where do I start...

I have so much to update on this blog, I don't even know where to begin...
So I'm going to start with our beach vacation with my family. We've been several times to the same island in the very southernmost part of North Carolina, but it's been a few years since we've gone. We couldn't pass up an opportunity to go back! SO, we packed up the "kids," piled the car with our stuff, and started on a long road trip!

Celebrating our arrival ...
With dinner at Ella's (our FAVORITE restaurant ever!)
I was very, very set on not going deep sea fishing. I know better than that. But after explaining that it would be easier to let me stay at home than whine the whole time, my siblings (and everyone else) wouldn't quit pestering me. So I gulped down some dramamine, and went along for the ride...
The guys fishing:
J trying to find a big fish

Turns out the meds were a good choice... since those that didn't take them ended up VERY sick. I kept saying, "you have to respect the ocean!"

I spent a couple of days working while we were there to make the vacation time work, but still had time to have some fun. How awesome is this sunset?!?

My aunt and uncle live in NC, so they spent the week at the beach as well. So much fun to get sibling and cousin hang-out time!

We even squeezed in some put-put. (I, of course, did not keep score, and ended up getting a gold star at one hole and a smiley face at another)

All of us after the last hole:

We also made sure we had some fun shopping time while near so many outlet malls. While we were there, we also managed to find our way to Margaritaville!

The last day there, we took the dogs to the beach for the first time. We weren't sure what they'd think, but they had a good time! Both kind of pranced in the sand (they couldn't figure out why it slid away when they walked), and ran into the water a bit... until a wave came and they decided that was the end of the water.

A big thanks to Mom and Dad for our family vacation! We had a great time, and were so glad we could make it work.

2008.

I've seen this on a few blogs, and it's a great way to sum up a year.

So here we go:

January:

christmas clean-up.
bailey turns 3!
stress at work.

February:
superbowl with friends.

wallpaper fiasco; bathroom redecorated
v-day at home, 3 years since we got engaged!
more work stress.

March:
first beautiful spring day of the year!

and another snow just a couple of days later!
and for good measure, work stress.

April:

I turn officially old.
my amazing husband makes it better with a table runner that is pure happiness and chocolate cake. he's so good. :)
oh yeah, and work stress.

May:

K graduates!

promotion at work. getting paid more makes work a little bit better, but doesn't solve everything. decide to take a chance...

J is done with the semester after lots of hard work done. 1 yr down (or 21 years, depending on how you look at it), 3-4 (or a million, again, depending on how you look at it) to go.

take first vacation day of the year. totally needed. head to NOLA

rock out and celebrate E and J's wedding

on the same day as the wedding, celebrate 5 years together.

June:
married for 2 years. :) still love each other. :)

thank all that is holy, and a very very generous set of parents, that I get to go to PARIS!!
J stays home, but enjoys a baseball game and nachos with the boys.

ups, downs, lots of steps, crepes, art, laughs, shopping, memories in Paris
damn, I miss this.

while in Paris, get offered new job (at home, not in Paris). make decision via lots of emails and motherly advice. excellent choice.
start new job, thank lucky stars for June.

July:
add a new member to our family.
Bailey considers running away from home.

August:
even though she's trouble, she's freakin adorable
we still love you too, bud.
J goes back to school.
thrilled with new job.

September:

generous parents take us to Mizzou for some fun

get soaked, but have a great time. see new J school.
visit the site of our first CoMo "date," first time J has been back since it burned down and was rebuilt. ahhh memories.

October:
lake shopping trip.
travel for work.
J has a birthday.

he reminds us how old he is (and shows of a new gift). not 30!
btw, I'm an awesome wife. just look at that face. :)
go to Chicago for conference, see sibs, spend Halloween in Chi-town.

November:

yes we can!
travel to Chicago again, this time with ines.
mecca.
and they even have breakfast. and we know this b/c we went twice. in less than 24 hours.
turkey day in Cleveland. Grandpa turns 90!
Rosie eats a starfish.

December:

dogs love each other. fight like siblings, but snuggle too. relieved that we didn't ruin Bailey's life.
bake ~11 batches of cookies in the month of December. most on one Saturday alone. forget to take picture of massive baking mess.
get Rosie to wear a bow. lasts less than a minute.

see family and friends, home and across the country. feel lots of love.

market, layoffs, gas prices. it's all scary, even more so at the end of the year.
feel blessed to have each other, and a pretty great life.
here's to a great 2008, and an even better 2009.

for my momma

Hi.

Yep, I'm back. :) It's been a little busy lately. And I love blogging, but the crap-ass laptop I currently have makes it take a good hour and a half to post. And when I get to use J's desktop (technically it's "ours"), I have pressing things to accomplish before he steals it back. Something about "papers" and "grading papers" and "doing well in school," or something like that. The nerve. ;) (really, he offers it up all the time, but I don't want to keep him from that stuff.)

All 2 of you can thank my mother for saying at Thanksgiving: "Why don't you update your blog anymore? I keep going to read it and there's nothing. I really liked reading it!" Leave it to good old mom-guilt. ;)

So, here's the bullet rundown of our life since, oh, like September or so (save the one election post):

• lots of school. J's doing great-- presented at a couple of conferences this fall, and we have REALLY REALLY exciting conferences to go to next year. THRILLED.
  
• still loving my new(er) job. (It's been 6 months, so not so new anymore.) a little scared about the economy, but my company has never had layoffs before. let's pray now isn't when they decide to start. for now, all is very very well.
• Rosie gets in trouble every 5 minutes, but we love her and couldn't imagine life without her. She recently got spayed and scared the crap out of all of us when she ate a starfish. She's doing okay now, though, so no harm no foul. That girl sure knows how to get into trouble, but she's equally good at being a sweet little lump of love. It's hard to stay mad at her for long.
• Bailey is great, loving having a sister, still getting lots of love without her jumping in his face. He's such a sweetie.
• I traveled all over in October and November: the lake to shop with mom + sis, Chicago for J's conference and spend time with the sibs, Chicago for an IKEA run! with the ine/ene/eens, to the west coast for work, to OH-IO for turkey day weekend (after actual turkey day with my family). That was a whole lot of running.
• J turned 29. pictures will follow. he hates that I like to remind him he's in his 30th year. :)
• tree is up, lights going up this weekend, planning an all-day shopping blitz to start/finish our shopping tomorrow.
  
• Thrilled about all-day shopping tomorrow b/c after the lake + downtown Chicago shopping + IKEA... well. Any of you that know me can guess that was a bit much. So I've been shopping free for about a month. I'm ready to go all-out tomorrow, all for other people. :) SO FUN!!!

That's all I've got for now... I'll try to do a big picture post soon to catch up...
J

dog update:

Yesterday Rosie and Bailey snuggled for the first time! And by snuggled, I of course mean that while Bailey was laying down, Rosie decided to rest her head on his hip, and they didn't fight. They actually stayed like that for a good 10 minutes. Progress, people! That's what I'm talking about!!

okay, one more.

Thanks to the wonderful Kelly, we do have a picture from Saturday night, and for all you puppy-crazies, they're in it too:

MIZZOU-RAH!!

3lbs, 14oz

That's how big Rosie is now. Since the last time we were at the vet (three weeks ago) she's gained a pound! She's still tiny as can be, but we're glad to see her gaining some weight. I shouldn't be surprised, with the amount of food she eats, but she's so LITTLE! :) We may have another 6-pounder on our hands. ;)

cuteness.

So I know why I write this blog. But I know why the three of you read this blog. And they're not the same reason.



It's not for the house pictures (or lack thereof). It's not because our lives are fascinating enough to keep you coming back for more.



It's the puppies. Admit it. They're the real draw.



So for all of you drooling for more puppy pictures, I now present Bailey and Rosie, A Sunday Evening. (Please note I did not mean to favor a certain dog, but one of them kept making a "for real, mom? Knock it off with the camera already and get my sister away from me" face...)

Under the Table and Chewing

I'll get you!

Don't forget me!! I'm cute too!!

That's right. You WILL rub my tummy. You can't resist my fat-tummied puppy charm!

I'm so damn adorable. Check out my ponytail.

A rare moment of kissing (not biting!) her brother. Bailey still doesn't love it.

(We have to hold them to get them to be this close together.)

So there you go. Your weekly dose of cuteness. Happy now? ;)