A Broken Promise and Exciting News (balancing out the bad with the good) ;)

Apparently I broke my promise to all of my fabulous readers (that's you!!) when I said I would be posting more often. I know one of the worst things you can read on a blog is the lame writer (that's me!) apologizing for not updating lately, so I won't do that.

What I will do instead though is toot my own horn and say...

I am officially a baccalaureate degree holding college grad!!

It was a LONG time in the making and at times I thought it would never happen, but alas it did!! I've actually been a college grad for over a month now, but since I haven't been updating (shhh) the news is just hitting the headlines today.

I will start working my new J-O-B on Monday and will then be off on Tuesday because Brayden is having his tonsils out. I think I could get used to a schedule where I work one day and I'm off the next. I don't think I will be that lucky though :(

I would love to be able to tell ya'll I have big things planned for Dore's Diaries in the near future, but unfortunately I don't. I will say that I am putting my thinking cap on and will come up with something to reward those of you who have stuck around even with my long absences.

I will leave you with some pics from my big day and I'll be back soon... I promise.

Cousin Jacob, Best friend Sarah, and her youngest Jacob

My MawMaw & PawPaw

(camera was on wrong setting, lol)

My stepmom, Brenda and my Daddy

Anthony & Me

My aunt Collette (Coco), me, & my mawmaw

My mom, me, & mawmaw (no my mom and aunt are not twins, although they could definitely pass for it!)



My mom, Anthony, & me

Mom, me, & stepdad Mike

Some of the family @ the ceremony

So what if it was over a week ago?!?

I know it's a little late to be posting Halloween pics, but since I have been MIA for so long I decided it would be okay to share anyway...

We had an exciting time at the Pumpkin Patch this year. Brayden was thrilled when we got there and saw all of the pumpkins, but the novelty wore off pretty quickly. He soon forgot about the pumpkins and decided to focus his attention on the cars speeding down the highway, while trying to figure out how he could sneak past me to get to said highway.

Man, that boy is fast... but mommy is faster! Needless to say, he never made it to the highway and he made sure to express his dissatisfaction over the whole thing. The John Deere boots flew through the air more than a few times during the full-blown kicking and screaming tantrums that he seems to have mastered recently.

Somehow I managed to get some good pics in between all of the drama. There is never a dull moment with Brayden and I can't imagine it any other way. Life would be sooooo boring without him!






Brayden was a vampire for Halloween and although I am partial, I honestly believe there never was a cuter vampire than my little man! Take a look for yourself and you will see what I mean!

He had such a great time trick-or-treating! It was so much fun to experience it with him. He had a blast seeing all the other children dressed up and taking in all the spooky sights and Halloween decor of the houses. It was a super special day that I will always keep with me.

We did it last year, but he didn't really understand what was going on. This year he was a man on a mission and knew exactly what was going on and what he needed to do. My only complaint is that it was all over way too soon. I'm sure Brayden completely agrees! We are both anxiously awaiting next Halloween and I have decided to dress Brayden in his costume when he wakes up Halloween morning and begin trick-or-treating as early as possible. No sense in wasting daylight when we could be giving Halloween the FULL day it deserves! Anyone agree?

Im alive!!

Can you believe it?!?! I am actually here... alive and kicking! My guess would be that no one is reading this though and everyone has given up on me. I hope some of you still have the Diaries in your reader and see a new post.

I don't really have much of an explanation for going cold turkey with the blogging other than I was just burnt out on it. I apologize for never posting an explanation and appreciate all the emails and comments checking in to make sure everything was okay! My readers are fantastic and I am so grateful!

I am back for now, but can't promise that I will post regularly... but I will be around... I promise!! Life is crazy right now with responsibilities. I am graduating in December (woohoo!!!) and school has been driving me completely bonkers!

Brayden also keeps me running like a madwoman... he surpassed the terrible 2's months ago and has since moved into the category of Tyrannical 2's! There is NEVER a dull moment around here.

We are about to head to the neighbors house for a birthday party, but I will be back soon with some pics and stories!! I missed ya'll and am soooo looking forward to reconnecting with you all!!

Wordless Wednesday (August 5th edition)

It has been raining here like crazy lately. We have really been needing the rain... everything is so dry around here. (Okay, I totally just sounded like my mom... or anyone else that is significantly older than me... OMG, does this mean I am getting "old"?!?!)

Anyway, the rain was good for me because it meant I got a vacation from watering the plants... and it was good for Brayden because it meant some good ol' fashioned fun in the mud!!

Make sure to add your WW post below in the linky... Happy Wordless/Wordful Wednesday to everyone!

Tomorrow...

My cousin, Jacob, is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. If you missed this post, Jacob had a minor accident on July 25th and through testing it was revealed that he has a brain tumor. He is in Little Rock and will spend today getting prepared for the surgery. He is doing bloodwork, getting his central line put in, getting a holter monitor, etc.


Today is his 28th birthday and I know it is one he will never forget. Please keep Jacob in your prayers this week. He is an amazing guy and one of my absolute favorite people in the world. I will be heading to Little Rock on Thursday. It was tough to decide not to be there for the actual surgery day, but I think it will be better this way. Anthony has taken off of work to be home with Brayden so I can go be with Jake.

The doctor is telling him that surgery is expected to last between 6 to 12 hours. That is a LONG time! I'll leave you with some pictures that were taken this past weekend to celebrate Jacob's birthday.

The Birthday Boy & me in the background trying to get ALL the candles lit!

I had to throw in a picture of me and my little man!

Brayden with his godfather and favorite uncle Jake!

I love you Jake and I know that everything will work out okay. If anyone can get through this, it's you! Happy Birthday Cuz!

Tough Times, Tough People Chicken Soup for the Soul (giveaway)

I am so excited to announce that I have joined The Soup Kitchen, which gives me the opportunity to receive and hold giveaways for all of the brand new Chicken Soup for the Soul Books!

The 1st book I received is Tough People, Tough Times. I think that everyone will be able to relate to stories in this amazing book.

It reminds us that tough times won't last, but tough people will. Tough People is all about overcoming adversity, pulling together, making do with less, facing challenges, and finding new joys in a simpler life. This new collection shares tales of people who have been laid off, lost their homes, and endured wrenching life changes, but discovered the underlying gifts in their new situations. More time at home with family, creative "staycations," more satisfying job opportunities, and renewed gratitude for health and life are just a few of the silver linings these survivors have learned to cherish.

I have always been a huge fan of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I think my favorite is Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mom's Soul. My mom gave it to me while I was pregnant with Brayden and I dove into it and had it finished within 2 days. The stories are so heartwarming and really do give you a good feeling inside, just like chicken soup has a knack for doing!


I have 2 copies of Tough Times, Tough People to share with you. I hope that you will love the stories as much as I did. Make sure to come back monthly because I will be giving away all the new books as they are released. Next month, you can look forward to winning Extraordinary Teens.


Required Entry: You MUST visit the Chicken Soup for the Soul site and leave a comment telling me your favorite book or one that you would like to read.

You can earn extra entries (leave separate comments for each) after completing the required entry if you:

• Blog about this giveaway and link to Chicken Soup for the Soul (http://chickensoup.com) and Dore's Diaries (http://doresdiaries.com) and leave the link to your post in the comment. (3 entries)
  

• Subscribe to this blog via email (1 entry)

• Follow this blog (1 entry)

• Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)

• Tweet this giveaway and put @braydensmom0724 in your tweet (can be done once a day for 1 entry each time)

• Favorite this blog on Technorati (1 entry)

• Stumble this post (1 entry)

• Grab my button and place it on the sidebar of your blog (1 entry)

• Favorite/Heart my Etsy shop, Designs by Dore' (1 entry)

• Buy an item from my Etsy shop, Designs by Dore' (5 extra entries)

Please be sure to give the direct link or username corresponding to each entry!! I will be checking!!

Also, please leave me a way to contact you if you are a winner. Remember to leave a comment for each entry and if it is worth more than 1 entry, make sure to leave a comment for each.

This giveaway is open to residents of the US. It will end on Friday August 14, 2009 at 11:59pm CST and the winners will be chosen using random.org and announced on August 15th. I will email the winners who then have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.