Everyday is a Holiday

December is flying by as every other month seems to do but December is very different than any other month. There is the constant hum of Christmas music (which Louie started playing in the gym before T-giving), the mass of people in Walmart or Target, the weekend gas price inflation for beach go-ers and therefore, beach residents, there are holiday parties, tons of food, holiday photo cards (which I love), decorations, wrapping paper, great smelling kitchens and in our house, major puppy lovin.



We had our first Christmas party of the year last night at the McNeill's house in Whiteville. It also coincided with the annual Christmas party in downtown Wilmington which we hated to miss but its kind of hard to be in two places at once. This week, we have our gym's Christmas party along with the gym's staff party which is notorious for being hilarious and fun. Speaking of which, I need to buy a couple of gag gifts and am spent on ideas. Next weekend all the family Christmas festivities start and I'm pumped about seeing family and friends. Right after Christmas, I'm heading to Cancun for 5 days with 13 teenagers and a couple of coaches. YAY!

The dogs are all fine.....Maddie is still hateful to the puppies but they are very close to being her size and I think her "alpha-dog" will soon diminish. Jackson is still big and laid back and just recently had to be put on a diet. I diagnosed him with slight obesity and cut back on his food. I think he's been helping himself to Maddie's when she takes a break. That fatty. Hank & Reba are growing like crazy and are starting to be introduced to birds. David is getting their kennel ready at the farm and says they will be there full time shortly. I told him that I'm pretending they are going to camp and if I don't think camp is appropriate, they are coming back. I also said I wanted a web cam on them so I could check on them. I'll miss those precious faces! Anyways, they are cute as ever and here are some pictures from the weekend!

LittleMyrtleSouthernClark

This title sums up everywhere that we were for Thanksgiving 2008. It was a fun (long) weekend with a lot of people that I love! We started out T-giving Wednesday night by heading down to Myrtle Beach to Soo Soo's house for dinner....ribs, squash, collards, sweet potatoes and my ever-so-yummy fake cake. Lissa, Todd, Jen, Curry, Soo Soo, David and I enjoyed some good adult time while the kids that were there watched movies or slept.

Thursday, we met David's family at the Dunes Club for Thanksgiving lunch....we enjoyed great food and great company and were told that we had the largest table of the day in the club. I think we totaled 17. I hung out down at Soo Soo's with Jen, Lissa, Soo Soo and Liza for the afternoon while David took some of the guys and kids hunting at Longwood. Thursday night we went to the condo in Little River to eat dinner with the Camerons. Alex, Becky, Karina, Nic and Kileigh stayed at the condo from Wednesday-Saturday, relaxed, shopped and had good quality time together. My parents came into town after visiting Clinton and met us there.

Friday, we (the girls: mom, Becky, Karina, Kileigh & I) shopped but didn't go out until close to lunch time. The boys started the day with us but eventually left in their own car. I (like a genius) WASHED my cell phone the night before so I had to spend an hour in Alltel trying to get a new phone. Luckily I'm not very popular with phone calls so I didn't miss much by not having a cell phone. Unfortunately, I did not have insurance (they talked us out of it when we started the plan...idiots) so to get a new phone was quite a financial undertaking.....they had a refurbished LG phone and its hot pink and for the price, I love it. I also got insurance :) Friday night we ate leftovers and went up to Par 5 to watch Justin, Paul and Tony of Mckenzies Mill play an acoustic show for Tina's birthday (Tina is the best bartender there). They did an awesome job and Tony might have been the funniest I have ever seen him.

Saturday, mom and I did a little more shopping (Becky & karina did too, but we were in separate places). Then we piled up 3 people and 4 dogs into mom and dad's car to head to Southern Pines. David decided to go to the State game by himself since they would be bowl eligible if they won and it was the last game at home. He had a good time and just met us in SP. The funny farm drove to SP for my ten year HS reunion. Speaking of reunions, it was awesome. I know some people didnt have the greatest of times but I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. a lot of people who i went to elementary and middle school with were there and it was so fun to reconnect with them. The class of 98 was a great group of people....very diverse, very different backgrounds and very different current lives, but we all get along so well and have a lot of fun together. Before the reunion we met up in Justin & Em's hotel room and a group of about 15 people met there before going to the reunion. It felt just like high school! After the reunion, we went to O'Donnel's to hear another acoustic gig by half of Mckenzies Mill. Beth Vinson came (yay) and stayed at my parents house with us so we got some quality time together too.

On sunday, david and i packed up the two little dogs (mom and dad wanted to keep Jax and Maddie) and drove to Clarkton for Thanksgiving lunch with David's grandmother Lib. It was fun to see Liza and Eli (both turning 2 in Dec. and Jan.) play and it was nice to catch up with that side of the family.

All in all, a great Thanksgiving. I absolutely love the holidays where I get to see a lot of old friends and family. It makes it really special and makes me look forward to the next time I get to see them.

Gettin' Down on the Farm

Sunday was a beautiful day and we took advantage of it and took all the dogs out to the farm. We took a long walk, got some decent pics of the pups and Jackson trailed a deer for the 3rd time in his life. You would have thought he would have learned that he is not in shape to chase a deer, but his instincts took over and the dummy took off on a deer trail. He came back slowly, limping a little bit, proud of his accomplishment. What a guy. There are way to many pictures to post, so here is a slideshow!

Three Months Old and CRAZY

Hank & Reba are officially 3 months old....Yay! I feel like I can stop referring to them as a certain amount of weeks old now. They are funnier than ever and really love being outside....even in the frigid weather. We have brought them in every night this week to avoid the 20-30 degree temps so they are also getting pretty good at bladder control and crate training! They haven't peed or pooped in the house at all and we are letting them play a little when we bring them in instead of just shoving them in their crate. I will say that Jackson, my sugar-booger of a dog, was crate trained for more than the first year that I had him and I called the crate his "room". So last night, i told Jackson to go to his room and he literally crouched down and wiggled his way into the pups crate and plopped down, ready for night-night. Even when the pups tried to squeeze in so they could sleep, he wouldn't move! It was hilarious. and yes, I got pics!

So the puppies are learning the commands "here", "sit", and "no" and they respond very well to us, especially when we have chopped up hot dogs in our hands. They also know "kennel" which helps when its time to put them away. We have several toys for them but their favorite for now is a large duck that our good friend and dog sitter, Tonya, bought for them last weekend. They are also fans of the quail feather that david uses when he works with them. Like all puppies, their attention span is the size of a pea and their teeth are as sharp as razors so there is a little pain and annoyance with trying to train dogs at this age, but hopefully the results of it will far outweigh what would happen if we didn't work with them.

I got TAGGED!

Okay, so my good friend and old roomie, Emily has a great blog that I check often to see what her, Greg and Nate are up to. www.thegivensfamilyintn.blogspot.com is her page if you want to check her out. BUT, she "tagged" me which is a totally new concept for me and blogging. The point is to go to your 4th picture folder on your 'pooter, go to the 4th picture and write 4 things about it. Then, TAG four other people to do the same. The picture that came up for Em was from my bachelorette party! It was of me, klug and em and I love it!!! My picture is actually from a recent wedding and is so cute:



About this picture:
1. This is my mom (sally) and Ella, her best 4-year old friend.
2. This was taken at our church in Southern Pines, where my family has been members since my mom was a young'n.
3. This was Ella's "Meme's" wedding.....Anne Ryder, one of mom's good friends .....she helped direct my wedding for those that were there.
4. Mom's favorite thing to drink is sweet tea and she saves her "to go" cups from other places so she can have "to go" tea whenever she wants. Even at one of her best friends weddings. :)

So now I pick 4 people to do the same..........
1. Carly
2. Jackie
3. Jane Hodges
4. Klug.....DO IT KLUG.

Dirty Dogs

It seems like its been a while since I've reported on Hank & Reba....probably not since Watson left us! Anyways, I've gotten around to catching a few good pictures of the dogs (its much harder than you think). They are both doing well. Growing like weeds and getting more and more stubborn, smart, curious, and playful. David has worked with them a couple of days out at the farm on long leads....trying to enforce the command, "here or come". They aren't pros by any stretch of the word, but they are starting to understand. Especially when I have a dog treat in my hand. :) Most of the time they stay here at the house, in the kennel in the back yard. We let them stay out side all night this past weekend when they destroyed their puppy palace for the final time (I was so over cleaning it). So now they cuddle up in their dog house for the chilly nights and they constantly play in their kennel during the day. They are so funny to watch. They had a good time this past weekend with Jen, Curry, Liza and Steve visiting. David took all four dogs out to the farm on Sunday while I was at the meet and they ran and ran and played and rolled in something dead and played more. They are a mess! David managed to give jackson & maddie a bath b/c they stay inside but it got too cold to give Hank & Reba a bath. They don't stink (thank goodness) but man, they are dirty. No matter where they are (here or the farm), they manage to wrestle, roll, and waller in the dirt and jump all over each other. Therefore, its nearly impossible to keep them clean! David is working on their new home at the farm so they will be here until its finished. Anyways, enjoy the pics!

Bye Bye Oysters

This week, we were lucky to have Jen, Curry & Liza Martin stay with us in Little River. (Jen is David's sister, Curry is Jen's husband, and Liza is their almost-2-year-old). We all had a good time although I worked the entire weekend because we hosted our first meet of the year. David, his dad and Curry got some good hunting and "farm time" in. Jen and Liza also went out to the farm as well as hanging out with Soo Soo and the Woodards. There was a nice dinner at the Dunes Club. There was the weekly tradition of Capt Poo's lunch on Thursday and Liza enjoyed seeing the "more more boats." I also took Jen and Liza to the gym so she could play on the trampolines, in the pit and on all the mats we have. We cooked oysters Friday night and Liza (who is very good with words) quickly learned the word oyster and upon her departure to bed, she waved to them on the table and said "Bye Bye Oysters!" I also learned that she loves breakfast and will want you to share your cereal with her. She says "cereal" really well! All in all, it was a great week! I wish I could have hung out more but hopefully they had a great time!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLY!

I hope Carly has the most wonderful of birthdays today! I talked to Matt earlier in the week and if she hasn't gotten her present, she'll certainly be happy after she does! Have a great birthday Carly and I hope to see you soon!!! Love you!!!

Happy Birthday Sally!

This post is for MY mom, Sally! Today (10/30) is her birthday. She is offically 35 years old (yes, she had me when she was 7). Kidding, but I bet you won't guess her age on the first try. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! I love you!

Circle of Friends

For those that know Louie (my boss and old coach), you know how much he loves music. Whether he's playing it, listening to it, putting music on his ipod, or writing his own music....the man LOVES music. So he's been playing with a couple of friends in a throw-together-band called Circle Of Friends. The guys are Louie on drums & vocals, Tim on vocals, guitar and harmonica and John on bass & vocals. They've been playing at German Johns for the past month on Wednesday nights and this week was there last week there. They may play Par 5 or German Johns on a more regular basis, but we'll see! Anyways, last night sounded great and was a lot of fun! If they play somewhere on a regular basis and you are able to come out and support them, please do!!

Old Friends & Oysters

Last saturday I had one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time. David and I don't go out much but last Saturday when we decided to go over to Sunset Beach for an oyster roast at the Wallace's house, we had no clue what we were in for. I've known the Wallace's for YEARS.....I'm thinking close to 15+. I did gymnastics with Lindsay from the time I was 8 or 9 and actually graduated (and was good friends with) her older brother Aaron (we called him Opie). There is another older brother Shane who I didn't hang out during school but have hung out with him since moving to the beach. All of them are awesome and just plain crazy and I love it. Anyways, they have a beach house at Sunset and its the perfect party pad. Their granddad (Papa) was there and he's the only person who has successfully called me "Becky" for as long as I've known him. No one else does....just Wint. Anyways, after some seriously good oysters, we piled up and went to Victoria's and as Lindsay put it, added a little class to the clientele. Well, we tried to at least. Perhaps by the end of the night we werent adding much of anything, but it was an incredibly fun night. Laughing as hard as I laughed that night is extremely therapeutic and good for me. It was also nice meeting the new friends......Britt, Ashley, Casey, Chad & the neighbors. Good food, good people, good times.

Ten minutes changes everything

So this entire time of the puppies existence, David and I have been preparing for Hank to leave us to go to Genteel Plantation...aka...Bird Dog Heaven (heaven as in paradise). So the time came for us to take him this past Wednesday and we packed up the car with all three dogs (mistake #1) and started the trek. Like I said in an earlier post, this plantation is outside of Wilmington on the way to Clinton. SO, David, myself and all three puppies were on the way. About 40 minutes into the drive, the pups decided to shut up their whining. When we got to the little store where we were meeting Steve, we let the dogs out on their leashes (they not fans of leashes yet)and they played a little before loading them back up to go to Ricky's. No joke, once we got to Ricky's, they played for a solid hour and a half. That ENTIRE time, I was letting go of Hank, knowing he'd be in a great place for bird dog training and I just had a great time taking pictures and laughing at these crazy-fun puppies. So about 15 minutes before we left, Ricky decided to tie a dead quail to a fishing rod and watch the puppies (see if they would point it). We stood there in complete shock at what we saw......Reba and Watson chased that bird 100 times and Hank chased leaves. The freakin' bird dog prodigy (thats what we thought he'd be) was chasing leaves. And when he wasn't chasing leaves, he was laying down under the truck. David, Steve and I couldn't believe it......at that point, we felt like we should offer Ricky whichever dog he wanted because he's a great trainer and really needs a dog interested in birds. He immediately said Watson, although if really given the choice, he'd have taken Reba. So, homeward bound we were.....with Reba and Hank. I wasn't completely prepared for Watson to be gone....he was our runt and we named him after our street! We had a special little bond that was really sweet and I'll certainly miss that goofy face. BUT, he'll have a great time in his new home. As for Reba and Hank, they are still chillin' on Watson Avenue and today I introduced them to the kennel in the backyard as opposed to the inside puppy palace. They will eventually understand that the outside kennel is way more fun than the inside one. They barked a whined a good bit and I just couldn't deal with it. I need to work on them a little bit before leaving them out there. Its definitely time to start some obedience training with them and we have to make sure we stay consistent and on them.......they are sweet and cute dogs but they will grow nonetheless and they have to learn now what is right/wrong. So basic training begins on Monday. :) Anywhooo......now the fun part.....pictures!

Hadley Collage....

 

Babysitting Hadley Tate

Friday was awesome because Klug came up to Myrtle Beach for a meeting and brought sweet little Hadley with her. She asked me to come hang out with Hadley while she was in a meeting and we had so much fun (well I did). Hadley & I went to Petsmart, Target and had a little photoshoot in the Tahoe waiting on Klug to finish up her meeting. Hadley was such a trooper (dealing with a non-mom toting her in and out of stores). At one point, after I took Hadley off of the cart (I had the car seat on the cart b/c I had to get large amount of stuff from Petsmart), and put her in the car. I loaded all my stuff in the car and realized there wasn't a cart-catcher nearby and the store was the closest. I seriously spent a few minutes debating what to do. Hadley was in the car and I needed to run back to the store to put the cart away. Just the day before someone had been arrested for leaving their child in the car (although he was going to a strip club, not returning a cart). SO, after some deliberating, I RAN the cart back to the store and RAN back to Hadley. She was fine, of course....and so THEN, I had to use the bathroom REALLY bad. Well what are you supposed to do with a 4-month old strapped to a carseat when you have to use the bathroom? Take her with you, I guess! So that was our motivation in going to Target. I knew the bathrooms were big enough to handle both of us and so we loaded her up in her fancy-pants stroller (which I loved) and we went to the bathroom in Target. We walked around after that and tried to shop, but really, I didn't need anything. I asked Hadley if she wanted anything and she wasn't very interested in the clothes they had there. She said she needed some tights (leggings) so that she could wear her 12-month old 'shirts' as dresses in the winter (She gets her fashion sense from her mother). :) BUT, we decided to head back to the meeting. Anyways, it was a wonderful couple of hours with Hadley and Klug. We ate lunch at Mellow Mushroom and Hadley just hung out and slept in her car seat while we caught up on life. She's precious and I can't wait to see her and klug again!!

Puppies Week 7....Might be Hank's last week!

This week was a good week for the puppies. They seem to enjoy their puppy palace and have learned where to sleep, eat, play and do their business. They do have a habit of ripping the puppy pads apart and throwing them all over their palace. BUT, they aren't using the bathroom everywhere so that is wonderful! They all have learned how to go downstairs, upstairs, under the fence (Big no-no), run away from me when its time to back to their room, get excited for their food and they LOVE water with the biggest passion.

David and I went to Wilmington this week to take Sally back to her home (David's dad's house). While we were up there, we drove out towards Burgaw to visit Genteel Plantation. This place is 850 acres of BEAUTIFULLY kept land that is used for corporate hunts, outings, fishing, etc. Ricky (manager of this land) lives out there in a cabin and the property has an awesome dog kennel, bird (quail) house, fish house, boat house, skeet range, hunting land, plantation house, etc. Its immaculate! Ricky is the guy who gets Hank.....he's the owner of the sire (who Sally was bred with). This daddy dog's name is Sid and he's a beautiful setter.

Sid...Puppies Daddy

Ricky has about 10 dogs out there and they are all so good. Funny thing is, he currently has Sally's mom and Sally's brother and will soon get Sally's pup. He is running out of room, so will be giving David two of his older, good hunting dogs to keep out at our farm. They will be good to have because they can help David learn the best ways to train Watson & Reba. Anyways, this plantation has an old plantation house on it and its beautiful. The owner of the property (Bobby Harrelson) spared no expense in refurbishing this house.

The old plantation house on the property (this is NOT where Ricky lives)

The commercial kitchen...love it!

Half-Bath downstairs....I LOVE the counter & sink

So anyways, this will be Hank's new home after this week. We'll miss him because he is the sweetest dog but he is in great hands with Ricky. I loved playing with all the dogs there (you know I was in heaven) and I started playing with the focus on my camera. These were my two favorite pictures. Its the same shot, but two different focal points. One time on the dog...the othe on the fence with the dog in the background.