Never underestimate the strength of this woman...

Where do I start... let's start with my first memory of her... I remember the day they brought her home from the hospital, she was so tiny and i remember her mom walking down Granny's hallway with her all bundled up, a beautiful little package, and we gathered around Granny's table and looked at her... and i was in awe...  I am certain that it was the newness of her that brought about those feelings on that day but over time she has been proven that indeed she was, and is, a beautiful little package.  There is just something uniquely special about her.

I have had many different feelings about her over the years... when the newness of her wore off i don't remember feeling that she was all that great... and eventually i felt a bit of jealousy towards her.  It would seem that i wasn't the only one who thought she was great... she quickly became my Aunt Jeannette's favorite and they developed a bond that would sometimes leave you feeling a bit confused... she didn't call her Aunt Jeannette, she called her MommaNette.  When she would speak of her mom in conversation I would have to stop her and ask which one she was talking about.

That's about the only thing that has ever been confusing about her though, she doesn't mind telling you exactly how she feels and exactly what is on her mind.  She is a good representation of her MommaNette in that aspect.  When she was in elementary school i thought she was a brat... always had to have her way and a little bit mouthy... i can remember thinking that she would never make many friends if she kept it up... boy was i wrong...

She grew out of that bratty stage, thankfully :), but the one thing that has never changed about her is her beauty... she is probably one of the most beautiful women i know.  And her beauty is a rarity because she doesn't have to work at it... it is completely natural.  Though i am speaking of her outward appearance she is even more beautiful on the inside (if that's at all possible)... she is that beautiful little package i spoke of before.

And she's a complex little package at that... she possess a strength that is unmeasurable... she is fierce and loyal... she is dedicated and determined... She has grown from that bratty little girl who i wasn't sure about into one of the most unselfish, caring people i know.  I am not saying that she is all sunshine and roses because i know for certain that she is not (she is a Malcomb after all...) but i don't know of a time when i have ever needed her that she wasn't there.  And lately she has been there for a little bit of everyone.

I am not sure that she ever takes any time for herself, you never see her alone... she always has a little head of dirty blond curls in tow... Knowing her as i do i would have never thought that i would see the day when another individual would dominate her life, but that is exactly what has happened... with the birth of her daughter.  I was a little scared for her when she decided to have a baby, wasn't sure that she was pliable enough to have a little one in her life... a little scared for her to be perfectly honest... remember what i said about her needing to have things her own way... if you have kids you know that goes straight out the window... but once again i was wrong... she is one of the best mothers i know.  She is the perfect balance of love and structure and her daughter is just as beautiful as she is, both inside and out... (though she looks like she was picked out of her daddy's butt...)

I am not telling you all about her for any special reason, i just thought it was time for her to know how great i think she is and how truly blessed i am that she is a part of my life...  i was in awe of her as a baby and i still think she is awesome today... Tiffany Sue Armentrout!

As my cousin, my friend, my sister, i love you!

Never underestimate the strength of a woman... we will stand even when the world is falling down around us!

It's the little things...

...this was waiting for me this morning on the counter when i got up...

from Michael..

and then i went outside to water the plants and found these little cuties...

from Daddy and Molly

I named them Peter and Pattie

and to further brighten my day this little lovely has been around all day...

a little gift from mother nature...

It doesn't have to be a guesture of great effort and

 yet it still can have the same effect...

the feeling that you are loved and important...

My birthday present...

... on this day many years ago i was given a gift... a gift from my parents... a gift that it has taken me years to realize and sometimes takes great efforts to appreciate, but no less a gift

...my mom and my daddy will call me in the morning to wish me a happy birthday and tell me that i am loved and i will be very thankful... thankful for not only this day, but everyday that has passed and everyday that is to come... thankful for the love they once shared and the gift they gave me 39 years ago...

...this crazyawesomebeautiful life!!!

An Unselfish, Complete Love...

All things within this fading world hath end,
Adversity doth still our joys attend;
No ties so strong, no friends so dear and sweet,
But with death's parting blow is sure to meet.
The sentence past is most irrevocable,
A common thing, yet oh, inevitable.
How soon, my Dear, death may my steps attend.
How soon't may be thy lot to lose thy friend,
We both are ignorant, yet love bids me
These farewell lines to recommend to thee,
That when that knot's untied that made us one,
I may seem thine, who in effect am none.
And if I see not half my days that's due,
What nature would, God grant to yours and you;
The many faults that well you know I have
Let be interred in my oblivious grave;
If any worth or virtue were in me,
Let that live freshly in thy memory
And when thou feel'st no grief, as I no harms,
Yet love thy dead, who long lay in thine arms.
And when thy loss shall be repaid with gains
Look to my little babes, my dear remains.
And if thou love thyself, or loved'st me,
These O protect from step-dame's injury.
And if chance to thine eyes shall bring this verse,
With some sad sighs honour my absent hearse;
And kiss this paper for thy love's dear sake,
Who with salt tears this last farewell did take.
Anne Bradstreet


This reading was one of the most beautiful things i have ever experienced. Written for her husband in case she didn't make it through childbirth... their love was a rare thing for a marriage in the 1600s. I sat in class today and was almost in tears... call me sappy...