*Sigh*

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Three whole days without writing anything....I feel terrible!! :)

You would think having the blog as my homepage would set off some guilt alarms every time I turn on my computer, it does but they must not be loud enough!! I just end up looking at the blog, sighing, and then doing something else.

I guess some times I don't feel like I have anything to say that would matter so why write, but then I remember that people are reading this not because I give great insights but because they love me and want to know whats going on with my life...they care, which is really nice, I just need to get over my ever present need to matter and just work on doing what I do best...being me!! :)
I'll get the hang of it eventually...I hope at least!

Until next time,


The Love Birds

I just want to give a shout out to my brother Landon...poor guy grew up with three very girly sisters....and he is very much a boy...it was tough sometimes! I am so happy with how he is turning out! I can say its because he had me as a sister but I can't take full credit....even though if you ask me I probably would!!

I spent the day with Landon and had a really good time...I went to lunch with my dad and grandma (who is in town for the week) and landon came, well I ended up kidnapping him and taking him along with me to do some errands and talked him into pulling some weeds for me at the house...don't worry I gave him chocolate for all his hard work! By the time we got to the house though I didn't even have to ask him to help he pretty much just started without me! :) I really appreciated having him there to help...I could have easily have done it by myself but it wouldn't have been as fun!


So mommy if you're reading this (I hope you are), you have a wonderful son, and at least one daughter that knows what a great brother she has! :)


Until next time,

The Love Birds

Memorial Day

Home of the Brave

by Roger Robicheau

Through the feel of war they brave this day
How proud they stand, their unselfish way

Our soldiers bear what we cannot see
They assure our right to live life free

Each trained will face an unknown fate
Our support they need, don’t hesitate

Just imagine how this land would be
Without their courage - catastrophe

All the liberties we have grown to know
Would not exist, this life would go

Find a thankfulness within your mind
Speak gratitude for our bravest kind

Have the willingness to show you care
For fallen heroes, hold back no tear

Reach out to God with his guiding light
For our troops do pray, both day and night

America raise your flags to wave
For we truly are 'home of the brave

Thought I would just share a thought for this Memorial Day, I knew I couldn't put into words the right sentiments I wanted to share so I found this poem....Google is a wonderful thing! :)

Until next time,

The Love Birds

Weekends

I'm finding it hard to sit down on the weekends to write! Not to say I'm not sitting down on the weekends but definitely not on my laptop....thought I should clear that up.

Once the weekend gets here I'm so done with doing stuff....I just want to lay on my couch and watch movies with Derek and maybe go get Chinese to eat! :) Especially this weekend...Derek decided to run a race yesterday (not a marathon, which is what I called it all of yesterday and was umhuh "nicely" told that that was incorrect and that it was called a race, my bad) well the "race" was at like 8:30, so we were up at 7 and driving to Fort Wayne...which is crazy for Derek and I to do on any day but especially a Saturday! He did a great job and I'm glad we went but I really missed sleeping in. Needless to say I will be sleeping in tomorrow morning in honor of Memorial Day! :)

Chris is leaving to go back to Ohio tomorrow after a breakfast of Waffles....I have been craving them so I decided I should finally make them! We are taking tonight to just relax and hang out with Chris and Jo! It was a nice week to have them visit, I really enjoyed seeing Chris and getting to hangout with Jo!


I'm sitting on the porch writing this, Derek was out here but claimed it was to hot for him...I'm starting to agree with him! :)


Until next time,

The Love Birds

p.s. I will be posting pictures of the race yesterday but I have to get them off of Derek's phone...I forgot my camera, I was really mad I didn't grab it but hopefully I got some good pictures off the phone! We'll see...

I went to write a post yesterday afternoon and the internet was down so I couldn't get on...I was definitely frustrated! But now that I can get on I figured I should write something!

I ended up getting everything done that I wanted to, with some snags along the way though! I got my homework done for Bible study and was all set to have the ladies over...I was planning on taking Derek to work after lunch so I had the car that way I could go to the church later that day, well we went to leave and the garage door wouldn't open....*sigh* being a homeowner sucks sometimes. Well after much frustration on Derek's part, he finally got it open, by that time though I needed to start the study, so Derek just took the car! In the end everything worked out because I borrowed Chris' car and went to practice piano....It's amazing how little things could ruin your day but I just had to remind myself that it was ok and to keep a positive attitude!

Tonight is my sister Lanette's 18th birthday party, she turned 18 on Wednesday but her party is tonight! We are really looking forward to it...playing volleyball, hanging out, maybe a movie outside!! :)

Until next time,

The Love Birds

Great Accomplishments

GO KRIS ALLEN!!!!!!!! I am so proud of America for voting for Kris Allen last night, He really in my opinion deserved to win! :) Great accomplishment!!!!


I haven't accomplished anything yet today but here are some things I want to get done:


1. Clean the house....ok so really it just needs straightened up, but for me it always feels like it needs more then what it really is!!

2. Finish my homework for the Bible study I'm doing with my mom and a couple other ladies! Its amazing how we have two weeks to get 5 days worth of homework done and I end up scurrying around on the day of the study trying to finish homework!!

3. I'm playing in Church this Sunday, so at some point today I need to go to the church and practice since we don't have a piano at our house....which is a bummer! It's not terrible because my parents church is a block away so I can just walk down there to practice but it still would be nice to just walk into a room in my house and sit at my piano and play....in my pj's preferably.


It was hard to decide what to have for breakfast this morning since we finished off the strawberry dessert yesterday at lunch...lol I woke up this morning wanting it so bad...it was so good!! Ok, I'll stop obsessing about this amazing cake, I'm making this awesome crock pot cake on Sunday so I'll move on to that! ;)


Oh I also need to figure out what I want to make for supper for me and my favorite person ever, I'm looking forward to relaxing with my husband tonight! We always have a good time together, he truly is my best friend!!


I should get started on my accomplishments for today! I'll probably sit down later this afternoon and update you all!! :)


Until next time,

The Love Birds

Mornings

I love my mornings...I get to sleep in most days and take my time getting up...walk around in my robe (ok, so its Derek's robe) eat breakfast and watch tv, sometimes work out while watching tv, depends on how fat I feel! ;)

This morning is a lot like any other morning except I had to wait for Chris and jo to leave so I could wear just my robe, I woke up way to early because of the sun..darn sun! I ate dessert from last night for breakfast...which I guess isn't really that different from most mornings, and I'm catching up on my Gossip Girl addiction...I know bad bad tv show that I should be ashamed to watch, but I still watch it and I still wait impatiently until it's Tuesday so I can watch it on the dvr from the night before! One day I will break this horrid habit but today I will just enjoy it while I don't feel guilty about it!!! For now its my little pleasure I indulge in...Derek doesn't care because I haven't ever ask him to watch it with me... I think if I did, he would definitely encourage me to stop watching it!! :) In case many of you don't know my husband, he is very much a macho guy...gossip girl really isn't his thing! Thank goodness! :)

I guess I should work out...of course I did eat strawberries for breakfast...does it count if its in a cake?


Until next time,

The Love Birds

Strawberry shortcake

Really quick....I wanted to share with you all this wonderful dessert we ate tonight....actually I wanted to make everyone jealous ;) The pictures pretty much speak for themselves!

Until next time,

The Love Birds

What a day it has been...I got up this morning and went to Decatur with mother-in-law and sister-in-law to a produce and flower auction! I'm looking for hanging baskets for my porch and flowers for my back porch, I found some stuff there but didn't buy anything today...I figure I'll go back later this summer in hopes things will be cheaper and I will know a little better what I want! I got back at like 12:30, just in time to pull out some lunch meat and bread before my husband came home for lunch! I was having Landon and Lane come over this afternoon to do some yard work for me...well Landon was doing yard work, lane ended up helping me move a bench to my back porch and finish up a dessert I was making...Which reminds me, If you have been reading my post (which I hope someone is) you will remember I had said I found this amazing strawberry dessert that I was going to make, well I made it!!!!!! And it looks great! I will be posting pictures later tonight (there is a playoff game on tonight so I figured I will be on my laptop a lot) to share with you all!!

I'm going walking in a little bit with Laurissa, our pastor's wife. We sorta became walking buddies when Derek and Ryan (our pastor) started running for the marathon! :) I'm glad I got a chance to sit for a while before walking, I have a tendency sometimes to just keep moving until by the end of the night I crash into bed!

Until the next time,

The Love Birds

Sundays with the Smiths

Most Sundays are the same for us....sleep in until we absolutely have to get up, go to church, usually go to Kevin and Tracie's for lunch (my-in-laws) get home around 2:30, crash on the couch and turn on basketball (or football or golf, depending on the season) Then some Sundays we go to my parents for snacks in the evening, which is what we are doing tonight! I'm definitely going to need a nap just from writing that down...zzzzz oops guess I should finish this first! ;)

We have a busy week coming up. Chris will be here tomorrow afternoon and will be here till next week and then my younger sister Lanette is turning 18 on Wednesday and having a party on Friday that we will be at....probably will be gone two or three nights this week! We always enjoy weeks when we don't have to go any where and can just be a lazy couple are butts glued to the couch with a list of movies to watch!! :) We definitely have the best life ever!

Well I'm going to enjoy the next couple hours with just my husband before I have to share him with every one else this week!

Until next time,

The Love Birds

Oh Yum!

I read this blog called "Confessions of a pioneer woman" which my mom got me started on. She is a city girl who married a cattle rancher and so is stuck in the middle of no where and now an almost real ranch woman! She takes pictures and writes about their everyday happenings but want really is amazing about this woman is that she cooks some amazing foods! Every recipe I have made from her site has been amazing and satisfying! I recently was told she had posted a new recipe for a strawberry cake....which I thought sounded good but wasn't so sure how I would feel about it....let me tell you I have absolutely changed my mind!! It looks like the best cake ever...... I have posted a link to her site so recommend every one go check it out! :) I know what I'm making this next week!

Until next time,

The Love Birds

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/strawberry-shortcakecake/

Oh Joy!!!

I have a follower!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought maybe I was alone in my quest to share with the world our lives, but no, as of this morning (at least that's when I saw it) I have a follower! :)

I thought my mom was the only one reading this little blog! hahaha But what joy to log on this morning and to see that red notice sayed "1 follower" I must be bored because that definitely made my day! On this blog spot when you get a follower you can go and see who it is and above the name(s) it says the following....."Followers are people interested in your blog" :) I thought the wording was funny....someones interested in me! :)

I bet you all are wondering who this person is...this person who is "interested" in what I do on my blog...who made my day.....*drumroll please*

Lindsay Roseberry!!!!! My sister-in-law, Thank you lindsay for becoming a follower...don't worry I won't make you drink piosoned juice one day! :)


Until next time,

The Love Birds

After a nice supper of spaghetti and meatballs and Derek taking his run with Ryan and me walking with Laurissa we are now finally sitting on our couch relaxing! Derek is talking to Chris right now, and I'm waiting for him to get off so we can finish American idol. For those of you who don't know Chris Leo let me introduce you....

Chris is a wonderful friend of Derek's from Moody Bible College in Chicago, He was a couple years ahead of Derek but they instantly were friends! They are so alike....you wouldn't think it by looking at them but the undying love for sports and the live long hatred for nature it was a friendship destined to happen! :) Chris was in our wedding in October and meet his dream girl there, my friend Jocelyn Deckard was one of my bridesmaids and after the wedding they got to talking on Facebook and decided they might like each other...facebook is a wonderful matchmaker! I couldn't be more happy that they found each other! Because Chris lives four hours away in Ohio we have the great pleasure of being the Love bird Inn when he comes to see his sweetheart! ;) Us four have so much fun together! His next visit is coming soon, actually this coming Monday, which reminds me that I need to clean my house....YIKES!!!! :)


Until next time,

The Love Birds

Go Danny!!!

Watching American Idol and crossing my fingers that Danny doesn't hit a note like last week! wow what a note that was....in the past, keep reminding myself that! So far so good! :)

I'm really hoping that America votes for the right person next week and Danny wins! Crossing my fingers!

Boredom

So I've been home all day and the boredom is starting to take its affect, I can on most days fight through it and find something productive to do, I was doing so good until now....now I want to do something!! I've eaten lunch, I have scrapped a little bit, cleaned up the mess, watched enough of the "Real housewives of New York City" to melt my brain....is it possible to get stupid by just watching tv? must figure that one out....

*sigh* So now here I am, sitting in my empty house so wishing I lived a little closer to town! Oh well only two hours until Derek gets home and then I can be bored with my favorite person!

Until next time,

The Love Birds

Early morning nothingness....

I usually don't get up this early...I'm a big advocate of sleeping in. Laying under the covers, warm and comfortable..waiting for the burst of energy to get up...which usually doesn't come till about 9:30! But this unfortunate morning I just couldn't stay asleep, watching my husband gathering clothes for work, barely awake himself, hearing him going down the stairs and closing the bathroom door....trying so hard to just go back to sleep! But alas sleep didn't come...one perk of getting up is that I got to see Derek off this morning! My wonderful husband who I admire so much...today is his first day of training for a marathon in September! Our pastor, Ryan, told Derek about this 26 mile marathon in Akron, Ohio and encouraged Him to enter it with him...I was so happy he decided to enter it, I know he will do great! I would have to be talked into running anything..or working out in any way!

Until next time,

The Love Birds

Mother's day

Second day of my blogging adventure, and still not sure what to write! :)

I hope everyone remembered to tell their mom "Happy Mother's Day", I know I did. What a busy day for me this year. I have the great blessing of having two moms to celebrate. My wonderful mom who has become my go-to person since getting married! It's so nice to have someone to call with stupid questions like "Do you have to thaw out frozen meatballs?" Thank you mom! :) And then I have my beautiful mother-in-law, What a woman, I have known Tracie since I was like 12 and we have always got along which made the transition to daughter-in-law so easy! She is always helping and encouraging me....which I sometimes need a lot of! :)

I just want to give a shout out to my sister-in-law Lindsay Roseberry. She has really been a great friend to me through the years and has made me so confident in my marriage adventure. Watching her with her son Micah (my adorable nephew) has warmed me up to the idea of being a young mom! I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law.

Until next time,

The Love birds

Blogger Virgin

Hello to anyone that is reading this,

This being my first time blogging I'm not sure what to write, I guess I should tell you a little info about myself....

My name is Lana Smith (formerly Lana Stringer) I married my best friend and longtime crush Derek Smith. We got married October 4th, 2008, it has been an amazing 7 months! I could not ask for a better husband! I started this blog mostly to have something to do on my days off and to keep everyone updated on the happenings of two people in love! :) I know you all were just sitting there thinking to yourselves "I wonder what lana and Derek are doing?"

At this moment in our very eventful day we are taking some time to relax...and waiting for our order at Co Co China to be ready to pick up! Derek is watching the playoffs...oh the joys of sports...Football, Basketball, golf..thankfully Derek hates baseball so I am saved from one of the male past time enjoyments! :) I am obviously starting this blog to as I stated before, to keep you all updated!

Well its seems the hunger pains are starting, so as all you good wives out there know its time to get takeout!

Until next time,

The Love Birds