Will, Laura and Maggie

Show Us Your Life- Christmas Tour of Homes

2010-12-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

Kelly at Kelly's Corner and The Nester are both hosting a Christmas Tour of Homes so I thought I would participate and show you our little bit of Christmas decor we have. I should probably start off by saying that I love, love, LOVE Christmas time! I love the decorations, the food, the traditions and the celebrations! Mostly I love celebrating the birth of Jesus. So, with all that in mind I usually start getting ready for Christmas right after Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to rush Thanksgiving. I love it too. It's just that I want to make sure that I get my fill of Christmas before it's over.

Most of my Christmas decorations are gifts and hand-me-downs and truthfully, I love that! I love that there is a story or a memory behind every single thing.

Here is our tree which was a gift from my grandmother and aunt on mine and Will's first Christmas after we were married. I love this tree. It's nice an big and full! You can also see the tree skirt which I made this year. I seriously love the fabric in this tree skirt. I was walking through Joann Fabric's and the fabric caught my eye. I saw it and decided I had to come up with something to make just so I could use that fabric. So, now I have a beautiful tree skirt. I also made one for my sister while I was at it.

Here is our mantle. About half of what is on this mantle was given to us by my aunt and grandmother, yet again. Those two are probably the only two people I know who love to decorate for Christmas as much as I do. I still need to get a stocking for Maggie but I haven't found just the right one. I thought of making one for her but I haven't found any more fabric that I love and wouldn't you know that the fabric I made the tree skirt out of was all sold out before Thanksgiving!

Here is Maggie's Little People Nativity. I have this sitting on our window seat so that Maggie can play with it. She usually just throws the pieces all over our living room and we have since composed the song "Oh Little Terror of Bethlehem". It's a lovely little ditty about a giant baby who comes to the little town of Bethlehem and destroys it with one swift sweep of her giant baby arm. Luckily, the town miraculously recovers...several times a day.

See...they recover nicely.

This nativity is one that my dad made years ago and gave to my grandmother. Last year she passed it down to me. I played with this nativity set every year when I was a little girl. Some of the pieces have been repaired or replaced but it's still a very special addition to our Christmas decor.

Lastly, every single year since the year I was born my grandparents have given me a brass ornament. I have several all over our tree. I love them all. They are so unique and special to me. Here is one of my favorites. Of course all of these ornaments are out of Maggie's reach. In fact, if you look very closely at our tree you can see where all the kid friendly ornaments stop and the more fragile ornaments end.

So, that's our Christmas decor. I hope you all enjoy it. Hopefully next year we will have more to add.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Show Us Your Life- Bathrooms

2010-11-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

I have been reading Kelly's Corner for a few months now and decided to participate in her 'Show Us Your Life' series. So, here goes...

First, let me say that bathrooms, especially in our house are hard to photograph. And they are not fun at all. But the have their purpose... and that's all I'll say about that.

This is the master bath. It's long and narrow which is why this is all you can see of it. I felt weird posting a picture of just the toilet so you can use your imagination. We do have a nice, big tub that I love!!! But I left that picture out, too, because it was hard to get a picture of it.

This is our guest bathroom/Maggie's bathroom.

I really want to take out this vanity, mirror and light fixture and put in a pedestal sink, new mirror and lighting to dress it up a little.

Here are the little pictures in the wall in the bathroom. Just thought I'd include them because they are cute and bathroom themed.

So, there you have it. Hopefully the next 'Show Us Your Life' will allow me to show you something a little more interesting in our house. Especially since the holidays are coming!

Smile and say "Cheese"!

2010-11-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

Lately, whenever I take out the camera and ask Maggie to smile and say "cheese" I usually get one of these silly faces. What a goof! It looks quite similar to a face that her Aunt Bird use to make when she was asked to smile. We called it her Popeye face.

1 Year Old!

2010-11-08T05:51:00.000-08:00

WARNING: Lots of pictures.
I know I'm about a month late in posting pictures of Maggie's first birthday but since that day our lives have been busy, busy, busy! So, with out further delay here we go...

We had a lunch party for Maggie's first birthday and invited family and friends to join us at my mother-in-law's house. We decided to have a cupcake theme for her party and even though I didn't get to make everything I had wanted to for the party there were still several fun little cupcake items...

Such as the cupcakes them selves...

Maggie's cupcake shirt I made for her to wear... ( I probably should have put the little cupcake up higher...oh well...we live and learn.)

And her birthday cake.

Speaking of cake...this kid LOVES her cake! She had no problem getting in there and tearing that sucker up!

We had a great time at Maggie's party and really appreciated having all our friends and family that could make it there.

We especially enjoyed trying to take this picture. I was about to split a gut this was so funny. All these little kids were such troopers!

Harvest Festival 2010

2010-11-03T15:37:00.001-07:00

Before it gets too late I wanted to publish a few photos of my little Lyon in her lion costume at this years Harvest Festival.

Maggie was really a good sport about wearing this little outfit. I had not planned on us really doing anything for Halloween. Our church usually holds a Harvest Festival as a Halloween alternative and initially I hadn't even planned on us going to that because I really don't want Maggie or any of our kids thinking that we have to do anything on that night. We never really did anything when I was growing up so I didn't feel the need with Maggie. And then I came across this pattern. It was so cute and it was a LION!!! How perfect! I had to make it. I started it in the beginning of October not knowing how difficult it was going to be and was done with the majority of it pretty quickly. The hardest part was gluing all the little ribbons on the hood. But I am so pleased with the results! I think I have the cutest little lion ever!

A shot of the tail. I had a few requests to see the back.

At the Harvest Festival.

Keepin' it Clean

2010-11-03T08:46:00.001-07:00

I remember, growing up, Saturday was always the cleaning day at our house. I dreaded it. I'm sure my parents dreaded it because it was like pulling teeth getting us to actually do our chores and do them well. Now that I'm in my own house I do see the importance of keeping your house clean and taking care of things but I still hate the thought of dedicating Saturday morning to doing that. Especially since that is one time when Will is home and we can spend time together. Keeping all that in mind I went searching for a solution and that's when I discovered The Clean Mama!

For the past couple of months I've been following her blog and after a while I started using her weekly docket to keep our house in order and keep me on a schedule. It's been great! Every day has a task assigned to it as well as specific task that I do every day. For example, today is the day I wash our floors so I will mop all the hard floors in our house and tomorrow is vacuuming day so that will take care of the rest of the floors in the house. That means that after tomorrow I will have cleaned our entire house for the week and I'll have the weekend to enjoy my family.

The best part of it all is that our house stays fairly clean and I don't feel like I'm working hard and stressing out over staying on top of it. Some tasks I complete while Maggie is napping and others I complete while she is just playing around the house and I can keep an eye on her. And I have it all done on Saturday morning!

So, that's what has worked for me. Let me know what works for you and your family.

"No Puke" Beef Stew

2010-09-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

Sadly there is no photo to go with this post but that's mainly because when making this wonderful meal there is not much to photograph.

This is a simple crock-pot recipe that I grew up on and it's delicious! Even though we call it "No Puke". And how did it get such a name? Well, because I'm an airhead and don't always read things carefully. At least not when I was as kid.

I think it was about the time we got a crock-pot that we discovered a recipe for "No Peek" beef stew and my mom decided to make it. I glanced at the recipe and could have sworn that the title said "No Puke" and so that's what we constantly referred to it as. I thought that maybe beef stew had a reputation for not being so tasty and that this was a recipe that was actually for a good and tasty beef stew. (Hey, I was about 8 years old, cut me some slack.) So, we made the beef stew and I loved it and continued to call it "No Puke" and no one corrected me. In fact, we just called it that and still do. I don't think that I actually discovered that the name of it was "No Peek" until I was married and looking for the recipe to make for Will and myself.

So, what is in this wonderful beef stew? It's so simple:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope of onion soup mix
1 cup of red wine
2 lbs. beef for stew

Pour the first three ingredients into a crock-pot and mix together. Add the beef and mix in to cover with sauce mix. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or egg noodles. It's fabulous! And it won't make you...um...puke.

It's a Great Day at Chick-fil-a

2010-09-19T21:08:00.001-07:00

Maggie has decided, with the help of her parents, that she is a huge fan of Chick-fil-a. She and I frequently have lunch dates with Will at this favorite restaurant. Besides the fact that their food is great, there is also the friendly service of the staff their that makes eating at CFA such a treat.

They love to talk to Maggie and play with her and on occasion they will give her a balloon, which she loves. This particular time they even gave her a stuffed cow! She played with it the rest of the day.

The last reason we love CFA...

We love sharing ice dream with each other. Although, Maggie is still learning the concept of sharing....we are working on it.

DIY Home Decor

2010-08-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have taken a 2 month break from blogging and now I return with a DIY post... I do have Maggie updates but for right now this is what I want to blog about.

Ever since Will and I moved into our house I have been trying to decorate but have been on a very strict budget. I have looked online at several blogs for great, inexpensive ideas and finally found one that I thought I could cut my crafting teeth on. I found this through another blogger's site and decided to give it a try. Well, here are the results:

I bought all my supplies that I didn't already have at the Dollar Store. So the total project cost me about $2.00. Let me know what you think.

She gets it from her Aunt Jenny...

2010-06-11T08:45:00.001-07:00

When I was about 10 years old my mom, sisters and I discovered a soft serve ice cream that we loved. Some evenings after dinner we would make a special trip to the mall where it was located just to have a cone. And if we happened to be at the mall for any special reason we usually stopped to get some then as well. One day in particular my mom, sisters, and I were at the mall and we wanted to get some ice cream but my mom only had enough cash to buy one cone. (this was obviously in the days before check cards) We all decided that we would share the cone, each person would take a little and pass it on to the next. Jenny was maybe about 2 years old and while she said she was on board with this plan, I now believe that the only part of the plan she actually understood and agreed to was the buying of the ice cream cone. The sharing part went way over her 2 year old head.

So, we made our purchase and started the sharing rotation. First mom took her turn, then me, next Adrienne and last was Jenny. The whole time the cone was being passed around she waited anxiously for her turn. Once she had it, I think, she thought it was hers for good. She took her turn and when mom reached to take it from her for the next person Jenny let out a scream that would wake the dead...and she didn't stop until it was her turn again. She did this every time we took it from her. We would try to calm her down in between turns but she still screeched at the top of her lungs. People were gawking at us wondering what awful things were being done to this poor child who would not stop yelling. We also tried to explain to her before giving her another turn that she would have to give up the cone once she took her turn but she would get it again. It didn't matter, all she knew was that she wanted HER ice cream and WE were taking it from her. I think we eventually gave her the rest of it once we got to the end of it. To this day we still give Jenny a hard time about that incident.

Now, almost 19 years later there is another little girl who has a similar love for ice cream and detestation for sharing it...

A few weeks ago Maggie and I went to visit Will while he was working at the valet. While we were there I ran over to Kilwin's, the new favorite ice cream joint, and got a small chocolate cup for us to share. I thought we would also give Maggie a couple of bites to see how she liked it. It might as well have been Jenny eating that ice cream when she was 2 because every time we filled the spoon to serve ourselves Maggie hollered until we gave her some. Only this time there was no explaining and no reasoning, not that it made much difference when we tried with Jenny.

We haven't given her any more ice cream since that time. First of all, she's still a little young, second of all, I personally like the mall from time to time. I'd like to be able to return there. I fear that if my child keeps up that screaming they might ask us to leave and not come back. That has happened in my family as well. That is a comparison I do not wish to make...

Not a Fan...

2010-05-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Maggie has been eating solid foods for about a month now and so far she loves her veggies! She likes peas, carrots, green beans and sweet potatoes. I've tried a few other foods such as bananas and apples but she really only likes the veggies.

Yesterday I thought I would try her on roasted bananas in brown rice to see if she liked them at all and this is the response. I hate to laugh but I just couldn't help it. There were only about 4 spoonful's total which she did eventually get all down but we probably won't be trying this one again any time soon.

Bananas and Brown Rice...not a fan. from Laura Lyon on Vimeo.

Toes in the water, toes in the sand...

2010-05-02T17:30:00.001-07:00

Today Will and I took Maggie to the beach for the first time. Just a short little visit to see what she thought about it. I put Will in charge of taking pictures since there are hardly and pictures of Maggie and I together. So that left me in charge of carrying a baby. As we walked the boardwalk to get to the ocean the wind started picking up. As the wind blew a little more Maggie got happier and wigglier.

Once we were on the beach I put Maggie down to sit in the sand. She loved it. She wanted to eat the sand like all other babies but since this was a quick trip and we had places to go we skipped our sandy snack.

Her favorite part was putting her feet in the water. She laughed when the waves came up over her feet. If it had been warmer I think we would have just stripped her down to her diaper and let her sit in the surf. She was trying to... I am really, really looking forward to our family beach trip in a few months. I have a feeling she is going to have a blast!

Can't get along...

2010-05-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

I have had a few pictures to share with you all but for some reason my camera and my computer are only getting along when they feel like it. The pictures will start to load but then something will go wrong and they won't finish. Every now and then I can get it to work but not that often. So, while I figure this problem out just hang with me and try not to get too bored without pictures.

Maggie wanted you to know that...

2010-04-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Maggie, Will and I went into Destination Maternity here in Jacksonville. It was brand new at the time so we took our time browsing the store and looking at all they had. There was a small section that was filled with boutique style baby items and that is where Will first saw this onsie.

Fast forward to Father's Day of last year and I decided to get Will a gift. The onsie he had been eyeballing. Maggie is just now fitting into it but every time she wears it Will gets a huge kick out of it.

Six months later I finally decide to write out Maggie's birth story

2010-04-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to type this out a long time ago but for one reason or another never did. Now that Maggie is 6 months old and taking regular naps I have finally decided to take the time to do it. So without further delay, here is Maggie's birth story.

On Sunday, October 4, 4 days past my due date I was still pregnant and not really showing any signs that I might go into labor. I'd had a few Braxton Hicks contractions but nothing that really stood out. When I went for my 39 week check at the doctor's office they started talking about scheduling and induction if I didn't go into labor by 41 weeks. I had been hoping and praying that I would go into labor on my own and have a natural delivery so talk of an induction really didn't appeal to me. I talked to my doctor about waiting for an induction as long as possible and she agreed that they would go to 42 weeks but I had to come in and have extra ultrasounds. I was fine with that, anything to buy myself some time and not be induced. So, back to October 4th, Will and I were sitting in church on a Sunday morning and as I sat there, the more I thought my water may have broken. Something just didn't feel normal. Sure enough at the end of the service I stood up to leave and felt a slight trickle down my leg. I was so embarrassed to be going through this at church. Not just in public but amongst all the proper, well-dressed little church ladies. I walked quickly to the bathroom after telling Will that my water had broken, my friend Jennifer came with me. She helped me calm down a bit and then her husband walked me to our car, which Will ran ahead to retrieve. On the way home I called my mom, my dad and other family members. Will called his parents as well. I remember waiting for contractions to kick in but I really wasn't feeling anything noticeable.

Once we got home I took a shower and changed clothes while Will made lunch. We went for a walk to try and get things going but still I didn't feel a thing. I should have taken a quick nap but for some reason my curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to just make sure that Maggie's heart rate was right where it needed to be. We called the doctor's office and let them know that my water had broken but I wasn't having contractions yet. They told us that I needed to go to the hospital right away. So, we took our time getting all our stuff together and packing up the car. Once we got to the hospital the confirmed that my water had, indeed, broken and I was stuck there. They also told me that I hadn't dilated any more since my doctor's visit that previous Wednesday. I was 2 1/2cm. Once we got to our room and situated the first thing that I was asked was if I wanted to start pitocin. I declined and started walking the halls. At that point it was about 3:00 in the afternoon and I still wasn't feeling anything. I had been hooked up the fetal monitor for a bit before walking and was having contractions but not big ones.

So, Will and I walked the halls for a really, really long time. I wasn't making any progress and my contractions weren't getting much stronger at all. My mom got to town around 10:00pm and she walked the halls with us for a bit before heading to our house to get some rest. After she left we continued walking and about 2:00am my contractions started getting strong enough that I needed to take a break from walking each time they hit. At about that same time they started making me sick. So, our nurse decided to check my progress and then I was going to try and sleep some. When they checked me I had only dilated 1 1/2 cm in over 12 hours. I was really getting tired and the subject of pitocin kept coming up. I really wanted to deliver completely naturally so I kept putting it off. Finally at about 6:00am I still hadn't made any progress and we were worried about a possible C-section. (They don't like you to go more than 24 hours after your water breaks because of risk of infection.) I decided to go ahead and see if I could make some progress on pitocin. I was really bummed but I felt it was better than having a c-section.

Once the pitocin started I could really feel my contractions but I was still able to handle them. However, every 20 minutes they were increasing my dose. At about 8:00am I was checked and had made hardly any progress. I was becoming more and more discouraged because we were about 4 hours from our 24 hour mark and I wasn't even half way there. The pitocin was really starting to make my contractions so strong I couldn't relax during them and I didn't know how much longer I could stand it. If I had been making progress I felt like I would be able to tough it out but with the lack of progress I felt like I needed and epidural. I felt like I had failed and all the preparation we had put into having a natural delivery was out the window. At that point I decided that ultimately I wanted to have a healthy baby, that was most important. I asked for the epidural and received it pretty quickly. The effects were immediate and I felt like a new person. I was finally able to get some sleep. I slept for about 3 hours. When I woke up the nurse checked my progress and I had managed to go from about 4cm to 7 in that time I slept. That was encouraging! They increased my pitocin again to see if I could progress the rest of the way in the next couple of hours. At that point we were well past the 24 hour mark.

At about 4:30 my nurse came in to check me to see if I'd made any more progress. I was really praying that I had made progress so that we could try and eliminate the possibility of a c-section. When she checked me she asked me what I would be happy to hear. I told her I would be happy to her that I was 10. She asked me what my second choice would be and I told her 8... then she asked "how about 9 1/2?" I was so relieved! We were almost there and I would get to meet Maggie! The nurse left the room to give our doctor a heads up and said she would come back in about 30 minutes. She had been out of the room for 10 minutes tops and I all of a sudden had a really strong urge to push.

Will called the nurses station and my nurse came right back into the room. She said we were going to push me through that last 1/2cm. So, that's what I did. I pushed for about 20-30 minutes and while I was doing that all the other nurses were coming in to get set up as well as my doctor. I didn't feel like I pushed for that long. They did have to use the vacuum on Maggie just for one quick moment because her heart rate was dropping a little and I was having a tough time getting her past a certain point.

Maggie arrived at 5:21pm. The first thing I noticed about her was that she had a dimple. That and some big cheeks. I held her for a few minutes before the nurse took her to be weighed. After she was weighed and cleaned up a little they gave her to Will who had been so anxious to get his hands on her. In fact, after the nurse took her he kept asking "Can I have her now? Can I have her now?" I think after about the third time he asked and was told no he went to sit on his hands at the other end of the room. I still don't know if he was sent over there or her went on his own.

Once we things calmed down a bit and everyone left the room the three of us got to spend some time together. It was great! Maggie was perfect! She went to sleep almost right away. After a bit my mom came into the room and got to hold her. Will's mom brought us some long awaited food and then it was just the three of us again. The nurses didn't take Maggie to give her a bath until much later that night and while they did I got some rest. Will went with them.

And now, six months later, we have our Maggie. She is growing so quickly and I never thought six months could go by so fast.

So long...

2010-04-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

I really didn't intend to take so long to post again. I had a few things to write about but then my camera and my computer wouldn't get along and talk to each other so I was unable to load pictures. And since all my topics to post on had accompanying pictures I wanted to wait until I could resolve the picture issue before posting.

So, now that we have all that settled.... on to more important things. Mainly what Maggie has been up to.

She is getting to be such a big girl! She turned 6 months old this past Monday. We celebrated by eating peas and sweet potatoes. And while she loves her new found foods she still prefers nursing to anything else. She has started saying "dadadadada" and "bababababa" and she also loves to squeal at the top of her lungs with delight.

She has started trying to sit up but won't stay up on her own for long but I have a feeling that in the next few weeks she'll be there.

We just celebrated Maggie's first Easter this past Sunday. She got an Easter basket and everything.

I think her favorite gift in her Easter basket was her set of spoons.

Maggie also loves to wear bows in her hair.

We have one for just about every outfit now and just enough hair to hold them in. And I must admit, every time I put a bow in her hair I wonder if she'll take after me and go to softball practice in a skirt with a bow in her hair. I hope so...

All smiles

2010-03-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

This sweet girl just lights up my days.

I love seeing these smiles.

She's turning into such a ham.

I can't wait to see what she does next.

Time with Friends

2010-03-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last week my friend Kristina came over with her little guy, Maggie's friend, Ethan. He was born about 6 days before Maggie.

These two are so funny together. Half the time they don't realise there is another baby in the room.

But when they do acknowledge each other, they play well together.

While they were here I took a few pictures of Kristina and Ethan together just to play around and practice with my camera. I hope that we got a shot or two that Kristina is happy with.

Maggie and I are looking forward to our next visit with Kristina and Ethan. Thanks for coming to play with us, guys!

DIY and Craft Blogs

2010-02-20T06:22:00.000-08:00

Oh my! A post that isn't about Maggie!

Nope, it's about something else that's fun! I am talking about DIY, Decorating and Craft Blogs! Now that my baby has started taking regular naps and I've got most of our house in order I've gotten the itch to start sprucin' up the joint.

As you all know, Will and I moved into our house a little less than two years ago. When we first moved in we painted the entire house but beyond that, we did nothing else to really make it our own. My mom came for a week to make curtains and throw pillows for our couch but other than those two things I was at a loss for any other ideas to decorate.

So, since my baby has started taking regular naps (Thank you, Jesus!) I've started trying to come up with ideas for decorating our house. I've found a couple of really great blogs that have tons of ideas and tons of DIY posts! Those are my favorite, by the way.

Here are a few of the blogs I've discovered but I want you all to tell me of any that you might have stumbled upon. Or tell me about some projects that you've completed in your own homes. Either one! As you leave the blogs or posts in my comments, I'll add them to the list below so everyone can refer to them. And lastly, as I complete projects in the house, I'll try and keep you guys updated so you can see just how helpful you are.

A Soft Place to Land
Living with Lindsay
A Home in Progress

Maggie Rolling Over

2010-02-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I managed to get a video of Maggie rolling over. She had been trying for the better part of an hour and when she finally managed to roll over she was pretty much done! Since I took this video she has almost mastered just what to do with her arm the gets stuck under her.

P.S. Don't you love the duck-tail/mullet look my girl is rocking!?!?

Maggie Rolling Over from Laura Lyon on Vimeo.

Just another day...

2010-02-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

These past couple of weeks Maggie and I have been working on her nap schedule.

And I have to say that she's done really well with it all in all.

We've had our bumps but for the most part I have a much happier little girl.

She had her 4 month dr's appointment the other day and was given an A+! The doctor couldn't believe she already had two teeth.

Maggie is so close to rolling over.

I think by this time next week she will have conquered that milestone and be ready to move onto the next one.

I can't wait to see what she does next.

Watching her grow is such a rewarding experience. But seeing how fast the time flies makes me enjoy every day I can as much as I can.

Monogramed Tote!

2010-02-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

The Monogram Chick is hosting a giveaway on her blog for this extremely cute duffle!

You can enter to win it as well! Just tell her that I sent you.

She'll probably come back with a funny accent or a nose ring...maybe both!

2010-02-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it wouldn't be fair for me to talk about Maggie a lot and then mention Adrienne and JT's wedding and NOT mention the other big event that happened recently in our family. So, while I was off having a baby and Adrienne was off getting hitched, Jenny decided to run off to Ireland! Well, not exactly run off...she flew. And it's not like we didn't know it was coming. She is studying abroad for a semester.

Now, before I go much further in this post I should mention that Jenny has taken a back seat to all the major events that both Adrienne and I keep coming up with and she's handled it very well. She and my mom had planned and saved to take a trip to Europe/London when Jenny first graduated from high school. However, when Will and I became engaged their trip got postponed. Then Adrienne and Will both graduated from college at the same time causing an even longer delay in planning their trip so much to the point that by the time we announced that we were expecting and Adrienne and JT announced their engagement, mom and Jenny's trip had been forgotten.

So, Jenny decided to study abroad for a semester. In Ireland! And off she went last week. I'm very proud of her for going, too! This will be her fist time living away from home with the exception of a couple months when she first started college. The only difference, other than the fact that she's in another country, is that this time I think she is very ready and going to do great! I'm really excited to hear about all the things she's going to see and all the people she's going to meet. She's even threatened, much to my father's chagrin, to get her nose pierced. Only time will tell what she decides to do. But in the mean time, Jenny have a great time and enjoy it because 4 1/2 months is going to fly by! But the experience is going to stay with you forever.

Two Little Teeth

2010-01-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

I had read in one of my many baby books that it's possible for little ones to start the teething process as early as 4 months. Now, when I read that, I thought that meant that maybe the little tooth buds would start moving around and cause some discomfort and a few weeks after that, maybe even a month later, we might start teething.

Well, I as wrong...very wrong. Maggie is not even 4 months old yet and she has two little teeth coming through in the bottom of her mouth. She's had her hands in her mouth almost non-stop for about two weeks now and just this past Monday I looked in her mouth and saw the little tiny teeth coming through.

When I saw them I couldn't believe it! She isn't even 4 months old. Next thing I know she's going to be crawling or even walking! I know People tell you that time goes by very quickly but it just didn't hit me until now.

3 Months

2010-01-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I've been such a blog slacker! We've had so much going on that I should have blogged about but I really just haven't had time. We've been back and forth to Charlotte 3 times in the last month and every time I go up there it gets harder and harder to come back to Florida. While we were there we participated in SEVERAL wedding events for Adrienne and JT including the actual wedding. We also celebrated Christmas while we were there. Maggie's first Christmas was great for us but just any other day for her. She stayed in her Boppy seat the entire time and just watched everything going on around her.

And speaking of Maggie. She turned 3 months today! She is the sweetest little girl!

We went to the doctor today for another round of shots and I'm happy to report that both she and I did much better this time around.

I'm having the greatest time watching her grow up. She changes every single day. In the past week or so she has discovered her voice and she loves to use it. She and I have conversations all throughout the day. She does most of the talking but I don't mind. I love listening to her.

She's also giving me more time to practice photography. I just love taking pictures of her. The only problem with me being the photographer is that now it's quite rare to find a picture with Will, Maggie and I all together, as you can see from our new header. Maybe some day we'll get a picture of the three of us.

Someone is 2 months old...

2009-12-10T11:36:00.001-08:00

That's right! Miss Maggie Lyon has turned 2 months old! Where has the time gone? It really feels like she just grew so quickly in a matter of a couple of weeks. She started sleeping through the night and dropped her night time fussy time about two weeks ago. She is such a sweet, happy girl. I love getting her up in the mornings. She usually greets me with a big gummy grin, dimple included and I just fall in love all over again.

Yesterday we went to see her doctor for Maggie's two month well check and Dr. C said she is doing great! She weighed in at 12 lbs. and 12 oz. and was 24 1/4 inches long! In fact, when Dr. C saw how long Maggie was she asked us to measure he again because she was almost off the "charts!!! I wasn't nearly as surprised at Dr. C, though, since Will is 6'2", I'm 5'7", my dad is 6'4" oh, and we can't forget that Maggie's Aunt Bird (my sister, Adrienne) is 6' tall herself. Needless to say, she doesn't have shrimps in her family. Maggie did have to get her first round of shots and she did not like it one bit. It was really so sad, both for her and for me. I thought I was going to cry there for a minute too. I never would have thought I would. Working in pediatrics for 5 years, I thought I would have toughened up to the little ones getting their shots but it is so different when it's your own baby. None the less, she survived and I did as well. She was a little fussy last night but woke up this morning just as happy as ever.

Speaking of Aunt Bird, (sorry, I totally changed the subject right there) we are going to be making another trip to Charlotte on Monday for Aunt Bird and Uncle J.T.'s wedding. Please pray that we have a safe trip and pray for the soon-to-be-wed couple and their marriage. We are really excited to add J.T. to our family and think he'll be a great addition.

Last but not least, here are some practice Christmas pictures I took of Maggie the other day. We didn't get "the one" but we had a good time playing. I still can't believe how much she's grown in just two months. What a blessing it is to watch her grow, though.

We learned a new trick...

2009-12-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

We started out having to help her a little bit but now she can pretty much find her thumb on her own. This particular day when she found her thumb we were up early before anyone else. I was folding laundry which was fresh out of the dryer and had just finished feeding her before starting that. She sat in her Boppy chair and talked to me while I folded and then got quiet after a few minutes. I noticed that she had that heavy eye look so being silly I took a warm pair of Will's sweat pants that I was about to fold and said "Here, you hold these. Maybe they'll put you to sleep." I laid the pants on her belly like a blanket and no more than a minute later Maggie found her thumb and was sound asleep. She stayed like that for about an hour and a half. I was able to get a nap in too. I'm not sure if it was the warm pants or the thumb that did the trick but ever since then she's been really good about finding her thumb and putting herself to sleep.

A little bit of this and that...

2009-11-16T01:19:00.000-08:00

Things in the Lyon house have been pretty calm lately so nothing has jumped out at me as being Blog-worthy but I still wanted to take a minute to update everyone...even if it does bore you to tears.

Maggie is growing like a little weed. She will be 6 weeks old tomorrow and time has just flown by. She is a really good eater and is starting to speed up on her feedings which I really appreciate. She isn't sleeping through the night yet but her sleep times are stretching out really nicely. We have had a few 5-6 hour stretches. She made he first trip to Daytona to see MamMam and Great Susan (my Aunt Susan) a couple of weeks ago while Will was out of town for work. Will and I took her to church for the first time last week and she was a hit. Maggie did fairly well but she and I did spend half the service in the nursery getting a diaper change and eating. I think she and I might wait until she's ready to go to the nursery by herself before we go back.

As for what is coming up, we have a busy month and a half ahead of us. My sister, Adrienne, is getting married in a month so we have lots of events surrounding the wedding to participate in. Next weekend Will, Maggie and I are making the trip to Charlotte for a couples shower. It will be Maggie's first trip to her Essie and Pop's house and it will also be the first time I leave her with a baby-sitter. I'm not looking forward to that last part. She just seems so little for that. After we get back from Charlotte it will be time for Thanksgiving and then back to Charlotte a couple more times for more wedding festivities and then Christmas!!! We should have lots to blog about then. In the mean time, here are a few pictures of Maggie that I will leave you with.

Maggie's first trip to church in her dress that MamMam and Great Susan bought her

I love this gummy smile...

Playing at the house on any given day

"Check out my cloth diapers!"

The Sweetest Thing...

2009-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Look what I caught Maggie and her daddy doing the other day...

It only lasted a few minutes but that was long enough for me to take their picture.

1 Month

2009-11-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

We made it through our first month! Maggie is 1 month old today and she is doing great! Her favorite things to do are eat, sleep and go for walks in her stroller. She's not sleeping through the night but she is stretching out her sleep a bit. We usually get a good 4 hour stretch at night. She and I are still trying to get ourselves into somewhat of a routine but I know it'll take a little time. Will and I couldn't have asked for a better baby.

Maggie

2009-10-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

I know it's been way too long since I posted especially since such big things have happened since then. As I'm sure you all know Maggie Elisabeth was born on October 5 at 5:21pm. She weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces.

She is such a good baby and we really couldn't have asked for better. She and I have been adjusting these past two weeks so as of right now I'm still trying to sleep when she sleeps. (Hence the reason I'm posting about 2 weeks late.)

Hopefully as she and I figure things out a little more each day I'll be able to update everyone on a more regular basis.

Elisabeth with an "S"

2009-10-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

My husband is such a thoughtful person and even though he may not always have the greatest memory, he makes up for it by having his heart in the right place.

About a month ago when my parents were in town my dad and Will took off on a "boy mission" while my mom and I got pedicures. When we all arrived back at the house there were two wrapped packages sitting on my dining room table. I asked Will what they were and he told me one was for Maggie and the other was for me. After a little convincing he finally said that I could open them. So, I did. The first one was a little smaller than the next and when I opened it this is what I found:

Now, let's flash back to a conversation that he and I had one day on the way home from work about Maggie's name. He asked me how we planned on spelling her middle name. I replied that it would be spelled E-L-I-Z-A-B-E-T-H. He replied by saying "Okay, just wanted to check. I wasn't sure."

So, skip back to me opening her little keepsake Bible that her daddy bought her and as I looked at it more I realized that he had already had her name engraved on it. I was so touched that he thought about it and picked such a sweet Bible. Not only that but it's a real Bible and not just a children's Bible that paraphrases stories so she can use it for a while.

I continued to study it and realized something...

I noticed that Maggie's middle name was spelled with an "S" instead of a "Z". I mentioned it to Will who looked at me with huge eyes and said "I thought we decided that was how we were going to spell it." I laughed and said that we would spell it with an "S" now. He felt so bad and confessed that he should have listened to the lady at the book store when she asked him if he was sure about that spelling. Poor guy. So, now we are spelling Maggie's middle name with an "S". I think it's a great story to tell her one day about how she got her name.

As for the second package, it was a new Bible for me. I was still using the one I had received from my parents for my 21st birthday, which was fine, but Will thought I should have a new one with my married name on it. I did ask him jokingly, before opening it, if he spelled my name correctly... I don't think he thought I was funny...

40 weeks/ Also known as my DUE DATE!!!

2009-09-30T14:50:00.001-07:00

How far along?: 40 wks!
Maternity Clothes?: Absolutely!
Best Moment this week: Not Maggie related: my dear friend Kristina had her beautiful baby boy this morning and I have already gotten to hold him and give Kristina and Ofir big hugs! While I visited with him I asked him to talk to Maggie and tell her that it's not so bad on the outside. She should give it a try soon. Maggie related: I had my week dr's appointment this week and my doctor agreed to let me go two weeks past my due date instead of just one. Yay!
Movement: She still moves a lot but I can tell she's running out of room.
Food Craving: I was sweet stuff! I also woke up the other morning with the biggest craving for Pop Tarts. Mmm.
Baby's Gender: Sugar and Spice and everything nice.
Labor Signs: Not really. I was told at my appointment that I was only 1.5cm dilated and about 25% effaced but I haven't really experienced anymore BH contractions.
What I miss: Not much. It's been a great couple of weeks. I've been home for a week now and have gotten to keep my feet up a bit so the swelling has gone down a great amount. It's been nice not working and not having to worry about things at the office. I've really had a great time getting the house clean and keeping it that way, catching up on the laundry, making dinner every night so that it's ready when Will gets home from work, and making extra meals to freeze. I've even already made a huge batch of cookie dough so that when I do go into labor we can make cookies to take to the labor and delivery nurses.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our Maggie!!!
Milestones: Reaching my due date!!!

37 weeks (according to my doctor, full term)

2009-09-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 37 wks!
Maternity Clothes?: All the time... I've gotten to the point where I want to wear the same few things all the time now. And I don't want to buy anymore maternity clothes.
Best Moment this week: Going to my doctor's appointment and having her tell me as I was leaving that she would see me next week unless I have a baby between now and then. It doesn't feel like we're at that point already but we are.
Movement: All the time. She's moved into a better position, though because I don't feel fingers and toes like I was. Now it's mostly just baby bottom. That's what we want.
Food Craving: I really have been craving steak fries this week. Not just fries but steak fries...
Baby's Gender: Team Pink!!!
Labor Signs: I think I've had a grand total of 2 Braxton Hicks contractions. Both times, I believe it was because I needed to use the restroom and had waited too long.
What I miss: Breathing.
What I'm looking forward to: My last day of work! It's next Friday. There are so many little things I want to get done at home before Maggie arrives but I just don't have the energy in the evenings when I get home from work.
Milestones: Reaching full term, according to my doctor. And getting several meals prepared and frozen so that we won't starve or live off of fast food when Maggie comes home. So far I've marinated and frozen several chicken breasts, made lasagna, chicken divan, twice baked potatoes, beef strogenoff, hamburgers and chili. Any other suggestions that you all have are more than welcome. I have a few other meals I plan to make and freeze but still need ideas.

Bum's the word.

2009-08-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

BumGenius that is....

Ever since before Will and I found out we were expecting we have seriously leaned towards using cloth diapers on our little one's bum. After talking to several friends who have used them and doing our research as well, we decided to go with these cloth diapers.

Now, let me just tell you all that I actually was changing cloth diapers before I ever changed a disposable one because my mom had me and my two sisters in cloth diapers. However, back then we used the kind that require pins and plastic pants.

I knew there were definite benefits to cloth diapers but I just wasn't sure about the pins and the plastic pants. So I started looking further into our options. Let me just tell you. Cloth diapers have come a long way in the past 20 years. Yes, we will still have to wash them ourselves instead of using a diaper service but these diapers are almost just like using disposables. They are one size fits all and they have the absorbency and a water proof outside all in one diaper. And, not only will we be able to use these for Maggie up until she potty trains but we will aslo be able to use them on the next Lyon cub.

I ordered several this weekend and can not wait to get them all ready for Maggie's arrival.

34 Weeks

2009-08-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 34 wks 1 day!
Maternity Clothes?: Dresses are the most comfortable these days.
Best Moment this week: Feeling hiccups for the first time. What a funny feeling.
Movement: The other night Will could feel a lot of her movement. He asked me how I slept at night. My answer: I don't...
Food Craving: Nothing. I just want ice cold water all the time.
Baby's Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Nothing.
What I miss: Sleep. I'm sure it'll be a while before I get that again...
What I'm looking forward to: One of my best-friends has been pregnant the whole time I've been pregnant. Her due date is the day after mine. This Saturday is her baby shower. I can't wait to be a part of that. I'm so excited for she and her husband.

(Please excuse my swollen face and ankles. Pregnancy looks much better on Kristina. Focus on her)

Milestones: We got our dresser/changing table in yesterday. I have all kinds of clean little pink things to put in it. It's been really fun doing baby laundry. (You probably all think that I'm out of my mind and I'll be singing a different song in a couple of months but I have this strange affliction where I love to do laundry. I do about a load a night. My friends make fun of me and call me Launderella. I know it's a sickness but I just can't help it.)

32 Weeks! 8 Weeks to go...

2009-08-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we only have 8 weeks left. I feel like we have so much left to do!

How far along?: 32 wks 1 day!
Maternity Clothes?: Mostly. I do still have a few pairs of pants that I wear to work with my Bella Band.
Best Moment this week: We had our 32 week ultrasound this morning and got to see Maggie. We got to watch her yawn/swallow and stick her tongue out. She was playing with one of her feet the whole time we were there. The u/s tech told us that everything looked perfect. She also said that Maggie looks like she has really long legs. I wonder if she'll be 6' tall like her Aunt Adrienne. They estimated her weight is right around 4.5 pounds.
Movement: She is a wiggle worm, that's for sure.
Food Craving: Nothing really strong. I like peanut butter a lot more than usual these days.
Baby's Gender: Still a Girl! We confirmed it today.
Labor Signs: Nothing at all.
What I miss: I can't even think of anything I miss these days. I think the thing that comes to mind the most, though, is working out. I know I can exercise while pregnant but it's limited. I want to go all out. Maybe even play some softball.
What I'm looking forward to: My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are hosting a shower in a couple of weeks. I am really looking forward to seeing some ladies I haven't seen in a while and catching up with them.
Milestones: Nothing in particular. Ask me after this weekend when we should have the nursery finished.

Updates!!!

2009-07-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a week and a day behind in giving you an update. Will and I were on vacation with my family last week. It was fabulous and I wish I had not come home. I want to be there still. We went to Ocean Isle Beach in NC just like we've been doing for years. Here is one of the only pictures I took that week because, as you can see in the picture, I am pregnant and didn't want to have my picture taken.

As for Maggie updates:

How far along?: 31 wks!

Maternity Clothes?: Either that or Will's t-shirts...

Best Moment this week: For last week it was just relaxing on the beach and spending time with my family. I want to go back. I think I already mentioned that, though. Oh, and while at the beach my dad found Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper. It was such a treat!!!!

Movement: All the time...

Food Craving: Still no cravings.

Baby's Gender: Still a Girl!

Labor Signs: Nothing. And that's a good thing.

What I miss: I made the mistake of pulling up the website of one of my favorite pre-pregnancy stores and I saw that they had loads of really cute stuff. I miss shopping for non-maternity clothes...

What I'm looking forward to: We have an ultra sounds scheduled for next week. I'm really excited to see how much Maggie has grown and maybe this time we can get a profile shot. Last time we had an ultrasound she was very shy and wouldn't let us get a good look at her.

Milestones: I found out the day before leaving on vacation that I did pass my glucose tolerance test! I was so relieved to find that out.

Nursery Update

2009-07-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

I meant to add this to a previous weekly update but I never posted the update. So, I'll just create an entirely separate post about the nursery progress we've made. It's not much so don't get too excited....

So far we've painted the walls...

put together the crib...

and I've also put together a storage unit for the closet. For some reason I don't have a picture of that, though.

We need to get a mattress for the crib and will probably be adding the bedding in a month or so.

And while we are talking about bedding. Here is the set we've selected.

A friend of mine chose it for her little one's bedding and I haven't found anything I've like as well... I just love how simple it is yet not too plain.

So, we're making baby steps (no pun intended) on the nursery but it is all coming together. Be on the lookout for more updates as we make more progress.

We have a name...

2009-07-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

We've actually had this name for a while but I've been holding out to make sure it's the one we want.

The name is......

29 Weeks!

2009-07-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 29 wks! Can you believe it? Sorry I'm an update slacker, by the way.
Maternity Clothes?: Yes, still mostly shirts but I'm finding my maternity pants more and more comfy.
Best Moment this week: Going to Charlotte for a baby shower hosted by my sisters and my mom. It was so much fun getting to catch up with family and friends. I only wish we'd had more time to talk.
Movement: Almost non-stop now. I can feel her up by my ribs and really low at the same time. Makes me think she is going to be tall like her parents. Either that or she is just stretching out.
Food Craving: No cravings. I've been trying really hard to eat well according to the Brewer diet which we learned in our Bradley Class. So far it's not been bad at all. I feel like I'm eating a ton, though.
Baby's Gender: Still a Girl!
Labor Signs: Nothing.
What I miss: Walking around with ease. Now I'm either out of breath, I get hot really quickly or I get a dead leg in my right led. Which brings me to another thing that I miss. I miss having feeling in my right leg. I haven't had it since about my third month of pregnancy.
What I'm looking forward to: I am looking forward to our vacation next week! Will and I are joining my family at the beach in NC. We have been taking this same vacation I was a baby and I haven't missed a year yet. Plus, we both are really in need of some R and R. You all can look forward to an update about the beach after next week.
Milestones: No, huge milestones. I'll find out either today or tomorrow if I passes the 3 hour glucose tolerance test. Say a prayer that I did.

26 weeks and 1 day

2009-06-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm a day late in posting my update. It has been one busy week at work and just in general. It's a good type of busy and as long as I can make it through tomorrow all will be well.

Now as far as baby stuff goes:

How far along?: 26 wks and 1 day. Next Wednesday I'll officially be in my 3rd trimester.
Maternity Clothes?: Same as before. I did find a great pair of lounge pants at Destination Maternity last week. I pretty much live in them when I get home in the evenings. They are like butta.
Best Moment this week: We bought a crib and

selected our paint color.
Movement: She's moving even more. And I have started noticing her kick when I'm resting something on my belly. In the evenings I usually read in bed for a bit. I rest my book on my belly, well, I was resting my book on my belly but M started kicking at it so I had to change positions.
Food Craving: Krispy Kreme Hot Glazed Doughnuts and cold milk.
Baby's Gender: Still a Girl!
Labor Signs: None. Not even Braxton Hicks that I notice.
What I miss: Sleep. I've been having a harder time getting to and staying asleep this week. I an really tell that it's starting to get to me...
What I'm looking forward to: Painting the nursery this weekend and having my mom and sisters come to visit for the 4th of July!
Milestones: Not really a milestone but it's my last week in my second trimester. Next week when I got to the doctor I will start scheduling bi-monthly appointments instead of just monthly. I can't believe how fast this is flying by!

Week 25

2009-06-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

How far along?: 25 wks
Maternity Clothes?: Yes, mostly shirts still but I did break down and buy another pair of maternity pants. They were too cute to pass up.
Best Moment this week: After trying out 6 different paint colors. (Even though we thought it would be one of the three we had last week) I believe we have found the paint color for the nursery.
Movement: Tons and tons of wiggles. I did get to feel her roll over. That was a really cool feeling.
Food Craving: Still no major cravings. I have wanted chicken wings this week, though.
Baby's Gender: Still a Girl!
Labor Signs: None and that's a good thing.
What I miss: Nothing different from before. I miss shopping in the normal stores for cute Spring/Summer clothes.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting the nursery going. So far we've gotten a new ceiling fan installed and most likely picked the paint color. Next we are going to start ordering furniture. On a non-pregnancy note: I'm looking forward to Saturday. We are celebrating my niece, Bailey's first birthday.
Milestones: No huge milestones this week. I did discover that I have a mole inside my belly-button. Not really a milestone but funny.

Week 24 Update

2009-06-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

This week has been and will continue to be a busy one for us. Will started teaching at the college again plus we have so many things to get done around the house. The great thing is that we are making progress for when M comes. We can't wait to meet her!

How far along?: 24 wks
Maternity Clothes?: Yes, still all my shirts. And I'm still a Bella Band advocate as I have not purchased another pair of maternity pants.
Best Moment this week: Signing up for our Bradley Class. I am so anxious to learn and really excited to prepare for labor. Plus, it makes things feel so much more real.
Movement: Still a little wiggle worm. Last night she was a dancing machine. Will has gotten to feel her kick a couple of times which was really exciting!
Food Craving: No huge cravings lately. I have noticed that I tend to gravitate towards sweet stuff these days. Chocolate ice cream is a favorite.
Baby's Gender: Still a Girl!
Labor Signs: None
What I miss: Still miss my regular shoes. I also miss standing up with ease.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting started on the nursery. I narrowed paint color choices down to 3. Tonight we are going to get samples to paint the wall and see what we like the best.
Milestones: Hitting 24 weeks! Also, a realization hit me last week. My youngest sister was born at 24 weeks. (She's perfect and shows no side effects, by the way. We are blessed.) But just coming to the realization that I am at the same point in my pregnancy as my mom was when she had Jenny was really..... interesting. I'm not worried at all but I do remember going to visit Jenny in the hospital when she was born. I remember how small she was and what she looked like. That is right where our little girl is. It just made me think...

Confession and Updates

2009-06-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, I am really a big wimp when it comes to putting up belly picks. That's why you haven't seen one. Well, the truth is that up until fairly recently, there wasn't much belly to show but now that there is, I'm a chicken. I've taken a few shots but most of the time I really feel like I just look sick and worn out. Now, I will say that most of those shots where taken in the first trimester when I was sick and worn out but I still have not mustered up the courage ever since my first few fails. So, I may or may not post a belly pic. We'll just have to see.

As for updates, I want to start posting these weekly to keep you all in the loop. This week you'll hopefully get a couple so that I can get on track. So, here we go:

How far along? 22 wks and 5 days
Maternity Clothes? Yes, all my shirts. I have a pair of maternity jeans and bermuda shorts but usually I just use my Bella Band. It's a pregnant girls dream!!! (Blair, if you read this and don't have one, let me know)
Best Moment this week: Finally feeling like I look pregnant and not just like I've been a little too in love with carbs.
Movement: Wow! Do I have a wiggle worm. She is moving all over and I feel so much more often now. She is a night owl, though. Most of the time she gets really active in the late afternoon and continues on and off through the rest of the evening. I usually go to bed with her kicking me.
Food Craving: I can't really think of anything I've been craving lately. I went through my veggie and dill dip phase but that's gone now. The strangest thing is that I like things I never would even look at before. I never ate mushrooms before getting pregnant but now I eat them a lot.
Baby's Gender: Girl! We love pink!
Labor Signs: None
What I miss: Wearing shoes other than flip-flops. My poor feet are so swollen. All I can wear is flip-flops. It makes me feel really unprofessional at work.
What I'm looking forward to: I have a doctor's appointment this week so I can't wait to hear her heartbeat again. I'm also looking forward to picking paint colors for the nursery.
Milestones: It's not a big one but we received a piece to the bedding set we picked out. Now I can go find a paint color to go in the room. That just makes this all seem so much more real!

What other things would you guys like me to let you know in my weekly updates. Let me know.

And Baby Lyon is....

2009-05-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

You all have been waiting so patiently. Thank you so much! I'm happy to report that I am finally able to share the news with everyone.

Baby Lyon is, in fact, a girl!!! Will and I are so excited to be welcoming this little lady into our family.

After our appointment on Friday we went to pre-register at the hospital and while we were there they gave us a tour. Everyone we met was so nice! After our visit there I can honestly say that I look forward to working with the staff there.

Once we were done with our tour we decided to go ahead and go register. I let Will control the scanning gun and his M.O. was "If it's pink, I'm scanning it." And that is pretty much what he did.

Boy or Girl?

2009-05-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Check back at the end of this week. I should have an update on Baby Lyon, or as we've been calling him/her, "M". (Both of the names we've chosen start with M. That's all I'm giving away right now.)

We have an ultrasound scheduled for Friday morning to check growth of the baby and all the organs. It's also the ultrasounds where we can find out the gender if we want to. Which we do.

Before we do find out, I want to know what you think. Do you think "M" is a boy or a girl. Vote over in the side bar.

Wicked follow-up

2009-05-06T05:42:00.001-07:00

Wow! What a great performance. I loved it! I highly recommend anyone see it that has the opportunity.

We had such a great night. Will made arrangements with Danette, my co-worker who I went with, for us to have dinner at Ruth's Chris before the show. It was so good! We got to enjoy a delicious meal and look at the river while we ate. After dinner we scurried on over to the theatre just in time to get to our seats and see the show.

I have to say that I loved every minute of it! I loved how the story tied into The Wizard of Oz and how we learned the back story of several characters that were familiar when I was growing up. I don't want to give too much away in case you ever have the chance to see it but I can tell you that there were some really good surprises in the story.

As for everything else, the music, dancing, costumes and set. They were wonderful. Nothing disappointed me of left me wanting more.

Bottom line, it was a great night and totally worth the money we spent on tickets. Again, if you have the chance to go, GO!!!!

Tonight is a big night...

2009-05-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

While most people will be out celebrating Cinco de Mayo I will be going to see....

I'll be going with one of my co-workers and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited to see it. Everyone I've talked to who's seen it already just raves about it. I've heard some of the music and can't wait to get the full experience. I'll let you all know how it goes.

More of Adrienne and JT

2009-04-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to see more of Adrienne and JT, you can look at a slideshow of their photos here.

We did start a little earlier than I had wanted so we had to fight with the sun a bit but once we worked that out, all went well.

A little preview...

2009-04-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Of what I've been up to for the past two weeks...

When we got the news from work that our hours were being cut I thought I would have a little more time to blog on a regular basis. Boy was I wrong! I have been filling those days up!

Last week my sister, Adrienne and her fiance' came to stay with Will and I while they were on Spring Break. (She's a teacher) While they were here, we decided to try and take some engagement pictures of them. I'm still editing most of the pictures but here are a couple for you to look at...

This shoot was a lot of fun for a first shoot. I'd never done anything like this before and both Adrienne and JT were good sports and really patient with me. Hopefully, I'll have some more shots for you to take a look at in the next few days.

It's really hard to blog and keep a secret at the same time...

2009-04-06T06:18:00.001-07:00

So, I'll just have to do something to take care of that.

I think it was a few months ago that I first told you all that I had a surprise but I had to wait to share it. Well, I can share it now.

Some of you have probably already guessed it but I wanted to confirm or deny your suspicion.

Will and I are pregnant!!!!

We couldn't be any more excited about this than we are. I have always felt like my calling in life was to be a Godly wife and mother and now I feel like I finally get to do all of what I've been called to do. I feel so privileged to be the mother of this baby and I know Will feels the same way about being a father.

So, I'm very sorry to have kept you all hanging. Please don't hold it against me.

Good morning, good morning, good morning!!!

2009-03-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

Well, let me just start by saying that I have missed blogging. Please forgive my absence but I have been a bit under the weather with a bad cold for about a week now. It's still lingering but it's on it's way out, thank the Lord! I have some updates to the house that I've wanted to post but haven't had the energy to do so. I plan on starting that tonight so be on the look out.

On another note, my parents are coming to visit us this weekend and I could not be more excited. I haven't seen either of them since Christmas and, in my opinion, that's just far too long. We will be celebrating my birthday while they are here and that just makes this trip even more wonderful to me.

So, check back in and I'll hopefully have some updated posts for you all soon, if you've hung around this long to see them.

Something to make you laugh...

2009-02-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know if any of you are familiar with the blog Cake Wrecks but if you aren't let me encourage you to become familiar. They are always good for a laugh. Not only because of the spectacular wrecks otherwise known as cakes but also the commentary of the blog's author.

This morning I was looking through the blog as I do every once in a while and I came across this post which made me laugh out loud. I don't know why it was so funny to me but it had me in stitches. Let me know what you guys think.

I got an award! And I want to share it with you!

2009-02-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

Kristin awarded me my first blog awards today! I was thrilled to see that she tagged me!!!

I want to give this award to some of my favorite bloggers as well...

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate 10 (I only did 8) blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Comment on their blog telling them you are giving them this award.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Megan~ Our Growing Family

Ashley~ Prattle of the Redneck Princess

Rachel~ Ray Ray's Cafe'

Nurse Rachel~Nurse Rachel

Debra~ Our Life In Bloom

Heather~ House of Leaks

Amanda~ The Many Adventures of Mana

Theresa~ Theresa Patch's Thirty-One Blog

In addition to this award, I also received these that I want to give you as well!

Thank you so much for thinking of me, Kristin!!!

Just to ease your anxiety a bit...

2009-02-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

I know a couple of posts ago I mentioned that I have some secret reasons for not posting and I really didn't mean it to turn into as big of a deal as it has. I've gotten comments and emails from folks wondering what the big surprise is and while I still can't reveal anything let me just settle your anxiety a bit and say that it's really not a big deal. I will tell you all in due time. I promise.

Experiences...

2009-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

I snagged this post fromanother blog and thought it was fun.

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland - only if Disney World Counts.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
I guess there is no number 11...
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt-I helped...
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Just stoppin' by to say hello

2009-02-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

I know I'm way behind on posting but I promise I have great reasons. I just can't tell you any of them right now. We have been more busy than ever at work which is really good. Will has been working hard at his second job of teaching two nights a week so any time we can spend together that is not at work is cherished.

Also, I got a call from you middle sister, Adrienne, last week. She was calling to tell me she was engaged! We are really excited for her as well as J.T., her fiance'. While Will and I were in Charlotte for Christmas J.T. had actually asked me to go ring shopping with him. We went and picked out what we thought would be the perfect ring for her so when she called and told me that she loved her ring I felt really good knowing that I had helped pick it out.

On a not so happy note, my long time pet from when I was growing up, Molly, had to be put to sleep a couple of weeks ago. My mom had called me the Friday before to let me know that poor Molly had been having seizures. They took her to the emergency vet where they believed she had a brain tumor. They treated the seizures with medicine in the hopes that she was epileptic but she just really didn't get any better. In fact, she got worse over that weekend so that following Monday my mom and dad took her to the vet to see if there was anything they could do. There wasn't and she was just not herself so they put her to sleep. Goodness I miss that dog! I know it's silly but I really do. My poor mom is even worse off than I am. I pray that her pain is short lived. She's been through a lot over the past couple of months.

So, that's pretty much what's been going on in our lives over the past month or so. We are really boring people. I do have more updates but they will have to wait. Just keep checking back.

The 1 Cor. 7:5 Challenge

2009-01-16T06:06:00.000-08:00

I encourage all my married friends to follow the link below and take this challenge along with me.

Photo Tag

2009-01-11T13:56:00.001-08:00

Kristin tagged me for a photo meme.The Rules:I was supposed to open my photos, choose the 6th folder and then the 6th photo in that folder. Then I was told to post the photo with a description about it and then tag 6 friends to do the same.

This photo was taken at Will's graduation from UNF. It's the seal that was hanging over the stage. Will graduted this past May with his BS in Civil Engineering. It was a great week because, not only was he finally finished with school but also because my family came to help us celebrate! We have a ton of great pictures from his graduation and the party the next day. But this is the one I get to share with you all...

Here's who I tag...
Ashley from Prattle of a Redneck Princess
Rachel D. from Ray Ray's Cafe'
Rachel S. from Nurse Rachel's Blog
Megan from Our Growing Family
Debra from The Tester Times
Heather from House of Leaks

They don't make 'em like this anymore...

2009-01-06T06:39:00.000-08:00

When I was younger I almost always felt out of the loop as far as movies and music that were current with the time. I never knew what was main stream or popular and when I would mention movies or music that was familiar to me my friends would look at me like I had three eye balls or a second nose protruding from my face. The main reason for that was because in my parents house, we rarely watched television. When we finally did get a VCR in the house if a movie wasn't a Disney movie it was a classic musical. My mother loved musicals, and because of that I loved musicals. We would watch them when we were allowed to watch TV and I learned all the dances and songs. They all became my favorite movies and I didn't think anything of it when none of my friends new what I was talking about when I made references to these movies.

When I was 7 my mom and I went to visit my father in London, England. He was working there and had been there for a few months. While we were there we saw several great things. We visited Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. We rode the subway and double-decker buses every where. We even visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum which was really quite exciting for a 7 year old. However, out of all the things that we did the two events that were the biggest deal to me were the two musical plays we got to see. One was South Pacific and the other was Brigadoon.

Now, not to get off subject but I will be the first to tell you that I love movies! I love going to the movies or watching them at home. I usually try to make an event out of it. So, you can imagine how discouraged I've been over the junk that Hollywood has come out with as of late. Over the past couple years I've really not gone to the movies like I once did. So, I watched movies at home more but the pickin's were still pretty slim. They just don't make movies like they use to.

So, this Christmas I asked for a new movie library, more or less. I gave my mom a list of all the old musicals that I grew up on and on Christmas morning she came through. I received several of my favorites and Will proceeded to roll his eyes and groan at the thought of having to watch them with me. Among the list were such titles as:

Singing in the Rain

Meet Me in St. Louis

Gigi

The Music Man

Thoroughly Modern Millie

An American in Paris

Almost as soon as we arrived back home after Christmas I started watching Meet Me in St. Louis. I told Will that he didn't have to watch it but it was too late. He was hooked. He laughed and laughed making note of the clever dialogue and, most importantly, the lack of trash that you find in today's movies. After the first movie has was anxious for another one. I selected Singing in the Rain and once again he loved it! We agreed that today's actors only have a fraction of the talent that you might find in these old movies. Today's actors sure can act but can they sing and dance as well? Maybe some of them but you'd never know it...

So, I encourage you all to take a look at one of these classics and really give it a chance. You never know, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

What a year 2008 has been! So much has happened for us this past year and both Will and I feel so blessed! We can't wait to see what 2009 brings us.

We've been busy for last month or so and are really looking forward to life slowing down for a bit. After spending a week in NC with my family we returned to Jacksonville this past Saturday night and have been adjusting ever since. Once things settle down I'll be a little better about keeping you all updated.

'Tis the Season...

2008-12-16T10:17:00.001-08:00

Maybe it's just me but every year at this time when I see a certain company come out with these cups I know that the holiday season is in full swing. Starbucks red cups are among some of my favorite holiday items and I can't wait to fill one of these guys with my favorite beverage, a white chocolate mocha. What is your favorite drink to put in the red cup?

Christmas Get to Know Me

2008-12-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Kristin tagged everyone who reads her blog to participate in this Christmas Get to Know Me. Join in and play along.

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I love to wrap and unwrap presents.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial with pre-lit white lights. I'd love to have a real one but I don't want to spend the Christmas season with a stuffy nose.

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as I can get some time. Hopefully, we'll get it done this weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down? January 6.

5. Do you like eggnog? Not at all!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? There were so many! My parents went crazy at Christmas. I really had a lot of fun with my Little Tikes kitchen, though.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mother. She has everything already.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Will. He loves anything I get him.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Sad to say we don't! I want one, though.

10. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? I really can't think of one...

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas or Meet Me In St. Louis. (Not really a Christmas movie but it works.)

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year we started around Halloween. Usually it's right after Thanksgiving.

13 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's standing rib roast!

15. Lights on the tree? I can go either way. The tree at my parents house has colored lights and they look gorgeous with our brass ornaments that MawMaw and Poppie have given us every year of our life. But I love the classic look of white lights.

16. Favorite Christmas song? The Holly and the Ivy

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We go home to Charlotte to see my family. When I was a kid and living at home we never went anywhere.

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No...

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?People who don't like Christmas.

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? My brass ones from MawMaw and Poppie.

22. What do you want for Christmas this year? I really don't know. A new lens for my camera maybe...

I tag YOU to play along...go ahead...get to it!

Words to live by...

2008-12-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Howdy to all my blogging friends. I missed you all so much. I'm sorry I haven't kept you all up to date lately. That was not very nice of me. But I'm back now and so ready to provide some updates for you. However, I just don't know where to start. Nothing feels quite right. The reason for that is because this past week was one of the hardest ones I've ever had to experience. It was bitter sweet and not bitter sweet in the cliche' way we think of but in a real, there is no better way to describe it sense.

My Poppie (my mom's dad) was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and on Saturday, November 22 at 3am he went home to be with Jesus. We all knew it was coming and we were all ready for it. None more than my Poppie, though. He couldn't wait to go home and see his parents again.

Oh, how I miss him. I knew I would but I never imagined it would be as hard as it has been.

Will and I got the call from my mom on Saturday morning and left Florida Sunday morning heading straight to my grandparents house. We had the funeral this past Tuesday and the eulogy was given by Rev. Ross Blackburn who could not have said anything more perfect than what he said. Every word he spoke was right on. Every thing I was feeling, Ross gave words to it.

Out of all the things that Ross said, though, one thing keeps resonating in my head more than any other. He was repeating something that Poppie had once said to another church member who was really in a tough spot at that time. Poppie said to him "At the times when we feel like everything is going wrong for us, that is when we should commit more so than ever to pray for others." Those words have been stuck in my head more than anything. And that is what I encourage you all to do. I admit it's a hard thing to do but I can't even begin to imagine what will come of this.

Thankful for my friends

2008-11-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago I had the privilege of celebrating the birthdays of two of my very dear friends, Rachel and Kristina. We all decided to go to the Melting Pot for cheese and chocolate. This place is quickly becoming a favorite. I am so thankful for these girls!

All of us at our table just after we finished.

Me and birthday girl #1, Rachel.

The gorgeous Melissa and me.

Last but most definitely not least, me with birthday girl # 2, Kristina.

I know I've told you this before but I really do love spending time with these gals. They are good people. All of them beautiful both inside and out. I laugh so hard. Especially when Rachel does something like this...

I would like for you all to pay special attention to the sign on the wall by the door. We were all heading to the bathroom before leaving for the evening. As we walked we chatted and joked around like normal and distracted Rachel. She headed right on into the men's bathroom and went all the way in before realizing where she was. The rest of us, being the kind friends that we are, just waited outside the door for her to come out so we could capture this photo. Luckily, no one was in there when she decided to stop in...

Thankful for my husband.

2008-11-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Today Will and I took our lunch together so that we could accomplish some things both for work and for us. While we were driving to grab food we talked and reminisced about when we were dating and first getting to know each other. While having this conversation I started to think about the different feelings you get in the different stages of a relationship. And while I do love that feeling of first meeting someone that you are attracted to, there is just something about being with "the one". The feelings can't compare. I'm so thankful that God has given me "the one" that he has planned for me to spend the rest of my life with. He is a precious person to me. He is my best-friend. I love spending time with him and I love knowing that he is always there for me and he is my biggest fan! And he loves me back! Thank you, Lord, for my wonderful husband!

A Great Time to Give Thanks

2008-10-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

In honor of the month of November, which boasts a most wonderful holiday, I'd like to encourage all of you to join me for the 2nd Annual Giving Thanks Challenge! All you have to do is post one thing you're thankful for each day somewhere on your blog. It doesn't even have to be an actual thought-out post. Just start making a list on your sidebar - somewhere you can see it every day to encourage an attitude of thankfulness. If you would like to participate, just click on the button in the side bar.

I know it's not November yet but I thought I might just go ahead and say that I am Thankful for prayer. I know that it's something that I don't do nearly enough but I know that my parents and grandparents have been faithful to pray for me since before I was even born. And they continue to do it every day. (My grandmother says that it's the only reason she can name all 13 of her grandchildren by name, and she's right! I never remember her calling me by anyone else' name). I truly believe that because they have been so faithful our family has been blessed beyond anything we could ever imagine.

What are you thankful for?

I LOVE the blogging world.

2008-10-23T10:32:00.001-07:00

A couple of months have gone by since I started blogging. As time has gone I've discovered other blogs through friends blogs and must say that there are some really great bloggers out there. Some people make me laugh. Some make me cry and others just tick me off. (Not many, though) I love finding a blog where someone is sharing their experience and as I read I realize that they are not that different from me. I love it when this happens because I can learn from others and also see how they've come through something that has strenghtened their faith. I am encouraged by these posts.

But today I want to share a post that I came across that was funny.

Today as I was taking my lunch at work I was cruising through some blogs of friend's friends and stumbled upon this little post that actually made me laugh out loud. Just thought I'd share.

Holiday Giveaway!!! Christmas might be coming early...

2008-10-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

I found out about this giveaway going on over at The Palm Gifts from my friend, Kristin's blog.

They are giving away monogrammed Christmas aprons. And cute ones at that! They also have tons of other great gift ideas for the holidays. Even if you don't enter still go check out the website.

Go check out there website and email them your favorite item under the Christmas section.
To enter:
1. Email them at info@thepalmgifts.com and put APRON GIVEAWAY in the subject line
2. Tell them your favorite item from the Christmas section
3. Mention that you heard about the giveaway from my blog

My New Favorite Toy

2008-10-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Will and I had the privilege of watching this little one while his parents were out of town for a wedding. He really is the best baby I have encountered so far. (Sorry Bailey, Ashley and Steven) He only cries when he wants something and the rest of the time all he does is this...

We took him to the nursery at church on Sunday and Miss Laurie told us that he is spoiling Will and I to think that all babies are that good. He was a joy! I can't wait until we get to watch him again.

You can't help but fall in love with him.

This is a hard post but I feel like it's got to be done...

2008-10-15T06:27:00.001-07:00

Let me give you all a brief back ground on my weight loss story. I'll first start by saying that this is one of those topics that is always on my mind but I really don't like to talk about it with anyone. The reason I am bringing it up now and for all of you to read is because I am looking for encouragement and accountability. I WANT to be successful. I WANT to be healthy. I WANT to be able to encourage someone who might be experiencing the same things that I am. I don't want to put any numbers out there because that's not what this is about for me. I do know that I need to lose some weight but that is not my main goal. My main goal is to be happy with who I am, as I am. To know that I am whole and complete just the way God made me. Not once I get down to a size whatever or I weigh however much.

I really can't remember a time in my life when I didn't feel like I needed to drop some weight. I remember being as young as 8 years old and looking down at my thighs as I sat in a chair and becoming embarrassed by how big my thighs looked. Now, was I a fat kid? Not at all! I wasn't a skinny kid either but it was not nearly as bad in reality as it was in my head. Nonetheless, it still stuck with me. I started playing sports at about the age of 5 or 6 so I was usually a pretty active kid all the way up past high school. I do know that the happiest times in my life were when I was playing sports. I loved that part of me. It was something that I was naturally good at. It also helped keep me active. During those times I still was conscious of my appearance but it was easier to do something about it. Shortly after moving to Florida I joined a co-ed softball team in an effort to continue some level of physical activity but it just didn't work out and after the season ended I didn't join another team.

At this point in my life I am the least active I have ever been. As a result of that, I have managed to add a *ahem* few extra pounds. So, since adding on some extra cushion and really just getting to the point where I hate to look at myself in the mirror or in pictures I decided that it was time to do something. I was ready to make a conscious effort to rectify the situation. I joined Weight Watchers. I joined along with my mother-in-law last September shortly after getting married. While attending meetings in the first few months I lost some weight but then I lost my motivation. The holiday's came around and I kept telling myself that after this or that I would get re-motivated. But it never happened. I ended up gaining back all the weight I'd lost and then some. And on top of that I felt worse than ever before. The one thing that I wouldn't do was quit. I was determined to stick with Weight Watchers until I became motivated. I continued going to my meetings even when my WW Buddy quit. Nothing was changing, though. It was all in my attitude and it was starting to show in other areas of my life. I was grumpy a lot of the time. I didn't like going to work. I didn't want to get dressed up to go out anywhere. Nothing looked right on my and the sour look on my face because I was not happy with myself really didn't help at all. I didn't want to be like that forever! That's not REALLY who I am.

So, about two months ago I started my journey all over again. I changed meeting locations and immediately fell in love with my new leader! A co-worker of mine has joined me which has really been helpful. And above all I have changed my attitude. I have already been successful in losing weight but have a ways to go. Running has been great for me! It has given me a chance to become active again and on top of that I have a running buddy to keep me moving but more importantly keep me company! I feel better because I've chosen to move. I've chosen to not sit around and feel sorry for myself. I've chosen to not give up if I feel a little discouraged. I also realized that I need to learn to love myself the way God loves me now, as I am, because it's not like a magic light switch is going to be flicked once I reach my goal and then I'll automatically love myself then. It just doesn't work that way.

The last and most important thing that I've learned in all of this is that it's not something I can do on my own. Some people have the will power but I am not one of them. This is my vice. Food and laziness are my foot-hold. I have to pray my way through this experience and ask for God's strength to keep moving forward. I know that with his help I can move past the negative outlook I have on myself.

I have come to a conclusion

2008-10-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

I am a terrible blogger. I have left you all hanging for quite some time now. It's not that I don't care or I don't have anything to blog about. It's just that I'm a perfectionist. I have some updates for you along with pictures and I just haven't had a chance to edit them. As soon as I get the pictures to a place where I approve of them I will share them with you. Until then I will leave you with this...

I know that I've posted this one before but I'm hoping that you will ooh and ah over my dear Eeyore until I can get back to you with my real post.

Stop and smell the roses..... I mean hibiscus.

2008-10-01T05:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend before all the Daytona ladies hit Jacksonville, Will was out working on our yard. He pulled me away from running around the house like a maniac trying to get everything ready and pointed out these pretty flowers to me. I immediately ran in and grabbed my camera so I could show you the same thing that I saw.

Then I looked a little closer...

And I thought about how awesome God is. He created this for me to stop and enjoy on this busy day.

Luncheon with the Daytona Ladies

2008-09-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday my grandmother, aunt, great-aunt and some of the other female family members from Daytona came to our house for a luncheon. They had asked me a month ago if they could come up to see the new house and I wanted to make it special. I wanted to show them that I not only had a cute new house but I could also host a nice luncheon. I made chicken salad croissants and fruit salad. Everyone was quite impressed that I made everything from scratch.

A couple weeks before the luncheon my grandmother had called me to finalize some of the plans and at the time I told her that I had a surprise planned for dessert. She couldn't figure out what I was going to serve but was anxiously awaiting the surprise I had planned.

A day or two before my conversation with her I was going through my favorite Internet sites and I came across this recipe for dessert from ThePioneerWoman.com. And by the way, if you haven't become fast friends with Ree over at The Pioneer Woman, you better scurry on over there because you just don't know what you are missing.

Now, back to the topic at hand. I made these cute little flower pot desserts and they were a huge hit!!! The ladies ate them up, literally and figuratively.

These little goodies would be great at a bridal or baby shower. I can't wait to make them again.

Hittin' the Bottle Hard (and some other ramblings)

2008-09-26T10:01:00.001-07:00

I took these picture of my niece, Bailey, at the Heart Walk a few weeks ago and thought they were too cute not to share with y'all. You might as well get used to it, too, because I love taking pictures! Especially of this little one. She is a very serious baby and to me, that makes her funny. Look at her little furrowed brow.

She gets this look on her face and I just have to chuckle for two reasons. One because she reminds me of her father when she makes this face. (By the way, he's never up to any good when he's got the same look.) And second, it's just funny. What could be so serious at three months old?

So, for the time being, until Will and I have kids of our own I'm going to have to ask you all to bare with me while I post pictures of my niece and my dogs. Thank you all for your patience.

Oh, and every now and then I'll give you a picture of this guy as well. (even when the pictures are unedited like this one here.) You can feel sorry for him because I am constantly in his face with a camera. It's not his favorite thing in the world but he lets me do it anyway.

Friends

2008-09-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the chance to get together with these lovely ladies. They are wonderful. They are some of the best friends anyone could ever want. We had coffee at Starbucks and then just sat around and laughed. I can always count on these gals to give me a few good belly laughs. They are like therapy.

I haven't known these girls as long as they've all known each other. But I know that we will all be friends until we are little old ladies. They are all beautiful and have made living in Florida that much better. I love knowing them.

Running...

2008-09-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, here goes. I know that as soon as I post this I am going to be held accountable for it. I'm just going to say it...I have started running...again...

A few months ago I was running and following the Cough to 5k training program and really enjoying it. Then after following the program fairly consistently for a couple of months I turned into a slacker and quit. I let our schedules get in the way and it dropped off my priority list. The really sad part of it all was that I was actually getting to where I liked running. It wasn't something to dread. But since I stopped I have to start all over again.

So, now I am back on track but still struggling through my runs. I just finished up week 3 and am going to try week 4 tonight.

My friend Rachel has been trying to get in shape as well and starting today we will be meeting a few times a week to do our running and walking. Thanks, Rachel! You help keep me on track.

My hope in writing about this is that I can use my blog as a way to seek encouragement from all of you. And along with that I would love some accountability. I hope to post weekly updates on my progress as well. So, stay tuned and wish me luck.

A New Form of Time Wasting

2008-09-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this site the other day and successfully wasted an hour of my life but had a good laugh in the process.

Oh, should I consider it a bad thing that my hair in 1968 and my hair today look strangely alike?

Go make your own at Yearbook Yourself

I can't wait to see what you come up with.

The Heart Walk

2008-09-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the privilage of walking in the Heart Walk with my best-friend, Kristina, and some of my former Wachovia co-worker's. One of those co-worker's is also Karyne, my mother-in-law. We all met up at Metro Park and walked 3 miles all around Jaguar's stadium and through Sun's stadium where Will and I had our first date.

It was a great walk and I really enjoyed reconnecting with my friends, Melissa and Brandy.

The Wachovia team finished strong and had a blast doing it. Thanks for letting me crash your party girls!

A Little Quirky

2008-09-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Kristin at Blue Skies From Now On to post 6 quirky things about myself.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag six fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the six blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

My personal Quirks:

1. I know a lot of people have this same quirk but I don't like for my food to touch on my plate and I can only eat one item at a time.

2. I can't sleep with my feet covered by blankets. I can have socks on but I have to have my feet sticking out the side of the covers.

3. I can't stand for dished to be left in the sink. Either wash them right away or put them in the dishwasher.

***Goodness, this is harder than I thought***

4. It bugs me when shampoo, conditioner, and/or body wash containers are left open in the shower. If they are open, I close them.

5. I can't go to sleep in an un-made bed. To clarify, when I go to get in the bed if it is unmade from the night before, I have to basically make it before I can get into it and be comfortable.

6. I have to have all the clothes in my closet organized by color and item. I have a pants section that is organized by color, a dress section that is organized by color and so on...

Since I don't think I even know 6 people that blog regularly I am going to break the last two rules and make it 3 people. However, if you read my blog and would like to tag yourself for me, please feel free.

I tag Debra, Rachel and Megan. Have fun!

It was bound to happen sooner or later...

2008-09-11T18:39:00.001-07:00

I knew it was only a matter of time until my husband came to his senses. After several trips from Florida to North Carolina. After 2 and a half years of my influence. My husband has finally seen the light. Upon our last trip to Charlotte in the parking lot of the Chick-fil-a the skies opened up and Will converted...

He became a Panther's fan!!!

Okay, not really, he's still a Jaguar's fan, I'm sorry to say.

The truth of the matter is that we were in Charlotte and we were at Chick-fil-a. They were promoting their new chicken strips on Labor Day. So, any lucky patron that came into the store wearing their team gear received free chicken strips. My husband, who is a bigger Chick-fil-a fan than anything, clothed himself in a Panther's jersey just to get free strips. In exchange for me scrounging up a jersey for him I made him pose for a picture. So, for all my NC friends and Panther's fans. Enjoy. I know I did.

How I met my Husband

2008-09-11T05:27:00.001-07:00

Well, as I said in my last post, I've been have a little bit of blogger's block. So, I thought I would kind of take Kristin's advice and blog about how I met Will.

When I moved to Jacksonville back in 2005 I didn't know anyone in the city except for my wonderful boss and her husband. They were kind enough to let me live with them until I found a place of my own and figured out a few things about this new city. After moving out of their house I had made a few friends but nothing like what I had back in Charlotte. And also, being the silly girl that I am, I had ended up dating a couple of the guy friends and when things didn't work out between us, well, that was the end of that friendship.

So, there I am was, a year into living in Jacksonville and really wanting to find my "place" in this city. I wanted to find my group to hang out with on the weekends. To meet up with for coffee or dinner during the week after work. And I just didn't know where to start. I was starting to get a bit discouraged and ended up talking to a co-worker about it one day.

My co-worker's name was Karyne and she had a step-son that was a couple of years younger than me who had grown up in Jacksonville. She told me to call him and see about hanging out so that he could introduce me to some people that he knew. I was all for it except for one thing. I don't call boys. (That's what my mother had always told me when I was growing up. As I got older that rule changed a little into I don't call guys I don't know.) She asked if I would give him my number and I was reluctant to do that as well. So, she gave him my email address. I didn't think much would come of it. If nothing else, we would email back and forth a couple of times and that would be it.

A couple of days later I was at work and I got an email from someone I didn't know. Turns out it was Will. Oh, how I wish I had saved that email. He confessed his love for walks on the beach by moonlight, puppies, rainbows and every other cheesy personal add type cliche'. It was silly and made me chuckle. He had a sense of humor and with that he had my attention.

We emailed back and forth a few times over the next two or three weeks before meeting or even talking on the phone. At that time Will invited me to go with he and some of his friends to a Sun's Baseball game. It was Thirsty Thursday so that meant the the stadium would be overflowing with 20-somethings. And as an added bonus love baseball and I like meeting new people so I thought this would be fun.

We made arrangements to meet up at the local community college where Will was taking an evening class. I didn't really know what to think of this outing as we weren't introduced in a romantic capacity and the initial intention of our introduction was just for me to meet people in my new city. The events of the evening didn't suggest that this was a date so I wasn't going to treat it like one. With that in mind I approached my closet. Now, you girls can probably relate to me with this one. I was going on a non-date to a baseball game with someone that I had never met before. I wanted to make a good first impression but I didn't want to over do it for a baseball game. I decided on a favorite pink polo, my jeans and flip flops. I felt confidant but not over dressed.

I left my apartment and headed to the school. Not knowing exactly where I was going I left plenty of time to get there not realizing the the school was literally a 2 mile drive from my apartment. I was 30 minutes early and I felt like a huge nerd! I tried to figure out what to do while I waited. Should I leave and come back? Should I just sit and wait. I think I ended up reading a magazine in my car while waiting.

Will got out of class and called me as he was walking out to his car. When I saw him for the first time he was talking to me on his phone and I remember thinking that he looked like a typical bachelor. His hair needed cut, his pants needed ironed and I think one of his shoes was untied. But he was cute. He was very polite and easy to talk to. And it wasn't until I saw him that I was actually nervous. But why? This wasn't a date. He was helping me meet friends. Why was I nervous over that? I tried to talk myself out of being nervous for about an hour. I felt silly and could figure out why.

Well, we arrived at the game and after some interesting encounters at the concession stand we got to our seats. I met a few people as we got situated and then we started to just watch the game. We would talk in between plays about little things. Getting-to-know-each other types of things. It was fun and I was starting to relax a little.

After the game had ended we went to grab some food with some friends and then started planning out the rest of the evening. I had to work the next day but it was still early and I was having a great time. It was decided that we would all go and sing karaoke. Yikes! I wasn't so at ease anymore. I didn't want to sing.

Now, let me just give you a little back ground but not get too far off track. I love to sing! In fact, I've been singing in some capacity for my entire life. I have been in a choir or ensemble ever since I can remember. But I have terrible stage freight. If I have to sing a solo I want to die! I would rather crawl into a hole and never come out. I did overcome it at one point in my life while I was singing in a band for church. It was the only time in my life I can remember not wanting to wet my pants when singing by myself.

So, there we were at the karaoke bar and I was terrified that I was going to have to get up and sing. I really didn't want to. I didn't say anything in hopes that Will wouldn't try to talk me into singing. I just went along with the crowd and started watching everyone else. Next thing I know the KJ (karaoke jockey) was calling Will. He got up there and sang I Like My Women Just a Little on the Trashy Side. I was in shock. He wasn't bad. He made me laugh. It was encouraging to see him get up there. When he came back and sat down he asked me if I was going to take a turn. I don't know what in the world came over me but I agreed to sing a song. I sang one of my favorite Alison Krauss. And I have to admit, although I was terrified I still had fun.

After we finished up with karaoke we spent about an hour talking. We had both had a great time and wanted to see each other again. I never imagined when I started emailing that anything would come of it. I was pleasantly surprised and we did end up declaring the evening our first date.

Nothing to blog about...

2008-09-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

I read through my last blog post and decided that I didn't really like what I had written but I didn't want to delete it. So having said that, I would just like to apologize for my last boring blog post. Now that we have that out of the way.... I had made plans to come up with a new post that would make up for the last one but unfortunately, I have nothing interesting to blog about. I don't have any cute pictures to post. No meal to talk about. I have nothing to give you but more apologies.

I promise I will do my best to make it up to you. This week I will come up with wonderful and fabulous things to blog about. In the mean time, does anyone (All two of my readers) have any requests? Is there anything that you want to know? Anything you want to talk about? I'm up for just about anything...

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-05T20:38:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Will and I headed north to visit with my family in Charlotte. I always love going home to visit. Every meal is a huge event. We try to get the most out of every day that we are there. This trip was no exception. Friday was a bit on the low-key side, though. My mom had to work and Will had made plans to play golf with his friend Matt. So, I spent a greater part of the day catching up on relaxation and spending time with my beloved Molly.

She is by far the greatest dog ever! (Just please don't tell Eeyore and Rosie I said that.) We got Molly when I was a senior in high school. She was a little puppy and would ride with me everywhere I went. She also slept in my room with me. Now, when I go home I can sometimes get her to cuddle with me still.

Now, I would like to add that although Molly is wearing a lovely t-shirt in the photo above my family is not the sort that dress their animals. No, Molly had just had a few cysts removed from here chest the week prior to our visit and had been instructed to wear t-shirts to protect her sutures. But all the same, I think she's really cute.

While we were in Charlotte we also had the chance to go and visit with my grandparents. (My mom's parents.) They live in Pinehurst, NC or actually Southern Pines to be exact. They just moved into their brand new house. Will and I got to go and see it for the first time since they moved in and I must say that it is adorable!

See. Just look at the porch.

They are very patriotic with their flag waving proudly. And look, they are friendly folk! See, they're waving at you. Wave back, y'all. (Please excuse my husband as he rubs his eye.)

And here we all are. Just sitting on the porch watching the neighborhood walk by. It reminds me of something right out of Mayberry.

But they are just my grandparents. My lovely, wonderful grandparents. Aren't they cute? They still hold hands, see. They've been married to each other for over 50 years and I think they are both really neat. I think I'm lucky to know them let alone be called their grand-daughter. Some day I'll have to tell you all about how they met.

The next few days in Charlotte didn't hold any huge events. We just did what we love to do and that is spend time with family. Oh, and eat. We ate at a couple of my favorite places. We enjoyed fried pickles at The Penguin and then had dinner with my parents at Manzetti's. On top of that, my parents both happened to be wonderful cooks and I love to join them in the kitchen as the whip up their masterpiece for the evening.

Every time I go back to NC it gets harder and harder to leave. I love it there with my family.

After coming home from Charlotte we resumed our life as normal here in Florida. We were just thankful that we didn't have a hurricane waiting for us once we got home.

New House Lesson 1: How to Get a New Stove

2008-08-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I do not recommend you try this at your own house. If you decide you need a new stove, a better approach would probably be to just ask for it.

Well, Will and I have been in our new house for 2 months now. We knew when we bought the house that we were going to need to purchase new kitchen appliances but for the time being the ones that were in there would work just fine. But that wasn't good enough for me, no sir. I wanted a new stove ASAP!!! So, what did I do? I tried setting the house on fire in protest unless I got a new stove. And it worked, I tell ya!

Well, not really. I mean, we are getting a new stove tonight but it didn't really happen like that. In fact, the only truth in that last paragraph is that I did nearly burn the house down and we are getting a new stove.

How did I nearly burn the house down? Well, I'm so glad you asked. Here is how it all went down.

On Monday evening I was at home by myself as Will was at church like he usually is on Monday nights. It was about time for me to be thinking about making dinner and since I was on my own I thought I'd do something on the easy side. I decided on frozen pizza and proceeded to pre-heat the oven. After the oven was turned on I started working around the house just tidying things up. As I was doing that, I kept smelling a faint burning plastic smell. I ignored it and decided that it was just something that had gotten on the oven rack or falling onto the drip pan. But as I continued to clean the smell was getting stronger and stronger. At this point I was starting to become a mixture of curious and worried so I opened the oven door (which doesn't have a window, I might add) and I saw the horrific site of melting Tupperware and skillet cookie. It took me a minute to figure out exactly what had happened. How did the skillet cookie get in there? (Turns out Will had put it in the oven the night before to protect it from the dogs.) And as I was looking at the melted plastic mess still processing what it was and how it got there, the whole thing started flaming. And the flames were getting bigger and bigger. And at that moment I realized we don't yet own a fire extinguisher. (I'm putting that on the shopping list.) I was panicked! How do I put the fire out?!?! How do I keep these flames from growing?!?! Oh no! I'm going to burn down our new house!!!

And then I told myself to calm down. I needed to stay level headed and think. I tried calling Will. No answer. I called my in-law's house. I told my step-mother-in law, Karyne, that the flames were getting bigger and bigger. Then suddenly, like a light bulb I remembered one of the most basic things about fire. It needs oxygen. "How about closing the oven door." I said to myself. I did just that and told Karyne that I had put the fire out but the house was filled with smoke! I couldn't see from one end to the next. She called my father-in-law, who was on his way home, and had him come to our house.

When my father-in-law, Jon, arrived at the house I had already opened up all the windows and doors and turned on the fans to clear the air. He told me that I was doing all the right things. (I doubt he would have said that had he seen me in the panic stage 5 minutes prior.) He also took the racks and the drip pan out of the oven and put them outside for me to help get rid of that horrible burning plastic smell. He then said some of the sweetest word I'll ever hear. "You are going to need a new oven." And then he left.

Will finally called me back and I informed him of the untimely demise of his skillet cookie as well as the oven's not-so-untimely demise. And then I was able to pass on the word that his father had left me with.

So, tonight we are going to get our new oven and I am so excited! I'm also a little worried because it's already got me looking at other new appliances for the kitchen and thinking about how I can "arrange" needing them. Do you think putting a cat into the dishwasher is too obvious?

***I'd also like to add that it really is a shame that a very good skillet cookie was harmed in the events that took place in our house this past Monday night. What is that? You've never heard of a skillet cookie before? Well, stay tuned and I'll tell you all about them later.

My Favorite Recipe: Chicken Sparacino

2008-08-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend while I was in Daytona visiting with family my grandmother, also known as MamMam, decided she was going to make one of my favorite meals for us to have for dinner. Not only was I really excited to have the chance to eat it I was also really excited to have the opportunity to document the entire preparation process so that I could share it with you. However, before I begin I must warn you all that this meal is not for the faint of heart.

First this to do is go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 350. Okay, now that we have that out of the way we can get cooking!

Line up 3 pie pans, bowls or plates. (Whatever you have on hand. I prefer pie pans) Pour 2 cups of flour in the first dish, 2 or 3 eggs (beaten) in the second dish and Italian bread crumbs in the third dish. (Note* if you don't have Italian bread crumbs just us regular bread crumbs and add Italian seasoning to them) Now that your assembly line is set up, let the fun (messiness) begin!!!

Take some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and salt and pepper both sides. Normally the recipe calls for 4 but on this occasion we ended up doubling the recipe.

Begin dredging your chicken breasts. Start with the flour...

then the egg...

and then into the bread crumbs.

Place the chicken in a glass baking dish once it's been coated. Do this with the rest of the chicken and set the baking dish aside for a minute and we can move on to making the butter and spice mixture to pour over the chicken.

Take a stick of butter (1/2 cup)...

and melt it on the stove in a sauce pan.

While the butter is melting add 1 Tbsp. of parsley flakes, 1 Tbsp. of minced garlic, 1 tsp. of marjoram, and 1/2 tsp of thyme.

Stir all of that together...

and pour over top of the chicken.

Once you have the chicken covered with the butter mixture, place it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

When your time is up for the first 15-20 minutes you are going to pour 1 cup of dry white wine over your chicken.

At this time you can also baste the chicken with the wine and butter mixture.

Place in the oven for another 15 minutes.

At the end of 15 minutes take the chicken out again, baste if you would like and then add a slice of mozzarella cheese to each piece of chicken.

Let the chicken bake for another 5 minutes or until your cheese is melted. Once your cheese is melted take the chicken out and serve it up to the hungry folks who are salivating all around you.

I usually serve this dish with a small pasta such as pastini or orzo. And if you are feeling really daring and adventurous, take some of the butter and wine sauce and drizzle it over your pasta. Mmmm. Enjoy!

Where have I been?

2008-08-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Goodness! It feels like ages since I last posted and the truth of the matter is that it has been way too long. I have so much to update you on but some of it will have to wait until later on today. Between Tropical Storm Fay and trips to Daytona to visit my grandmother I just haven't had a chance to post.
Just as a side note, we didn't have any huge storm related disasters but we were without power for a couple of days.

Whirlwind Weekend

2008-08-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! I must say I can't remember that last time we were so busy! This past weekend was filled with friends, family and fun. It started off with my sisters, Adrienne and Jenny, coming to town to visit us. They had spent the week in Daytona visiting with my family there. On their way back to Charlotte they decided to spend a night with Will and I. We took them out to dinner to Lulu's. We'd never been there before but really enjoyed it. After dinner we just spent the rest of the evening hanging out and being silly. I love being silly with my sisters.

Saturday, after my sisters left us, my wonderful friend, Kristina, came by to see us and help me out with some decorating at our new house. She and I went to Wold Market to find just the right thing to put on our dining room wall and after we had made our purchases we decided to get a cup of coffee and do some catching up. It was so nice spending that time with Kristina and see what was going on in her life.

Sunday started out as an early day. Our niece, Bailey, was being christened that morning and we were having breakfast with the family before church. After the christening everyone came over to our house to celebrate with a big lunch! I love entertaining so to be able to host this luncheon for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law was a great treat! I really think that everyone enjoyed spending time together. Especially spending time with Bailey, the girl of the hour.

After all of our company departed Will and I took a little time to rest and get our house cleaned up before having dinner with Will's dad and his wife, Karyne as well as Karyne's parents. It was a great end to a great weekend.

Let me tell you about our dogs...

2008-08-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

When I met Will I knew that he had two dogs and I was fine with that. I love dogs and in my opinion, the bigger the better. What I didn't know about his dogs is just how silly they both are! They sleep at the foot of our bed every night. Before Will and I were married they both slept in the bed with him. I think that the still harbor a little bit of resentment towards me for kicking them out but they hide it really well.

We can't come home from work and change into comfy clothes without the dogs thinking it's time for them to go on a walk. And if you want to see two dogs get excited, just go grab your tennis shoes. They run laps around the house and hop up and down like the silliest dogs you've ever seen. I love them both. They keep us company and are two of the best dogs around.

We'll talk about Eeyore first. Will adopted Eeyore when he was about 17. He got him as a puppy from his vet. Eeyore had originally been adopted by an elementary school class and was going to be there class pet. Well, like most puppies he was very playful and would nip at the children. On top of that, he was growing very quickly. It was decided that Eeyore was going to get too big and he needed to find another home. That's where Will and Eeyore's story begins.

Will was still living at home with his dad at the time. He talked to his father about getting a dog and his dad agreed but didn't want a big dog. Now, I'm sure about the details of the next part of their story but either Will went to the family vet or the family vet came to Will and told him about Eeyore. Will had found his dog. The only problem was that Eeyore was going to be somewhere around 90-100 lbs. Too big to suit Will's dad. So, Will persuades the vet to tell his dad that Eeyore won't be more than 30-40lbs. Will's dad agrees and Will and Eeyore became best friends that day. Fast forward 7 years and they are still best friends. Eeyore does weigh in at about 94 lbs. and while his size can intimidate people he really is the most gentile dog you'll even encounter.

And then there is Rosie. Rosie and Eeyore are hardly anything alike at all! Rosie is about half the size of Eeyore but has twice the amount of energy that he does. Before Will adopted Rosie, she belonged to a lady who worked during the day and really didn't feel like she spent enough time with her. Rosie was a bit of a high maintenance dog as she had some anxiety issues and just needed a little more care and attention than most dogs. She asked the vet if he knew of anyone who already had a dog that might like to adopt Rosie so that she would have a companion. The vet thought of Will and Eeyore and asked Will if he wanted to adopt another dog. To make a long story short Will ended up taking Rosie as well. And although at first she was a bit of a handful Rosie really has come a long way. She has calmed down a great amount.

She is my buddy. When I get home from work everyday she just follows me around the house. When I cook dinner she lays on the floor in the kitchen just to keep me company. And when I got for a run she is the only one of our two dogs that is a pleasure to run with.

To sum it up, I love our dogs. They are both great in their individual ways. I enjoy coming home to them every day. I just don't think that our house would feel the same without them there. It might be a little more clean but not as cozy.

Our First Wedding Anniversary

2008-08-11T05:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was our 1 year wedding anniversary so how did we celebrate? We had a weekend packed full of things to do! Friday night we had a normal date night which consisted of going out to dinner and to a movie. Now, I have to take a moment to add that my husband is the best husband and he lets me get away with way too much. He took me to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: 2. And on top of that he didn't complain one bit, well, maybe a little bit but no more than I expected.

Saturday was such a great day. It starting off with a massage and then a manicure and pedicure. Will and I had reservations at one of my favorite restaurants, The Melting Pot. We had a wonderful server by the name of Emily and she really helped make our first anniversary special! In fact, the entire staff at The Melting Pot was wonderful! Every single employee we encountered all the way from the hostesses to the manager came to tell us Happy Anniversary! After we sufficiently stuffed ourselves on cheese and chocolate fondue we said thank you to everyone for making it a lovely night and then headed home. It was such a great night!

Sunday was our actual wedding anniversary but we didn't have anything special planned. We went to church, had lunch with friends and then found out that we were going to be getting a washing machine and dryer that day! We were buying it from a friend of ours and thought we wouldn't be able to get it until the following weekend. This was a huge blessing to Will and I! We have not had our own washer and dryer since we got married! So, in order to make room for the new washer and dryer we had to do some organizing in our garage. After an hour or so of organizing and installing, with the help of my father-in-law, we had a very organized garage AND a new washer and dryer! Will and I both are so excited!

After washing and drying 3 loads of laundry and cooking dinner we met up with some of our friends for Rita's. (I'll have to tell you all more about Rita's another time.) With such a busy day we almost forgot to do one of the most important things to do on your 1st wedding anniversary! We almost forgot about our cake top! (Although, now, I think Will wishes we had forgotten it.) We cut into the cake and each took a bite. It was terrible! We didn't spit out our bites so we did stick to the tradition but we are both glad that it's not a yearly tradition.

To sum it up, we had a great anniversary weekend! We spent time together and with friends. I couldn't have asked for a better one. And I couldn't have asked for a better person to share it all with.

P.S. Will, thank you for a wonderful first year of marriage. I look forward to many more with you. I love you the most.

My First Official Blog Post. (Alternate title: Well, I had to start somewhere...)

2008-08-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. My first official blog. I have been thinking about blogging for some time now. At first I thought that it was something that I was totally not cut out for. I'm not a clever wordsmith like some people out there, I don't have anything interesting going on in my life that anyone would be interested in reading about, and it was just a silly idea. But here I am. I'm am now the proud owner of a blog.

Okay, so where do I start? I could start with talking about something that really interests me or something that I'm working on. I could talk about my recent interest in photography but I don't know enough to even fill one post. I could talk about our house and all the changes we've made there. Maybe I will one day. But as for today I'll start with...

Well, I have no idea where to start. So, just hang on with me through a few posts and we can figure out which direction I'm going to take this blog in. Hopefully, I'll have more interesting things to post about tomorrow. Again, just stick with me and it'll get better. I promise. (I hope)