We have arrived.

We have arrived...bloggers! Yes..these ' True Girls raised in the south' are here and ready to blog away. Let's start with an update. Time line of the events since my marriage in 2000.

I'm Julie, I got married to my hubby (Johnny) in Aug. 2000
I gave birth to my daughter, Bailey in 2001.
We moved to Texas in March 2001 to be closer to family. (We had been in Oregon.)
I gave birth to my 2nd daughter, Allyson in 2002...just 13 months after Bailey.

Sadly, Johnny became ill and passed away in April 2006. Since his passing, we sure have been on what feels like a roller coaster...seriously. I've posted almost monthly updates in my myspace blog and don't feel like copying and pasting them here to my blog. If you're interested in reading all about us back in 2006 to present..feel free to catch up there. www.myspace.com/customcandlelady



Since Johnny's passing, the girls and I moved into a different home, just about 6 blocks away from where we used to live. The kids started school in 2006, Ally in PreK and Bailey in Kinder. Here's a little bit about each one of my amazing kiddos. Hope you can meet them someday.






Bailey: Age 7 and in the 2nd grade
Bailey is a child who memorizes things easily and she cracks us up with her 'one liners.' My mom calls them 'Bailey-isms'. She'll memorize funny one liners from movies or shows and use them at the appropriate time in her own life. For instance, Allyson and Bailey were arguing about something and Bailey pipes up and says, "Cool it Day Time Emmy." (That was a one liner from The Benchwarmers movie.) Bailey really is a very loyal and smart child. She is stand offish at times but loves a big hug every once in a while. She loves anything with Supergirl on it. She has the thickest head of hair I've ever seen on a child...and she is 1/2 tomboy, 1/2 girly-girl. We found out Bailey had Asperger's Syndrome in 2008 and so far so good. Nothing medicinal to help her, just counseling for her behavior and some counseling she receives in school is a big plus. Bailey did have a very difficult time getting through the loss of her Dad. It took her until the 2 year mark before she could openly discuss him w/ out getting angry, cry or just ignore you. I'm glad that she's to the point now where it's ok to talk about him and the memories we all had together. Bailey is extremely tall for her age, and bigger than most kids. She obviously takes after her Father and their side of the family. Johnny's eyes were carbon copied and bestowed to Bailey, it seems. It's amazing how much she is like her Father at times. It's neat that I can look at Bailey and see Johnny...it brings comfort to me on days when I miss him the most.




Allyson "aka. Ally" Age 6 and in 1st grade
Allyson is an adult in a little person's body. She has so much compassion for others and truly wears her heart on her sleeve. She is the the epitome of 'Girly-Girl'. In our house, Ally thinks she's 2nd in command after me. She helps to take care of her Big sister when things get tough for her. (Ex. helping Bailey get dressed or helping her wash her hair, etc.) Allyson loves her barbies, dolls, make believe, and dress up. She can't wait to be a Mommy someday. Ally's life changed the morning she awoke to find her father seizing in our bed. She witnessed some very traumatic events that morning as I tried to breathe life into my husband, and she watched as the paramedics tried to revive him. For Ally just barely turning 4 years old...she handled it the very best she could. Rather than cry her own tears...she held me while I cried. She has an incredible spirit and I swear she has super human powers. Because of what she witnessed at such a young age, Ally has been diagnosed with PTSD. (Post traumatic stress disorder) She has been in counseling with her sister and I for the past 2 years but she still has some problems. She cannot sleep alone, has panic attacks, and becomes sick to her stomach when she is overwhelmed with anxiety. Bless her heart...she is such a strong little person but just can't kick this feeling that she's going to lose someone else close to her. The poor dear wakes up at night to check on me to make sure I'm still breathing and she'll do that to other members of our extended family as well.

I would say that over the last 2 years, all 3 of us have grown so much. We've learned to depend on one another, to show more love and to not take each other for granted. Family is the most important thing in this world and I make sure they know that each and every day.

That being said....I wish all of my friends and family the very best. We love you and look forward to staying in touch with all of you via 'The Blog'. Haha. Mwah!

Love, TRUE GRITS
Julie, Bailey & Allyson