Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Chad's parents last Saturday. It was a lot of fun because we helped them decorate their Christmas tree. It is amazing how many ornaments you can accumulate over your lifetime. We celebrated with my family on Thanksgiving. We all played a hilarious game of Scrabble, there were some very silly words. My sister and I took the grand prize, we tied for first, both with 134 points. That was pretty good for me.
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Chad and I were both off Thursday and Friday so we had planned to put up our Christmas tree because my school schedule is about to get really crazy because it is the last week. So we planned on Friday putting it up. After.... our Midnight Madness. We were unable to go to Midnight Madness last year because we were at the beach so we were for sure going this year. Since we have been almost every year we have learned the ins and outs of it. Never go at Midnight because you will never find a parking spot. So we went at 3:00am. It was very pleasant when we got there, we got a front row parking spot and there was no traffic to speak of. We got some great deals at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Victoria's Secret. With a $60 purchase you get a "runway tote" full of a bunch of goodies. I spend $60 easy, their bras were "Buy one get one 1/2 price." It was a lot of fun but I was ready to see my bed after filling up on nutrients at Cracker Barrel. We were home around 8 and back in bed before some people had even got up. It is a fun tradition that Chad and I participate in every year.

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By noon we were ready to put up our tree. Charlie has never seen a Christmas tree so we had to lock him up in the kitchen. He kept himself entertained for a little while. We decided to put our train around the tree this year, perfect timing, we have Charlie now. It took around 3 hours to decorate and I didn't even have to put lights on it. I just have 150-200 Hallmark ornaments and I have them all in their original boxes, so that took some time. Nothing beats Hallmark ornaments though, they are all so pretty and almost all of them have memories attached to them.

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This year we decided to put a few lights outside. We have never done it before but it turned out really nice. We didn't do much because goodness knows we don't need a huge electric bill. The tree and everything turned out so pretty. We can enjoy it for what, 26 more days? That's kind of scary, 26 more days! What? Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. Especially when it is spent with the love of your life.

On Saturday after I got off from work we took Charlie on his first walk in the park. It was hard to get good pictures of him because he wanted to walk between Chad and I, right between both of us. So when I went ahead he cried like a little baby. As you can see. It amazes me, he looks more and more like an English Bulldog everyday. His face gets a little wider, as do his shoulders, and his little waist stays just the same size. He is so perfect. He had a blast, I think. He loved smelling the smells and meeting new people.

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Chad's parents came over the same night to see our Christmas tree. By then Charlie's energy was spent. He curled up with daddy in the chair, and he was out. Every now and then he would get a burst of energy and show everyone his skills of pushing around a Frisbee. By the time Christmas comes around I think he will be ready for his skateboard. He amazes me everyday with new things he learns and how he changes.

The Southern Christmas Show

I have been thinking since well, August that I wanted to go the Christmas show this year. We tend to go over the weekend since that's when we are usually off but this year we are going in the middle of the week. I am hoping that it won't be as crowded and we might find a few more Christmas gifts. We have almost finished Chad's side of the family, I just need to put a little more thought in to my family, hmmm? I have some ideas but I always second guess them, hmmm? Maybe something might strike my fancy at the Christmas show. We are going next Wednesday with Chad's parents which I think will be a lot of fun. They haven't been in a few years so I think it will be a great time to jump start the season.
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Working at the Hallmark store always keeps me on top of Christmas shopping, and the inevitable countdown. What is it now? 51 days? Chad and I have decided to spend little to no money on one another and treat our families this year. We are going to make Christmas extra special for every person in our family. The only thing we plan on buying each other is our wedding bands. It is going to be something special that him and I will share together forever. Mine will be a surprise from him and his will be a surprise from me. Where will we open them?
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51 more days, right? I can't believe it! 7 months until our wedding day, another... I can't believe it!

My love

The purity of a person's heart can quickly be measured by how they regard animals. ~Anonymous

Here are a few sweet photos of the wonderful other man in my life. : )
Here is one of him at this very moment.He is getting big already. I don't know who I would be without Charlie. There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~Ben Williams

End of a Great Weekend, Start of a Great Week

I have learned not to worry anymore because everyone wastes so much time in their lives worrying, and you miss so much of your life that way. I have learned to cherish the little things in life and let those things that bother me float away. I do what my heart tells me and I think that should be enough. : )
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This weekend was great, every little nook of it. From Friday night being silly with Mel and Lori, the air show all day Saturday, even Chad's brother's birthday party. I can't complain. I had a great time with friends and family from beginning to the end of our weekend.

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I could start with Friday night, but nothing can describe the silliness that came over all of us. Even Mel with her sniffles, she played right along with us. Just go to the Hallmark store and find "Mike," he is the coolest stuffed animal on the block. Trust me, he won't be around long, because he is just so cool.

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Saturday was a fun day from 8:30am to 8:30pm. We had been anticipating this air show since last year. We just happen to be riding by last year with Chad's brother and sister-in-law and knew we had to see it the next year. So we did. I had to work on Sunday so we managed to squeeze it in on Saturday. I hoped that it wouldn't conflict with his brother's party, and I think it did, but again, no worries because we still went to the party even though we were sunburned, and exhausted. We brought a gift, and a gift for the hostess, and we were only 30 minutes late. We had been away from our babies since 8:00 that morning. It was really hard but we made it all work. Chad's dad was able to go to the airshow with us and I think he had more fun watching how excited Chad was then seeing the airplanes. They were like two kids in a candy store. Chad wished his brother's could go but Bradley had a lot of work to do with his horses and Andy was preparing for his party so we didn't want to impose.

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It was very exhilarating, not like a Blue Angels Show. The Blue Angels are like none other. The speed they go breaks the sound barrier so you can imagine how exciting it is to see them. This was a different kind of exhilaration, these planes were a little bit slower, but it's just amazing to think that they are all more than 50 years old, and they flew in the war. We had to pay $10 to get in but it was well worth it because you were able to get up close to all of the planes and even in some of them. And... all of the pilots and men who helped restore all of them were there too, plus all the money they took in will help restore more airplanes and keep the show there every year. The people who just sat on the hill really missed out, because there was so much to see inside. Did I mention the bombs! There were bombs, that was the most fun part because we were so close you could feel the heat. It was a blast, I think we will go every year from now on, just to support all of those men and women, who make it their life.

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Immediately following the airshow we went to his brother's birthday party. Chad was so excited about the gift he had gotten for him. When we got there, there was an interesting feeling in the air, and we all including his parents felt like we were intruding. No offense to anyone, but you can help your feelings. We enjoyed ourselves and they especially enjoyed all of the sports talk from Andy's father-in-law. Around 8:30 we were starting to worry about our animals. Anyone who has animals will understand, plus it was freezing cold, and my nose just wouldn't warm up. So we made an executive decision to bow out after Whitney's brother. We were sitting there alone, so we decided it was probably time to leave. We had a great time, and wish Andy nothing but the best.

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All in all it was a great weekend, and if I could, I wouldn't change a thing. I am trying to practice this no regrets thing in my life. You only live once. What a great life I have, I cannot complain. Complaining is for crazy people.

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You can overcome anything if you don't bellyache. ~Bernard M. Baruch

Good Morning My Sweet

I worked last night with the ever so fun Ann Marie. We got a lot done, I think I am Christmased(is that a word?) out. Chad called last night while I was at work, usually updating me on Charlie. He was actually calling to tell me they gave him the day off Friday (today). I guess they realized how hard he has been working and told him to sleep in today. I never get Chad during the week, so I am so happy to say we have had a wonderful morning. I had some homework to do on the computer but it joys me to hear all three of them playing together in the living room. It made me want to get my work done that much quicker. We have some errands to run this morning, we have to finish off his brother's birthday gift, and we are actually getting a few Christmas gifts today. I need to get all of the pictures off of my D-40 so I can have a free memory card for the airshow tomorrow.

We are so excited. If anyone is going to be around Monroe this weekend, they are having the annual WWII airshow, bombs and all. We are going for my granddaddy; he loved airplanes. I think he would have gotten along with Chad so well. I guess we will see him in heaven. I am going to honor him tomorrow. I will wear my jumpsuit and army tags he gave me and take lots of pictures for him. I miss him so much. When we were kids we thought he was annoying at times, always video recording us. Now looking back at those videos and hearing his voice, well, I miss him. Around Thanksgiving especially, he was always here for Thanksgiving. hmmm... I guess I will leave it at that. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Sinus Headache, Puppy Breath, and My Poor Toes

I wasn't scheduled to work today but I was going to go in to fill a gap since by boss wanted the day off. No biggie, plus I could get some extra hours to pay for Charlie's #2 vet visit next week. The only problem was I woke up this morning with a splitting headache. Oh well, I probably could have gone in, but I would have had to walk and it's cold and wet outside so I am saving my breath and resting today.

As for Charlie, I try and get him to rest with me, and it starts with head butting, growling, and gnawing on my feet. Then finally after an hour he gets sleepy. The only thing is he puts his face right in front of mine, and he has that sweet and stinky puppy breath. I know I am going to miss him as a puppy when he gets bigger but I wish I could find a remedy for that stinky breath.

He has been wrestling with a duck stuffed animal for about an hour. Now he's all tuckered out. Looks like it's nap time.

You Complete Me

So here is the blog for all of you who have been anxiously awaiting it. To all of you who have been keeping up with what Chad and I have been up to and to all of you who have no idea, here is our story.

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Chad and I moved out on our own about 2 and a half years ago. We moved in to a duplex just across the street from my mom and dad, owned by a family friend who has known my sister's and I since we were wee little girls. We were so happy to be on our own and out of our parents hair. We were starting our life together, encountering bumps, road-blocks, and some of the happiest moments of our lives. What has happened the past week hits close to the top of our happy life changing moments list. Right up there with Jack, and Chad asking me to marry him, this is an all-time happy moment. I have so much love in my heart, for me and about 100,000 other people. I am so happy.
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We have completed our little family... for now anyways. Last Wednesday Chad and I set out on a journey to bring home our second little boy. We didn't know what to expect, or how happy it was going to make us. We started the week knowing what was coming and when the day came we were beside ourselves. We drove about an hour and a half to Climax, North Carolina, just south of Greensboro to a little house on a hill. All we had were a couple of pictures. We prepared quickly the night before because at first we didn't know he would be coming home with us so soon. But, we were given the go-ahead to bring him home, he was ready. So much excitement had come over me. When we got there and I saw him and his brothers for the first time, I was so excited. I couldn't believe this moment had finally come. There he was sitting, looking up at me.

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2 years ago, this was just not possible. We had signed a lease agreement that said, No Pets. But, now that our neighbors have moved out, my landlord came to me, and said, "I've known you for a long time, and I just can't see saying no to you, I don't feel right about it, you can have a dog." It was music to my ears and I immediately ran inside and called Chad. This has been about a month ago, that we found out. We have tried so hard to keep everything a secret because we didn't know when, or how we were going to do it. Chad and I are meant to be you see, both of us wanted a bird, so we got Jack, and both of us wanted a dog, an English bulldog, both of us. No arguing what kind of dog to get because we both knew we wanted the same. So when she told us we could have one, it was just a matter of when, where and how much?

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We scowered the Internet, so many scammers and so many mixes. Nothing felt right. It looked like we were going to have to travel to Georgia to get one. But, just about 2 weeks ago Chad found a breeder in Climax, NC. This gentleman was so nice, so informative and everything just felt right. We didn't care which sex, we just wanted a healthy, pure-bred English bulldog. Which was exactly what he had. Three boys, three perfectly beautiful boys. He sent us photos of all three and their daddy, "Hummer" and mommy "Chili Pepper." I didn't know we were going to have a choice. I was getting anxious because I just couldn't believe it was all happening so fast. At first he told us it would be two weeks before we could bring him home but when we called him to schedule a time to visit he told us we could bring him home. I was ecstatic. I didn't think I would make it through work on Wednesday. But I did, and we set out on our trek to bring home the dog that would complete us.

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Everything worked out perfectly, we held all three. We just knew them as 1, 2 and 3. We have had names picked out for 2 years, and have done more research on bulldogs than humanly possible. We were ready. When I picked him up, I knew he was the one. He was like a roley-poley. He spoke to me, he grunted and looked into my eyes, and that was it. He was my Charlie. As bad as I hated it, we made the trip home with him in a kitty crate. No... I didn't hold him, but I did rip the gate off and comfort him through the small opening. I peeked at him through the door and told him, "You don't know me yet, but I love you with all the love one person can have in their heart."

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The past few days have been a whirlwind. He has only made 2 accidents in the house since we brought him home on Wednesday. He is just so perfect. We took him for his first vet visit on Friday, and they told us he was perfect. The vet told us that such perfection in a bulldog comes from a great breeder, and we thank god for our breeder. We never thought we would get a bully with Championship bloodlines, but we did, only because it guarantees that he be healthy. And that he was. We were scheduled to meet Chad's parents for dinner after the vet. They had no idea. We were in the yard with Charlie when they pulled up and they both had the biggest smiles on their faces. He is just so little right now and my mom says that because of his colorings it looks like he is wearing pants. They couldn't believe we had kept it a secret. They knew we had wanted one for a long time. When they came to visit, Charlie was just beginning to become comfortable with his surroundings. He was wild, growling and playing with everyone. They loved him. How could you not? Chad's dad called Saturday just to check on him.

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Everyday is a good day in our house. Everyday he is doing something new, and more funny than the day before. He loves everyone. We make little trips across the street so he can get acquainted with other people and other animals. Bailey isn't to sure of him yet because he is so little, and so full of energy. I have my camera sitting out so I can catch those perfect moments when your heart just melts, because they don't stay this way for long. We have had such a great weekend, despite having to work everyday, I have still been able to enjoy Charlie. Chad stayed over at Mom and Dad's for several hours with him last night while I worked. They all carved pumpkins and watched college football. Everything in our lives seems so perfect, everything has fallen into place. We are so happy, I don't know what else could make me happier than I am now, other than walking down the aisle to Chad. I have more love and happiness in my heart than ever.

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Now you know our story, now you know our secret. I will keep you all updated on his milestones (bath time, walking on a leash, etc). His name is Hummer (for his Daddy) Charlie Walker (for my Grandaddy) Graham, just for the record.

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He completes us. : )