December 2008-The end

Last day of the year! And what a year it has been. In 2008, I got married, traveled to the US Virgin Islands, bought a house, got pregnant, I guess I could continue with other firsts, but isn't that about enough for one year?? It has been wonderful.

Christmas was great. We had a perfect day...starting at the Burden's, on to mom & dad's, then to Precious', and finally home to host a supper for O'Hara's family. We made a pretty good lasagna. Anyway, everyone was especially generous with us this year. We have accumulated many, many baby things including clothing, shoes, bedding, diapers, wall art, and blankets. I'm starting to think that this baby will not want for much! Santa also brought me a new Coach bag, which is awesome. It smells so good.

I finally took down all the decorations this week. Our house looks so bare now. But not for long. There is about to be a bunch of baby stuff all over the place, so I better enjoy the space for now. Tonight O'Hara and I plan on going to a movie and he's gonna cook me that delicious pasta dish with the turkey bacon in it. I can't wait. It'll be my first New Year's with out champagne in many years! I think I may like the pasta better!

Resolutions and such for 2009:

1. Take more pictures!!! I always wish I had more. I can never remember to take them. Surely, baby will cure me of this.

2. Cut out the cussing. I am not a big cusser or anything, but sometimes I just bust. I certainly do not want to present myself as one with a foul mouth.

3. In Sunday school last week we talked about how everyone makes resolutions that have to do with oneself. So, the goal is to do something for others instead. I'm not sure what gifts I have to share just yet, so I'm gonna have to pray on this one.

Everyone be safe and have a blast this New Year's Eve!

December 2008-The beginning

I don't really know how to take pictures like this...hints the bad lighting from the flash.
A nativity scene

Santa hanging loose in the kitchen

The dining room looks prettier than this shows

The only year O & I will have solo stockings on this mantle!!

Our pretty little tree

Hey guys. Thought I'd post some pictures of the house decorated for Christmas.

We went to Montreat this past weekend. It was neat for me and O to have that "sleep in the same room" right-of-passage this year. We pushed the beds together to make the room cozy, but had separate sheets, so whatever! It was a fun time.

I enjoyed the lesson on "punctuation" in our lives: What are your exclamation marks? Your question marks? Your periods? Your ...'s?? I've been thinking about that this week. I think sometimes it's hard to trust in the Lord have the faith it takes to rid ourselves of the question marks, meanwhile showing exclamation for all His greatness. Let's not forget what this holiday and season of advent is all about.

This baby girl is kicking me like you wouldn't believe (unless, of course you've had children and know exactly what I'm talking about. ) Each day I am getting more and more excited about her and our family and what it all means. I am so full of emotion I could burst. We really are so blessed to have all that we do. O'Hara and I were talking about what we want for Christmas this year. Have we already started to grow up? Because we both wanted something for the baby. I have never felt closer to my husband.

Thanksgiving holidays 2008

We left for Pawleys on Wed. lunchtime. It was a nice drive down. We had both our dogs and one puppy along for the trip. Mom, Precious, James, Chasie, & Parker were down already and later that evening Ellen & Jeff and Tom, Cindy, James, & Thomas arrived. We ate and talked and went to bed!
Thanksgiving was a GREAT day! Rick & Fran, Christina, and Gene, Addison & Logan joined us. The puppy we call "Sassy" has a new name..."Abby." Ad & Gene decided they are gonna take the pup on Wed. We are happy for them and glad we will get to see her as she grows!
Anyway, Gene fried 2 turkeys and we all chipped in and made a dish or two. A fabulous meal! The weather was wonderful. Some of us ate on the front porch and watched the waves and the dolphins!! Everyone napped and hung out all day. Friday the girls went shopping in Myrtle beach (not me...I shopped around Pawleys.) The guys went to the hardware store, and then we all ate some more and watched movies! (We also played a little Wii.) We woke up Sat. morning early and got on the road at 8am. We made it to Lexington (to visit with Kathy & Al) just in time for Carolina kick-off. Terrible game, but great company! Denise, Jerry & Kaitlyn were also there. We did some more eating and talking. What else is there?? It was fun.
Yesterday, I skipped church and worked on Christmas decorating. Mom & I went to eat lunch and shopped for a few hours and got some beautiful things for our house!!! Then O & I went to eat over at mom & dad's house for supper. Another great day. Today we plan on getting our Christmas tree. I am excited. I can't wait to have all the house all decorated and the clutter in the attic!!! Happy December yall!

A quickie

We're headed to Pawleys tomorrow and I am so excited to get down there! Last year, I didn't get to see ANY family. Our Thanksgiving was in Edenton, NC, so we decided to have dinner with O'Hara's family here in Columbia. But then at the last minute I got a UTI and was in the bed:( So this year, I'm really looking forward to seeing everybody...including O's family when we get back on Sat.
FYI, for those of you who don't know yet, we are having a little girl! So much for a mama's intuition, right? Hahaha! We'll have another ultrasound on Dec. 2 to confirm it, but there was NO PENIS on the last one, so we're pretty sure that means girl. O & I have been working on a name list. Good thing we found out ahead of time. I have a feeling it's gonna take a while to name her. And by the way, she is a very active girl! She barely stops kicking and rolling around. So neat.
I'll write again after the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am boring!

I haven't blogged in a while due to how actually boring my life is. And I LOVE IT THAT WAY!!!!!! I am feeling great, having fun, and enjoying being at home!

Lately I've been shopping with mom & Ellen, watching football, having some friends over, playing with these precious little puppies, cooking, cleaning, and getting geared up for the holiday season!!!! I can't wait to decorate for Christmas for the first time in our new house! It is going to be great! Also, I am truly looking forward to being at Pawleys with family for Thanksgiving and then again for our annual Advent Retreat in Montreat, N.C. There is so much on the calendar!!!!!!!

We are also all pumped up to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. We find out right after Thanksgiving. I had a dream last night that seemed SO REAL about going to the doctor, and the ultrasound technician telling us it is a boy. We'll see. I would love to have a boy! And I don't know any girl who doesn't want a girl! So....chances are that I'm gonna be pleased! Bring on the shopping! By the way, this baby is kicking up a storm!

We sold my car, and O bought me a Yukon. I didn't like it at first (so big and kinda like a dude car) but I am warming up to the whole thing....especially since the seats have bum heaters in 'em!!! AWESOME! O says I should drive this one for about a year or so and then we'll see what we need for the fam! He is so sweet! I sure do love my man!

O'Hara is hunting right now and supper's in the oven! If something neat happens, I'll let you know.

Puppy Update!

Anybody want one of the cutest black laborador retriever puppies alive????? We're back to square one. All of the pups are back on the market! 2 girls, one boy! Their individual personalities are coming out stronger and stronger daily! And Puddin' continues to be a perfect mama! They'll be ready for a new home in 2 1/2 weeks, so let us know if anyone is interested! (Champion sporting & showing bloodlines.)

A quick note on the election:

America is really changing.

I am saddened by the way over half of the country wants to take us.

It is an emotional time for all of us, and I am surprised by how affected I am personally by people I thought I knew and understood. Through websites like MySpace and Facebook, I am far more aware of people's beliefs than I ever was before this election.
I just want to shake these people. I will be doing a lot of praying on the subject.

I certainly respect that we all have different opinions about the future and our government. It is our individual American right, and for that I am proud to be American.

But right now, I feel little pride about "history unfolding," etc. What I really feel is fear for our country and our future. I fear for our safety. Is no one else terrified?
Why has everyone made such a big deal about the fact that the president-elect is half black? I though we were all more open-minded than that. Race has nothing to do with policy.

And then I remind myself that all I can do is pray. God must have a plan.

Has it really been 3 weeks??

Funny, mainly because time seems to have been moving SO SLOWLY lately (each day is a part of a giant countdown!) But it has, in fact, been 3 weeks since I last posted! I am now 15 weeks along in this pregnancy and feeling soooooo much better! I have more energy and have been doing a whole lot more. It feels good to feel normal again (well, almost!)

Puddin had her puppies 2 weeks ago yesterday! They opened their eyes yesterday also and only one is still available. I call him the "chunk." Of the 3 pups, he is the only boy and he is a bear in comparison to the other 2. I am already so very attached to these little babies!!!! They're starting to stink up my house a little, but other than that, I really enjoy hearing their little noises and smelling their breath and celebrating their milestones! They are trying to push up their hind legs now and walk instead of pulling their bodies around!! It really is neat. Another positive about the process is that O'Hara and I have both become more attached to Puddin. She has all of a sudden become so special to me! I adore her. I guess seeing her be such a great mama might have helped, but I think mainly that she has never been alone with us and she certainly has not been primarly inside. It makes a big difference. She seems more like a family member than "one of the dogs in the backyard." Poor little Herbie. He has had to be separated from Puddin and the pups and he is lonely, for sure.

Friday night, Guy & Renee got married. It was a really fun wedding in Mt. Pleasant. The weather was poor, but all the rain and wind kind of made the whole evening more romantic...the candles flickered and the sounds were soothing and love was in the air for sure!!

After I left the wedding, I drove -very carefully- to Patricia and Big O's house to spend the night (I had planned on driving back to Cola. after, but the weather prohibited that.) Their house is so great. I cut on the HUGE television, and cooked some soup in the the GIANT kitchen. After that I turned on the bathroom television (that's right) and sat in a BIG bathtub and watched a movie! It was raining hard and thundering and heavenly!!!! While I was in the tub I couldn't stop thinking about my own mama and how she would love this kind of a bathroom! She certainly deserves to relax in a big fabulous tub and watch a CSI or something!! Maybe one day....

Kathy and Al have been in town. We had a nice supper with them and my parents at Ruth's Chris on Sat. night. It was a wonderful time! Sunday, O'Hara joined Eastminster, a church that I have been a member of for over 17 years. I teared up as I watched him stand in front of the church and reaffirm his faith. It really felt good. I was so proud of my man!!! There was a luncheon afterward and we all sat and ate!

After, a family ame by and put a deposit on one of the puppies. I was a little sad about it. I am also sad for Puddin! It will be a hard time for her when all her puppies are gone. We still have 4 more weeks, though! And I'm gonna enjoy them like crazy!

All is well

Everything is good. I went to the doctor and and no problems. Whew! Anyway, It has been a good week so far. The weather here has been great...(not too hot!) I visited with Precious yesterday for several hours and that was nice. Mom also came over and hung out here for a while. Not too much in store for today, but I am looking forward to my shows tonight (Ugly Bettty & Grey's Anatomy.) Tomorrow I am keeping Parker for the day, as he has no school and El & Jeff have work. That's all for now.

Baby Howard

Well, so we have made it to 12 weeks and so we wanted to let you know that there will be a baby Howard come April!
I have been pretty good...ie, not too much mornig sickness. But, the doctor says that in pregnancy, your immune system is not nearly as strong as it usually is. So the baby stays good and strong, I must suffer the junk: hints all the infections and cold, and virus, etc. Please pray for me and the baby. I have been pretty down lately...not feeling well enough to get out and enjoy the world. In the next few weeks I expect to feel better and less pooped out!
We are both thrilled to death! I can't wait to find out if we'll have a girl or a boy! Shopping for little ones is so fun. And we are also looking forward to fixing up the nursery! We have already had 2 ultrasounds and we're having another one tomorrow. Doc says I may have a fibroid on my uterus and they want to check that out. I'll let you know. Then I'm scheduled for another one on the 16th. From the other ultrasounds, the baby looks perfect and the heartbeat looks and sounds strong! We are so blessed! God is good!!!!!!

What a week

It has been a doozy. I have been so sick. Starting Mon. I had a tummy bug or something until Wed. morning. Then, Thurs. I developed a bladder infection (which I am still dealing with even now.) Then, last night more upset tummy. I am so tired of being sick. I don't really feel like I can go anywhere and I feel uncomfortable just walking around the house. All this sickness is making me feel more anxious, which we all know is a struggle for me anyway. I have been praying a lot and if by tomorrow I am not feeling 100% better, I am going back to the doctor.

On a more positive note, Puddin went to the vet last week and she had an ultrasound. Puppies for sure. A small litter of 2-3. What a blessing! Only a few little puppies! They should be here anywhere between October 11th-14th.

I am so glad all my shows are premiering! It has been nice to have shows to watch every night, especially since I've been so icky. This week: Private Practice. Yes! (The Hills, Lipstick Jungle, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, too.)

Also, I finally got that economic stimulus check this weekend. That's exciting. I suppose I will save it for Christmas gifts! If anybody knows what my husband wants, let me know!

Have a good week and I'll keep you updated on my health!

Another Day, Another Dollar

Can anyone EVER go into Target and not spend a hundred dollars? Anyway, I find it difficult. I really do think that Target is my favorite store. You can get what you need (except produce) and loads of stuff you don't need! I can browse in there for hours. What a store.
So we went to Target today. Didn't even get anything particularly great, but it was a fun time nonetheless.

One way to compensate for the money spent at Target is that we have the air conditioner OFF. The windows are open and the fans are going and it is absolutely lovely! I love when there's a slight chill in the air and you start thinking about all the fun holidays and decorating to come... all the smells and cooking and music and celebrating! It makes me want to cry a little bit about how much I love this time of year. Now that I think about it, I am truely grateful that I live in a place that experiences the seasons. Sure, maybe there won't be snow, but Asheville is just 2 hours drive! I have often thought it would be amazing to live in Hawaii. But no seasons, right? So it's a no-go. (A nice long holiday there sure is NOT out of the question, though!)

So, if Puddin' isn't having puppies, I don't know what a pregnant dog looks like. Her poor little nipples are no longer little (more like long) and she is sleeping ALL the time! NO energy. So if she is having pups, she is exactly 40 days along. This means that by the time we find out for sure (42 days or so,) we will have 21 or so days to prepare for who knows how many little labs and little poops and little pees. I wasn't originally looking forward to all that, but now that it seems almost inevitable, I'm sorta proud of our little girl!! Go Pud! Have some babies! It'll be fun for the kids to play with puppies and fun for us, too. (Outside of the cost, cleaning, and constant care for 6-8 weeks.) Hahaha!
It was a good weekend. What did we do Friday? I can't remember. Must've been pretty wild! J/K. My best guess is TV and bed. Sat. me and mom went to see that movie THE WOMEN. It wasn't very good...some cute /funny parts, but many GD's and it was a little slow. But I still enjoyed seeing all the famous actresses all dressed up! Then we went shopping for a while. I have 3 weddings coming up and no cute dresses to wear. No luck, though. I have expanded and am not proud. Summer over-eating got me good. Maybe I'll find something cute this week for the Charleston wedding this weekend. Then I'll have another month until I need to think about a dress for Guy & Renee's wedding, and another month after that for Peterson's. After shopping I came home and cooked up a storm. Then Brent & Lynne came over to watch the USC vs. Wofford game. Can't believe we won.
Today was pretty laid back. Sunday school, lunch at TGIFridays, lounging, Target, and I'm about to curl up and watch a movie!

The past weekend...

We had a great weekend. On Friday, I got to spend some time with a friend from college, Candy. She was in town visiting another friend and we had lunch and hung out for a few hours! It was great to catch up. It had been 8 years since our last visit. Hopefully we'll do better at keeping in touch this time around!
Friday night we had friends in town staying at our house: Guy & Renee and Eric & Mindy and Jason. It was one of those times when the extra bathrooms came in handy. Believe me, it makes having house guests MUCH more comfortable. We had decided to grill out with the people above and Brent & Lynne, Jon, & Meredith. 10 or so more people showed up. Luckily, they were all friends. I think Jon had a hand in the inviting. The new grill was awesome. We had around 10 steaks and 10 burgers all going at the same time! Anyway, it was fun.
Sat. the rest of the gang went to the USC vs. Georgia game. We lost. Shocker. I went over to mom's and had lunch and a nap and then went to the grocery store. Good thing I did. I made a big supper: chicken bog, 2 pots. After the game, people started pouring into the house. I would guess that 30 people were over, including O's buddy from way back, Daniel. He also ended up spending the night. Poor guy slept on the floor. Sorry, Daniel. Next time ask for a mattress.
Sun. morning we got up and cooked breakfast and then me & O headed out to Sunday School. We have joined a new class and right now we are studying the "Five Love Languages." It is a good class. I read the book before we got married and O had read some of it before the class started. I look forward to next Sun. We came home and relaxed and then went to mom's for supper with mom & dad and Ellen, Jeff & the kids. It was all-in-all a fun weekend.
BTW, a side-note about the king size bed: O'Hara has decided he does not like the bed. He says that we are too far apart now. You can't win 'em all, right?

The new bed, etc.

I don't know how we did it before. The new bed is so wonderful. I have pillow lined up all around me and I can move to any position and kick up my leg and never even touch O'Hara! (I only mean that in a comfort way...we usually get so hot when we're sleeping from being so close.) We have some other new pieces of furniture, too. Thanks, Kathy & Al!
Labor Day weekend at Pawleys was really nice. The weather was great and we relaxed, read, ate, watched football. I miss the beach already! I think we're gonna try and get back down there next month. This past week was good. I had supper with Rachel, Meredith, & Julie at Birds on a Wire one night...it was good to get out of the house and hang with the girls. We went to Ellen & Jeff''s Friday night for a little while after watching 2 TERRIBLE movies. Sat. O'Hara went dove hunting and got his limit, and I went to mom's house and hung out all day long with Ellen & the kids. Today is Rally Day at the church and so we'll do Sunday school, church, and a dinner afterwards. I am not feeling great this morning. I am obviously coming down with a chest cold. Yuck!
One final note on the upcoming election. I have to say this because Ibelieve it. The choice is so PAINFULLY clear, people. With either nominee, there will certainly be change. But do you really want that change to be in the form of MORE government? I am not a socialist and I do not want my kids growing up in a world where they are taught that there is a ceiling for them. ..that no matter how successful they want to become, they cannot without being told exactly how the fruits of their labor are to be spent. I consider myself a conservative. I used to be way more liberal. I voted for Kerry. But, the Lord has changed that for me. How could I vote for more government when they are trying to take God out of it? It makes me so sad to think that people are buying this Obama nonsense. Sure, he is a good speaker. He's attractive. His kids are cute. His wife is beautiful. Even at Saddleback Church his interview went well. UNTIL McCain got up there and showed him how to answer a question. McCain/Palin is the only choice here. And Gov. Palin is so awesome. What a leader! She seems like just what this country needs...a strong female with family values. I am not usually a politics talker. I don't like debating and getting into back and forths about what I know is right and what someone else thinks they know is right. And that's all I'm going to say about it.

An unexpected turn of events

So we didn't get to go to Florida afterall. That stupid storm got in the way. Anyway, there was flooding and nastiness and none of us felt like it was a good idea to travel. So it looks like it will be another week or so until I can fill you in on the joys of king-size bed sleeping. Al & Kathy are having the furniture shipped to us!!! Can you believe that? It should be arriving next Tues. or Wed.!! So I guess we will look forward to a visit to Florida sometime this fall.

Friday night we had Brent & Lynne over for supper. Jon & Ryan also came. Then Jay & Stuckey came over. Me & Lynne played Wii Sports and the guys sat outside and talked smack-as guys do! It was a fun night. Sat. I went shopping with mom and met up with Ellen. Then I went home and me & O just ended up relaxing and heading to bed early. Sun. we went to early church, to books-a-million (I got that new Tori Spelling book: sTori Telling...can't wait for some in-depth junk to read!), and then to lunch with mom and Ellen & Jeff at California Dreamin'. Don't know if any of you have ever ordered a side salad from there, but it is WAY bigger than any side salad I've ever seen! AND delicious!! We'll have to do that again! Then I went to Andrea's and we (me, EL, & Andrea) did dance dance revolution on workout mode for about an hour. I also rode my bike! Finally! We went to Target, O'Hara made pancakes, and we watched "Old School." It was a good day!
Rachel's in town this week. I hope we'll get to hang! I've been missing her bunches and now she's moving to Colorado. What a total bummer.
Me and Ellen & Parker are going to head down to Pawleys on Thursday for Labor day weekend. I think we'll be coming home Mon. or Tues. O'Hara's staying in Cola. for the first Gamecock football game and heading down Fri. morning. I hope there's nice weather!

Since the last time:

This past weekend we went to the lake to hang out with Cory & Jennie at Cory's brother's house. BEAUTIFUL lake lot. Big views on big water! We got up there Fri. night and played cards and went on a boat ride. Jon was also there. Sat. I read a book while the others went out on the boat to visit other friends around the lake. It was nice to have a peaceful day of reading. It was so quiet. Also, Jon's dog Nic Nic kept me company. When they got back we ate and watched some olympics and then a couple of Jon's friends came over. All-in-all it was a good time and it was also really good to get to know Cory's girlfriend Jennie better. She is so sweet and so easy to get along with! We had never had one-on-one time before...always in a large group.

Yesterday was O'Hara's 31st birthday. We were going to go to Ruth's Chris, but he decided sort of last minute that he didn't want to do that anymore. I was helping mom at her school, so we had to scramble to pull something together. We went and got take-out from Fujiya (our fav. Japanese rest.) and a cake from Publix. Mom put up a happy birthday sign in the dining room. Ellen cancelled she & Chasie's horseback-riding lessons and the Burden clan headed over to mom's. I think he had a good time. I know it wasn't crazy or friend-filled, but for last minute, we did the best we could! He got some cookbooks, a headlamp and some other hunting gear, and a nice gift-card to Bonefish! Also, his mama & Al had already sent a HUGE box of meat from Horizon meats (I think.) [It's like Omaha steaks, but I think a little better.] And his dad got him some cool columbia shirts. Either way, we went to bed full and happy!

I am going to visit Precious in a few minutes and then picking Julia Chase up from her second day of first grade today! Tomorrow I'll help mom at her school. Thurday I'll chill out and do some shopping for a new bedspread, and Friday we'll be heading down to Florida! We're going to be visiting Kathy & Al. They are moving and are graciously giving ua a king-size bed and a gas grill!! Although I'm sure the grill is cool, I can't wait for the "big ole bed"--as Parker would say. I'll let you know how it sleps when we get back.

Is it really August 15th?

These pictures are from this digital motion camera that O set up at Jon's farm in Leesville. The last picture is 2 coyotes!!! Whoa!

Lately I have been obsessed with our new family member: the nintendo Wii. It is pretty sad. I was so pumped to get it, as you know! Finally we broke down. So, every morning me & O have been doing the Wii Fit. It monitors your BMI as well as your weight. Scary, but good. It has all kinds of exercises that are set up as challenges, so it makes it less like working out, more like gaming (duh.) Anyway, the system records your progress and as you get better it unlocks new challeges to break up the monotany. Yoga, Balance games, strength training, and aerobics are the catagories to choose from. Check it out if you happen to have a couple of extra hours each day..(it takes a bit of time to navigate between exercises.) Also, Ellen & Jeff got a Wii, too. They have the Dance Dance Revolution. talk about working up a sweat! We've been doing it together for a couple of weeks now. Ellen is awesome!! I am getting better. She left it over at my house a couple of nights ago, so I have been dancing up a storm the past couple of mornings!!

With the olympics going on, how appropriate for us to be trying to get into shape!

As far as the weight gain over the summer, we are both working on that, too. Losing weight is really sucky. Gaining is so much fun! Anyway, I'm trying to learn more about food and how it works for/against my body so that I can eat smarter. I'm down 4 lbs. so far. Only a bajillion to go! O's lost, too...I'm not sure how much, though. Maybe more than me!

I helped mom at her schol all last week. And this week I have watched the Chasie & Parker some. They are getting so big and smart. Jon came over yesterday and Parker was calling him "Jon-Jon, big ole Jon-Jon." So cute.

For all you non-hunters, today is opening day for killin deer. Woo-hoo. Not. I am not a fan of killing the animals. If I ate deer meat, that would be one thing. But, I don't eat deer or doves or quail or duck, even wild turkey (i have tried it, but it was too gamey.) So O'Hara has been airing out his camo for several weeks in preparation. He's cleaned his guns and sighted them, bought any other gear that may be useful. I guess it's good that he has a hobby that he enjoys. He really has many hobbies. He hunts and fishes, plays tennis and softball. He loves gamecock football, he does that fantasy football thing. He likes to go out to different farms ant work in the fields. He likes cooking. Anyway, lately I have been wondering what my hobbies are. I know that I like to cook, sing, listen to great music, I like the Wii (do we call that a hobby??), I like to crochet, but I almost never do it. Maybe I'll get back into that when it starts getting cooler. It's always good to make a blanket: keeps you warm as you make it. I love hanging with the kids. I like going to church on Wed. nightsI like the bike, but it is so dadgum hot outside I don't want to get on it. Anyway, I've gotta do some soul searching to find my niche!

On a different note, Pudding got had this week. She is in heat. Jay & Shannon's black lab did the job. We'll see in a couple of weeks if puppies are on the way. Any advice on the matter will be appreciated, seeing as how neither of us has ever dealt with mam dog or puppies and the whole process. It's scary and exciting! Several people want the pups already and we don't even know if she's gonna have em yet! I'll let you know in 17 or so days.

O'Hara's 31st b-day is Monday. I have no idea what to get him and he doesn't really want a party. He told me last night that he just wants us to go to Ruth's Chris Mon. night. YES!!!!!!!!! It'll feel like my birthday too!!!!

i do have one picture

... forgot to add that me & O went to eat at Ruth's Chris in Columbia a few weeks ago. Here is one blury picture of Al, Kathy, me, & O. It was one of the best meals EVER.

July has come and gone

I can't believe that tomorrow is August. Time is flying by. I haven't blogged in a while, so here goes with what's been happening. (Don't get real excited, just regular life stuff.) I have no pictures because I can never remember to take any. Maybe one day I will become a fabulous photographer who documents every life moment on film. But I doubt it. I think the camera gets used more regularly when there are children involved.

Anyway, I came home from Pawleys and I miss it already. It is so neat to have a great place to congregate as a family and relax together. Bluegenes holds such a special spot in all of our hearts. Even dad has been loving it down there lately! It's rented for August, but look out September!!
I've been hanging out with Ellen & Jeff plenty. I really like living down the street. Ellen has borrowed Andrea's Wii, so I've been over at her house playing dance dance revolution and working up a sweat! I still want one for our house.

We had the Rickenbaker family reunion in O-burg a couple weekends ago. It was nice to see so many relatives, and to see & hear that everyone is doing well. O'Hara was welcomed big time. I think he enjoyed it. I got deathly ill after and it took us nearly 4 hours to get home. Ouch. Thanks alot, mac & cheese!! Then I took a nap and we went to Elizabeth Peterson's engagement party. That was super nice and the flowers gorgeous!! It was a beautiful party!

Last Fri. we stayed in the neighborhood: went to Leah's for Whitney's b-day celebration and then to Dale's. He bought a house one block up from us, and it is really nice! Sat we woke up and headed to the Lake condo. We relaxed, looked through O'Hara's family photos and keepsakes, went swimming. Then Kathy came over and we had supper. It was a good time. I think O & I plan on spending some more time out there. It's 30 min. from home and it still feels like a retreat.

Sunday night my car got broken into. Bummer. The jerks stole my brand new navigation system. And on top of that, I've had little shards of glass in my skin all week. Just a little reminder of the incident. Anyway, it wasn't the first time, but hopefully it was the last.

We have replaced all of the light fixtures downstairs. Yay! Thanks Big O & my O!! And we finally have a dining room table. This whole house thing is a constant work in progress!
I don't think we have plans for this weekend, so maybe I'll do something creative! I went through all the boxes from the Rosewood house and found a bunch of arts & crafts stuff. I don't know what kinda project to dive into, but it sounds like a great idea!

The road between Pawleys & Columbia

is getting plenty of action from the Chase family. We all came home from Pawleys Tues. afternoon and we're all heading back today, less O'Hara and Precious. My main goal for the next few days at the beach is to eat considerably less. I have packed on many pounds this summer and I feel pretty gross. So, the goal is to eat more whole foods, less often, read and be more active!!! We had so much fun playing the Wii at the beach that I want one for home really bad. I want to get that Wii fit. Also, prettymuch all the sports games! That counts for exercise, right? Well, I sure get sweaty so that can't be a bad thing!
Last post I said I'd put up pictures of the 4th of July and my birthday, but I didn't end up taking any pictures. We'll see if I can remember this time.

Beach Bound

I had another good week. I ate well, and the scale shows it. Also, mom got me a bike for my birthday! So, Tues., Wed., Thurs. I biked. She got one for herself also, so it is perfect: we can ride together! I just need to get one of those bike things to go on the back of my car so I can get it back and forth from my neighborhood to hers easily. I love riding that bike! I haven't really ridden in a LONG time. Seriously, when's the last time YOU got on a bike? It's not so easy! I fell off the first time around the block when we were test riding. No joke. But I it's all coming back to me.
The weekend was good. Me & O worked on getting all the final bits out of the Rosewood house. I am on my way over there in a few minutes to sweep/mop, etc. We put it on craigslist yesterday and have 4 people already who want to rent it. Woohoo! I stayed in Fri. night and cleaned/organized Thames Ct. and O'Hara went out with his buddies. Sat. me & mom went shopping. No luck for me, but she got some cool new wedge sandals and a top. Then Kathy & Al came over to see the new house and visitied for a while. I got to see the pictures from her trip to Africa...so neat. Then we went to Hilary's surprise party. She was surprised and it was plenty of fun! Yesterday we were kinda lazy and hung around the house. But we did have a mid-day craving for Carrabbas, so we satisfied that! Nothing like some chicken parm in the middle of the day!!
Today i MUST clean my car out. It is a disaster. And tonight we are going to have supper with Kathy & Al @ Ruth's Cris. I think that should be fun. It is located in the Hilton downtown, where we stayed on our wedding night. It'll be neat to be there.
So, I'm heading to Pawleys tomorow for another 4th of July/birthday celebration. I have been ready to get down there since I came home after Memorial day weekend. I have a new book, some new tanning lotion, and my old beach towel I forgot I had (found it in a box in the attic of Rosewood.) I'm all set. It will be a different year without Rachel. We'll miss you Rach! Don't think any friends are coming down. Hilary said she may come. So anyway, it should be a "back to the basics" kinda week: shanghai cards, watermelons, fishing on the beach, crabbin, reading, snacking, biking. O'Hara's gonna bring the bikes and James' moped on a trailer so we can have some fun on those! I can't wait!!!!!!!!
I'll post pictures from the week when I get home Sun. or Mon. Have a great week/weekend! Be safe this Independence Day yall!

Sleepy

Well, I have been having a tough time sleeping and so I feel like I get the best rest in the am just after O'Hara leaves for work. Then when I wake up at 10:30 I feel like a loser for "sleeping so late." Anyway, I am gonna try more exercise today and another bath before bed, and no TV, just a book. Let's see if that'll do it!
This past week was a busy one. I had the kids some, had an all-day continuing ed. class for real estate, Precious' birthday, hung out with El & Jeff, went swimming, talked to Ana & Rachel, cooked, O'Hara cooked again (yummy fried chicken tenders and delicious squash & onions,) watched a great movie, August Rush, pulled Cat's hair through a cap!!!, ate with Julie, hung with Hilary, played Apples to Apples with Meredith & Forrest & David Jr., went to the doctor, cleaned the house, spent time with the dogs...anyway, it was a full week and I enjoyed it! O'Hara has been WONDERFUL to me lately and I love it.
I am looking forward to this weekend: Hilary's birthday and then seeing Kathy & Al! The next thing you know we'll be back at Pawleys in a week and getting geared up for my bday and the 4th! Bring on the fireworks!! More about that later! Have a good week everybody!

FINALLY, I give you: the house.

I have no idea why I can't figure out how to get these pictures in the right order. I think you have to do them backwards. Anyway, I'm not particularly showcasing my porch. I meant the front of the house picture to be first. Back screened porch
Den
Kitchen
Kitchen (opens to dining room, a hallway, & the den)

5 Thames Court
Side of the house
Look to your left on the back deck! So private!
Look down and to the right on the deck! Feels like the mountians in Columbia!
The deck.

Well, I did it. You're welcome.

Who am I kidding?

I will probably never get pictures of the house up here. I can't remember to take them when the house is all picked up. Anyway, we're cutting down a tree in the front yard this weekend, so maybe I can atleast get an exterior shot. I know my fans are dying to see what all the fuss has been about:) BTW, I don't think anyone reads this but O'Hara and maybe Rachel. Love you guys!

Well, last night O'Hara was the COOLEST! He cooked me a delicious supper and we had wine and ate and talked. What a nice treat. I really like spending quality time together. We are around each other all the time, but it's so nice to spend the time and focus on each other!

We' are really in the suburbs now. We are getting a security system and I'm pumped. I think that says it all.

This weekend we will celebrate Ellen's birthday and Father's Day! I smell a lot of good food around the corner!

not much going on

This one'll be short.

Things I've got going on this week:
-dr.'s apt.
-take Chasey to swim lessons
-watch Parker
-clean Rosewood house
-stay cool

What I'm getting excited about:
-hearing about Kathy's trip to Africa
-closing on the Prentice house
-getting a dining room table & sideboard
-the premier of Nasheville Star
-getting to be at Pawleys for much of July!

What I'm sad about:
-Lali not being here
-the heat
-my lack of work

I'll get some pictures up here of the house next post!

Just another day

Pictures from Memorial Day weekend at Pawleys

Well, not a lot has been accomplished since Sunday. I have been feeling sick with a tummy bug. But I am feeling much better today. Ellen, Jeff & Chasey went to Kentucky for a horse show and so I kept Parker yesterday and I'm still waiting for him to wake up today! He's such a cute little mess! Who knows what I can think up for us to do today...it's gonna be 98 degress. Yuck!

Can we please put a pool in our backyard? I really would want to go outside more if I know I could take a dunk once I started to sweat. I do like being outside. I just prefer for it to be around 70-80 degrees. Maybe Hawaii is a great place for me to live afterall.

I think today is Lali's last day as a Chase-Howard. We decided that another family may find her loudness a bit more endearing than we do. Let's pray that she will find a good home. Birds are so smart and fickle. I hope she will bond with another the way she has with me. I will miss her.

Quick update

We are almost moved. Still gotta get all the hodge podge out of the Rosewood house, clean, and unpack some stuff here at the new place, but all-in-all it's coming together! Exterior paint is done, except for the doors and shutters. Apparently I have no idea how to pick shutter paint color. Round three with the attempt at navy blue and I've given up. High gloss black it is.

Lali's noises are much louder in the new house due to the echo affect. I'm losing it. And the dogs have already ripped out 2 screens on the back porch and eaten one of my beautiful pier one pillows. I am just not feeling the animals right now. Little terds.

I love love love my new bedroom. It is such a big, peaceful room with a grrreat ceiling fan. I stayed up there in the bed and in the bath for hours today. Clean, new, pretty: perfect combination to balance out my frustrated feelings about the animals.

We took the Rosewood house off the market and will be renting it out. O's still deciding whether or not to put an additional bathroom on the house.

The beach last weeend was a lot of fun. I feel in a daze from all the work with moving, all the late nights at the beach, and now another packed weekend. We hung out at Ellen's last night to celebrate Rachel's upcoming "around the country in 3-4 months" trip. O'Hara grilled and we all sat up and talked and sang..a little dancing! Fun night.

Another week, plenty of work, and I am so excited about keeping Parker this Wed., Thurs. & Friday. I'm gonna have to plan out some fun for us!

I'll post pictures from the past couple weeks and of the new house next.

Memorial Day Weekend

Headed to Pawleys for the weekend. I'm getting a head start on everyone else and leaving today! I always like to make a long weekend longer. Anyway, me & Rachel will go down today, then O'Hara, Ellen, James, & the kids will come tomorow afternoon. Friday Mom, Dad, Precious, David Jr., Forrest, & Meredith arrive, and Sat. night Joe & Hilary. Packed house. It should be fun! I can't wait for some junk magazines, a good book, sun tanning (even though I know I shouldn't,) turkey sandwiches, kayaks, night fishing...and all the other things we do down there!!

Meet Lali

Lali is my bird. She is an Indian ringneck parrot. Her name is Indian and it means "darling girl" and is pronounced like "lolly." She sure is pretty. PRETTY LOUD. Man, this bird knows exactly the worst time to start skwauking (is that the word?) For instance, she will be silent and sit pretty for hours. Then as soon as I get a phone call, there she goes. She goes CRAZY. Also, if we decide to sit down for a nice meal, she freaks. I just am torn. How could we have children with a VERY LOUD bird around. They live like 30 years. She's 20 mos. Will I be pleading with a bird to hush up everyday for the next 28 years? She's high maintenance. 50% of her diet is table food...and well balanced. She eats better than me. On the other hand, I love her sweet little noises and chirps and she whistles and coos when I hold her. She has a little "show-off" dance that warms my heart! And she is so interesting to watch and just look at. I don't even want to think about her pooping on my new hardwood floors at the new house, though. UGH. Anyway, this is my bird. I love her and she drives me insane.

Sweet little birds

We have a nest in the jasmine on our front porch in Rosewood. I got as close as I could to try and steal a few pictures. I love birds. And I really like to hear the baby chirps. The mama bird stays right in our yard and hops and digs around for food. She flys up and feeds the little ones. It is so neat to be able to watch all of this from inside the house. The nest is RIGHT beside the door. That's the most trusting mama bird ever.

Wedding Pictures

Here are some more wedding pictures. Enjoy!

Out of towners...

This past weekend O'Hara went to Darlington for nascar races. That didn't interest me one little bit, so I stayed home and hung out with a few girlfriends & my brother & his friends...did I mention they are dating each other? It's getting strange! We had fun, though: going out to eat, sitting on the porch having a few beers. I think it 's gonna take a little time to get adjusted to the whole idea, but as long as everyone's happy, right??

Went shopping Sat. w/mom. We had a lot of luck. This has just been the best year ever for me and finding clothes and furniture,etc. that I like! Anyway, we got home to her house and ate supper & I went home. I was scared. All alone. I went to sleep and had bad dreams and kept waking up scared. The dogs were making noise in their kennels, and I freaked out. Where's my new strapping, fearless husband when I need him? Then the thunder & lightening started. I turned on the weather channel and there were tornaod warnings in neighboring counties and I ran out of the house, got in the car, and headed straight to mom & dad's (in night clothes.) What a wimp. I used to live all by myself and didn't get so scared. What's happened to me?

I was glad when O'Hara got home Sun. I missed him. We had a great time at mom's house, eating and hanging out, enjoying the kids. Uncle James got a moped and that was fun watching everyone take turns giving it a go. No, I didn't do it. Too scary. Also, I forgot to tell O'Hara's mother happy mother's day. I really am terrible. Her only daughter-in-law and I didn't even call.

So after a weekend apart, me & O saw each other Sun. night. Then I left Mon. am to o to Charleston and help Rachel pack her house up into a pod. I am still here and should be back in Cola. tomorrow afternoon. Then Thurs. O's going to Charleston to go deep-sea fishing with his dad Fri. am. I guess you get married and never see each other! I'm really looking forward to getting in our new house and settling into some normalcy! I'm gonna put up more wedding pics when I get home.

My life...

Our wedding! The pups, Puddin' & Herbie

Well,

It has been a crazy and exciting time for me lately. I'm a Howard! And I think Ashby Howard rolls off the tongue better than Ashby Chase. Who knew that there was an easier name for me? I'm a proud wife!

Brace yourselves: this is gonna be a long one. After this I'll have no more ideas for blogs 'til June.

Me & O'Hara met Jan. '06 at Jake's in Columbia. We had mutual friends and had great conversation from the get go. I did not want to date, though. I had just ended a 4-year relationship. But I gave him my number anyway. He didn't call.

In March '06 I went to a St. Patty's Day party and he was there. After that night we've been like white on rice. We just have so much fun together. People say that you just know when it's right. I really did. And he says that he knew the first time we met that I was supposed to be his. Cheesy, I know. But so sweet. I can't help it. I used to be so NOT into cheesy.

We got engaged at the end of October '07 and got married April 12. He proposed in his house in Rosewood: in the hallway at 3pm on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. I wanted a surprise and I got it! Who would guess a rainy Wed. afternoon?

I thought it was a good idea to have a pretty short engagement. 5 1/2 months seemed like too long to wait! But that's the best day we could find. Everyone says to slow down and enjoy the process. Impossible. I was overwhelmed. We were so ready for that day. I wish I could say that the planning was wonderful and easy. My take is that there are way too many options for a wedding/reception for it to be "easy," especially for an indecisive like me. I changed my mind 3 times about location, size, wedding party! If anyone wants to know anything about wedding stuff, I'm on it. I can help. I bet most newlyweds feel like experts in the field. Anyway, it ended up perfect, just as friends and family reassured me it would.

Our honeymoon was.... comical. You expected romantic, right? Well, St. John was certainly beautiful. And there was plenty of marital bliss. We had a long walk on the beach, plenty of room service, pina coladas. So what's funny, right? It was family week at the resort. BTW, you guys with kids would LOVE this place. Disney movies in the pool at night, ocean trampolines, toys, games...they've got it all at the Westin Resort. Needless to say, not exactly what we had in mind. We may wait a little longer than planned to start that family we've been talking about having! There was even a baby in the room next door to us who awoke at 4am and screamed until somewhere between 6-7am. Lovely. I was in tears, too. We went to bed so early to prepare for the early morning screams!!

The neat thing about that honeymoon experience is that because we were the only honeymooners, we were separate from all the action. So we kind of did (in a strange way) get the secluded trip we wanted. Cheers!

So we bought a new house 8 days before the wedding and are working on it daily. Funny how there's always 10X more work than you think. We've already done the interior paint, carpet faceplates, and should get the hardwoods in next week. I've been working in the yard. Snakes. Snakes scare the crud out of me. And our yard has em. I'm gonna have to learn to live in harmony...hope they eat the mice that could potentially get in my house! We still have all the exterior work to start on next week and then painting the exterior and maybe a new roof. I like this kind of stuff, though. It's so rewarding at the end of it all!

Finally, we are selling the house in Rosewood. FSBO right now. Hope for an offer soon!