The Happy Couple

So, here they are. Just after he popped the question. Are they cute or what!?

He proposed on the beach. A beach that they visit often (they live in Florida). I hear that he was so nervous that he almost fell down the stairs getting onto the beach. I hear that he didn't really even get to ask, he just got down on one knee (as it should be) and she tackled him in the sand.

My heart is overflowing with joy. You see, Miranda is perfect for Dave. We all know that Dave has his quirks and Miranda loves him and his quirks. Miranda is great for Dave, she doesn't take any crap from him, in a loving way. Dave is great for Miranda. He loves her deeply. He supports her, encourages her. They are best friends. They do puzzles together, I think that is the cutest thing ever.

I am filled with joy because I am so proud of my brother and the man that he has become. Like lots of young people, Dave made some not-so-great decisions but about five years ago he started making great decisions and has continued to do so. He is filled with compassion and love beyond belief.

In some ways this is the completion of our family. I have my second and final sister. Miranda is promising to love Dave and our family forever, I hope she knows what she is in for...I love you guys. I am so excited for you! Let's PARTY!

Congratulations!!

My baby brother is engaged. I cannot believe it. I am so excited for he and Miranda. More thoughts on this later, we are visiting with friends in Virginia. My baby brother is getting married.....

What a week

I wish I had better news to report. I don't. Chief is no longer with us, he is with Jesus.

He died at the same moment I was leaving to drive to North Carolina. I had made the decision that if he was alive when it was time for me to leave that I would head south but if he had passed away I would head north. For some reason, he was pushing me South. I had not driven a tenth of a mile and my phone rang. It was my mom. I knew from the tone in her voice that he was gone. At first, I did a u-turn. Then, I did another u-turn. I knew that I had to keep heading south. Natalie would not survive another change in plans, it was getting too late in the day, I just needed to keep driving. Thankfully Natalie had already fallen asleep when I got the call and I could cry as much as I wanted/needed to.

We knew that his death was coming. His body never got strong enough for surgery. They made him a hospice patient on Monday afternoon and told us that he would live about 24-48 hours. He lived about 49 more, he had to fight. He clinged to life until all of my dad's brothers and sisters were there with him. He passed away about a minute after the last one arrived.

I love my Chief. He was a great man. I am going to miss him.

There are still LOTS of boxes to unpack. Unpacking with two children around while you are emotionally and physically exhausted is not easy. Right now I feel like I will be unpacking for the next 10 years!

Some updates

Natalie appears to be on the mend, she still has a low-grade fever but appears to be fine when the Motrin is working.

Chief has decided that he wants to have surgery. I had no idea that he was with it enough to make that decision but evidently he is. I am not surprised. He will not go without a fight, that I am sure of. So, he is getting his chance to fight. They are going to intubate him today to help with his breathing, give him platelets and get him as strong as they can to go to the OR in the morning. Please pray for him.

It's pouring

When it rains, it pours.



I was crying before Kim left for work yesterday morning saying that I didn't want to face the day and that was before I knew everything that the day would have in store. All I knew was that several people would be coming over to say their good-byes and I didn't want to deal with the emotion of that.



Around lunch time my uncle called my dad (mom and dad were here with me to help out and then take Natalie with them while the packers/movers were here). My uncle told my dad that my grandfather was very sick and that they needed to think about heading to NJ. Not good. My grandfather has been in the hospital since late Tuesday because he appeared to have a really bad stomach bug/food poisoning and started having some rectal bleeding. He is 89 years old, has diabetes, not the strongest heart...Yesterday they found out that he appears to have ischemia of the lower intestine, not good. My dad's family is faced with some tough decisions to make, none of which will probably have a good outcome.

Mom and dad were getting ready to leave when Natalie woke up from nap with a fever of 102.2.

I cried a lot yesterday. I am not ready to lose my only remaining grandparent. I love my Chief. Just two weeks ago he walked my cousin down the aisle. None of us are ready for this. I have NO idea how I will get everything done that I was planning on doing with both girls here. But even if I do not, we will make it to NC and sort it out when we get there.

Father's Day II

Happy Father's Day to the greatest Dads ever!! My hubby and dad.

They both got fabulous t-shirts for the big day. I will have to post a picture of them...

Joyful Weekend

Well, it all started on Friday when we found out that our townhouse will not be foreclosed on on March 14th. We received a yucky letter last Tuesday stating that our landlord had been unable to pay the mortgage (even though we have been paying rent) and that the house would be foreclosed on. We were, umm, shocked. We had NO idea. We talked to our landlord, got the scoop from her, and started doing some planning. Our landlord talked with her bank on Friday and they worked something out so that we should be good through March. We are taking it one week at a time, trying not to panic, trying to be prepared, etc. But the good news is that we should be able to bring our new baby home to this house (rather than a friend's basement or an "Extended Stay America").

Saturday, yummy breakfast at Chik-Fil-A with my hubby and daughter. Kim did not have a single weekend off in February so to have him around was great! We spent to day together as a family doing a whole lot of "nesting" and catching up. Kim and Natalie had a great time together. The pitiful part was the way Natalie kept saying, Daddy, don't go to work! She just thought at any moment that he would be leaving. Pitiful!

Sunday, great time at church and a lazy afternoon. What could be better? Just having Kim around was such a blessing!!

Of course, lots of people came by to look at the house but I have a new level of patience with that now. It was a lot easier to keep the house clean and get out the door on a moments notice with Kim around.

It was the most relaxing weekend that I have had in a long time!! I was so thankful for it!!

Merry Christmas to all!

We leave tomorrow to go to my parents house for Christmas! I am so excited. I hope that I can sleep tonight. We have to wait until the morning to leave because Kim is working tonight. He gets off at 6:00 in the morning and we will leave as soon after that as we can!

Did I mention that I am so excited? My brothers and their SOs are already at mom and dad's house. This will be the first Christmas morning that I will be at my parent's home in the mountains. The house that I grew-up in. The house that I live in for 22 years. How is this my first Christmas at that house? Well, because all of my extended family lived in New Jersey we spent every Christmas there. I loved my NJ Christmases but am glad for the chance to celebrate at mom and dads home. I love anytime that my whole family is together. So special.

I am also getting really excited about seeing Natalie on Christmas morning!! I think she will be thrilled and over-come with excitement. She didn't really get it last year but she is totally into the season this year. She is excited about celebrating Jesus' birthday. She is excited about Santa coming. She is excited about seeing her Mimi and Papa and uncles. I am excited for her. I am a child again through her. So fun!!

Merry Christmas! Rejoice! Rejoice!!

Some updates

It has been a while...
We had a great Thanksgiving! We spent the long weekend in Windsor with Kim's family. On Thursday we all went outside to play in the front yard, so wholesome I thought I was on "Leave It To Beaver." We ate so much yummy Mama Askew cooking I found myself feeling sick. Kim got to play on the family farm with his brother and dad. Natalie and I got good time with Kim's mom, Caitlyn, Carson and Aunt Lesley. A classic family Thanksgiving!!

When we got home on Sunday, after Natalie brushed her teeth she sweetly asked me "Mommie, where is Gigi (her name for my Grammie)?" She asked me out of the blue. I was floored. I instantly teared up. I looked at her and replied, with my chin quivering "Gigi is with Jesus." I was prepared for a longer discussion but her next question was "Where are Chief and Fran (my other grandparents)?" "Chief and Fran are in Florida." Simple answers and that was the end of it. She did ask me to make "that funny face again" (my trying hard not to cry and talk at the same time face) and gave me a big kiss. Sweet girl.

We are all doing well, after a long day. I was on the way to take Natalie to the doctor and got in a little fender-bender. I rear-ended someone. I was stopped at a stoplight, Natalie asked me a question, I got distracted and took my foot off the brake. Not so smart. I freaked out. I was such a girl!! I actually forgot that I was pregnant for the first three minutes after the bump and then freaked out. Natalie was fine, I felt fine but what about my poor baby inside, yikes. I went to the hospital. They monitored the baby, everything looked fine so I went home. Natalie was a champ and thankfully Sarah was able to watch her while Kim took me to the hospital. Not a fun day! But praise God we are all ok.

I those are all the major updates/reports that need to be made. I need to blog more often so that I don't get so behind and feel so overwhelmed!

It's Official!

We're going to be North Carolinians!! We are moving back to Winston.

Where have I been?

I have been meaning to sit down and blog since we got home on Friday, but it hasn't happened...I have thought several times, that random thought should be on the blog but I haven't gotten around to it.

We had a great trip. Johnson City was wonderful. Better than we imagined that it would be. We thought that we would go there and find reasons not to live there. Well, that didn't happen. We loved it. It was so peaceful and beautiful there. All of the people that we met were so warm and welcoming. The men that Kim would be working with seemed like great men. We left feeling confused and overwhelmed and like we could see ourselves living there.

Our next stop was Winston, home in so many ways. The only place we lived as a married couple. Where many of our dearest friends are. Where much of my heart still is. We were welcomed back with open arms. Had a great time trick-or-treating with friends. We had some great conversations about what our future would hold with people who genuinely care about us. Kim was reunited with his old co-workers and had a great time with them.

We hope to make a decision in the next week or so as to what we will do. It is a very exciting time. We are blessed to be given these opportunities. Kim has worked really hard to be able to have choices and we are thankful.

So, here are my random thoughts:

• To travel with a child, you have to be flexible, or everyone will be miserable.
• Do you remember when daylight savings time meant an extra hour of sleep, not worry about adjusting sleep schedules?
• My girl is growing up way to fast!
• A friend in Winston called me "a vision on loveliness" and meant it, she sees a me I don't see all the time. I miss her.
• Our family is blessed to have dear, dear friends.
• In reality, Natalie went trick-or-treating for me. I have eaten way more of her candy than she has.
• I am glad that I have finally caught up on my work and have the time to blog.

Away we go

Tomorrow morning we leave on an almost week long journey of job interviews. Our first stop will be in Johnson City, TN and after a few days there we will go to Winston-Salem. We are so excited to get some time together as a family and start thinking about the next phase in our life. A bonus of the trip, we get to celebrate Halloween with our dear friends. Natalie is so excited.

We will let you know how the trip goes. Until Friday.....

Pumpkin Carvin'

After a lovely morning of hanging out at home and enjoying being a whole family, we headed to get some pumpkins to carve.

Why is Natalie wearing a 4th of July shirt? Because it is still 80 degrees!!

This was the only time Natalie touched the inside of the pumpkin. It totally grossed her out!!

Checkin' out Daddy's work in the pumpkin. He's got some skills!

One of the finished products. Kim was very proud of himself!

Natalie did not enjoy the carving process but thought that the jack-o-lanterns were fun.

Great Weekend

Another weekend full of adventure for our family!

Kim and I had a great time at the baseball game on Saturday night. Hours spent with good friends are always fun. The game went into extra innings (we lost) and we didn't get home until after midnight, crazy kids! The report from Kim's parents is that Natalie did great. If they are keeping secrets it is fine with me!

We headed north on Sunday and took Kim's mom and dad to the Amish Country in Pennsylvania. It was a beautiful day to be out traveling. We had a yummy lunch, rode in a horse and buggy, drove around the area, went and saw "Thomas the Train" (very exciting for Natalie), and made it home before dark. It was a long day but a fun day!

Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Happy 88th Birthday, Chief!

What a joy to celebrate my grandfather's birthday with lots of family!!

I'm Back

Kim, Natalie and I just got back from a week in Corolla, NC. We had a great time. We left last Saturday morning and spent the weekend in Windsor to celebrate Mama Askew's birthday and Kim's 30th birthday. On Monday we journeyed to the beach. We stayed at our friend's parents beach home "Crescent Moon". The house sleeps 22 but we only packed in 14. We were with Chris, Sarah, Madeline (Natalie's BFF), Chris's mom and dad (owners of the house), Sarah's mom and dad (who left too early), Chris's sister and brother-in-law and two friends from college. Aside from the occasional turf wars between the two-year-olds we had a great time. Beach vacations are definitely different with children!

I still haven't figured out how to take good pictures to capture the moment, I am hoping that Sarah got some good shots. I had dreams of taking Natalie out on the beach in a cute little dress to take some pics, it didn't happened. Trying to align the weather, with a two-year-old's naps/moods, with everything else we wanted to do was too much.

We did have some lovely kite flying weather. That held Natalie's attention for about two minutes and then she wanted to dig in the sand together. Until I had Natalie, I hated the sand. Now I tolerate it because it bring her so much joy and find myself enjoying it.

We had a great week together, growing our friendship, mostly at Chris's expense. That is what happens when you invite friends to invade your family vacation. I treasure my time with the Reames. I am still trying to convince them that NC is way better than NOVA!

7 Years

Today Kim and I celebrate our 7th anniversary. I can't believe we have been married for 7 years. We were so young!!

Being married to Kim has been wonderful. He is my dearest friend. He is my constant encouragement. He believes in me. He loves me unconditionally. He is the love of my life.

I do not deserve his love. He is intelligent. He is one of the hardest working and dedicated people that I know. He is fun.

We have had some bumps in our 7 years together but we are a better family for it. Our love is real. Our love is special.

Meet My New Nephew

My brother, David, got a puppy. A rat terrier named Don Vito. The name is a reference to something in pop-culture that I am not cool enough to get. Anyway, Dave has wanted a dog for a long time so I am happy for him. I hope he knows what he is in for. He says that last night he got two hours of sleep, on the bathroom floor, with the dog. I did better than that with an infant. Happy "fatherhood", Dave! I can't wait to meet him!

Whirlwind Tour of New Jersey

My mom came into town last Thursday. We got up early Friday morning, loaded the car and headed to New Jersey to visit family. When the trip started we thought we would just visit with my grandparents and maybe a few aunts and uncles. By the end of the trip we had seen 35 people! Natalie was great. We had a wonderful time being together and got some really special time with our family.

Like I said the trip was originally intended to visit with my Chief (my dad's dad), his lovely wife Fran, and my Grammie (my mom's mom). Chief and Fran are doing wonderfully. It was so fun to watch Natalie interact with them. We had not been at their house for five minutes and Natalie had made a new best friend in Ms. Fran. She had Fran pushing her baby's stroller around and changing her baby's diapers. Natalie had so much fun watching Chief feed the birds, helping him take the trash out and leading him around the house. Like I said, a joy to watch. The other really fun part of staying with Chief and Fran was watching Natalie run around a house that I treasure from my childhood. We always spent Christmas time in New Jersey at my grandparents' home. Natalie was playing on the stairs that I remember coming down on Christmas morning. What a joy! She was running through a house that I ran through so many times. What a delight for my heart.

We also visited with my Grammie, who is not doing so well. She is 91 years old, nearly 92. She has lived a long, wonderful life but her time here on Earth appears to be running out. She is still able to be in her home with the 24 hour care of an angel named Zoya. She is an angel. She takes such wonderful care of my grandmother. She provides the care that I wish that I could provide. She lovingly feeds her and cares for her every need. Even though my Grammie is often mean to her (Grammie's mind and personality is not what is used to be) she is so incredibly patient and kind to her. My Grammie is still in the only home that my mom ever lived in. She is still in the bed that she shared with my Pop-Pop for over 60 years. She is still able to snuggle with her beloved cat Susie (who is the meanest cat ever!) who never leaves her side. My mom got to spend good time with Grammie. I got the few brief moments that Natalie would allow me with her. I got to kiss her and tell her that I love her. Natalie kissed her and told her that she loved her. So sweet! Grammie may fool us all and go on living for a while but even if she doesn't we all got to give her kisses and show our love. It was worth the trip for that!

Now, here are the more upbeat and fun highlights from the trip:

• Pizza night at Chief's house with my Aunt Jeannie, Uncle Gary, Uncle John and Uncle David
• Playing shuffle board until 1:30 in the morning with my Aunt Jeannie, Uncle Gary and Uncle David (Uncle David and I won)
• Taking Natalie to Verona Park (another childhood memory of mine)
• Real NJ bagels
• Dinner with Aunt Joannie, Uncle John, Johnnie, Anna, Gary, and Jessica
• Watching Natalie play in the pool with Anna (my 16-year-old cousin)
• An afternoon with my maid-of-honor, Jen, who took the bus in from NYC to visit with me
• Visiting with my Aunt Barb and cousins: Joey, Kristin, Jessica, Keith, and Kristine
• Feeding the ducks at Verona Park
• A pool party at my Aunt Pat and Uncle Ken's house with lots of cousins and friends that I hadn't seen in many years. Some of them I hadn't seen in four years, some probably 10. I got to meet their children and briefly catch-up. So fun! Here is the list: Aunt Pat, Uncle Ken, Robin, Anthony, Samantha, Kenny, Laura, Caroline, Little Kenny, Kevin, "Aunt Joyce", Tammy, Morgan, Shelby, Sidney.

We arrived home safe and sound at 7:30 last night. We had a great time. Again, not enough pictures were taken! So many fun memories. My mom, Natalie, and I are a mean road-trip team!

34 years...

Today is my mom and dad's 34th wedding anniversary. Amazing! What an example of love and faithfulness they are to me! My mom and dad love each other deeply and it shows. Congratulations! I love you both!

P.S. Today Dawn and Andy celebrate 7 years of wedded bliss! Congrats to you,too!