Been meaning to post this...

So I talk about my family at work. You know I love ya'll and that's just the way it's gonna be. We were talking about the "impromptu" family reunion and how many people were there. This was still after explaining that it was just Mom's side and that Dad's side could rival in numbers as well. Claudine, my coworker, had this to say:

"You don't even have a big family. You have a small country."

Well it makes me giggle and I appreciate it. It's good to know you have people you can rely and count on. I truly feel blessed to have a large family with so many aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. It's like I have my own personal army/band that will fight/cheer me on when needed. What a great gift! Love you!

What a weekend...

I can't believe it's already been a month since we've been home. I'm not sure how the month has gone by so quickly. To be honest, I don't even know what has kept us so busy to allow the month to pass so fast. Anyways...we have a few congrats to get out there. Congrats to Ellie! She was baptized on July 25th. Congrats Brian, Janie, and Sam! I know you are proud of your little girl/sister! We welcome her with arms wide open! Our second congrats goes to Libby & Greg!! We can't wait to welcome Baby Mink to world in March. Aim for the 17th and then there can be double funfetti and even more green beer! Our third congrats goes to my co-worker, Claudine and her now fiance. We are so excited and like your mama said "It's about time!" :)

This past weekend Celi came down to spend the weekend with me while Daniel headed to Boston to have a man weekend with Jason & Ben. Celi arrived Friday evening and we had a quiet night at the apartment. We cooked yellow curry chicken and attempted to color my hair. It's a little darker/browner but not much. I don't think it set long enough before I rinsed it out. Saturday, we headed to Hershey for the day. We checked out the Hershey Story Musuem, had a chocolate tasting, took a gander at Hotel Hershey and finally ended the day at Chocolate World before heading back. On Sunday we went to church, spent part of the afternoon in the town center, and then headed downtown to Zengo for dinner. It was soooo delish! On Monday we did a little shopping at the Outlets before Celi flew out. An hour later, I was picking Daniel up at the airport. Now I'll let Daniel fill you in on Boston.

Got into Boston around 2 Friday afternoon and Ben and Jason met me outside the airport where we got on the subway and made our way to Jason's apartment near the MIT campus. We decided to take it easy that night, so Jason made jambalaya (very good) and we watched the Red Sox game. On Saturday, we took a tour of the Sam Adams brewery around noon, had lunch, and then made our way to Fenway Park for the Sox game. It was pretty cool to watch a game in one of the most famous baseball stadiums. After the game, we went to a Tibetan restaurant near Jason's apartment, which was pretty good. It had some similarities to Chinese food.

On Sunday, we went to the Cheers bar for lunch and then went walking around downtown to see some historic sites around the city. We also went out to see the USS Constitution. Perhaps my favorite part of the city was the Italian section. I had some pretty good gelato from one of the places there.

On Monday, we just took it easy until it was time for Ben to head to the train station and me to the airport. Overall, it was a really fun trip and would love to take Lauren there and see some more sites.

4th of July

I can't believe it's already been over a week since we were in Alabama, time flies! We really enjoyed getting to visit with our families in the short time that we were there. Here's a recap of our trip and I'll get around to putting some pictures in this post later:

Thursday 7/1:

Our original Delta flight was cancelled (seems to happen a lot with Delta) and we were, at first, put on a flight the next morning. We were lucky to get one of the few spots on a flight an hour earlier than our original flight and that put us in Huntsville about 2 hours earlier than planned, so it didn't work out too badly. Once we got to Huntsville (around 7:30 PM), we got our rental car (the ugly Chevy HHR) and headed to Leeds.

Friday 7/2:

On Friday we went and visited with MawMaw and Mr. Gene for a little while and saw their really nice garden. They had a lot of cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. We also went by the bank so I could close out my checking account that I hadn't used in a long time. When we got back we spent some time with Dad since he had to go to work that night. That afternoon, we (Mom, Lauren, and I) went over to Steve and Susan's where we got to see our new nephew, Luke, and Elizabeth (and Steve and Susan), swam, and had a ton of food (a ton of food seemed to be the one constant throughout our trip). Brian and Cindy were also able to make it out there, so it was great to see them too!

Saturday 7/3:

We had originally planned to go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast this morning, but Mom made the mistake of asking me if there was somewhere else I wanted to go. She then gave me some options and me saying "Wherever you'd like to go" was not an acceptable answer. It's tough for me to turn down the Pita Stop in Southside (B'ham). So, after being indecisive for a little while, I finally decided on the Pita Stop. I always get the chicken kabob platter when I go there and I am never disappointed. The food was really good (as always)! I recommend it to anyone.

Once we got back home, it was time to leave for Florence. We made a quick stop by MawMaw and Mr. Gene's and headed north. We got up there at about 5:00 PM, just in time for Lauren's grandfather's birthday party to start. I think there were around 75 of her Mom's family there for the event and it was a great chance to see everyone. I'm glad it started later in the day so that the afternoon heat had a chance to cool off.

Sunday 7/4:

We went to church at St. Michael's this morning and stuck around afterwards for the 4th of July BBQ and Chicken Stew that they cook each year. It was really good and they were selling out of everything by about 1:00. Brian, Janie, Samantha, and Ellie were at the house when we got back (Michael, Jackie, Chloe, and Jolie had been there since Saturday) and we all had lunch.

That evening, we all went over to Lauren's aunt and uncle's house for the family reunion. In total, there were about 105 people that came for it. I got to meet a lot of her family from New Orleans, Mississippi, and Texas, along with her family in Florence and close by. Again, tons of food and again, thankful that the event started in the early evening instead of the afternoon! We didn't get back until about midnight. It was great to see everyone and hopefully, we'll be able to see them again soon!

Monday 7/5:

Monday was mostly a lazy day until we went back to the airport. We went back over to Lauren's aunt and uncle's to help eat some of the food that was left over from the reunion (still a lot of food!). After that we were on our way back to the Huntsville airport. Once we got to the airport, we were notified that our flight was overbooked (Delta is not high on my list of airlines to fly, right now). So after a little while, we were able to get the Delta staff to put us on an earlier, direct flight into DC. This turned out much better since we got in at 8:00 PM instead of our originally scheduled 10:20 PM.

I'll put some pictures up soon! It was great seeing everyone and we hope to see you soon!

We're Back!

Sorry it's been so long since our last blog post. We forgot about it for a while there. Hopefully, we'll be a little more consistent in posting new stuff up here in the future. We were in Alabama last weekend (Thursday - Tuesday) and were fortunate enough to be able to see lots of family and friends. We stayed at Uncle Jim and Aunt Judy's condo in Orange Beach, AL, with Ben and Celi, Thursday through Sunday for Kevin and Amanda's wedding in Fairhope. The weather was

great on Thursday and we were able to get out to the beach for a little while that afternoon.

That night, we all met up with Amber and her mom for dinner at Lambert's, where they throw the rolls. The rolls were really good and I probably could've made a meal off of those (the other food was good too).

On Friday, Lauren and Celi went to the Bridesmaids' Luncheon in Fairhope while Ben and I went for lunch at Sea n' Suds. That was my first time to go there, it's a staple for Ben. It's right on the beach in Gulf Shores. We both had the shrimp sandwich (recommended by Ben) and it was really good, a lot better than I thought it would be. I never thought of making a sandwich out of shrimp before, so that was new to me. That night, we all drove together to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in Fairhope. The weather was not very good and several booms of thunder shook the foundation of the church. I guess it was good to get all of that out of the way before the big ceremony. The church was right on the Mobile Bay, all you had to do was walk out the doors and you were there. When rehearsal was finished, we all went to Wintzell's, a (go figure) seafood restaurant. It was a lot better than I was expecting (I never expect a lot from seafood restaurants) and Lauren thought it was good too, though she stayed away from the seafood options.

Saturday was a really busy day (mostly for the girls). Lauren and Celi left early to go get their nails and hair done. Ben and I sat around and watched the NFL draft. We all met back up at the church for pictures around mid-afternoon. The weather looked a little ominous and it was raining lightly around the time of pictures but, fortunately, the rain went away and some sun came out for the wedding. The ceremony was really nice and afterwards, we went to the reception at the Fairhope Inn.

On Sunday, we drove to Leeds to see family. It was great to see a lot of people at my parents' house for dinner that evening. We were able to see Mom, Dad, Brian, Cindy, Steve, Susan, Elizabeth, MawMaw, Mr. Gene, and we were very glad that Brian, Janie, and Samantha could come out that way! It was really nice to visit with everyone and spend time with them.

On Tuesday, Jackie drove down to Leeds with Chloe, Jolie, and Jackie's nephew Landon. It was great to see them and was my first time to see Jolie, so that was really nice. Chloe has grown a lot since I last saw her!

We came back to Virginia on Tuesday wishing we had more time to see family. Hopefully, next time we're down there we'll be able to make it around to more.

We've been really busy with work lately. Lauren and I have both been putting in extra hours. I worked some yesterday and will be working a lot more today/tonight. Hopefully things will return to normal soon, we'll see. We're really looking forward to going camping at the Hershey campground for Memorial Day weekend, I can't believe it's already May! We noticed that the circus will be there that weekend, so we may check that out along with the theme park they have there. And, of course, we'll check out all the chocolate offerings they have!

We're gonna try to make an effort to get on Skype more often, as we've neglected that for a while due to our work schedules. We'll try to be online more often so that we can see family and talk with them a little more frequently. Hope everyone is well! We'll post more often!

Looky there! Another month gone!

So another month has passed. I'm not sure how much there is to report. Grandpa is still in and out of the hospital ---but out for right now. He's supposed to start chemo this week and we hope that everything will be successful with that. Please continue to keep him and my family in your prayers. Thanksgiving is coming soon and we are looking forward to going to Florence for a few days. I can't wait to see everyone.

Since the last post, on Halloween we had all of one trick-or-treater. I blame it partly on the rainy weather and partly because we are on the third floor. However, we did receive a good comment about our decorations. I had the pumpkin Mom bought me that's all painted up out there along with a couple of butternut squash, my small pumpkin from the pumpkin picking, and Daniel's carved Alabama "A" pumpkin. It looked really good lit up! Earlier on Halloween we went out to, I believe Temple Park where they have this huge corn maze, air walk/bounce, pig chase, moo rides, pumpkin picking, pumpkin shooting, corn shooting, and a petting zoo. They had two different routes for the maze and we made it through the first one just fine but somehow we bypassed one number. The second route we took, we could never find #1 and only find #10 so we did the entire route backwards. That was fun! Then we picked out our pumpkins, watched the pig race, and the corn & pumpkin shoots. They had air pressurized guns shooting these things and had different targets set up like hoops or an old beat up truck. It looked like fun but there were lots of little kids lined up so we decided to pass on it this time.

Oh! Before Halloween, I flew to Florence for a few days as well. Basically about a week after mom and dad left, I flew down. I got there in time to celebrate Sam's 2nd birthday and spend a little time there. Then went to Florence for a couple of days--I did get sick and apparently passed it along to everyone. I got to see Grandma and Grandpa and sat at the furthest away point I could sit just to be sure I didn't give them anything. Grandma fixed some bbq for us and it was a delightful supper to spend with them. I also got to spend a little time with Tasha and Ams so I was grateful for that as well! I had an eyeball appointment at Jackie's doctor place and got some new lenses for my glasses. We also helped mom pick out some new stylin' and profilin' glasses. She's a hot momma now in her red frames! With having that doctor's appt, it also gave Mom and I a chance to have a little one on one time with Chloe. I can believe how much all three of our nieces are changing! Just amazing!

We just got back from the Atchison family trip to Gatlinburg. Judy and Richard rented a big cabin in the hills and it was nice to spend time with each other. They also treated us to the Dixie Stampede and to Old Tyme Photos. I really enjoyed taking the pictures--I think they were pretty fun. Daniel and I also took a ride into Gatlinburg and the state park. On our way back down the mountain traffic started backing up really bad and we thought there was a wreck because somehow an 18-wheeler got on this little two-lane winding road (nearly hit us and another car coming around a curve) and we thought maybe it was him...but come to find out as we got closer, it was people slowing down to take pictures. Finally looked around and way up to find a black bear in a tree at the very top. I got a couple of good shots while Daniel drove. We won the best picture category if I do say so myself. We celebrated Susan's and I's birthdays, played a little Wii and pool, enjoyed the scenery, girls hiked/walked/rode bikes, boys played golf, and also did a little on our own (that's when Daniel and I went to Gatlinburg---I had to get a caramel apple) They're so good! And we watched the Alabama game on 60inch tv. This thing was a monster but like our very own theater. It was fun. Thank you Judy and Richard for our special treat!

I found out today that I will be starting as a private contractor for Tier on Nov. 30th. I've very excited to be working with them and to have this opportunity. I look forward to all the new stuff I'll be doing and joining the legal department. Daniel's work is going pretty good for him too. He's been fairly busy though having to stay on for support occasionally until 8pm. He at least gets to come home a bit earlier but he has to stay next to his computer until 8. Saturday he'll have to "work" as well--he's got to be on support from 9-5pm. As for birthday plans, I think we may go out with our friends Astu and Rishi. Oh! and I own a cello now. I'm still not very good but I manage. I'm thinking about getting a few lessons just to make sure I have the basics down. Not sure though. Well I guess that's it for now! TTFN! I hope everyone is doing well and we miss you all dearly! Love you!

Where does the time go?

Not sure how two months have practically passed by and we haven't posted. I think about it at least once or twice a week while at work but I forget by the time I get home. Tonight was the exception. Let me try to remember what's been going on around here. I've started singing at church every 2nd and 4th Saturdays. It's been really good and I plan to start practice up at church too. For labor day weekend we went to New York and met up with Ben, Celi, and Jason. We we went to the Alabama alumni spot in NY to watch the first game. I actually saw someone I knew---which is funny because he doesn't live in NY so it was all by chance. It was cool to catch up. We also got to try Korean food for the first time. This time we took the Bolt Bus up and back. It was fairly nice. The first time up, the air wasn't working very well and on the way back, the electricity was out. Bolt bus are supposed to be these really nice buses with electrical outlets and internet. The internet was a little slower than we anticipated, but overall it was nice. Leather seats on the way back.

A couple three weekends back we went to Astu and Rishi's apartment. The made us some authentic Indian food that was absolutely delish! I'm not going to even begin to name the dishes because I know I will butcher them but it was soooo good. I've got a couple of the recipes and one weekend I'll get brave and try to make it. After dinner we played some mariokart for a little while. All around, a fun night. I really can't wait to try the recipes out!

My Grandpa has been in and out of the hospital for the last month or so. The found a couple of tumors in his bladder and removed them. They did prove to be cancerous. They also discovered that the left kidney wasn't functioning very well and that the duct from the bladder to the left kidney was blocked. The doctors tried to break through but couldn't. Not sure what this blockage is and they are monitoring how much the kidney is outputing. He recently had a bladder infection that put him in the hospital for at least 10 days and is still recovering from that currently. They haven't started chemo yet, but it is in the plans. He has to get over this infection first. This chemo should be entered directly into the bladder causing less side effects than other forms of chemo could create. Thank you to all of you who have been keeping Grandpa and my family in your prayers. Please continue to do so!

Mom and Dad left today to head back to Florence. We had a great visit with them and enjoyed our time with them. They got here on Wednesday afternoon and on Thursday we took them to Hershey and Lancaster, PA. There we went to Hershey Gardens, Chocolate World, and drove through Amish country. We took lots of time to smell the roses and found some we really liked. The country side was beautiful and very peaceful. On Friday, we took a slow morning and then headed out to Mt. Vernon. Wow! I was so surprised at what there was to do. It was a pretty interesting place and much more than we anticipated to do. We didn't even get to all of it. Saturday morning, I took Mom to Sam's and to Leesburg Outlets. We think we found a Coach purse for her. I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled in case something else comes out that she might like better. After that we headed out to Old Dominion in DC to watch the Alabama game. I think Mom and Dad really liked the atmosphere. It was a good game. Sunday, we went to church and came home for lunch. Later that afternoon we went to Great Falls Park to see the falls, the old canals, and walk around. It was such a pleasant day. Then finally, Mom and Dad left this morning. They drove down party of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and from what I can gather, thought the scenery was pretty. However, they said at some of the high points the temp was 44. Yikes, that's cold!

Speaking of cold, it's supposed to be a high of 56 on Wednesday. This Saturday, I will be flying home for a quick trip. Samantha's birthday is on Saturday and I'm looking forward to going to it. I'll also get to see Chloe which I'm looking forward too. I'm hoping to help Mom and Dad around the house as well as Grandma and Grandpa. Amber and I have some plans in the works for me to have lunch with her at SJS or dinner at her house that night. I'm looking forward to the quick trip. My return flight is on Tuesday. I might be able to work out getting an eye appointment on Tuesday.

Congrats to Brian and Cindy who got married this past Thursday! Best wishes to you both and we are so very excited for you! Maw-maw we are glad to hear that your test results were good. She had an arteriogram (sp chk?). And we are looking forward to the family Gatlinburg trip in November! I know we are both very excited to be getting to spend some time with the family. The other piece of news to share is that Tier has asked me to become a private contractor with them that will hold me there at least to March with the possibility of bringing me on permanently then. I'll have to do a little research into how the tax situation works out as a private contractor but overall, I'm very happy about this opportunity! I've already worked with Tier for 5 months which seems unbelievable to me already. Anyways, I guess this is it for now. I need to get a shower and go to bed. My eyeballs are tired! Love to you all!

It's saturday!!!

Woot! So, in the trying to catch everyone up about our summer, I realized I forgot one key detail! We celebrated our 1st anniversary!!! We went to see the Proposal and to dinner at Carabba's --which is where we went the night we got engaged. It only seemed appropriate. I can't believe it's come and gone already. How fast a year flies by and it's only getting faster. With that year comes us, together, being in VA for a year and Daniel for a year and half. It seems so crazy. And then I think about the nieces---Elizabeth now two, Sam almost two and Chloe a year and half. They're getting so big and definitely more entertaining! Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it! I'm already starting to gather ideas for folks for Christmas and gearing up to start shopping early. I would rather get it all over early than wait and rush. And Congrats to Michael, Jackie, and Chloe!! Another baby is on the way and due in Feb! We are so excited about being an Aunt and Uncle again!

This week is restaurant week in Reston which means all the restaurants have really superb deals on 3 course meals--including the fancy restaurants. Next week DC will be having theirs and we may participate in that too. DC will have a lot more choices and it's a really good opportunity to go to a place that we wouldn't normally go to or be able to afford. We'll see though. Tonight, I will be singing at church for the first time with a couple of ladies and we'll see how it goes. I'm pretty excited and I've really missed being involved in the music end of things. After church we are gonna meet up with our friends Astu and Rishi and partake in restaurant week. We tried out a bbq place last night called Red, Hot and Blue--it was okay but not anything close to the BBQ we are used too. We have plenty of leftovers though so we've been able to get two meals out of RW deals. I went to the farmer's marketing this morning and got some squash, okra, and peaches. I hope to make some peach jam in the next couple of days. My peaches have to ripen a bit though. They are a little firm and I'm not sure which is better. I would think a riper peach would make a tastier jam but I don't know. On Sunday, Accenture bought tickets for employees and guests to attend a Nats game and they also preloaded our tickets with $20 bucks. The Nats are playing the Brewers so it's not a fantastic game but it will be our first time to go to a Nats game. Should be fun--we'll see Astu and Rishi there too!

Other than that, we've had quite a bit of rain in the last day and most likely will get more but at least it's cooled us off some. I also repotted some of our plants. I got rid of our strawberry plant and put our pepper plant there--which is starting to grow some more peppers. And our squash plant died out so I replaced it with all our basil which was severely needed a bigger pot. We are giving our green beans a second chance and I took out all the random plants, loosened the soil, threw the remaining packet of beans in the pot. Maybe we'll get lucky this late in the game. Okay, well that's all I got for now. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!! Love you!