Parenting Issues

Josh and I took Nola to Lake Erie a couple days ago. Unfortunately, this trip to the beach wasn't as pleasant as her last trip. The waves were quite a bit choppier than last time and a rogue wave crashed over Nola. 

She was pretty wiped out after her trip to the beach. 

Until Josh rolled down the window... This should be added to the Nola stats as one of her favorite things, riding in the car as long as she can stick her head out the window.

The day after her beach excursion, we drove Nola down to Columbus, Ohio so she can spend a few days with my grandparents while my parents take Josh and I to Myrtle Beach, SC. She loves her Me-ma and Papa-Tony and they LOVE her, but she was really sad when we left her. I'm sure she is doing fine, we heard she went to a BBQ and had some hamburger and grilled chicken. I'm glad my grandparents are able to spend time with Nola this week. 

A special visitor this week...

This is our baby Nola. Nola lives in Dayton, Ohio with her grandparents. Josh and I weren't able to bring her to Erie because our townhouse has a no animal policy, which has been difficult because we miss little Nola.

This is Nola's second time vacationing in Erie with us. (Yes, she is staying with us illegally...shhh don't tell.) She loves swimming in Lake Erie and we hope to be able to take her there tomorrow for a quick dip.

This is her...I know you have ice cream

and I want some...look.

Nola Stats:
Color: black, with a little white on her chest and a tiny white goatee
Weight: 6.8 lbs. (full grown)
Favorite food: whatever you're eating or her dental bones
Favorite game: tug o' war or her mad dog run (running at full speed back forth in our house)
Nicknames: Booty, Black Mamba, Nolabola, and Xibalba (I think that's all of them)
Snuggle factor: absolutely, she curls up nicely in your lap
Nap time: all day long
She hasn't met anyone who hasn't fallen in love with her.


Many ask if Josh and I will ever get Nola back after we move. If I did ever ask for Nola back, my mother said she would take me to court for custody of Nola. That could get pretty messy. I'm so thankful my parents absolutely love her and couldn't imagine life without her.

Brittany's Wedding

Josh and I have returned from Dayton (exhausted) where my younger sister Brittany married a wonderful man named Jason, who is crazy in love with her! Their wedding was absolutely beautiful. I am so happy for my little sister and her new husband. And I'm jealous they get to spend two weeks in Ecuador for their honeymoon!

The wedding went off without a hitch but we had a few glitches during the week. On Thursday (the day I was throwing Brittany a lingerie shower), I had to take Josh into the emergency room for the worst migraine he has ever had. I was pretty worried about him because I have never seen him in that much pain before. Thanks to my father, we were able to get right in and get Josh some pain meds. And thanks to my father, I was able to keep my nail appointment with my sister. - Thank you Papa for taking such good care of Josh! You are always there for us when we need you. -

No I did not paste this picture from a magazine, she looked this amazing!!!

Look at how gorgeous her dress is! GORGEOUS!

Sisters, sisters...there were never such devoted sisters.

My Papa. His birthday was the day after the wedding. I love this guy!

My beautiful mother does it again. She is truly a Proverbs 31 woman. 

Has anyone heard of the dance the Cupid Shuffle? It's a group dance like the Electric Slide. It was so fun we did it twice! It was so cute watching Britt and Jason dance together. 

My mother was looking for a cup of coffee the entire night at the reception. 

Isn't that dress amazing?!!

Our supportive, older brother Marc. He read a beautiful poem during the ceremony he wrote specifically for Brittany's wedding. He's basically one of the coolest guys I know.

We had a great time celebrating Brittany and Jason this weekend but I sure am glad we're back in Erie. 

The quote:  Dad I met a man in Rome, and he's wonderful and he's brilliant and we're getting married....is from Father of the Bride.

Wedding Toasts

Name the movie:
Dad, I met a man in Rome. And he's wonderful and he's brilliant and we're getting married.


Today is my last day of work before Josh and I head down to Dayton for my little sister's wedding! I am so very excited for Brittany and Jason and I'm honored to be her matron of honor for her special day. Still, I can't believe my little sister is getting married.

I am very excited for this weekend but I am also very nervous about my toast during the reception and one during the rehearsal dinner (which I just found out about). It's not for lack of words that makes me so anxious about the speeches - I could go on and on and on about how amazing Brittany is - it's that Brittany's toast last year at my wedding was AMAZING! AMAZING! I love watching my wedding DVD just to hear her toast again, I cry every time. She also told me: I totally forgot about giving a toast at the reception so I just wrote it this morning, sorry I didn't put more work into it. But of course, like all things Brittany puts her hand to, it was AMAZING! So graceful, elegant, and well poised...maybe I could just read this post about how wonderful she is.........just kidding.

I'm sure everything will be wonderful.

"Electric Feel"

Thank you Marc and Brittany for sharing this song with me. It's now Josh's and mine summer '08 song.  

This music video is a little eccentric. 

Please enjoy the music....

MGMT - "Electric Feel"

Camille, this might be the song that I would play when I enter a room. 

 

July 4th Weekend in Michigan

For the past 3 years Josh and I have spent July 4th at his parent's cottage on Todd Lake. I love being at the cottage, it's always relaxing and lots of fun family time. His parents have a boat up there and I always enjoy a nice boat ride around Todd Lake, but as for swimming in Todd Lake...I'm just not a huge fan of swimming in a lake (nothing personal against Todd Lake). Last summer my brother-in-law Chris taught me how to wake board, I also enjoyed tubing around Todd Lake. So I have swam in Todd Lake, I just prefer to sit on the beach and watch my niece and nephew swim in the lake.

This is our niece Addison (3), she and Josh have been best

friends since the day she was born.

This is our nephew Holden (Addison's 1 1/2 year old brother).

After what he did in Todd Lake that day,

people wonder why I don't care to

swim in lakes.

I'm not quite sure how this picture happend,

but I'm sure glad it did. We miss these kids.

On the way back to Byron Center, MI (where his parents live), Josh spotted a hay man in the middle of a field. We weren't quite sure what he was talking about, so his father whipped the car around and drove back to find this hay man. At first I was a little uneasy about turning back, but Josh mentioned this would be a great picture to post on our new blog!!!

A little difficult to get out there, but incredibly worth it!

Another great find by Josh. And yes, I am wearing my pink John Deere t-shirt I got a couple years back from Josh's parents at a county fair.

The Blog Phenomenon

Well, I guess it's about that time I take the plunge into the world of blogging. It's amazing how popular blogs have become, and how people become popular because of their blogs. Now, I'm not thinking this blog will put me on the map, or anywhere near the map. I hope to use this blog as a form of self-expression and a way to keep the family and friends back home updated on what's happening in our lives.

So hold on to your hats folks as you get to venture with us into this crazy blog phenomenon!