Party Like A Rockstar!

We had a birthday party for Chris with our family and friends over the weekend. We had a great time! Everyone came over to our house for pizza and cake and then we headed to the bowling alley (where we proceeded to get our butts kicked!). I made Paula Deen's Butterfinger cake for Chris b/c that's his favorite candy bar. It was quite yummy! Here are some pics from our party!

The Winery at Iron Gate Farm

Check out the TV spot that my in-laws snagged to promote their vineyard and winery. It's so great and I'm so proud!
http://www.irongatevineyards.com/irongatevideo.html

And the Love Continues . . .

Saturday morning, we woke up and I fixed Chris a special Vday breakfast (heart-shaped pancakes). We then packed up the car, dropped the girls off at the kennel, and headed towards Mebane. Chris' mom, Debbie, owns a vineyard and winery and was putting ason a special event for all the lovers in the area last night. It was called a 'Wine, Roses, & Romance" dinner. She had a catered 4-course meal (very much unlike what we had the night before!), a live musician, and dancing. It was a blast! We went to together as a family and had so much fun together!

Valentine's morning breakfast :)

Chris' sister, Dana, anad her husband Josh. They are currently 18 weeks preggers with a baby boy! YAY!


We found a little corner of the room beside our table that was perfect for some intimate dancing :)


Havin' some fun!


Debbie and Gene, Chris' parents and owners of the winery.

Enjoying a glass of "Dixie Dawn" - mmm, yummy!

The Harrell's and the Herman's

long-stemmed roses for the ladies at the dinner :)

the guests were all having such a great time!

mom and son

mom and daughter-in-law

A quick photo-opp before dinner was served

Back In The Old Days . . .

While cleaning off an old computer, we stumbled across some old photos. Here are some pics of us pre-2003 . . . Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2008

Here's just a few pictures from our holiday (more to follow shortly) . . .

"I Would Just Like to Thank . . . "

I would just like to begin my day by publicly thanking the Lord for the people that He has purposely placed in my life for specific seasons such as the one we have been going through for the last 3 ½ years. While I know that I have numerous friends and family who are constantly praying on our behalf, I’d like to point out two individuals specifically who have overwhelmed me with their love and support throughout this process.

First, there’s my big sister, Harmony, who never ceases to amaze me. She has always been my best friend, even through times when we’ve been far away from each other (both physically and emotionally). But as we’ve grown into adults and began our lives as wives and mothers (obviously only on her end there), she has become my strength, my confidant, my prayer warrior, my encourager, and an amazing example of how to live a life of service and faithfulness to our God. Almost daily she will send scripture, cards, gifts, and reminders of her love as a means to uplift my spirit and reiterate that I am not alone in this process. One thing that speaks to me the most is that even though we live in 2 different states, separated by 7 hours in between, she has never allowed that to be an excuse or reason to not be there for me every time I need her (and even during those times when I don’t realize how much I need her). She has proven her dedication to me relentlessly, and for that I am humbled and most grateful.

Secondly, there’s my sweet and dear friend, Kelly. Having only met Kelly and her husband Rob a short while ago, they have moved in like a freight train in our life and we have been changed for the better as a result of it. I have found throughout my 27 years of life on this earth that true and genuine friends are very difficult to come by. For the most part, people are always looking for ways that their life can be enhanced by your presence in it – and not in the best ways. However, Kelly has proven to me that there are still people out there who genuinely care for others with no expectations of anything in return. Not only is she super fun to be with, but she is constantly caring for me and loving me in ways that I haven’t felt from friends in a very long time. Just this morning she sent me an email that brought me to tears explaining how she feels led to begin fasting in prayer for Chris and I until our last round of treatment. She has vowed to give up all sweets so that when a craving or temptation comes she will begin to pray for our future family instead. What an amazing sacrifice! I don’t know what I could have possibly done to merit such a friend, but my life has truly changed because of her and the example that she is to me.

It goes without saying that we feel more than blessed by these women (and others) in our life. We cannot thank God enough for surrounding us with these dear people during the most difficult season in our life thus far. What we can do is continue to praise God for them daily and show them that they are just as important to us as we are to them and that we intend to do our part to deserve such sweet and wonderful friendship.

We love you so much and thank our God every time we remember you! (Phil 1:3)

Memorial Day in Alabama

We met our niece this weekend for the first time while visiting my sister in Alabama. She's so tiny! She was born 6 weeks early and spent her first 6 days in th NICU as she was having some respiratory problems. While she was 5 lbs exactly when she was born, she only weighs 4 lbs 15 oz right now. She lost weight at the hospital and is slowly gaining it back. Because she's premature, all she does is sleep! She needs extra sleep and she feeds more often (every 2 hours), but she's doing just fine. Here are a few pictures from our visit.



Here she is wearing one of the baby onesies I made for her!

Baby Grace's Shower

Chris & I spent the holiday weekend with my sister and her family. We hosted a baby shower for Harmony and Grace while we were there - had a super time! I've added some pictures below:

Welcome Baby Gracie!!!

So my sister had her baby girl last Sunday, on Mother's Day, and seing as this one is a girl, I thought it only appropriate to do something extra special to celebrate her. My first thought was to go to this "create your own gift" store in Charlotte to custom make a gift and have it embroidered. Then I got there and saw how much it was going to cost and decided against that idea. However, while I was purusing the $21 baby onesies and $12 burpie cloths, I took a closer look and realized . . . I could make these myself! So I went to the store, bought the needed materials, and spent this weekend making 4 baby onesies and 5 burpie cloths - all for $30! I've attached the results below. We're going to Alabama this weekend to visit with Harm and her family and throw her a baby shower. I'm hoping, because these gifts were homemade and made with love, she'll absolutely love them! What do you think?!?!?!?

Mother's Day Weekend

Mebane/Raleigh

Change

Over the last couple of months, we've gone through some pretty significant changes - worth mentioning. For the last 5 years, Chris has been away from home so much that I'm amazed at how solid our marriage has proven to be in retrospect. It's never easy when you don't have that quality time together each day and your communication becomes stagnant and almost void at times as a result. We've been working through this since the day we were married and I'm glad to report that things are finally stabilizing for us. Chris' new job has revealed to us the importance of a normal work schedule and the effects it has on our family. Right now, at this stage in our life together, it feels like we're in a totally new place. I joke around with friends saying that we're finally getting to experience that "honeymoon" phase that we were so reluctantly robbed of for the last 5 years. Each morning is new and exciting and has so many more possibilities than it's ever had before. I love how we relate to each other now. It's like we're remembering all over again what it was that made us fall in love with each other from the very beginning. Not to mention the unbelievable reality that I'm married to my very best friend in this world - the man who knows me, loves me and accepts me for all that I am - flaws and all. How gratifying is that?!

We've thoroughly enjoyed our new morning and evening schedules. Take this past week for example. I'm up at 5:30 with my cup of coffee and my Bible, beginning my day in the very best way. Then gradually Chris wakes up, then the dogs, and the whole house is buzzing! We get ready for work, I pack our lunches, make our "to-go" cups of coffee, grab a pop-tart or muffin for the road, then book it to the car by 7:15 so as not to miss my bus at 7:30. Chris drops me off, kisses me good-bye, then drives in to the office (only 5 minutes away). In the evening, he picks me up at the bus stop at 6:15, we come home, feed the dogs, cook dinner, then have the whole rest of the night to look forward to spending together. Chris even has time to work in the yard after he gets home at night - which has almost never happened before! Not to mention, he's now around to help with cleaning up after dinner, folding the laundry and helping take care of our dogs. I realize that this is the "norm" for most people - who would've thought I would be so excited to be this "normal"?

Needless to say, we're very pleased with where we are in our life together right now. Sometimes God's plan can be so mysterious and we have trouble seeing beyond our current circumstances. But the truth is, He never loses sight of His dreams for our life - even when we do. So it all comes down to faith. Paul describes this state of mind perfectly when he instructs in Romans that " . . . we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." (Romans 5:3-5)

We've been so busy lately that I haven't even had a chance to share our good news. After two long months of waiting and being patient, Chris has finally found a job! He is now a full-time employee of Granite Contracting. I couldn't tell you exactly what he does there - some sort of combination of the assistant project manager's position stirred in with some surveying and GPS work. All that matters to me, is that he enjoys it! No more endless work hours and sky-high frustration - he seems to have found one that finally compliments his interests and highlights his strengths (while maintaining a "normal" work week). You can check out more at www.granitecontracting.com. "How did he find this great job?" you might ask. Well, there is a couple in our Sunday School class that we have become very good friends with (Ryan and Valerie Haynes). Valerie is an Engineer at ColeJenest and Stone and got me my job there almost 2 years ago. Her husband, Ryan, is the Controller for Granite Contracting (he also is the owner's nephew). So there's the obvious answer right there. In addition, while Chris was still working at SSC Construction, he assisted in building an addition onto Steve Cosper's house and office. Steve is the Owner of Granite Contracting. So, in a way, they had already worked together in the past - enough for Chris to make an impression on Steve so that, inevitably, he would be offered a position within Granite. Or you could just say that the Lord provided the right job at the right time. So we are very thankful for this recent development and look forward with great anticipation to the things still yet to come as a result.

As a side note, tomorrow is Administrative Professionals Day! Seeing as I am considered an "Administrative Professional," I am very excited! I discreetly added this special occasion to all my bosses calendars and sent them a friendly email reminder on Friday. I guess we'll have until tomorrow to know if it paid off! Let's just say, I'll either have wonderful, happy things to blog about tomorrow, or nothing at all. Here's hoping it's the first option of the two . . .

The bus is still going well for me. I noticed today that gas on our exit is up to $3.54/gallon - so the bus is going excellently for me! How can I not be pleased with saving all that money! One of these days I'll remember to turn in my parking pass so that I can save an additional $75/mo. - Think of all the new spring/summer clothes I can buy with that in my pocket! Well, probably not as much as I'd like - but maybe a new dress or blouse perhaps?

My sister called the other day and tells me that she is already 33 weeks preggers . . . and I have to ask "where did all that time go???" In all three pregnancies, I have yet to actually see her "pregnant" (in the true sense of the word), so while I know that she is, in fact, pregnant, I have yet to actually witness it myself! It's like one day she tells me she's having a baby, then the next day (which only seems like a few short months later), I have a new nephew/niece. It's crazy! I really hate being so far apart. When is the Air Force gonna station them back in NC??? I mean, really . . . hasn't 7 years been long enough!

Chris and I leave in about a week and a half to spend the weekend in Ocean Isle with our friends. We are SO looking forward to this little retreat from real life! I'm just hoping that the weather is beautiful - the last 2 times we had weekend trips to the beach, the weather was terrible and rainy and it was a complete waste of time and money. I'm sure I'll bring back many new pictures to post!

Well, I guess that's all I have to blog about today. Hopefully I'll have happy news to report tomorrow . . . :)

Are you "Wicked"?

Last night, my little sister and I went to see the Broadway show "Wicked". Harmony, Eric, Chris and I got Hannah these tickets for Christmas and due to some unforeseen happenstances, she decided to take me to the show (it helped that the show was in Charlotte) :) Those of you who really know me know that I'm terrified of the "Wizard of Oz" - I can't even watch a snipit of it on TV - so I was a little uncertain as to what to expect going to see this show. I even told Chris early that morning, "Don't tell anyone, but I'm kinda scared about going to see this show!" - Of course, he knew that already :) For those of you who don't know anything about this show, it's basically the untold story of the two witches in the movie (Glinda and Elphaba - the Wicked Witch of the West).



Needless to say, Elphaba is not as bad as we all are intended to believe - she's actually quite good and you feel very sad for her throughout the whole show because of all the unfortunate circumstances that she finds herself in constantly. I won't write more about the show (you can look up the synopsis for more information) - but I definitely encourage you to go see it if you ever get the chance.

Before the show, Hannah and I went to this great restaurant called Boardwalk Billy's. It's on a man-made lake and we had the best table in the whole restaurant. The weather was beautiful, the lake was lovely, and the food was amazing! We ordered the spicy crab queso dip for an appetizer - holy cow! Whoever thought of adding queso to crab dip is a culinary genius!









It goes without saying that we had an incredible night - so glad we got this opportunity! This is Hannah's favorite Broadway show and she loved every minute of being there watching the performance (she eve cried all the way through the first 3 songs - she get's that from her older sister!). Hooray for quality sister time - it's rare - but it's always fun!

Charlotte Rescue Mission - Service Project

Chris and I spent the latter half of the afternoon preparing and serving dinner to the men at the Charlotte Rescue Mission. Our good friends, Pat & Amelia, arranged for our Sunday School Class to do a service project there. This is our second time going as a class and we really enjoy it! The men at the CRM are so grateful to have outsiders come in and prepare a meal for them and socialize with them for a short while. It certainly reminds us of how fortunate we are to have the many blessings in our life that God has given to us. We really enjoy serving at the CRM and we look forward to many more service projects in the future. Below are a couple of snapshots from today.

What A Weekend!

So, this was a very big weekend for us! My sisters and I have been planning a surprise 50th birthday party for our parents for the last 3 months. Saturday (3/8/08) was the big day! First off, my sister, Harmony, and her beautiful family came into Charlotte on Friday night from Alabama. She and I went to see a movie after dinner and got to spend some much needed one on one time together. That was really nice. We ran a couple of errands Saturday morning, mostly picking up some of the last minute party items . . . cupcakes, flowers, etc. By lunchtime we were packing up our cars and headed to Raleigh. We got in about 2:45 and then the fun began! We spent all afternoon setting up and decorating for the party. By the time the food was delivered we were all famished and ready to eat - but we had to wait till the party began! At around 7:00 pm, the guests of honor had arrived. Needless to say, they were very surprised (and still a little speechless)! They got to see some old faces that they haven't seen in quite a while - it was a wonderful reunion for them. We got a lot of the "big" moments on camera, so I'll add those to the blog as soon as I upload them. We ate, danced, played games and mingled all night - they had such a great time! The last 3 months of hard work, preparation, and trying so desperately to keep this event a secret (even to the point of lying at times) really paid off in a big way and we couldn't be more pleased with how well it was received. "Happy 50th Birthday(s), mom and dad!"

On a much more solemn note, we found out on Friday that our insemination procedure was unsuccessful. We're kind of at a standstill at the moment because we just really aren't sure what to do next. I think we're gonna take a little break for a while and try to live life without being consumed by this "condition." Maybe we'll try round 2 in the Spring. Please keep praying. This not knowing what the problem is or how to fix it is really taking its toll on us emotionally. We're both just pretty fed up with all the disappointment - we need some relief.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend as well. This weather has been beautiful lately - only 2 more weeks until Spring! I'm looking forward to longer days and more sunshine!

Mom & Dad's Surprise 50th Birthday Party!

A little fun with the men in our family (check it out) . . .

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/y9m4uNg0nACesoWoJ6xUUyqj

Good News!

Chris and I will be a new aunt/uncle to a sweet little baby girl! We found out yesterday that my sister's 3rd child will be a girl! We can't wait to meet Grace Noel ( "baby Gracie") this summer! Counting down to June 16, 2008!

it's been a while . . .

So I've been SUPER busy lately and haven't had a chance to write more often - sorry about that! Chris and I left for Alabama on Wednesday night after work to spend the Easter holiday with Harmony and her family. We left around 7:15 pm from Charlotte and arrived in Prattville at 12:30 am (however, that's really 1:30 am in NC time). We had a GREAT time while we were there! We went shopping at Steve & Barry's - a totally cool clothing store that's REALLY affordable, the hubbies played paintball all day on Saturday, Harm and I had a "Felicity-fest" while the boys took their afternoon naps, and we ate some REALLY delicious food!!! We went to Easter service at their church (Destiny Christian Center) where Donovan (the 3 yr. old) sang a song on the platform about L-O-V-E LOVE!!! He was the best one up there!!! We had a great Easter meal then watched the boys do their easter egg hunt (with their super cute pottery barn kids easter baskets that I bought them!). I hated that we had to leave on Easter Sunday to come back home - but it was nice to get back as well. Now we're just back to the daily grind. Stephen (chris' boss) is out of town for the majority of the week, so he will be pretty busy keeping things together in Stephen's absence this week. I, too, am still crazy busy at work. I'm hopeful that it's gonna slow down sometime soon!!! But, at least the days fly by faster when it's this busy!!! Hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday! Have a great week!

This week

Well, it has been a very busy week - good, but busy! There has been something planned every night after work and I'm ready to chill out a little bit. Tomorrow we'll leave to go up to Raleigh for the weekend. I'll be going to the Josh Groban concert with my family friday night, then sat./sun. we'll be celebrating our familes birthday's and anniversary. Hopefully we'll get to spend time with both our families - it would nice to see them all. "The Holiday" was released on DVD on Tuesday and I'm happy to report that I now own a copy! Even Chris (who watched it with me last night) said it was a good movie. I'm stuck in meetings all afternoon today - so I'd better get all my other work done before they start rolling around :) Catcha lata!!!

Hope you enjoy the new pics and tunes :)