I know it's not Farmer's Market season yet... but, I love a good Farmer's Market. Murfreesboro has one, but it's hours and location stink. Today Nick and I had "date day" we went to lunch (Taco Bell- so romantic) and to see Four Christmases (super super cute- Casey, go see it- we'll keep Will!). On the way home we were driving down the road Sam's is on and they are building two new building kinda by the PAWS Animal Shelter. I asked Nick what it was. He told me it's a reception building, but the back is an open air FARMER'S MARKET!! I can't wait for it to open, I mean it's a great location for me (and Em, and Leah, and Katie, sorry Casey :o)!) I'm hoping it will be ready for the summer season of fresh fruits and veggies!
I think I'll take the workers some hot cocoa next week to speed them up- anybody with me?
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
holly jolly
I just love Christmas time. It seems this Christmas season has flown by... so I thought I'd post some pictures of the Holly Jolly-ness that is the Brown household.
Here is our house during the "blizzard" we got the other night.
La Cocina (that's kitchen for those of you who don't speak spanish)
Here is our downstairs tree, with and without the lights on.
And the stocking were hung....
My dining room ready for guests
The nativity my MawMaw made for us our first Christmas.
Our bonus room tree
I'm already dreading taking it all down....
Here is our house during the "blizzard" we got the other night.
La Cocina (that's kitchen for those of you who don't speak spanish)
Here is our downstairs tree, with and without the lights on.
And the stocking were hung....
My dining room ready for guests
The nativity my MawMaw made for us our first Christmas.
Our bonus room tree
I'm already dreading taking it all down....
Monday, December 15, 2008
medical term for the day is...
Pectus Carinatum, which is what my little brother got diagnosed with today. Here is what that medical lingo means in real people language. His ribs and sternum have not fused correctly as he has grown and now that he is growing like a weed, it's more apparent. He has this bulg that stickes out, but it's a like a rib that you can mash back down. It's actually kinda gross feeling- he made me touch it. It's has varying degrees of severity and can damage your internal organs if not corrected. So he has to wear this chest brace for 16 hours a day for the next YEAR- hello, a year- not cool. I mean comon' he is a freshman in high school and you want him to wear a body armor getup. I feel sorry for him. Mom told him he could wear it when he gets home from school and through the night and maybe not have to wear it at school, bless him! He will have to wear the brace for at least a year, maybe more, depending on his chest and how much he is still growing. He will then have to wear it the rest of his life like a retainer. He goes next Tuesday to an orthopedicis place to be fitted for his "super suit", "bullet proof vest" or "turtle shell"- take your pick of names.
So send up a little prayer for him, I know it's not fun or cool or gonna be comfortable. But at least there is no surgery and it's can be corrected.
It's always something....
So send up a little prayer for him, I know it's not fun or cool or gonna be comfortable. But at least there is no surgery and it's can be corrected.
It's always something....
Thursday, December 11, 2008
help...
today at lunch Nick told me he needed ideas for my Christmas gift... i am racking my brain and can't think of much... so help me out
what do i want?
what do i want?
Friday, December 5, 2008
makes me happy
I'm sitting here in my pjs, drinking a Caramel Apple Spice (86 the whip cream) in my pretty warm red Starbucks cup, listening to Christmas tunes, and looking at my Christmas tree in the bonus room.....
makes me happy!
makes me happy!
Monday, December 1, 2008
tragedy
The other night Nick was reading my blog and said "why don't you write anything about me?" I asked him what he wanted me to write and he said something to the effect of how wonderful and smart and good looking he is. um, yeah...
But here is a post about him:
HE BROKE A PLATE TONIGHT.
And not just any plate mind you. Not one of my countless fiesta plates, which can all be replaced. He broke one of my Christmas plates. They are a set from Target that I got the Christmas before we got married. So, needless to say, I can't get them anymore! I'm so sad. Now I'm down to 7 plates. Guess I can't have more than 6 people to dinner at a time now.
Bummer.
But on a happy note, my two trees are up and I just LOVE THEM! Bring on the holly jolly!
But here is a post about him:
HE BROKE A PLATE TONIGHT.
And not just any plate mind you. Not one of my countless fiesta plates, which can all be replaced. He broke one of my Christmas plates. They are a set from Target that I got the Christmas before we got married. So, needless to say, I can't get them anymore! I'm so sad. Now I'm down to 7 plates. Guess I can't have more than 6 people to dinner at a time now.
Bummer.
But on a happy note, my two trees are up and I just LOVE THEM! Bring on the holly jolly!
Monday, November 24, 2008
grateful
We had a rockin' worship Sunday at church. It started with some jammin' (that's so 80's sounding) music and then an awesome sermon about having a grateful heart. And followed that up with a great lesson for our 4th -6th graders about entitlement and wrapped up Sunday with a great small group lesson about contentment. Sometimes God really gets your attention, doesn't he?I thought myself of somewhat of a grateful person until Sunday when I re-evaulated my gratefullness. I guess I was one of those people who was grateful for the "big picture": thanks for my family and my friends, thanks for the food on the table, you know, pretty simple thanks. Allen (our preacher) urged us to celebrate the specifics.
"Thank you for a husband who does the laundry while I watch Jon and Kate plus 8 and doesn't ask me to help because he knows I love that show"
"Thank you for a mother who never forgot to pick me up from practices as a kid"
I can't tell you the difference it's made in the last two days. Having a grateful heart really helps me look at the world differently. In an economy that isn't so perky right now it's made a difference to find the specific things to be grateful for. Like today, I had to get my oil changed before headed to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving and I found myself driving home thanking God for allowing me to have to PAY for an oil change cause it means I have a car to drive and a family to go home to. I mean, that is NOT the way I normally think. I'm a "oh great, how much is that gonna cost" thinker.
I know it's Thanksgiving week, but I'm not just taking one day, or a week to be thankful- I'm making it a change in my everyday attitude!
Allen told us "Giving thanks is a catalyst for experiencing God in your life". I don't know about you, but I don't wanna miss God in my life.
"Thank you for a husband who does the laundry while I watch Jon and Kate plus 8 and doesn't ask me to help because he knows I love that show"
"Thank you for a mother who never forgot to pick me up from practices as a kid"
I can't tell you the difference it's made in the last two days. Having a grateful heart really helps me look at the world differently. In an economy that isn't so perky right now it's made a difference to find the specific things to be grateful for. Like today, I had to get my oil changed before headed to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving and I found myself driving home thanking God for allowing me to have to PAY for an oil change cause it means I have a car to drive and a family to go home to. I mean, that is NOT the way I normally think. I'm a "oh great, how much is that gonna cost" thinker.
I know it's Thanksgiving week, but I'm not just taking one day, or a week to be thankful- I'm making it a change in my everyday attitude!
Allen told us "Giving thanks is a catalyst for experiencing God in your life". I don't know about you, but I don't wanna miss God in my life.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I hate WalMart
It's no big secert to my blog readers that I don't much care for WalMart. Well, today I decided to bite the bullet and go there. I need to go grocery shopping and get some random things (air filters, cleaning stuff, etc) and since it's so cold I just wanted to get in and get done and get home to warm up.
So here are the reason I hated WalMart today in order of occurance:
1. People can't drive in the parking lot.
I passed one guy going the wrong way down the aisle. I waited behind someone who was waiting for 10 minutes so she could get a parking spot two spaces closer (which she could have already been in the store by the time she waited for that spot. Not to mention all the people PARKED in the firelane waiting to pick someone up!
2. People can't walk in the parking lot.
You must have a death wish to walk in the parking lot of Wallie World. People would walk RIGHT out in front of me! I mean people, please look before you step out into traffic!
3. The carts
I am not kidding when I tell you there were 8 carts in the cart holder when you walk in. I was there early this morning- you can't tell me those carts had all been used. Where were they? Probably out in the parking lots, not in the cart return. Out of those 8 carts, I went through three before I found one whose wheel all moved in the same direction (for the most part)
4. The friendly service you get
No person in a blue shirt can help you with ANYTHING. In fact most don't speak English. They park their unloading carts in the MIDDLE of the aisle and look at you like YOU are in the way. AGHHH
5. I can NEVER find everything on my list. EVER.
6. The produce department is NASTY. I mean if this is what the front of your store looks like, I'm afraid of the back where I can't see.
7. There are a million registers and only 2 are open. Seriously? Why?
8. The check out lady is rude (which I made sure to mark on the survey on the keypad)
9. Back to the parking lot (see #1 and #2)
I will admit, the groceries are a tad cheaper, but is it worth it, I think not.
So here are the reason I hated WalMart today in order of occurance:
1. People can't drive in the parking lot.
I passed one guy going the wrong way down the aisle. I waited behind someone who was waiting for 10 minutes so she could get a parking spot two spaces closer (which she could have already been in the store by the time she waited for that spot. Not to mention all the people PARKED in the firelane waiting to pick someone up!
2. People can't walk in the parking lot.
You must have a death wish to walk in the parking lot of Wallie World. People would walk RIGHT out in front of me! I mean people, please look before you step out into traffic!
3. The carts
I am not kidding when I tell you there were 8 carts in the cart holder when you walk in. I was there early this morning- you can't tell me those carts had all been used. Where were they? Probably out in the parking lots, not in the cart return. Out of those 8 carts, I went through three before I found one whose wheel all moved in the same direction (for the most part)
4. The friendly service you get
No person in a blue shirt can help you with ANYTHING. In fact most don't speak English. They park their unloading carts in the MIDDLE of the aisle and look at you like YOU are in the way. AGHHH
5. I can NEVER find everything on my list. EVER.
6. The produce department is NASTY. I mean if this is what the front of your store looks like, I'm afraid of the back where I can't see.
7. There are a million registers and only 2 are open. Seriously? Why?
8. The check out lady is rude (which I made sure to mark on the survey on the keypad)
9. Back to the parking lot (see #1 and #2)
I will admit, the groceries are a tad cheaper, but is it worth it, I think not.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
tag I'm it
So I was tagged by my friend Katie.
It's my first tagging experience, whoohoo
Here are the rules:
Go to your fourth picture folder and then go to the fourth picture in the folder.Write four things about the picture and then tag four other people.It's amazing what you'll find!!!
1. This picture was taken on our girl's trip (me, mom, and Anna) last summer to PA. Which was by far one of the best and FUNNIEST trips of my life. This picture is on the Duck Boat tour we took of downtown Pittsburg.
2. Mom and Anna teamed up and made me sit by myself! Boo. So this is a picture of me and my bench partner, so black chick from Memphis (small world).
3. Those SUPER cute orange sun glasses I have on my head are now dead. I miss them. It's hard to find good sun glasses.
4. Anna got to drive the Duck Boat, she was a better driver on water than she is on land! :o)
Ok - and I tag:
1. Casey
2. Emily
3. Marty
4. Becky
Get to it girls!
It's my first tagging experience, whoohoo
Here are the rules:
Go to your fourth picture folder and then go to the fourth picture in the folder.Write four things about the picture and then tag four other people.It's amazing what you'll find!!!
1. This picture was taken on our girl's trip (me, mom, and Anna) last summer to PA. Which was by far one of the best and FUNNIEST trips of my life. This picture is on the Duck Boat tour we took of downtown Pittsburg.
2. Mom and Anna teamed up and made me sit by myself! Boo. So this is a picture of me and my bench partner, so black chick from Memphis (small world).
3. Those SUPER cute orange sun glasses I have on my head are now dead. I miss them. It's hard to find good sun glasses.
4. Anna got to drive the Duck Boat, she was a better driver on water than she is on land! :o)
Ok - and I tag:
1. Casey
2. Emily
3. Marty
4. Becky
Get to it girls!
Friday, November 7, 2008
$1.97
Yes, folks $1.97 is what gas is in Murfreesboro right this minute. Yesterday it was $2.07 and I though, man it's so close to being under $2.00. I can't remember when gas was under $2.00. I have 3/4 of a tank, but I think I'll stop to top off to celebrate the price!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
wedding weekend and then some
We headed out about lunch on Friday to get to Knoxville for Chris and Leslie's wedding. Chris was a groomsmen in our wedding, so it was time for Nick to return the favor. I knew Leslie from college, we had some mutual friends so hung out some from time to time. She's a cool chic, don't know how Chris landed her.
We got to Knoxville about 3:30 and headed to Whitney and Robert's house. Whit is a girlfriend from college who was nice enough to offer to let us stay with them. We met Jackson, their cute little 20 month old boy. He is so stinkin' cute. Here he is in his Halloween costume.
We changed and headed to downtown to the rehearsal. Man, what a pretty church! And it was great to see some of our friends from college and get to catch up! The rehearsal dinner was at a BEAUTIFUL house on some lake outside of Knoxville. Although a little chilly, it was picture perfect- except the firework that exploded under the tent and caught part of a mum on fire. Long story- let's just say a couple of folks at the table almost met their maker that night.
Saturday morning Whit and I headed out for a little shopping and left the guys home watching football. After lunch Nick headed to the church for pictures and such and Whit and I played with Jackson.
The wedding was so pretty. Leslie was a beautiful bride. The reception was at the Foundry - which is a super fun place. We had the best time dancing all night. But my feet were KILLING me. It's hard to dance in three inch red high heels for 6 hours! Whew!
Sunday morning we got up early (well early enough) and headed to Gatlinburg. We had wanted to do a little hiking, but I was sore from my night of dancing! We opted to drive up to Clingmon's Dome and hike the 1/2 mile on the paved walkway. I was breathing hard- I'm blaming it on the altitude, but it might be the fact I am OUT OF SHAPE! We headed back down through the Park into Gatlinburg. We stopped for lunch at No Way Jose's (which is nasty- NEVER eat there) and then we walked the strip. We headed to Pigeon Forge and checked into our hotel where Nick watched some football and I tried to nap. We got ready and headed to dinner at my ABSOLUTE fav resturant in the WORLD- the Apple Barn. We got there about 30 mins before they closed and had an entire dinning room to ourselves! It was so nice to have a quite dinner just the two of us in my favorite eatery! We had the entire place to ourselves by the time we left.
Monday morning we headed to the outlets for a little shopping. Nick was a really good sport! He even had the ladies in the Gap laughing at him trying on jeans. He needed my opinion on each pair.
We started home after lunch and made a few stops on the way, including this dish store where this mean old man tried to argue with me about Fiesta Ware- excuse me dude- I know MY FIESTA!
Now, we are home again home again....
Here are some pics from our weekend.
We got to Knoxville about 3:30 and headed to Whitney and Robert's house. Whit is a girlfriend from college who was nice enough to offer to let us stay with them. We met Jackson, their cute little 20 month old boy. He is so stinkin' cute. Here he is in his Halloween costume.
We changed and headed to downtown to the rehearsal. Man, what a pretty church! And it was great to see some of our friends from college and get to catch up! The rehearsal dinner was at a BEAUTIFUL house on some lake outside of Knoxville. Although a little chilly, it was picture perfect- except the firework that exploded under the tent and caught part of a mum on fire. Long story- let's just say a couple of folks at the table almost met their maker that night.
Saturday morning Whit and I headed out for a little shopping and left the guys home watching football. After lunch Nick headed to the church for pictures and such and Whit and I played with Jackson.
The wedding was so pretty. Leslie was a beautiful bride. The reception was at the Foundry - which is a super fun place. We had the best time dancing all night. But my feet were KILLING me. It's hard to dance in three inch red high heels for 6 hours! Whew!
Sunday morning we got up early (well early enough) and headed to Gatlinburg. We had wanted to do a little hiking, but I was sore from my night of dancing! We opted to drive up to Clingmon's Dome and hike the 1/2 mile on the paved walkway. I was breathing hard- I'm blaming it on the altitude, but it might be the fact I am OUT OF SHAPE! We headed back down through the Park into Gatlinburg. We stopped for lunch at No Way Jose's (which is nasty- NEVER eat there) and then we walked the strip. We headed to Pigeon Forge and checked into our hotel where Nick watched some football and I tried to nap. We got ready and headed to dinner at my ABSOLUTE fav resturant in the WORLD- the Apple Barn. We got there about 30 mins before they closed and had an entire dinning room to ourselves! It was so nice to have a quite dinner just the two of us in my favorite eatery! We had the entire place to ourselves by the time we left.
Monday morning we headed to the outlets for a little shopping. Nick was a really good sport! He even had the ladies in the Gap laughing at him trying on jeans. He needed my opinion on each pair.
We started home after lunch and made a few stops on the way, including this dish store where this mean old man tried to argue with me about Fiesta Ware- excuse me dude- I know MY FIESTA!
Now, we are home again home again....
Here are some pics from our weekend.
Monday, October 13, 2008
HOV Lane
Today I drove to Hendersonville to the ICM (Inspirational Country Music) awards. We are taking pictures and stuff there this week... but anyway- that will be another post once I meet a celebrity (I hear Carrie Underwood, Natalie Grant, and Point of Grace are there somewhere!)
So, back to the point at hand. Driving home I was coming through Nashville during the HOV lane hours. I am a supporter of the HOV lanes. Carpooling = great idea = be green! So, it really irks me when people ALONE IN THEIR CARS are flying by me in the HOV lane. I want to citizen arrest them! I mean, folks, let's all play by the rules. With that being said, to the rest of you drivers out there- When the HOV lane is in effect, the lane beside it then becomes the FAST LANE. Do not drive in the lane next to the HOV lane doing 67- NOT.COOL.
Thank you and I look forward to sharing the road with you again tomorrow.
So, back to the point at hand. Driving home I was coming through Nashville during the HOV lane hours. I am a supporter of the HOV lanes. Carpooling = great idea = be green! So, it really irks me when people ALONE IN THEIR CARS are flying by me in the HOV lane. I want to citizen arrest them! I mean, folks, let's all play by the rules. With that being said, to the rest of you drivers out there- When the HOV lane is in effect, the lane beside it then becomes the FAST LANE. Do not drive in the lane next to the HOV lane doing 67- NOT.COOL.
Thank you and I look forward to sharing the road with you again tomorrow.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
today, my friends, we celebrate
This is a day of great rejoycing and celebration here. Today I fit in (well not just fit in, fit in well enough to wear out of the house)a pair of jean I haven't been able to wear in two years!
I was home alone this morning so nobody was here to celebrate with me, but Addie- not that Nick would have celebrated much anyways!
Here's to a day of skinny jeans!
I was home alone this morning so nobody was here to celebrate with me, but Addie- not that Nick would have celebrated much anyways!
Here's to a day of skinny jeans!
Friday, October 3, 2008
the door
My chalkboard door is finished.
Check out Addie's little paws on it. So cute!
Now I need to add some wording to the door- any suggestions?
And I need to get some chalk. I went to three places already- guess I need to go to Target!
Check out Addie's little paws on it. So cute!
Now I need to add some wording to the door- any suggestions?
And I need to get some chalk. I went to three places already- guess I need to go to Target!
the bed to myself
Nick has been gone all week to Chattanooga on business. I actually like it when he is gone- it's normally for only three days about every month or month and a half. So it's a nice little break. I enjoy my "me" time. Long bubble baths, not having to cook dinner and sleeping in the MIDDLE of the bed!
Nick got home yesterday and he told me this morning I was pushing him and kickin' him all night! I told him it was because I was use to having the bed to myself.
He left AGAIN this morning for the weekend for a golfing bachelor party trip- so tonight I'm spreading out.
Although, I am kinda ready for him to be home.... just not to be back in the bed! :o)
Nick got home yesterday and he told me this morning I was pushing him and kickin' him all night! I told him it was because I was use to having the bed to myself.
He left AGAIN this morning for the weekend for a golfing bachelor party trip- so tonight I'm spreading out.
Although, I am kinda ready for him to be home.... just not to be back in the bed! :o)
somebody stop me
I got out my Halloween decorations on the 1st (by the way- how is it OCTOBER already!?!). I have this candy corn bowl that I put on my coffee table and filled full of candy corn. It took two bags, and it still wasn't full. Everytime I walk through the den, which is quite often, I grab a small handfull. Seriously! Someone stop me. I don't even really like candy corn. I mean, they are ok, but they are not my favorite halloween candy by any means; they might be like number 47 on a list of 50. I just can't help myself.
Aggghhh, and I was actually doing better. I had lost a few pounds, as of last week it was 5. I mean my just-out-of-the-washer-do-squats-before-wearing jeans are a little big on me now- Or use to be, before the dreaded candy corn....
Aggghhh, and I was actually doing better. I had lost a few pounds, as of last week it was 5. I mean my just-out-of-the-washer-do-squats-before-wearing jeans are a little big on me now- Or use to be, before the dreaded candy corn....
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
been busy
Whew, I've been busy. I feel like I always say that... but it's true. Nick and I are so busy, it seems like we always have something going on! It's a busy life, but we love it!
I have been going to a girl's Bible study in Nashville on Monday nights. We are doing Beth Moore's study "Stepping Up". It's pretty awesome. It's based on the Psalms of Ascent, which to be honest, until three weeks ago, I never knew exsisted. It's been a great study and I've had fun bonding with Casey and Leah on our 40 minute car rides!
I have been doing a little home improvement work too. Below are some picture.
This first picture is the new iron piece I hung on the fireplace. I really like it; think it adds a nice touch.
This is a little towel holder I hung in the kitchen. I got it at the last Ikea trip, but just finally got it painted and hung. This is replacing the paper towel holder by the sink. I'm trying to be more green, just one little change at a time.
This last picture is the new words I put on the wall today. I have been wanting to put this saying on the wall above the front door since I got my cricut, but wanted it in brown and wasn't really happy with any of my fonts. Casey let me borrow this font and I love it.
I have one more project that will hopefully be finished tomorrow. I am replacing the door between the kitchen and the laundry room with a flat door that I have primed, painted (THREE COATS!) and painted a chalkboard with chalk board paint. It's all ready to go, but tonight Robert and I were cutting the trim (which is RED!) and I ended up needing another piece. So, I'll have to wait till tomorrow to finish. I'll stop at Lowe's on my way home and get another piece of trim and more red paint (I used the very LAST drop today!). I have to paint the trim four times and then we'll be ready to go. Hopefully it can be done tomorrow night.... I'll post pictures. It's gonna be so cute!!!
One more thing. Any of you who have old nasty, out of style, don't ware any more coats- Please give them to me. They can be anything from kids to adults, light jackets to rain jackets to heavy winter coats. My little brother is involved in a project to gather coats and sell them to underpriveldged people for super cheap (we are talking $1 or so). It's a great cause and it's not a handout. The money raised will be donated to a local homeless shelter or food bank. Let me know if you have some old coats! Thanks!!!
I have been going to a girl's Bible study in Nashville on Monday nights. We are doing Beth Moore's study "Stepping Up". It's pretty awesome. It's based on the Psalms of Ascent, which to be honest, until three weeks ago, I never knew exsisted. It's been a great study and I've had fun bonding with Casey and Leah on our 40 minute car rides!
I have been doing a little home improvement work too. Below are some picture.
This first picture is the new iron piece I hung on the fireplace. I really like it; think it adds a nice touch.
This is a little towel holder I hung in the kitchen. I got it at the last Ikea trip, but just finally got it painted and hung. This is replacing the paper towel holder by the sink. I'm trying to be more green, just one little change at a time.
This last picture is the new words I put on the wall today. I have been wanting to put this saying on the wall above the front door since I got my cricut, but wanted it in brown and wasn't really happy with any of my fonts. Casey let me borrow this font and I love it.
I have one more project that will hopefully be finished tomorrow. I am replacing the door between the kitchen and the laundry room with a flat door that I have primed, painted (THREE COATS!) and painted a chalkboard with chalk board paint. It's all ready to go, but tonight Robert and I were cutting the trim (which is RED!) and I ended up needing another piece. So, I'll have to wait till tomorrow to finish. I'll stop at Lowe's on my way home and get another piece of trim and more red paint (I used the very LAST drop today!). I have to paint the trim four times and then we'll be ready to go. Hopefully it can be done tomorrow night.... I'll post pictures. It's gonna be so cute!!!
One more thing. Any of you who have old nasty, out of style, don't ware any more coats- Please give them to me. They can be anything from kids to adults, light jackets to rain jackets to heavy winter coats. My little brother is involved in a project to gather coats and sell them to underpriveldged people for super cheap (we are talking $1 or so). It's a great cause and it's not a handout. The money raised will be donated to a local homeless shelter or food bank. Let me know if you have some old coats! Thanks!!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
my best friends
One of my best friends Hallie, just had a baby boy last week. He is the cutest little boy, but sorry, Hallie, he doesn't look a thing like you! Hallie and I met in college at the TKE house and we ended up having a few classes together. We lost touch after college, but reconnected over a year ago when we found out we were both in Middle TN. We have since become best friends, she truly is one of my bestest friends and I love her to pieces. It's been exciting to watch her get married and start a family. Now if she can just get that boy to sleep!
My oldest (not age wise) friend Erin just got engaged! Erin and I have know each other, as we tell people, before we were born. Our mommies were friends and were pregnant at the same time. Erin is 5 days older than I am and we spent almost everyday of our childhood together. Our relationship is a little different since we haven't lived in the same city for over 8 years, but she is still one of my dearest friends. Her fiance is a photographer for the Navy and is in Cuba for 6 months. She went down to visit and he pop the question at a romantic beach somewhere. I'm so excited for her - it's about time. Not to mention he is a great guy and so good to her.
My oldest (not age wise) friend Erin just got engaged! Erin and I have know each other, as we tell people, before we were born. Our mommies were friends and were pregnant at the same time. Erin is 5 days older than I am and we spent almost everyday of our childhood together. Our relationship is a little different since we haven't lived in the same city for over 8 years, but she is still one of my dearest friends. Her fiance is a photographer for the Navy and is in Cuba for 6 months. She went down to visit and he pop the question at a romantic beach somewhere. I'm so excited for her - it's about time. Not to mention he is a great guy and so good to her.
Friday, September 5, 2008
ooops
If you happened to be at Thorton's Gas Station tonight about 6:15 you sure did get a treat!
I got out of my jeep to get gas. I undid my gas gap, inserted my debt card, picked the grade I wanted, you know- all those things you do when you are getting gas. I put the nossle in my car and went to step over the hose so I could get my debt card put back in my wallet. Well, I must have misjudge the step and ended up tripping on the hose and fell into my jeep. It made the LOUDEST noise! Everyone looked over at me just in time to see me falling from the side of my jeep onto the concrete! I banged my knee really hard (not sure if that happened when I hit the car or when I fell to the ground!) I just caught myself on my hands and knees on the ground and quickly jumped up and back into my car, shut the door and tried to gather myself! I was so embarassed I couldn't get back out of the car to stand there and wait for the pump to finish. When it finally shut off, I jumped out and quickly put the pump back and grabbed my receipt- it wasn't until I was back on highway 96 that I realized I had left my gas cap off and my gas door open....
I got out of my jeep to get gas. I undid my gas gap, inserted my debt card, picked the grade I wanted, you know- all those things you do when you are getting gas. I put the nossle in my car and went to step over the hose so I could get my debt card put back in my wallet. Well, I must have misjudge the step and ended up tripping on the hose and fell into my jeep. It made the LOUDEST noise! Everyone looked over at me just in time to see me falling from the side of my jeep onto the concrete! I banged my knee really hard (not sure if that happened when I hit the car or when I fell to the ground!) I just caught myself on my hands and knees on the ground and quickly jumped up and back into my car, shut the door and tried to gather myself! I was so embarassed I couldn't get back out of the car to stand there and wait for the pump to finish. When it finally shut off, I jumped out and quickly put the pump back and grabbed my receipt- it wasn't until I was back on highway 96 that I realized I had left my gas cap off and my gas door open....
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
wal-mart trash bags
I went out on a limb and bought the Wal-Mart brand trash bags a few weeks ago. I will never do that again! I have had one rip when taking the trash out and one just come all apart when trying to put it around the lid of the trash can- and this is just in the last week! Next time, I'll spend the extra $1.50 and get the good stuff!
adventures in parenthood
So, we survived the weekend as parents and it really wasn't bad at all! Being a parent isn't that tough, kinda tiring, but fun!
Hannah is so stinkin' cute. She is just the sweetest and well behaved girl every. Although she is into asking Why? For instance:
H: Who is that girl?
ML: That is my sister.
H: Why?
ML: Well, we have the same parents.
H: Why?
ML: Because our mommy and daddy had both of us.
H: Why?
ML: I guess they wanted more than just two kids.
H: Why?
ML: Cause they wanted a big family.
H: Why?
ML: So they would have a chance at someone letting them live with them when they get old.
H: Why?
ML: so they won't have to go to a nursing home.
H: Why?
....................................................
Joshua (or Wash-you-wah) was an angel as usual. Although he didn't feel too good all weekend and just wanted to be held. I didn't mind hold that sweet boy at all! Although, I will say, a bottle at 5 am comes early to those who aren't used to see that side of 7 am.
The funniest thing of the entire weekend was at dinner on Sunday night. Robert had just gotten back from hunting and we were all eating at the table. Robert was telling Nick a story when Hannah spoke up and said "Mr. Robert, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full." It was all we could do not to laugh out loud at her!
We were so glad to be able to have the kids for the weekend and give us a taste of parenthood. We are looking forward to parenthood one day, but as for now, I like sleeping late, taking naps, doing my own thing, and talking with my mouth full!
Hannah is so stinkin' cute. She is just the sweetest and well behaved girl every. Although she is into asking Why? For instance:
H: Who is that girl?
ML: That is my sister.
H: Why?
ML: Well, we have the same parents.
H: Why?
ML: Because our mommy and daddy had both of us.
H: Why?
ML: I guess they wanted more than just two kids.
H: Why?
ML: Cause they wanted a big family.
H: Why?
ML: So they would have a chance at someone letting them live with them when they get old.
H: Why?
ML: so they won't have to go to a nursing home.
H: Why?
....................................................
Joshua (or Wash-you-wah) was an angel as usual. Although he didn't feel too good all weekend and just wanted to be held. I didn't mind hold that sweet boy at all! Although, I will say, a bottle at 5 am comes early to those who aren't used to see that side of 7 am.
The funniest thing of the entire weekend was at dinner on Sunday night. Robert had just gotten back from hunting and we were all eating at the table. Robert was telling Nick a story when Hannah spoke up and said "Mr. Robert, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full." It was all we could do not to laugh out loud at her!
We were so glad to be able to have the kids for the weekend and give us a taste of parenthood. We are looking forward to parenthood one day, but as for now, I like sleeping late, taking naps, doing my own thing, and talking with my mouth full!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Randomness
I have been asked to update my blog. Sorry I was absent, but I've been busy. The past couple of weeks have been a blur of Olympic wonderment. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the Olympics and watched as much of them as humanly possible.
I don't have much to post about, so let me share some random tid-bits.
1. When cooking I normally double the amount of cheese the recipe calls for. For instance, if the casserole says "top with 1 cup of cheese" I easily use the whole two cup bag. I just can't help myself! I love cheese!
2. I have a fantasy football team this year. After at least three years of begging my brother to let me have a team in his league, he FINALLY broke down and let me. I know it was because they needed to fill a spot, but I'll take what I can get. I think I have a great team (great looking anyways!) but Robert told me tonight that two of my players are out hurt for the season. Guess I'll need to pick up a few new good lookin' guys!
3. We are taking a run at parenting this weekend. We will be keeping our friends Julie and Aaron's two kids from Thursday night to Sunday night. They are great kids and we are looking forward to it. But something tells me I'll be tired come Sunday! I'll keep you posted on our fun filled weekend!
4. I am in the process of publishing my first cookbook at www.tastebook.com. It's a super neat website- some of you might even get my cookbook as a Christmas present.
5. Speaking of Christmas, we are three months from Christmas! I get excited just thinking about it. In fact, I told Nick this weekend that my fall decorations are coming out in a week!
Guess that's all, for now....
I don't have much to post about, so let me share some random tid-bits.
1. When cooking I normally double the amount of cheese the recipe calls for. For instance, if the casserole says "top with 1 cup of cheese" I easily use the whole two cup bag. I just can't help myself! I love cheese!
2. I have a fantasy football team this year. After at least three years of begging my brother to let me have a team in his league, he FINALLY broke down and let me. I know it was because they needed to fill a spot, but I'll take what I can get. I think I have a great team (great looking anyways!) but Robert told me tonight that two of my players are out hurt for the season. Guess I'll need to pick up a few new good lookin' guys!
3. We are taking a run at parenting this weekend. We will be keeping our friends Julie and Aaron's two kids from Thursday night to Sunday night. They are great kids and we are looking forward to it. But something tells me I'll be tired come Sunday! I'll keep you posted on our fun filled weekend!
4. I am in the process of publishing my first cookbook at www.tastebook.com. It's a super neat website- some of you might even get my cookbook as a Christmas present.
5. Speaking of Christmas, we are three months from Christmas! I get excited just thinking about it. In fact, I told Nick this weekend that my fall decorations are coming out in a week!
Guess that's all, for now....
Friday, August 15, 2008
U-S-A
I LOVE the Olympics. I am partial to the summer olympics. Now that I have DVR I come home to about 8 hours of Olympics to watch. While I watch most of it in fast forward (comon' how many prelims are there in swimming!?) I do watch MOST of it. I am spending this evening catching up on the past few nights.
I have roped both Nick and Robert into watching it with me- I think mainly cause I am control of the tv in the bonus room, so they can't play Playstation. But man, I can't keep staying up till after midnight!
The other night we were all watching the Women's Gymnastic Team Competetion. It was about 10 something and the competetion was heating up. Robert said, "well, I can't go to bed now, I have to cheer these girls on. Give me a flag or something to wave!" Then he and Nick get into the scoring and start giving their own scores.
After we lost (which by the way, there is NO way those girls were 16, hello, she had BABY teeth and my sister is a dental hygenist and 16 year olds don't have BABY TEETH!) anyways, back to the story... after we lost, Robert said, "that's it I'm boycotting rice!" and went to bed!
It really is fun watching the Olympics with these two boys!
I have roped both Nick and Robert into watching it with me- I think mainly cause I am control of the tv in the bonus room, so they can't play Playstation. But man, I can't keep staying up till after midnight!
The other night we were all watching the Women's Gymnastic Team Competetion. It was about 10 something and the competetion was heating up. Robert said, "well, I can't go to bed now, I have to cheer these girls on. Give me a flag or something to wave!" Then he and Nick get into the scoring and start giving their own scores.
After we lost (which by the way, there is NO way those girls were 16, hello, she had BABY teeth and my sister is a dental hygenist and 16 year olds don't have BABY TEETH!) anyways, back to the story... after we lost, Robert said, "that's it I'm boycotting rice!" and went to bed!
It really is fun watching the Olympics with these two boys!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Happy Birthday
Fifty one years ago today one of my most favoritist people was born....
my momma!
Happy Birthday, "Old Lady"!
my momma!
Happy Birthday, "Old Lady"!
Friday, August 8, 2008
name brand vs. brand name
I went to the dreaded WalMart on Wednesday with Marty to do a little grocery shopping. I really do HATE that place, but since I was buying so many groceries, I broke down and went to WalMart. Thanks for being my tour guide Marty.
Before she got there I picked up a few things I knew I could find, one being garbage bags. I opted for the Hefty odor sheild. Marty saw them and suggested I save some $$ and get the WalMart brand. Now trash bags are one of those things I never buy the off brand of, just not sure how they will do. (I'll let you know how these bags work)
So, this got me thinking. What are other items you do not buy the off brand off...
Here is my list.
1. detergent. I choose liquid tide (bought at sams)
2. Cokes. I tried the Publix cola once because it was only a penny, totally won't do that again.
3. Toliet Paper. I think we all know why.
4. tootpaste. that off brand crap is just nasty.
5. Pickles. ewww, they are like rubber and nasty. I like Klausin (sp?)
I had a whole list going in my mind, but this is all I can come up with right now. So add your suggestions to the list...
Before she got there I picked up a few things I knew I could find, one being garbage bags. I opted for the Hefty odor sheild. Marty saw them and suggested I save some $$ and get the WalMart brand. Now trash bags are one of those things I never buy the off brand of, just not sure how they will do. (I'll let you know how these bags work)
So, this got me thinking. What are other items you do not buy the off brand off...
Here is my list.
1. detergent. I choose liquid tide (bought at sams)
2. Cokes. I tried the Publix cola once because it was only a penny, totally won't do that again.
3. Toliet Paper. I think we all know why.
4. tootpaste. that off brand crap is just nasty.
5. Pickles. ewww, they are like rubber and nasty. I like Klausin (sp?)
I had a whole list going in my mind, but this is all I can come up with right now. So add your suggestions to the list...
Thursday, August 7, 2008
best trip ever, the finale
So, how did we get all these purchases home. Well, Friday after shopping we decided mom was going to need a different carry on, since hers was TINY. We went to Target to buy bubble wrap, tape, and a new bag for mom. We headed back to Newell to try to pack up.
We unpacked everything from Fiesta onto one bed, this was the staging area. We wrapped it all and packed it on the second bed, the packing bed. The goal was to get all the fiesta in my carry on, mom's carry on, and Anna's carry on. The problem was Anna and I both couldn't carry a purse since we were both carrying on two bags, well, Anna was carrying on a picture frame. More on that later. We actually, surprisingly, got all the Fiesta in our carry ons. Mine and mom's weight about 40 pounds each! The very tried to pack all the Ikea breakables into my suitcase which I would check planeside, rather than have it go to the basement where the gorillas handle it. Yippeeee, everything fit. So we had two bags, mom and Anna's in which we had to fit ALL of our stuff and the leftover Ikea stuff. Let's just say it was tight.......
We ordered a pizza and headed to bed praying for the security personal tomorrow.
We were off to the airport. Now, let me give you a mental picture of what we all had. I was carrying on a about 50 lb bag of fiesta and had my rolling suitcase as my bag to be checked planeside. All in all, I was toting about 90 lbs. Mom had her 40 lb fiesta carry on and a STUFFED checked back. Her bag weighted 52 pounds, but the nice lady let it go without charging her the $90 for an overweight bag! Anna had her fiesta carry on, hers wasn't as heavy for some reason and a HUGE picture frame as her carry on. She tried to check a bag, but it was WAY over weight, so we ended up opening it and moving random things to over bags.
So we got the bags checked and headed through Homeland Security. The men were so nice to us, even with our heavy bags and picture frame. They were helpful and didn't even question us. Awesome! The only person who wasn't so nice was the man at the gate who told me I should not be checking my bag planeside because it was bigger than a carry on. I kinda just said, well that lady told me I could and kept walking. I couldn't risk losing the Ikea bag!
We had to change planes in Cinnicantti. We boarded the plane and were sitting there when the pilot came on and told us "due to a lack of staffing, we are going to have to de-board and wait about 2 hours". What- are you kidding me. We were so close....
Everyone on the plane was grumbling, but what can you do. Some people were starting to get off, when they came back on and said, someone had shown up so we could leave. I said, kinda loudly I guess, oh yeah, I want to kiss him on the mouth. The two guys in front of me and Anna apparently thought that was very funny and just laughed at me. Oh well.
So we made it home safe and sound with nothing broken!! Nick and William picked us up at the airport and we went to celebrate a little tax free weekend. We could buy as much as we wanted now since we didn't have to worry about getting it back on the plane!
We unpacked everything from Fiesta onto one bed, this was the staging area. We wrapped it all and packed it on the second bed, the packing bed. The goal was to get all the fiesta in my carry on, mom's carry on, and Anna's carry on. The problem was Anna and I both couldn't carry a purse since we were both carrying on two bags, well, Anna was carrying on a picture frame. More on that later. We actually, surprisingly, got all the Fiesta in our carry ons. Mine and mom's weight about 40 pounds each! The very tried to pack all the Ikea breakables into my suitcase which I would check planeside, rather than have it go to the basement where the gorillas handle it. Yippeeee, everything fit. So we had two bags, mom and Anna's in which we had to fit ALL of our stuff and the leftover Ikea stuff. Let's just say it was tight.......
We ordered a pizza and headed to bed praying for the security personal tomorrow.
We were off to the airport. Now, let me give you a mental picture of what we all had. I was carrying on a about 50 lb bag of fiesta and had my rolling suitcase as my bag to be checked planeside. All in all, I was toting about 90 lbs. Mom had her 40 lb fiesta carry on and a STUFFED checked back. Her bag weighted 52 pounds, but the nice lady let it go without charging her the $90 for an overweight bag! Anna had her fiesta carry on, hers wasn't as heavy for some reason and a HUGE picture frame as her carry on. She tried to check a bag, but it was WAY over weight, so we ended up opening it and moving random things to over bags.
So we got the bags checked and headed through Homeland Security. The men were so nice to us, even with our heavy bags and picture frame. They were helpful and didn't even question us. Awesome! The only person who wasn't so nice was the man at the gate who told me I should not be checking my bag planeside because it was bigger than a carry on. I kinda just said, well that lady told me I could and kept walking. I couldn't risk losing the Ikea bag!
We had to change planes in Cinnicantti. We boarded the plane and were sitting there when the pilot came on and told us "due to a lack of staffing, we are going to have to de-board and wait about 2 hours". What- are you kidding me. We were so close....
Everyone on the plane was grumbling, but what can you do. Some people were starting to get off, when they came back on and said, someone had shown up so we could leave. I said, kinda loudly I guess, oh yeah, I want to kiss him on the mouth. The two guys in front of me and Anna apparently thought that was very funny and just laughed at me. Oh well.
So we made it home safe and sound with nothing broken!! Nick and William picked us up at the airport and we went to celebrate a little tax free weekend. We could buy as much as we wanted now since we didn't have to worry about getting it back on the plane!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
best trip ever part duce
So Friday morning we got up and had a surprisingly good breakfast in the lobby then headed off to the Fiesta Factory. Ok, so picture this. A factory built in the early 1900s (no, I am not kidding) with vines growning all over it, mismatched windows (if they weren't broken out) sitting on the side of a river in the valley. That's the Fiesta Factory.
We had a tour scheduled for 10:30, but of course we were early, so we had time to check out the shop. They had a HUGE room of 'second' pieces that were so cheap- more on that later.
Our tour guide was a somewhat nice lady who had worked there for over 30 years- she really knew her stuff. We put on our goggles and were off.
It was the neatest tour. There were are all in our flipflops and goggles walking all around, touching whatever we want. I can't believe this tour hasn't been shut down. We couldn't take pictures inside the factory, but believe me, it's cool. I just couldn't believe that these pretty dishes come from somewhere that looks like that.
After the TWO HOUR tour we went back in the Outlet, grabbed our milkcrate shopping cart and started shopping. We scored some incredible deals. Mom and Anna got a canister set for like $60, when just one piece of mine I got for my birthday was $60! The whole time we are shopping we kept wondering, how are we going to get all this on the plane (much more on that later). We gathered all of our purchases and headed out.... this is what our cart looked like.
Oh, funny story. We all decided to get a grab bag for $2. So this is what was in them and how excited we all were.
We knew we needed to head out of Newell to get something to eat, because as I have told you, there is NOTHING to eat there. We decided to go BACK to Ikea to do a little personal shopping for a friend, Marty, who had emailed me her shopping list. We drove the 45 minutes back to Ikea and had lunch before we filled up ANOTHER shopping cart full of stuff- yet again, how are we going to get all this back on the plane.
We decided to head back to the hotel early and try to get our stuff all pack up and figure out how we were going to get through security with about 100 pounds of fiesta and three bag fulls of Ikea business.
How we got this all home will come later....
We had a tour scheduled for 10:30, but of course we were early, so we had time to check out the shop. They had a HUGE room of 'second' pieces that were so cheap- more on that later.
Our tour guide was a somewhat nice lady who had worked there for over 30 years- she really knew her stuff. We put on our goggles and were off.
It was the neatest tour. There were are all in our flipflops and goggles walking all around, touching whatever we want. I can't believe this tour hasn't been shut down. We couldn't take pictures inside the factory, but believe me, it's cool. I just couldn't believe that these pretty dishes come from somewhere that looks like that.
After the TWO HOUR tour we went back in the Outlet, grabbed our milkcrate shopping cart and started shopping. We scored some incredible deals. Mom and Anna got a canister set for like $60, when just one piece of mine I got for my birthday was $60! The whole time we are shopping we kept wondering, how are we going to get all this on the plane (much more on that later). We gathered all of our purchases and headed out.... this is what our cart looked like.
Oh, funny story. We all decided to get a grab bag for $2. So this is what was in them and how excited we all were.
We knew we needed to head out of Newell to get something to eat, because as I have told you, there is NOTHING to eat there. We decided to go BACK to Ikea to do a little personal shopping for a friend, Marty, who had emailed me her shopping list. We drove the 45 minutes back to Ikea and had lunch before we filled up ANOTHER shopping cart full of stuff- yet again, how are we going to get all this back on the plane.
We decided to head back to the hotel early and try to get our stuff all pack up and figure out how we were going to get through security with about 100 pounds of fiesta and three bag fulls of Ikea business.
How we got this all home will come later....
Monday, August 4, 2008
the BEST trip ever
We had the BEST time on our girls trip. It's going to be impossible to describe it in words, but I'll do my best.
We left in the middle of the night on Thursday morning. Our flight was at 5:50, so we left the house at 3:40! Whew! All was fine going through security and we boarded no problem. It wasn't until we reached Cinncinatti that we had a little bump in the trip. Apparently I booked mom and Anna on a flight that left at 9:30 and me on a flight that left at 10:15. (why that happened is another LONG story...) so they boarded without me (I couldn't change planes because I had checked baggage.) They arrived in Pittsburg and waited for me in baggage claim. As I am coming down the steps into baggage claim - there they are holding a little sign that says MARY BROWN. Ha!
We gathered our bags, got our little rental car, and plugged Maggie the Magellian in and we were off. We were headed to downtown Pittsburg to take a ducky tour of the city. We were driving along, minding our own business, when out of nowhere- IKEA!!! We all screamed with delight! Mom and Anna had never been, so I was pumped to take them. We continued on into downtown and did the ducky tour, and Anna even got to drive the ducky boat in the water.
Let me just say that Pittsburg is a really cool city. I didn't expect much, pollution and grime, and nastiness- but it's a really clean young, fun city. After the tour, we raced back to the car, entered Ikea's address in the gps and headed that way.
What a blast we had in Ikea- we were only there for like 4 hours....needless to say many funny, funny stories- like when mom hit Anna and me cause she was so excited.
After Ikea we decided to head on to our hotel in Newell, WV and check in then eat. Ok, so Newell is in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE- It was like Deliverance. As we are getting closer, I say, wonder where the worlds largest teapot is, we round the corner and BAM- there it is! We, of course, get out and take pictures.
We get to Newell about 8 o'clock. I go into check us in to the ONLY hotel in town and ask where to eat dinner (we had only seen a McDonald's on the way in) The nice lady says "oh, It's 8, it's getting late.... there is either a Subway or a McDonald's in the next town over" Well, great, thanks. We decide to drive on into town (and I use that term loosely) to see what we can find. Crazy, but Newell, has a casino.... totally random, and totally not nice, but a casino none-the-less. We opted to stop at Dollar General and get some "snacks" for dinner... see below
To be continued....
We left in the middle of the night on Thursday morning. Our flight was at 5:50, so we left the house at 3:40! Whew! All was fine going through security and we boarded no problem. It wasn't until we reached Cinncinatti that we had a little bump in the trip. Apparently I booked mom and Anna on a flight that left at 9:30 and me on a flight that left at 10:15. (why that happened is another LONG story...) so they boarded without me (I couldn't change planes because I had checked baggage.) They arrived in Pittsburg and waited for me in baggage claim. As I am coming down the steps into baggage claim - there they are holding a little sign that says MARY BROWN. Ha!
We gathered our bags, got our little rental car, and plugged Maggie the Magellian in and we were off. We were headed to downtown Pittsburg to take a ducky tour of the city. We were driving along, minding our own business, when out of nowhere- IKEA!!! We all screamed with delight! Mom and Anna had never been, so I was pumped to take them. We continued on into downtown and did the ducky tour, and Anna even got to drive the ducky boat in the water.
Let me just say that Pittsburg is a really cool city. I didn't expect much, pollution and grime, and nastiness- but it's a really clean young, fun city. After the tour, we raced back to the car, entered Ikea's address in the gps and headed that way.
What a blast we had in Ikea- we were only there for like 4 hours....needless to say many funny, funny stories- like when mom hit Anna and me cause she was so excited.
After Ikea we decided to head on to our hotel in Newell, WV and check in then eat. Ok, so Newell is in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE- It was like Deliverance. As we are getting closer, I say, wonder where the worlds largest teapot is, we round the corner and BAM- there it is! We, of course, get out and take pictures.
We get to Newell about 8 o'clock. I go into check us in to the ONLY hotel in town and ask where to eat dinner (we had only seen a McDonald's on the way in) The nice lady says "oh, It's 8, it's getting late.... there is either a Subway or a McDonald's in the next town over" Well, great, thanks. We decide to drive on into town (and I use that term loosely) to see what we can find. Crazy, but Newell, has a casino.... totally random, and totally not nice, but a casino none-the-less. We opted to stop at Dollar General and get some "snacks" for dinner... see below
To be continued....
Monday, July 28, 2008
Annual Girls Trip
At 5:50 Thursday morning, mom, Anna and I will board a plane for our annual girls trip! This year's destination is Newell, WV. Why Newell you ask- it's the home of the Fiestaware Factory! We fly into Pittsburg, PA and then will drive about 30 miles across the WV boarder. I'm pretty pumped!
Our intentary looks something like this:
Thursday: fly in, have lunch downtown, take a Ducky tour of the city, head over to West Virginia
Friday: Fiesta factory tour, lunch in Newell, then over to Falling Water (a famous home built by Frank Lloyd Wright)
Saturday: fly home
It'll be a quick, but fun trip and we WILL make time to see the World Largest Teapot in Chester, WV too!
Our intentary looks something like this:
Thursday: fly in, have lunch downtown, take a Ducky tour of the city, head over to West Virginia
Friday: Fiesta factory tour, lunch in Newell, then over to Falling Water (a famous home built by Frank Lloyd Wright)
Saturday: fly home
It'll be a quick, but fun trip and we WILL make time to see the World Largest Teapot in Chester, WV too!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
my momma the missionary
As you know, my mom and little brother are on a mission trip. Several of you have asked how they are doing- well, they are GREAT! Mom has been able to send email updates every morning, so I am including those for you.
Keep on praying, and hopefully mom won't come home with a few of the children, but it's looking that way....
Monday Morning
Hello, again-
Yesterday afternoon with the kids was really something else. There were 15 little ones, aged 3-5. When they came across the field, it was a sight. One little girl zeroed in on me, came running and held her arms up for me to pick her up. That was the end of that. We spent all afternoon together. She wouldn't let me put her down. Her name is Dina (Dee-na) and she's 4 years old. We looked at books, ran around, played with stickers and hand prints, whatever she wanted to do. What a precious angel. At one point she pointed to a rocking chair and we went to sit. We rocked and she put her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I rubbed her hair and she took my hand and held it against her face.... Needless to say, I was MUSH!!!!! The rest of the kids played and had a big time. We had parachutes, beach balls, jump ropes. They were like little ants all over the place. It was interesting how some of them just hoarded stuff. One little boy was walking around with a stack of probably 8-10 frisbees and wouldn't let anyone have one. Another little girl, Kimberly (a tragic story I'll share later) was a force to be reconded with. You don't cross Kimberly....
We took them to eat in town. They had the choice of pizza or chicken... "pizza or pollo?" The places are side by side; they were divided half and half. Dina wanted pizza, so guess where I went?
We brought them back to the compound and they happily skipped off on their merry way. We had dinner. The food is very good. After dinner we cleaned up after the chaos of the afternoon and then had some debriefing time.
It was VERY hot in the evening. The nice breeze we had during the day died down and it was miserable. We came in and showered and cooled off some. Funny, the cold shower wasn't so bad that time! We went to bed early. We were all so tired. Had a good night's sleep and are ready for another day. This morning we go to a little preschool in the Barrio (spelling?). It's only 3 miles away but will take 30 minutes to get there. Does that tell you anything?
Love to all-
D'L
Tuesday morning
Good morning, all-
All is still well, but you cannot believe how hot! As long as there is a breeze, it's bearable, but when the breeze dies- look out! The gnats and bugs begin to have their party!
Yesterday's visit to the Little Garden Preschool was very touching. The lady who runs it is named Miss Ramona. She started this preschool when her son died in the revolution. He is buried beside her house (if you can call it that...). It is way out from the city- very rural. We had the biggest adventure getting to her place. We rode in one of those big trucks that have the bars over the top in the back that they put tarps over. Think Romancing the Stone or Indiana Jones. It was really something! We were on roads that I'm not sure were roads.... The driveway (ha!) up to her little place was all but straight up and it took a couple of tries to get up there. When we got out the children (40 of them aged 3-5) came running to greet us. They held their hands out in front of them palms together. We were to put our hands over theirs. That's how they shake hands.
The kids went into their classroom (a cinder block room) and sat down. They were very respectful and obedient. Miss Ramona had them stand and sing us a couple of songs. They were so sweet. William and I led a lesson on the story of Jesus telling the disciples to let the little children come to me. I told the story and the translator then repeated it line by line. All the while, William was using the flannelboard story we made to illustrate it. Then we role played the story. After storytime, we broke into smaller groups to do different activities. We had bubbles, a parachute and beach ball, handprinting, coloring, stringing beads to make necklaces. The kids seemed to have fun.
We then provided cookies and milk. They made a little handmade gift presentation to us.
What struck me about this was a couple of things.... Miss Ramona has dedicated her life to making a difference in a place where she could have seen hopelessness and just given up. But she is doing what she can with nothing to make a difference. She is teaching these children academic skills and giving them the gift of spiritual nuturing. Where would those kids have been without that? She is also doing this on her own. Her little school is recognized by the govenment (Ministry of Education), but is in no way funded. She has nothing. The Living Water organization came out in 2005, I think it was, and drilled her a well. She does all this very humbly and with a total dedication. It has given me a whole new outlook on my job. Where do I get off complaining about not getting a raise when she gets nothing? How about fussing about buying supplies for my class when virtually everything is provided for me? I will go back in a week or so with a new perspective. I am trying to think of a way that maybe my class could partner with hers.....
In the afternoon we took some of the kids to the pool at the university here for swim lessons. It was really fun to watch.
This morning we go to a special needs facility in Leon and in the afternoon we will tour the old cathedral.
All is well- hope it is there, too. Hold down the fort.
Love to all,
D'L
PS-Thanks to those who have responded. It's good to get feedback from home.
Wednesday Morning
Friends and family-
Have I mentioned that's it's hot? I know from George's emails that it is very hot there, too, but my goodness!!! I have no idea what the highs are here during the day, but it must be 120 heat index. I have not a dry thread on most of the time. At least it cools off at night and we are able to sleep comfortably.
Yesterday morning we went to a public school in Leon. It was not far from the compound. It was VERY interesting to visit and learn about another country's education system. The school has around 800 students. The principal greeted us at a locked gate. That keeps people off the street from coming on the school grounds. That was kinda weird right off the bat. I guess we aren't the only ones dealing with school security issues. The principal was extremely nice and very proud of her school. She was very professional and seemed very young. We went into her office (It was really just a room with a desk...) and she told us a little about the school. We hadn't been there 5 minutes and already we were in the principal's office!
Not everyone gets the opportunity of education. If the parents cannot provide uniforms or supplies, they can't attend. That is tragic!
The school itself was nice. There were maybe 25 classrooms all opening up to a center courtyard which was a basketball court (concrete). Every class has a door with bars and windows that stay open, of course, for ventilation. The classrooms were small and PACKED with kids. Every class has at least 40 kids. Can you imagine? PE classes were going on right outside each class while the teachers are trying to teach. Talk about distractions! We had recess with our kids (level 3 preschool, which is like our kindergarten). We played bubbles with them and used the frisbees we had brought. When our time was over, other kids came out wanting frisbees. We were almost mauled trying to get back to our class. The kids all followed us and hung on the door and windows. It was very noisy and Janet was trying to teach a lesson on the story of creation. It was madness until the principal came a shooed the kids away. We shared snack with the kids and then they sang us a song. We were drenched in sweat by the time we left!
Lunch was good. The meals have all been very good. There has been rice at every meal except yesterday morning when we had black beans with scrambled eggs. They were delicious... just different to have them at breakfast.
In the afternoon we toured the medical clinic here on the compound. It has only been open for 2 months and specializes in women's health. They have one of the two ultrasound machines in the country. They see patients three days a week. All the supplies and equipment have been donated by medical mission teams who have come. here.
After that we went into Leon to see the large cathedral. It was built in 1757, I think. We paid to go to the top where the view was spectacular. We paid to go underground where it was even hotter! We thought we would see the tunnels used long ago, but they have been sealed off. It costs each of us $2 for the rooftop tour and $2 to go underground. Our interpreter was concerned that that was too much money. Funny about perspective, huh?
There is an active volcano not far from where we are staying. It spews smoke most of the day. You can tell when it is active because the air smells funny. That's pretty cool.
The ministry here that ElAyudante is doing is remarkable. It is two fold really. They, of course, provide care for the children at the center, but they are an unbelievable presence in this area. They provide full-time employment for 70 people. There are about 50 part-time employees. Each employee is paid a fair wage. The average income in Leon is $2 per day. The factory workers make $4 per day. Our interpreters make $18 per day. El Ayudante takes good care of the employees and their families.
A new little girl was dropped off on Monday. Her name is Daniella and her story is tragic. She is 8 years old and looks like she is 5 or 6. She and her brother were taken from their abusive, alcoholic mother that morning and brought to the center by the Ministry of Family or Health or something. Daniella will stay here, but the brother is too old. He is 11 and they cannot take kids into the program over age 10. They can stay past that age once they are a part of the program, but can't come in that old. Bill, the director, said it was heart-breaking to see them when they took the little boy away. There they had been taken from their mother that morning and separated from each other that afternoon. Daniella was checked over yesterday and she is terribly malnurished and anemic. She has injuries in her mouth from blunt force trauma. I can't get her or her brother off my mind.
Bill Cox, the director here, is an amazing person. He has two daughters and a wife who live here in a house on the property. He has a 24 year old son who lives in Georgia who is an engineer with a TN Tech diploma! Small world, huh? He is a quiet, humble, unassuming man who is following God's call. He loves these kids and is passionate about the program here. He has the faith the size of that volcano. He is a man of great vision. We have been blessed by getting to know him.
Enough said. I need to go finish getting ready for our day. Today we go to another school in town and then after lunch we are going to the beach followed by dinner out at a local restaurant.
Keep praying, guys!
Love to all,
D'L
Keep on praying, and hopefully mom won't come home with a few of the children, but it's looking that way....
Monday Morning
Hello, again-
Yesterday afternoon with the kids was really something else. There were 15 little ones, aged 3-5. When they came across the field, it was a sight. One little girl zeroed in on me, came running and held her arms up for me to pick her up. That was the end of that. We spent all afternoon together. She wouldn't let me put her down. Her name is Dina (Dee-na) and she's 4 years old. We looked at books, ran around, played with stickers and hand prints, whatever she wanted to do. What a precious angel. At one point she pointed to a rocking chair and we went to sit. We rocked and she put her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I rubbed her hair and she took my hand and held it against her face.... Needless to say, I was MUSH!!!!! The rest of the kids played and had a big time. We had parachutes, beach balls, jump ropes. They were like little ants all over the place. It was interesting how some of them just hoarded stuff. One little boy was walking around with a stack of probably 8-10 frisbees and wouldn't let anyone have one. Another little girl, Kimberly (a tragic story I'll share later) was a force to be reconded with. You don't cross Kimberly....
We took them to eat in town. They had the choice of pizza or chicken... "pizza or pollo?" The places are side by side; they were divided half and half. Dina wanted pizza, so guess where I went?
We brought them back to the compound and they happily skipped off on their merry way. We had dinner. The food is very good. After dinner we cleaned up after the chaos of the afternoon and then had some debriefing time.
It was VERY hot in the evening. The nice breeze we had during the day died down and it was miserable. We came in and showered and cooled off some. Funny, the cold shower wasn't so bad that time! We went to bed early. We were all so tired. Had a good night's sleep and are ready for another day. This morning we go to a little preschool in the Barrio (spelling?). It's only 3 miles away but will take 30 minutes to get there. Does that tell you anything?
Love to all-
D'L
Tuesday morning
Good morning, all-
All is still well, but you cannot believe how hot! As long as there is a breeze, it's bearable, but when the breeze dies- look out! The gnats and bugs begin to have their party!
Yesterday's visit to the Little Garden Preschool was very touching. The lady who runs it is named Miss Ramona. She started this preschool when her son died in the revolution. He is buried beside her house (if you can call it that...). It is way out from the city- very rural. We had the biggest adventure getting to her place. We rode in one of those big trucks that have the bars over the top in the back that they put tarps over. Think Romancing the Stone or Indiana Jones. It was really something! We were on roads that I'm not sure were roads.... The driveway (ha!) up to her little place was all but straight up and it took a couple of tries to get up there. When we got out the children (40 of them aged 3-5) came running to greet us. They held their hands out in front of them palms together. We were to put our hands over theirs. That's how they shake hands.
The kids went into their classroom (a cinder block room) and sat down. They were very respectful and obedient. Miss Ramona had them stand and sing us a couple of songs. They were so sweet. William and I led a lesson on the story of Jesus telling the disciples to let the little children come to me. I told the story and the translator then repeated it line by line. All the while, William was using the flannelboard story we made to illustrate it. Then we role played the story. After storytime, we broke into smaller groups to do different activities. We had bubbles, a parachute and beach ball, handprinting, coloring, stringing beads to make necklaces. The kids seemed to have fun.
We then provided cookies and milk. They made a little handmade gift presentation to us.
What struck me about this was a couple of things.... Miss Ramona has dedicated her life to making a difference in a place where she could have seen hopelessness and just given up. But she is doing what she can with nothing to make a difference. She is teaching these children academic skills and giving them the gift of spiritual nuturing. Where would those kids have been without that? She is also doing this on her own. Her little school is recognized by the govenment (Ministry of Education), but is in no way funded. She has nothing. The Living Water organization came out in 2005, I think it was, and drilled her a well. She does all this very humbly and with a total dedication. It has given me a whole new outlook on my job. Where do I get off complaining about not getting a raise when she gets nothing? How about fussing about buying supplies for my class when virtually everything is provided for me? I will go back in a week or so with a new perspective. I am trying to think of a way that maybe my class could partner with hers.....
In the afternoon we took some of the kids to the pool at the university here for swim lessons. It was really fun to watch.
This morning we go to a special needs facility in Leon and in the afternoon we will tour the old cathedral.
All is well- hope it is there, too. Hold down the fort.
Love to all,
D'L
PS-Thanks to those who have responded. It's good to get feedback from home.
Wednesday Morning
Friends and family-
Have I mentioned that's it's hot? I know from George's emails that it is very hot there, too, but my goodness!!! I have no idea what the highs are here during the day, but it must be 120 heat index. I have not a dry thread on most of the time. At least it cools off at night and we are able to sleep comfortably.
Yesterday morning we went to a public school in Leon. It was not far from the compound. It was VERY interesting to visit and learn about another country's education system. The school has around 800 students. The principal greeted us at a locked gate. That keeps people off the street from coming on the school grounds. That was kinda weird right off the bat. I guess we aren't the only ones dealing with school security issues. The principal was extremely nice and very proud of her school. She was very professional and seemed very young. We went into her office (It was really just a room with a desk...) and she told us a little about the school. We hadn't been there 5 minutes and already we were in the principal's office!
Not everyone gets the opportunity of education. If the parents cannot provide uniforms or supplies, they can't attend. That is tragic!
The school itself was nice. There were maybe 25 classrooms all opening up to a center courtyard which was a basketball court (concrete). Every class has a door with bars and windows that stay open, of course, for ventilation. The classrooms were small and PACKED with kids. Every class has at least 40 kids. Can you imagine? PE classes were going on right outside each class while the teachers are trying to teach. Talk about distractions! We had recess with our kids (level 3 preschool, which is like our kindergarten). We played bubbles with them and used the frisbees we had brought. When our time was over, other kids came out wanting frisbees. We were almost mauled trying to get back to our class. The kids all followed us and hung on the door and windows. It was very noisy and Janet was trying to teach a lesson on the story of creation. It was madness until the principal came a shooed the kids away. We shared snack with the kids and then they sang us a song. We were drenched in sweat by the time we left!
Lunch was good. The meals have all been very good. There has been rice at every meal except yesterday morning when we had black beans with scrambled eggs. They were delicious... just different to have them at breakfast.
In the afternoon we toured the medical clinic here on the compound. It has only been open for 2 months and specializes in women's health. They have one of the two ultrasound machines in the country. They see patients three days a week. All the supplies and equipment have been donated by medical mission teams who have come. here.
After that we went into Leon to see the large cathedral. It was built in 1757, I think. We paid to go to the top where the view was spectacular. We paid to go underground where it was even hotter! We thought we would see the tunnels used long ago, but they have been sealed off. It costs each of us $2 for the rooftop tour and $2 to go underground. Our interpreter was concerned that that was too much money. Funny about perspective, huh?
There is an active volcano not far from where we are staying. It spews smoke most of the day. You can tell when it is active because the air smells funny. That's pretty cool.
The ministry here that ElAyudante is doing is remarkable. It is two fold really. They, of course, provide care for the children at the center, but they are an unbelievable presence in this area. They provide full-time employment for 70 people. There are about 50 part-time employees. Each employee is paid a fair wage. The average income in Leon is $2 per day. The factory workers make $4 per day. Our interpreters make $18 per day. El Ayudante takes good care of the employees and their families.
A new little girl was dropped off on Monday. Her name is Daniella and her story is tragic. She is 8 years old and looks like she is 5 or 6. She and her brother were taken from their abusive, alcoholic mother that morning and brought to the center by the Ministry of Family or Health or something. Daniella will stay here, but the brother is too old. He is 11 and they cannot take kids into the program over age 10. They can stay past that age once they are a part of the program, but can't come in that old. Bill, the director, said it was heart-breaking to see them when they took the little boy away. There they had been taken from their mother that morning and separated from each other that afternoon. Daniella was checked over yesterday and she is terribly malnurished and anemic. She has injuries in her mouth from blunt force trauma. I can't get her or her brother off my mind.
Bill Cox, the director here, is an amazing person. He has two daughters and a wife who live here in a house on the property. He has a 24 year old son who lives in Georgia who is an engineer with a TN Tech diploma! Small world, huh? He is a quiet, humble, unassuming man who is following God's call. He loves these kids and is passionate about the program here. He has the faith the size of that volcano. He is a man of great vision. We have been blessed by getting to know him.
Enough said. I need to go finish getting ready for our day. Today we go to another school in town and then after lunch we are going to the beach followed by dinner out at a local restaurant.
Keep praying, guys!
Love to all,
D'L
Monday, July 21, 2008
work in progress
thanks to ryan my GIANT picture has been resized.
my blog will be under going a face lift thanks to the plastic surgen (aka graphic designer) ryan. so look back for updates soon.
it pays to have talented friends!
my blog will be under going a face lift thanks to the plastic surgen (aka graphic designer) ryan. so look back for updates soon.
it pays to have talented friends!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
prayer request
For all you prayers out there, and I'm pretty sure all my friends are (if not, we need to talk), I have something to add to your prayer list. My momma and little brother left today for a mission trip to Nicauraga. So pray for them and the about 20 other folks that are with them.
Hurry home, safely!
Hurry home, safely!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
fiesta update
The grand total was 55 pieces of fiesta! After I unpacked it all to sort it into piles for mom and anna, I decided I needed to go back and get a few more things, so the grand total is now 62 pieces, at least until I go back to Old Time again!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
bargain
Thanks to my friend, Hallie, I found the most incredible bargain. She told me Old Time Pottery had some Fiestaware. My mom, sister, and I have fiesta and we just love it. In fact we are flying up to Pittsburg in just a few weeks to tour the factory! So I went to Old Time yesterday morning on my way to work not expecting to find much. They have had some fiesta there before but only just a few pieces but oh, have mercy! There were rows and rows and rows of it, in good colors! I called mom and she and anna got their game together and I went back yesterday night. I got so much stuff, but how could I resist: plates normally $9.99, only $2.99- serving bowls normally $29.99, now $3.99- pitchers normally $19.99, now only $2.99! So I stocked up. I was on the phone with Anna and Mom for a good 45 minutes figuring out what we all wanted and needed. I took my basket FULL up to a register and the poor girl had to call for three more cashiers to help wrap all my stuff! It filled the back of my jeep! I am going to unpack it all after work and I'll give you a grand total of pieces....
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Beach Trip
I have a fan out there who is much anticipating the arrival of a new post about our family beach adventure.
We had a great time down in Perdido Key, FL for a week. It was a great time and ALL of us got to go. It was: Mom and Dad, William, Me and Nick, Robert and Emily, and Anna and Chase- the whole gang! We had an awesome place right on the beach. It was a townhouse and the best part was that the house owned the beach, so we had a private beach right out our back door.
All in all it was a relaxing trip, just laying out and reading (I finished 5 books in 5 days!), great food - I tried some seafood and think I now like Talipa (sp?) and crab legs, and fun times. We played a highly competitive game of Cranium, boys vs girls. No doubt who the winners were- the GIRLS! But it made for some good laughs, especially when William had to act out Batman and stood up and hummed the theme from Indiana Jones and held his arms out. Who knows how Chase guessed Batman. Mom really came through on our team, she couldn't hum for laughing but she pulled through on the spelling (we all know we didn't want Anna spelling!).
We hunted jellyfish all week. For some reason, there were lots of jellyfish out in the afternoon, so we would catch them in the nets and bury them. We had a little jellyfish grave yard, complete with headstones.
It was a great trip, but I am glad to be home in my own bed!
I'll post some pictures once I get them uploaded from my camera sometime later.
We had a great time down in Perdido Key, FL for a week. It was a great time and ALL of us got to go. It was: Mom and Dad, William, Me and Nick, Robert and Emily, and Anna and Chase- the whole gang! We had an awesome place right on the beach. It was a townhouse and the best part was that the house owned the beach, so we had a private beach right out our back door.
All in all it was a relaxing trip, just laying out and reading (I finished 5 books in 5 days!), great food - I tried some seafood and think I now like Talipa (sp?) and crab legs, and fun times. We played a highly competitive game of Cranium, boys vs girls. No doubt who the winners were- the GIRLS! But it made for some good laughs, especially when William had to act out Batman and stood up and hummed the theme from Indiana Jones and held his arms out. Who knows how Chase guessed Batman. Mom really came through on our team, she couldn't hum for laughing but she pulled through on the spelling (we all know we didn't want Anna spelling!).
We hunted jellyfish all week. For some reason, there were lots of jellyfish out in the afternoon, so we would catch them in the nets and bury them. We had a little jellyfish grave yard, complete with headstones.
It was a great trip, but I am glad to be home in my own bed!
I'll post some pictures once I get them uploaded from my camera sometime later.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Boston Part 2
Our second day in Boston, we decided to drive up to Salem and check out the "Witch City". We hopped in our car and headed off. We toured Salem, the witch dungeon, the witch monument, all that touristy stuff. We stopped in a little pet store in the shopping district where I got a sticker that says "Bark less, wag more" as soon as I find it, it will be going on my jeep. We asked the man running the store where to eat lunch; he reccommended this little local spot. It was fantastic. It in an old house and the food was FANTASTIC. The best clam chowder I had on the trip. Nick told our waitress "yes, mam'" at some point and she just looked at him and said, you must be from the south. Ha! After lunch we did a little shopping and then headed back to towards our hotel. On the way back I decided to take a little detour to a place called Marble Head. It is out on a 'neck' into the ocean and is the most wanted real estate in the upper coast region. Ok, no kiddin', these are the biggest houses I have ever seen! They were incredible! There is a place on the neck called Castle Rock. It is a tiny little gate between two huge houses. You just park on the street and walk through the little gate to this beatiful rock cliff overlook. I felt like we were standing in these peoples back yard. Here are a few pictures, although they don't do it justice!
So then we were really headed back to our hotel because we were going to the Red Sox game that night. Nick stopped in the lobby to check his email and I headed on up to the room. I got off the elevator and there is a luggage rack in the hallway with OUR luggage on it. The front desk guys come walking out of our room with our stuff. I said, um, that's my stuff and that's my room. Long story short, there was a mix up and they thought we had checked out. So, needless to say they gave us free meals from the resturant in the lobby the rest of our trips and made sure to do everything possible to make up happy. Good thing for them we are pretty good sports.
We cleaned up and head out to the ball game. And what an experience it was. The ball park is SO crowded. We never were sure where we were supposed to sit, so we just found seats and sat in them until someone came to sit there. It was a fun time but we were both ready to get out of the crowd, so we called it quits about the 6th inning and headed back to our hotel.
Thursday morning we ate our free breakfast in the hotel and headed out to see Plymouth Rock. It was kinda out of the way, but I wanted Nick to see it. Once in Plymouth we checked out the rock, don't be overly impressed, it's a rock. They are building this HUGE monument over it, kinda ridiculous if you ask me. We walked over and saw the Mayflower 2, the replica of the original boat and then headed back to the car to head to Rhode Island. We made it to Newport about lunch time and had lunch at a cute little outdoor place on the pier. Ok, so Newport is this pricey little town where all these rich folks summer. It was incredible. The lady at the visitor center told us we could walk to the start of the Cliff Walk. Seriously, it was like 4 miles. I was tired of walking before we even started the cliff walk, which is 3 1/2 miles. The cliff walks are fun, you are basically walking along the cliffs in the backyard of all these huge houses. The Vanderbilts have a house on the cliff and it looks like a mini Biltmore. One house had a wedding set up in the backyard, so pretty. It was a fun, but long walk. We finally made it to the end and then had a 4 mile walk BACK to our car- whew! We stopped for icecream and loaded in the car and took the scenic ocean drive through town and then headed on back to Boston and stopped and had pizza at Uno's, a Chicago pizza place. Here's some shots of the cliff walk-
We weren't sure what we wanted to do Friday, since I had to be at my conference about lunch and Nick's flight left at 3. So we just slept late and had another free breakfast before packing up and heading to the airport. I took the shuttle to my conference and Nick headed home.
My conference was good and pretty uneventful, until it was time to fly home. My direct flight was overbooked and they were offering a $400 voucher and well as a first class up grade if you would change planes, fly to New York, have a 2 1/2 hour layover, then arrive in Nashville about 9. I volunteered, I figured what did I have to loose, it would get me home about 4 hours later, but the voucher would almost pay for our girls trip tickets to Pittsburg. I had to RUN through the airport to get to the flight to NewYork, they were holding the plane for me. I relaxed in first class, even though it was only about a 45 minute flight. So once I got in NY, I had to get a ticket for my flight and went to the terminal to wait. We were scheduled to board about 7, well about 6 I decided to go grab something to eat. I get back about 6:30 and notice our flight has been delayed till 9:30! AGHHHHH. So I get my book out and start reading and talk on the phone to mom. All of a sudden I hear, last boarding call for flight whatever the number was to Nashville. I look up and my flight has boarded. I run over to the counter and give them my tickets and the lady tells me to hurry up and board. Hello, I was sitting there the whole time, how did I miss this? Apparently they moved our boarding BACK up to 7:45! Whatever, I was on board and ready to go. We taxi out to the runway and after about 30 minutes they come on and tell us we are waiting our turn to take off. We were plane #100 in line. Yes, 100..... as in there are 99 planes before us. AGHHHH! Ok, so finally we take off about 9:50. Whew, we got to Nashville about midnight I grabbed my bag, which had come on my original flight and headed home.
So then we were really headed back to our hotel because we were going to the Red Sox game that night. Nick stopped in the lobby to check his email and I headed on up to the room. I got off the elevator and there is a luggage rack in the hallway with OUR luggage on it. The front desk guys come walking out of our room with our stuff. I said, um, that's my stuff and that's my room. Long story short, there was a mix up and they thought we had checked out. So, needless to say they gave us free meals from the resturant in the lobby the rest of our trips and made sure to do everything possible to make up happy. Good thing for them we are pretty good sports.
We cleaned up and head out to the ball game. And what an experience it was. The ball park is SO crowded. We never were sure where we were supposed to sit, so we just found seats and sat in them until someone came to sit there. It was a fun time but we were both ready to get out of the crowd, so we called it quits about the 6th inning and headed back to our hotel.
Thursday morning we ate our free breakfast in the hotel and headed out to see Plymouth Rock. It was kinda out of the way, but I wanted Nick to see it. Once in Plymouth we checked out the rock, don't be overly impressed, it's a rock. They are building this HUGE monument over it, kinda ridiculous if you ask me. We walked over and saw the Mayflower 2, the replica of the original boat and then headed back to the car to head to Rhode Island. We made it to Newport about lunch time and had lunch at a cute little outdoor place on the pier. Ok, so Newport is this pricey little town where all these rich folks summer. It was incredible. The lady at the visitor center told us we could walk to the start of the Cliff Walk. Seriously, it was like 4 miles. I was tired of walking before we even started the cliff walk, which is 3 1/2 miles. The cliff walks are fun, you are basically walking along the cliffs in the backyard of all these huge houses. The Vanderbilts have a house on the cliff and it looks like a mini Biltmore. One house had a wedding set up in the backyard, so pretty. It was a fun, but long walk. We finally made it to the end and then had a 4 mile walk BACK to our car- whew! We stopped for icecream and loaded in the car and took the scenic ocean drive through town and then headed on back to Boston and stopped and had pizza at Uno's, a Chicago pizza place. Here's some shots of the cliff walk-
We weren't sure what we wanted to do Friday, since I had to be at my conference about lunch and Nick's flight left at 3. So we just slept late and had another free breakfast before packing up and heading to the airport. I took the shuttle to my conference and Nick headed home.
My conference was good and pretty uneventful, until it was time to fly home. My direct flight was overbooked and they were offering a $400 voucher and well as a first class up grade if you would change planes, fly to New York, have a 2 1/2 hour layover, then arrive in Nashville about 9. I volunteered, I figured what did I have to loose, it would get me home about 4 hours later, but the voucher would almost pay for our girls trip tickets to Pittsburg. I had to RUN through the airport to get to the flight to NewYork, they were holding the plane for me. I relaxed in first class, even though it was only about a 45 minute flight. So once I got in NY, I had to get a ticket for my flight and went to the terminal to wait. We were scheduled to board about 7, well about 6 I decided to go grab something to eat. I get back about 6:30 and notice our flight has been delayed till 9:30! AGHHHHH. So I get my book out and start reading and talk on the phone to mom. All of a sudden I hear, last boarding call for flight whatever the number was to Nashville. I look up and my flight has boarded. I run over to the counter and give them my tickets and the lady tells me to hurry up and board. Hello, I was sitting there the whole time, how did I miss this? Apparently they moved our boarding BACK up to 7:45! Whatever, I was on board and ready to go. We taxi out to the runway and after about 30 minutes they come on and tell us we are waiting our turn to take off. We were plane #100 in line. Yes, 100..... as in there are 99 planes before us. AGHHHH! Ok, so finally we take off about 9:50. Whew, we got to Nashville about midnight I grabbed my bag, which had come on my original flight and headed home.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
1095 days, 26280 hours, 1576800 minutes
That's how long we have been married! July 3, 2005 we promised to love each other forever. It's been a great three years. Loving Nick forever hasn't been too hard, it's the liking him forever that I sometimes struggle with- good thing that wasn't in our vows. We have grown so much and have learned so much about each other in the process. I can say the third year of marriage has been the best so far, I can only hope it keeps getting better.
Nick, you are the love of my life. You are both my husband and my best friend. And I thank God for you and the life we are blessed with.
Our Vows
I, Nick, take you, Mary Leigh, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
I, Mary Leigh, take you, Nick, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
Nick, you are the love of my life. You are both my husband and my best friend. And I thank God for you and the life we are blessed with.
Our Vows
I, Nick, take you, Mary Leigh, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
I, Mary Leigh, take you, Nick, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Back from Boston
before we head to the beach this weekend I wanted to update my faithful two readers (MawMaw and Hallie) on the Boston adventure.
Since I was in Boston a full 7 days, I feel I can now make some general sterotypes and comments on the entire northern population. So here they are:
1. Turn signals are simply an accessory and do not serve a useful purpose.
2. The lines in the middle of the roads are also optional. If it looks like you can make the off ramp a three lane, by all means, go for it. Same principal on roundabouts. Just get on and spread out.
3. There is NOT a Walgreens on every corner, but there is a Dunkin Donuts on every corner. In fact at one point we saw two Dunkin Donuts across the street from each other- just makes it more handy when you are headed both into and out of the city- no need to turn across two lanes of traffic.
4. No sweet tea. I knew this going in, but come on, sugar after the fact is NOT sweet tea. I would have thrown the tea overboard too. You only think the settlers were mad about taxing, but the Boston Tea Party is a result of no sweet tea.
Those are my 4 comments on the overall trip, now to the details.
We got there Monday late afternoon and picked up our rental car, a nice blueish, purple Ford Focus. Although I have to say, not a bad car and AWESOME gas mileage, we are talking about 30 miles to the gallon! We headed to our hotel and found it without getting lost- whoohoo!
Tuesday morning we were up and at 'em pretty early as we planned to do the entire Freedom Trail that day. We took the hotel shuttle to the airport subway station and then rode that into the city. We had no trouble finding our way - red line to green line, or something like that. I grabbed my map and we were off. We got majority of the trail done before lunch, and stopped for lunch at Cheers 2 in Quincy Marketplace. Then it was a walk through the North End (little Italy) and over to Bunker Hill Monument. The monument is this tall tower thing that you can walk up and look out. They said 264 steps to the top. I didn't think it would be that bad, but after about 50 steps I was breathing hard- hello, out of shape! There is no air movement inside the tower and the staircase wasn't wide enought for two people which was fun when someone was coming down and you were going up. Once we FINALLY made it to the top, I just sat on the little bench while Nick took a few pictures, then it was back down. It had started raining while we were climbing, so we walked back to the harbor in the rain. The rain stopped just in time to take the ferry back to the city. Once back in the city since we finished the freedom trail and it was barely mid afternoon, we decided to get back on the subway and go find the flagship store for Life is Good. Life is Good was founded in Boston, so I was excited to see the store! After Life is Good, we sat in Boston Commons deciding where to eat. We decided on Ye Ole Seafood, which is the oldest eatery in the country. As we were walking back to the subway station, it started to POUR. We had to RUN to get to the station before the bottom fell out. We made it to the resturaunt semi dry, and I had my first offical bowl of New England Clam Chowder. I have to say I loved it! Now my shrimp, take it or leave it. We walked back to the subway station and back to the airport for our shuttle back to our hotel. I just knew my legs would be sore from all that walking and climbing, man was I right!
Stay tuned for Day Two highlights!
Since I was in Boston a full 7 days, I feel I can now make some general sterotypes and comments on the entire northern population. So here they are:
1. Turn signals are simply an accessory and do not serve a useful purpose.
2. The lines in the middle of the roads are also optional. If it looks like you can make the off ramp a three lane, by all means, go for it. Same principal on roundabouts. Just get on and spread out.
3. There is NOT a Walgreens on every corner, but there is a Dunkin Donuts on every corner. In fact at one point we saw two Dunkin Donuts across the street from each other- just makes it more handy when you are headed both into and out of the city- no need to turn across two lanes of traffic.
4. No sweet tea. I knew this going in, but come on, sugar after the fact is NOT sweet tea. I would have thrown the tea overboard too. You only think the settlers were mad about taxing, but the Boston Tea Party is a result of no sweet tea.
Those are my 4 comments on the overall trip, now to the details.
We got there Monday late afternoon and picked up our rental car, a nice blueish, purple Ford Focus. Although I have to say, not a bad car and AWESOME gas mileage, we are talking about 30 miles to the gallon! We headed to our hotel and found it without getting lost- whoohoo!
Tuesday morning we were up and at 'em pretty early as we planned to do the entire Freedom Trail that day. We took the hotel shuttle to the airport subway station and then rode that into the city. We had no trouble finding our way - red line to green line, or something like that. I grabbed my map and we were off. We got majority of the trail done before lunch, and stopped for lunch at Cheers 2 in Quincy Marketplace. Then it was a walk through the North End (little Italy) and over to Bunker Hill Monument. The monument is this tall tower thing that you can walk up and look out. They said 264 steps to the top. I didn't think it would be that bad, but after about 50 steps I was breathing hard- hello, out of shape! There is no air movement inside the tower and the staircase wasn't wide enought for two people which was fun when someone was coming down and you were going up. Once we FINALLY made it to the top, I just sat on the little bench while Nick took a few pictures, then it was back down. It had started raining while we were climbing, so we walked back to the harbor in the rain. The rain stopped just in time to take the ferry back to the city. Once back in the city since we finished the freedom trail and it was barely mid afternoon, we decided to get back on the subway and go find the flagship store for Life is Good. Life is Good was founded in Boston, so I was excited to see the store! After Life is Good, we sat in Boston Commons deciding where to eat. We decided on Ye Ole Seafood, which is the oldest eatery in the country. As we were walking back to the subway station, it started to POUR. We had to RUN to get to the station before the bottom fell out. We made it to the resturaunt semi dry, and I had my first offical bowl of New England Clam Chowder. I have to say I loved it! Now my shrimp, take it or leave it. We walked back to the subway station and back to the airport for our shuttle back to our hotel. I just knew my legs would be sore from all that walking and climbing, man was I right!
Stay tuned for Day Two highlights!
Monday, June 30, 2008
birthday boy
Today someone turns three one! I can't believe a year has flown by so fast, it seems like just a few months ago we were celebrating the big 30 and now here we are celebrating another year. Birthdays aren't a big deal to Nick, but to me, they are huge (ie the ENTIRE month of December is MY birthday!) I kinda dropped the ball this year. I didn't get home from Boston till after midnight, so we didn't do much to celebrate tonight, just dinner out. I didn't even really get him a gift, I just told him to go get the new golf clubs he has been wanting. We all know I would have no idea what to buy. I am glad he doesn't drop the ball when it comes to my birthday.
Even though I kinda failed as a party planner this year, Nick, I love you very much and am so thankful for every birthday we celebrate together as we are growing old together!
Happy Birthday Nick!
Even though I kinda failed as a party planner this year, Nick, I love you very much and am so thankful for every birthday we celebrate together as we are growing old together!
Happy Birthday Nick!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Boston bound
This has been a busy week for us- between Character Quest at church and getting ready for a couples baby shower at our house- we've been busy!
Saturday night we had a couples baby shower for Hallie and Franklin at our house. I think the turnout was around 50 people and they got TONS of great gifts! It looked like Christmas morning in our living room. We can't wait for little Grant to get here- I'm already lined up as his #1 babysitter!
Tonight we went over to Aaron and Julie's to hang out with our small group folks and grill out and play a little bocce ball. Now it's home and time to pack cause...
Tomorrow we leave for Boston! I'm so excited. I have been to Boston before, but it's been years ago, and I just loved it. Nick loves history stuff, so he is going to just love the city. Nick is flying back on Friday and I am staying for a Kappa Delta conference. I'll be headed back on Sunday. Then it's time to hit the ground running again, since the week brings Nick's birthday, our anniversary and a trip to the beach- whew! I just love summertime!
Saturday night we had a couples baby shower for Hallie and Franklin at our house. I think the turnout was around 50 people and they got TONS of great gifts! It looked like Christmas morning in our living room. We can't wait for little Grant to get here- I'm already lined up as his #1 babysitter!
Tonight we went over to Aaron and Julie's to hang out with our small group folks and grill out and play a little bocce ball. Now it's home and time to pack cause...
Tomorrow we leave for Boston! I'm so excited. I have been to Boston before, but it's been years ago, and I just loved it. Nick loves history stuff, so he is going to just love the city. Nick is flying back on Friday and I am staying for a Kappa Delta conference. I'll be headed back on Sunday. Then it's time to hit the ground running again, since the week brings Nick's birthday, our anniversary and a trip to the beach- whew! I just love summertime!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
it is finished
we finished up the last touches of the pergola tonight!! We meaning Nick and Robert. I helped for a bit, but then my dinner date, Hallie showed up so I cut out on them! Thanks again for dinner, H!
Robert decided it needed some braces on the post and then we ran cross beams on the top.
Here it is in all it's glory-
ps- can't figure out how to upright that picture- sorry
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
character quest
I just love our church!
This week Nick and I are on the Ropes Team for Character Quest. Character Quest is like vacation bible school on steroids for 4th-6th graders. There are over 225 campers there. The 4th and 5th grade are just day campers at the church but the 6th grade gets to go to New Frontiers and spend the night. They do some amazing things, low ropes, high ropes, 60 foot climbing tower, zip line, human swing- and that's just the ropes course of the week. Today was our first day and it was a blast. I worked the high ropes course this morning and Nick was at the climbing tower and zip line. After lunch, I moved to the human swing and Nick stayed at the tower/zip line. I got some shots of the kids in action so you can see them conquering their fears.
It's incredible to see this week pulled off, the countless hours that have gone into it and the hundred of volunteers who are making it possible. It's simply amazing to watch it all unfold and we are so blessed to be a part of it! It's a life changing week for these kiddos as they are stretch to give the Quest their all.
This week Nick and I are on the Ropes Team for Character Quest. Character Quest is like vacation bible school on steroids for 4th-6th graders. There are over 225 campers there. The 4th and 5th grade are just day campers at the church but the 6th grade gets to go to New Frontiers and spend the night. They do some amazing things, low ropes, high ropes, 60 foot climbing tower, zip line, human swing- and that's just the ropes course of the week. Today was our first day and it was a blast. I worked the high ropes course this morning and Nick was at the climbing tower and zip line. After lunch, I moved to the human swing and Nick stayed at the tower/zip line. I got some shots of the kids in action so you can see them conquering their fears.
It's incredible to see this week pulled off, the countless hours that have gone into it and the hundred of volunteers who are making it possible. It's simply amazing to watch it all unfold and we are so blessed to be a part of it! It's a life changing week for these kiddos as they are stretch to give the Quest their all.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
just the finishing touches
So, for all intensive (is that the right word?) purposes, my pergola is finished.
All we have left is a few finishing touches. I want to have brick collums done around the post and either stain or paint the whole thing. I also want to either attach my hammock or a porch swing to it.
The only injury suffered during the project was a busted finger. Robert NAILED his finger with a hammer. It looks nasty and I'm pretty sure he'll loose his finger nail. Don't worry MawMaw, I am keeping an eye on it and he already went to the doctor.
My construction team is out for hire now....
All we have left is a few finishing touches. I want to have brick collums done around the post and either stain or paint the whole thing. I also want to either attach my hammock or a porch swing to it.
The only injury suffered during the project was a busted finger. Robert NAILED his finger with a hammer. It looks nasty and I'm pretty sure he'll loose his finger nail. Don't worry MawMaw, I am keeping an eye on it and he already went to the doctor.
My construction team is out for hire now....
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