Babies, Babies Everywhere!

My sweet friend Brittney who you might know from here has finally announced she's pregnant!! She started a new blog here to share her pregnancy, which unfortunately hasn't been very pleasant so far. She's been such a little trooper all summer and hasn't had to miss too many cheerleading practices. Luckily she's feeling better and I hope the worst of her pregnancy is over! I can't wait to meet little baby Bolt sometime in February or March!!

You might also remember my sweet friend Suzy who is pregnant and expecting her baby sometime in October! She's had some difficulties with her pregnancy this summer, but is feeling better now and we just hope baby Yates hangs out for a little while longer before making his appearance.

So two of my very best friends are pregnant and due within 6 months of each other! I couldn't be more thrilled to meet these sweet little babies!!!

Back Again

Over the past 3 months I've started 6 different posts but never actually finished one. Since it's been so long, I think I've been waiting to be inspired to create some wonderful, insightful, thought-provoking post. Well, it hasn't happened yet so I'll just write a quick, run-of-the-mill post instead. Here are some things I've been enjoying lately ...

Cheerleading.

Practice 4 days a week, sometimes 5, but I don't think there's anything else I'd rather be doing. Brittney and I are really enjoying coaching and spending time with these girls. It almost makes me miss high school.

Reliving my glory days.

Brittney's friend Matt (who cheers at Hawaii Pacific) was in town and helped us with practice one day last week. Afterwards, he wanted to "play" (meaning stunt). At first I declined his offer ("I haven't cheered in six years ... I'm wearing flip-flops" ... really meaning "I'm absolutely terrified"). Eventually he convinced me I wouldn't die would be okay. We did just about the simplest stunt there is, but I was still proud I hadn't lost "it" ... not that I'll be joining a cheerleading squad any time soon.

Sweet pups.

Mom, your closet is a disaster!

Don't worry about your closet. Let's cuddle instead!

These pictures were taken within about 2 minutes of each other. Henry is scared of my closet for some reason, but Emma loves it! If I'm in there getting ready, Emma is usually by my side (or on a pile of clothes).

Not doing laundry.

Christopher had to resort to wearing his old referee shirt one evening after work because somebody hadn't washed any of his t-shirts. He swears I agreed to do all his laundry this summer, but I don't recall such a promise.

That's about it. I swear I won't wait as long to post again.

Part 2 - The Surgery

**After reading through this, I realize that I switch back and forth between tenses, but my sleepiness is outweighing my perfectionism right now, so it'll just have to do. :)

After Christopher and I finished watching TV it was just about time to go. We decided to go a little early because I couldn't sit around the house any longer. We got there, checked in, and payed (another treat - paying an ungodly amount for something you don't even want to do in the first place). We sat in the completely silent waiting room for about 10 minutes, watching an awkward video about dentures or teeth implants or something. You know, those absurd infomercial-like videos where the people talk and laugh and show an unusually large number of their teeth to show off how great they look. It's just not natural. Finally they say we can go ahead back so they can start prepping me (that freaked me out because I know exactly what that means - start the IV). We go back and I sit down in one of those oh-so-comfortable dentist chairs and the nurse puts a blood pressure cuff on my arm. I don't know why I hate those things so much, but it seems to me like they squeeze your arm just a little too hard. So it squeezes and squeezes and squeezes and beeps and beeps and the nurse says "Hmm. Well that can't be right." She asks me if I feel at all light-headed (remember, I haven't eat in 14 hours - an unheard of amount of time for me). Besides feeling hungry, I really don't feel dizzy or light-headed. She smiles and says "Okay. Let's just try that again." Great. I can't wait. So she takes my blood pressure again and I guess she was satisfied because she didn't go for a third try. Then she has to put on those little heart rate monitor circle sticky things (I know, I'm very technical). I was wearing a t-shirt so it was a bit awkward because she had to put her hand down my shirt to stick 2 of them on my chest and then the 3rd went on my side. Then they put a medical bracelet on my wrist with my name, age, and the teeth they're taking out (I prayed to God thought that was probably written in my chart, but whatever). Finally the surgeon came in, calm as ever. He asks me how I'm doing, made some small talk and then sat down to put in the IV. He wrapped that little rubber tie around my arm and gave me something that felt like a hair roller to hold in my hand (I don't know what it was ... I was making it a point to look in the complete opposite direction). This was the moment Christopher chose to pop up and peace out. "See ya after," he said as he crept out the door. Great. So much for moral support. So the surgeon puts in the IV (which stung a little but really wasn't that bad). Then he said he was going to take the needle out and it was just plastic left, which I didn't understand, but I certainly wasn't going to look to try to figure out what he was talking about. After he took the needle out and taped the IV on my arm, it really wasn't bad at all. I must have still been a bit tense, though, because he kept bending my arm and telling me to relax. Easier said than done.

And now. The moment I'd been waiting for. The wonderful, sleep-inducing anesthesia. He injected that glorious little syringe into the top of my IV and said "Okay Cathleen, this will take about 60 seconds for you to feel anything." The nurse took my glasses off and put an oxygen tube in my nose (which wasn't really pleasant, but at that point I didn't care). "30 seconds." And that's the last thing I remember.

Christopher said he was only in the waiting room for about 15 minutes before they called him back to see me. The first thing I remember is my nurse explaining to Christopher how to fold up the gauze and put them in my mouth (such a special job, right?). I guess I kept slipping in and out because Christopher said we were back there for another 10 minutes before they wheeled me out to the car, but the next thing I remember is riding down the interstate. And then sitting in the Publix parking lot while my sweet husband went in to get my prescriptions, jello, and mashed potatoes. Those were the first vivid memories I can recall and I think that's only because I stared at the same stupid flower bobble-head in the car next to us for what seemed like an hour (really, only about 10 minutes). That thing drove me crazy.

We got home and Christopher said he needed to take the gauze out so I could eat something and take my medicine. What?? Medicine, sure, I'm totally fine for getting some more medicine. But eating and replacing the gauze - no thanks. This is the part I'd been looking forward to the second most (anesthesia being first) ... taking more fantastic medicine and passing the f out. But no. Christopher was very firm. "The nurse said you had to change the gauze and you had to take your medicine and you cannot take your medicine until you eat something." Sheesh. Being the sweet caretaker that he is, he made it as easy as possible for me. He sat me on the couch, went and got the jello, the medicine, and fresh gauze, opened the jello and handed me the spoon. Opening my mouth was about the last thing I wanted to do, but I really wanted needed the medicine, so I kept my eye on the prize. Luckily the practice I got from "taste-testing" jello shots with Brittney freshman year after we were 21, really came in handy and that jello just slid right down. Christopher let me have my medicine, put new gauze in my mouth (perfectly folded, I might add) and said I couldn't go to sleep yet. Skerrrrrt (that's the sound of brakes, if you don't know). I must still be slipping in and out because I thought you said NO sleep, but you must have meant GO to sleep. No such luck. He said I couldn't go to sleep until I stopped bleeding (gross, I know). "Couldn't I just go to sleep and you could change the gauze every 30 minutes?" I wish I'd said thought. So I stayed up for about another hour and a half (watching Rent, which helped a little) and finally Christopher said "You really want to go to sleep, don't you?" "Yeah no shit," I said pitifully. "Oh alright," he said. He turned off the TV and lights and closed the curtains (I was so ready to sleep I didn't even care that he haphazardly threw the curtain tie-backs on the floor).

I have no concept of time for the rest of the afternoon/evening. I remember ... the dogs jumping off and on the bed all afternoon (but when they were on, they were extra cuddly), hearing a James Bond movie playing downstairs, smelling mashed potatoes in my sleep, waking up and eating room temperature mashed potatoes (no hot food or drink for the first 3 days - delightful), talking on the phone to my mom, dad, Brittney, and my surgeon (he called to check on me - nice, huh? I'd recommend him to anyone - Dr. Bart Williams), and Christopher telling me things that I could clearly see, like "Okay, we have 3 steps right here ... the door is right in front of you ... this is your spoon." Thank you Christopher. I had surgery in my mouth, not my eyes. All in all, I felt great. After the anesthesia wore off I really never felt like I had to sleep (of course, that didn't stop me from sleeping a combined 42 of the next 72 hours) and I never felt weird like I have with other painkillers. I really wasn't in pain at all - a little sore and a lot swollen on Thursday and Friday, but never in any real pain.

Here are some of the valuable lessons I learned:
1. Getting blood drawn is not terrible.
2. Getting an IV is okay, especially if that IV is giving you anesthesia.
3. Blood pressure cuff - still bad.
4. Puppies are great cuddlers and provide great comfort when you don't feel well (I already knew that, of course). They do not, however, have any concept that you have had surgery. They were not any more gentle or less crazy than normal. I thought maybe they'd have some sort of sixth sense about these things and they'd calmly crawl on the bed and lay their head down gently so not to disturb me. But no - they jumped, they plopped, they stretched, they kicked. What can you do?
5. Christopher is an absolutely amazing caretaker. He was so sweet and gentle all day. He never once complained that he had to spend his one day off taking care of his poor, feeble wife. He anticipated nearly every need and want and if I did ask him for something he jumped up to do it immediately and not at all begrudgingly (in front of me, anyway). As we fell asleep that night, I told him how sweet he'd been and how much it meant to me and that I couldn't wait to see him take care of our children one day. Still being sweet he said "And take care of you when you have our babies." Whaa? Christopher always teases me, saying that he's going to make fun of me when I gain weight and start experiencing the unpleasant aspects of pregnancy, so his thoughtful response was shocking. I know he's sweet, but sometimes it's nice to be reminded.

Up next: cleaning off pictures from my phone. I'm pretty sure most of them are of the dogs. Get excited. :)

Spring Break - Part 1

Let me just start this by saying I've noticed that I have a stream-of-consciousness "style" of writing. And by "style", I mean I write whatever the hell pops in my head ... going off on tangents, giving "side notes" that have no purpose, and often asking questions and then answering them myself. This can sometimes cause my posts to be extremely too long (I'm a big fan of giving details ... sometimes the unnecessary ones). I hope this doesn't bother anyone. I know Suzy (my dear friend, the English teacher) probably cringes when she reads my run-on-sentence-filled ramblings and my invented grammar. Suzy please don't let your mother read this, she'd never talk to me again. Or my mother for that matter. Oh well. It's how I talk, so it's how I write. Here we go.

So, I'm not really a fan of doctors and dentists (not the people, just what they do), but I have especially been dreading getting my wisdom teeth taken out. My dentist told me over a year ago that I should probably start that process. I didn't. When I went back to my dentist in the fall, he went ahead and faxed my referral over to an oral surgeon's office and told me I needed to follow up in the next couple weeks. I didn't. Until January (nearly 5 months later). I went for my consultation and they didn't do anything (they just took x-rays - nothing scary). They were all perfectly nice and helpful and they asked me if I'd like to schedule my surgery and I said no thanks. I promised I'd go home and look at my calendar and be sure to call them that week to make my appointment. I didn't. Until February. When I finally decided it would be better to just get it over with (and my 6 month dentist check-up was quickly approaching and I couldn't tell my handsome sweet dentist that I still hadn't scheduled the surgery). So I asked Christopher what days he would be off during my spring break, and I called to schedule what I had been dreading since high school.

I don't actually remember exactly what I did to kick off my spring break weekend ... I know I went to church, probably went out to eat with my family, most likely slept late ... all the makings of a lazy vacation. Until Monday when I had a dermatologist appointment (this doesn't have anything to do with my wisdom teeth, but it helps to set up just how relaxing this break was for me). A few months ago I found a little bump on my skin that wasn't going away with regular facewash, so my general practitioner referred me to an excellent dermatologist. I went a few weeks ago and he decided that he needed to biopsy the bump (which means he stuck a giant needle in my face to numb the area and then sliced it off - very pleasant). The results came back as an angio-something, which is usually a result of a genetic disorder ... blah blah blah. He told me not to be worried, but I needed to come back to get a full body scan to see if he could find any more of the bumps. So that's what I was doing on Monday. Let me tell you, if you've never sat in front of your dermatologist in just your undergarments (and a paper sheet to hold in front of you) ... it is unlike any mortification I can explain. You're seriously more covered during an OBGYN appointment (until the actual exam). Anyway ... my doctor couldn't find any more of the bumps (Yay!) but just to be sure that I don't have either of the two genetic disorders associated with these angiothings ... he said I needed to get some bloodwork done. Have I mentioned how much I dislike needles? No? It's worse than my disdain of doctors. So I decided to go straight to Labcorp to get it over with. Too bad for me because one of the tests is an insulin test, and you can't eat 6-8 hours before, so I couldn't do it. Well what do you know? I can't eat before my wisdom teeth surgery on Wednesday, so I ask them if I can come back before my surgery to get my bloodwork done. You know, kill two unpleasant birds with one stone.

So now I'm really really REALLY dreading Wednesday. I tried to enjoy Tuesday as much as I could ... I slept late and then took balloons to Christopher's store (it was the 1 year anniversary of the Waffle House being open in Moonville!) After that, I met my mom and sister for lunch at Brick Street Cafe (delicious doesn't even begin to describe ... if you haven't had their "Best chocolate cake I've ever had", you're missing out). On Tuesday night, Christopher and I had a personal training session and I'm actually starting to enjoy working out, so that was good, too. We had supper and then I tried not to think about what I had to do the next day. I didn't sleep very much that night.

Wednesday morning. Christopher got up at 5:30 to play basketball at Earle Street (he loves when he doesn't have to work and he gets to play basketball with his friends at church). I woke up, took a shower, and lied in the bed until he came home and took a shower and we were both ready to go. We went to Labcorp at about 9:00. We were seriously in and out of there in about 15 minutes and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. The woman (nurse I guess?) talked during the whole thing - none of that "Okay, are you ready? I'm going to put the needle in on the count of 3. Here we go." Does that actually help anyone? I doubt it. My wisdom teeth appointment wasn't until 11:00, so Christopher and I came home and watched some recorded TV - two of our favorites, How I Met Your Mother and Glee. I was enjoying my television shows so much, I almost forgot what I had to do next ... but not quite.

Okay, this is getting quite lengthy and I haven't even gotten to my surgery yet, so I'm going to stop there for now. I'll go ahead and start the next post, but I have a feeling I won't finish it until tomorrow. Until then ...

Pause

I promise I'm working on my greatly anticipated wisdom teeth post (I actually started it this morning between the sunrise service and regular church), but I need to hit pause for the afternoon. It is way too pretty to sit inside on the computer, so I am instead soaking up some sun in the backyard. I assure you I will finish my post once the sun goes down. Now I need to go wipe the sunscreen fingerprints from my phone and continue listening to glee. I hope everyone else is enjoying this delightful Easter Sunday! :)

Marital Exchange of the Day

I'm stealing this idea from Chris and Alex Payne (I just tried to "tag" them to give them credit - what a Facebook world we live in.)

Marital Exchange Of the Day
Me: (very sweetly) What do you want to do for supper, darling?
Christopher: What?! Why are we talking right now?
Me: (stunned, but still sweet) Whatever do you mean, precious?
Christopher: I'm researching right now. Can't you see? I'm on the internet.

And scene.

Seriously. Okay, I may have exaggerated with my overly sweet sentiment (when I hear it in my head it sounds like a sweet southern belle ... dahhling, suppah, etc. If you didn't read it like that, go back and read it again. I swear it makes it better.), but I'm really not exaggerating with Christopher ... he takes his internet research very seriously. The boy is ADHD off the charts, but he can sit at the computer for hours. I'm sure he was researching something ground-breaking and life-altering like puppies for adoption in our area, some very necessary, not at all expensive gadget he must have, or something to do with Georgia Tech athletics. You know, the important things in life. I'm also sure that whatever it was he could tell you more than you ever wanted to know about it. Now this does come in handy sometimes. Like when we actually need to buy something ... Christopher will research it to death to make sure we make the best possible decision. I do, however, fear the day I become pregnant ... Christopher will know every single thing that is happening to our growing baby and my changing body for every second of those nine months. This would be fine, except that the only thing Christopher loves more than researching is sharing what he's learned.

Okay, I promise to write a real post tomorrow. It will most likely be about my wisdom teeth surgery (Is that even what you call it? Wisdom teeth extraction? Surgery to take out wisdom teeth?). Whatever. It promises to be thrilling. I know you can't wait.

Can't sleep

I'm lying here in my bed at 7:00am during my spring break and I can't go back to sleep!! If you know me, this might be a bit shocking. I LOVE to sleep and I can usually fall asleep any time of day and it doesn't affect me. Until yesterday. I had my wisdom teeth taken out yesterday morning so I slept most of the afternoon and evening. I thought I might have a hard time falling asleep last night, but I drifted off to sleep as soon as the light went off. Then for some reason when Christopher got up at 5:45 for work, I was wide awake and haven't been able to fall back asleep. Normally I just barely wake up long enough to tell him I love him and give him a goodbye smooch (I love that word). Oh well, perhaps I'll get a head start on some chores. Right after I make one more attempt to fall asleep. Maybe the rain outside will help.

(Side note: I took a picture of the pups who are having no trouble sleeping. Unfortunately, I can't upload it straight from my phone. Maybe I'll add it later.)

Brittney continued the list ... definitely worth listening to.

Random

This is completely random and has nothing to do with the blog challenge or the photo challenge ...

For some reason, I was thinking of some of my favorite hymns and I thought I'd share a couple. Actually, I don't think any of them would actually be considered hymns, but they're definitely "churchy".

I sang this one with my high school concert choir and I still LOVE it. I'd probably say it's my favorite.

(This video had the best sound quality, but it is creepy for sure. I suggest you do something else on your computer if you're going to listen. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the trumpets. I'm a big fan of just the piano.)

So the next song was supposed to be Worthy is the Lamb, but I can't find it! I keep getting a praise song or a song from Handel's Messiah, neither of which is the version I remember (although I am a fan of Messiah). Britt, help me out.

Moving on, you can't go wrong with The Lord's Prayer. And Andrea Bocelli.

This isn't exactly a church song, but I still love it.

Oh Holy Night is another favorite. I don't really know why it's mostly played at Christmas. I listen to it year-round. Of course I love Celine singing it, but I also like Josh Groban's version. Take your pick.

In Celine's version, my favorite part is sung by the choir, so that's a bummer because it's kind of quiet.

Okay, I could spend hours clicking from one video to the next on YouTube, so I think I'll call it a night.

Also, I hope I didn't offend anyone with my last post (specifically the part about loving the GLBT community). It's just something I feel strongly about, so I was putting it out there. I'm certainly not taking it back or apologizing for it, I just hope I didn't lose any readers who might feel differently. If I did, oh well. :)

Days 9-12

Okay, we're skipping some days here, both because some of the prompts are lame and because I got a little behind.

Photo Challenge - A picture of something you hate.

Ugh. I hate hate HATE bananas. I tried one when I was 2 years old and thought it was terrible so I spit it out (on the floor). The lady I stayed with when I was little made me sit in time out for spitting on the floor, and I've forever had an aversion to bananas. I worked in the Infant-Toddler Program at First Baptist and kids would always have bananas for snacks. I used to have to hold the bananas with a paper towel just so I could cut it up for them. My students at school know "Mrs. Taylor does not do bananas" so they need to find a friend to help them open it up at lunch. The smell and texture are the worst. Sick. I'm positive my own children are going to love them and I'll have to just get over it, but until then I'll continue loathing them.

Photo Challenge - A picture of something you love.

Anyone surprised I started with food? I didn't think so. These are just a few of my favorites. I could eat carbs all the livelong day ... rice, pasta, bread, bagels, I love them all. Goldfish and Coke were my go-to snack until we started our nutrition plan. Now it's a treat I can have in very small portions. And of course, I have loved Chick-fil-A for quite some time. The nuggets ... the waffle fries ... the Polynesian sauce ... the fountain Coke (there is a difference). Unfortunately, my love affair with Chick-fil-A might be coming to an end after the controversy surrounding their support of anti-gay groups. Don't know what I'm talking about? Click here or here. That brings me to my next love ...

... gay people! I think my love for the GLBT community started with my love for diversity in general. I really started to realize the discrimination against this group in college (and the fact that it is absolutely absurd) and so I decided to become an advocate. I'm a member of the Human Rights Campaign and I went through Safe Zone Training (it's called Ally now) at Clemson. I could go on forever about this love, so if you want to know more, feel free to ask me! 

This (kind of) brings me to my next love ...

 ... rainbow colors in general, school supplies specifically. I love crayons, markers, Sharpies, pens (specifically gel pens, as pictured above) ... another subject I could go on and on about. 

 Finally, I love Clemson. I love the education I got from Clemson, I love the campus, the sports, everything!

As usual, I could go on and on about the things I love (and I'm sure I'll come back to most of these at some point), but for now, I'm calling it a night so I can spend time with my main loves.

Day 7 and Day 8

Day 7 of the Photo Challenge - A picture of your most treasured item.

I just love my wedding rings. I love my engagement ring because I know how hard Christopher worked to pay for it, not to mention the hours I know he spent researching and learning about diamonds (he likes to know everything about something before he buys it). I love my wedding band because it reminds me of our wedding day and the promises we made to each other on that day. And I love my anniversary band because it makes everything symmetrical.

Day 7 of the Blog Challenge - Favorite movies.
I'm one of those people who could watch the same movies over and over again. This drives Christopher nuts because I always want to watch the exact same movies and he wants to try something new. I tried to narrow it down, and this is the best I could do.

I honestly don't know how many times I've seen this movie (or parts of it), but I will never ever turn it down if I have the chance to watch it. Oddly enough, I don't own it. (Bonus: Meg Ryan's character's name is Kathleen Kelly! Not only is my name Cathleen, but it was also alliterative like her's before I got married).

LOVE this movie. My parents let me watch it when I was little (although they changed the channel during some of the "graphic" scenes). Unchained Melody was my favorite song for the longest time because of this movie.

I did NOT want to see this movie. An Italian film with subtitles? No thanks. Thank goodness I did, because I think if I had to choose, this would be my favorite movie. If you haven't seen it, you must. Without a doubt. After about 2 minutes, you don't notice the subtitles. 

I just recently discovered this movie and I finally see what all the fuss is about with Barbra Streisand. I've been begging Christopher to let me watch it again and he keeps insisting on watching movies we haven't seen. We've got it in our Netflix instant queue for me to watch after I get my wisdom teeth out in a couple of weeks.

Sweetest movie ever. My sister and I would watch this movie over and over again. It's so funny and absolutely precious.

Who doesn't love The Little Mermaid? I pretended I was Ariel in the bathtub and at the pool. I really wanted to be her.

I watch this every year at Christmas. I'm a big fan of Hugh Grant.

Have I mentioned that I love musicals? I could watch (and sing along with) both of these movies over and over again.

 I was terrified of the flying monkeys and the wicked witch and my (younger) sister wasn't, so she wanted to watch this movie over and over again just to see me squirm. Even though my heart still starts racing when I hear that music, I love this movie.

Day 8 of the Photo Challenge - A picture that makes you laugh.
Who's surprised that I couldn't pick just one picture or that they all involve the pups (mostly Henry)? My choices were a little limited because of our computer crash, so these are all from my phone.

 Henry is a bit clingy, especially when I'm cooking. 

Emma is just pitiful when she has to wear that cone.

 Henry likes to sleep like this and he also likes to pose like a little girl. 

Day 8 of the Blog Challenge - A place you've traveled to.
Booorrrring. I really have not been anywhere interesting. The most "foreign" place I've been is Mexico. Sad, right? I'm going to Hawaii this summer, so I guess that will be the farthest I've been, even if it's in the United States. I've really only been to a handful of states out of the southeast - Texas, Vermont, Massachusetts, that's about it. What a pitiful life I lead.

Day 5 and Day 6

Day 5 of the Photo Challenge - A picture of your favorite memory.

I know ... you're probably thinking "What the shit?" (Actually, you're probably thinking "What the hell?" but I like to think/say "What the shit?") I swear this will make sense in a minute. Maybe not. We'll see. My favorite memory is actually something that happened often as a child and something that we never thought to take a picture of. Weekend mornings Jennifer, Jason, and I would pile into my parents' bed in between the two of them. Someone started calling this our "bird's nest" because we were all crammed in there together. I don't remember how long we'd stay there ... it could have been 2 minutes, it could have been 2 hours. I just remember absolutely loving that time when the five of us were all together.

Day 5 of the Blog Challenge - A song to match your mood.
It's quickly approaching bedtime and I'm a bit sleepy so a lullaby certainly matches my mood. My dear husband introduced me to this song and it quickly became one of my favorites. He would play it for me on the piano when we first started dating. I think we'll sing it to our children.

Goodnight, My Angel - Billy Joel

Day 6 of the Photo Challenge - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with.

Have I made you think "What the shit?" again? I would bet all the money I have (which, as a teacher, is a lot, let me tell you) that no one knows who this is. It's Rene Angelil. Still nothing? It's Celine Dion's husband, duh! And if you know me, you know that I adore Celine Dion. So if I could trade places with someone it would be her husband so that I could spend all day with her!!

Day 6 of the Blog Challenge - A picture of something that makes you happy.

The pups and my husband. Pretty self-explanatory I think.

Day 4

Day 4 of the Photo Challenge - A picture of your favorite night.

Our wedding night is easily my favorite night ... no, not that wedding night ... our reception. Christopher and I are both fairly shy people (I know our close friends would disagree). What I mean is, we're not the type of people to dance and go crazy at a wedding. Except our own.

 Making our way to the dance floor after the children and grandparents had gone home. Cute, I know.

 Check out Greg and Suzy in the corner.

 Oh brother.

 Not at all awkward.

I don't know what we're doing or why everyone is looking at us.

Somehow Christopher got a rag and he insisted on swinging it around his head the rest of the evening. I believe this is also about the time our DJ started playing unedited Jeezy and T.I.

I hope our friends and family had half as much fun as we did!

Day 4 of the Blog Challenge - Your parents. 

My parents are two of my absolute favorite people in the world. They taught me so many important things without actually having to teach me. Instead they showed me. They showed me how to laugh at yourself, how to love and accept everyone, how to be polite, how to be kind, and of course, how to be a smart ass (I credit my mom for that one). I really am my mother's daughter (is that how the saying goes?). I'm like her in so many ways, from our sense of humor down to the food we eat (or don't eat, rather). And Christopher is so much like my dad. My mom says I knew exactly what I was getting into when I married Christopher because I was around my dad my whole life. They're silly, require a lot of attention, and are both so sweet and thoughtful. 

I think these two pictures really epitomize my parents. 

 Precious.

I think my mom was getting ready to start crying and my dad was being sweet.

Day 3

Day 3 of the Photo Challenge - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

This is impossible to just pick one TV show that's my favorite, so I've decided to pick 4. Two shows that are currently on the air and two favorites that I could watch again and again. I've also told you my favorite characters, not that you asked.

I'm definitely on the Glee bandwagon. It's over-the-top, dramatic, far-fetched at times and I LOVE IT!! Kurt is my favorite.

 Our friends Greg & Suzy introduced us to How I Met Your Mother and swore it was better than Friends and that we would love it. One weekend and 4 seasons of DVDs later, we agreed. Barney is my favorite.

 Oh heavens. The West Wing is a show I could watch any episode any time, no matter how many times I've seen it. It's serious, hilarious, sweet, and just plain wonderful. CJ Cregg is my favorite.

 Frasier is another show I could watch again and again. Niles is my favorite by far.

Day 3 of the Blog Challenge - Your first love.

Ahh ... my first love was Marcus Croft in 1st grade. He was a very tall black boy and he kissed me on top of my head standing in the lunch line one day. That's all I remember about him, but he will always hold a special place in my heart. I realize this is probably not the first love that  I was supposed to tell about, but we're not even going there. :)

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you've been closest with the longest.

Besides my parents, I've been closest to my brother and sister the longest. They are two of my absolute favorite people - and not just because we're related. Unfortunately, the "closeness" of our relationships does not also apply to distance. Jason lived in Dallas for a few years and lives in Charleston now. Jennifer lives in Clemson, so I'm able to see her more often, but she lived in Spain for nearly 6 months and is most likely moving to Colombia (South America) next year. Oh well. I'm sure you'll be hearing about them later on.


Also, I found another challenge to do! This one is the 30 Day Blog Challenge (I think that's what I was looking for the first time). Our computer recently crashed and we lost everything, including pictures, so I'm not sure how feasible a photo challenge is. I'm still going to try to do that one, but I'll be doing the blog challenge as well. Confused? I usually am.

Day 1 of the blog challenge was basically the same thing, so we'll pick up with Day 2 - the meaning behind your blog name.

Well, that's pretty self-explanatory - it's who we are! Our pups are a big part of our lives (probably the best thing we have going for us right now), so it wouldn't make sense to have a blog about us if it didn't include them. I like "us and the pups" because it rhymes (sort of) and for some reason I didn't want to have our name in the web address.

Two straight days of blogging ... we're on a roll now.

30 Day Photo Challenge

Okay so I'm attempting to do this 30 Day Photo Challenge (I think it was originally started on Facebook). I'm not sure how interesting it will be and I've looked at the list and already know I'll be changing a few things, but I'm hoping it will at least help get me in the habit of blogging more often.

Day 1 - A picture of yourself with 10 facts.

1. I like to make people laugh.
2. I love filling out paperwork.
3. I'm a smart ass.
4. I love to cuss, but not with the normal combinations of words and phrases. I like to mix it up.
5. My mind is always in the gutter. I blame this solely on Christopher.
6. Christopher and I like to provide dialogue for Henry and Emma. We've made up voices and phrases that we think they would typically use. In our dialogue, Henry loves burritos and being sleepy. Emma likes to pout and always feels left out. This is some of our most enjoyable time spent together. Yes, we know we're freaks.
7. I'm trying to get in shape for our trip to Hawaii in June. If you know me, you know this is laughable. I'd much rather be eating goldfish and watching TV than working out.
8. I dislike wearing bras. It's the first thing that comes off after work.
9. I taught the pups to shake and it's their most dependable trick.
10. Sleeping is my favorite activity.

A little update

I guess I haven't really been much better about updating my blog, have I? I've been trying to write down funny and absurd things my students say at school and I'm just afraid it won't really come across the same way in the blog world. We'll see. As soon as my dad e-mails me the pictures, I'll have a post to write about the rainy Reedy River Run (have I mentioned that I LOVE alliteration). Excuses, excuses. I guess I'll just start by sharing how my week started off and then I've got exciting news to share!

It has been a perfect storm for tiredness (crankiness) this week. We started off with the time change on Sunday, which I still haven't caught up on and it just seems wrong to leave when it's SO dark in the morning. First grade performed at PTA Night on Monday, which meant a 13 hour day at school. After getting home from PTA Night, I stayed up late to finish our yearbook that was due on Monday (I don't think I've mentioned that I was in charge of putting together the entire yearbook for our school - such a treat). I didn't have a planning period on Monday or Tuesday, which meant I was with my darling class from 7:50 until 2:30 without a break (not even recess because of the rain, and lunch doesn't count as a break because I spend half the time opening milk and ketchup). And what is up with this rainy, cold weather? It makes me yearn for my bed as soon as I leave the house. Woe is me. Blah, blah, blah, right? I told you my life was boring. Let's move onto the exciting news, shall we?

First, my precious friend Brittney and I are the new coaches for the Eastside Varsity Cheerleading squad! Officially, she is the Head Coach and I'm the Assistant Coach. We meet the current squad next week and things start rolling from there. We're already planning try-outs, camps, fundraisers ... we're going to be busy! I'm so glad Brittney is so on top of things. I'm really excited, but to be honest, I'm super nervous about dealing with high school girls. I'm quite a smart ass and I don't really have much patience for drama (especially after dealing with 6 year olds all day), so I hope we get along. I'm also just a lot teensy bit intimidated by high schoolers. You can't really fake your way through (like I can with my 1st graders sometimes). Oh well. As my mother always says, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. If you want the whole story, Brittney did a fabulous job documenting the past few weeks.

Second, our dear, sweet, darling friends Greg and Suzy are pregnant!!! Well, clearly Greg is not pregnant. Suzy is the pregnant one and they are expecting their first child in October! We are beyond thrilled for them and can't wait to meet their sweet baby. I'm especially delighted to learn from Suzy about being pregnant (because I know she'll tell me the things I don't want to hear, but need to) before I get pregnant. If you know her and want to follow her pregnancy, click here. Even if you don't know her, she writes a good blog.

That's all for now. It's after 10:00 (which is my bedtime) so I think I'll head to bed so I'm not cranky in the morning. :)

What blog?

So I start a blog, write a few posts and then go 5 months without writing anything. Then I write 2 posts in one day and go another 3 months without posting. Why, you might ask? Several reasons - the most important being that I truly believe I lead an extremely boring life. No one cares about my lack of exercise, excessive sleeping, and overall uneventful existence. When I actually do something fun or exciting, I never have my camera ... and who reads blogs without pictures? So how can I fix this for my faithful readers (Suzy and Brittney). I have no clue. Any ideas? (And I know you both are thinking "Have a baby! You'll have plenty to write about!") ... cool your jets girls. We're not quite there yet.

(Quick aside - I just heard a car pull up in front of our house with some gangster shit blaring and heard a door shut 2 seconds later. Thinking I'm about to be robbed, (we live in an interesting part of town) I pick up my phone to call the police (no joke). Then I hear the key turn in the door and my sweet husband walks in singing "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne. If you don't know Christopher very well, he is quite possibly the whitest person I know, with the exception of the fact that he lived in Atlanta for 5 years, knows the words to every rap song, and practically worships Jeezy.)

So I seriously need ideas for our humble little blog. Thanks.