Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Tuesday, October 12, 2010



21 week ultrasound

Well-it is officially a girl! We had out 21 week ultrasound today and everything checked out. I'm going to post of some pics of our little girl. She was pretty active at the beginning and then chilled out towards the end. She was lying with her legs up above her head for most of it and she had she arms up over her head. Which is how I lay out by the pool, so at least we know she is comfortable and relaxed in there.
I worked on our registry for a bit as well, adding things and taking things off. Also, looked at adorable clothes. Rufflebutts.com is my new obsession. They are ruffled bloomers to cover diapers and are the cutest things ever! I might have to order something for our little girl!
So, it has been a big baby day here. Can't wait to get the crib and dresser soon and pick a paint color. If you see Carl on the street try and talk him into pink!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

21 weeks!

Another week down! So far, so good. I feel like I'm huge of course but I think that is normal. Had to buy my first pain of maternity jeans, not used to them yet. They are really stretchy but I guess that is a good thing, I'll get longer use from them.
I think I have felt some kicking as well. Feels like someone is blowing bubbles in my stomach! I took a prenatal yoga class today and during the relaxation portion at the end of class, she was going crazy in my stomach. Guess she was enjoying all the movement and stretching and wanted me to get up and move more!
This week we have our ultrasound at the doctors and we'll find out if it is 100% a girl since the 15 week 3D ultrasound was a little early to show gender.
Then, we are heading to VA for an engagement party on Friday and Charlottesville Saturday to visit friends, family and see a football game. I am so excited for next weekend, hopefully, the work week will fly by!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

I haven't posted in forever!
Today I am making it to my first prenatal yoga class! Super excited.
Carl and I spent the morning moving some furniture (nothing heavy) to make the office a playroom. Still in the beginning stages but it should start to come together in a few weeks. We desperately need to have a yard sale and downsize. Movies, books, DVD's it all has to go.
Overall, we are preparing for our 1st little baby, I'm now 20 weeks and def. showing, the baby is the size of a banana.
I'm feeling much better but still tired. The past 2 months have flown by, it's been wonderful having the cooler weather, we are going to look up and it's going to be Christmas!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Weddings

Carl and I just got back from a week in Nags Head. We were there for Cameron and Amanda's wedding. I had to leave the morning of the wedding to go to another wedding in Charlottesville VA. SO, we both went solo.
Jessica and Nate got married in cville and it was a great wedding. The ceremony was at the chapel on the grounds of UVA and the ceremony was at King Family vineyard. The vineyard was gorgeous with a huge outside area. And the food was wonderful which is always a plus. I was told how tan I looked and that was major plus.
The next morning my Mom drove me down to NC to meet Carl and we headed back to SC. It was a long trip but the vacation was worth it and very needed. We both relaxed and took it easy. No plans, no schedules, no phones.
Then 4th of July. This weekend Kelly, Chris and their 2 puggles came down. It was def. a puggle party. Gibbs fell in love with Lilly. He wanted to play or lay next to her the whole weekend. We took the dogs for a long walk the 1st day then headed out on Charlie and Michelle's boat. The dogs were by themselves for a while but we hoped the walk would make them sleep.
The boat was so fun. It was a major party scene when we docked at the sandbar and stayed that way most of the night. I was the DD so I can remember everything that happened and was filling the rest of the group in on Sunday. I won't throw anyone under the bus, but it was a fun to witness. And we saw an amazing fireworks display, go M-City
The next day we biked Kiawah island and got lunch then took it easy the rest of the evening. We ordered pizza and watched a movie! Didn't even see actual fireworks on the 4th. Hope everyone else had a great celebration!! Sorry, I don't have any pics of the weekend, I was doing lots of head counts, didn't have time to take pics.

More pics




Here are some pics of us at the Zach Brown concert last month. I went with Laurie, who sadly has now moved to Hilton Head (come back Laurie!!). All the opening bands were great and of course Zach Brown was awesome. It was the start of the heat wave though, so humid. It finally cooled off when the sun went down. The last pic is of a double rainbow Carl and I saw in a Target parking lot when we were reluctantly running errands.

Pics from Asheville





Monday, June 14, 2010

a NEW post!!

Hi all--
I haven't been on here in forever. This spring has been really busy. We have beeCheck Spellingn going to the pool, going for runs and made a trip to Asheville NC.
Asheville was amazing, we brought the dogs as well so I think they enjoyed themselves. The first day we went downtown to some bars and brought the dogs to the dog park. It was a really nice dog park and right near the river. Asheville was so pretty with an emphasis on health and the outdoors.
The first night we went to dinner and made it an early night. On Sunday we went to the Biltmore and both really had fun. It is the largest home in America. We couldn't believe that someone would take on such a challenge. It is difficult enough keeping up with a regular sized house, but the largest home! It was gorgeous, the view was amazing and the gardens were my favorite part. There were so many roses and other varieties of flowers, I was in heaven and took tons of pictures and came back home and fixed up the landscape a little. We also went wine tasting at the Biltmore and bought two bottles of wine. The next day was Memorial Day and it was rainy so we took off early and headed home. It was a relaxing trip but too short.
We are leaving in a week for Nags Head NC and staying for a week. I am beyond excited. Work has been very stressful and I really need to recharge my battery!
Other big things this spring....Carl and I both turned 30! yikes.
I had a party at the house with all my girlfriends and we had a blast. Everyone brought wine and we were going to have a tasting but it ended as a wine free for all! Then we did a spa treatment at the house and then I had a psychic come to the house and give us all readings. Some people didn't get the best news, but my reading was great! She told me Carl and I would have 3 kids, I was married to my soul mate, money would never be an issue and I had no enemies in my friends and family. Not too bad! The rest of the weekend was just as great. We had dinner with Mike and Amanda Jay who were in town on Saturday and then Sunday we went to dinner at a great seafood place downtown, Hanks. Beth and Gabby had a bottle of wine sent to the table and it made me cry a little. I felt so loved and so special. It was a really nice way to ring in my 30's.
Carl's birthday was a few weeks ago. I made dinner and we had some neighbors over, far more relaxed then mine but that is Carl I guess!
I hope all is well with everyone out there. I'm really sorry I been so MIA but I will try and update more and check my email more. At the end of the day, especially if I worked, I am exhausted. Let's all hope a vacation will help!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Bridge Run 2010

I am really happy to report that today I did my first 10K and I survived! I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run with some friends and only decided to do it about 3 weeks ago. It was super cold this morning, did not feel like April in Charleston, more like December! I had on lots of layers and a cute 10K t-shirt I bought at Nike. Brandy and I ran it in 1 hour 15 minutes. Not bad for our first time and the crowd of 40,000 people slows you down a little bit too. I have learned some things for next year though.
1. Don't carbo load at Olive Garden, too much salt and you wake up feeling like a prune, have a potluck with people you run with.
2. If you're a nurse, give yourself an IV the day before to hydrate, who can drink that much water?
3. Put on powder and a little bronzer, you will be glad when you see the pics.
4. Don't underestimate the importance of a good mix, I couldn't get my mix onto my iphone and had to use Pandora, and barely had service. The song "Blue" from circa 2001 came on after a long music blackout and I actually listened to it. Not cool.
I also saw a grown man urinating off the bridge. How rude.
All in all, it was really fun and we celebrated with bloody mary's and oysters at Pearlz Oyster Bar. (Only in Charleston, would an after race meal consist of oysters!!)













Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Lots of photos of me wearing a green sweatshirt!








Here are some pics from this month!
Brewvival, a craft beerfest that Carl was all about. People were walking around with pretzels and bread around their neck!
Gabby's visit, sadly, we didn't take any pics except some of Gabby and Gibbs on the sofa. We vegged for 2 days straight. We did work out a little but the visit centered around food and fun. And by food I mean cheese and wine.
Then St. Patty's Day at Park Circle with great friends. We ended up on Daniel Island and over-served ourselves. But, I'm Irish, what can I tell you!?!
Lastly, here is a pic of me today with blonder hair after a 12 mile bike ride, roundtrip for pizza!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Spring!!

I have had great month! I am training for a 10K with Brandy, a friend from work. We just went and ran this morning and it was great to get the workout behind us. I am still losing weight but it has slowed down a little bit. I am hoping to get the last 5lbs off! I've started buying new workout clothes, which is the best part of working out and have discovered a company from Canada, Lululemon. Oh my gosh. Best workout pants. I have a pair of training pants that have mesh on the legs, perfect for running around Charleston in the spring. And they have a great sale section, since they run kinda steep and free shipping!
I was introduced to Lululemon when Gabby came for a visit at the beginning of the month. It doesn't seem like that long ago!
She came in on Friday and we went to a food and wine festival. We had great weather and ate and drank a little too much. But hey, it is a festival! The next couple days we just hung out, did a little shopping, eating, worked out! It was great to have her here and I was really happy to be the one to introduce Gabby to Twilight and Edward Cullen!
Other that that we celebrated St. Patty's day. We went to a block party on the 13th and then went out on the 17th. It was a great two days with friends and we got rained on both times, just like in Ireland!
Hope everything is great with you. I will def. post pictures of us after the run!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Jan/Feb






The weather has been chilly down here in Charleston! We moved down here to escape snow and bitter wind chills. I went to an oyster roast with some friends at the end of January. It started out way too cold but the temperature picked up and it actually was pretty pleasant, just muddy. So, muddy my car got stuck, after I freaked out a little, we put it in snow mode and pushed it right out. It was really only stuck for about 10 seconds!
The next weekend we had a super bowl party and had a great turnout, it was really fun and the Saints won, so I was happy! I got to catch up with some friends and neighbors we hadn't seen in a while.
Then, Valentine's Day was upon us, Carl was out of town and I worked but it snowed that Friday. I was really nervous driving over all the bridges in case they froze, but it wasn't too bad. The best friend and coworker anyone could have, Erin Brister, drove me in on Saturday and we only hit one touchy spot. The drive was gorgeous with all the snow on the trees and the snow banks on the rivers!
Here are some pics of the oyster roast and the snow. Erin Brister is pictured at the oyster roast!!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Feb 2010!!

I am very excited to say goodbye to January and say hello to February. January was not the best month, for those of you who don't know Carl and I were pregnant and had a miscarriage. I went in to a doctors appt. thinking I was almost 12 weeks and turns out, there was no heartbeat. It was a really hard time, Carl and I went from feeling so blessed and excited to completely heartbroken. My parents drove down the next day and were here for a few days which was wonderful and we had an outpouring of cards, emails, calls and flowers from family and friends.
I'm pleased to announce it has been around 3 weeks and we are doing much better. My faith and hope has returned and I am focusing on the positive. I have started dieting and doing yoga, I am really focused on being as healthy as I can. My stress level was really high in December and I think all these changes will help that. I believe and pray that we will be pregnant again and when our baby makes an appearance it will be loved and adored.
We are trying to enjoy all this time we have and our life in Charleston.
I went to an Oyster Roast and had so much fun. There was live music and it was pretty warm for most of the day. My new Toyota Highlander fit everyone and all our chairs and then got stuck in the mud!! I freaked out a little but I put it in snow mode and some Erin, Brandy and Erik gave it a little push and we were free!
This past weekend we had a super bowl party and lots of people came. Friends from work and neighbors. Carl and I were both rooting for the Saints so we were happy!
This weekend I am working and Carl is going to a bachelor party then more events lined up! Flogging Molly concert, Brewvival (a craft beerfest, Carl's fave) and then Gabby is coming for a visit.
So, thanks to everyone for all the kind words and thoughts. I really did feel lucky to have such support in such a sad time. I wasn't sure if I should blog about it but it is my life and these things do happen. Hope is isn't too cold where you are, and if it is, come to Charleston for a visit!! Lots of love!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

weekend






Hi!
I can't believe the weekend is almost over. I worked on Friday then went to dinner with some friends. Work was busy the past couple days and I picked up overtime so it was nice to unwind. Lauren was in town so we all met her at 5 Loaves, really yummy food, I have never had anything bad! Lauren moved to Columbia this month to start anesthesia school, so she stays pretty busy, it was really fun to catch up with everyone. They all headed out to a bar afterwards but I went home, Carl had just gotten back into town from a business trip, so I gave him my leftovers and we turned in early.
Carl and I had a pretty good weekend, it was really rainy on Saturday but we went out and met some friends for the playoff games. Sunday was gorgeous and we got tons of errands done. On Tuesday we ended up buying a Toyota Highlander and I love it, love it, love it. All the extra space the Highlander has as opposed to my old car made errands much easier. I got to show it off to my friends on Friday but I posted some pics. We also organized the office on Saturday and moved tons of furniture so, here are some updates pics of the house.
Now, I am going to get ready for the work week. I just did a yoga video so I feel calm and relaxed and am going to enjoy the rest of my Sunday night. I think it will involve the Golden Globes and popcorn.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Hawaii Pics





Maui trip

Ok, I am going to attempt to post on our trip to Hawaii in December! I hope I can remember everything. We went to Maui for Robyn's wedding December 4-10. Robyn and I went to UVA together and worked at Smoothie King! (Side note, in the Dallas airport Carl and I saw a Smoothie King, perfect!)
Carl and I left from Charlotte NC, we stayed with Brooke and Mike the night before and got up at 2:30 am to park the car and make our flight. The flight was long but tolerable and we arrived in Maui around 4:30 in the afternoon. There was a little rain and a light haze but still gorgeous! The vegetation and all the plants were amazing. We checked into our hotel and headed to the PrePlatt party and met up with Robyn. We crashed pretty early that night.
The next morning we went to an amazing breakfast place Kihei Cafe, the guy behind the counter had on a USC hat (Carolina not Cali) which was a fun coincidence, turns out he used to live in Charleston and before that DC. Carl figured that meant we would be moving to Maui as well. After breakfast we spent the day on the beach then got ready for Robyn's wedding. Her wedding was gorgeous! She looked beautiful. The ceremony was outside with an amazing view of the ocean and the weather was perfect. They wrote their on vows and they did a great job. Their reception was at the Four Seasons at Spago, it's Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and the food was amazing. It was such a great wedding!
The next morning we woke up pretty early and watched the Redskins/Saints game, the skins lost. Then took a trip to the lava fields. The lava rocks looked sandy and porous but they were so hard and some crazy woman was sitting out sunbathing, it was weird. That night Carl and I drove into West Maui for dinner and saw an amazing sunset.
Monday, we drove the road to Hana. It is about 45 miles but takes hours, because the road is so narrow and one lane it makes you drive slow. We saw waterfalls, a bamboo forest and amazing views. This took all day and we were pretty exhausted by the end of the day. The last stretch of the road is unpaved for about 20 miles, the rental car agreement tells you not to drive that route and to turn around but we kept going! The guidebook told us it wasn't that bad and if you turn around you miss more great views and it takes longer to get back. The guidebook lied about the road, there were huge holes and rocks and it was really uneven. We ended up breaking a part of the car in the front but we turned it in and the rental company didn't notice!! Hope a Hertz rep doesn't read my blog!
Tuesday and Wednesday we stayed close to the hotel. We went to Big Beach, I got a massage, we got in some pool time. It was so relaxing! As soon as we arrived I felt my stress fade.
Thursday was our last day and we got lunch in a little town known for colorful locals and in our first 5 minutes there Carl hit another car! We were parking in front of the restaurant and the car belonged to the cook! But it was just a love tap, no damage done. We heard such good things about the pizza we decided to stay and even though the first 5 minutes were a little uncomfortable, the food was amazing. After that we walked around, did a little shopping and got gelato. Homemade pineapple gelato in Hawaii is just as good as it sounds.
The town we were in (can't remember the name) is known for it's windsurfing and while we were in Hawaii, huge waves were coming in all week, it was known as Jaws. We went to a great lookout area and saw so many surfers, they looked like the guys from TV.
We left that night, our plane was delayed but better on the way home than the way there. If anyone wants to go to Hawaii and needs advise let me know, there is still so much I didn't include in the post!
Here are some beautiful pics!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Car Shopping

Well, Carl and I have been car shopping really. So far, on the list we have considered--
1. Nissan Altima
2. Acura TL
3. Acura RDX (used 2007 and new 2010)
4. Honda Pilot
5. Toyota Highlander

Not to mention all the other cars I have test driven!
I am worn out. We might be getting close but I don't want to jinx it. Please put positive thoughts out there I am getting sick of having this on my plate!
I will blog about our Hawaii trip soon but we have been really busy recently and I know it will be a huge undertaking. We are getting HBO free which means, I have become addicted to True Blood and have no free time, this show is awesome. The lead character's name is Sookie Stackhouse!! REALLY????

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Holidays!

Carl and I had a whirlwind holiday season! We stayed home for Thanksgiving and had family down--Carol, Jeff and my Dad. It was smaller this year then in years past but was still fun. I had some friends from work over for dinner as well and some stopped by afterwards! We did fry the turkey this year but some parts came out a little pink, so I put them in the oven to cook them a little more and forgot about them for 2 hours or so, they were like leather and had to be tossed out. So, not too much leftover turkey. It was nice weather, so on Friday some people went downtown for lunch and my Dad and I went car shopping. I test drove a couple cars but nothing was the right fit. For fun, we test drove the Lexus 350, it was really nice but too expensive and a little too fancy. I can't imagine putting Cooper and Gibbs in the backseat of a car that nice!
My Dad left Saturday, I worked for 6 hours, then came home and we had lunch and watched UVA get killed by VT. The rest of the night we played pool and hung out. Then, everyone else left the next day and Carl and I put the house back in order!
A few days after that we left for our trip to Hawaii, I will post more on that!
Then back home for a week of work and then Christmas! We packed up the dogs and headed up to VA at 3am. We spent Christmas day with my parents and Carl drove up to NOVA that night.
The next day Mom and I had breakfast at the best bagel place ever (Bodo's, I got an everything bagel with bacon, egg and cheese) and Dad drove me to meet Carl. That night we went to a party at Ryan and Danielle's and got to see their new place, wish Ryan happy 30th and catch up with everyone in town.
Sunday, we had a birthday brunch with Carl's Mom and it was really tasty! It's a french place, Mon Ami Gabe and the bread was awesome! Then we headed to the Redskins game with Nate and Jess! The Redskins were playing Dallas, and lost. It was freezing cold! So we didn't stay the whole time but it was fun to finally check out our seats, since we have season tickets and only made it to the last game. I was playing my Dad in fantasy football for the championship and he had Miles Austin and Jason Whitten, so I had to watch the Skins and my fantasy team get beaten live, in the cold.
The next morning we met Grandma for breakfast and got on the road, traffic was awful, probably the worst it has ever been on one of our trips. We also met Beth and her Mom for lunch in Richmond and it took an extra 2 hours to get down there. We didn't get back to Charleston until late and crashed.
After that I had a couple days off to get life back in order. We almost bought a Honda pilot, but the deal fell through. We are still car shopping and I think it is pure torture!
I worked New Years Eve and New Years Day and didn't watch the ball drop, it was a rude awakening and I felt old.
We have had a couple more changes but I will have to post that later. Hope you had a great holiday! I am really excited for 2010!!

5K!!


I ran a 5K on THanksgiving with Carl and my mother in law, Carol. I was really nervous the morning of, I didn't think I would be able to finish the whole thing or would cramp up, my imagination was working overtime. But, I did really well!!! I ran the whole thing and didn't take any walk breaks. Carl was great and did the whole thing with me and never wanted to run ahead and leave me in the dust.
The race started downtown, you ran along Meeting Street and people were all out cheering you on as you passed restaurants and churches. Then, you ran along the battery, and passed the Ashley River and all the huge houses you think of in Charleston. The last leg was King Street where all the great shopping is, so I was checking out store windows and then the finish line. It was a great feeling to accomplish a goal and do really well. I ran the whole thing in 34 minutes but the first few minutes were slow, because the crowd was so big. I am def. going to do it next year and want to sign up for another 5K soon!
My Dad and brother in law Jeff were at the finish line, here is a pic. I am right behind Carl in the green hoodie, we are about to cross the finish line!