I've moved for a few months!

Click here to follow my pregnancy blog!

Beautiful, Beautiful Utah

Last week the Anderson clan made the 1,773 mile trip to Wanship, Utah. I've never been west of Missouri so I was so excited when we decided to spend vacation with our friends, the Belnaps. Evelyn and Jeremy took the plunge and moved to Utah from Hilton Head Island a year ago for a job opportunity. From sand to snow, talk about a change in altitude! But they have really made themselves a life there. I was amazed at the difference in lifestyle, not to mention the beauty of the landscape. First impressions of Utah:
1. It's simply stunning. I must have stated 1000 times that the mountains were beautiful and that if it weren't for the winters I would consider moving there.
2. Everyone owns a horse. I'd say every 3rd home had a horse in it's back yard between Wanship and Park City.
3. The people there are active. Snow shoeing, skiing, hiking, and fly fishing seem to be on the weekend to do list when they aren't chopping wood to prepare for winter.
4. Lots of mormons. Lots of kids. Lots of pregnant women. Park City, where we spent most of our days, seemed to be very family oriented. Everyone was super friendly.
5. Summer weather there is amazing. With no humidity, their 85 feels like our 75. And at night it gets cool enough for a campfire.
We did a lot of fun things while we were there. Our first day we went to the Sundance Film Festival and did a hike up to Stewart Falls. It was a beautiful hike. Evelyn secured a Kelty for Jareth to ride in so he was happy as can be on daddy's back.
Our second day we went to the zoo. Jareth loved all the animals. The zoo there wasn't very big but it was really nice. The Knoxville Zoo could really use an update. We watched the bird show and one of the birds took a donation out of Jareth's hand. He thought it was really cool. The show was a lot better than I thought it would be.
Let's see... I believe the third day was when we did the ski lifts in Park City. The views from the lift were so pretty. I really enjoyed doing that. We also did a little shopping at the outlet mall.
What else? Oh, we went to a really fun street fair called "Park Silly." That was a lot of fun. There were street vendors, food, a make it yourself bloody mary bar!, and a farmer's market. Downtown Parkcity is so cool. The buildings are painted so pretty! It's just a really lovely place.
My favorite part of the trip was of course my time spent with Evelyn. We don't see eachother often so when we do I really enjoy our talks. She is such a wonderful friend and just an amazing person. She and Jeremy are so happy together and they've really made their home together so nice and inviting. We jokingly refer to their home as the Belnap Bed and Breakfast or the BB&B. Evelyn was in the kitchen practically the whole time we were there. She is a great cook and really enjoys being a hostess. I felt right at home and very taken care of. It was sweet.
We loved our trip to Utah. Actually we would like to go back to see what the winter is like. Jon wants to ski of course but I would be happy sitting by the fire the whole time. We'll see if we can make that happen. It was definitely a trip to remember.

Still Here, I Promise!

I know it's been a month since I've last blogged. There's been a lot going on in the Anderson household. In July we celebrated my birthday with dinner at Nama followed by a Harry Potter 3D event. It was the last movie of the series and it was awesome. I can't wait to share the books/movies with Jareth. I hope he finds Harry Potter as magical as I do. : ) Jon got me a watch for my birthday along with some shoes, a book, and a dress that he picked out all by himself. I had a great birthday! Our families even came to Knoxville to go out to eat.
Let's see...what else? Oh, we had a family reunion in Cookeville. It was nice to see some family that I rarely get to touch base with. Of course it wasn't the same without grandma there. But I got to see her sister, Janice, and that was really great.
Something else that has been keeping me a little busy is photography. I've been doing a few sessions for people who, don't laugh, I found on craigslist. It's been a lot of fun. I love doing it and the extra cash helps. I put some pictures up on my other blog, http://heathersphotojourney.blogspot.com/. It's really hard to put myself out there. Confidence isn't my strong point so I have trouble telling people about what I'm doing. But I would love to start my own business. I'm just scared. We will see.
Well, Jareth wants me to open a new toy so off I go. More fun developments coming soon!

Happy 4th of July!

We are spending fourth of July weekend in Rainsville, AL at nanas and popaws. Jareth and Evan have been having a blast playing in the pool, or as Jareth likes to call it the "bath." Jareth loves having another boy to play with and he thinks he has to do whatever Evan does. I was watching them in the pool and if Evan had a ball, Jareth picked up a ball and if Evan was dumping water out of a cup or bucket, Jareth had to do it to. They are so funny. I can't believe how big they are getting. Little Eli will be one at the end of this month!!
What do this weekend's activies entail? Lots of yummy food! We had burgers and hot dogs last night with corn on the cob and chips. And for dessert we had the choice between Krispie Creme doughnuts, pound cake, or turtle pie. I had the turtle pie : ) This morning popaw picked up Hardee's for breakfast. Listen to what Jareth had: a whole banana, part of my biscuit, lucky charms, part of my sausage, and part of a doughnut. This kid can eat! Lunch was turkey sandwiches or bbq and chips. And for dinner mom and dad are smoking ribs and steak! It smells amazing outside. After dinner we have apple pie, leftover turtle pie, and cookies to choose from for dessert. Are you hungry yet? A few trips to the gym this week are going to be required!
I love coming to nana's and popaw's house. I wish we came more often. It's so nice here, nana has everything you could possibly need or want and then some. And I love talking with them. Last night I stayed up a little later than everyone else and the three of us just sat in the living room and talked. And I love sitting in their kitchen. Right now nana is starting on some broccoli salad while I sit at the bar typing this. I don't know why but I enjoy watching women at work in the kitchen, taking simple ingredients and creating something yummy for their family to eat. Dana just came in to fix Evan some food and walking up to the counter just said "I love you , nana." So, sweet and simple yet so important. I wish Lynne were here.
Tonight we are going to shoot off fireworks. I LOVE fireworks so I'm excited to see Jareth's reaction to them. I want him to love them as much as I do. Last year we didn't see any fireworks until Boom's Day and Jareth slept through most of that so this year should be fun. Jon wants to help him hold sparklers and Roman candles.... we will see.

The Birthday Boy

We celebrated Jon's 27th, yes 27th, birthday over the weekend. My highschool sweetheart is now in his late 20's! I feel very old. His birthday was last wednesday so to make the day special I got up with him before work and made him breakfast. Jareth got up right after we finished and we gave daddy his birthday cards. After Jon got home from work Jareth and I took him to Aubrey's for dinner. After we ordered I suprised him with his gift. He has been wanting a watch for a long time so I got him a really nice Invicta Reserve.

He loved it and was so suprised! I was relieved. He is actually really hard to shop for outside of ties and polos. He's kinda hard to please for a guy. Maybe it's a compliment that he chose me : ) Aubrey's was delicious as always. We both had pasta and finished our meal with some key lime pie. 

On Friday night the party began. I made reservations at Latitude 35 and tried my best to make it a suprise party but Jon was waaay to nosey and involved to pull that off. I did however have some suprise guests come in from out of town. Our friend Lacey came in from Nashville and Branden and Danyell drove over from Chattanooga. There were close to 20 of us all together. After dinner at Latitude we went to Carleo's and Southbound where Jon got his dance on! It was a lot of fun and I think he had a really good time.

Lucky

My little man is playing in the sprinkler in our back yard. He's happy and healthy and cute as he can be. His daddy is playing with him, splashing him, lifting him into the streams of water. I'm the luckiest woman in the world right now. Jareth is sticking his little tongue out and drinking from the water that squirts out of the brightly  colored beach ball. Thank you Little Tikes for making this so much fun. He's drenched in water now, gurgling unintelligable words into th water. Our dog, Jack, laps up the water from the grass. I sit in a chair happily watching..... I'm the luckiest woman in the world....

I want Sunshine

Jon and I made it back from Hawaii safe and sound and only slightly sun burnt. We had a great time despite the fact that the first few days were rainy. Sadly though, we came back to a very chilly east TN. It's 56 and cloudy today and I'm not happy about it. I miss my shorts and bathing suit already. Don't get me wrong, I love east TN and all but looking back at our sunny pictures of Oahu is making me sick. (You can see them here.) Maybe looking into next years vacation will make me feel better!?! Where oh where will we go? Any suggestions?

DIY Mother's Day Gift

If we call you "Mimi" STOP right here!!!! No Peaking! You have to wait until tomorrow!

{

{
{

{

{

{

{

{

{

{

For Mother's Day this year I decided to go DIY. I wanted to give my mom something different that I know she will love instead of spending money on something impersonal like a gift card. So, what does mom love? Scrapbooking, photography, plants, and of course Jareth. So I made her a "picture tree." I wish I would have taken photos along the way but I only thought to do this after I had made the final product. But here is how I did it.

Materials:
Some sort of planter in a fun bright color
Foam floral ball that will fit in your planter
Fake Moss
1 Sheet of scrapbook paper (or use 2 different colors)
Ribbon
Scrapbooking embellishments
Glue
Several of your favorite photos
Clothes pins
Tree branch of equal weight on both sides (fake or real will work, I used a real one)

Instuctions:
Stuff the foam ball into your planter tight so that it won't come out
Insert your branch into the center of the ball
Cover the foam ball with moss
Using clothes pins, pin photos to the branch trying to spread them out so that the entire branch is covered
Cut one small and one large square out of the scrapbook paper
Fold the small piece of paper in half and cut out a half flower design so that when it is opened you have a whole flower
Repeat with larger square of paper
Glue the smaller flower on top of the bigger flower to create depth and texture
Decorate the center of your flower and your branches with scrapbook embellishments
Glue your flower to the front of the planter
Tie a pretty ribbon to the handle of your planter

Up, up, and away!

     Hawaii is just around the corner! In 48 hrs we will be living it up at the Moana Surfrider in beautiful Oahu. Thankfully, Jareth is over his virus so mommy can leave without any worry too much worry. It's definitely going to be hard to leave him for eight days but I know he will be in great hands. Plus there is always Skype! Maybe I should be more worried about the amount of de-spoiling I will have to do when we get back.
     I hope to blog each day we are in Oahu as kind of a journal of our activities. (One day I'm going to have to print this whole thing off) There will be plenty of pictures to come in this and on my photo blog. So if anyone out there is reading, be sure to check back. Back to packing for this gal.

Poor, Pitiful Baby

My little monkey is so sick right now. I've never seen him so puny. On Saturday he woke up a little grumpy but he was more or less fine. We went to the park, where he played happily, and afterward went for some icecream. It was there that a switch flipped inside him. He wanted nothing to do with icecream and whined and pouted until we left. I assumed he was just sleepy as his eyes glazed over in the back seat and he slid down into car seat limply. Once we got home we realized how hot his head and trunk were. His temperature was 103.5 and his breathing seemed labored. A dose of tylenol and a call to his ped nurse later, he was given a lukewarm bath and lots of fluids and put to bed. His temp got up to 104.5 even with the tylenol and around 10:00pm he vomitted. We went to emergency care hours at his ped office on Sunday. He was miserable. All he wanted to do was sleep on his daddy's chest in the exam room and he lost it several times. I didn't think he was ever going to recover from his finger prick. They also did a strep test which, thankfully, came out negative. However, the doctor said he may have Roseola . I know, it sounds primitive and I wasn't sure what it was exactly. And she said that we won't know if that is what it is until he breaks out in a rash all over his body. Great. Since Saturday, his temperature hasn't been below 101.0. He has had a few moments of play but he mostly just lays against me. The doctor seemed to think whatever it is should only last 3-4 days so I'm hoping that by Friday he will be back to 100%. We leave for Oahu Saturday morning. eeeeeek!




Here he is at the doctor. It is so out of character for him to be so clingy.



Here he is now, beside me.

The Spiderman Chronicles

    
     How is it that I haven't written about Jareth's spiderman obsession? It all started about the time he could crawl. He was eight months old and playing at his paternal grandparents house when he was able to reach the spiderman magnet on the fridge. It had been shown to him many times before and he was drawn to its primary blue and red along with its softness and texture. Then, Jon's dad found his old 12" spiderman action figure. It wasn't long before Jareth recognized spiderman everywhere. He spotted him at Wal-Mart on birthday cards from across the aisles and he pointed and said "man!" when we saw spiderman bubble bath. "Man" is his favorite thing. When he chooses he now says "bye-da man." (He cant pronounce his "s" and "r" yet)
     Of course we have totally given in to the spiderman craze. I've decorated Jareth's play area downstairs in spiderman posters, toy boxes, wal decals, and a rug. He has a few spiderman t-shirts he loves to wear. And guess what? So do Jon and I! Everytime we wear them for him he points at us and says exclaims, "MAN!!!" The look on his face is priceless. There are of course spiderman snacks and other things like his spiderman cups, plates, dvd, and even toothbrush. But the big ticket item I proudly found just last week. I was at duck duck goose, a consignment event here in knoxville, and found...wait for it...... 12" Spiderman and Dr. Octopus action figures that are also walkie talkies! They were $3! Jareth's eyes absolutely lit up when he was holding spiderman and I talked to him from Dr. Octopus. Priceless!
     I wonder if I can manage to make a spiderman costume this halloween????

Just Mixing it Up! Personal Style: Quiz

     After reading a decorating post in TheMommyhood I began to think about my own personal style. I know I've always been pretty eclectic and chameleon like, changing my taste and dressing to fit my mood. That said I do have some style staples. I love to wear pearls and old jewelry. I am drawn to things that are pink and soft. I like stripes. I prefer to wear clothing that accentuates my curves although flowy, sheer fabrics intice me. (They just seem to make me look bigger than I am) I love tea cups and saucers, vintage photos and magazines. I'm drawn more to distressed fabrics and wood than I am to copy and paste manufactured pieces, although by looking at my furniture you'd never know it. I love color in a room. I like dark blue with white trim. I like bright yellow and sap green. So, what is my style exactly? I went to Kaboose and took two fun quizes. A fun Decorating Style Quiz and a Fashion Style Quiz.
 After 10 questions about curtain choices, flooring, colors, and finishing touches it concluded that my decorating style is "Cottage Chic." At a close second was "Country French." Apparently, and I agree, that I am drawn to romantic, vintage inspired, and distressed pieces. It also stated that I like whitewash and at first I thought I didn't. I like rich colors and contrast. However looking at photos of whitewashed rooms, I found that I am actually very drawn to it. Plus, all of my dishes are white and they are in white cabinets. So apparently I'm not as in to color as I thought I was. Here are some "swatches" I found that go along with my style.




After the decorating quiz I went on to the fashion quiz. The "What Era Do You Belong To?" quiz asked me to choose between favorite accessories, shoes, and hair styles. It concluded that I'm a lady of the '30s. What?! I would have thought 50's or 60's. You know, more of a mid-century Betty Friedan than the Hell's House Bette Davis. However I'd be proud to be linked to them both politically of course. But that's another post. Anyhoo, the test concluded that I'm classic, feminine, and in touch with my glamorous side. I suppose it's right. I like horizontal stripes: classic. I adore pink: feminine. My go to lip color is red: glamorous. But I remind my self of the items in my closet that are the antithesis of this era. For example the black leather jacket or the zebra print button up. Oh, but wait. I'm pretty sure that I bought those because they were a trend and I may have worn each of them twice. Hmmmm..... My wardrobe really does reflect this sort of style.

Take the quizzes! What's your style?

My Little Changeling; Be My Baby a Little Longer

My Dear Little Jareth,

     To say "My how you've grown" would be an understatement. It's March and you are 17 months old. How can this be? We just brought you home, terrified and excited with what was to come. But so much has changed since then. Here you are walking and doing your best to talk. Here you are feeding yourself, dancing to music, watching your favorite shows, and experimenting with the potty. Your gummy grin has been replaced with pearly teeth and all those fat rolls are sloughing off. You are 25 lbs of tumbling energy, ready for anything. You are changing everyday.
     How did we get here, little monkey? You are not the same child I met in the hospital. When you first came home I was so worried over breast feeding and now you are sipping through a straw. Nine months ago I was worried you'd never begin to crawl and as I type this you are practically flying across the house throwing a ball. You say da-da, dog, hi, bye, ball, cheese, bed, no, "man," nana (for banana), juice, book, and a few other things. Sometimes you even say "mama," but not often. (I think that since I'm always around, you simply have no need to call my name) Your vocabulary is growing every day.
     So much has changed in our world since you came around and I don't mean since the day you were born. You were a person when we discovered that we were pregnant with you. But for a long time it was just daddy and I, although it's hard to imagine what was meaningful before you arrived. You changed our lives for the better and never think otherwise. We were happy before you, but now couldn't be happy without you. Soon, I will have to tell you the love story that brought you here. And now it seems youve always been here.
     You are going to continue to grow, but please don't grow too fast. This growing up business, I'm finding, is the most bittersweet part of life. You change everyday and it's the most wonderful and astonishing thing. But the bitter part is that I will never get this back. So please keep on changing, show me what you can do. Just don't grow to fast, be my baby a little longer.
  

I have...

watched the sun rise from the middle of the ocean

married a man that has prayed over me

played with orphans in a foreign country

gave birth to a son I was afraid I couldn't have

hunted for seashells in the early morning

danced in the rain while wearing a gown

lived through the loss of someone I loved dearly

people in my life that I would go to at the drop of a hat

people in my life that would come to me at the drop of a hat

been the first to graduate from college on both sides of my family

sang a solo, terrified

witnessed the love of a man and woman married over 50 years

seen two wrinkled hands hold one another as one life slipped away

written a children's story

taken up a hobby after years of thinking about it

snorkled caribbean water

watched a butterfly leave its cocoon

opened my heart to someone in need
 
raised my hands in surrender to God
 
to be continued.....

Rain, Rain Go Away: An Awful Week in Andersonland

     Just when your head's above water, it decides to pour. I mean this in the literal sense. Last week was one of the worst I've had in a long time. Flood and sickness reigned on high.
     Monday it came a monsoon here in Knoxville. We were under a tornado warning and a flood warning at the same time. I had both Jareth and Bella, the little girl I keep a few days a week. I rushed them downstairs after being told to "take cover" by the local news. They were a little off put by the thunder but went to playing immediately. Not an hour later I noticed a big wet spot in the floor near the play area. At first I thought one of the kids has spilled their sippy cups and went to clean it up. But after the second towel I was using was soaked and there was still a big wet spot I realized my basement was flooding. We had just gotten new furniture down there and re-decorated. Ugh. So, I put the kids in a pack n play and got to work moving as much furniture as I could into the garage. My dad came that evening and helped Jon pull up all the carpet and used a shop vac to clean up the standing water. We ran fans all night and all day Tuesday in an effort to dry the concrete as fast as we could.
     Tuesday morning, around 3:30 am, I was woken up by the rumbling of my tummy. I proceeded to vomit for the next 24 hours. I experienced the worst stomach cramps I've ever endured. I can only relate them to labor pain, and I'm not over dramatizing it. Jon came home for a long lunch and I almost had him take me to the ER. The pain lasted about an hour and then I was out. Jareth and I both napped (thank God) for four hours!
     Wednesday morning, around 4:00 am, Jonathan was awakened with the same rumbling in his tummy that I had experienced the day before. He had to call into work and was sick all day. But the worst part of it was when I was awakened around 7:00 am by Jareth's shrill cries. He was covered head to toe in vomit and diarrhea. Gagging, I took him straight to the bathroom and put him in the tub, clothes and all. Then I stripped him down, yelling for Jon to bring me a bag for his dirty clothes. He was given two baths and the tub was bleached. Jareth and Jon both were sick all day.
     Thursday, we all felt better so Jon went back to work and I took it upon myself to bleach my entire house. I washed all the bed clothes, wiped down all the walls and toys I could find. I mopped, cleaned the toilet, and sprayed Lysol absolutely everywhere. It started raining again that night and we were so nervous about the basement. I just knew I was going to wake up to more standing water.
     Friday, I was again awakened by Jareth bawling early in the morning. He was covered in vomit and diarrhea again. I wanted to cry. So, again, we went straight to the bathroom. I decided I should call the doctor because Jareth wouldn't eat or drink anything at all and he was just puny. Jareth and I spent the afternoon at the doctor's office. If you are a mom, you know how that goes. Later that day, Jareth was doing much better. He was finally eating and drinking and was in good spirit. When Jon got home we decided to tackle the basement issue. We went to Home Depot to look at flooring and talk to a specialist. I decided it would be a good idea to paint since the carpet was pulled up and the furniture was gone. Jon didn't really want to, but I was able to persuade him. We left with two gallons of paint and an appointment for someone to come measure the basement. Oh, and it started to rain again. Perfect.
     Saturday morning I began painting. Jareth was a doll and played upstairs while I painted downstairs. Don't worry, I checked on him often and he was totally fine the whole time. I did realize however that the "blue-grey" paint I had picked out was actually "purple-grey." A beautiful color but not exactly what we had in mind. Oh well, I'm not going back! When Jon got home and got over the fact that we had a slightly purple basement, we got half the room done.
     Sunday we finished painting and Jon put up new light fixture in the play area. We also made another trip to Home Depot for gutter tubing that will help keep water away from the house. (So far, so good)
     Monday the lady from Home Depot came and took a measurement of the basement for flooring. We got our quote for the carpet. It wasn't too bad, but it will have to go on the credit card. So much for being debt free. Oh, and Home Depot said that the carpet may take a week to come in and then we would be put on a "list."
Did I happen to mention it's a week later and it's STILL RAINING!? March is quickly becoming my least favorite month.
  

Good 'Ole Athens

The sleepy little town of Athens, TN served as our place of retreat this weekend. Jon was born and raised in this little town and I moved there to be with my dad when I was 12. Over the weekend I attended the DPA Bridal Fair at Springbrook Country Club. I was reminded that although it's a small city, it does have a lot to offer if you know where to look.
For example, Mayfield Dairy Farms. Yep, it's the home of Moose Tracks. My husband worked at the Mayfield Visitor Center during summer vacations dipping icecream and giving tours. You can go to Mayfield and get a free tour of the plant and stop off at the icecream shoppe for your favorite scoop or novelty item. On the way out you can even get your picture taken with the famous cow, Maggie!
Athens' downtown area is quaint and very charming. There are several boutiques located there. My favorite places to browse are the antique stores where you can find vintage jewelry (my favorite), furniture, and china. Other great finds include The Prissy Closet and Greeks Bearing Gifts. And if you want some of the best cupcakes you've ever tasted, The Bakery on N. Jackson would be happy to oblige. Their strawberry icing is to die for! My mom gets all her cakes from them and they do an awesome job with themes. Also on N. Jackson St. is The Gallery hair salon where my husband's family has gotten their hair cut by owner and operator Rose Farr for over a decade.
You will also find several locally owned restaraunts in Athens. My personal favorite is Mexi Wing! Yes, it's mexican cusine and they have wings! You can choose from several flavors. I always get five mild and five bbq. Delicious! I've been told the lemon pepper wings are great too. And Mexi Wing has done so well that they have two locations. If you want mexican food, Athens is where to get it. As if two Mexi Wing restaraunts wasn't enough, Athens is also home to Monterreys. And guess what? There are two of them also! I usually get either the chicken chimichanga or a chicken quesadilla. If you were lucky enough to have a pass to leave campus as I was in highschool, you know the jealousy the scent Monterray's provoked in your peers when you came to back for fifth period. Now, If mexican isn't your thing, you can also find great American flavor at Jenkins Grille & Market. (Townsfolk just call it Jenkins) They have great chicken salad and I usually go for the Super Club Sandwich. YUM. Another favorite I have to mention is The Country Patch. It's a served buffet of good old fashion southern soul food. Can you say mac 'n cheese, please?
But, Athens isn't just about locally owned restaraunts and boutiques. Like any town, they have their politics and gossip. The big fish, little pond symdrome is rampant. And as with most small towns, people keep record of "who's who." You can't go to Wal-Mart without running into at least two people you know and you can be sure that if you get stopped on Depot Hill for speeding, the cop giving you a ticket will be one of your best childhood friends. Community plays a big part in the charm of Athens. If you look at the 2010 Parks and Rec calendar you will see family appropriate activities such as: Kite Day, the Soap Box Derby, Relay for Life, School's out Pool Bash, Bark in the Park, Pumpkintown, and Old Fashion Christmas. Also, there are several area churches which plan a lot of activities for the community and reach out to those in need. For example, when living in Athens, we attended Woodward Church of God which was known for it's Women at the Well Ministry along with other various missions works.
As I said, Athens served as our weekend retreat. Outside of contemplating on the city itself, I came back to Knoxville thinking about how glad I am to be a southern woman. This weekend I was treated to several things southern that normally wouldn't strike my attention but for some reason I recognized these ordinary rituals for what they are, special. Upon entering my in-laws home I was welcomed with homemade pecan pie and chocolate chip cookies. At breakfast the table was overflowing with biscuits and gravy, bacon, and eggs. Saturday brought a sunny day of tossing football and swinging on the porch and an evening game of checkers, in which I lost twice. Sunday my sister and I went to the Bridal Fair with our soon to be sister-in-law. I had the chance to catch up with several old friends in the space where I attended school dances and dinners almost a decade ago. Where else but a small town do you get the chance to do this?
After highschool I followed my sweetheart to college at The University of Tennessee. We earned degrees and my husband has a promising career. We were married five years ago and now have a one year old son. Knoxville has treated us well, it's where we live our life. I have actually now lived here longer than I lived in Athens. But when we are visiting Athens for the weekend and our friends ask where we are going, I tell them we are going home.

Little Blue Box

I had a wonderful Valentines! Jon brought me flowers at lunch and at dinner we exchanged cards and gifts. He got us a new camera. He told me that he had already taken a picture with it. When I turned on the display it was a picture of a Tiffany box and when I looked up he had it in his hand. It was very sweet. He got me the prettiest bracelet! Then we had sushi and watched "Letters to Juliet." It was perfect. He did very good!

Beautiful day at the park

Oh, how I love crazy east, TN weather! We had a beautiful weekend of 60+ degree weather. After a fun day of shopping Saturday we decided to make Sunday a real "day of rest." I packed a picnic and we headed to Victor Ashe park. Our dog loves going to the dog park so we went there first. I believe I counted over 30 dogs. We definitely weren't the only ones with the idea to spend the afternoon at the park. When Jack was done playing, we took Jareth to the playground to swing and slide. He loves to swing! He laughs so hard when we push him. After he seemed to have had enough we found the perfect picnic spot and enjoyed our lunch. Then, we kicked the soccer ball around and laid in the sunshine. Thank you east, TN for such a lovely break in what has been a very cold winter.

Send me to the beach!

No, I'm not complaining that it's winter. I love the snow, fuzzy sweaters, boots, and cuddling up with a blanket and my baby boy. Winter doesn't bother me. What bothers me is how long it's been since there was sand between my toes. I'm complaining that it has been 8 months since I've seen the ocean. That's almost an entire pregnancy! Anyone who has been pregnant knows that's a heck of a long time. I'm jonesing for the smell and taste of the beach. You know what I'm talking about. The smell of suntan lotion, the taste of salt on your lips from a dip in the water, and knowing later that your going to eat the freshest oysters and shrimp you can possibly get.
It's so relaxing, the beach. Once you step in the sand the world goes away. Your biggest worry is whether you packed enough snacks and suntan lotion. All that matters is the sun and the water. That's what I need. Just one day at the beach would do it for me. I wonder how much a round trip ticket to Miami would be? All I would is my beach bag. My swimsuit, sunblock, a towel, sunglasses, and flipflops are all I'd have to pack.
Okay, the kid is asleep so I'm going to check on flights....