"Especially For Furf".....In DIRE need of an UPDATE!!!!!

August 22, 2008

Well, I would like to admit that Chad actually is older than me on his birthday this year BUT......

It is that time of year again that we get to start celebrating the two August Hudnall birthdays in our household and the first up "to bat" is my sweetie. He turns the ripe ole age of 38 this year and he is looking might good and working mighty hard to stay looking this good each day. He is still working out at least three and four times each week (with the emphasis being on AT LEAST) and still is picky about what he will and will not eat as far as fats and carbs etc... (which is not a bad thing mind you!) To celebrate this year some friends of our invited us over to their house for a cook out which I thought would be alot of fun and something fun and different to do for a Tennessee birthday than just going to Osaka's, our local birthday hangout. So Friday night we headed over to the home of Heather and Hanley Crawford and joined them and their kids as well as Shera and Chris Klinger and their kids for an evening of cooking out, the kids swimming and just sitting around and relaxing. It was so much fun and just all around relaxing. They are a group of friends that we met through hockey and alot of fun to be with and all the kids get along really well....so YEAH....another plus. The night went by really fast and before you knew it, it was time to head for home. Thank you Heather, Hanley, Shera and Chris for making Chad's birthday one to remember. And Heather..the homemade coconut creme pie was awesome!

Chad, Happy, Happy birthday and I hope that all your dreams and wishes come true for the next year. You are my life and my soulmate and I hope that you know that without you I am lost. I know that there are times when we don't always see eye to eye but that is why God gave us the ability just to walk away, think things through and come back together and work it our together. My forever is with you and I and I can't wait to live out my fairy tale with you by my side. Happy Birthday baby.....

AUGUST 29, 2008

I cannot even fathom that 14 years ago I was lying in the hospital bed after giving birth to Austin Lee Hudnall and just wondering what in the world life was going to be like for me being a Mom. Me, Jodi, a mom! And NOW....I am sitting here all these years later thinking and wondering what in the world life is going to be like for me being the mother of a High Schooler. YES ME, Jodi...the mother of a HIGH SCHOOLER!!!!! WOW, I have really had to do some soul searching (don't worry I have probably done enough for you too so don't bother) some time evaluation and really had to look back and wonder where in the world all of the years have gone. I just can remember just like it was yesterday Austin looking and me and telling me "Mommy I am a boy and you are a grill" and just smiling with that killer smile that still melts my heart today because he was so proud that he knew the difference. And I too was so proud at that very moment. And still today, he never ceases to make me proud each and every day. Austin has always been the type of child that walks into a room and people have been drawn to him. And I am NOT kidding you. Since a small child, people have been drawn to him. And he is still that way today. He can be put into a room of strangers and after 30 minutes, he will know half of them, be calling (or rather texting) some of them and know facts about some of them. And I can guarentee if you ask any of them in the room, he will have made an impression on them. That is just him...that is our Austin. And he is also pure talent. You give him a challenge, and he will undertake it to the fullest and complete it. Sports, a natural talent-especially hockey and golf. He is a wonderful hockey player and has the most beautiful golf swing that I have seen a young man have (although I guess I could be a little biased). I have laughed with him until my sides have hurt and we have talked about EVERYTHING. With his friends, he is a friend forever and will be there through thick and thin and to see them together makes me happy. I love to see my boys with their friends and Chad and I love to do whatever we can to make it possible to allow them to be able to spend time with their friends. After all we feel that our life is complete because God gave us first the gift of each other, and then our boys.

So today....Happy Birthday Austin. May all your dreams come true this year. Continue to follow your dreams, stay true to who you are and continue to be a leader and allow others to follow a positive leadership! We love you and are so completely and totally proud of the young man that you are turning into!!!!

STATE WARS HOCKEY

JULY 29TH - AUGUST 2ND FOR BRYSON

AUGUST 5TH - AUGUST 9TH FOR AUSTIN

What is that now famous line??? "What is the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull?....LIPSTICK!". Now I don't know that I have the tenacity of a pitbull BUT I do love me some hockey and I will yell and hollar for my boys (all of them are officially 'my boys') and when they are done wrong in ANY way, I will go to bat for them, as will Chad til things are settled or they feel better about the situation. And, I don't usually wear lipstick anyhow, only lipgloss and binky (and for those of you who don't know, binky is chapstick).

Well, another year approached and State Wars arrived and this year it was in Cincinnati, Ohio. Well wouldn't you know that a year ago we had moved away so it was not just down the street for us to drive back forth so once again we make arrangements for the animals, take time off of our jobs, pack up the vehicle and head out for our trip North for our two weeks in Cincinatti. This was our frist year NOT playing for Team Kentucky but we were very excited about seeing all of the old team members and families there as well as getting to know all of the new team members and families better this trip. The first week was going to be somewhat hectic we knew but we had NO IDEA just how hectic it would truely be. Chad has 3 teams that he was coaching therefore he was at the rink from usually 530 am til 10 or 11pm each day. It was exhausting. We didn't have time to do anything else around town (good thing we grew up around there and didn't want to sight see) :0)!!!!! But the bad thing was we really didn't get to spend much time with the other families either. But we still had a great time. Bryson's team played so well together. This was the first time that they played together and they only gave up FIVE goals in the entire round robin tournament which is AWESOME!!!!!! They lost in the quarterfinals but we were so proud of them and the way that they played. Chad's 12+u team took home the Bronze medal (which is the first medal for the state of Tennessee-YEAH!!!) and his 18+u team lost in the quarterfinals as well. Bryson had a BLAST playing in State Wars because, if many of you can remember, he is used to being drug around to all of Austin's tournaments and sitting on the sidelines because there were never any teams in his age range. Well Chad made sure that he got a team together for his age group so that Bryson could play and it was like a dream come true for Bryson, and he was really, really good. He is going to be QUITE the hockey player!!!!

The following week, Chad went to only having ONE team....but boy were they a handful! :0)Austin's team played the following week. Alot of these boys come from the Nashville/Mufreesboro area and already play together with the exception of our three boys from Collierville so they are pretty acclimated to how each other plays. But adding our boys to the mix seemed to just add to the mesh of the playing and they seemed to do really well all together and they got along with each other like they had known each other for years. It was just amazing. I guess when we were that age, we didn't know strangers either and included everyone when we "played" but it just amazes me how well that they all just become such great friends in such a short time. You can't even tell that they have only known each other since the beginning of the weekend. Anyhow, Austin's team lost in the quarterfinals (is there a pattern here???) and it was a very heartfelt loss!!!! But all the boys, all the parents and Coach Chad had a blast but we were EXHAUSTED and sure glad to get back home to our own BED!!!!!!

Now....I think you are officially caught up!

Love to you all and til next time-