ACC Champs!!

Well, it has been since October that I published a new post. A lot has happened since then, most importantly my Clemson tigers winning the ACC championship! It has been quite a year for us, and that doesn't mean all good. We started off great, "shock the world tour," undefeated beating big match ups like Auburn, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. 8-0!! BUT then we had what I would like to call a small hiccup, but more way more severe! We lost 3 of our last 4 games, which includes losing to South Carolina for the third year in a row.  Ew, it kills me to even have to say it! And right after that devastating loss, we were headed to Charlotte for the ACC championship. It wasn't looking too promising for us. Although we were playing Virginia Tech who we had already beat earlier in the season, they were not rated higher than us and after 3 losses our momentum was quickly dying, if not completely gone! But as tigers we were able to fight, fight, fight and come fully prepared to win the ACC and that is exactly what we did! Finishing the season "shocking the world." We are now off to Miami and January to play in the BCS Orange Bowl, could't be more fitting! I'm always proud of my tigers and the Clemson nation!

I had to work Thanksgiving this year, so I missed out and another great Langhorne get together in Indianapolis. Gary and I had Thanksgiving lunch with my coworkers at the hospital this year and then I had the rest of the weekend off. I prepared our own Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday and we spent the weekend decorating for Christmas, including getting our Christmas tree!

We will be hosting my family (abridged version) over Christmas weekend and as they leave the day after Christmas Gary's family will be arriving later that afternoon. It should be a great Christmas!

May I just say that what has happened in Ohio these past few days is a disgrace!! I mean humans do a lot of great things, but think of all the destruction we cause along the way. These animals were taken from their natural habitats as babies to be "pets" to a crazy person! Yes there are people out there raising exotic animals that are great care takers, but does that mean that the animals are better off in cages than roaming the forests, savannas, and plains? Somehow I doubt it! And then the police in order to protect the PEOPLE (b/c who cares about the animals right) have to have a huge hunting spree! Seriously?!?!? ever heard of tranquilizers perhaps? I mean, sure, I give it to them some of these animals were roaming near people's houses and if one came to my house and almost ate my kid I would probably shoot it too. But the authorities who say that hunting these animals was the only way to prevent human harm were greatly mistaken! Sure hunt them, but tranquilize them, send them to the zoo; don't hunt and kill them! Of all the great, majestic animals that were sent out by this crazy guy only two or three made it to safety... pathetic! On a day like that, I think I would rather be an animal than a human... with morals like that... God gave us the ability to think and be moral and ethical. Who was acting their part that day?

weekend happenings....

This weekend our house played host to some first time visitors! My mother in law, sister in law, niece and nephew were all here to visit! They made it to MD late Thursday night and headed back to Chapin Tuesday morning. Unfortunately I had to work many of the days they were here, but we were still able to do a lot of fun things! On Saturday we went to the National Zoo here in Washington, D.C. We saw many animals including giant panda, bengal tiger, lionesses, elephants, birds, wolf, zebras, and cheetahs. The zoo was actually quite large so we weren't able to see every exhibit. Maybe next time, since it is free admission. I would love to go back during the Christmas season when everything is all lit up and decorated! When we got home from the zoo on Saturday we watched the Clemson/Maryland game... OMG... what a stressful game. Clemson pulled out the win though to keep us undefeated and move us up to a 7th place national ranking!! GO TIGERS!!

They also helped us with a LOT of landscaping. There was an over grown flower bed around a tree in our front yard, so they helped us to weed, transplant monkey grass, make a new circular bed, plant tulip bulbs for the spring, add top soil and mulch. We also had horrible rose bushes surrounding our back porch which they helped to remove. No new plants for that area yet, but at least we got it all removed. I hate rose bushes... so prickly!!

Bentley was also excited to have to new "toys" to chase around for the weekend! He was surprisingly great with Hailey and Peyton. He had fun outside while everyone worked outside! He is handsomely sporting his new harness (military issue) from his dad! :)

We were so happy to have Mrs. McNeillie, Brandy, Hailey, and Peyton here to visit! We can't wait for them to come back soon!

The best 25 years of my life...

Well folks, I turned the big 2-5 this past weekend! I have always said, I hope I live to 100 years and that is still true today. Sometimes people get caught up worrying about their age, or afraid to look their age, or that age somehow changes who they are or who they can be. Although most of you would say, ha, easy for her to say she is still young; I have always believed in celebrating age. Think of all the things you have seen, learned, acquired, and felt during those years of your life?!?! Would you really give them all away to be younger; would you give them all away to change something? Well, my answer is no. I truly think growing old is a blessing, and when I reach 100 years old I will sit in my rocking chair, on my porch in the mountains, on that beautiful fall day and say, "Thank you God for allowing me this many years and allowing me to see the world you have created for us."

I celebrated my first quarter of century of life in Clemson, of course! I couldn't think of a better place! We played Boston College this weekend and were granted a win for my birthday! A little celebration at the Esso and let's just say the rest is history.... yes, history... that is the best thing to call it! :)

I got to see a few friends I haven't seen in a while! I love reunions! I spent Friday night with Tamra Brock, one of my great friends from nursing school. We had dinner and spent the evening checking out the homecoming floats on Bowman field. Only got to see Elizabeth and Ryan briefly, which makes me sad, but hopefully a longer reunion soon! We also spent time with some good ole Chapin folks, Daivd and Jake! They were at my after party/birthday party where the "history" was being made. All right, all right... it included me purposely falling asleep on the couch before my birthday cake was even cut. But it was a great!

Bentley came along with us on the trip too. He was much more behaved in the car this time. He must be getting used to the long rides! :)

busy busy...

So a lot of things have been going on lately....

After the earthquake, we went to a wedding in Charleston, had a hurricane while we were gone, came home to a flooded basement, cleaned it up, got back to work, Gary started grad school, we planted some grass, knitted, knitted, and knitted, threw a baby shower, and that brings us to present day.

Naturally, we are thankful for surviving two natural disasters :) and the flooded basement kinda pushed us back into housework mode. After the initial purchase and work on the house we kind of tired out and have only been making small progress. Once we cleaned up the basement we decided there is still much to be done and started working on the house again. We've finished changing the outlets/switches in the kitchen, cleaned our junk from the formal living/dining rooms and steam cleaned the carpets. Those front two rooms have never looked better!

Continuing repair plans also include:
painting the front door and shutters
fixing the dangling gutter
painting the trim outside the house
spraying the basement to prevent mold (from the flood)
and finishing the master bedroom/bathroom. (side tables, lamps, dressers, hang pictures, full length mirror


We also took a trip to SC for the marriage of Spencer Lovelace and Brittany Long, no of course Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Lovelace! It was a beautiful wedding with all the best of southern style! And I can't forget our visit with the Charleston Langhorne crew: Jason, Kim, Ella, and Ty guy!! Love them!! And we stayed with the McNeillie's of the ghetto!! We got to see many people on this trip!! Oh, and we can't forget the 19 hours of car ride with sweet Bentley! (only one throw up incident)

In the mean time Clemson has won all three of their games, big wins against Auburn and FSU!

Next, Emily and I threw a baby shower for Cassie and baby Lexi! We had all the hospital folk out for a great time! The night before the party I was knitting like crazy because I still hadn't finished the gift I had been knitting for a while. You may remember the baby cocoon I knit for my nephew Peyton, well I made another for baby Lexi and Cassie got a matching scarf and hat! Emily and I prepared food before hand and had a good time planning.  We even made little baby feet sugar cookies!

Well life in MD continues...

coming soon: trip to Clemson for my 25th birthday and the Boston College game, and trip to Chapin to see Nick for a whole week!!

this one is for dad!!

Just Fishin'

I’m lost in her there holdin’ that pink rod and reel
She’s doin’ almost everything but sittin’ still
Talkin’ ‘bout her ballet shoes and training wheels
And her kittens
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

I say, “Daddy loves you, baby” one more time
She says, “I know. I think I got a bite.”
And all this laughin’, cryin, smilin’ dyin’ here inside’s
What I call, livin’

And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside
Throwin’ back what we could fry
Drownin’ worms and killin’ time
Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She’s already pretty, like her mama is
Gonna drive the boys all crazy
Give her daddy fits
And I better do this every chance I get
‘Cause time is tickin’
(Yeah it is)

And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside
Throwin’ back what we could fry
Drownin’ worms and killin’ time
Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’
Yeah, aww, she thinks we’re just fishin’
We ain’t only fishin’
(This ain’t about fishin’)

--Trace Adkins

Beating the Heat...

Today our new air conditioning unit was installed. Although not my first choice of things to do today, I suppose it was well worth it to devote 5 hrs of my day off to have it installed. Our old unit had seen better days and was performing very poorly. We have had many extremely hot days lately,  and our air conditioner was super struggling. We changed the setting higher to help it out, cut back the bushes around the unit for better air circulation, installed a new ceiling fan in our bedroom and got a fan for Bentley, but in the end it just wasn't enough. It had begun to make strange noises when it shut off and despite the higher temperature setting it was still getting warmer inside than the setting should have allowed. Needless to say our power bill the past few months has been monstrous and Gary hasn't allowed me a cuddle in the same amount of time. Double negative which does not make a positive. And let me tell you, the extra days I have put in "at the office" for some extra money were not supposed to be for a new AC unit! But, as I hear it, that is one of the beauties of owning a home....

We purchased our new unit through Sears and two men came to the house to install it. If anyone is in the same boat we are this summer, we were pretty satisfied with them in terms of price, timeliness, and customer service. The technicians arrived when they were scheduled to, completed their work, and were courteous. The new unit was up and running before I knew it. They showed me the changes, I signed some papers, and off they went.

That is pretty much the whole of my day...

 bright, shiny and new!!!

Bentley's Corner...

There is a little corner in our house that fits Bentley's crate as if it were uniquely created for that sole purpose. It has a perfect view of the family room so he can still see us when he has to be in his crate, and he can still see the front door so he can warn us of any intruders! :) Anyway, until today Bentley's corner has been kinda drab. Crate only. Well today is the day it has officially become "dog central." I have decided it will be the perfect place to display photos of our growing pup, and of course to remember Copper. It will kind of be a growing project, so as we get more pictures we will put them up in a sort of collage of frames. The pictures on the wall already make Bentley's corner seem more "homey" and flow well into the family room.

 Yes, that is Bentley's personal fan.... spoiled? Yes, but we do have a AC unit of questionable efficiency. New AC unit coming... a blog for another day...

That is all....


Oh and if you need some additional reading and some corny laughs follow my dad's new blog
 entitled Life & Adventures in America

a day outdoors....

Yesterday Gary, Bentley and I set out for a great outdoor adventure. There is a state park not far from our house, and Bentley was in great need of some extended exercise. We started our hike, a 3.5 mile loop, excited for a day outside. The great heat wave had finally lifted and it was just an average 95 degree summer day. At first we had Bentley on the leash (rules of the park) and he was just sniffing away at everything, tugging, pulling, wanting to run everywhere. So of course we let him off the leash, and like a perfect little pup he stayed right on the trail next to us the remainder of the hike.

So we had been walking for what seemed like a super long time and we come up on a post marking the mileage... not even half way. And Bentley had already begun his usual; laying down in the middle of a walk. haha. Soon after that our shoes started to give us blisters... I never can understand why I ever wear my chacos... I get blisters every time. Long story short, we were only half way, Bentley was getting too tired for the long walk, and Gary and I both had blisters! But we kept on... come to find out the 3.5 mile walk was actually 4 miles. 



We did it though, and got some great pictures!!

around the house...

A few updates since the last post...

A few days ago I was able to go with one of my friends to her 23 week ultrasound. This is something I have never seen before and let me tell you it was pretty cool. You can see the baby's heart so well that you can see all the chambers of the heart. It is crazy. Then of course we got to see the little feet and hands and a 3D image of little Lexi's face! So cute! The appointment was in Annapolis, so after we took the opportunity to go get lunch downtown. So pretty near and on the water! We both got fish and chips. :)

The shock collar we purchased as an investment in Bentley's education has turned out to be a good one. He is already learning from his mistakes and is just generally more calm. He still likes to jump up on us when we first get home and such, but he is of course still a Labrador!








Up in our part of the world, and probably a few others, there has been quite a heat wave! Temperatures for the past few days here have hit over a hundred, and with the heat index areas have gotten up near the 120s!! Yikes, it has just been so hot!! Well, our air conditioning unit is as old as the house is, which is about 13yrs. It has been running in overdrive the past month, and the past few days have pretty much done it in. It is still kind of working at this point, but in the heat of the afternoon it can't keep up. It gets to about 80 degrees in the house. We have gotten someone to come look at it and they think we pretty much need a whole new unit/system. Hopefully our home warranty will cover the cost, or at least the majority. Once the technician makes his recommendation to the warranty company, they will have to decide if they will cover a new unit or if that just want to replace parts. We of course are hoping for a new unit!!

In the mean time the ceiling fan in our bedroom died and we have been sleeping in the guest bedroom. Well today that is no more!!! We got a new ceiling fan, installed it,  and it looks great! I'm ready to be back in my own bed for sure!!

until next time....

shocks of parenting...

There comes a time in every parent's life where you just have to face the facts to realize your child (or puppy) is out of control! As the responsible parent, it is your job to make sure you do all you can to raise your child (or puppy) in a manner that is suitable to society's expectations. Using such parenting skills as leading by example, putting your child's needs above your own, and on an extreme occasion, tough love can all be helpful in your parenting endeavors.

Well, I have tried leading by example. I refrain from jumping on the counters, peeing on the floor, and biting other humans. So far Bentley has not caught on. Although he is doing very well with not peeing on the floor, which he is praised for. As a parent you should always praise your child (or puppy) for behaviors to which you approve and are proud of!

I have also tried putting his needs above my own. When it is my day off and I would like to sleep in but his internal alarm clock goes off at 4:30am, I reluctantly, but definitely get up to let him out! When he was (and still is) teething I make sure he has all the proper chew toys, including on occasion his favorite, my arm. This sacrifice has gone unnoticed to him, and he has failed to learn certain good behaviors as a thank you! As I am certain some children do. ;)

Which leads me to the last of previously mentioned parenting skills, tough love. Today, Bentley became the proud (or not so proud) owner of a "training collar." For those of you parents who don't believe in spanking your children (or puppy), please read no further, my post is no longer helpful to you! Now, for those of you who aren't aware, "training collar" is really just the politically correct term for SHOCK COLLAR. And this collar comes equipped with 10 "levels of correction." If you are dealing with children, this would be the equivalent of what degree of strength you are using to spank your child.

So far, Bentley is doing well with the collar. He seems to be responsive to tough love! Mostly the skill we are working on is jumping. Jumping on people, the counter, the couch. Now, for those of you dealing with some ADD/ADHD issues, this may help. It is best to teach only one quality/trait/skill at a time. Children (or mostly puppies) can really only pay attention to one thing at a time and correcting their every move is really more confusing and instructive!

Updates to follow... feel free to leave any parenting advice...

Here is a picture of my sweet sweet baby!

on call...

I was supposed to work today, but I got a surprise call this morning and it was the hospital requesting that I take call! Basically I got to stay home today, get paid a nominal hourly rate with the possibility of having to go in at any second. Usually taking call is not anything I would want to do because, yeah, you get the day "off" but at any minute the hospital could call needing you to come in.

Luckily, I never got that call. I was able to stay home all day with Gary and Bentley! The day wasn't a complete waste though, waiting around to be called in. Gary and I work on our bedroom closets. When we moved in, Gary's closet didn't have any hanging racks for his clothes, so he has been using the guest bedroom closet. Well people, no worries, he can now dress in our own room!! My closet was slightly more "move in" ready, but it needed some work too. Now both of our closets can hold all our clothes without the risk of the racks falling off the wall at any second!!

Anyway, I know that is not exactly the most interesting story to tell, but that was our day!!

p.s. --- Bentley continues to do well after his castration. He has one of those cones for his head, but it is really really huge for him. He can barely walk around with it on, so we don't make him wear it. Well the first night we put it on him overnight since we wouldn't be able to watch him and when we came downstairs the next morning it was just laying in his crate. Somehow he had gotten it off. So since then he hasn't had to wear it. He doesn't really pay much attention to that area though. He is still mainly worried about how to best chew off my arm. So much for the neuter fixing his love of chewing me!

p.s.s.--- Countdown to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II, July 15!! Already have my tickets!!

the luck of the Irish....

 Today I found a four leaf clover in our backyard!! The first one of my lifetime! As I now bare an Irish name, I thought I would look up the importance and tradition behind the four leaf clover.

The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. According to legend, each leaf represents something: the first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck. Ah ha, so that is why only the four leaf clovers are lucky! Although it is the four leaf clover that is considered lucky, the "Shamrock" which is the trade marked symbol of Ireland is only the three leaf clover.

I also found that clovers can have more than four leaves: the most ever recorded is 56 discovered in Japan.







In honor of finding such a rarity today, I guess I will touch on each leaf and discuss faith, hope, love, and luck in my own life.

Faith: I have faith in many things, but the most faith I have is in God. I have to believe and want to believe that God watches down on all of us and has meaning and direction for us all. Faith is about believing without seeing, and my experiences, family, and friends are all indications to me that God has a plan for me and has put certain people in my life to lead me there. Now, I'll be honest, I've not been a "good Catholic girl." I don't go church as much as I probably should, but at the same time I know I have God in my life and I talk with Him everyday. He hears, He listens, He answers. I can't see it, but I believe it! :)

Hope: Hopes and Dreams right.... sure I have them. But most of my hopes are for this world we live in. Everyday there are horrible, terrible things being reported in the news. New wars sparking up between countries everywhere. Land, oil, food, religion... humans have been killing each other ever since our creation. We are a deceitful, selfish, intolerant race. My true hope is that somehow the world can get back to basics. Start living our lives not only for ourselves but for others. I know this kinda falls along the lines of "World Peace," and I know that honestly that will never happen. I guess I just hope that the world could relearn how to be nice, to truly care about their neighbors.

Love: Well this is easy because I have so much of it! The first love I ever knew was of my family, ALL OF THEM! Parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole lot! I have a great family!  Then I found Gary! My husband who shows me all the love in the world. He is a constant support, a protector, not much for cuddling, but pretty much all around best husband ever! He listens to my rants and raves, makes jokes when I need them the most. Everyday is a smile! I have the love of my puppy Bentley. He bites me a lot, but I think it is all in love. When Gary and Bentley wait for me on the front porch as I drive up from a long day at work, that is pretty much the best!

Luck: Luck is a fickle thing. Some days you feel on top of the world, the luckiest person. Other days you can pretty much find a way to complain about everything, pretty unlucky. I haven't thought too long on the subject, but I think for the most part you make your own luck. Maybe there is a small degree of actual luck, like winning the lottery, you can't really plan that. But I think if you're smart, resourceful, level headed you can find a way to turn something bad (unlucky) into something good (lucky). The luck of the Irish can be for everyone!!

time to start over...

Seeing as I haven't posted in what seems like light years, I think now will be a good time to give my blog a new face.

Gary and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary!! Yay, I can't believe it has been a year already! We spent the day doing a number of things, but the most exciting was that Gary planned a dinner cruise for us! We went up to D.C. and boarded the Odyssey which cruised around the Potomac river and gave of beautiful night views of the monuments! We were able to see the city all lit up from the water! Dinner was delicious too!

So, since our first year of marriage is over, I think it is time that I updated the blog because I guess we are no longer "newly weds." Of course I will still be blogging about all the same things, but maybe it is time to take our wedding picture off the top of the screen? We have done so many new things since the start of our marriage and I am definitely looking for that to continue! Also in honor of this blog face lift, I am going to try to be more timely in my posts. Please notice, I said try :)

Recent Pictures of our Travels

The Boys

Riverbanks Zoo with Brandy, Hailey, Peyton, and Mimi

Cousins!!! missed you tina and nicky

Grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary in Indy