Reading List

Kate Gosselin is my hero. If you're a fan of Jon & Kate Plus 8 you'll love their new book. She uses a ton of bible verses to describe some of the situations she's endured throughout marriage and parenthood. I would love to meet Kate and her brood. I'd also love to have a "quiver full"....one day...


I stole our copy of Marley & Me back from my mom last weekend while we were home. I finished my second read last night before bed. I think I cried for nearly and hour (AGAIN) after I finished the final page. I'd forgotten what a great read this one really is. We've been planning to go see the movie this weekend but I'm not sure I can and if I do I'll need LOTS of Kleenex!!

Santa EJ put this under the tree for me. MAJOR BROWNIE POINTS!!

We're headed Uptown tonight for sushi and the countdown at Nikko's. Check back later for our 2008 In Review: His & Her Edition

Happy New Year!

Holiday Hangover

We made it back home after nearly a week of travel to multiple Christmas celebrations, mainly in the sandhills, around the state. Its good to be back home, our home. Back to work tomorrow for me, as Roo will most likely spend the day getting everything in the house back in order...and catching up on the DVR. Not sure I am ready to fall back into the routine, though luckily a short and broken work week will not afford that routine to settle just yet. I am fairly certain that I am ready to return to eating normal amounts of food each day. Riley's family, unbeknownst to them, spoils me with food. Every meal is a mouth-watering feast. The fact that Riley can make just about anything had over the holidays makes my mouth water a little more. I hope to learn to smoke some meat, as we were treated to a deliciously smoked spread from my step-brother Mike Thursday night. Max and Kennedy also feasted on more table scraps than usual this week, but all in all, I believe they are ready to get back to the normal swing of things. The trash man comes tomorrow, as he does every Monday, and he will find a bin full of bows and ribbon, boxes and paper scraps. But these hardly tell the true tale of 2008's Christmas. It will be the first of many for Roo and I as husband and wife and it will be memorable for many reasons: I read a book in less than 24 hours, a first in the history of me (sure its Twilight and written on the level of an 8th grade girl, I still did it), Riley's dad's side of the family had a mini-reunion (again, with maximum food selection), I learned the true meaning of giving a gift and all that goes into it, we discovered Max to be a dog with no understanding of the society-imposed cat-dog love-hate relationship and we discovered that sometimes less is more. of course, this is just scratching the surface. I could go on and Roo could paint a similar or completely different picture...but I won't, because I have to get up early for work tomorrow. We hope everyone had an equally enlightening and enjoyable Christmas holiday!

"I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick."

I wrapped my first Christmas present of the season today. Any given year that may be the norm, but this year is much different than most before. This year, my shopping was done early. Most years, for me, early meant the 23rd of December. An oft overlooked and underestimated perk of marriage though is centered around gift-giving. All of our gifts are stamped "From" Riley and EJ. And Riley did a wonderful job of co-ordinating our gift giving efforts. Unlike most years, the only person I had to work at getting gifts for were Roo. And unlike most years, I listened, paying close attention to her hints and wants. Hence, she won't be getting a shower radio this year. 2008 was great, for the obvious reason. But now being married, holiday shopping season seamlessly and stress-less-ly came and went.

Holiday travel however does not come so easy. Go see Vince Vaughn and Reece Witherspoon in Four Christmases and you'll understand. Perhaps not as dramatic, but I wish there were an easier way to spend time with all of our families at Christmas. It is family that makes this time of year mean so much, not the gifts nor garland lights (that I never hung). I will definitely start my house decorating design much earlier in the calendar. There simply wasn't enough wattage this winter.

It certainly doesn't feel like winter either, the Christmas Day forecast puts the high around 70. Tomorrow, sans Christmas sweaters, we will continue to rejoice the reason for the season and bask in all things Dasher and Dancer. We will celebrate our family and feast on the turkey and fixin's. Honoring all the Comets, Cupids, Donners and Bliztens.

Lo, hear me exclaim ere I close out this web site, Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.

"Rich is the person who has a praying friend." Janice Hughes

My mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma two months before our wedding this year. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells which attacks and destroys bone. There is no known cure, but it is treatable.
She went through radiation treatments throughout April and May and since then her lab work has not shown cause for further treatment. – until 3 weeks ago. A change in lab work (a change that signifies the disease is progressing) led to a second bone marrow biopsy on Friday. My Aunt Lib and I were able to be in the room during the procedure. I’ll share two things about the procedure: (1) The tool used for the biopsy is about the size of a nail. (2) The woman who did the procedure was a very robust woman and had to use ALL of her robustness (is that even a word?) to drill the nail sized tool into my mom’s hip bone.
We’ll know the results of the biopsy next Tuesday. The biopsy results will determine if we’ll move forward with treatment or continue to monitor lab work on a monthly basis. We’re hoping for the latter.
I share this very personal information with our readers because I am asking for one small favor from each of you. Pray for my mom. Pray for her health. Pray for the doctors who care for her. Pray that the news we hear on Tuesday will be an answer to our prayers. EJ started this blog to share our lives with friends and family. However, we now share our lives with readers across the country who we’ve never met. I have enjoyed getting to know several of you through your own blogs. Those of you who openly share your love for Christ and share your own life struggles are among my favorites. I can only hope that across the miles a few of you will hear my request and pray for my mom. To those of you who do – thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It hopes in all things, it endures in all things.

We're celebrating 7 months today!

My grandfather read this passage from the Bible during our ceremony. He is an amazing man and it was a blessing having him be a part of our wedding.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.
And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And if I dole out all my goods, and if I deliver my body that I may boast but have not love, nothing I am profited.
Love is long suffering, love is kind, it is not jealous, love does not boast, it is not inflated.
It is not discourteous, it is not selfish, it is not irritable, it does not enumerate the evil.It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth
It covers all things, it has faith for all things, it hopes in all things, it endures in all things.
Love never falls in ruins; but whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or tongues, they will cease; or knowledge, it will be superseded.
For we know in part and we prophecy in part.
But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.
When I was an infant, I spoke as an infant, I reckoned as an infant;
when I became [an adult], I abolished the things of the infant.
For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known.
But now remains faith, hope, love,
these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

Christmas Cards are Done!!

Has everyone been crazy busy like we have?!?! We finally got all of the Christmas decorations up last night - just in time for me to leave on yet another work trip. I'm spending the rest of the week in rainy Baltimore (and of course I forgot my umbrella). Thankfully this will be the last trip until after the holidays!! We've got a busy weekend ahead of us -- final Christmas shopping, Christmas Dinner Theater at church, EJ's work holiday party, baby Buxton's church dedication, and my great uncle's birthday party!! Whew!

Hope everyone enjoys our VERY FIRST Christmas card. I apologize for spoiling the surprise for those of you who'll be getting one in the mail! We chose a few of our favorite photos from the past 6 months (7 in 7 days!). Left to Right: Honeymoon in Antigua, Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers in September, Dorothy & The Scarecrow on Halloween, Sunday afternoon after taking in the sights and sounds of "Christmasville" on Main Street.

Gobble til ya Wobble

I have always wondered why we got the day after Thanksgiving off but not the day after Christmas. Perhaps to afford extra travel or boost the economy on Black Friday. Or maybe its to catch up on rest after days of preparation leading up to and all things Turkey Day. We began preparing to host our first Thanksgiving weeks ago, with slight touches around the house. But the real work kicked in Tuesday evening and never really let up well into the night Thursday. We spent hours cleaning, or doing our best at it. We spent plenty of time in the grocery store, and a few trips back. We wined and dined and cleaned some more. Our first major holiday hosting was a huge success. To highlight: the overnight brine for the turkey was key to a deliciously fried bird. Perfectly written (and set) place settings for 10. Neither the chocolate chip nor the pumpkin maple cheesecake was voted better than the other, both were scrumptious. The Jon and Kate plus 8 marathon proved more entertaining to our guests than the terriblly lop-sided football games on the air. We have a lot to be thankful for this year and I was especially thankful for family and friends to be able to join us for such a great feast. I couldn't have wished for a better Thanksgiving day...so luckily, I didn't have to use my wishbone wish on such. I didn't burn the house down and the only time Roo got to sit down all day was to eat. So we certainly deserved a day of rest after all of that...but instead we were up and out around 8 adding to the consumer chaos of Black Friday.

Don't Cry for Me Argentina

As I am at home doing laundry and picking up dogs from the groomer and washing dishes, Roo and Jess send their best via Blackbery from the front row of Phillips Arena in Atlanta. I suspect more pics will follow upon their return tomorrow.

Its beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving

If the Extreme team can makeover a house in an hour every Sunday, who was to stop us from mildly renovating our bathroom over the weekend? It started with our do-it-yourself painting of the guest bedroom that will house Roo's in-laws for Thanksgiving. My mom, step-dad and sister are driving up from Florida this week. Our prep list of to-dos is slowly shrinking...practice frying a turkey. Check. Paint the bedroom. Check. Stock up on groceries. Check. Clean the house...well lets not get ahead of ourselves. Roo and sis head to ATL tomorrow for their front row show of the Queen of Pop. Had we cleaned this weekend, my wife would not have returned to find the house in the same manner. So instead, we used the leftover bedroom paint to add some color to the master bathroom. Then we had to replace the mirror. Then we needed to change the color of the light fixture. Then we had to stain the cabinets. Let's add some of that grafiti art above the tub. Exit brass cabinet knobs. We probably need to replace some of the caulking around the shower. It took more than an hour, the project technically started on Tuesday and just wrapped up an hour ago. How do those folks at ABC do it?

Madge on Monday!

Is she a lucky star?!?

Yes that's my sis and yes WE will be sitting in the FRONT ROW at the Madonna concert in ATL on Monday.

6 Months

Happy 6 Month Anniversary to Us!!

I should be mad at you...

For coming into my life

and turning things every which way...

For flashing that smile

that melts my heart

and makes me forget

what I was saying...

...for the way

thoughts of you

constantly interrupt my days

and make it next to impossible

for me to focus

on anything

but the shape of your eyes

and the softness of your lips...

I should be mad at you...

but I'm just too busy

being in love with you.

Have a Little Faith

I had a potluck lunch meeting today at work. I needed a desert dish and Roo quickly stepped in and seized the opportunity to test out a Turkey day dish. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year with my mom and family coming up from Florida to stay with us for 5 days and Riley's parents joining us Thursday. My brother will be in attendance, though he's a regular 'round these parts when it comes to eating. I also reached out to a stranded co-worker that can't get back home to Ohio until Christmas. He accepted our gracious invitation. Holy cow Uncle Jesse, we'll have a full house. Needless to say, there is a lot riding on our first Thanksgiving. Roo is working on the menu as we speak and I'll be frying my first turkey this weekend as a test run. So back to my office feast, Riley has been working over the baby showers and holiday parties of recent months to fine tune her homemade chocolate-chip cheesecake. My waistline speaks for her cooking ability, but yet she was worried about the outcome of a Thanksgiving desert experiment: maple pecan pumpkin cheesecake. She was so worried it wouldn't work for my work that we whipped up a backup batch of cookies just in case plan A was a bust. At the luncheon, I carved the first slice to hide a crack in the crust on the side. I watched as the main entrees were consumed and the first few sweet-seeking stragglers browsed the desert line. It almost wasn't even fair. Riley's treat was up against an assortment of store-bought pies and cupcakes and candies. It only took one endorsement and the cheesecake was history. One of my cube neighbors suggested Riley should make and sell them. After hearing a brief version of the test run concerns, another office mate implied that Riley can cook with her eyes closed and not have to worry about the outcome. To start the day, I was worried I'd have to take too much home...at day's end, my only stress was being able to squeeze 5 minutes between client calls to clean the crumb-laden cake plate. The cheesecake was a huge success. Roo may have been surprised by my office results and perhaps also when she got a taste for herself on the slice I cut and saved, but I've always had faith in her ability to feed me. And now more friends from work want to come over for Thanksgiving.

...and the wine is bottled poetry..

Napa was absolutely amazing. Trip Favorites - Shramsburg, Prager Winery & Port Works, Milat Vineyards, and Fried Olives at Don Giovanni.

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Dear UPS: We get it

Seriously, what is the deal with the whiteboard UPS commercials. Its a pretty straight forward concept, I need something delivered to someone and I give you some money and you take it there for me. I don't need a guy with a Cosby sweater and late 80s intellectual mullet to draw a picture demonstrating how mailing a pacakge works. It takes me longer to figure out what his stupid drawing means that it does to understand what it takes to send a package. The cartoon about how a bill becomes a law has more substance. What can brown do for me? Stop annoying me with this guy. I've moaned about this marketing migraine before...I think my present mood is partly to blame for this rant. The Bears lost another game they shouldn't have today. On various radio stations, Christmas music has started its 24-7 loop earlier than last year. Tomorrow, I'll be flying west just as Roo flies back east, our planes will cross pathes in the air. guess being apart for 11 of the past 14 days is what really has me down, not the Michael Bolton wannabe and his whiteboard. But seriously UPS, we all get how it works.

"Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it."

We're both traveling for work this week. I'll be spending the next 6 days in Napa while EJ will take a quick 2 day trip to Pittsburgh. I'm not sure what's on his agenda but here's a sneak peak of a few things that are on mine!!

This will be my first trip to Napa (actually my first trip to California period). I can barely contain my excitement! I hope the weather's nice in Pittsburgh.....

No Jokers or Palins or Werewolves, Oh My

Another Halloween has come and past and I am not sure what hit me. It started out like any other night, I got home around 4:45 to find Max and Kennedy's noses pressed against the window at the front door. I got the mail, straightened up the kitchen from Phil and Jessica's pizza lunch, fed the dogs, changed clothes, made a mix CD of Madonna to set the tone for Jess's costume, watched an old episode of King of Queens. The one where IPS is on strike and Doug, Deacon and Arthur are living it up remains my favorite episode. I literally laughed out loud and before I could stop the calm before the storm was over. A small posse had formed at the end of our cul-de-sac and our house was targeted. It was just past dusk when the first doorbell rang. I didn't have a gameplan drawn up let alone my Scarecrow costume on yet so I did what first came to mind...flung the door upon and thrust out the bucket of candy to the neighbors kids. About 3 hours, 4 Batmen, 16 princesses, 2 dead bridesmaids, 2 Ironmen, 12 Supermen and 1 Winnie the Pooh later, I am nearly out of candy and exhausted. I managed to contain the dogs between the baby gate at the top of the stairs and the closed gates on the back deck. I watched Fright Night (a terrible 80s vampire horror) and did a crossword puzzle as waves of tricker and treaters ebbed and flowed. I had barely made it halfway through the downs before it seemed the Great Pumpkin had come and gone. I was amazed to see the bottom of the candy bucket. Almost equally amazed to have NOT seen any Joker or Sarah Palin costumes. The night went by fast, as did the week, which means Roo's trip to Phoenix was over before I knew it. I hate she missed the big night. Is perhaps a trick-or-treat session in order this time next year with a Buzz Lightyear of our own? Maybe next year is too soon, but add this to the list of reasons I am ready for a Baby Roo...I don't want Roo to have to miss all of this because of work next year. I want to be part of the cul-de-sac trick-or-treat posse. But then, who would be here to give out all of our candy?

From Gate A13

I'm headed home after an amazing week at the J&W Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona. My company's national meeting was held there this week and after 3 days of meetings, awards, AMAZING food, and absolute FUN I am ready to get home. I'm not looking forward to the 4.5 hour flight....as I type this I'm hoping the poodle skirt clad gate attendant will hook me up with a first class upgrade.


I spent the afternoon yesterday riding in a jeep through the desert. LOVED IT!!! We saw a gigantic jack rabbit and even heard coyotes howling in the distance. It was blazing hot and I wish they would have told us we needed to wear real shoes (I didn't think we'd be getting out of the jeeps so of course I wore my Rainbows).

I'm looking forward to getting home tonight just in time for trick or treaters. I hope EJ remembered to buy some candy.....

Countdown to NAPA: 4 DAYS!!!!

The countdown is almost over...

I'll be here by noon tomorrow....

How about a little fire, Scarecrow?

The ability aka talent to quote movies line for line is something I am very proud of. Groomsmen Page and I can have a conversation entirely in movie script. Roo fails to appreciate this skill. I have no doubt she was ignoring it during Friday night’s viewing of Gladiator because I was lending a helping hand in the kitchen prepping for a baby shower we hosted Saturday. It was a Halloween-theme shower with good food and great friends. What I took most from the event was an advancement on when I might want to add someone new to the household of EJ & Roo. We both want kids, there is no dispute there…but we know we probably need to wait a little while and get everything in order in the house that we still have 28 years and 10 months to pay for. However, if having a kid means Roo will spend more energy on dressing a child up than decorating me and the dogs, I am all for it before next Halloween. I kid, of course, as Roo’s creative touch is one of the many things I truly appreciate about her. For Halloween, she has done a great job of transforming our home into the Land of Oz. Friday’s epic of dishing out tricks and treats will star Roo as Dorothy, myself as the Scarecrow, Max as the Tin Man and Kennedy as the Cowardly Lion. And as I write this, I am informed that future Halloween’s with little EJ’s running around the house will only add to the cast giving us munchkins and flying monkeys. So it looks like it for years to come I’ll need to try to keep my sleeves of straw away from the candles which I failed this year by the way. Roo warned me several times that I needed to mind my outfit around the food and fire. “I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers, consultin' with the rain. And my head I'd be scratchin' while my thoughts were busy hatchin' if I only had a brain.”

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it."

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

You were my first love,

always there for me

You taught me how to walk and how to dream

God gave me your eyes

But it was you who taught me how to see

Now I can stand on my own

But I know that you'll never let go

I'll always be your baby

No matter how the years fly by

The way you love me made me

Who I am in this world

I'm a woman now, not a little girl

Wherever this life takes me

I'll always be your baby

You are my hero and that will never change

You still can dry my tears with just a smile

The one I've leaned on

From my first steps to walking down the aisle

Now there's another man in my life

But I know by the look in your eyes

I'll always be your baby

No matter how the years fly by

The way you love me made me

Who I am in this world

I'm a woman now,

Not a little girl

Wherever this life takes me

I'll always be your baby

Your faith, your love

And all that you believe

Have come to be the strongest part of me

And I will always be your baby

Anyone hiring?

I’ve been thinking about getting a second job. No, not because of the recent economic hiccup or because I'm not happy and successful in my current position, not because I want a bigger TV or a faster car. I have no intention of investing a dime more than my employer matches. Have you checked your 401K lately? I could use a second income so that Roo wouldn’t have to bring one in at all. And before you get excited about a super sweet hubby post, I must confess the reasoning for such is slightly selfish. Of course, I love having the Mrs. at home as opposed to her being on the road solely for the sake of having her home, don't get me wrong, but if I could have her home all the time, I’d eat like a king. She’s outdone herself this week with some new menu items added to the mix and complimented by some old favorites. We also had movie night on a Tuesday. We’ve walked the dogs around the neighborhood every day this week. So while I may have to share the tv and dvr a little more, a play a little less xbox with Riley around, I would gladly trade the Call of Duty 4 and the plasma for a stay at home mom. I’d even offer to cook a little more.

Fall Photos

Kennedy & Max

This guy is scaring the heck out of the neighborhood rugrats.

We've Been Boo'd

We woke up Sunday morning to find this on our doorstep!

We decided to jazz ours up a little.

Visit www.boograms.com to get your own BOO!! We're off to BOO 2 of our neighbors!!

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips.

It seems like yesterday I was holding you mere hours after you were born.

I will always be your #1 Fan.

You've grown to become such a beautiful young woman.

Your sense of fashion and love for shoes is amazing. You were the best maid of honor a girl could ask for.
I thank God everyday for giving me such an amazing sister. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

The Great Debate

Me again. And the last thing I would do is try to make any kind of political statement here but given the times and the latest debate fresh in our minds, it kind of steered my thought process this morning. I don’t post as often as Roo nor did I realize anyone else was really reading this. I tend to get inspired by a thought or moment and put it in virtual ink so that I can look back later and remember it all. Time is really flying by, I can’t believe it has been 5 months. A great 5 months and I want to hang onto all the memories, so my posts here tend to be more of a moment that moved me or an idea that inspired me or just something that made me smile. I guess we could argue as to the purpose of our posts but why debate that? I made the mistake of mentioning the Presidential race at work and forget the battlefield, the civil war was reenacted right before my eyes. Riley and I rarely talk politics. I know how she feels and not so sure how I feel…especially about politics as it relates to our relationship. Roo and I don’t agree on everything…like the amount of humor found in the Family Guy. We agree to disagree on how good a driver I am. The definition of a clean bathroom registers a little differently between the two of us. I hold a generally optimistic and go with the flow, laid back sort of spirit while Roo is definitely more organized and structured. She loves butter beans, I hate peas. I don’t know how we ever watched TV without HD, she can’t really see a big difference. I’m an early riser, she not so much. We certainly disagree on where Star Wars rates on the list of all-time great movies. And of course, like any couple, we have our disagreements that come and go, some faster than others. I admit I am guilty of pushing buttons sometimes, especially when it comes to getting in the last word. In our pre-wedding counseling, the preacher told us that the most successful marriages are made up of those that don’t always see eye to eye, opposites not only attract but also attach. With Riley, I may not see everything the same way…but in Riley, I see everything. And there’s no debating that.

Can't believe it's been 5 months...

"I love being married. It's so great to find one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." - Rita Rudner

Go DAWGS!

No I'm not a Georgia fan but I am officially a fan of Athens, Georgia. I'm here on a work trip and had the pleasure of dining at Harry Bissett's tonight for dinner. All I can say is that my Carpetbagger Steak (Filet topped with fried oysters and Bearnaise sauce) was DELICIOUS! If I could go back to college (as an 18 year old) I would definitely consider the University of Georgia. The campus is beautiful and the surrounding area is full of awesome restaurants and bars. Don't get me wrong I love my alma mater - GO EAGLES! - but this college town is pretty awesome!

Mmmm...Pimento Cheese

Since I'm not traveling until later this week I was able to enjoy an amazing lunch with one of my old coworkers today. I'm a born and bred southern girl and this southern girl is a sucker for some homemade pimento cheese. NOFO on Liz is a lunch spot I frequented when I worked on a daily basis in Charlotte -- since my job keeps me on the go now, I don't get to go as often as my stomach would like!! The Grilled Pimento Cheese with Tomato & Applewood Smoked Bacon is the reason I keep going back! I topped it off with a side of potato salad and a big glass of sweet tea. Yum! If you're ever in Charlotte, specifically the Elizabeth area, I highly recommend NOFO on Liz.

NOFO on Liz - LOVE the Decor!

~ Roo

Happy Birthday to the Future Mrs. Connor

Happy Birthday to my favorite karaoke partner!! I'm so excited about the year that's in store for you and can't wait to stand beside you on your special day.

Where did the weekend go???

Max & Kennedy got much needed hair cuts on Saturday. They both enjoyed our ride home from Petsmart hanging out the windows with the wind blowing their freshly groomed hair! Too cute!!

We enjoyed a pretty relaxing weekend. Ordered pizza Friday night and watched SATC for the third time. Spent Saturday cleaning the house and went to dinner at a local dive Saturday night. We officially became members of First Baptist this morning and were recognized in front of the congregation. We're so happy to have found our church!! After church EJ & I went to lunch at McAlister's followed by grocery shopping. We tried two new recipes for dinner and they were delicious -- Hamburger Steak with Sweet Onion Mushroom Gravy & Three Cheese Potatoes. Definitely keepers! Back to another work week tomorrow. Glad to be in the home office Monday and Tuesday. Headed to Athens, GA on Wednesday for work. I've never been to Athens so if anyone has any restaurant recommendations please share!! Where did the weekend go???

Happy Anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary to Roo's Mom & Dad!

Here's to many more years to come.

We love you guys!!

Let the Countdowns Begin

19 Days!

JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa - Phoenix, AZ

26 Days!

And they're both work related trips so my unlucky husband can't go!! Think he'll forgive me if I bring him back a cool tshirt?!?

From Gate E37

Blogging today from the ATL airport waiting on my connecting flight to Albany, GA. Just a recap of our eventful weekend!! * I can't stand the ATL airport.*

Saturday

Yard Sale - Wasn't a HUGE success but my sister and I managed to rake in around $160. Still have a ton of clothes to get rid of. Our neighborhood holds an annual Fall Yard Sale so we may hold on to everything until then or make a donation to the Salvation Army.

Yard Work - Wrapped up the yard sale around noon and headed to Home Depot. We'd been talking about doing a little landscaping for months and the yard work bug hit us on Saturday. We bought pine bark nuggets to freshen the flower beds and small hay bales & gorgeous mums to decorate our entryway for the fall (photos to come later!). Our estimates were off on how many bags of bark nuggets we needed so we'll be heading back to Home Depot at some point this week or weekend to get more. EJ finally removed a horrible bush that was planted right outside our doorway -- it was so big! What we've done so far looks amazing though!!

Sushi & Who's Bad - After our long day of Yard Sale and Yard Work we got dolled up for a night out on the town to celebrate my good friend Jessica's birthday. Our night began with sushi and sake bombs at an amazing restaurant called Nikos. Great sushi, great music, amazing atmosphere, and a great big bill but it was well worth it. If you're ever in Charlotte check it out!

Sake Bombs at Niko's

We wrapped up our evening at Amos' Southend. A Michael Jackson cover band known as Who's Bad was playing. They weren't that great but we enjoyed ourselves. Actually we enjoyed ourselves a little too much and spent our entire Sunday recovering.

Michael Jackson (wannabe) in all his glory.


Sunday

Wasted the entire day away napping on the couch watching movies and recovering from our night out. We are both plenty old enough to know better and we were very disappointed in ourselves for missing church. We've been visiting a church by our house for the past 3 months. We've been praying that we would be able to find a church where we could grow as Christians, meet young couples, and get involved in our community. We were to able get out of our funk yesterday afternoon to attend something the church calls "Dinner with the Pastor." Along with a few other folks we enjoyed a great dinner while getting to know the pastor and his wife as well as other church leaders. All of our questions about the church were answered and by the end of the evening we made the decision to become members through transfer of letter. We both were still members at our childhood churches. We are very excited and will officially be welcomed into the church family on Sunday. Keep us in your prayers as we start another new journey together!!

I Just Don't Know What to Do With My Time

Most of you will have to excuse the nature of this message. It doesn't quite follow shiny, happy, feel good posts Roo has been laying out here lately. Its hard to come up with the right words to describe how I am feeling today. You invest so much time and energy and emotion into a relationship only to be let down and it truly leaves you at a loss. I have spent most of the year, at least since spring...no, actually I have spent pretty much my whole life waiting for this to happen. And everything seemed to be going so well, the stars were aligned, the pieces were falling into place...and then the bottom drops out...again. 1984...1989...1998...2003...2007...2008? Every year, as a Cubs fan, you wait til next year. And when next year rolls around, as a Cub fan you naturally ease through even a slightly successful season with at least a hint of hesitancy. And here we are in October 2008 with the Cubs as postseason favorites to win it all and end a 100 year title drought and end a quarter of that century's worth of this fan's agony only to find the Cubs down 2-0 to the Dodgers. The Cubs didn't just lose the first two games of best of five either...they looked awful. No curses can be blamed here, they just stunk...at Wrigley nonetheless. So I sit here and wonder, while Roo is outside selling away our belongings that perhaps we held on to for too long, I am holding on too tight to the dream that one day the Cubs will win it all? If there truly is no Miracle on Addison St...and it will seemingly take a miracle at this point...what do I do with myself? What do I do with my time? The thought of going through the entire 2009 season really makes my head and heart hurt because we'll just be doing it all over again.

I just don't know what to do with myself. Going to the movies only makes me sad...because the last movie I saw, I saw by myself. Its my fault though. Choice really. The last movie I saw as the theater was Iron Man. Watching the screen next door were Roo and sister Jess, enjoying Sex and the City. Last weekend, there was discussion of going to see the new Nicholas Sparks movie. We didn't go and it may be partly my fault. Batman wasn't playing at the same time. Now that we're married, are movie dates over? Make no mistake, I enjoyed going to see the Notebook with Roo. I even read the book. But does that establish diplomatic immunity from being subject from sad stories ever again? Or would I enjoy a full series of sappy Sparks flicks more than yet another Cub-less World Series?

Moments

EJ and I are huge fans of Wonderful Graffitti - visit their website at http://www.wonderfulgraffitti.com/. We purchased two graffitti pieces for our home and can't be happier with the end result. These folks have an amazing customer service team as well. We weren't happy with the colors of the graffitti we purchased for our dining room -- they were horrible. I sent an email to customer service and a new one was shipped within 24 hours free of charge!!

The picture below is of the graffitti in our living room. We surrounded the graffitti with our favorite photos from our wedding day. We hope to change the pictures over the years when other special moments happen. Our house is finally starting to feel like a HOME and we've had so much fun decorating together. More photos to come of Wonderful Graffitti in our dining room!!

Garage Sale

We've decided to have a Garage Sale this weekend. We have a ton of STUFF we need to purge to make room for NEW stuff!! Meaning I need a new fall wardrobe and I'm secretly hoping EJ will finally decide to depart ways with some of his "college era" stuff. We originally planned to hold the garage sale next weekend but my mom convinced me that we'd make more money if we held it on the first Saturday of the month. Mom's always right so we changed our plans!! I put an ad in the local paper yesterday so hopefully it will attract a few bargain shoppers. One of our neighbors held one last weekend and the street was lined with cars!! Do any of you guys have any Garage Sale Tips??

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Little Man!!

Little Man is the son of my best friend AlyKat. He's an amazing kid with an amazing mom. These photos were taken during our yearly vacation on Edisto Island.

I have gas

I have to admit, since granting Riley access to post here, I've gotten a little lazy on keeping up. I'm thrilled to have her on here sharing our experiences. As you can see by the makeover, she does have a habit of cleaning up after me and really making everything around me look a little better. For starters, I no longer wear blue socks with black pants. Everything is better with her added touch. When she returns home from a work trip, as she did late last week, the pillows feel just a little bit softer, the sun and moon shine a little brighter, and desert tastes a little bit sweeter. Unfortunately, this week she came home to the gas crisis of the southeast. I blame the media almost as much as I "blame" Hurricane Ike. For the second time in a month, the media has helped infuse a frenzy on the area sending everyone out to the gas pumps. People were topping off all of their cars with gas cans in tow, stockpiling gas and draining the supply. Folks would spend hours and miles in line at stations that had petro flowing while others scoured the county for a station that had shorter lines if they had gas at all. I could have played the gas card to stay home with Riley Friday but was able to fill up both of our running on fumes vehicles to get us through the binge. Then it was back to normal, as normal as $4 a gallon gas can seem, we dropped in on a birthday party Friday night and had movie night last night. Tonight we watch the Bears and then its back to the grind tomorrow. Riley is back on the road but only for a couple days. I am already craving Wednesday's dinner because I know it will be delicious with her back home.

Headed South

I'm headed South!! I've been residing at the Staybridge Suites in Chantilly, VA on and off for the past 2 months due to a huge hospital opening. The girls at the front desk were a little sad when I told them I'll be leaving for longer than 2-3 days tomorrow. I think these guys have the same idea. There must have been 100 geese walking in a perfect line through the hotel parking lot this afternoon! It was truly amazing!

Leavin' on a jet plane at 9:00 am. Can't wait to see HIM!!

Wedding Memories

what time of year did you get married? Spring - South Carolina's definition of Spring is 80+ degree weather.

Candid shot taken by one of my bridesmaids on the way to the church.

Trying to stay cool in the limo!


what did the groomsmen wear? Traditional black tuxedos with black shirts, black polka dot vests, and black ties.

color of bridesmaid dresses? Black. Each of the girls wore hot pink satin shoes in various styles from Nine West.

how many bridesmaids? 8 beautiful girls!!

are you still friends with all your bridesmaids? Of course -- they're all a part of who I am today. I can't imagine my life without them.

location for reception? A beautiful hall on the campus of Coker College.

band, dj or other? DJ

something unique about your wedding? In lieu of traditional favors we made a donation to our local Humane Society in honor of our wedding guests. Our suprise dance was definately something my traditional southern baptist family wasn't expecting.

where did you go on your honeymoon? Antigua

name one thing looking back you would of changed? As a couple I don't think we would have changed anything. As a bride, I wish I wouldn't have cried like a baby when my dress ripped after the ceremony. My daddy was really upset to see me so upset over something that looking back on it now was not a big deal. It all went by so fast I wish I would have taken more time to take it all in.

One of my favorite photos from our wedding day. We'd just returned

to the bed and breakfast after the reception. The wedding party started

coming in and saw us hanging out on the couch. One of my bridesmaids

snapped this quick shot of us. We weren't ready for the day to be over!