This, That, and Addie-cat

If I Could Give New Dads Some Advice... this would be it:

2012-01-18T22:02:00.000-05:00

I know I know, I'm not dead - just haven't blogged in almost 6 months. But for my bi-annual blog post, I thought I would share my response to a guy friend who's wife recently had a baby and was struggling with how to help her.

Here are my thoughts - uncensored - the way I like them.

I'll be honest with you - as a guy you will really have no idea what it feels like for a mom. However in the Baz Lightman's (you know the Wear Sunscreen song guy) - "if I could tell you some things to keep in mind-"

Your wife is going to be crazy - she will feel completely out of control and hate it - but she really can't do anything about it. She hates this range of emotions and the fact that they are unexpected and unexplainable more than you do... though that will be hard to imagine.

She needs to hear the obvious from you daily if not multiple times a day (I love you, this is normal, it's not going to be like this forever)

She needs to take time for herself - you will need to force her to do this - and help her not to feel guilty for being away from you and the baby

On the subject of guilt - she is going to feel guilty... about everything, even things that she can't explain why. This will get much worse once she goes back to worse - simple things like going to the grocery store on the way home will induce almost panic-like symptoms. It's fine, she just again needs continual encouragement from you that 1) the baby is fine (that's why you picked a good daycare) 2) you don't disapprove of nor look down on her taking time to herself or do household errands

Women are bitches - they are horrible at making you feel less than a good mom - whether it is baking or daycare or working or whatever, women constantly compete and will drive your wife crazy if she lets it. Try to encourage her to remember who she was before the baby and that she is still there. For me, returning to work actually helped - it was nice to have a purpose other than feeding and caring for a child/husband/house/dogs.

You can help her with little things to make her experience at work a bit better - set your phone to text her at different times in the day - just a simple Love you and I'm proud of you - you're a good mom, etc

Surprise her with a calendar of picture for her office - shutterfly is awesome at this - I found that having that in my office helped me to feel connected to my family and was nice since I look at the date no less than 20 times a day (as if the date somehow changes mid-day or something)

Tolerate her idiosyncrasies - I have heard of moms literally taking multiple days before successfully leaving her baby at daycare. Try to understand and realize that at the end of the day - all of this flows from a few basic things:

She wants to be a good mom (but doesn't "feel" it)
She wants to feel like you are proud of her and the job she is doing now as a mom
She wants to know that you still think she is sexy - even when she is in a spit-up laden teeshirt and doesn't feel it
She wants to know that you don't resent the baby even if you feel like your needs aren't being met
She wants to know that she can be a working mom but is terrified that she isn't doing it right or that people think she is selfish for working and not staying home like "good moms"

Lastly - realize that even though sex has resumed it probably will be nothing like before and just wait it out - it will get better around the 1 year mark.

The first year of having baby was ridiculous for me. I felt crazy - literally crazy. I was angry half of the time and sad the other half. I constantly felt like I was out of control and that freaked me out and made me feel stuck in some kind of horrible Groundhog Day. The best things that happened for me were simple - and almost all came from Lee.

The only other suggestion other than using therapy techniques (I seriously pulled from my deep breathing techniques, self talk, and such that I used to teach to counseling clients) is to find funny "mom" books. She won't want to admit aloud to others how she is feeling more than likely but I found that reading about how I wasn't alone or how others had it way worse than me helped a ton - and helped me to talk to Lee about what and how I was feeling.

I would suggest: http://www.amazon.com/Sucked-Then-Cried-Breakdown-Margarita/dp/B004J8HXA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326941633&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Sippy-Cups-Are-Not-Chardonnay/dp/1416915060/ref=pd_sim_b_1

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Laughs-Naked-Truth-Mommyhood/dp/0452287197/ref=pd_sim_b_5

Lastly - check out this blog - it puts how I feel about toddlerhood in complete perspective.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html

So carpe the heck out of the Kairos moments and leave the diem to the crazy moms who haven't figured out that they can't do everything and stay sane yet.

Remember, and Never Forget

2011-09-11T13:05:00.000-04:00

I posted this Sept 11 2009, a few weeks before we found out that I was preggers with Addie-cat. It still holds true today...

Taken 9/11/02 From the Times of London by Tony Parsons:

"ONE year ago, the world witnessed a unique kind of broadcasting- the mass murder of thousands, live on televesion. As a lesson in the pitiless cruelty of the human race, September 11 was up there with Pol Pot's mountain of skulls in Cambodia, or the skeletal bodies stacked like garbage in the Nazi concentration camps.

An unspeakable act so cruel, so calculated and so utterly merciless that surely the world could agree on one thing - no one deserves this fate. Surely there could be consensus: the victims were truly innocent and the perpetrators truly evil.

But to the world's eternal shame, 9/11 is increasingly seen as America's comeuppance. Incredibly, anti-Americanism has increased over the last year. There has always been a simmering resentment to the USA in this country - too loud, too rich, too full of themselves and so much happier than Europeans - but it has become an epidemic. And it seems incredible to me. More than that, it turns my stomach.
America is this country's greatest friend and our staunchest ally. We are bonded to the US by culture, language, and blood. A little over half of a century ago, around half a million Americans died for our freedoms, as well as their own. How have we forgotten so soon? And, exactly a year ago, thousands of ordinary men, women, and children - not just Americans, but from dozens of countries - were butchered by a small group of religious fanatics. How are we so quick to betray them?

What touched the heart about those who died in the Twin Towers and on the planes was that we recognized them. Young fathers and mothers, somebody's son and daughter, husband and wife. And children, some of them unborn. And these people brought it upon themselves? And their nation is to blame for their meticulously planned slaughter? How?

These days you don't have to be some dust-encrusted nut job in Kabul or Karachi or Finsbury Park to see America as the "Great Satan." The anti-American alliance is made up of self-loathing liberals who blame the Americans for every ill in the 3rd World, and conservatives suffering from power-envy, bitter that the world's only superpower can do what it likes without having to ask permission.

The truth is that America has behaved with ENORMOUS restraint since September 11, 2001.

Remeber the gut-wrenching tapes of weeping men phoning their wives to say, "I love you" before they were burned alive. Remember those people leaping to their deaths from the top of burning skyscrapers.

Remember the hundreds of firemen buried alive. Remember the smiling face of that beautiful little girl who was on one of the planes with her mum.

Remember, and realize, that America has never retaliated for 9/11 in anything like they way they could have.

So a few al-Quaeda tourists got locked without a trial in Camp X-Ray? Please do pass the Kleenex.

So some Afghan wedding receptions were shot up after they merrily fired their semi-automatics into a sky full of American planes? A shame, but perhaps next time they should stick to confetti.

AMERICA could have turned a large chunk of the world into a PARKING LOT. That it didn't is in of itself, a sign of its great strength.

American voices are already being raised against attacking Iraq. That's what democracy is for. How many in the Islamic world will have a minute's silence fo the slaughtered innocents of 9/11? How many Islamic leaders will have the guts to say that the mass murder of 9/11 was an abhorant abomination?

When the news of 9/11 broke on the West Bank, those freedom loving Palestinans were dancing in the streets! America watched all of that - and never pushed the button. We should all thank the stars that America is the most powerful nation in the world. I still find it absolutely incredible that 9/11 di not provoke all out war. No, not a "war on terrorism" but all out war. A real war.

The fundamentalists dudes are talking about "opening the gates of hell," if America attacks Iraq. Well, America could have opened up the gates of hell that you would have never had believed.

The US is the most militarily powerful nation that has ever strode the face of this earth.

The campaign in Afghanistan may have been less than perfect and the planned war in Iraq may be misconceived.

But don't blame America for not bringing peace and light to those wretched countries. Exactly how many democracies are there in the Middle East ore in the Muslim world? You can count them all on the fingers of one hand - assuming that you haven't had any chopped off for minor shoplifting offenses.

I love America, yet America is hated. I gues that makes me Bush's poodle. But, I would rather be a dog in New York City than a Prince in Riyadh. Above all, America is hated because it is what every country wants to be - rich, strong, free, open, and optimistic.

Not ground down by the past, or religion, or some caste system. America is the best friend that this country ever had and we as a British people should start remembering that a bit more often.

Or do you REALLY think that the USA is the root of ALL evil? Tell it to the lvoed ones of the men and the women who leaped to their death from the burning towers.

Tell it to the nursing mothers whose husbands died on one of the hijacked planes, or were ripped apart in a collapsing skyscraper.

And tell it to the hundreds of young widows whose husbands worked for the New York Fire Department. To our shame, President Bush gets worse press than Saddam Hussein.

Once were were told that Saddam gassed the Kurds, tortured his own peopel, and set up rape camps in Kuwait. Now were are told that he likes Quality Street.

Remember, Remember, Please REMEMBER, September 11. One of the greatest atrocities in human history was committed that day against America.

No, please, hear me, PLEASE, do more than remember....

Never forget."

15 Months and Counting

2011-08-30T14:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Addie was 15 months old - I don't have all of the stats just yet but for those interested she now:

Weighs around 23.6 pounds (she loves standing on the scale and watching it light up with numbers)... that will change my dear girl!

Stands around 2.5 feet tall

Loves - Elmo, going outside, and Pooh Bear (if you say any of those words she freaks out if you don't produce them in rapid fashion), climbing into the fridge and sitting on the bottom shelf, baths or water sprinklers, slides and climbing toys, watching TV on Daddy's lap, carrying purses around the house, playing on a computer keyboard

Says with Recognition (pointing) - Elmo, Pooh, puppy, Mama, Dada, ZsaZsa (PaPaw's dog who recently passed away), MaMaw, PaPaw, Poppy, Gigi, Andie, Monkey, Pizza (her current favorite), More, Up, Down, No, Outside, Bee

Says without Recognizing always - Cracker, Duckie, Paige (Pay), Done

She's growin' up pretty quickly and entering the "fun" phase - we took her to the water splashpark this past weekend and she was braver than some of the older kids running through the sprays.

I got your crazy

2011-08-24T13:56:00.000-04:00

I posted a blog similar to this one back when I was 8 months preggers here and I must confess, I really thought that would be the end of the "crazy." Or so I thought. Addie-cat is gonna be 15 months next week... and me, well, I still have a ~~few, some,~~ ok, more than my fair share of "crazy" moments still.

Truth be told, I hate it. Absolutely hate how I feel out of control sometimes. How I have the patience of a toddler in the midst of their terrible 2's some days. How I can get worked up and actually angry over something as simple as a decision my poor husband made that he thought would make me happy but obviously didn't.

I blamed it on the hormones for a long time. Probably longer than I should have. In all reality it probably is a combination of a few things - some lingering hormone imbalances, a lot more stress in my life, a ton more responsibility in my life, and less sleep than I'd rather.

But it doesn't really matter. God's pretty clear on this one - "Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thes 5:18)

Thankful when I come home to a pile of dirty clothes, dishes, and dog hair everywhere....yeah, not so much.
Thankful when Addie reaches out to pat my hair with hands full of spaghetti sauce...cute, but thankful?
Thankful when bills outnumber the advertisements in my mailbox.... uhm....

So I started looking online - not sure what I was looking for, but I came across 30 Day Challenge to Wives Being one that can't resist a challenge I'm going to try to do it - Maybe I'll conquer my "crazy" moments once and for all and return to nice, happy, calm, fun-loving, energetic, thoughtful Crystal of old.... gosh, looking at that list, I sure thought well of myself back then ;-)

"Call me crazy? I gots your crazy!"

just hopefully not for long

M.I.A.

2011-08-17T12:15:00.000-04:00

Monday afternoon began like every other afternoon - headed home from work, hung out with Addie, and even got to see Lee since he was off. Started to cook dinner, had an ADHD moment and forgot half of the ingredients that I needed for dinner. Sent Lee to the store and heard him drive up in the driveway. Mustered up the courage to let him know that I had also forgotten 2 other things that we needed and that he was going to have to return to the store. Listened to Lee laugh at me for forgetting things and remind me to speak now or forever hold my piece because he was NOT going back to the store a 3rd time.

And then, it happened. Right there on my cutting board. Amidst the lettuce, cilantro, and onions I was patiently dicing for taco night. The tip of my left thumb went MIA. Well, not MIA actually. Just missing from hand. I knew where it was, could see it laying there on my knife. Just no longer attached to my finger. So i guess MFF would be more appropriate.

I'm gonna miss that tip, she was a good one.

A Poor Idea...

2011-08-12T08:24:00.000-04:00

I was reading online this morning and heard mention in a few comments of something ridiculous happening in DC (other than Congress, budgets, and debt talks). I searched for awhile and found this article over here.

Wow. That's about all I have to say on that. Wonder how those poor firefighters think about the city putting them into a firefight of a whole other kind? Wonder how the police officers feel about the city basically saying that they are not doing a good enough job and can be replaced by big shiny fire trucks who, if they should see something, will simply call the police.

How is that different than a city-paid neighborhood watch program? Bet if they kept the firefighters actually fighting fire and not sitting in trucks watching for crime, they might be able to afford more cadets to go through the academy to actually do some police work!

My guess is that it will last until some hoodlum either pranks the fire trucks, or ends up injuring a fire fighter... then the community will make some noise about the ridiculousness of this. Everyone seems to like fire fighters.... so do I , I just happen to like them fighting fires and taking care of accidents with medic... not patrolling the streets with fire extinguishers.

Just like I love my police officers, patrolling the streets with more than a water gun.

Married to the Badge

2011-08-11T11:23:00.000-04:00

Lee's been a police officer for more than 3 years now so I have to say that there are few times now that I actually sit back and think about life as a police wife being different. It's the new "normal" so I forget at times that it is so different than what a lot of my friend's lives are like.

For the most part, regardless of job, most of them physically see their spouses on a daily basis. And awake too! Their phones ring with an unknown number and their first thought is annoyance at a sales call, not anxiety that something has gone wrong. They are usually able to answer the question, "so, what does your husband do?" without having to pause and wait for 1) a barrage of complaints of the person's last interaction with a police officer, 2) a story about the person's friend's encounter with a police officer, or 3) a look of pity and comments either berating the police, or how horrible it must be to be saddled with one. Sure, sleep is hard to come by, there are some long and lonely nights, and hearing your husband's profession constantly mocked and dragged through the mud is no fun. And then, there are some odd things about being married to a cop - places you just "can't" go, difficulty being in crowds, learning to live with an always on edge/high alert husband...

Yep, those are most of the things that people think about or talk about when the topic of being married to a cop comes up. Mostly negative, not a whole lot of hope, and a lot of awkward conversations (as if I don't have enough ease pouncing right into awkwardness already!)

But today I wanted to bring up of the positives. Call it false hope, ignorance is bliss, or what have you, there are actually a lot of positives about being married to a cop:

- Random days off in the middle of the week - he may not be home for Saturday nights but he can hit up a movie with you on a Tuesday afternoon at matinee prices

- More time with his kids - Lee gets to see Addie 3 or 4 hours every morning and often gets full days off to spend with her - not many high powered execs in their glass walls can say that

- Who wouldn't want to know the current or projected status of every single license plate that passes you while you drive in the car? "That tag's expired, that one is past it's 30 days, that one doesn't look right..."

- Pride - every cop I pass makes me think of my husband, I feel so proud of him and the job these guys and gals do everyday. Plus, there are few things hotter than getting to see your man come home each night in full uniform.

- Husband is off in the mornings so he can pull food out of the freezer, finish the laundry, and grab last minute things at the store that you forgot to do before leaving for work (when you're as ADD as I am, this is quite convenient!)

- Their instinctual reach for the blue lights when they see someone driving crazily is kinda funny as you're driving along in your personal truck on your way to church

- It's slightly amusing when you joke with them that you're gonna punch them if they don't stop "x", and without missing a beat they reply with all of the citations and misdemeanors you could be charged with

- Lastly, there is the old adage - I can feel safe at night cause I sleep with a cop :-)

Another Try

2011-08-09T21:27:00.003-04:00

I've been "dark" from the blogging world for quite some time now. Not that I haven't been checking up on my favorite bloggers, or paying attention to twitter and facebook feeds. I've just been trying to rethink and focus this blog.

I know, this ADHD-er just said "focus" HA! Anyways, from here on out I will be making some changes and updates to the blog. At the suggestion of some friends I'll be adding some cooking info, some couponing stuff (yes Shara, I may even include a groupon link or two ;-) ). Lastly, I plan to start to incorporate some of my current life point of view as a police wife. Lee suggested it earlier in the year as a cathartic way to help make police life more approachable to other gals and apparently it took me more than 6 months to decide that was a pretty good idea!

Lee's been really busy at work lately and had a part in a high-profile call here in Charlotte last Friday.

More on that later in the week.

Almost a year later...

2011-05-14T23:02:00.003-04:00

AI've put off writing this post for quite some time, mainly because I wasn't really sure what to say.

People ask you a lot of questions when you are pregnant/a mother. Lots of the time I just make stuff up to say - half of the time saying something off the wall to be a smart alec and to point out the inappropriateness of asking such personal/random questions of people. (spoiler alert), yes, that means that no, I really am not waiting for Addie to clean my entire house, nor do I expect her to actually speak her mind to tell me what she wants -it's just way easier to say than the obvious - yes, I am aware my house is a wreck and the floor needs to be dusted/vacuumed/mopped - and if I knew why my daughter was crying don't you think I would be doing what she needed to stop it?

Seriously, people ask the most random of questions. But I really didn't have much of an answer to these so I just dodged them - how did it feel for you to have your daughter in the NICU for a week? What was it like for you to go home without your baby? Aren't you worried about her having more seizures or having lasting damage from them? and the most recent - Have you been thinking a lot about where you were at this time last year now that Addie is about to be 1 years old? To be blunt, I try not to talk too much about that week for a plethora of reasons. 1) I feel badly talking about it because so many others parent's stories are way worse than mine and ended up badly... I got my baby and she seems fine - so I feel guilty about talking about it. 2) Speaking of guilt, I feel a lot of that - whether or not I really could have done anything about it, the fact remains that I feel guilty - for being stubborn about a C-section, for not switching doctors at the beginning, for not saying something to the nurses sooner or not demanding they watch her more... for a lot of reasons really. It was so weird today - one of our friends had a baby at the same hospital that we had Addie. Addie and I went up to see them and it was surreal. They had Andrea, the same baby nurse that Addie had. The whole time there felt so odd - the drive there was familiar - we drove it more than 20 times in a week. Everything seemed the same, like time had stood still - yet things were drastically different. I wanted to take her to the NICU to see Ms. Donna - to remind her how much her work means to people.

11 months and 2 weeks ago was one of the best days of my life - regardless of how it happened, we go to meet our little girl and I thought that the "hard part" was over. Not that that I thought parenting would be easy, but that since her birth was so difficult, the "drama" was over and we could go home and just be happy together. Flash forward to day 2 of my life when within the period of 30 min we went from putting our new baby into her car seat to go home, to watching her be whisked away by a team of physicians going to perform a myriad of tests on her and we could just " go grab lunch or take a walk..." Right. It felt like a never-ending sucker punch to the gut. Honestly I didn't talk a lot about it because I didn't have the words to say - everything I could think of seemed undeserving of the situation. It was surreal and odd and unnatural to go home and sleep at home for longer than I did when I was at work. I came home the first night and closed her door and didn't' reopen it until we came home later that week, baby in tow.

I've been thinking about exactly "how I feel" about Addie turning one. I was telling Lee the other day that I think the appropriate word is oddly "relieved." Most blogs of moms that I read say "scared" or "sad I'm losing my baby" or something to that aspect. I say relieved because I think that this next year will be the start of something new. Because of the seizures and because of the drama of her birth, Addie was left with 2 spots on her brain that are dead - and no one knew what ramifications (if any) they would carry. I feel like I haven't really breathed in the past year - every twitch, every odd cry, every milestone, I feel like I've watched every move she's made and checked off an imaginary checklist. Sit - check. Crawl - check. Words - check. Steps - check. And finally walk - check. I finally feel like we can be normal and not be hypersensitive about her development. I heard the doctors last summer when they said that we didn't have to worry- but at that point I was over pretty much anything the doctors had to say looking at their track record.

So relieved that this past year is almost over. It's been a great one. I really never knew that I could be so happy and that I'd actually be ok with and almost enjoy having to get up early on a Saturday. There is nothing like rolling out of bed and walking into her room to see her smiling face pop up over the crib railing. These next few years will probably be my favorite until she is in high school - and I couldn't be more excited to live life with my little girl, hubby, and pups.

Some women say they are born to be mothers, others say you learn as you go. Me, I was thrown into the deep end - but I've learned that I can swim.

11 Months

2011-05-01T20:42:00.002-04:00

It was slightly strange to realize that this will be the last "month" celebration of significance... next up 1 year old! Holy. cow. ... Ok, past that, we officially have a toddler on our hands - Addie started to toddle around somewhere around 10-10.5 months... and started taking steps somewhere after that.

However, her preferred method of transportation remained crawling... until Thursday. 12 consecutive steps later, she know prefers to crawl to something, pull up, and then walk until she falls again. She's getting pretty good at it too.

Her favorite things to crawl to are...the puppies obviously. (what, did you think I would say Lee or I? ha!) no such luck, Addie waaay prefers the pooches to either of us.

In other news, she's learning to use a spoon - I use that term loosely. Mainly I mean her stubborn streak is apparently here to stay and she refuses to allow us to feed her... but it takes about 2 times the amount of food with her "feeding herself". Oh well, what extra we spend on her food we are making up by less to have to feed the dogs.

She's around 30.5 inches and 23 pounds. Stats to come for the grandparents after she turns ONE YEAR.

In and Out

2011-03-23T21:09:00.004-04:00

No, I'm not about to quote Kevin Kline's 90's movie "In and Out" . Today marks Addie being "out" in the world a few hours longer than she was "in" me. It is crazy ridiculous to believe that she has been on the outside longer than the time it took her to "bake."

It has been the craziest 9.5 months... I didn't know that I could be so tired, happy, and terrified at the same time. We have been so blessed by a generally happy and social baby and can't imagine life without her at this point! The past 9 months have completely put our lives in a 180 degree turn - it is almost funny to think of what I did before I had her in my "spare time."

In other news, she had her first case of pink eye last week, cut 2 teeth, and has learned to blow kisses back to you. She has got a stubborn streak like no other too - no idea where that could possibly come from. She is proving to be a charmer though, she has already learned that if she caught doing something she is not supposed to - she will crack a smile or blow a kiss to see if that will change your unpleased facial expression. ha! We are in for it!

9.25 months old

2011-03-11T20:42:00.003-05:00

Apparently I am only going to be updating at month milestones, or at least that's been the pattern thus far. As much as I wanted to be "that mommy blogger" that we all read, I'm ok with sporadic updates on here so cherish this for what it's worth! Ha!

Addie is now 9 months 1 week old and it has been quite a ride since my last post. At almost 8 months to the day she began to crawl, and then within that week began to pull herself up to standing. By the end of the month she was completely pulling up and holding herself up on everything...crawling still has an appeal and she is pretty good at it - but standing is apparently where it is at! Then, at just over 9 months, she started to stand on her own and can now walk behind pretty much anything. Of course she likes to walk behind her walkers and stuff, but she works with what she has and has been spotted pushing her highchair, bumpo seat, and even the dog's toy basket around the kitchen.

She continues to be social and smiles and sometimes waves. Her current favorite food is Gigi's baked ziti which is where one of these pictures came from :-) She is her daddy's daughter and pulls her shoes and socks off at a moment's notice.

Now for the important stats:

21.3 lbs (75 - 90 %tile)
29.5 inches (95%tile)
44 cm head circumference (50%tile)

7 Months

2011-01-08T18:48:00.003-05:00

Well I have been struggling with the whole blogging thing (if anyone even reads this thing any more). I remember watching my friends who were pregnant and then had their babies. They blogged the whole way through it and I remember loving to read their updates and trying to make mental notes of things that I wanted to do once I had a baby of my own. Namely, monthly updates, funny anecdotes, you know... the stuff people actually care to read.

Flash forward to 2011. Addison is 7 months old... the last blog post I wrote was when she was 7.5 weeks old... I barely have any video of her (although Lee likes to say that my facebook is "littered" with Addie pictures).

I have had many a blog post in my head.... some even witty I might add. But somewhere in the shuffle I kept not posting... and then it was too late... who posts a 6 month update 3 weeks afterward?

I started to feel really guilty... I'm not really a "cute" scrapbooker - I did do Addison's first scrapbook with her birth, NICU, and her first week at home... but it all stopped there (as evidenced by the massive pile of "keepsakes" that are on my ever growing scrapbook pile!)

I'm not one for New Year resolutions... mainly because my ADHD self hardly ever keeps to them after the first day or so... what can I say? But if I've learned anything since becoming a parent - it's to try to chill out and just enjoy life.

I can say that though I feel guilty because I didn't blog like I set out to - but I did spend the last 7 months thoroughly enjoying Addison and our new life together.

I've loved watching Lee become a Dad and how enthralled he is with Addison.

I love walking into her room on weekend mornings and seeing her smile when she sees me and kick her feet.

I love taking time to do things with Addie - go shopping, cook, roll around on the floor with her.

I can see all of the blog posts that were "meant to be" in my head anyways... and have countless amounts of pictures to catalog the first 7 months anyway.

So suffice it to say that I am probably going to continue to choose to spend my free time with Addie - and not feel guilty for not blogging or doing more of the things that "the good moms" do. I'm not a real fru-fru/granola-y type anyways :-)

But I would be remiss if I didn't post some info about our baby girl...

7 Months:
28.5 inches
19.2 lbs
still has a little "peanut" head

learned to hold her own bottle around 6 months
eats pretty much anything but especially likes black beans, peas, prunes, bananas, avacado, teething biscuits, alphabet crackers, and baby cheese doodles.
can almost pull herself up to standing from the floor
can pull herself up to standing when sitting on a toy
sat up 3 days before 6 months
tries really hard to feed herself but is doing more to bond with the puppies than gain any sustenance

sleeps from 730/8pm until 8am
takes 1-2 naps a day

laughs, giggles, plays peekaboo, likes to be tickled, and loves her jumperoo still, loves the puppies and smiles and laughs when they walk by; coos and babbles when she is excited, bored, or happy

3 Months Old!

2010-09-06T16:58:00.002-04:00

2010-06-24T15:58:00.004-04:00

A day in the life of Addison:

Mornings are tough! Gotta yawn really big, poop really smelly, and wiggle while Mom and Dad change me... Then I'm ready to start my day... I take this part from Daddy... no way Mommy could ever smile this much in the AM hours!

Tummy Time... I can hold my head up for about 5 seconds but I'm still not a huge fan of tummy time after the first 10 minutes or so I start to cry.

But looking at myself in the mirror helps alot...

I feel pretty, oh so pretty....
That's a whole lot of work.... then it's time for a bottle and a nap!

2010-06-11T19:34:00.006-04:00

I post all of my pics to facebook, primarily because it's easier and can upload an entire file, however, for Caleb and Adrienne and my mom, here are a few pics on the blog too :-)

Daddy Can Shave Now!!

2010-06-06T16:55:00.003-04:00

Wow.... it has been a week since I last posted! I feel like it has been an entire lifetime since then! Long story made short, Addie started to have seizure activity after being born and the doctors admitted her to the NICU at Presbyterian once they discovered this.... about 5 minutes before we were set to be discharged on Memorial Day.

It's been a crazy week - poor little girl has had a series of tests (CT, MRI, MRA, MRB, Echo, EEG, EKG, Bilirubin... the works) to figure out what was going on. Long story made really short, her labor was really long and really hard and it caused her brain to be deprived of oxygen causing some spots in her brain to be damaged (seen on the MRIs). It was not picked up on immediately because her APGARs were great and she was acting developmentally appropriate. After a week in the NICU and one large dose of phenobarbitol, Addie is seizure free and seems to be developing perfectly fine. She is even attempting to lift up her little head at 5 days old!

While she was in the NICU, Lee decided that he was not going to shave until he could bring his little girl home. Well he stayed with a beard for the first 5 days but had to shave most of it off on Friday because he thought he was going to have to go back to work for a week (so he didn't use his last week of vacation going to visit at the NICU which he could do before and after work). He shaved to a mustache which he is allowed to have at work... only to walk in to find out our little girl was getting out of jail! :-) (no really, the Presby NICU nurses are and were awesome to us and treated Addison (they called her the "big NICU baby" lol) just like she was one of their own).

Saturday was a big day for us... we got to go to the NICU and sign out our little girl! We got her home, she ate (she's eating 5 oz at a time almost and sleeping for 4 hours a stretch praise God), pooped, and then went to sleep.... it was so weird to have her in the house but it was awesome!

The puppies are adjusting well to having her around. I am sorely disappointed in Paige who has all but ignored Addie. She's wagged her tail, licked her once, and otherwise seemed completely apathetic. Brutus has yet to determine how he feels. He is the most interested in Addison's movements... but goes back and forth between licking her and waggin' his tail and barking in her general direction. Andie has done the best... for all of the people who were "concerned" that we were going to keep our Rottie... she thinks she is Addison's mom or something... she follows us around and lays at our feet wherever Addie is. She is not a fan of Addison crying and seems to get upset that we are not "fixing" things quickly enough!

Throughout this entire week we have just been reminded of how great our God is. My friend Lauren sent me this JJ Heller song that pretty much sums it up: "When my world is shaking, Heaven stands; When my heart is breaking, I never leave Your hands."

We are so blessed to have such fantastic family and friends. Everyone has been so supportive of us through the difficult labor and then the week in the NICU. Big shout out to Jason and Alesha for staying at our house and putting up with the puppies :-)

Addison Riley Saunders

2010-05-30T11:04:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the world Addison Riley Saunders! 8 lbs 9oz, born at 8:51am, May 29, 2010 was a big day for our little girl: not just Caleb and Adrienne's 6th wedding anniversary, but also Lee's Sgt Tellis' birthday, and the day that Rebekah Goode swore Addie would be born on.

More pics and info to come!

Baby Watch 2010...

2010-05-23T22:41:00.009-04:00

Wanted...One Baby to Fill this Nursery:

Well, the nursery is done, the bags are pretty much packed, I even vacuumed and steam cleaned! All that's left is the baby! So far no word on when she's going to decide to come out and meet us...Lee keeps thinking she will come May 25 or 26... who knows though, if she's anything like her parents she'll be stubborn and make us wait! :-)

Until then Lee will keep going to protect the Queen City one hoodlum at a time and I'll keep working at Holt until Addie drops out!

Adrienne and Caleb- it was so great to get to talk to you guys on Friday!! Lee says that you can see this blog so I uploaded the pics here... there will be more on facebook, it just takes forever to post a pic to blogger :-) Love you guys!

Everyone else - fret not, either the blog or facebook will be updated when we go to the hospital to meet Addison....not everyone will get a call from us but anyone in our various family and friendship circles will be communicated with (hopefully)!

Catch you on the flip side!

I got your crazy

2010-04-09T20:50:00.004-04:00

"You say I'm crazy? I got your crazy" - Britney Spears

Ahh, God bless Britney and her quotes to defend "the crazy." I started this blog in the hopes of giving a glimpse into our honest to goodness everyday life.... so I suppose that means you all get insight to the good, the bad, and today, the prego....
(duh duh duh)

[side note, I am fully aware that by saying "you all" that means you mom... and maybe 1 or 2 others... lol]

Anywho, so we all know that even non-knocked up Crystal is pretty serious about her lawn... I mean, I have been known to cut it twice just to get a grid pattern and then post a pic to facebook... I realize, I'm a dork.

So I've kept up with mowing the lawn, even as I've gotten more and more preggers (I figure it's just walking, heck, I'm even leaning on the mower handle itself and it is self-propelled so I don't see the harm in it)... So the grass is finally back to being green and thick and it's pretty freakin' fantastic if I don't say so myself... here... see for yourself.

That's right, you're jealous... don't judge, I feel like I am in some kind of candid camera competition with the teenage boys down the street who make their grass look better than mine...

So long story longer, it flat out pisses me off when inconsiderate people park on my grass. I realize that the fine people at the City of Charlotte actually own the strip of grass between the road and the sidewalk, but if I'm expected to keep it up, I expect people not to freakin' park their vehicles on it. Call it a pet peeve, but few things fire me up more than walking out and seeing tires in the middle of my grass.... or parked like this moron:

So tonight I go out to get some groceries and see that someone yet again is having a party and out of the 7 cars parked along my area of sidewalk, 4 of out of them are parking in the middle of the grass by the sidewalk.

I try to be responsible.... "Crystal, you're pregnant, you don't need stress.. and flipping out on your front grass is not a good thing..." I take some deep breaths, slam my car door to make myself feel better, and leave to go to the store.

Upon my return home I find a black Impala has parked, not only on my grass, but 1/2 in front of my driveway! Literally blocking my driveway and I had to drive on my actual FRONT LAWN just to GET INTO MY OWN DRIVEWAY.

To further add insult to injury, said owner of the car was walking out of my neighbor's house and proceeded to glare at me as I tried to maneuver around her car just to pull into my driveway.

I'm not proud, but the crazy came out... and I well, lost it. Big. Time. I definitely yelled at the lady who turned out to be about 55 (which kind of took the wind out of my sails a bit). By the time I got inside I realized that I had yelled so loudly that my own dogs cowered as I walked in to the house and slammed the door for good effect. I just might be slightly embarrassed now that I've calmed down...

So yeah.... "you call me crazy? I got your crazy."

Could We Just Be Normal For Once?

2010-04-05T16:41:00.002-04:00

I expected this pregnancy and our life afterwards to be "normal".... don't know why, nothing else in our lives has been normal yet, but for some odd reason, I realized today that I really been hoping, rather, expecting "normal." Normal... whatever the heck that even means.

I completely expect being tired, exhausted, confused, dirty even.... but I'm finding that I'm way more of a control freak than I realized... I think the more that I try to plan for this baby's arrival the worse I am beginning to feel about our situation.

I joke that I watch 16 and Pregnant to feel better about ourselves and our situation... hey, we have a house, 2 jobs, and health insurance (for what it's worth).... we're much better off than so and so.... However Lee did point out to me the other day that comparing ourselves to the stupid teenagers wasn't exactly raising the bar very high for us to climb.

I spent the first 4 months of this pregnancy puking.... that's right, there aren't many places in Charlotte that I didn't christen... so I figured once food stayed down things were fan-freakin'-tastic... I mean, I was eating....that was worth its weight in gold to me.

The closer it gets to Addie's arrival the more I realize that the puking part may have been the most "normal" part of this whole deal.... everyone has their opinions and God knows that everyone wants to tell you their opinions... or more, how your opinion is ridiculous compared to some book they've read or some article or some experience they've had. I'm a firm believer in learning by doing... always have been... I rarely read directions (well, at least not all the way through).... I don't like asking for help... I like to try to figure it out on my own. But this whole baby thing is gonna be a whole other beast...you think of "normal" Cleaver-esque type of existance... dad works 9-5, mom takes care of baby, house is spotless.... Whatever! I suppose it will all work itself out and things will just fall into place, it's just difficult to try to think now how it will all look when it does.

For us, "normal" will be me working 7-4, Lee working 1-11 (or 12 or 1 or 2...) Addie chillin' in daycare for the afternoons (which may be the most "normal" part of it all)... oh, and throw 3 dogs into the mix. I have not a clue how a single parent does it... I haven't even figured out how we are going to get the grass mowed with only 1 of us being home at the same time with Addie... I mean, even I realize that you can't exactly strap baby on in the baby carrier and go about mowing the grass!

I don't know, at this point I think I'm just a huge pregnant, emotional, and slightly swelling preggo who is realizing more and more that this is gonna be one heck of a ride for the next 18 years!

I'm Tired...

2010-03-31T10:04:00.000-04:00

Subject: i'm 63 and tired

by Robert A. Hall

I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela .

I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois.

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois, where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.

I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.

A Baby Girl...

2010-01-10T13:41:00.005-05:00

I realize now that I forgot to post the pics from the day that I told Lee that we were preggers: I wanted to do something different as I couldn't come up a way to just say it other than the oh so original, "so, uh, we're pregnant!." We weren't trying to get pregnant so I was pretty shocked that morning when I woke up and just took the test on a whim and found:

Knowing how bad my secret-keeping skills are I figured that I had to come up with a way to tell Lee quickly in the hopes of avoiding blurting it out. I ended up taking an old tee shirt of Paige's (yes, I am a dork that sometimes thinks it's funny to dress my dogs in puppy tee shirts or polos - shut it). Anyways, I turned it inside out and wrote a note to Lee from Paige on it since she always greets him at the door as soon as it opens. I ended up getting a great second picture, the first one was pretty blurry as Lee looked back and forth between me and Paige. Once he realized that it meant a baby and not another dog he was thrilled! :-)

It's been quite the week after finding out that Mini-Lee was in fact, Mini-Leigh... we were both convinced that it was going to be a boy and both had the same reaction: "what would we do with a girl?"
After a few days I have come up a few reasons why I think God is giving us a little girl...
1) she'll be able to wear and totally pull off a pink Yankees or Jets jersey ;-)
2) she'll have Lee wrapped so far around her finger it won't even be funny
3) Lee hated every single boy name that I loved but we were able to compromise on a little girl name: Addyson! (middle name is still currently under negotiations)
4) a boy totally would have looked funny on a softball field ;-)

I found this quote online that I liked that pretty much sums it up. We go back Feb 2 to see little Addy on another ultrasound, hopefully she'll cooperate so they can get the rest of the pictures that they were looking for the other day!

"A daughter is a beautiful reflection of God's grace."

Author: Lynn A. Pena

We're Having.... Chocolate Cake!

2010-01-06T21:51:00.013-05:00

We're having......

Chocolate Cake!!

(aka a baby girl!!) Lee and I went to THE ultrasound this afternoon and then went to dinner afterwards at Andrew Blair's to celebrate. We met up with the Waxes and Bises for dessert at Lava where we ordered peanut butter pie for a boy and chocolate cake for a girl.....

As you can see, the ultrasound pic that the waiter opened was of a girl... so we had chocolate cake!

Below are some pics of the little one. We've got a name picked out but haven't figured out a middle name just yet...

I think what Caleb and Jon Pritchett had to say sums it up best...."Lee, you've always had a way with the women", and, "I feel bad for the poor guy who tries to date her."

More to come!

Crib

2010-01-05T18:14:00.008-05:00

Lee, Jacov, and Gary: 1
"Difficult" Crib: 0

Lee, Jacov, and Gary (Jacov's dad) got the crib together in just over 1 hour! I was impressed! The crib now has 2 mobiles on it because I am stubborn and want my classic Pooh mobile, even though our crib apparently has a mobile and vibration system built hardwired into it so it can't be taken out with messing up the crib's finish. Oh well, MiniLee will just have to be overstimulated with cute little bears to look at.

I was a little disappointed because I wasn't there to watch them put it together (or to take pictures) so I made Lee "help" (read: do pretty much himself) me put together the baby swing. I think it looks like a baby's room now... poor Paige, I think she's starting to realize that this room may not be solely for her... ;-)

Tomorrow's the big day when we find out if MiniLee is coming home from the hospital in a little pink or blue Yankees jersey! That will get its own post and will have pictures.

As promised (mom) here are some pics of the nursery so far:

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, it's....?

2009-11-29T21:08:00.003-05:00

A DOT!!!!=)

A few weeks ago Lee and I found out that we are getting an AWESOME anniversary present!

June 3, 2010 will not only mark our 4th anniversary, but it also our dot's due date!!!

See... we have a Dot! Lee made me wait to post until I was out of the first trimester and that was last Friday. Suffice it to say that I am so hoping that my days of puking are over! I am well acquainted with all of my toilets, the ones at work, the side of the highway... yep, the past 8 weeks have just been peachy. Here's to being able to eat again!

Cruise 2009!

2009-10-29T18:02:00.003-04:00

Last week Lee and I got to go on our first vacation since our honeymoon 3 1/2 years ago! We set sail on the Carnival Inspiration on Monday October 19 at 4pm... sailed all day at sea on Tuesday, swam with stingrays and snorkeled on the reefs in Grand Caymen, ran/walked/solved clues for more than 5 miles in the "Amazing Cozumel Race", and then sailed all day Friday to return back to Tampa.

Many thanks to my Grandparents who let us stay over with them and drove us to and from the cruise terminal so we didn't have to pay to park our car while we were gone.

I apparently do not do so hot on cruise ships but I must say, this was the best vacation that I have spent more than 30% of it puking/sick and still loved!

Blogger takes too long to post pics so I'll just post these here... the rest will be posted to facebook once its picture uploading issues are taken care of!

Remember, and never forget

2009-09-10T22:28:00.002-04:00

There are many things about 9/11 that I won't ever forget.... one of them that sticks out almost as much as that day, were the days that followed. I had never been more thankful to attend a Christian college than in the days and months that followed 9/11. Professors prayed, cried, and were attentive to the fact that most students studies were far from priority at that point in time.

At the 1 year anniversary, one of my favorite profs, Dr Fragedakis, spent the class period reminiscing about how we, our world, and our views had changed. And then she read aloud the following that I've kept and still have in my scrapbook to this day:

Taken 9/11/02 From the Times of London by Tony Parsons:

"ONE year ago, the world witnessed a unique kind of broadcasting- the mass murder of thousands, live on televesion. As a lesson in the pitiless cruelty of the human race, September 11 was up there with Pol Pot's mountain of skulls in Cambodia, or the skeletal bodies stacked like garbage in the Nazi concentration camps.

An unspeakable act so cruel, so calculated and so utterly merciless that surely the world could agree on one thing - no one deserves this fate. Surely there could be consensus: the victims were truly innocent and the perpetrators truly evil.

But to the world's eternal shame, 9/11 is increasingly seen as America's comeuppance. Incredibly, anti-Americanism has increased over the last year. There has always been a simmering resentment to the USA in this country - too loud, too rich, too full of themselves and so much happier than Europeans - but it has become an epidemic. And it seems incredible to me. More than that, it turns my stomach.

America is this country's greatest friend and our staunchest ally. We are bonded to the US by culture, language, and blood. A little over half of a century ago, around half a million Americans died for our freedoms, as well as their own. How have we forgotten so soon? And, exactly a year ago, thousands of ordinary men, women, and children - not just Americans, but from dozens of countries - were butchered by a small group of religious fanatics. How are we so quick to betray them?

What touched the heart about those who died in the Twin Towers and on the planes was that we recognized them. Young fathers and mothers, somebody's son and daughter, husband and wife. And children, some of them unborn. And these people brought it upon themselves? And their nation is to blame for their meticulously planned slaughter? How?

These days you don't have to be some dust-encrusted nut job in Kabul or Karachi or Finsbury Park to see America as the "Great Satan." The anti-American alliance is made up of self-loathing liberals who blame the Americans for every ill in the 3rd World, and conservatives suffering from power-envy, bitter that the world's only superpower can do what it likes without having to ask permission.

The truth is that America has behaved with ENORMOUS restraint since September 11, 2001.

Remeber the gut-wrenching tapes of weeping men phoning their wives to say, "I love you" before they were burned alive. Remember those people leaping to their deaths from the top of burning skyscrapers.

Remember the hundreds of firemen buried alive. Remember the smiling face of that beautiful little girl who was on one of the planes with her mum.

Remember, and realize, that America has never retaliated for 9/11 in anything like they way they could have.

So a few al-Quaeda tourists got locked without a trial in Camp X-Ray? Please do pass the Kleenex.

So some Afghan wedding receptions were shot up after they merrily fired their semi-automatics into a sky full of American planes? A shame, but perhaps next time they should stick to confetti.

AMERICA could have turned a large chunk of the world into a PARKING LOT. That it didn't is in of itself, a sign of its great strength.

American voices are already being raised against attacking Iraq. That's what democracy is for. How many in the Islamic world will have a minute's silence fo the slaughtered innocents of 9/11? How many Islamic leaders will have the guts to say that the mass murder of 9/11 was an abhorant abomination?

When the news of 9/11 broke on the West Bank, those freedom loving Palestinans were dancing in the streets! America watched all of that - and never pushed the button. We should all thank the stars that America is the most powerful nation in the world. I still find it absolutely incredible that 9/11 di not provoke all out war. No, not a "war on terrorism" but all out war. A real war.

The fundamentalists dudes are talking about "opening the gates of hell," if America attacks Iraq. Well, America could have opened up the gates of hell that you would have never had believed.

The US is the most militarily powerful nation that has ever strode the face of this earth.

The campaign in Afghanistan may have been less than perfect and the planned war in Iraq may be misconceived.

But don't blame America for not bringing peace and light to those wretched countries. Exactly how many democracies are there in the Middle East ore in the Muslim world? You can count them all on the fingers of one hand - assuming that you haven't had any chopped off for minor shoplifting offenses.

I love America, yet America is hated. I gues that makes me Bush's poodle. But, I would rather be a dog in New York City than a Prince in Riyadh. Above all, America is hated because it is what every country wants to be - rich, strong, free, open, and optimistic.

Not ground down by the past, or religion, or some caste system. America is the best friend that this country ever had and we as a British people should start remembering that a bit more often.

Or do you REALLY think that the USA is the root of ALL evil? Tell it to the lvoed ones of the men and the women who leaped to their death from the burning towers.

Tell it to the nursing mothers whose husbands died on one of the hijacked planes, or were ripped apart in a collapsing skyscraper.

And tell it to the hundreds of young widows whose husbands worked for the New York Fire Department. To our shame, President Bush gets worse press than Saddam Hussein.

Once were were told that Saddam gassed the Kurds, tortured his own peopel, and set up rape camps in Kuwait. Now were are told that he likes Quality Street.

Remember, Remember, Please REMEMBER, September 11. One of the greatest atrocities in human history was committed that day against America.

No, please, hear me, PLEASE, do more than remember....

Never forget."

Our newest addition

2009-07-13T23:02:00.006-04:00

No no... not another dog! HA! No more for awhile! However, we DID get a new grill! :-) Taadahh!!!

Also pics of the very pretty (but definitely a bomb) 5 spice seared tuna dish that I made... it did NOT work out at all! Oh well, at least it looked nice!

catch up

2009-07-03T22:56:00.006-04:00

So we haven't done such a great job at keeping this thing updated! Oh well...either way.... some quick photos to catch up with our life...

flowers....

finally, after waiting a year since getting tickets, a night out and getting to go out to watch Phantom of the Opera and eat at Chima Brazillian Grille (by the way, that place is awesome!!! cowboys prance around the place offering any kind of meat you want... the parmesean pork loin, lamb loin, and filets were fantastic!!!)

dinners while Lee is out saving Charlotte one hoodlum at a time ;-)

Until next time! :-)

In The Course of One Week

2009-06-09T16:23:00.002-04:00

In the course of one week my wife managed to...

Give me Reeses Pieces and a king size package of Reeses Cups.

I told you she's great.

Wife of the Year

2009-06-08T01:35:00.002-04:00

Well I have to say that regardless of what any of you other men out there may say... I have the world's best wife. She originally got me tickets to No Doubt live in Charlotte on their reunion tour, but I was unable to attend because of my work schedule. So instead of taking me to the concert, she went with another friend. And yes, while Chaise may argue that his wife is the world's greatest for volunteering to take my place at the concert, I would have to say that he's wrong. Granted Heather is pretty cool.
Well my wife brought me back a concert poster and hung it on my garage wall for me. I know that's awesome right? But hang on I am getting to the really good part.
My wife noted how distraught I was over missing my favorite angry girl band live in concert and suggested that I take a road trip to Raleigh to see them live on my day off. I immediately took to the idea. So tonight she got me tickets to go see No Doubt live in Raleigh.
To give a little credit, my good friend Caleb has agreed to go with me to the concert much to his chagrin. He even volunteered to dress in drag. (j/k)
I just wanted to take a second to share with the world how much I love and appreciate my wife. Nobody has ever worked harder to make me happy. I love her and she is the wife of the year... this year and every year.

50 Questions No One Has Ever Asked You....

2009-05-13T08:04:00.000-04:00

50 things you have never been asked...

Once you've been tagged, you have to answer this and tag 15 people, including the person who tagged you.

1. What color is your toothbrush?
green

2. Name one person who made you smile today?
Lee

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
it's not even 8 yet, but I imagine I will be workin'

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
showering

5. What is your favorite candy bar?
Butterfinger...or Heath

6. Have you ever been to a strip club?
I plead the fifth...

7. What is the last thing you said aloud?
Yay! (Mike brought me a tee shirt from United at work...)

8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
peanut butter fudge

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Diet Coke...what else?

10. Do you like your wallet?
sure, but not as much as the pretty colors of green and plastic that it holds...

11. What was the last thing you ate?
Special K Breakfast bar

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Yeah, a pair of jeans...but there could be more, just you wait!

13. The last sporting event you watched?
Carolina hockey game Friday night

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
white cheddar

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
Jenny or Jason

16. Ever go camping?
yeah

17. Do you take vitamins daily?
most days...

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?
Not EVERY Sunday, but pretty regularly

19. Do you have a tan?
Do I have time to lay out? Um, no...

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza?
you BITE YOUR TONGUE with that garbage talk!

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
yes, the ice hurts my teeth

22. What did your last text message say?
either, "what are you up to tonight?" or "wanna get Offspring tix?"

23. What are you doing tomorrow?
workin' and watchin' Survivor, Grey's and Southland

24. Where's 24?
wherever Jack Bauer is, there 24 will be also...

25. Look to your left, what do you see?
time sheets I have to enter for my guys....and Salt and Vinegar Pringles

26. What color is your watch?
Silver

27. What do you think of when you hear the word Australia?
that boring movie with Nicole Kidman

28. What is your birthstone?
Blue Topaz

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
rather the drive thru for take out and eat at my house...fast food places make me feel dirty to eat in at...

30. What is your favorite number?
TWENTY ONE

31. Who's the last person you talked to on the phone?
Lee

32. Any plans today?
I aspire to greatness, today I hope to watch American Idol and Law and Order SVU from last night, watch Criminal Minds and American Idol tonight, and spontaneously loose 10 lbs in the process

33. How many states have you lived in?
Dos

34. Biggest annoyance right now?
my HOA's letter to me about my grass... don't even get me started!

35. Last song listened to?
Til I see You by Hillsong United

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
if you put your mind to it, ANYTHING is possible (which is a crock by the way....)

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house?
No, that would mean my house would get cleaned...

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
my sperry's

39. Are you jealous of anyone?
i wouldn't say jealous, but i wouldn't turn the opportunity down to look like jessica beil or anything...

40. Is anyone jealous of you?
hahaha... why?

41. Do you love anyone?
heck yeah...

42. Do any of your friends have children?
I am beginning to feel that there is an epidemic other than this pig flu...everyone seems to be having babies

43. What do you usually do during the day?
Work work work

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
nah.... i don't waste time on that mess

45. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
oh yeah...

46. What color is your car?
gray or navy depending on which one I am driving

47. Do you like cats?
uhm, NO

48. Are you thinking about someone right now?
yeah, hoping the dogs don't keep Lee up all day like they kept me up all night..

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yep, but the real question should be, have you ever broken down on the side of the Jersey turnpike in a school bus driven by your youthgroup leader and had to site for 6 hours waiting for it to get fixed on the way home from Six Flags when you were 14....whew, that was a long sentence!

50. How did you get your worst scar?
honestly? I was 8 or 9 and I thought that Aladdin was the best movie ever... I loved the Genie and when he sang and slid across the floor I thought it was cool... I kept doing it and ignored (shocker) my mom who told me to stop.... one more slide....and I crashed into the moulding by our garage door and did a job on my left knee....

or when I walked into the open door of the 500 degree oven at Dunkin Donuts and heard my flesh on my arm sizzle....

oh the good times...

house guest

2009-05-07T20:44:00.006-04:00

Contrary to popular belief, we are not entering into the dog kennel business... between finding and keeping Baxter/Jack Haller Bauer for the month of February, to keeping little Louie last fall, we found ourselves keeping our friend Tabitha and Grant's dog Daisy. Poor Tab ended up in the cardiac unit of el hospital with open heart surgery after they discovered a blood clot in one of her heart's ventricles... who would think a 25 year old would have to undergo open heart surgery?
Crazy to think about. Either way, we had Daisy chill with us at our house for the past few weeks... she has been awesome but did have a penchant for bread... full loaves of whole wheat to be exact... she figured out how to get them out of the closed toaster oven even! Crazy pup... poor thing did all of the leg work to get the bread loaves, but my other 3 ended up eating the bread leaving her with nothing...lol. We had a good time with Daisy and on her last day with us, we did a quick photo shoot with her to catch some of her awesome (and drooly/slobbery) expressions.

A Very Pink Wedding

2009-05-07T20:38:00.003-04:00

2 weeks ago my boss's daughter Candee got married to Jordan in a very pink (and brown) ceremony/reception. It was an awesome ceremony with tons of pictures and laughs to be had. Candee gave Jordan a rubber gasket to wear as a ring...and Jordan didn't pass out!

for all my girls out in mental health.....

2009-04-14T20:45:00.002-04:00

So, I stole this from Jen...my buddy from The Relatives.... we got into the mental health field together... learned a TON of what to (and not) to do when working with clients, and had a lot of fun in the process....She's now working as a social worker,and I, well, we all know I stopped working in mental health after 4 years....

You know you work in mental health if...

1. You think $40,000 a year is 'really making it'.
2. You don't know what it's like to work with straight men.
3. You know all the latest lingo for drugs, where to get them, and how much they cost, and how to administer them.
4. You routinely start a sentence with 'So what I hear you saying is...'
5. You’ve had 2 or more jobs at one time just to pay the bills. (yeppers... bartended through more than half of my mental health work)
6. You tell people what you do and they say 'that's so noble' or 'why?' (as they try albeit unsuccessfully to mask their disapproval)
7. You have had to explain to people that not all social workers take away kids and not all mental health workers are therapists.
8. You use the words 'coping skills', 'prompt', 'validate,' 'appropriate' and 'intervention' daily.
9. You spend more than half your day documenting and doing paperwork.
10. You think nothing of discussing child abuse over dinner.
11. People have said to you 'I don't know how you do what you do'.(see #6)
12. You’ve never been on a company-paid business trip or had an expense account.(but I've paid for my own conferences and to take continuing ed classes to keep to my job).
13. You meet new coworkers on a monthly basis and know that 85% of them will leave the profession for another within the next 5 years.
14. You’re very familiar with the concepts of entitlement, ignorance, and displacement.
15. Staying at a job for 2 years makes you "senior" there.
16. Your phone number is unlisted for good reason.
17. Your professional newsletters always have articles about raising salaries...but you still haven't seen it except on the higher up administrative level.
18. You’re very familiar with the term 'budget cut'.
19. You can't imagine working at a bank or crunching numbers all day (or to have a job where you can go more than a few hours without getting cursed out).
20. You’ve had clients who liked you just a little too much.
21. Having lunch is a luxury many days.
22. You’ve been cursed at, threatened, and assaulted...so many times that when it happens again you barely notice it-it stopped bothering you a long time ago. (true that, i've been kicked, punched, spit on, snot on, had desks thrown at, pushed down stairs so many times that few things with the "crazies" actually phased me by the time that I left)
23. Your job orientation has included self defense... and you've used it on more than 1 occasion to keep yourself from having an unplanned trip to the hospital courtesy of your clientele.
24. You have the best stories at any cocktail party...or any party... and everyone wants to hear how "crazy" how some of the kids really are...
25. Your parents and spouse don't know half of the stuff that you've dealt with at your job...and they think you're crazy to do it for what little they do happen to know!
26. You know all the excuses clients use for a failed a drug test, missed appointment, skipped school class, or blown welfare check.... by heart, and can anticipate it before they even say it.

"Change in America...."

2009-04-13T14:37:00.002-04:00

...or what I like to call, the end of American capitalism as we have known it....

I have done well not commenting on the recent economic and political "changes that have come" upon America as of late...

However, my friend Joel posted this quote by Henry Hazlitt that I found to be an insightful and amusing commentary on our current state of affairs....

"The whole gospel of Karl Marx can be summed up in a single sentence: Hate the man who is better off than you are. Never under any circumstances admit that his success may be due to his own efforts, to the productive contribution he has made to the whole community. Always attribute his success to the exploitation, the cheating, the more or less open robbery of others. Never under any circumstances admit that your own failure may be owing to your own weakness, or that the failure of anyone else may be due to his own defects - his laziness, incompetence, improvidence, or stupidity."

Our Photoblog

2009-04-06T22:27:00.002-04:00

We started a photoblog... who knows how much it will get updated, our goal is each of us upload pics daily of what we are doing while the other is at work (so don't expect any shocking or ridiculously exciting pics) in an effort to stay more in touch with us working opposite shifts. Who knows, at least it's off to a start tonight with some pics :-)

www.saundersphotoblog.blogspot.com

chalk up another one....

2009-03-30T10:57:00.002-04:00

Well, for anyone interested... I am a big loser... not The or even One of the Top Biggest Losers,... no no, just a big ol' loser....
What a fan-tas-tic way to start a Monday morning...

You had me at hello

2009-03-22T16:19:00.001-04:00

a video that I used at small group this week... I figured since we spend so much time seeing poor relationships played out on tv, it wouldn't be bad to pull out an oldie but a goodie in Jerry MacGuire as he fights for his wife :-)

things you always wanted (or not) to know about my husband.....

2009-02-25T15:10:00.000-05:00

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
if I'm home? House or The Office
if I'm not home or he thinks I'm not paying attention? Mash, Family Guy, or Discovery Channel.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
vinegarette

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
orzo pasta, polenta, and couscous make him turn up his nose.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
margarita with extra salt, extra dirty vodka martini, or an apple martini

5. Has he ever played a musical instrument?
no but he wishes he did

6. What size shoe does he wear?
12

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
classic cars

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Subway's sweet onion chicken teriyaki

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
spaghetti and salad..with Oreos and milk for dessert.. he did when he lived by himself in Asheville.

10. What is his favorite cereal?
he's not a fan of ceral... but will eat some dry with fruit.

11. What would he never wear?
anything "gay" ie... that fits him, has the color pink, or might not be able to conceal his new handgun

12. What is his favorite sports team?
Georgia Tech... and he loves to cheer for the Panthers but he will sell them out in a heartbeat if they start to suck... he also loves to cheer for whoever my favorite teams are playing AGAINST...

13. Who did he vote for?
McCain I think... only so he could have the "right" to complain about the presidency for the next 4 years... lol

14. Who is his best friend?
I would say me... but it is so Jason... I mean, he and Jay have "date night" "game night" "work on car mornings" and have a "special place"... Hardees, and yes, he absolutely refuses to "cheat" on Jason and eat with me at Hardees without Jay...and he is worried about tight fitting or pink clothing...ha!

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
ask him so many questions... leave the refrigerator door open in an ADHD moment...

16. What is his heritage?
English I think...?

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
carrot cake

18. Did he play sports in high school?
soccer

19. What could he spend hours doing?
looking at stuff for or working on his car and apparently, watching "The Deadliest Catch" marathons on tv

20. What is one unique talent?
uhm, he likes to pick things up with his toes?.. he also snorted milk out of his nose last night while laughing with me, Chaise, and Heather... now THAT was a good time!

anyone surprised? :-)

Officer J. L. Saunders

2009-02-18T20:46:00.015-05:00

This one deserved it's own post... Lee graduated the police academy and became an official CMPD officer 2/18/09! We celebrated the weekend before with a not-so surprise party for him with friends, and then dinner out at Chili's with friends and family afterward. The graduation ceremony was awesome. I am such a dork when it comes to patriotism and pride in the police force....I definitely got goosebumps watching the recruits march in and get pinned. I am so proud of all of the hard work that Lee put in... he received 4 honors: Top academic in his entire class, and 3 team honors: Team Best Physical Fitness Score, Team Best Academic Score, and Team Best Driving Score. Yay for Team 3 HollyWood (or HollyHood as they refer to themselves as). Check out the cake that I had made for Lee to celebrate his graduation.. mmm, chocolate with raspberry.
So to everyone who was able to come to graduation, talk with us, hang out, or were just praying for us through Lee's whole experience with the police dept thus far.... THANK YOU is simply not enough... but seriously, THANKS! We love you guys!

Bobcats Game!

2009-02-18T20:33:00.006-05:00

Well hello there! It's been awhile, but we've been up to a whole lot. Lee graduated from the academy but that deserves its own post...I crossed off 2 things off of my "Life To Do" List:
1) have a local chef create a tasting menu for us (Chef Tom at M5 is incredible and I have only had 2 dishes more delicious than his duck confit with duck liver pate bruschetta... it was soooo good!) ANyways, that's what we did for Valentine's day.... Lee was actually off and was finally done with studying so we went out for a night on the town at M5... and then to Coyote Joe's which is by far the most redneck place I have ever been to in my entire life.
We were finally able to find a home for Baxter (now named Jack Haller Bauer) with our dear friends the Hallers :-) So come Friday we will back to a 3 dog household! :-)
Then #2 on the to do list... Jesus gave me Bobcats tickets... no seriously, I have always wanted to sit courtside at a pro game.. its on my list of things to do. Anyways, Lee took the BLET that morning and was feeling than excited about it...so on my way home from work I was praying and I asked God to help me to be more supportive and that even if he was in a horrible mood and refused to do anything with me that night I would still try to be nice... (which I realize now makes it sound like I am usually horrible to him but anyways... it's not like that. Anyways...) So I come home, Lee is in a poor mood but not horrific, and we stand in the driveway for like 20 min debating on what to do for dinner... we get in the car and this couple from our neighborhood that we have never seen before come up to our car. The guy asks if we would take his courtside tickets that he got to the Bobcats that day at work but that the game is in 45 min...(insert "ahhhh" moment from heaven here). So off we went to the game... awesome! There are also some pics of these kid gymnasts who performed at halftime...they were great!

look who showed up?

2009-01-29T19:58:00.003-05:00

This poor guy showed up at the fence in my backyard this afternoon much to poor Brutus' dismay.... poor thing was limping, wimpering, and starving. I took care of getting him something to eat and Lee and I tried in vain to walk him around the neighborhood to see if he knew anyone or anyone knew him... nada. I'm pretty sure he has been abused as he is really skittish but wags his tail and wants to be loved. He took to me faster than he took to Lee but he has still sat at Lee's feet as I walked away.

He is currently in our backyard asleep on a little pallet... we can't keep him but we couldn't just turn him out, already hurt to just wander the neighborhood. Humane society has a 3 month waiting list and animal control will kill him automatically since he has PitBull in him... but I think he is mainly Lab/Weimereiner with a pit head. He gets along well with Paige and keeps dragging himself to his feet to wag his tail and lean over to be petted.... but otherwise I haven't heard a peep out of him.

I have sent requests out to local rescues but is anyone looking for or knows someone who is looking for a dog?

He is ADORABLE!

See??

The Biggest Loser

2008-12-31T09:07:00.004-05:00

My company, CE Holt, announced a competition starting Monday 1/5. The Biggest Loser: CE Holt. Now, I am a fan of the show... in fact, I watch it every season. It is inspiring to watch the transformations that occur on that show... I root for my favorites and enjoy the friendly rivalries because they all want the best for each other (though some try to hide that fact). Either way, I watch it and get so excited at the beginning of the season... new contestants, new lives to learn about, the start of a new beginning.... but somewhere, by the end of the season, I am disillusioned. I have watched my "favorites" go from fat... to hot...and I am still sitting on my couch...

We all know how I love a good competition. Softball, board games, heck, a good game of Catch Phrase and I am pumped! I can get, ok am, pretty competitive. So the concept of a competition at work...to lose weight... and for $$$? (my boss is matching $ for $ all initial starting money...)... I AM IN. I happen to the one of the only girls involved... and may I say, out of the 4 girls involved, I can so cake walk over them.... but the boys. Hmmm, this poses a challenge. Some of these guys have a decent amount of weight to lose (who doesn't?). But it's a ton easier for guys.

Then you have the cheaters.... my 2 bosses... "the Jeffs" as I lovingly call them... have decided to cheat. Official starting weigh in is on Monday... so they are now eating everything in sight (4-5 meals a day). They call it "bulking up". Haha. I even saw one of them eat an entire dozen Krispee Kreme donuts this morning... 12 freakin' donuts! Wow... I may have underestimated these guys.

I tried intimidation... he wasn't intimidated. Then I tried guilting him by calling him a cheater... he challenged me to find the rule that said he couldn't (being that the rules currently are: show up, weigh in, try to lose weight... I didn't have much to go on). I tried to appeal to his sense of honesty.... "that's not really the way it is supposed to go.".... so he countered with reminding me of all of the nice things that I could do with the $800 cash prize for 1st place... (heck, I could do a lot with the $400 and $200 cash prizes for 2nd or 3rd too!) He said that his smoking habit would help his appeitite... I told him I could consider picking up a smoke or two for assistance....He then informed me that he had enough stowed away in his flex spending account for lipo and a tummy tuck....I... don't. So I told him that laxatives work well... until he reminded me that I still have a job to do... so I gathered up my pride (what was left) and simply told him it was ON!

So I give in....or rather, I will step up to the challenge issued....

But I have a few tricks up my sleeve. In our conversation I found out that he has never watched the show.... (nor does he have access to or read my blog) so he has never actually seen the "real" way contestants on the show have "cheated the scale" in the past without ever really "gaining" actual weight or fat....

But I have....(see Lee, I told you those hours spent watching the tv were worth something...)

So, starting tomorrow, I shall be packing on all of the "water weight" that I can possibly hold....Gallons and Gallons of water (an no Diet Coke :-0 so come Monday, I figure I should have about 5-6 spare lbs to help pad my % of weight lost...) Oh, did I mention that I can hold my pee for a really long time???

If ya can't beat em, join 'em.... :-)

GAME ON BOYS!

My morning...

2008-12-30T07:45:00.002-05:00

So I feel like I tore a page out of the "Alexander's no-good, very bad, terribly horrible, Day" kid's book when I woke up this morning....

Late, yet chose to put the snooze on my alarm because....?

Then I leave, my husband still asleep in bed because he didn't have to go to work today until 2... lucky.

Go downstairs and realize that my cell phone is not charged because....shocker,.... I didn't plug it into the charger. Apparently, unlike studying in college where sleeping on my open books imported knowledge through osmosis, leaving a cell phone NEXT to the charger does... nothing.

On the to the garage, where I open the garage door, get into the Jeep, narrowly spilling my Diet Coke (which would have made for a Tragic morning...) and promptly back up....

and into our Corolla which is parked behind the Jeep and the outside of the garage door...

BAM!

at this point in time, a rational person would assume that I would cringe and think, oh crap!... but no... running through my mind at the time was "what the heck is in the way?"

ohhhh yeah,... our other freakin' car!

what did I do might you ask?

why I got out, moved the Corolla to the street for Lee to drive it to work, got back into the Jeep and drove it to work.

The Jeep doesn't seem to be damaged at all; but no, I did not even bother to look at the Corolla.

Yes folks, I'm that kind of wife... the one who'll hit your car and not even go back upstairs to tell ya about it. I suppose I should call Lee and tell him about the incident, in case there is a mark on the car and he automatically blames the punk neighborhood kids...

on second thought, maybe they're not such bad scapegoats after all.... ;-)

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-28T15:11:00.003-05:00

My new camera... the Nikon P80... I am so excited! Lee surprised me with it on Christmas morning after teasing me with smaller gifts leading up to it like a memory card, case, battery, etc... :-) I spent most of Christmas playing with it and taking pictures of everything. I am excited about its features and want to learn how to use it to take awesome pictures...
first up, I can't wait to take pictures out hiking and at a Checkers hockey game!

Lee got some original paperwork for his 83' Monte Carlo along with a ton of other stuff so I think he was pleased as well. More importantly, we got the chance to spend 3 pretty much uninterrupted days together without studying or work getting in the way! Ha, gotta hate work... :-)

We spent Christmas day with Lee's family and then went to the new Epicenter theatre's uptown with the Wax's and the Sutton's on Christmas night... Yes Man wasn't Marley and Me like I wanted to see, but it was pretty funny. On a side note, the Epicenter is awesome... a theater with a bar and full restaurant.... drinking, eating, and a movie? Awe-some.

Saturday had us getting our butts handed to us by Josh and Julie on Mariocart on Wii. You would think we would do well as we have a Wii... but oh no... this chick sure did come in dead last on about 85% of the races.... oh well, we will have to get the game and practice up! =)

All in all, a Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Crystal!

2008-12-14T14:28:00.007-05:00

Those that know me, know how much I love my birthday... the highlight of "birthday week" (aka the week following Thanksgiving :-) ) This year started out awesome with these flowers that were delivered to work on my birthday. Followed by Nathan's hotdogs for dinner that night with Lee... and TICKETS TO SWITCHFOOT!

To realize why this was important, you have to know that 1) I love Switchfoot and Jon Foreman... 2) I have been nagging Lee to see Switchfoot in concert again before Jon goes solo for good and the band breaks up.... 3) Switchfoot has come and gone to Charlotte area 3 times in the past 4 years and we have not gone to see them for various reasons.

However, 12/12/08, it all came together... Switchfoot came to Charlotte as the opener for 3 Doors Down (which meant that I didn't realize they were coming) and was surpised to get the tickets! We hit up Rusan's for awesome sushi before heading to the concert. Lee got us actual seats which was nice so we could sit through the local opener who were ok, but not great. Then... Switchfoot!!

Their set list...
Gravity
Gone
a Tom Petty cover song
Beyonce's Crazy in Love cover as a preamble to their song "Gone"
This is Your Life (where Jon jumped up and sang from the stands.... literally 20 feet from where we were at)
Home
Dare You to Move
Meant to Live

Then we stood in line at Lee's suggestion to wait for autographs... felt silly? yeah, me and the screaming high school girls who jumped up and down... but worth it for 2 tickets signed by the band? heck yeah!!!!

3 Doors Down finished up the night with a set of hits... some old, some new... but all pretty good.

Date Night In...

2008-12-08T21:07:00.002-05:00

Lee didn't have to study tonight so we made some awesome portabello mushroom linguini and went to get hot chocolate from Dunkin'. Then it was desserts from the Fresh Market.... can you say tiramisu and cappacino mousse?? MMMM!

Oh, and we rocked out a gingerbread house too.... yeah, that's us as gingerbread snowmen in front.... note the candy work... that's all me. Lee piped the icing and was pretty proud of his handiwork as well :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T22:24:00.004-05:00

Well, Thanksgiving is a time to gather around with family, watch football, have a fire in the firepit (if you're at my house that is)... and of course, EAT! This year I cooked up some fantastic foods... and then proved that I can be OCD as I insisted on taking pictures of the spread before we dug in... :-) SO here they are... for all 2 of you that read this (that's right mom.... for you too :-))

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fun Weekend

2008-11-22T21:28:00.005-05:00

Well, I hadn't blogged about our awesome weekend due to the enormous amount of "tagged" facebook photos from our Halloween night party at Chaise and Heather's and and the following day's Homecoming extravaganza. However, I have found 2 of our friends Danielle and Rob (who hopefully are too busy to check this blog and see the pics) that I am quite confident have not made it to the facebook world. The first is of Danielle who was tired of walking... so Lee carried her... the second of her husband Rob who was "reading" while his newborn daughter "napped." Them being new parents and all the tiredness is acceptable... yet still amusing :-)
Now I know what you're thinking... and you may feel free to leave all hatemail to Lee's email address. I just do what I can to make sure to help my friends to be seen in the best light possible... little Anna Stuart... this one's for you for all of the pics your parents have put up of you...haha...Rob and Danielle...We love you guys!

Also, for anyone interested.... these pics are waaaay more exciting that the snore-fest CU Homecoming football game in which CU LOST by more than FORTY points. Yes, that's right, we can't even win a game that is supposed to be rigged to go our way....

Anyways, outside of the awesome weekend in late October, it's late November now and Thanksgiving quickly approaches (gulp). There is so much to do, and so little time...even less so the more time I spend on this freakin' computer.

Happy Thanksgiving! Pics of the family shindig festivities at the Saunders' household to come... be afraid, be very afraid =)

Tag...

2008-11-07T09:48:00.002-05:00

November 7, 2008

I've been tagged.

10 years ago:
1. I was at Chapel Field High School, probably in our new batting cage doing "winter practices."
2. I was learning to square dance to raise money for our trip to Florida.
3. I was the "new kid" and had just met Koop, the Vogels, and Big Red.
4. I still fit into my favorite pair of green corduroys.... don't hate.
5. I worked at Dunkin' Donuts and drove a big blue minivan... you know you're jealous.

Five things on my To-Do List today:
1. Pack for the retreat I am going on in less than 4 hours... yet I continue to play online?
2. Get the oil changed in the Jeep.
3. Watch last night's Gray's Anatomy and Wednesday's The Ultimate Fighter.
4. Start planning for Thanksgiving and hittin' up the grocery store.
5. Clean out my email inbox.

Five things that I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Buy Lee the car of his dreams.
2. Pay for our house.
3. Buy me another Jeep Wrangler :-)
4. Plan a trip to see the west coast (Vegas, Cali, Seattle, COLORADO!)... probably in the winter so I can ski in Vail.
5. Take a vacation to Africa for a safari and then onto Europe on a culinary tour.

5 Places I have lived:
1. Wappinger, New York... home of the Indians, parades, and the mosque where they let the cows from the farm next door block cars in the driveway.
2. Buies Creek, North Carolina.... come on now, NOTHING beats livin in the "Crack."
3. Pineville, North Carolina... from my "rich" days workin' as a bartender.... makin' the big bucks and living close to Ballantyne where the rich folks live...
4. Colorado Springs, Colorado... no really.... I'm lying.
5. Charlotte, North Carolina... wouldn't be so interesting except for that it's where we bought our first house, got our dogs, and started out life together!

5 Jobs I've had:
1. Donut seller extradonaire:... that's right, you may have mocked me, but you loved the free donut perks that went along with workin' at Dunkin' Donuts!
2. Resident Advisor/ RD - what's that you say? I was crazy to spend 3 years workin' with a hall/dorm full of freshman girls and the drama/laughs/fights that went along with that... I concur... kind of!
3. Bartend with a college degree... that's right, my first "real" job out of college was at a bar! Hoo-rah, that's what I studied all of those nights for.
4. Crisis Counselor... if you thought I was crazy to be an RA/RD, then you thought I was out of my mind to work with the crazy kids who punched, bit, kicked, and spit on me for 4 years... by the end I kind of thought I was crazy too!
5. Student Activities... GAA - (G- to the double A)- assistant to the grad assistant... LOL... by far the MOST fun job I've ever had... doing concerts, games, Spring Fling.. and who could forget... Fear Factor? =)
6. PS- this is only supposed to be 5 jobs, but I must include... workin' at the hOasis for 4 years! I did feel a sense of pride this past weekend when Jon reminisced of the days of old and the awesome philly's and chicken wraps that I used to make... me, Bramley, Josh, and Billy Dunn... good times!

Ha! Now.... TAG... you're it!

a long awaited hike!

2008-10-25T13:43:00.007-04:00

Well this weekend Lee gave in and went hiking with me and Dumb Dumb aka Andie :-) I planned a trip to Latta Plantation to hike the "Paradise Trail" and "Split Rock Trail." A quick trip to Dunkin' Donuts for a bagel and iced coffee... and we were slipping in the mud and tripping over tree roots as we trekked through the woods. I got pulled halfway through the woods by Andie who wanted to see everything... and fast! We saw a man on a boat catch a fish and had a pretty good time even though it was "misting" rain for half of the time we were out! All in all it was an awesome morning and my faithful blog readers...all two of you........ will be impressed to know that we did all of this and were in the car on the way back home BEFORE 11am! Woot! I know, Lee thinks that I am becomming a morning person... I am NOT for the record but will do what it takes to get to do what I want.... next up, I want to go to the shooting range to play with guns.... and then to Atlanta to see the Coke Museum, the aquarium, and to the zoo!

guess who?

2008-10-19T14:05:00.003-04:00

As my grandpa says... 3 guesses (and the first 2 don't count) as to whose idea it was to put the SOLD sign on my dear Paige-pup. :-)

I hate to tell Lee... there isn't a dumb enough person alive to buy that dog with all of her quirks....

But I love her anyway (Lee does too, he just is in denial... serious denial...he represses his positive feelings towards Paige and deflects into annoyance towards her) Yes, that's the counselor coming out...trust me, I'm a professional =).

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-10-06T16:49:00.001-04:00

this is incredible... watch it and be encouraged!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

I see your freedom... and I'll raise you

2008-10-06T14:20:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking a lot these days about freedom. Specifically what it means to be free. Not in the "out in the general public, and not in jail sense" but with regards to how we live our lives. I think that freedom and being or feeling "free" is a process or a journey that is ever changing in our lives.

For the young child freedom means getting to ride your bike to the top of the hill by yourself....but for the teen it is the freedom of getting a driver's permit...for the young grad freedom means a chance to vote or drink (legally at least).

And then there is the faith aspect. I remember apologetics class in high school that introduced the subject of Christian liberty. I remember the concept of living in Christ without guilt or always wanting to "get saved" again... The idea that there was freedom in a God who saved and rescued me and that I had the chance for my life to reflect that.

Anyone who has been to a college campus knows the "f" word...
F R E E... that food, and the promise of fun, will make any college kid scream (and show up at any event no matter how lame or cheesy...trust me, I speak from years of experience in Student Activities and residence life). But for most, freedom in college mean making "adult" decisions (with adult consequences but few thought about that part...). Freedom meant the opportunity to live on your own, really live it up, (choose your meals and make your bedtime at the VERY least).

Currently in my post-collegiate/early marriage years I am learning what freedom means in this phase of life. I am becoming overwhelmingly convinced it means peace. To be "free" for me right now would mean not stressed... no worry. Imagine that! And I don't even consider myself to be a "worrier"...I'm pretty much a live by the seat of my pants, impulsive, and have some fun right now kinda gal.... yet more and more I find myself yearning to be "free". To make decisions once again that don't have such "adult" rammifications. To feel able to be myself without worrying what others might think of me (or say behind my back with a "bless her heart" to follow).

To be free.

Shawn McDonald wrote a song called "Free" that played last week which prompted much of this thought... the lyrics are:

"FREE" by Shawn McDonald
I feel like the weight of the world is all - crashing down on me
And some how I just don’t believe this how - it is suppose to be
And all this expectation on - the way I’m suppose to live
Becomes my minds distraction - with nothing left to give

You said your burden is light and your load - is no more
You said your ways are right and in you I would soar

I want to be free - free to dance and free to sing
Free to live and love and free
Oh, free to be me

I feel like my heart is being beat - down into the ground
In you I’m longing for some peace - to be found
I know the heaviness that’s - making me cold
Is stealing my youthful soul and - making me old

You said your burden is light and your load - is no more
You said your ways are right and in you I would soar

I want to be free - free to dance and free to sing
Free to live and love and free
Oh, free to be me

to hear it on youtube go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeKNXBMw4UQ

Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose

2008-09-30T08:06:00.001-04:00

This is Lee's new favorite song. (He's busy studying for con law so I thought that I would post it for him)

sushi?

2008-09-20T13:41:00.003-04:00

So one of the benefits of being extremely ADHD is the ability to go off on whims/tangents on an almost daily basis that sometimes results in some pretty awesome times around the Saunders' household. I usually end up dragging Heather over to the house to attempt my "new ideas" with me... last time it was making ravioli... didn't end up so well.

Wednesday it was making sushi! Turned out pretty well for our first time... and we made black bean spicy aioli to go with... mmmm good.

Kudos to Lee for being patient with me and humoring me by taking the pictures of the sushi.

I know, I'm a dork... but at least I make (some) things fun as long as you forget about the amount of time and money that it takes to make these "whims" happen! :-)

Spare some Change?

2008-09-18T14:38:00.003-04:00

Apparently with the election approaching, the "buzz" word is.... change. Which is odd because I've been thinking a lot about it lately. Only unlike the politicians who are currently promising the world through "change" I have begun to realize that the more I think on the subject the more pessimistic I become.

I may be jaded... I confess, I am a creature of habit... but who isn't? Everyday you wake up, dress, drive the same route, park in the same spot,... as the day previous. For the most part, people tend to resist change simply because it takes too much effort. I know I have stayed at a job, stayed in bed, procrastinated... simply because it would take a great deal of effort and motivation to stop doing what I was doing to start something new. That's the thing about change... you have to stop doing something to begin anew (as in, admit what you were doing before wasn't working... and then determine the new thing is going to be worth the effort to change).

I know in my own life, change has usually resulted in good things...relationships, locations, stuff. I really have no reason to be pessimistic. But then I take for example, some of the kids that I have worked with. Or my experiences with their crappy families. And my outlook on the "rosiness" of change dims a great deal. In the past 3 months, 2 of my former kids that I have worked with have been shot and killed in separate attacks. Another kid has unfortunately stayed true to his word when he told he that he "wanted to kill someone" and yet a few other continue to utilize the revolving door to the jail system for various misdemeanors and felonies. 3-4 years later... they are older, yet in the same crap if not worse. 85% of kids that I have worked with will have improvement in their situations or outlook/attitudes on life... none. And only 4.3% will make a "significant" improvement on their lives. From the outside it seems hope-less. No change, just crap.

You can argue that they are not motivated to change. Or that their surroundings/family/culture do not encourage nor allow for change in their lives. But at the end of the day, it comes down to the simple fact that for most of them, it was just too difficult to "be better" and change. And they are just kids?

People want to believe in change. They want to believe that the world could be better. That they themselves could change to be better. They just don't want to put the effort into actually doing it.

Do I believe in change? Yes, a million times yes. Just not change based in the promises of politicians, the frustrations of the destitute, or the ramblings of the misinformed.

"May integrity and honesty protect me for I choose to put my hope in You." Psalm 25:21

I Remember....

2008-09-15T14:52:00.003-04:00

Well, this post is a few days late, but as most things that I don't like or am unsure of how to articulate, I put it off..

Anyways, last Thursday was the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country. I suppose this blog is just to say that amidst everything else that is going on in my life... I remember 9/11.

I remember....sleeping through Spanish class and waking up to a phone call with the news
I remember....the first sight of the awful scene
I remember....the sick feeling that I had in my stomach for days on end
I remember....getting the phone call to ask me to go through my and a neighbor's dorm to ask each girl if they were ok or needed to talk
I remember....my friend Lauren bringing me a polar bear and leaving it on my bed in the hopes that it would bring a smile to my face (it did).
I remember....the dead silence in Marshbanks cafeteria
I remember....being very very angry and confused
I remember....random strangers on campus that I didn't ever remember meeting asking me how I was doing
I remember... feeling so proud of all of the flags all over campus
I remember.... my best friend Rachael's voicemails over the course of the 2 days...and hearing the sirens in the background on her phone
I remember.... wanting to drive to NY and quickly as I could, and then wanting to drive as far away from NY as I could in the next moment
I remember...having to write an opinion paper on my thoughts about social psychology that evening, and for once in my life, finding not a single word to put down
I remember....my criminal justice professor crying and spending 2 full days of class in prayer
I remember....getting into an argument with one of my residents who told me that I was a sinner for being in support of a war over the attacks
I remember....hugging Belle Darden on the quad as we walked to CEP and trying to help her write a prayer that she was supposed to give to the students even though we both had our thoughts on our friends and family in NYC.
I remember....the email that I got to say that my uncle was covered in dust... but ok
I remember....seeing my friend Luke agonize over whether his dad at the Pentagon was ok (he was)
I remember....the phone call from my friend John - that his dad wasn't ok and wouldn't ever be
I remember....the way our country came together over a common cause
I remember....the pictures- the 3 fireman, our President and the fire chief
I remember....watching the memorial and hearing them read over 2000 names
I remember.... seeing "God Bless the USA" on a strip club sign
I remember...."America Bless God"
I remember....waiting more than 5 years to see the World Trade Center movie - and crying through it like it happened yesterday
I remember....going to the city for the 1st time and seeing the enormous pit of nothing...
I remember....making a mural in Chele's place of Ground Zero
I remember....the feeling of pride in country songs that reminded us of all that was lost on that day (Where were you when the world stopped turning? Courtesy of the Red White and Blue).
I remember....going for drives to nowhere to try to make sense of it all
I remember....the first time someone suggested that we should not make such "a big deal" about 9/11... and the intense anger that erupted in me over it
I remember....the first anniversary, and the second, and still the 7th
I remember....

Do you?

the boys...

2008-09-06T12:23:00.000-04:00

Lee and Robert Wii- boxing

HA! :-)

CU Football

2008-09-06T12:11:00.000-04:00

Well, Despite our AC going out the morning of, and our dogs being "home alone" (they loved it) all day, Lee and I packed up and headed down to good ol' Campbell to see their latest attempt to become like all other colleges... first co-ed dorms, now FOOTBALL! It was a beautiful day, just 100 degrees! My makeup literally melted off of my face, but not before its SPF power spared my face from getting burned... too bad Lee does not wear makeup... he was as red as a tomato by the end of the day!

In usual Campbell fashion,... we lost at the end by 6 points. But I must admit (start your recorders here), they did much better than I anticipated. They actually looked like a football team! But i had a much rosier view of them before I found out that their opponents only started their football team last year!

house guest

2008-08-18T21:59:00.000-04:00

This is Louis (aka, Louis Vitton)... he stayed with us a few weekends ago... needless to say he was ADORABLE! how in the world can you tell that face no? He even knew how to stand up on his back legs and wag his paws towards you for a treat like a little circus monkey...

Brutus was less than impressed but was able to get along with Louis for the last 4 days of his trip.

Grant and Tab's wedding reception

2008-08-18T21:48:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics from Grant and Tab's wedding reception... most notably, yet another wedding where Jay and Lee were requested to go out and dance together... LOL... the highlight of the dance was Lee grabbing Jay and throwing him across his shoulders and spinning him around like a helicopter.
Good times!

that's my fatty!

2008-08-18T21:45:00.001-04:00

That's my girl.... eating her diet snack of carrot sticks.... note the pile in front of her legs.... don't let her nosing it fool you... she definitely took each carrot stick out of her bowl, shredded it, and then went back to do the same with another.....

we're not quite dead yet....

2008-08-17T15:05:00.000-04:00

Well to steal from Monty Python... "we're not quite dead yet...." Just busy!

I finished my penance at Special K and began to work at my new job (Lee's soon to be old position). He starts the police academy on September 8th so he's got the fun?!? job of training me in the fine art of refrigeration for the new 3 weeks. :-) At least we're saving on gas driving to work together!

In other news, we went out to the lake last weekend for Heather's birthday party.... I braved my fear of heights and jumped off the dock. Unlike almost everyone else in the world, the jump and the splash part are what I enjoy... the whole "stomach in your throat" feeling is the WORST! LOL

Anyways, all is well.... the pups are good, Paige's prescription diet food seems to be working... slowly, but working... and I am enthralled with the Olympics (much to Lee's dismay...) I could watch this stuff forever... it's like I feel like I "have to".... they're Americans..... who cares that they are running and then shooting a gun at a target? LOL

PS- Guitar Hero for Xbox 360 is awesome.... and just as addicting as the Olympics =)

"Real"

2008-07-28T09:08:00.000-04:00

I post this as a result of a discussion yesterday with the ladies in my small group about a woman's desire to be "real" and "known" by others... I think the song captures that line of thought perfectly.

Hope you like it.

LOL... just kidding! I cannot get this video to upload for the life of me...

so go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRzJrfNyAtA

Tell The World That - Hillsong united

2008-07-21T14:24:00.001-04:00

My friends Adrienne and Caleb are going to Paupa New Guinea to be missionaries pretty soon and I wanted to post this blog for them and others who have a heart for missions... or for Jesus for that matter.
check out their blog www.weirmissions.blogspot.com

God Bless you guys... we love you! :-)

Dog biting his own leg!

2008-07-08T09:34:00.001-04:00

This dog makes me feel SO much better about my own dogs.... watch it... it is HYSTERICAL!!! :-)

C U WHAT???

2008-07-07T14:13:00.001-04:00

So it is official.... Lee and I will be attending Campbell's newest adventure in wasteful spending.... football. Yes folks, millions of dollars later, the folks in administration at Campbell have been able to determine a better use for their dollars than brick sidewalks that lead to more brick sidewalks..... football. They just had to go and ruin our only "undefeated" team at Campbell by actually adding the program. Lucky for CU alum, there seem to be no plans in the works for a ping-pong team or synchronized swimming.

But, like it or not, Lee and I will be in attendance, marking the first game I will have ever actually PAID to attend. All those reading this, please note, I gladly paid my $30 for Lee and I to attend... so that we would have a place to hang out with old friends, not to support their miserable attempts to be like other schools with athletic programs that actually win.

:-)

C U there!

Pie Makin'

2008-07-04T17:58:00.000-04:00

Well Lee is gone for the week in Florida with some friends. I couldn't go because of work... and it ended up being the best thing anyways as I've come down with a cold/flu.... Dis-gusting!

Anyways, after 2 days of watching Sex and the City and Iron Chef marathons, I decided to try to be productive....

So I tried my hand at making lemon meringue pie....what do ya think? The filling came out a little runny, but at least the meringue looks pretty :-)

Happy Independence Day!

Meredith Andrews on WJTL - You're Not Alone

2008-06-24T13:30:00.001-04:00

This has to be one of my new favorite songs... awesome message and her voice is incredible. :-)

I'm the kinda girl who makes my parents proud.....

2008-06-15T16:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I must say, I have had some exciting weekends in the past month or so.... UFC fights, out to the bar to watch the fights, sewing, and now, this past weekend.... my poor mother who happens to call and ask the question, "what are you up to?" I dare say I doubt she will continue to ask that question much longer.... it's one thing to tell her I'm on my way out to play a softball tournament in 98 degree heat, it's another to inform her that we're celebrating our anniversary at a UFC MMA fight.... but this past Friday, I had the honor of letting her know, that I, her New York born and raised, not very "country" daughter,... was going (voluntarily) to a RODEO!!!

So we went to the rodeo with Lee's friends' parents Wayne and Kathy. Lee said I made Wayne's year by volunteering to go to a rodeo with him. I had no idea these types of things actually existed outside of the movies.... Boys with HUGE belt buckles, girls carrying confederate flag pocketbooks, little kids with chaps and cowboy hats on.... did you know you can buy souvenir whips and ropes?

SO I thought I was going to watch bull riding, like on television. Apparently a "rodeo" is much more... roping and barrel stuff,... they even had an event with fainting goats that girls rode up to and had to catch and tie up.... funny stuff when they fainted and laid on the ground legs sticking up in the air!

All in all, it was an experience... I'd like to watch the bull riding again, that was entertaining I must say so who knows, I might just pop up at one of these events another time.

Next week... we hit up a reenactment of the War of Northern Aggression.....

just kidding... I haven't turned too redneck for that one.... just yet ;-)
(oh yes folks, I make my parents P R O U D!!! LOL)

she can sew?!?!?!?!?

2008-06-15T16:43:00.001-04:00

Some of you may remember the great fiasco of late 2003.... the last time that I attempted to sew something and in the process ended up using a rotary cutter to slice my finger to the bone ...

Well.... I attempted to sew again! (see picture for proof)! This time I got roped into helping a friend who needed costumes for a church camp.... A girl from our small group and I were the only ones to own sewing machines so we were "chosen", ahem, the only ones dumb enough to volunteer, to make 3 identical costumes for a "disappearing" act play. IE all of the costumes needed to look alike.. HA! Where is the individuality? So she and my other friend Heather came over for dinner and a Friday night of sewing... I tell you, I live it up now that I'm an "adult" LOL. Heather did not tell me that she was actually experienced at these things and actually makes purses... so set me up at the machine to sew straight lines... I must say, I didn't do HORRIBLY... but I'm not exactly a ruler-straight line kinda girl. All in all, I was 2 for 3 which if we were playing softball, wouldn't be half bad! She was nice enough to wait until I was busy eating my Taco Bell to take out the stitches of the messed up one and redo it.

the results are in!

2008-06-07T18:17:00.001-04:00

Well, we took Paige "aka Fat girl" to the vet today to have her thyroid checked to see if that was the reason that she has gained 10, yes 10 pounds in the past 2 years. My dog is now ridiculously obese and no diet or exercise has made a difference to her yet... Anyways, a thyroid condition was her last hope.... an actual reason for the weight gain.

But no... her thyroid is in perfect working condition... so are all of her other vitals.. normal. Except her weight, the vet made sure to inform me that she was not fat, she would be classified as obese. Great... how you word it apparently makes for more of an "impact"

So I guess Lee has been right all along.... I am apparently the reason that Paige is fat... can't tell you where I went wrong but apparently it's all my fault... Fan Freakin' Tastic. :-(

An Anniversary Celebration!

2008-06-03T21:28:00.001-04:00

So Lee and I went out tonight to celebrate.... We started off with taking pictures (or shall I say, attempting to take pictures!) They started out poorly but finally progressed into something nice once I got the hang of my new digital camera....

Then we left and went to Blue Restaurant in Charlotte (

Where flowers were waiting for me on the table..... nice touch Lee!

Some fantastic falafel, pear and Mediterranean salad, and halibut later.... they brought us a Godiva chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce.... MMMMmmmmm

Anyways.. it paled in comparison to the dinner I cooked last night for us...

HAPPY 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY :-)

OUR ANNIVERSARY!

2008-06-03T13:43:00.000-04:00

Happy 2 years to Lee and I :-) Wow, it seems crazy that two years has gone by.... it doesn't seem that long ago we were dancing and having fun at the Villa Borghese.... good times :-)

Four Really Good Reads (in my humble, yet completely correct opinion)

2008-06-02T10:49:00.001-04:00

"For Women Only and For Men Only" - great books for anyone involved in a relationship... it uses a psychological survey of thousands of men and women to inform their counterparts of the things that they really want them to know but do not know how (or just don't) say or do. Really informative but also a good reminder of the differences between men and women.

"Be Intolerant" - probably one of my 'pet peeves' is the whole idea of the push for tolerance in society.... I won't get on my soapbox today but Ryan Dobson does a great job not only explaining why tolerance is stupid and dangerous but why Christians need to stand for something in the face of our "tolerance" crazed society. Makes good points about why true and total tolerance is a farce and explains my point of view in ways that I don't think I could ever articulate.

"When Bad Christians Happen to Good People" - Challenges todays church to be "sinner sensitive" and more aware of our interactions with unsaved people. Good ideas in an easy to read format that challenges more than condemns....

stupid soccer moms....

2008-06-02T10:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I set out on this whole "blog" thing with the hopes of updating daily... HA! Oh well, at least I am making an attempt at the whole weekly update thing. I went out last week an got the Wii Fit.... awesome game! However, the story behind me getting it was crazy!
Anyways, the new Best Buy was opening in Charlotte and as the dork that I am (shocker I know) I decided to go to the Pre-Grand Opening preview as I am a Rewards card member. So i arrive, 45 minutes before the store opened (again, as the true dork that I am), I foolishly thought that no other losers would show up early to get the free $25 gift card to the first 50 people to the store... i mean, don't these people have to work? So i turn the corner and there are a TON of people standing outside of the store... waiting... Wow, I'm not alone! Needless to say, i got a gift card! I was number 47 out of 50... SCORE! So I go in... hoping to grab the Wii Fit and get out... who else would wait in line for a fitness game? Oh dear... let me say that I get to the video game section to find another line of all middle-aged ladies, waiting for the Wii Fit. The girl says they have 8 of them and I start to count: 6,7,8... I'm the eighth person in line.... so I'm good right? WRONG. Lady number seven, aka Soccer Mom Crack, takes the Wii Fit she is handed, and then turns around, ELBOWS me out of the way, and takes my Wii Fit!!! I was pissed!

All of that, I ended up with getting a coveted Wii Fit at the Walmart of all places... crazy stuff I tell ya... and to top it all off.. I go home to do the Wii Fit and it made my Mii fat! (I now hinge upon the cusp of my Mii's shirt covering her stomach or being slightly exposed due to fat.... stupid video games....)

Memorial Day Weekend!

2008-05-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

I started off the weekend the right way with getting off of work early on Friday :-) Then it was an exciting Friday night spent cleaning the house, playing with my dogs, and hanging out with my husband. Saturday night I convinced Lee to go to Lowes with me to buy a new bannister for our stairwell... which took up most of our time on Sunday to cut, sand, and stain it. Saturday night was FIGHT NIGHT! Chaise and Heather came over for dinner and the fight and we hit up the huge sale at New York and Company for some new clothes before heading back home to watch the fight. My boy Tito lost his last UFC fight but other than that it was pretty fun... complemented by the awesome margaritas that Chaise made ;-)

Went to see Prince Caspain on Monday... the movie was as good as I remember the book to be. Then we took our little demon... I mean Paige, to the vet to get her fixed up from a horrible ear infection. We also learned that Paige continues to gain weight (10lbs) in the past year 1/2 despite the diet efforts we have been trying to subject her to. Apparently, beagles are at high risk for thyroid issues that require medication to regulate.... so it may NOT be my fault (as Lee blames me) for her increasing girth and pudge. HA! She'll get tested for it in August so until then it's Kibbles and carrots for my fat girl....

Trip to Rock Bottom

2008-05-17T14:20:00.001-04:00

Here are some pics of Lee and I at Rock Bottom with Ingrid and Brett, Note Lee is sporting the new Oakleys that I got him....nice?.... good food, and they had a sampler of beer they brewed on site... 7 beers for $5? Count me in! :-)

i love my man...

2008-05-16T23:49:00.000-04:00

Seriously,with shameless displays of flowers delivered to my job today, it's not the reason I married him (but it sure doesn't hurt either! ;-))

the next attempt....

2008-05-16T23:44:00.000-04:00

Well I made another cake... this time for Heather's graduation party...it's supposed to be a graduation cap with a tassel, honor cord, and the letters ASU for Appalachian State University. :-) She liked it but the fondant dried out and cracked... oh well, can't win em all.

Breakdancer Jalen Testerman on Ellen (full)

2008-05-14T11:15:00.001-04:00

Fast forward to 2:41 if you just want to see him dancing, but his interview is pretty cute too :-) He is only SIX years old.... you know his parents have only two words.... Cha Ching!!!

E*TRADE Trading Baby 2008

2008-05-14T11:06:00.003-04:00

HILARIOUS! :-) the baby's expressions themselves are priceless.

E*TRADE Banking Baby 2008

2008-05-14T11:06:00.001-04:00

Tell me this baby is not funny!!!

this is the man....

2008-05-14T09:06:00.000-04:00

...Who deserved my 60 (yes SIXTY) votes last night. I called and called and called all throughout Hell's Kitchen and Law and Order SVU (2 straight hours) and got through 60 times in 2 hours.... I kept telling Lee that I needed to do my part for David Cook so that I could help battle the horrible tweens in their obsession for David Archuletta. I mean, he sang Switchfoot.... what other reason did I need to vote for him, other than the fact that he has also rocked out Phantom of the Opera and Aerosmith? Good times!

In other news, the whiny chef Ben was kicked off of Hell's Kitchen... that was great but the only downer was that the other whiner, Matty, stayed and received praises from Chef Ramsey... maybe next week he'll fold like dough and be sent packing!

not so long lost wedding pics...

2008-05-13T14:43:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day from the Pups..

2008-05-11T18:53:00.000-04:00

I got some daisies (my favorite) and some fresh strawberries. Lee and the pups curled up on the couch while I did some work and we had a great day just hanging out :-)

The past year of our life....

2008-05-11T18:46:00.000-04:00

Well, at Adrienne's suggestion, thought I'd post some pics to shed some light on the past year of our life... Note, these are clearly not the wedding pictures, those are somewhere on disks that I haven't pulled out to post with yet, but still, a coming attraction ;-) Enjoy! Halloween, my beloved Jeep being broken into, Christmas, our tile job, and our first snow in the new house!

a flower!

2008-05-11T18:44:00.000-04:00

So Lee's precious magnolia tree finally flowered! Well, by that I mean, a flower, singular, has popped open... but what a flower it is. Dude, the thing is larger than Lee's open hand! It makes him happy so that means that indirectly it makes me happy as well. :-)

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T18:38:00.000-04:00

So after much Food Network Cake Challenge watching, I decided to make a cake for Mother's Day! Some semi-sweet chocolate, pre-rolled fondant, and a new set of bakeware later, I got to work. Here's what it looks like, I think for my first try it's not half bad!

STOP thief!!!

2008-05-08T10:17:00.000-04:00

Well, I had to tell Lee the sad news this morning. His prized roses that he had been watering and Seven-Dusting (don't ask), have been absconded from our very yard. I suppose it might make more sense to explain that our house is on a corner lot... a corner that also happens to be the neighborhood school bus-stop. Oh, and the children in our lovely little corner of the world are PUNKS! Last year I caught two of them in a fight up against our house (the girl was actually beating the boy's head up against the side of our house)... these are quality 4th graders I tell you. Anyways, today the young hooligans were out having an argument outside, prompting me to look out the window. I quickly ignored the argument as I saw one of the young girls emerge from the side of our house,.... holding and smelling 3 fresh red roses. Cute, except I quickly realized that she had made a bouquet out of OUR nice red roses. Then one of her friends notices the flowers and starts to walk over (I presume to snatch the last two off of our once-blooming bush). I must say, I am not proud of it, but I became "that" lady... you know, the one beating on the window and glaring at the kids through the cracked blinds. Yes, yes, I know I am crazy, but those kids should thank the good Lord that Lee wasn't home to witness the theft.

What has happened to kids these days? I hope she got pricked and bled for her thievery! So there little girl... so there!

Oh the perils of sex...

2008-05-05T08:32:00.001-04:00

Below is a post from a guy that I went to college with... he's a youth pastor now and was writing in response to a Time magazine article on sex education in public schools....
I don't claim to agree with everything that he says but I do think that it is important that he addressed a serious situation in our society today...I really think that the Christian church is doing its young people a serious disservice and that the majority of Christian parents are in serious denial... Sadly, the stats for Christian young people do not show a vast difference in sexual experimentation from their secular peers which is why I really appreciate Justin mentioning the added issue that Christians place on young teens in the form of intense guilt. Somehow, the church has gotten back to a hierarchy of sins.... Where "small sins" are brushed over and not seen nearly as traumatizing for church members to know that young Sally has been consistently lying to her parents or that young Jane routinely spreads gossip throughout the church youth group. But horror of all horrors... the entire church not only knows about (and will definitely be praying for) young Johnny who made a mistake one night with his girlfriend who is now pregnant.... The amount of "mandatory pastoral counseling" and "prayer sessions" that he will experience will probably be enough for him to feel guilty for the next 10 years of his young life.

Now I'm not saying that it's wrong to be praying for young Johnny. Nor am I supposing that he is without fault or that he did not make a poor choice. But at what point does the church express to Johnny the love and compassion of Christ for sinners? (yes, even those who commit the "big sins").

My question is simple, as a church and Christian community, are we effectively teaching our youth and providing them accurate information for them to make a solid decision upon? Or are we just telling them, don't do that it's wrong? Personally, I've only experienced the latter which then leads to the difficult issue of how does a young person transition from "sex is wrong and bad" the night before he/she gets married, to "sex is great, freeing, and intimate and to be enjoyed" the following day after a wedding ceremony?

Anyone else see how that could be difficult for our young people to grasp?

I have found an interesting website that addresses this, and below is the post the started me on this line of thought.... www.themarriagebed.com

Sorry it is all so long and wordy!

-Crystal

"Thursday, May 01, 2008
Sex Ed. 101

SCENE: A Public School Health Class
TEACHER: "Today's topic... Sexual Education. If you'll please turn to page 77 in your textbook....um yes Timmy, will you read what it says on that page? What's that...yes, please read the whole page!"
TIMMY: (reading) "uh....it just says, 'don't do it'?!"
TEACHER: "That's right, and that completes our comprehensive education on Sex, now on page 31 we will be discussing the most important topic this year, how to clip you toenails"
END SCENE
______________

Coming from a conservative (actually fundamentalist) Baptist upbringing, sex was a big topic in my youth years...I mean abstinence was a big topic...SEX was NEVER openly and honestly talked about!!!

Yes, as with most churches, sex is a taboo topic except for that once a year weekend retreat where you bring in someone else to talk about the evils of sex before marriage and guilt them into signing some sort of covenant (like True Love Waits) pledging that they will remain abstinent until their marriage night (or 50th wedding anniversary). ONE problem with this approach (from both a youth and youth minister perspective) is that all this usually guarantees is that when a teen does decide to have a night of passion, they will wake up the next day with a LOT of guilt. The subliminal message: Sex is bad!

I know that that's not the message that these approaches are trying to send, but it is, in fact, the message that we do send. I'll be honest... my wedding night, I was scared that I would feel like I was doing something wrong because fear and guilt tactics were the only way anyone would ever approach the topic of sex.
____________

After that TMI, we recently see the results from the Oversight Committee Hearing on Abstinence-Only Education, headed by Chairman Waxman. Here's some of his opening statements:

The statistics are shocking. A few weeks ago, the CDC released data showing that one in four teenage girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted infection. 30% of all American girls become pregnant before the age of 20; for African-American and Latina girls, the rate is 50%. And thousands of teenagers and young adults in the United States become infected with HIV each year.
If we’re serious about responding to these challenges, we must base our policy on the best available science and evidence, not ideology.
We’re here today to discuss evidence on the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs. There is a broad consensus that the benefits of abstinence should be taught as part of any sex education effort. But abstinence-only programs teach only abstinence. In federally-funded abstinence-only programs, teenagers cannot receive information on other methods of disease prevention and contraception, other than failure rates.
To date these programs have gotten over $1.3 billion dollars of federal taxpayer money, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds, to conduct programs in schools and communities across the United States. Meanwhile, we have no dedicated source of federal funding specifically for comprehensive classroom sex education.

But we will hear today from multiple experts that after more than a decade of huge government spending, the weight of the evidence doesn’t demonstrate abstinence-only programs to be effective.
In fact, the government’s own study showed no effect for abstinence-only programs. In 2007, the Bush Administration released the results of a longitudinal, randomized, controlled study of four federally-funded programs. The investigators found that compared to the control group, the abstinence-only programs had no impact on whether or not participants abstained from sex. They had no impact on the age when teens started having sex. They had no impact on the number of partners. And they had no impact on rates of pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease.

Meanwhile, more and more research shows that many well-designed comprehensive programs that teach about abstinence and contraception are effective. Comprehensive, age-appropriate programs have yielded results including increasing contraceptive use, delaying sex, and reducing the number of sexual partners.
In other words, the evidence demonstrates that not only do good comprehensive programs not encourage teen sexual activity, they actually decrease it. This shouldn’t be too surprising, because in effective comprehensive programs, young people are taught that abstinence is the safest choice, the healthiest choice, and a choice that they should never feel pressured to abandon.

_______________
Ok, so let's get this out of the way. I'm not some person who doesn't care about our youth and is an advocate for sex before marriage. Actually, I still strongly support abstinence as the best choice... but not ONLY for religious reasons. I would actually say they are the least of my justification on that stance. No, I stand for abstinence as the best choice for psychological, and physiological health reasons IN ADDITION to my religious beliefs on the subject. (actually, they are all tied together being that I believe God wants what's best for us as a whole person, not just spiritually).

But, the Abstinence-ONLY approach of education isn't working. It isn't effective, studies have shown, and if you have truly worked with real life teenagers then it's pretty intuitive, that Abstinence-only education is not long-lasting education.

So...why do we ignore the experts? I mean I agree if a more comprehensive sex-ed. program did not give abstinence as a sexual option. But every comprehensive program and curriculum that I've studied not only spends time on an abstinence option, it ENCOURAGES that option OVER AND ABOVE all other options. AND IT IS MORE EFFECTIVE! Here we have teens (esp. male guys) at their sexual peak (hormonally speaking), and we're telling them that they are supposed to completely ignore those natural feelings, and feel guilty and dirty when they give into their hormones. Instead, we can better educate them about their bodies, what's going on, and the ones who are going to have sex regardless, will at least be better informed on their options! Studies have shown that those who are MOST LIKELY to remain abstinent because of an abstinent-only approach, will still respond with the choice of abstinence when given a more comprehensive approach to sex.

So here are my questions:
Why do we not listen to the experts and take a more scientifically proven approach? Why don't we listen? Are we scared?

I think Representative, John Duncan (R-Tenn.) summed it up best: "It seems rather elitist to me for people who have degrees in this field and because they've studied it, somehow know better than the parents...."
Yeah, all these researchers with all their research and studies and degrees thinking they know something about the field in which they are working. Because parenting REQUIRES a higher degree and....wait...what's that??? I'm being told that parenting in fact, does not require a degree or class of any sort. What many would consider the most important job in our society (raising a child) does not heed the research and use it towards better parenting, instead cling to the the way they think is best.

I know that's sarcastic, but, like my last post... we Christians seem to think that because we have the Bible, we don't need any advancements in human technology and understanding. Hmmm.... we should picket the printing press!!!! Stupid Martin Luther and his idea to translate the Bible into the vernacular and have it mass produced!

Sorry, really don't know what's gotten into me tonight to be so sarcastic, but I really do question when parents (esp. Christian parents) are so against a better and more effective way of educating teens about sex. Let me say this, I respect if you want to teach abstinence-only in your house, or even in your church. That is perfectly fine if that is your religious viewpoint. But in public schools (sit down, this may shock you), teens are 1) not all Christian or religious, and 2) are having sex. Us fighting against a more comprehensive public education program is IN FACT, not making number 2 any better, and the WAY Christians teach it isn't helping #1 all that much either.

So studies show....
Comprehensive Sexual Education is more effective....
Abstinence-only education has little-to-no effect....
Why not allow the system to change?'

Sorry for the rant and the sarcasm, but this has bothered me since I was in youth. I saw how little this old approach worked with my peers, and well... I think I will support whatever the studies show as long as the educational program still teach abstinence as the best option!" - Justin

"can you handle it?" (or, a rant from Crystal on crappy American messages directed towards our teens)

2008-05-04T20:24:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFRuUJR4LPI

Watch and see for yourself, but with videos like this one being voted #1 by TEEN GIRLS in Teen Vogue, is there any doubt as to why our teens are at record rates with violence and poor self image?

Tell me this isn't funny...

2008-05-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

I must say, this dog makes me feel as though Paige is 100% NORMAL! (scary thought huh?)

haha

2008-04-29T18:58:00.001-04:00

Now I have my own username so people know when I blog and don't take any girly things that my wife says to be of my pen... or keyboard... or whatever.

UFC

2008-04-29T16:32:00.000-04:00

While my wife was pulling pooches through the Charlotte heat, I was participating in the first annual Burkot Boy Reunion. Well it was kind of a reunion. I'm sure most of the guys are lot better at keeping track of one another that I am of keeping track of them, or anyone, or anything, or myself for that matter. So I met up with Caleb, Joey, and Jonathon at Tuckertown Lake in NC. Caleb's brother Cam and friend Collin were along for the ride as well. The main event for the weekend was the UFC. Ultimate Fishing Challenge!!! The award for largest fish goes to Cameron Weir. The award for luckiest catch goes to Collin (twice). While the champion's belt for most fish caught goes to Lee Saunders. Oh come on were you suprised? For those of you who actually know me... did you think that I would sit down and type this much without bringing that up?
Really though, it was a great time.

Catch you later

Bark In the Park (Woof Woof)

2008-04-29T12:43:00.000-04:00

Well, I spent all last week looking forward towards Bark in the Park (a doggie festival in Ballantyne) so that I would have something to blog about. I've realized that I have a pretty boring life that does not really evoke much blogging. I was so excited... that I forgot my camera! So needless to say, I took Paige (my fat beagle) and met up with Heather (and her two Great Danes Tobey and Bailey) and we drove over to the big church to park. Now, I remember last year that I took Paige to Bark in the Park 2007, there was a long walk from the church to the festival, but I don't believe I quite remembered EXACTLY how far...

Well, about 1.5 MILES into the trek in the 90 degree heat, my precious fatty, laid down and refused to get up. I could not pull her, coax her, or "nudge" her to get up. Yes folks, 0.5 miles before we even REACHED the park where the pups could bark, I was THAT owner, carrying her dog! Believe me, fat girl and I had a serious conversation about her weight gain and I think that my back and arms were wanting to let her know that she would be on a serious diet upon return to the hizzouse.

So we finally REACH the Bark in the Park.... i got to see some pups do some high flying tricks, jump over poles into a pool, and basically leap into a pool to catch their ball.... dedicated those pups were. Anyways, at this point, Heather's Great Dane's (you know the huge 100 lb plus dogs) were terrified of the "community water bowls" that were everywhere. Apparently, it was much better to suffer from dehydration and pant than drink from the bowl that Fido did previously. We got the pups some Yuppy Puppy Ice Cream (which they snubbed their noses at) and then hit up the smoothie station for some human treats.

Then I am sad to say, we cheated and took the shuttle vans (yes we piled 2 Great Danes into a passenger van), Paige sat upfront with her face in the air conditioning) and got in our car and drove home. Poor Paige didn't move from her spot on the floor for the next few hours.

Next year, we'll go earlier so that it's not so freakin' hot! (And maybe I'll bring a camera and bring some water bottles for my dog... I mean, she's classy, she's used to fresh water from the toilet, what was I thinking that she would settle for the Park's "community water bowl?" ;-)

Welcome to Our Life!

2008-04-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I've always said that once I got married I wouldn't be one of "those" couples that feels the need to update the world on everything.... However, I have found that I love stalking, errr, reading my college friend's/their families blogs. So I suppose it's only fair that I share as well? That and you can't leave comments without having a blog so that's a plus as well. I'm not sure how much you'll hear from Lee on this thing.... he's pretty much an email only type computer guy, but you never know, he might love "blogging"! hehe ;-) Anyone who knows Lee is saying aloud, "Uhm Crystal, do you KNOW your husband??" LOL.

Anyways, for those who enjoy short, concise blogs.... GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! I do tend to ramble....a lot.... but I think it can be amusing at times. Anyways, this will be my/our best at communicating with friends/family all over the place.

So, without further adeu...

WELCOME TO OUR LIFE!