Another year has come and gone

Well, almost. Christmas has come and gone : ( It was fun, of course - always - but it is over and now I must wait a whole year for it to come around again (I understand this is how that whole once-a-year type of thing works). : ) But the new year approaches and I can't believe it! 2010. We keep right on moving along. Time really does march on. Isn't it crazy?

Being a newlywed is still great : ) I've been a little sick the past week or so, which kind of sucks but I'm getting better. Matt is wonderful and I feel content.

Larryn and Isaac are here until this weekend. All of the siblings and in-laws went out to TW Boons last night for food and drinks - lots of fun! It was a good time.

My birthday is Saturday. The big three-"oh". One of those milestone birthdays, I suppose...I'm ready - there's nothing I can do about it anyway, might as well enjoy it!

Christmas, Christmas time is here...

It's Christmas Eve! This year has flown, to say the least - I guess it always does : ) This is my favorite time of the year and I feel as though I haven't enjoyed it quite as much as usual. I guess we had a crammed Holiday Season - even more so than usual! I do always manage to enjoy the Season, though, and remember the reason we celebrate, but next year I will definitely be more organized and there will be no wedding to worry about, so maybe I won't feel so hurried! I can't believe Christmas is here and that a New Year will soon begin! Plus, my birthday : ) The big 3-0. Crazy...

The day started out okay

And then I dropped my phone in my coffee, realized my ID badge was in another vehicle, and now I'm having really bad stomach pains...

But at least we have our china cabinet with dishes in it, now!

Over and done with

My day is over! I am so sad : ( Everything was wonderful and great and perfect and even though it was cold enough to freeze the end of my nose (and a few other places) I think everyone had a good time! My wedding was so beautiful - short and sweet, but I remember every bit of it and I loved it. The groom and his men looked so handsome, my bridesmaids so beautiful. The reception wasn't a blur, either - I think I talked to almost everyone, but didn't get to say goodbye to hardly anybody. The band and the wine were a hit, as were the soups and sandwiches...Anna fixed me a plate and rather loudly and somewhat forcibly ordered me to sit down and eat (thanks, Anna), so I got to taste the crab bisque...mmmm...and the philly cheesesteak sandwiches...mmmm. Oh, and the ham on sweet potato biscuits - right on. I froze to death in my halter dress, but it was pretty so who cares? Mom gave me a wrap to wear over my shoulders, so that helped some - if I went outside I made a beeline straight for the fire pits....ah, warmth. But finally we changed and I had to take the dress off : ( We got pelted - PELTED, I say! - with birdseed, and I think I know who smacked me in the face with a bucketful of it and they better be glad they're in Iowa : ) So, I'm still finding birdseed all in my car and several other places... We did manage to go out after leaving the reception. I thought I would be able to sneak in unnoticed - no such thing, we got an announcement and some very loud applause, and I know the people in there who didn't know us were like "Who the h*ll are these people?" But, most of my friends came out and we stayed at Sports Break for a while and then we all ended up going to Stokie's to see the Medallions, so it was a fun night. Matt and I got a room at the Fairfield Marriott - very, very nice, even if it was a bit pricey...well, I guess it was Thanksgiving weekend. We did manage to make it to brunch at his parents' house the next morning, so we were able to talk more with his family - most of them I had never met, so it was nice to finally meet all these people I hear about! And then of course we had to stay and watch the Clemson/Carolina game, so we went to Barry and Cecilia's for that - it was great hanging out with them, but that's all I'll say about that game. Then, it was to the mountains and an amazing four days! We bought an antique china cabinet, ate lots and lots of good food and drank lots and lots of good wine, built fires and watched The Office (which we bought on DVD, then had to go buy a DVD player when we realized the one at the cabin was broken), bought some jams and jellies and cheeses, went fishing in the rain (yes, he had me traipsing around that mountain, up and down slippery slopes and through brush and water...it was fun), drove to Asheville and Hendersonville, even got some Christmas shopping done. All in all, it was hard coming back to the real world and our disaster-relief-declared home...but we were ready, ready to get going on our life together - and getting organized.

Wish us luck!

Madness

I guess it will hit me eventually that I am getting married in 2 days? Hit me like a ton of bricks, right to the side of the face...a firm nudge would do : )

But...major excitement over the next couple of days! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am always so thankful for the blessings God has bestowed upon me - family galore, too many friends to count, good food, more possessions than I need, a roof over my head - the list goes on and on! I love this time of year, and even with my chaotic life, I have still managed to enjoy it all. I am so looking forward to tomorrow, because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays, and not only will I be surrounded by familiar family and friends, but there will be new faces, as well! I am ready to meet all of my new family and for them to meet my family - it's just gonna be one big crazy mess and I love it!

Still a lot to do today and tomorrow. Tanning bed, Walmart (yuck!) for prescriptions (which I almost forgot about!) and groceries, nails perhaps, I need to pack, go home and try on the dress and whatnot, make deviled eggs and the corn, finish packing and cleaning my bathroom...and what I really need is SLEEP!

4 more days 'til Friday!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! JK. I am SUPER EXCITED about it all!!! Not counting today, I have 4 days to go until the BIG day! Yowza...that is just plain crazy! Frankly, I'm surprised I even remember what day it is, much less what I have done/have to do. This weekend was spent packing and moving. My honey is the BEST because he moved all my heavy stuff while I packed my life away into boxes. Of course, now his dining room looks like a tornado threw up in it... At least my clothes are unpacked, so I have something to wear this week. His closet is all neat and clean, now, his stuff on one side, mine on the other...and what a job that was! I still don't know where my jewelry is, nor many other things...kind of disconcerting. This week I have to: meet with my wedding planner; try on my dress again with all the fixins (perhaps I should say stuff myself into all the fixins); tan; get the rest of my stuff out of the apt.; clean the apt.; keep unpacking and putting away, cleaning, etc.; make deviled eggs and creamed corn for Thanksgiving; mail in my stuff for my teacher certification; pick up our wedding bands; keep going to work (blah); and I would say "school" but I gave up on that 2 weeks ago - who cares right now? I'll pick it back up next week, when the honeymoon's over : )

Soooo...is it Saturday, the day after the wedding, yet? ; )

Moving right along

According to my Belk registry, I have 30 days to go, I think? Wedding dress - check. Wedding shoes - check. Bridal portraits - check. Undergarments to stuff myself into - check, check, check. Gifts galore - too many checks to count. Guys' suits - check (well, except for the slight pleated and cuffs vs. flat and straight mishap - at least only 2 need to be exchanged!). Invitations sent - check. Cake - check. Groom's cake - in the works (it's a surprise!). Programs - in the works. Food - in the works. My stress level - in the works...

Anyway...much has been done, much yet to do. What else.......my laptop is ruined - oops. Good thing Meg is letting me use hers, even if it is the size of a portable DVD player. Matt's parents are back from Pittsburgh, very very happy about that : ) His sister had her baby last week, a little girl, Genevieve. Very French - and of course Matt says "She stole my first choice for a girl." What, what??!! I have never heard any mention of a Genevieve before now! Men. I'm about to pay my last month's rent in the apt - well, except for those stupid 4 days we have to pay for in December, since apparently our apartments take a 40 day instead of a 30 day notice? What is that? But still - last month's rent, whoop-whoop!

It's all coming together...and I must thank Mom for that - and all the aunts and hosts and whomever else has helped, b/c where would I be w/out them? Getting married at the court house, that's where.

Much ado about...

Everything... Wedding, school, work - you know, the usual! Had to get my car's heating/cooling unit fixed last week, and now something else seems to be wrong with it...of course there is...so, must get that taken care of before the old warranty runs out! The man I love left my laptop out in the rain on Sunday - ALL NIGHT LONG, I might add - you know, during all that torrential rain we had that day and night...my discovery of it Monday morning almost gave me a heart attack. Still letting it dry out, we can only hope it's not fried because what the heck am I supposed to do if it is? Buying a new one costs $$$ - and, yes, I realize computers have come down from $1000 to $600, but $600 is still too much for this poor gal! Trying to remember to keep up with my schoolwork, which has suddenly become much harder without a computer of my own...typing up a paper at 7 o'clock at night at the hospital just isn't high on my list of things I enjoy doing. Still wedding planning...leaving it up to Mom, mostly, but I have my duties : ) Right now I'm on the hunt for dark brown suits for my groomsmen and my hubby-to-be...preferrably cheap. Trying to gather the courage to vigorously clean out Matt's house...and begin packing and moving my own things. This past weekend in NC was a respite...I got to see my Ellie girl!!! And Larryn and Isaac and the rest of my fam, too, of course. Mary Ellis is just so beautiful and all she does is smile and laugh! She was completely man-handled the entire weekend and I never heard her cry once...such a good girl! All my nieces and nephews are brilliant...FYI.

Is it December, yet?? : )

What's going on, Microsoft?

So, to whom do I direct my complaints per Microsoft/Internet Explorer/Hotmail/etc. ? Rather, whom do I complain to and KNOW that what I am saying is getting through? Sigh. I'm afraid there is no one. Okay, here's the deal. Microsoft is a multi-billion dollar corporation - software, technology, internet, programs, whatever - this is what they do - so, why can't they do it RIGHT?!? Hello, Bill Gates, are you out there? Why is it that every time I try to connect to my Hotmail, I get a "cannot connect to Windows Live Hotmail" message? What is up with that? And how come I am always getting "Internet Explorer has encountered an error" messages that ultimately lead to my internet being shut down? What's going on? I mean, is Microsoft so overwhelmed that they cannot produce and/or run their products correctly? I am seriously considering switching to Mozilla Firefox b/c IE has become such a pain. I already have several email accounts so I will stick it out w/Hotmail for right now, but COME ON! What is the deal? It's not like you don't have thousands of people working for you - have you become such a big head that you don't care about your products anymore, you just mass produce and slap an outrageous price tag on it, knowing that people will buy? WTF?

Of course, the problem COULD be that at work, our IE is more than likely outdated b/c it's like a Nazi regime here when it comes to IT, so no dowloading updates, etc. w/out permission and they don't seem to think those sorts of things are important...that could be the issue here...

But still...Microsoft could do OH SO MUCH BETTER! Seriously...

Ellie

Continue to keep my sweet niece Ellie in your thoughts and prayers. My sister and b-i-l meet with the specialists again today and find our more info on Ellie's condition - I think they get the results from her blood test back, as well, so they will know more about this metabolic disorder. They are still feeling sucker-punched, I think, but Larryn and Isaac are very disciplined and they have great faith that God is in control - little Ellie will be just fine (and so will they)! She'll just be a vegeterian, more than likely... I lament the steak and cheese she will miss out on, but, hey, that stuff isn't all that good for you anyway!

Plus, she has red hair so that just makes her a-okay : )

Big News!

First off - I am a new auntie again!! Larryn had her baby this morning at 9:55. Mary Ellis Thompson, 9lb., 21 1/4 in. - what a big girl! AND she has red hair! Love it! It was a long night for Lar and she struggled to have Mary Ellis naturally and all by herself, buuuut...it wasn't meant to be and she had a c section this a.m. The docs were a little worried about Lar, her blood pressure had gone up and they were and still are worried about preeclampsia, so they are keeping an eye on her... All the best to my new niece out in Iowa! And her parents, of course : ) And good driving to Dad, Becca, Jay, and Livie and William as they head out today... And a good flight to Mom whenever she heads back...

Second - Matt and I are ENGAGED! He proposed to me last Tuesday, 7/8. What a surprise! The ring is beautiful and I am so happy! : ) No date set, yet...

Feeling Beachy!

The beach was wonderful! I still can't believe it's over and I'm home : ( We missed Larryn and Isaac, but were full to bursting even without their added numbers - we will have to rent a mansion next year! What with the addition of 2 little ones and all : ) I think we all missed Holden, but enjoyed Surfside...not too busy, which we like, but still lots to do - hey, it's Myrtle Beach! Plenty of sun, sand, and water. We really enjoyed having a pool, b/c some days you just don't want to do the beach. The little ones definitely loved the pool - Livie jumped right in with those swimmies (and probably would have even without them). Perrin started walking - shaky, but getting there. William jabbered the entire time - who knows what he's saying? It's cute, whatever it is! Sallie and Matt came with us, of course, and on Tuesday Sam showed up! Mom and Dad decided to return Upstate for a funeral and they brought him back with them. So, there were 15 of us, I believe? Three being under the age of 2...a bit hectic, at times, but we're used to that! So, all I can say is...when are we going back????

Suppertime - kind of crazy at times

Mom and Dad

The "big kids" got to go out while Nana & Papa babysat!

All the boys (minus Sam) by the pool - we need sun!

Willie hanging out

Matt, William, and Me

Coaxing Livie into her swimmies

She's a great swimmer!

Livie and Becca - we loved the pool

Perrin and Eliza headed to the beach

Cutesie-pie loved the beach!

Camille and Sallie, our bathing beauties

Nana and Perrin

Matt and Livie playing - they dug up a crab!

Sweet girl - not so into the beach, especially the ocean

William waking up from an ocean-side nap

Perrin and Camille taking a break in the air-conditioning!

The theatre, the theatre, what happened to the theatre?

We went to the movies last weekend. One man tripped coming up the stairs and almost face-planted in the theatre. We tried not to laugh but couldn't help giggling quietly as soon as his back was to us. Another couple brought their 3 year-old, who didn't seem too keen on watching the movie or being quiet. What did he care of Captain James T. Kirk and the Enterprise? The family who sat behind us huffed and puffed their way to the top - I thought I might have to call the paramedics, but they managed to gulp down their popcorn and sodas so I'm assuming they were okay. At least no one sat directly behind or in front of us. I hate it when people do that, especially when 3/4 of the seats are empty. Teenagers at the theatre are a given. Teens "hang out" at the movies like it's the mall or an arcade - I guess they find interesting things to do, like standing against the lobby wall slurping their drinks and watching other movie-goers. Or standing in bunches outside, smoking cigarettes and swearing because they think it's cool. One couple was having a row as we walked in - well, she was standing with her arms crossed while he was gesturing into her ear going "What the **** did I do this time?" Ahhh...young love. One thing most teens do NOT do at the movies is actually shut up and watch the movie they have convinced their parents to drop them off to see. Very annoying for those of us who are paying out our wazoo to do just that. I used to get embarrassed when my mother or father would say something to people displaying their stupidity in public places - now I embarrass my boyfriend by doing the same. I am appalled on a daily basis by the utter rudeness of people and sometimes I just have to say something. I feel these people should be grateful I don't smack the **** out of them.

School's out for summer!

Relief...I thought this semester would never end. And while I appreciate all I have learned, I also appreciate it ending. I thought for sure I bombed my final, but I did WAY better than expected..."A's" in both classes! That brings my GPA to a 3.83...pretty impressive for someone only taking 2 classes a semester : ) Now I get to look forward to Anna's wedding (!) and leaving directly after for the BEACH!!! Very, very excited about that...and this time, I get to stay for the entire week! Matt and I are both going, which makes it that much better...

Photo Story Project

Here is my Photo Story project* created for the collaboration assignment. I collaborated on a health unit for K-5 - Healthy Habits for Teeth and Body.

I did not include credits in the Photo Story, so I am including credits here (in order of when the images appear in the video):

1. http://betterkidcare.psu.edu/AngelUnits/OneHour/Eating/ChildFoodPyramidSm.gif

2. http://healthyfoodguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/healthy_food_guides1.jpg

3. http://www.impactlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/exercise1.jpg

4. http://www.nacdnet.org/education/clipart/BrushingTeeth.jpg

5. http://www.sbceo.org/~impact2/TeachnetArchives/tnetarchive/jessica/Books/poster.jpg

6. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2480199202_3def2116b0.jpg?v=1210406041

7. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zsHHFKZalNg/SIqf_iwOu3I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/f8iNuCS7cQ8/%20s320/Rishi%2BBike%2Blow.jpg

8. http://youngestofone.typepad.com/main/files/teeth.jpg

* This is only an example and not an actual project.

On the horizon...

It's that time of year. Winter's leaving, Spring's arriving, school is dragging, sick season is here...and the economy is falling ever faster. It's easy to ignore the bad times when you haven't been hit by them, but it is becoming increasingly harder as more and more people discover what others already know - this is affecting us all. Our hospital announced yesterday it is downsizing and suddenly many of us face futures that are not so secure. I am not afraid to admit that I am worried; however, I am not worrying. I have school to worry over : ) - I don't need work, either! You know, what's done is done and what will be will be, and I can only hope and pray. It is in God's hands, He knows what is best, He is in control, and my job now is to show up for work on time, do my best while I'm here, and keep my fingers crossed!

Love to you all in these hard times that seem to only be getting harder...
We will make it...

Cutesies...

I knew Livie would be cute on the trip (and at all other times). She loves watching Barney (I know, I know - Barney is STILL around), but what she enjoys watching are the song and dance routines. Apparently there is one song, "This Old Man" - y'all know the one, "This old man, he played one..." - that the Barney kids perform with the help of a huge mat-like keyboard laid out on the floor. They dance up and down the keyboard, acting like they are playing the song with their feet. So, if you are ever around Liv and want her to perform, all you have to do is start singing "This old man, he played one..." and she will, on cue, start hopping around 'cause she's acting like she's playing that keyboard! TOO cute, I must say...you gotta see her do it, it's way better than reading about it...

Saluda, here we come!

We are headed to the mountains! Time to smoosh in like sardines...for real. I love the mountain house, but we're running out of space! Matt said "No thanks" to the invite, citing the obvious as his reason - no room! He doesn't relish sleeping on a cot and/or in the middle of the floor...I don't blame him. I guess we're just used to it? Pack 'em in, that's what we do best! It will be fun times, though...the girls are headed to Asheville and the Biltmore House tomorrow and the boys are looking for some skiing fun...Dad says he will stay behind and work on the basement, b/c - you guessed it - we need MORE SPACE! The Biltmore House will be wonderful, I adore going there and it's been almost 2 years since my last visit = ( Plus, I get to spend all this quality time with the little ones...wouldn't pass that up for a million! I'm sure I will have something hysterical to post about Livie...she's always doing something funny! And Perrin...his army crawl rocks, he can get around faster than I can! William's still a sleeper...but a cute one!

TaTa, for now...

STEELERS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!

Sooooo, I'm a little late in posting it, but this was the BEST Super Bowl I've ever seen, and my Steelers came out on top! The Steelers are the only team to win the Super Bowl 6 times... My crush on Big Ben continues...

Awesome...

Steelers win! Steelers win!

My Steelers beat out the Baltimore Ravens 21-14 to win the AFC Championship!

Super Bowl XLIII, here we come!!!

New Year's and Birthday...

Okay, so the Holidays are over, but I just can't let them go! I have to write a few lines about New Year's and my birthday - woo-hoo! Matt and I celebrated the New Year by trucking it to Mountville and Becca and Jay's house. He had to work on New Year's Day, so we didn't want to go out and whoop it up 'til 4 in the morning. We had supper with Becca and Jay and Eliza and Brandon - steaks...mmmm. All the little cuties were there, of course, and while I love seeing my sisters and b-i-l, the niece and nephews just make my day : ) Matt's, too. We didn't actually ring in the New Year out in Mountville, by the time 12 o'clock hit Mollie and Matt were back in Greenwood. I was on the couch at midnight - I'm such a partier. So, my New Year's Eve was so rockin' - and I liked it that way.

My birthday was fun. The big two-nine. Yeah - 30, here I come. I'm not too worried, though...I mean, what am I supposed to do, turn back the wheel of time? Come on. Anyway, we were all at the Big House that night, having a little party, not really for my birthday, just on my birthday. I still got lots of birthday wishes, though, which is always nice. Makes you feel special : ) Gray and Seth stopped by - good to see you guys! Gray is due this summer, I think, close to when Larryn is due. We played "Apples to Apples," which is totally fun, but of course Mollie got to feeling icky-bad and we had to leave way too early - big stinker. I hear some folks stayed for quite awhile! The next morning was my "real" birthday party...brunch at Mom and Dad's before Larryn and Isaac headed out. : ( I got some pretty neat stuff - my family is good at the giving of gifts. I love everything I got - the camera case rocks b/c I was getting worried about my new digital camera banging around inside my purse; the MP3 player is very cool, I'm always plugging in and listening to some music; and all the new earrings are so beautiful! I have to mention the two books I got - love them! I love having new books to add to my collection. These are The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield, and Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. The Thirteenth Tale is one of my favorites and I knew I just had to have it for my own, and Pillars of the Earth is actually an Oprah pick (not that I care what Okra says) that I have been dying to read - it's a pretty hefty tome, too. AND Mom and Dad gave me $$ for a gym membership! This is my year to get in shape...for real. I can't face the 30's like this...so, if my dr. will ever fax that approval form they sent to him like last week, then I can actually start working out at Wellness Works...and he needs to hurry up, I'm losing my momentum, here...still excited and determined, but you know what I mean...

I have pictures for both New Year's Eve and my birthday, but those will have to wait until I am at home on my laptop and can upload them...

Toodles!