Where does the time go?

David and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary last night (9/23). It's amazing to think that 2 years have gone by since our wedding in Pawleys Island. We decided to be a little festive last night and head back to Pawleys Island for dinner at Frank's. It was (as expected) awesome. I had grouper and David had a filet. After dinner we went to their outside restaurant/bar (Frank's Outback) and had cocktail before heading home. It wasn't anything flashy but flashy really isnt our style. I think the two years of our marriage have presented us with plenty of fun, laughter, love and an occasional bump in the road. I guess that is part of marriage and its getting over the bumps that really matter. Here's to another year......

Hank, Reba & Watson - Week 3

So the puppies turn 3-weeks old Friday, September 19 and they have grown so much. They are all walking now, starting to play with each other and figure themselves out. Teeth are starting to come through and if you haven't experienced puppy teeth....they are SHARP. Anywhoo.....pictures tell a better story than I do.....

The proud human mama

Reba crawling over Watson

Reba walking....she's 24 hours ahead in development than Hank.
Hank is 48 hours ahead of Watson. You go girl!

Choir Practice......taking after Shelton.

Twangtown Throwdown

This weekend I went to Southern Pines for a fundraiser for the NC chapter of Hugs Across America. This organization strives to provide teddy bears to troubled kids all over the country for many different reason....house fires, neglect, abuse, natural disaster, etc. They want children to feel comforted in their times of despair. Mckenzies Mill (Justin & Ryan Harris, Tony Barnes, Paul Newton, Shane Hoskins and Tim ??) was the entertainment for the Twangtown Throwdown fundraiser and they put on one hell of a show (as always). One of the most heart-wrenching songs they do (and this is the first time I've heard it live) is "Houston". "Houston" is a song written about Tony's cousin and a dear friend to everyone else, Matt Barnes. Matt was 24 when he was killed in a car accident last year. A couple months before the accident, the band was in Charlotte and Matt, being the fun-loving kind of guy that he was, went to support them, hang out and have a good time. He loved music and playing guitar and was very talented at it. He and Justin came up with a good little guitar peice and started humming a tune that went with it. Matt said it would make a great song and they should work on it someday. Well, that someday never came because he left us all too soon. Justin wrote the song with the help of Tony and together, they recorded it. Justin emailed me the song quite a while ago but hearing it live for the first time was amazing. Watching grown men get choked up on stage proves that this song comes from heart or maybe even from above, where I'm sure Matt was looking down with a smile. Anyways, here is my favorite verse and some pictures from the show.....

"I remember the time, remember the place, I remember that smirky little smile on your face when you told me its a perfect melody and we belt it out two-part harmony. But the song was never written, the story never told. You left it up to me to tell it all alone. And I hope I did you justice, I hope I made you proud, I hope you'll let a little light shine on down. As we try to spread our music and we try to make our name, we're all blood brothers here on this stage and we roll, yeah we roll."

Eyeballs and Dog Poo

Well, the pups are two weeks old today and they have grown so much since last Friday. They all have their eyes open and Hank & Reba are standing up. They wobble and fall down pretty quickly but they are putting equal weight on all fours. Its so cute! We cut their nails last night because they were becoming weapons and I guess the stimulation got Reba rather excited and pooped all over me. Sally was busy eating dinner and when she came back into the room, she was all over me and Reba. I should have known. Anyways....what fun. I take them to the vet next week and I'm excited to hear how they are REALLY doing. The next month should be really fun with these pups and I'll keep posting the cutest pics......speaking of, here are a few:

Watson, Hank, Reba (L to R)

Hank (black collar), Watson (blue), Reba (cute collar)

My precious Watson

Reba's cute self

Sleepy Hank

Watson's dreaded pedicure....it looks like he's biting David.

Hank, Watson & Reba

The puppies are growing and are one week old today! They are so precious and I just adore them. Its going to be hard to let them go but when they start peeing and pooping on their own, I might not be as reluctant to let them go. I think they'll be opening their eyes soon and the cuteness will be hard to handle!! Enjoy the pics of their 1 week birthday! We are celebrating with Tropical Storm Hanna!

Hank waving, Watson & Reba

Hank Yawning

Reba, our biggest pup

Watson, our runt

My obsession GROWS! Literally....

So, those of you that talk to me often know that we've temporarily inherited a dog. Sally is a Pointer and a GREAT bird dog. She belongs to my father-in-law, Steve but we are keeping her through the last two weeks of her pregnancy. She was bred with a Setter and the result will be called "Drops." Friday, August 29, we woke up around 6:30am and went downstairs to 3 tiny little puppies feeding on Sally. She did it all by herself and was done after 3!! Small litter, but they are all healthy. She had 2 boys and girl and the runt is a boy. After 6 days, we've decided on names. Reba is the girl because that is my nickname for a very select few people and because my mom's name is Sally, we thought it would be a great fit. AND, we were originally trying to go with country singers as names.....so again, it worked. The boys are Watson (the runt, named after our street and Doc Watson) and Hank (no explanation needed). So, Reba, Watson, and Hank are growing like weeds everyday. Their eyes aren't open yet but their color is starting to show and they are getting around (army crawl). They LOVE to eat and sleep and Sally is being a fantastic mom. Must be something in the name! Anyways, here are a few pics of the day they were born. I'll update weekly, so stay tuned.....

A good heart will be remembered forever....

I haven't posted in a while, and for that, I'm sorry. I forgot how much I loved doing this and plan on keeping everyone informed of our silly lives at the beach. As much as it sucks, what prompted me to start writing again was the very sad and unfortunate news of a new friend of ours that lost his life in the line of duty. In Montana, David and I had the great pleasure of meeting Evan and Carrie. They lived across the street from Andy and BJ and seemed to be wonderful people....young couple, no kids, good jobs, loved each other and their own passions. They were gracious enough to get up REALLY early and drive with us to The Loop to drop us off for our hike. They brought Andy & BJ's cars back to Kalispell after a great breakfast at Belton Chalet. Our hour long ride up to Glacier was really the only time we spent with Evan and Carrie, but on that trip and through breakfast, we shared a lot about our lives, and most importantly, we laughed. The genuine smile and laughter that exuded from Evan will always stay with me. Last week, Evan (who is a State Highway Patrol) lost his life in a head on collision while working. He was 29 years old. He was the 6th Highway Patrol to die while on duty since its inception in 1935. BJ had the highest honor of being asked to be a pall-bearer and although its an experience that wasnt easy, I'm so glad he was looked that highly upon by Carrie, and obviously, Evan. Our thoughts are with Carrie and Evan's family. Losing someone is never easy and the strength of many people will help his friends and family get through this. In the picture below, Evan is in the red t-shirt. This was taken when we got to Belton Chalet for breakfast. Unfortunately, this was the only picture I got with Evan in it.