Letter - Just had to vent.

Dear AirTran employee,

I realize that you may not be completely happy with your job and you probably don't enjoy the swarm of people waiting in your check-in line an hour before the plane takes off. You deal with several customers a day and I'm sure at times it may be overwhelming, especially when you get that customer that is rude or overly demanding. But then there are those customers like me that may seem a bit overwhelmed with the whole flying thing. Not that I don't like it ... I do. I love the fact that we can be somewhere in two hours instead of being stuck in a car for 16 hours. Sometimes though, I feel a bit of anxiety about the flight ... maybe because I'm traveling alone with a 19 month old. Or it could be the fact that the hubs forgot to put the stroller in the truck (totally not his fault) ... but still... I'm left without it. So this is me: backpack on, bag over the shoulder, baby on my hip. Thankfully hubs came to help and was able to deal with the suitcase and carseat.

However, you ma'am, were not so nice. You eyed the weight on the scale which read 54 pounds. The limit is 50. Yes, I know that. Can you cut me some slack here? Look at us, we're a mess! But instead I have to take things out of the suitcase or pay you an extra $50. You are already getting enough of my money, so I take out diapers, a baby doll (that now I add to the load I must carry) and you still shake your head. 52 pounds. Really? I need to take out more? I remove my planner, which is a pound. Crazy to think it weighs that much but it takes us to 51 pounds and I'll take it. And then you say to the customer behind me, "she shouldn't be much longer." Well thank you... I guess I need to remove the last pound. A few sippy cups later, my lighter load backpack becomes quite heavy thanks to you.

Couldn't you tell that I was already emotional? I was about to fly alone with a toddler, leave my hubby for a week, and something this little was really getting to me? My eyes were filling with tears lady! I guess it's the little things like this that make your day better. I don't know. Maybe you get little laughs out of customers like me.

I am praying that your week gets better and the days pass quickly. Maybe a weekend will turn you around and get you smiling again.

Sincerely,

Future Southwest Passenger

Wordless Wednesday - In honor of baseball ...

Signing off .... from Sarasota

Well the time has come .... quicker than last but that's how it alway seems to go. The start of baseball season is a mere four days away. The season opener in Baltimore is just a week away. And the most unbelievable part of it all is that Abby and I head outta here tomorrow. Tomorrow!

Every season is different than the last and it's always such an adventure. I get caught up in the excitement of America's favorite game. I look forward to road trips to cities I've never seen or cities that I'm happy to return to. I soak up time with my family and childhood friends and enjoy visiting my hometown. There are definitely a lot of things I love about being in Baltimore and I thank God for the time we are there.

There is just one thing that never changes. The day before we head out always seems a bit surreal. My mind races all day long ... today will be the last day for us to be in our home. Today will be the last day for me to see some of my best friends. It will be the last day for Abby to play crazily in her playroom and to point at the flowers on the wall in her room when I tuck her in. Tonight will be the last night hubs and I sleep in our comfy bed.

But ... with all those thoughts that loom in my head today, I have that craving for a new adventure. So to Baltimore we go ... can't wait to see what God has in store for us this baseball season. And we'll be back home before we know it!

I'm signing off from Sunny Sarasota .... and I'll be picking back up in Snowy Baltimore in just a few days!! I'll leave you for now with a few recent pics of Abby ... taken by her Daddy! :)

Wordless Wednesday - Curious Mind at Work

"The few wonders of the world

only exist

while there are those with the sight to see them."

- Quote

Charles de Lint

Time to play catch up...

As usual the Johnson Fam has been quite busy. With warmer weather in the air we've been spending a lot of time outside. The hubs and I decided it was finally time to buy bikes and attach Abby's seat to the back of mine. At first I was unsure of whether or not Abby would enjoy a bike ride. Most kids love it and why wouldn't they? But as you all know, Abby is NOT a happy camper when it comes to car rides or walks in the stroller that last longer than five minutes. Thankfully, she has LOVED it and we've been going on bike rides after dinner. It's been great!

Abby is quite a water baby. She loves getting in the pool and is not hesitant around the water... whatsoever. We had a BBQ last weekend with some of Jim's teammates and their families. It was the perfect day ... beautiful weather, great food, and a day to simply relax and be with good friends!

Last Saturday, Abby's BFF turned TWO years old so of course we had to party! Abby got dressed up for the occasion in an adorable outfit from Aunt Melinda. For some reason it just screamed "party" to me!

The kids bounced in the bounce house, played with all kinds of toys, and most importantly ate yummy birthday cake. Chloe wondered around with her blankie and baby, Camdyn played with her horses, and Abby was a little social butterfly running around from place to place. And was busy being sneaky stealing food from everyone's plates. ::shakes head::

Here's the Birthday Girl ...

... and my attempt at a picture of Abby & Chloe.

We are enjoying as much time as we can with our friends before heading to Baltimore next week. I can't believe the time is here ... sometimes the offseason just seems to fly by!

How will I know?

Part of me is starting to question when would be the best time for us to expand our family. There's no denying that the hubs has been ready to add a new baby to the mix for awhile now, but I've been a bit iffy about the whole idea. I just don't know if we are ready. If I'm ready.

There is no doubt that I want another baby. I miss being pregnant and everything that comes with it. There is nothing like giving life to a beautiful baby you've been taking care of for nine months. I also miss the baby stage ... the first smiles and laughs, the snuggle time, and all the milestones that are made along the way.

I keep hearing from friends that going from one to two isn't quite the shock as going from zero to one. I can understand that by number two, you have already been through it once and it may not feel quite like uncharted territory. But the truth of it is ... I'm scared. I just don't know if I'm ready to handle an active, strong-willed toddler and a newborn all at the same time. With the hubs schedule and our traveling around from city to city, I just don't know if I can do it.

So I'm a bit nervous ... scared .... and I don't know if I'd be good at this two kid thing. But what I do know is this ... I know how much I love my husband. I know how much I love our sweet little Abby. I know how I'm anxious and excited to give her a baby sister or brother. How will I know when the time is right? Is the time ever right?

And on another note ... Lots of super cute pictures coming this week!!!

Wordless Wednesday - I love her {toothy} smile.

Guest bloggin'... who, me?!

Hooray ... it's Saturday! It's a beautiful day out there and a perfect day for a playdate with LeeAnn over at The Life of Rylie ... & Bryce, too! If you wanna play with us, head on over to her blog and see what I'm talkin' about today.

Then take some time to read some of LeeAnn's latest posts about her kiddies Rylie and Bryce. She has all kinds of stories to share, tons of giveaways, and product reviews to anything and everything!

So go ahead - enjoy catching up with a new blog today - and get outside and enjoy this beautiful day! (At least I hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are!)

Thankful Thursday - Bloggy Love

Today I'm thankful for some wonderful news I heard earlier this week. Let me give you a bit of the background story first.

In the blogging world, it can be strange how connected you feel to certain people, even without knowing them in real life. I have been following Megan & Brent's blog since last summer. I've blogged about their son Cohen, who they lost after just 12 short days. I asked my readers to pray for their family during their time of loss. I have been praying for this family for months, praying that God would bless them with another child ... a child that would never replace Cohen, but help fill that empty space in their hearts.

So to keep this Thankful Thursday simple, I am quite thankful for prayers being answered. Megan is pregnant again. Not only pregnant with one, but TWO! Megan & Brent have a lot to be excited about in their future. I know they are extremely thankful for their little angel Cohen, who I'm sure had something to do with this. God Bless their family and thank the Lord for answered prayers :-)

If you'd like to follow along with Megan & Brent on the next part of their journey, head on over to In This Wonderful Life.

Wordless Wednesday - We have a swimmer on our hands.

A swimmer ...

who always ...

wants in the pool ...

even when the pool is freeeeeeeezing!

Poor thing ... we'll heat it up for the weekend!

It's always go-go-go around here ...

After catching up on other blogs this morning I noticed I hadn't posted anything in almost a week. Wow, I'm pretty sure that qualifies me as a total slacker. I want to blog more often and update y'all with pictures of Abby, but it's always go-go-go around here. Nonstop.

In the midst of trying to find the perfect Baltimore rental for our family this baseball season (yes, I know, we are running out of time) we've been quite busy with other things too. Playdates, Spring Training baseball, dinner with friends, and shopping for upcoming birthdays. Park time, swimming, reading books, and Play-doh fun. Nonstop. But FUN!

Abby loves making a mess of the playroom. Every day it seems a hurricane has swept through, but it's not even hurricane season here in Florida. The good news ... she has just as much fun cleaning up as she does destroying everything. Yay for clean up songs and games while we do it!

Sometimes Abby has more fun with the organizer cubes than she does the toys inside. Silly girl! We had such a good day together yesterday, minus her tantrum in Target and the fall off the sofa. Ugh, that one hurt and made me want to cry right along with her. Daddy was at the baseball park most of the day so he was definitely missed.

Our days are only going to get busier for the remainder of March. Birthday parties, a Matilda Jane Trunk Show hosted by me, a Stella Dot jewelry party, packing for baseball season, and our temporary move to Baltimore at the beginning of April. Here we go again ... go-go-go!!

Wordless Wednesday - With all that hair ...

We

finally

have

a

PONYTAIL!

Well ... almost a ponytail.