they will do great in our own district. We are getting there.



Lev didn't go with me this time so thankfully I road with a mom and a couple of the girls. We had a good time!!

I'm getting more and more excited about our New York City trip!

What are some places we must visit??


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I finally uploaded some pictures off my camera to share!



Taydem with her Pawpaw and Nanna






Taydem is tickled about something



Natalie and Me!



White Christmas






Taydem with her cousins Misti and Macy

Today has been a slow day at work. Leven and the kids are off from school today for MLK Day! These days I wish I was back teaching.

I have another Vball tournament this weekend in Ft Worth! Eew. That's a further trip and I'm making it by myself!

Have a great week!
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Down the Court

Trever's basketball team won last night against their big rivals...Hallsville! It was an awesome game and the student section came out to support! I love their energy. Trever sprangled his ankle Sunday night (playing basketball of course) and it was big and black last night.  Then all day Monday he stayed home from school with the stomach bug.  Super proud of him for toughing it out and playing last night.  I know at times he was about to die! He's such a good leader on the court. They will travel to Marshall on Friday.

My two precious nieces are both about to turn 1! Seriously...how can this be? Tyler's birthday party is this Saturday and then Brittyn's birthday will be on Super Bowl Sunday. 

Leven and I still talk about having one more child.  We both go back and forth.  Sometimes I feel it's more me that doesn't want another one more than Leven.  I know Taydem would be the best big sister in the world so I feel she deserves to have a little brother or sister to grow up with.  I really just wanted Trever to finish high school and we get him going into college before we had anymore. Plus with my past seizure history, I know both my doctors will make me get back on medication before we get pregnant.  I hate taking medication and I really hate taking it while a baby is inside me.  That's just another issue I have about getting pregnant again.  So we will see............

Happy Hump Day!

Something special

This past weekend I had my first volleyball tournament. I'm always proud of my girls whether they did good or bad. They are getting lots of experience playing club. We had good moments and very lazy weak moments. Overall it was a good two days and we now know what we need to work on to get better. I love these girls!!



Leven and I stayed in the Maxey's condo in uptown Dallas! Love this place. Super nice and in a wonderful location. Thanks to them!

Here's a picture of Taydems class last Friday. Fun Friday consisted of the letter "N!" So they wore a shirt with a number on it. And we just happened to have the number Nine! She also wore three necklaces that were mine as a little girl. She loves them. She stayed with my parents over the weekend.


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Lady Elizabeth

My grandmother (Meme) is so precious to me.  A year ago this month, my grandfather passed away.  My Meme has done so well this past year being alone.  Well, she's not really alone.  She lives right now the street from my parents and my Aunt and my cousin.  They all continue to visit her daily and when we ALL get a chance we drop in and visit with her.  My life is so busy, it's hard for me to drive out and see her as often as I'd like to.  So I try and call her at least once a week to check up on her.  She's 89 and is still doing very well, health wise.  She was so proud in November when she went to get her license renewed...she got to keep her driving license! She's the reason I love to sing so much.  My Meme can sing! She has the best ear for harmonizing and I know I got my ear from her. This past Christmas we made a photo book for her and we all wrote something to go in the book along with a favorite picture with her.  This is what I wrote for the book:

Elizabeth

(Meme)

E-
(Everlasting) I love you Meme for constantly providing me and showing me
everlasting love since the day I was born. 
I am so blessed to have you still in my life today. 

L- (Love
& Laughter) You are surrounded by so much of it! I think about this all the
time.  I love my family.  And it all started with you and Papaw.  It is a MUST to keep your family CLOSE!
Without family, who do you have? Meme, thank you for loving us all and keeping
us close. And laughter….our family does a lot of this! So many times we have
laughed until we have cried, our faces have hurt, or if you are like me, may
have wet your pants (Thanks to Uncle Rob!). 
This is what I want to always remember about my family.

 I- (Incredible)
Meme, I think you are pretty dang incredible! I have always listed you as one
of my role models growing up! Here’s a list of some reasons why: incredible
cook, incredible singer (I get my harmonizing skills from you!), incredible
painter, grandmother, great-grandmother, gardener, and the list goes on!

 Z- (Zippy)
{Full of Energy, lively} We all know
you are 89, and I think you are very lively and full of energy.  Plus, I couldn’t think of any other “Z”
adjective!

 A- (Ageless)
You may not feel like it, but to me you have always looked the same.  Maybe a few more wrinkles here and there, but
you have always been my Meme.  And since
I was a little girl you still look the same to me.  Your smile is the same, your hair is the
same, your frame is the same, your eyebrows look a little different (insert
smile), but you’re beautiful Meme, just beautiful! I hope I age as well as
you!!

 B- (Bob
& Beauty) You can’t spell Elizabeth without Bob (Robert L).  I miss him. 
We all miss him.  I shed tears as
I type on my keyboard.  But then I smile
as I think of you yelling his name, “BOB!” I can’t tell you how many times
Taydem brings up his name.  She misses
him. Papaw was himself a “beauty!” Good looking man! And he made sure everyone
knew it.  You two made a great looking
couple. But Meme, again such a beautiful LADY! Inside and out….

 E- (Endearing)
Your inspiring love and affection continues to be passed down to all of your
great grandchildren every time you see them. 
They all love you just as much as you love them.    

 T- (Tennessee
to Texas) I love where I come from! Thank you for our little home away from
home in the Smokey Mountains and thank you for Jerry Lucy Road! Growing up next
to my cousins was the best thing about my childhood.  Watermelons, mean ole’ red rooster, cows,
hound dogs, creeks, fishing, playing games at Whitney’s house, swimming at our
house, music videos, Christmas performances, Wesley, baseball/football games,
Colored Eggs, spending the night in Carthage!, Melinda, sleepovers, etc…..memories
that will last with me forever.

 H- (Happy
& Heaven) You make me happy, Meme! I’m happy you are here with me today.
I’m happy that I’m close to my aunts and uncles. I’m happy that I’m not only
close to my cousins, but that we are also friends.  I’m happy that my family can still get
together and laugh and hug.  I’m happy
that we are a family that loves one another. 
And more importantly Meme, when that day is to come, I’m HAPPY knowing HEAVEN is where my family will
spend eternity together.
 

 

 

Balla

Check out this action shot of Trever. It was in the Longview News Journal over the weekend. His basketball team starts district on Friday.



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Fresh Face

My new favorite addiction is Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford. I've always been pretty good about taking care of my face. I always take off my makeup at night and I put moisturizer on before bed and when I wake up in the morning. I have tried product after product throughout the years. But this has been my fav! Plus it's shipped to your home every month. If you don't need it every month you just call and tell the to wait another month or two. I'm on my second round now!









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Happy New Year....I'm only a few days late!

2013...the year Trever graduates! Ca-RAZY! We only have a few more months left in the house with him until he's off to college.  I think Leven may go nuts!

My volleyball team is getting more comfortable with me and more comfortable with each other.  We have our first tournament in Dallas next weekend.  Leven is going up with me on the first tournament so I know the girls will work extra hard! They always try to impress the "head" coach! He just has that "thing" about him.  Those girls are scared to death of him.  It's actually pretty funny when he walks into the gym or even when he approaches them.  And he eats it up!

Taydem is getting so OLD so quickly! She's getting attitude.  Rolling the eyes, whippin the hands (like no you didnt), and talking back! And then I'm like, no you didn't! I can already tell she and I are going to go round and round one of these days!  She has got way to much personality for that little body of hers.  Sometimes it's so hard not to laugh when I know I'm suppose to be serious with her!