Life

December 2010

2011-09-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Christmas was wonderful! We had my parents up from North Carolina, Jacquie and PJ's family from Maryland, Janelle and Josh, and John's parents. Christmas morning was wonderful, although my house is still not quite large enough to accommodate everyone around the living area. We made a wonderful breakfast with pancakes, french toast, meat, and of course, Carol's famous egg casserole. It was wonderful! Unfortunately, Andrew had gotten sick early in the week and never fully recovered. We missed a lot of our normal Christmas Eve parties and gatherings because he was throwing up. It was awful. Needless to say, he didn't enjoy the wonderful food we did, but he loved his Pedalyte and crackers. Bless his heart. He was so good, just wanting to be held most of the time, which didn't bother anyone.

Christmas dinner at the Phillips'

My mantel. I love the look of a burning fireplace at Christmas! So awesome and John enjoyed every minute of making a fire.

Holiday Get-up

2010-12-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

A gift arrived for AJ from Mia and PapPap. A pre-recorded book about the miracle of Christmas. AJ loved it! He was all smiles and super talkative when we flipped the pages and heard Mia and PapPap's voices.

AJ's first haircut. Yes, there was enough hair to cut. It was super long and fine. The minute the hairdresser cut it and would turn around to put it in a ziplock, the hair would just 'float' away it was so fine. Thankfully, we have enough blond hair to cherish this memory. He was again, super good and I didn't have to use my bag of tricks... AKA: Yogurt Puffs

O' Christmas Tree

2010-12-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, 12/5, we went on a hunt for our family Christmas tree. We meet about 15 people for breakfast (people that I work with) and headed to Elizabeth Farms. We took a horse drawn wagon ride out to the fields to find our perfect tree. AJ had a wonderful time watching all the other kids and he was fascinated with the horses as well.

Our baby all tuckered out on the ride in from the fields. He was such a great boy, but the gentle bouncing of the wagon wheels put him right to sleep.

Merry Christmas!

First Haircut

2010-12-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

My grandmother recently had surgery on the vessels surrounding her heart. Because she will now be out of commission for 6-8 weeks, our family has picked up some of the slack of her yearly sand tart making. She cancelled most of her orders (she usually makes hundreds of dozens) but still had a commitment to bake for the holiday bazaar. We were all clueless for the most part, but with my grandma giving instructions from the kitchen table, we did fairly well. I must say, we only burned a few and we worked well together. Thanks to my grandpa for making all the dough the night before.

AJ eating his first sand tart

My lovely Christmas decorations. I was sooo excited to finally have a mantel to decorate. I loved it!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-16T08:09:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving was spent with me having being able to have off work! YEH! It saved me tons of sleep so I had even more energy to out Black Friday shopping! My parents came up from NC for a few days and stayed with us. From there, we hung out and made our journey to relative's homes for a wonderful dinner. My aunt and uncle did a great job and so did Janelle. She is actually becoming quite the little cook, as she hosted Thanksgiving last year as well.

AJ had his first taste of all the good treats. He loved everything from the turkey down to the cranberry relish at the Simpson's. He was such a good boy and did a wonderful job at the table while at the adults were eating. I think we'll bring him back next year... :)

I have had this winter jacket for him which I really have yet to use. It's too bulky to put it on while he is in the car seat, so to be honest, I rarely use it. This picture just reminds me of the little boy from A Christmas Story. He truly couldn't put his arms down. Poor baby....

AJ had a blast helping me search through Black Friday ads. You better believe I had all my grounds covered and a strategic plan for the morning. This was also the first year Kohls opened at 3 am. It wasn't a problem for me as I wake up at 1am to get ready for work, but you could tell Janelle was hurting a little. This was her first year and I think she was pretty impressed with the deals she got. Lines moved super quick and I got most of my shopping accomplished.

My vehicle after 6 hours of shopping. I still wanted to go back for more, but I think John and my dad were getting a little antsy at home with AJ. Overall, we had an awesome time together.

September-October

2010-12-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

2 weeks before out big move, our basement flooded. This time, it was a disaster! The sump pump was not installed correctly and the water just rose as it flooded down rain outside. Thankfully, we had some insurance for the sump pump and were refunded only a little. My worst devastation, our wedding album. Everything else is just "materialistic," but our wedding album is all our memories. Hopefully because it was a digital album, we will be able to order another. :(

Farm show season again! LOVE IT! Unfortunately, we only went once this year because of the cold weather. AJ had the opportunity to see all the animals, I have the opportunity to get warm toasted subs, and John got a dreamy glimspe at the John Deer epiqument. Andrew seemed to enjoy all the animals except the huge pigs, which really surprised me. He knows what a pig sounds like, but I guess they were a lot bigger behind the cage. We also got to see the baby pigs born only 2 days before.

AJ has really started to crawl and scoot to wherever he wants to go. To reward his big accomplishment, John and I ventured to Toys R Us. What an ordeal! We got AJ a rockin' band set that he can sit at or push. It makes tons of noise and occupies him forever. When he showed it to him at the store, he got the biggest smile on his face. Softy dad, gave it and wanted to buy the whole store. What a change in roles for him! I wish I could upload the video of him playing with this toy, but the picture will have to speak for itself.

2010-09-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Garage Sale Find :)

AJ and I have become a tad-bit addicted to garage sales. John has always commented that his goal would be to NEVER have a garage sale, but I don't believe that will ever happen. After a quick scope of the newspaper, AJ and I headed out on Thursday in search of some good deals. I am proud to say I found this slightly used jumper for $4! AJ loves it! We don't have door frames in our lower level, so I was in search of a stationary bouncer in particular. Thankfully I found it and it wasn't outrageously priced.

I also have been making my own baby food ever since AJ starting eating with the spoon. I have tried fruits and vegetables and have recently tried experimenting with meats and fruit/veggie mixtures. So far, he has enjoyed everything I've made. Thank goodness he is not a picky eater like his father. Anyway, I found a box of ice-cube trays for $2, which I just had to have. It makes life so much easier when you have multiple of these for freezing foods. They are they perfect size 1 oz portions. I'm sure John had a laugh when I came home with this box.

Watching me wash dishes. He's so happy :)

Growing up so fast. I'll soon need to get him his own toothbrush!

Helping mom cook baby food, while dad made a huge pot of chicken corn noodle soup! YUM!

Top Sail, NC

2010-09-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Sept. 8-12, 2010

Since my parents have moved to NC in June, I had yet to make the trip "down south." I decided I would go following a 12 hour shift of working and stay a couple of days. John was unable to take off work unfortunately, so my grandmother decided she would tag along. (In all actuality, John basically forced her to come so I would have someone to keep me awake).

My grandma, AJ, and I left on Wednesday around 10:30pm for the 8 hour road trip South. We stopped only once to stretch our legs and get a $1 cheeseburger from McDonalds. (they are not as good at 1AM as they are for lunch). AJ didn't budge the whole ride until we were about 5 miles from my parents place. My grandma kept me awake as I rode the rubble strips, hearing about how she met my grandfather, accidents my aunts had as kids, etc.

We finally made it to NC around 6am and headed right to bed. Thankfully, my parents took AJ and we were able to sleep until 9. Then, off to the beach for a fun filled 1st day!

AJ loved the beach. He fell asleep in a little sunhut I borrowed from a friend and he played in the mini pools created by the ocean. The water was crystal clear! We were out about 100 yards, up only to our waists, and we were still able to see our feet. It was very cool as schools of fish swam all around us too.

One night, we sat along the beach and went fishing. I caught 3 little fish, well actually, I caught 2. One just happened to flop up on the beach following my fishing line as I reeled it in.

My dad and AJ in their matching fishing hats :)

A beautifully created "chapel" which laid under the fishing pier. It was so cool when the waves splashed along the sides.

Aj and my mom. He is not too happy in this picture. This was one of our last days at the beach and he was starting to get cranky. It was fun, and interesting, watching my parents try to capture and copy AJ's footprint in the sand. The end product got pretty cool. Their first souvenir for their home.

My grandma and I at dinner. AJ LOVED chewing on hard rolls; I think it helped his gums and teething.

Playing "Aces Away."

Visiting the Sea Turtle Hospital. (actually a 2 car garage). It is a volunteer run hospital where turtles are rescued following boating accidents, cruel humans, etc. There were a total of 23 turtles there this day, all of which were in large swimming pools. It was amazing to hear what the people are doing for these turtles in order to get them back in the water. Did you ever think you'd hear of turtle physical therapy or a swim test? Well, believe it! My little "hatchling" LOVED the turtles! Grandma even bought him a tee-shirt and stuffed animal! And he got to meet Jean Beasley, founder of the hospital.

AJ LOVED the jeep rides! Guess we know what his first car might be?!

Touring battle ships and visiting Wilmington. It was so pretty!

Glass blowing factory

Always thinking of you dad :)

Aunt Pam and AJ on the beach.

"Can't me me naked for too long Mia and PapPap." -- should have spoke sooner AJ; right before he peed all over the bed spread.

Family Day :)

2010-09-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday, in the park....

"Is this suppose to be fun?"

Watching the ducks at Lititz Springs Park.

This was AJ's first time actually seeing the ducks and paying attention to our town-about day. We decided to go the farmers market in Lititz, but after a long, much needed visit with friends, we missed it. (There's always next weekend). We walked around Lititz, went to lunch, Wilber Chocolate (for some Wilber Buds of course) and fed the ducks. AJ didn't take to the swing too much and I'm sure people were around us talking about how crazy John and I were to put a baby in a swing. We didn't know, and AJ didn't fuss. There's a first time for everything I guess.

AJ loved feeding the ducks. He couldn't wait to get out of his stroller and be closer to the ground. One man actually came over and shared his corn for feeding so AJ could see the ducks closer. Over all, we had a awesome day, and I would definitely do it again!

Go M. C.

2010-09-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

Last night was AJ's first football game, at Hershey Park Stadium of all places! Manheim played Lower Dolphin and won 47-10. It was quite an interesting and long day for me, as I had been up since 1am due to working. I picked AJ up at Nan and Grandpa's around 4ish and we went home to get mentally prepared for the game... YEH RIGHT! We went home to shower, pack bags and run around like crazy. I wasn't sure how to pack or what extra clothing to bring for him.

Due the game, we sat almost right behind the band and AJ was fascinated every time they played any fight song. He watched the band and seemed to be watching the game as he lounged in the "mom chair." (AKA: my lap). Daddy's kicker was doing great and everyone was lovin' AJ. He was so well behaved. During the last quarter, Nan took AJ and they went under the bleachers as the announcer stated a strong rain was quickly moving towards Hershey. Strong rain wasn't even close to what came through. Terental downpour was more like it. Just about everyone was soaked! But we had fun.

AJ ended up not going to bed until about 1030 pm, which his usual bedtime is around 8ish. The minute I laid him down, I knew it was going to be a rough night. His nose was so congested, and he couldn't really breathe easily through it. We were up and down since 2 am. I ended up sleeping between the rocking chair and couch with AJ on my chest. It was the only thing I could do at that time in the morning to keep him upright. Poor little guy :( Needless to say, he still has a runny nose today. Maybe due to teething, I'm not sure? Hopefully this week will be better as we are heading to NC! YEH!

6 Months

2010-09-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

We have reached the 6 month mark! YEH! and time is flying by quickly!
AJ had his 6 month appointment last week and the reviews were, let's say.... not so good. He is 27 3/4 inches long (75%) and he dropped from the 10% in weight to the 3rd! He has double his birth weight, but is still only 13.3 lbs. He's a skinny little thing but is growing super fast in height. Because of his weight drop, I was asked to start a new feeding regime. Instead of 4 oz bottles, he is now up to 6 oz, totaling 24-26 oz/day. I think this will make his babysitter super happy, as she says he can't go more than 2 hours between feeds for her. He's continuing to eat fruits and vegetables that I make and he is loving them. He loves sweet potatoes, pears, applesauce, and peaches. He is not a big fan of PEAS and he will certainly let you know that by creating a new design pattern on your tee-shirt.

I am struggling with the feeding issue as I detest messes. AJ is so interactive and will grab your hand and spoon and shove it into his mouth by himself. The food runs all over the highchair. He will then insist on washing it down by eating his bib or more recently, the straps on his highchair. Lovely, I know. I have to come to the reality that messes will happen, we will both get messy and need showers following feeding time, etc. I am trying to enjoy it but it makes life a little difficult with we're in a hurry. I've learned to now strip him down to his diaper to feed him, as it makes for easier clean up.

I am loving this stage of 6 months. AJ is super interactive, talkative all the time, and giggling over nothing at all. He finds it funny as we lay him down to sleep, turn out all the lights and kiss him goodnight. All of a sudden, he will just start giggling. It's hard not to laugh and we end up staying up a little later. He is a great sleeper, sleeping through the night and about 3-5 hours during the day. He's actually been sleeping for 4 hours now, that's how I can finally catch up on blogging; and house work of course.... :)

Here are some newly updated pictures....

We're starting to teethe. We have two new bottom daggers that have successfully come through.

He's been holding his own bottle and assisting with feeds.

We have yet to crawl or scoot, but he can turn himself around and is constantly rolling. He seems to never want to just "sit," but instead, wants to stand all the time.

We recently went to my grandmothers for yet another cooking lesson. This time, vegetable beef soup, d'lish! My few of my cousins were there and decided to make AJ some "string bling." He had bracelets on his ankles, wrists and everywhere. Needless to say when we got home, dad took them all off. :( No fun.

Things we are looking forward to...
1. I start back in labor and delivery on October 10. I am super excited as this is where I am most looking forward to working.
2. Moving day is still set for October 30. No bites on the house, but we are still holding out hope and praying the right person will come along.
3. Our mini vaca to North Carolina on Sept 8. Unfortunately, John will have to work, but AJ and I will be making the long drive. I am hoping to make this during his sleep hours so I can drive the whole night.
4. UGH! Additional weight check for AJ in 6 weeks. Hopefully we will be packing on the pounds.
5. Continued training for my 5K. (update later.... AJ just woke up :) )

2010-07-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Two little turkeys: AJ's bud, Zac.

John: Zac, are you going to teach AJ how to play football and baseball?
Zac: I guess, if I have to....

I love it! I have heard from the babysitter that Zac is constantly watching over AJ and attending (or getting Jen to attend) to his every need. What a great helper!

The Bay

2010-07-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

Jack and Kate were great. They were such a HUGE help with AJ. They gave me little breaks throughout the day to lay in the sun, actually eat a hot meal and spend time with John. Kate just adored AJ. She would make him laugh and smile and she kept him quite entertained.

This summer, we again headed to Jacquie and PJ's for the 4th of July week. We had an amazing time. It was AJ's first time on the boat, his 1st time on the beach, and he got spoiled by sleeping with mom and dad every night!

John and I left July 1st. We borrowed his parents Yukon and loaded it to the top with baby gear, fireworks and food. It was so jammed packed that I don't know what we are going to do if we ever have another child. We'll be needing to take 2 vehicles where-ever we go!

We cooked crabs, rode jet-skies and the boat, and lounged in the sun. It was awesome weather the entire time and AJ and I loved the outdoor shower with the sun shinning down. We had a great time and the fireworks John got were awesome! They were the real deal! (June 1-5)

Summer Fun

2010-06-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

John and AJ in the pool. AJ's first "real" time where he didn't scream. The water was just the right temperature. - June 20th

Our unexpected guest that showed up for a mid-afternoon swim. This snapping turtle took John almost 30 minutes to get out of the pool. When I saw him, I don't think I could have gotten AJ out of the pool any faster. I was pretty scared, I know, pathetic.

AJ's first trip to the Manheim Pool-- June16th. Needless to say, we paid 9$ for him to lay on the blanket in the shade and laugh the entire morning. At least he kept me entertained while I got some much needed sun. (June 16th)

AJ's first roll-over from his stomach to back. Obviously not a happy camper... thrilled that it happened on John's birthday; June 25th. He has been rolling over quite a bit from his back to belly which I hear is a lot harder to do. Way to go AJ! :)

Graduation

2010-06-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Miss Maura graduated from her highschool in Maryland on June 2nd. The graduation ceremony was huge and the auditorum was packed! AJ did a great job and only really got fussy around the end although we did watch Maura walk and get her diploma. She looked beautiful! She chose to then go to lunch to Volt. It is a restaurant in Maryland that is owned by someone on Top Chef. The food was amazing and "Textures of Chocolate" dessert was out of this world. (textures of chocolate dark chocolate: ganache, chocolate caramel, raw organic cocoa... YUM!) Congratulations Maura! Off on a new adventure! We love you!

2010-05-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

We are moving! October 30th is the day and it can't some soon enough! I am so excited. Our house is finally on the market and we are patiently awaiting offers. I have to keep reminding myself, and John, that it will happen when it's suppose to happen.

We purchased this house on May 27th. It was truly for sale for maybe 3 days and we just fell in love with it. It is exactly where we want to be, as we already own a lot in the same development (planning for the future I guess). The house is move in ready although I already have a few projects that I want to start working on.

The owners are wonderful! They took us around the entire property and gave us pointers on how to care for the flowers, what to do maintenance-wise every couple of years, etc. We are also really lucky because we will be at the end of the culdesac where AJ can ride bikes and play with the other kids.

Bring on the fall!

First Friday

2010-05-28T11:39:00.001-07:00

The first Friday of every month, Lancaster opens all the shops in the evening, has live music, etc. I have only been there once and had a really fun time. This past Friday, a group of girls got together and went again. We played Cash Cab the ride there, and yes, we kicked butt, winning $100! WHOA WHO! We went in small shops, tasted wine at the wine store, and ended up at the Alley Kat to eat. We had so much fun! Later that night, we met up the husbands and ended at an 80's dance club... a really cheesey, but fun dance club. There were so many 80's hair styles, tight leggings, and older men there.

What an awesome way to spend time with friends.

2010-05-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

14 weeks and loving life. AJ is really starting to make noises and interact with people. He is smiling ALOT and John and I are having a blast with him. He is the happiest in the mornings. We will bring him over to our bed around 6 or 7 am and he will lay there and laugh the morning away. He is a super good baby :)

One of AJ's many sleepovers at my parents. He had just woken up from napping with my dad. (13 weeks)

12 weeks: AJ loves Grandma's photo corner! It seems everytime we head to Lebanon, we come home with a full camera chip. The two of them just have the best time. We have been so greatful that my grandparents have been able to watch him while I get a hair cut, run to meetings at work, etc. Ali and my grandma have taken AJ on carriage rides through the neighborhood, played on the activity gym, etc. I must say, my grandmas is also an AWESOME garage sale shopper! She has picked up so many little things along the way for super cheap! I know now where I get my rush for bargains!

AJ and Mia: My parents recently moved to North Carolina this past Saturday. Things will definitely be changing and AJ is trying to suck up all the grandparent time he can.

10 weeks! Happy as a clam while I pack lunches and do dishes in the morning.

My little Houdini! After I found AJ this morning, I knew it was time to get rid of the positioner! I put him the positioner vertically and found him in this position the following morning. He didn't fuss or anything; just a little wimpering. I love it! He's such a mover and shaker... does this have any indication of how he will be at 2 years old? (9 weeks)

8 weeks: John's grandmother passed away and family gathered for a ceremony to celebrate her life.

AJ's first shower. I must say, it was very slippery, but we did just great. Dad was there to help pass him off to afterwards and he did wonderfully! He loves the water and has no problem with the shower water hitting him in the face. He is so content and just looks around the whole time. I don't think he really wanted to get out. Ever since, we have continued to get showers and well as bathes. He is much more calm and enjoys the water. I'm so glad, especially knowing that when he gets older, John will have him dunked in the pool in no time. He'll be quite the little fish come summer time.

This is one of my favorite pictures. I have it in my badge at work and my patients comment on it all the time. He is such a happy baby and so laid back.

B. Jovi

2010-05-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hershey Park Stadium was packed!

The Circle Tour. Bon Jovi had their own stage made. It was a pretty cool setup.

I will admit proudly that we know the man behind us.. with the faux mullet! HAHA!

John having the time of his life.

A life long dream of John's. He commented many of times throughout the night that this was his dream since high school! Pathetic, I know.
The concert was awesome! I had friends purchase the tickets when they first became available and it was to be a surprise to John. Needless to say, he found out and couldn't keep his mouth shut. I'm glad he enjoyed himself though!

Easter Bunny

2010-04-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

AJ had an uneventful first Easter. We only had 2 stops to make, but needless to say, the car was loaded in baby gear for the afternoon. We packed food, strollers, bottles, pumps, etc. I don't know how we are ever going to go on vacation with him because the car was already filled with just the short trips we took today.

First stop was great-grandma and great-grandpa's. Everyone was there from my family. Cousins came home from college, boyfriends were there and it was the first time for some to finally meet AJ. We had so much awesome food, many startches though, and beautiful weather to enjoy.

My grandma surprised John with a little shirt she made with his highschool football number on for AJ. Manheim Central colors and everything! She did such a good job and I can't wait for him to be able to sport his sweatshirt at the fall games.

Everyone enjoyed AJ and he received so much love throughout the day. He was notched by cousins, grandparents, etc. Needless to say, he didn't really nap though.

After my grandparents, we went to John's parents for dinner. Andrew was so well behaved and slept through dinner, allowing John and I to enjoy time with family. Again, he was loved! He got his first little Easter basket from Nan and Grandpa with coins for his bank. His college fund is growing fast... haha!

Overall, it was an amazing Easter to spend with family and friends. We are truly blessed in every way.

Welcome Home!

2010-03-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

My grandparents came home from a couple of months in Arizona, only to finally get to meet little Andrew. You could tell that they were totally in love with everything about him. They brought him sooo much clothing, little toys, etc. I think this child has a fuller wardrobe than his mother at this point! (and that takes a lot to say that).

The day after my grandparents returned home, Andrew and I went to spend a few hours with them. No giggles quite yet, but he was more than content being around them. Needless to say, my grandmother is begging to babysit any day now. This is her first great-grandchild.

Thanks!

2010-03-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks Mia for watching me while mom and dad go to church... I love my massages too!

....Love

2010-03-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

The silent, unpaid babysitter....

2010-03-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Ahh, the warmer weather is almost here. This weekend it reached almost 60 degrees; warm enough to get outdoors. I am going stir-crazy inside all day. Maternity leave needs to be given to women when their children are 2 years old. Don't get me wrong, I am loving all the time I have been able to spend with Andrew... he's only this little once. We've taken the jogging stroller to the mall (YEH! his first outting to the mall!) and on long long walks. He's passed out for most of the walk, but I love it.

12 days old

2010-02-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

The husband of a lady I work with took newborn pictures of Andrew. He was not on his best behavior that evening as he peed on every sheet and was extremely squirmy. After about 2 hours, we called it quits. I must say, his pictures turned out wonderful and Ben did an amazing job capturing all aspects of Andrew.

Thanks a million Ben.... :)

Here's just a sneak peak at some of the 100 pictures taken.

Dazed

2010-02-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

I LOVE being a mom! Andrew and I have fun days together... at least when he seems to be awake.

Here is a run down of our days...

We sleep. He is quite the sleeper. He ranges anywhere from 3 to 6.5 hours of solid sleeping at night. John and I have to set an alarm just to go check on him when he doesn't wake up. Even though that's the worst feeling, walking across the hall in the middle of the night, it's bitter sweet to see his soundly sleeping.

We eat. I am continuing to breastfeed and pump all the same time. It must look like a circus to anyone entering our house. I truly need 4 arms at times. John loves to feed him when he gets home. The two of them bond like no other and I love watching their interaction.

We sleep again....

We play. AJ goes through days where he is up from 7am-1pm. He is content in his boppy while I shower and get ready for the morning. We started reading books and I've noticed, this puts him right to sleep. I don't know if it's a good thing or not yet.

And when dad gets home, we hang out together. We got our official "bath" on Wednesday after the cord stump fell off. Before, we were attempting sponge baths and AJ was not liking this at all! Needless to say, he didn't really enjoy the tub bath either.

John and I are loving being parents. I love watching John go to AJ when he comes from work. We actually look forward to weekends when we can all be together and we truly don't mind being awaken at 6 am on Saturday. There is nothing better at this point and we couldn't ask for anything more. I'll say it again, we are truly blessed....

2010-02-21T07:56:00.000-08:00

On our way to the hospital....

Our little 6.79 pounder.... 19 inches

What a journey this pregnancy has been! We have been so blessed with no complications throughout the entire 9 months.
On Monday night, John and I decided to take a trip to the mall, as we had just purchased a new Apple computer. (John has gone high-tech and anxious about exploring all the computer has to offer). We walked the mall for about an hour and decided to come home. Once we got home, cramping started, but only a little. I made it through making dinner, and just about going to bed, as I had to work at 3AM the following morning. There was no resting this night....

The contractions started irregularly, and so I didn't think anything of it. Just tried pacing, using the birthing ball, etc... I was still set on working the following day. Needless to say, this little guy had other plans for me.
John forced to me go to the hospital around 11pm. (As I look back now, I am so thankful he made me go.... Thanks Babe!) We entered the ER and headed to L&D. I was completely fine, again cramping every 4-20 minutes. Yes, very speratic. I was checked and at 4/90/-2. I was so disappointed in myself that I wasn't further along. At Friday's appointment, I was already 3/70. The doctor said I most likely wouldn't see my next appointment.

Anyway, after being checked, birthing ball time began. Everyone came in and out, explaining epidurals, pain management, breathing techniques, etc. By 12:30, I wanted the epidural. Checked again, 7/100%. Finally, things were moving. 2 minutes later, 9 cm. Another couple minutes, 10 cm. This was craziness! Things happened so fast and there was no time for pain management. After 20 minutes of pushing, Andrew John was born at 1:17am. Awesome experience! I don't think I would have done it any other way to be honest. I had amazing nurses and doctors who talked me through everything and were super supportive of all my decisions.

After a rough post-partum ending, all is well. AJ is healthy, I'm healthy, and John survived the birth! We couldn't be more blessed and are amazed at how much love and affection we have for such a little person. He changes the entire outlook of our day. Even at 4:30am when he's screaming, you can't help but love him and all his little wrinkles. He is awesome!

Still Preggo

2010-02-11T07:40:00.000-08:00

I am still here....

Snowed in, and sick! Major head congestion and sinus pressure. I hate it.

Since last weekend, we have gotten around 30+ inches of snow. I will be posting pictures as soon as our computer is up and running again. I will also be posting a belly picture as we are fast approaching 39 weeks.

I am so praying for this kiddo to come, as both John and I are anxiously awaiting to find out the gender. Looking at the weather pattern in PA, I think this child is already going to be making rough appearance for us. But I couldn't be more excited. Thank God for 4 Wheel Drive!

Pictures and more posts to come soon! :)

Ode to Virginia Tech

2010-01-12T15:41:00.001-08:00

Dr. Coach Beamer:

Your team has encapactivated my husband's attention for the last 2 years. Not only has his wardrobe tripled in VT gear, but our phone bill went sky high with constant BeamerBall.com updates and HokieSports.com. We, I mean he, can't go more than 4 hours without checking statistics, player and coach quotes, your take of how the games went, etc.

Need I say more, we have been officially "un-invited" to Penn State football parties as my husband will only wear VT apparel. With your teams most recent appearance in the Chick-Fil-A bowl game, I am thankful that your team prevailed and came out on top. Our New Years Eve was spent in front of the television screen, eyes glued to your kicker, and fists pounding on my glass living room table.

I have tried to be the most supportive wife possible. I have traveled via car to Maryland with my husband, who is like a giddy school girl going on her first date; and I have traveled via RV. (thank God for awesome friends). The trips were memorable, stopping at truck stops, tail-gating with loved ones, and watching pull out televisions from the side of the RV. I have even stooped low enough to earn brownie points from my husband by colorfully creating cookies in maroon and orange. And yes, my VT wardrobe has expanded by 1 shirt. :)

Coach Beamer, as another year is completed, and we have 2 more left to watch, I thank you for giving my husband back. This year was topped by an awesome, blessful pregnancy and the announcement of your team winning the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.

Thank you!
Sincerely,
A happy wife

3 hour GTT

2009-12-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

As most of you already read, I failed my first 1 hour GTT. So, this gave me the privledge of sitting in a lab for 3 hours on a Friday morning. I had been following this special "high carb" diet for 3 days prior and had nothing to eat since Thursday evening at 8pm.

My test started Friday at 7 am with the first blood draw. Level was good and the test was continued. ( I guess if the level is too high, diabetes is already determined and the test is cancelled... I didn't want this! ) I chugged down 100mL's of a gross orange flavored, pure sugar beverage in 5 minutes. It was so nasty! I then waited.... for each hour to pass until my next level was taken.

Hospital work, competencies, solitare, and reading passed my 3 hours fairly quickly. It helped drinking a liter of water throughout as the staff said I might get sick on the orange beverage. Thank goodness that didn't happen!

3 more levels were taken at 1 hour intervals. The last level to be taken was attempted by a student in the lab. He missed my pipes 3 times until someone else came in to finally get the blood. Trust me, I would have drawn the level myself but I was not leaving without giving the last sample... I was not about to repeat the test!

So, after all was said and done, I thought a little shopping was due. Heading to the outlets, I was so craving McDonalds for some crazy reason. As I sat in the parking lot of the outlets, I suddenly started sweating, stripping off layers of clothing and opening all the car doors. I was trying to find anything in my car to eat, as I could feel myself getting dizzy and lightheaded. I found 1/2 a chocolate bar and let me tell you... I couldn't get the pieces in my mouth fast enough. I was shaking so badly. After I felt my body had it's second dose of high sugar, I proceeded with shopping...

When I got to work on Saturday, I checked my glucose levels. My last level was 43! Way low, as normal is 80-120. Um, can we say hypoglycemic? No wonder I felt the way I did.

Thank goodness for not having gestational diabetes! I guess we'll see how the doctor responds to my test at my appointment tomorrow. And this only starts the beginning adventure of motherhood :)

1 hour GTT

2009-12-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

WHAT!? How could I fail!? I failed my 1 hour Glucose Tolerance Test! I totally do not understand!

Up until this point, I have gained 6 lbs. I have no risk factors for diabetes, nor have I exhibited any signs/symptoms. I am eating healthy, or atleast trying to. Everything I seem to eat, makes me nauseated as this kiddo is having a party every night inside. But I love the movements and I can't help but stop everything I'm doing to watch my belly move :)

Back to my 1 hour... HOW COULD I FAIL! I am so disappointed in myself. My level was 157 and the doctors would prefer it be < 130. I now am forced to sit in a lab for 3.5 hours and have my blood drawn multiple times to recheck my glucose levels. To make matters worse, I have to drink DOUBLE the amount of glucose water for it; PLUS, eat a high carbohydrate diet for 3 days before the test. UGH! I am so upset! Not cool!

My test is Friday, Dec. 18 at 7am. I am determined not to have gestational diabetes....

30 weeks!

2009-11-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

We are just about finished with the nursery... FINALLY!

My parents were super great to come over for an entire weekend and help set up the nursery, paint, and put together the many pieces of furniture. John and my dad did an awesome job on the handy-man work while my mom and I finished painting.

In the beginning, I had originally wanted stripes for the wall, but my mom suggested circles, as she thought these would be easier.... Yeh, ok....
2 1/2 hour later, the circles were complete... yes, you read correctly. It took 2 1/2 hours to paint those circles! All I have to say is that this room will not be repainted by us, but maybe the next owners.

I love the room! I love the furniture, I think it's classy, yet will definately suite for years to come, no matter what the gender. The bed converts to a double bed, super nice! And I am so pleased that I was able to get the linens that I wanted from the beginning. I love everything about this room. It's funny, because at times, I'll just stand in there for a minute or two; not really knowing what to think. Then everynight as we look across the hall, John comments, "2 months babe..." Yup, I know, and it can't come soon enough!

We are so blessed in everyway and cannot wait to see this little blessing of both of us.

A kid in a candy store...

2009-11-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

John was invited to attend 'camp' this year with some of his friends. Our evening consisted of gathering all his hunting gear for the weekend following Thanksgiving. We ventured out to Cabela's for last minute supplies; which basically consisted of all his own hunting gear. Eventhough he already owned a gun, he was still borrowing the camo attire, backpacks, etc... for each trip. He was SO excited purchasing his own camo pants, headlamp, and backpack that holds a gun. I felt like I was with a kid in a candy store. We spent so much time gathering up his gear, we barely had time left to look at the displays of animals (as this is my favorite part about Cabelas).

John left on a Sunday afternoon, following 3 days of football; both college and high school. (We couldn't leave without going to another VT game :) ). From what I have heard of the trip, everyone had a great time. Two of his friends both got bucks. I don't think John even shot at anything though, but it was all for the experience. He loved every minute of it.

Here are a few pictures from the nights before, getting John ready. Let me tell you, this backpack and gun almost pulled me over it was so heavy! I couldn't imagine carrying it through the woods yet.

Christmas Cookies

2009-11-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

How yummy!

I have so been craving good old fashioned Dutch cooking lately. It hasn't helped matters that all John has been talking about is chicken pot pie either, and I have no clue how to make it. So, I spent the entire day with my grandma, learning the basics of cooking. We made chicken pot pie, peanut brittle, sandtarts, and rice krispies. UMMM, everything was sooo good. And surprisingly, John loved the chicken pot pie, even with the bits of veggies we snuck in.

My grandma's orders for sandtarts consisted of 500 dozen this year... a major increase in production from last season. Within 1 hour, we had already produced 30 dozen! Needless to say, she had rolled, stamped, and decorated 3 baking sheets by the time I completed my first. It didn't help matters that my cookies were not paper thin, hence demoting me to "pro-sprinkler" only. We did so many sandtarts that day and John was glad to see me come home with some of the procedes :)

I love learning how to bake from my grandma and have been asking about a cook book for many Christmas's. It has yet to be produced, as she uses no measurements or cooking utencils. She "eye-balls" it, or so she says, until it looks right. I guess I am in for some more cooking lessons in the near future...

Wow!

2009-11-03T11:45:00.001-08:00

Things are moving along quickly! 4 extremities, functioning heart; all is well. 24.2 weeks today! Can't believe it! Gender continues to be a mystery....

Although, on Halloween night, my mom and I attempted to do the needle and thread trick. I'm not quite sure if I fully believe this or not, but the needle starting circling my palm. ? Girl ? I guess we'll have to wait and see. My doctor said today she predicts a boy... ?

Don't go to the Re-ver :(

2009-10-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, the boys made their annual camping trip up the Susquehanna river. The wives were only invited once and after a near-drowning, were weren't invited back. I was packed and ready to go this year, but being the only woman going, I backed out and decided to let it be a "boys weekend." They never really get to do this kind of stuff and I thought by next year, there will hopefully be kids in the picture for a coupld of the boys. From what I heard, it rained Saturday night, bonfire was good, steaks I marinated went over well, and there was tons of food left over. Besides John's cut up leg, I'm so glad they had a wonderful time. No one drowned, no one lost a limb, and they had another great bonding experience.

A look up the Susquehanna River; mightly low water...

Bob and Joe loaded down with tarps, water, drinks, sleeping bags, and of course, homemade brownies :) YUM!

John manned with fire wood to last a year, food, tents, and a one-man paddle. I just love the life vest laying in front of him; thought it was used for more. Oh well.

Loxley's with the Ladies

2009-08-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

It was about time that the group from nursing school got together. We had gone from seeing each other 24/7 (or so it felt like), to having busy lives where everyone was running different directions. Now that we all seemed to be established in our jobs, we planned for one night together. It was certainly not what we were use to. There were no more talks about tests, teachers, or clinicals. Instead, we found out we actually had other lives we were leading. It was neat to "re-get to know everyone."
We ended up going to a new restaurant, Loxleys. It is basically a 3 story tree house build off the side of a hotel. It was pretty awesome. Unfortunatly, by the time we were ready to eat, it started raining. So inside we went. Oh well....

1 year anniversary

2009-07-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how fast a year has gone! I feel like we've accomplished so much since last year...
-graduating school
-starting a family
-John's business purchasing a new office
-buying our lot; and all JP's toys to go with it:)

I can't wait to see what the future holds for us as many more years go by. Hopefully not as fast as this first one though.

For our anniversary, John and I went to Fells Point for a long weekend. My aunt and uncle had purchased a night at The Inn At Hendersens Wharf as our wedding gift. We had been waiting to use it when the season was just right. We wanted to go sight-seeing, explore the town, etc. This was the perfect occassion.

We toured the Royal Australian Navy Ship that happened to be anchored in Baltimore. The ship was amazing! I think John's favorite part was going into the control room and seeing all the technology, maps, and the captain's chair. I would be safe to say this was the best part of his trip. We had an awesome time.

Here he is next to his favorite thing... the gun stationed on the bow of the ship.

The weather was too nice during the day and evenings to hail a taxi. We went by water, a water taxi to be exact. $6/day would get you anywhere. We loved it.

Heathsville, Md: July 8-12

2009-07-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, John and I had the opportunity to go to his sister's home on the bay in Maryland. This was only my 2-3rd time down, but it's so peaceful everytime we go.
John had to work on Wednesday about 1 1/2 hours away, so I had the privledge of riding along with him. Being that it was a long day with nothing for me to do, I ventured towards Gettysburg and decided to tour some of the area.

I can only remember being in Gettysburg during elementary school, but not remembering much of the history or surroundings. I took the auto-tour path and stopped many times along the way to view the scenery. I also got to visit the new visitors center which is gorgeous! I wish I had had more time, but with the 45 minute drive back to John, I needed to call it a day after 4 hours. (plus, I was dying to fit in a manicure and pedicure)

Pennsylvania Monument

Little Round Top overlooking Devil's Den (left) and the Valley of Death

John got off work around 2:30 and we made the long trip to the Northern Neck of Virginia. The drive was uneventful, and I managed to stay awake for most of it. We met the Hogan's almost 1/2 way and stopped for dinner right on the bay. It was such good food and sitting on the deck, overlooking the water was just perfect.

We spent the rest of the week riding jet skis, taking boat rides, and sitting on the deck enjoying the weather. We had the perfect weather! I got plenty of sun, took naps almost everyday, and just enjoyed the relaxation.

On Friday, Carol Jean and her kids arrived (John and Jacquie's cousin). We had a blast with them! We haven't actually seen them since the wedding, it's been that long, so it was good to catch up on everything.

Friday and Saturday, we steamed crabs... John's favorite. PJ bought a huge box of live crabs and steamed them himself. John seemed to really enjoy them.

Needless to say, before the cooking process, we each picked a crab and had crab races on the dock. Mine lost. It didn't help that my poor guy was limbless, double time! He could barely save himself :(

Here are just a few other pictures of everyone having a good time. Thanks Jacquie and PJ for the fun, much needed week of relaxation!

John and I took a cruise to who knows where. It was so nice and the water was so calm. These things can go up to 80mph!

Kate and Jack

Jacquie, John, and Carol Jean

Tired, and not ready for the long drive back to Pennsylvania

July 4th

2009-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Gabrielle's birthday at the Barnstormers Game. John had box tickets for the game, although towards the end, we ended up sitting with friends. Here are some pictures of the night.

My first love... haha:)

My true love

Abigail and her friend

Gabrielle and her friend

You never realize how much money you can spend at a baseball game. Almost $50 for 4 platters of chicken fingers and fries and $4 for ice cream. It was nuts, but overall, we had a fun night.

1st appointment

2009-07-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

8 weeks, no bump, + heart beat. I love that sound :)

Perfection

2009-06-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

I have finally learned to work the grill! After almost 1 year, I think I can do it on my own! YAH for that :)

I have been grilling just about anything. My latest was Salmon with a dill sauce... awesome! I have been reading up on how to grill certain foods and from what I am reading, the best way to grill is through "foil packets." This may be a cheaters way, but for me, it's the fastest, fool-proof way to grilling.

This has been my latest creation. A grilled chicken breast sandwich with avocados. It is so yummy! The difficult thing with making dinner in my house is that John doesn't seem to eat anything. No vegetables, little fruits, nothing "crazy" as he would say. This sandwich is just too "crazy" for him as he picks off most of the toppings.

Cycling

2009-06-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

So I recently joined a new gym the beginning of this month. Thinking I would be in attendence more due to it being closer to my job. I love everything this gym has to offer, from classes round the clock, a swimming pool, sauna, "ladies only" areas, etc. I have taken a few classes, which I love! It makes the workout go much quicker. This past Monday, I decided to take a cycling class for the FIRST time ever! The blurb about this class said, "Maximum fat burning, high energy class. It is an indoor stationary cycling program where the instructor takes you through a virtual outdoor road race complete with hills and valleys." I can do that! Sounds like fun!

There were only about 12 people in the entire class and the instructor was right on top of the "newbies," AKA: ME. She taught us how to use the bike, and what her different cues meant. Well, 15 minutes into the hour class, my butt started to hurt incredibly bad. The seats were not padded and I didn't think to go out and purchase padded shorts for 1 class. We were standing up, sitting down, doing push-ups off the bikes, etc.

Towards the end of the class, we did sprints for the last 5 mintues sitting on the bike. I opted to stand up because I was in that much pain. After the class, the instructor commented what a great job I did. "You kept up beautifully; standing up there and everything! Great job!" Such praise!; but if she only knew the true reason I was standing....

I am still black and blue to some degree. The first couple of days were painful to just sit in the car. I've learned and now I'm prepared for the next class with my padded gel covered seat (thanks to mom :) )

Sleepover

2009-06-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Sleepover with Zac... 1st ever! What a tropper!

Ok, a sleep-less sleepover is more like it.
Here are the 2 boys in bed enjoying their popcorn.

Cute

2009-05-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Super quick....

As Mindy and I were walking to our pump-it class Tuesday night, we saw 3 young kids playing in their front yard. We went walking by and as we did, one little girl came running over saying something. We thought she wanted to show us her earrings, or so that's how it sounded with her little lisp. (cute :) ) As we approached her and she ran to the edge of the road, she asked me to bend down, so I did. All she wanted to do was touch my earrings. She noticed my tiny hoops from the middle of her yard and she wanted to touch them. Precious. She touched them 3 times, maybe more if I would have let her, before we said we needed to keep walking. She was adorable; checking out my wallet, my license, keys, anything she could get ahold of. That probably made her day, but to us, it's now the running joke. I love little kids!

Love It!

2009-05-14T07:41:00.001-07:00

This photo is hanging up on my floor of the hospital. It's something that makes me laugh every morning, so I thought I would share...

"Critics view on 'how not to get the swine flu.'"

Gardening

2009-04-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why God created weeds? Or did Satan create weeds to destroy God's creations? These are the questions John was hit with as we were working outside Saturday. Hopefully I didn't get too carried away?.....

Before

After

John decided to rent a rotatiller that rips up the yard in order to pull out all the old grass. After you use the machine, you have to rake the yard of all the dead grass. Well, John decided that our yard needed to be done TWICE! Why, I still have no idea. At this point, I left for a manicure as we had a friend's confirmation at church later that afternoon. When I came home, there were 10 of these lining our driveway....

Painting and new furniture!

2009-04-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting new bedroom furniture for quite some time now. John has always commented that what we have suits just fine. Well, after the furniture store next to his office put out Closing signs, we decided to go looking. We ended up getting an amazing deal on a 6 piece bedroom suite which we both LOVE!

It's a sleigh bed and all!

When it arrived I felt like a princess. The furniture is huge and so classic looking. We both love what we chose. I order to prepare for the new bedroom, I again decided to take on another project. This time, the project was painting. Not painting just the bedroom, but 3 bathrooms, and the kitchen as well. (wait, the kitchen was all John's idea.... I love the old color)

Old color and new color (Indiana Crimson... yes, it's the football team color paint)

It was a LLOONNGG weekend of painting and we were happy to get everything done before the new bedroom furniture came. My mom was a big help in the process too. Way to go paint edger! I love the colors! Check them out....

Boredum Sets In

2009-04-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read it correctly. I am offically bored and John was right.... although I hate to admit that. After passing my boards and continuing to work 3 jobs, I still find time where I am sitting there twiddling my thumbs. This blog segment is a dedication to my boredum.

Eventhough we have a cleaning lady, I always have felt the need to clean before she comes. The floors need to at least be cleared off in order for her to do her job. Well, after 5 years of just "mopping" the bathroom floors, they needed a good scrub. I decided to get down on my hands and knees and do just that. Don't judge when you see the next picture because I'm sure many of your bathrooms are just as filthy.

Well, during my scrubbing session in which I am in sweatpants and a sports bra; this is tough work you know; my mother calls. "Watch out, tornado warnings are in your area. You need to get to the basement immediately. They say they are going to hit in like 5 mintues." Ok. Now the entire time I am cleaning, there is no mention of this on the radio at all. It's not raining, the sun was bright and shinning earlier in the day, and I didn't think anything of it; until I walked downstairs. My house was pitch black, no lights on at all. I ran back upstairs, grabbed Towtow, AKA Matilda, my big blanket and a flashlight. Mind you, I am still in my sports bra and sweats and off to the basement we head.

I find myself sitting alone, John is not home, in the basement with a cat who is crying at the top of the stairs because I am holding her prisioner in her own home. As I look around my basement, I start to wonder.. If this tornado hits my house and all is gone, rescuers will find me, dressed in all/or not all that I am wearing, probably eating doritos. I have nothing to survive on down here. Doritos, spaghetti sauce and ding dongs are all I have! What am I going to do!? At this point, I am getting so nervous I have to pee. I start to think of my options. Wait, I have no other option than to run upstairs to the bathroom. I make a dash for it. Sneaking little by little, wonder if the thunderous rumbles I am hearing are that of a "freight train" sound. When your mind is that much of a panic, everything sounds like a freight train. I make it to the bathroom successfully. YAH! and I decide to pier outside.

As I look out my front window, it's seriously like everyone has come out of hiding. All the neighbors are peeking out their front doors, scared to look both ways. I felt like I was in Oz. Check out these pictures after the storm settled.

Yes, that is hail!

Apparently, this tornado hit pretty bad in the town I grew up in. Everyone had damage, as I have seen from pictures from homes of my friends. Thank goodness we did not get the brunt of the storm.

RN

2009-03-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

YEAH! I PASSED MY NURSING BOARDS! Never again do I want to take these.

I had to work this morning from 7A-7P and so I was constantly checking online every 10 minutes. Of course, immediately after I checked and saw no status change, John texted me and told me that the website looked "very interesting." Great, now I'm more nervous than ever! What is that suppose to mean?! I checked with my preceptor and after we saw the computer screen, we were both caught jumping for joy and screaming in the middle of the hospital rotunda. She made me name tags, banners, etc. Everyone was great, my patients shared in my joy, and we just had an awesome day at work. I couldn't have asked to find out in a better way! John must be my good luck charm ;)

I'm still kickin'

2009-03-23T13:28:00.001-07:00

I am still here, after this long, possibly needed, blog break. Things have been flying so fast and I can't believe we are at the end of March already. John and I have been doing great. We went skiing again towards the end of January, went to visit his sister in DC and did some sight seeing. I'll just post a few pictures from DC as well as Valentines. (yeah I know, it's pretty late...)

We toured the Holocust Memorial which took 2 1/2 hours to tour. It was amazing to see articles of clothing, videos, and items taken from the Jews. Your mind hurt with all the reading but yet you couldn't stop reading. It was so captivating.

Pictures from Valentines Day with the Proffitts. We had an awesome time. The boys surprised us by taking us to Characters in Lancaster. The food was great and so was the company :) We finished the night at Annie Baileys in the lounge. It was a wonderful night.

I took my nursing boards on Friday and am still anxiously awaiting to hear the results. I had the minimum number of questions, 75/265. When that computer screen went blue, my heart sank! I didn't know what to think.... Fortunately, I feel like an elephant has been lifted off my chest and I can finally get to the long awaited projects I want to accomplish around the house. This entire weekend, John and I NEEDED to clean the office. It literally took us the entire weekend, but I can actually see the floor again. It's a beautiful thing!

We also attended a conference Friday and Saturday at our church. It was called Raising Truly Great Kids. It is a faith based way of raising children and has to do with how to parent with Grace. It was very interesting and our church was packed. There were probably about 2,000 people there just from around the area.

Oh, and I can't forget our first dinner party.... We hosted John's office for their "late Christmas" party. John cooked steaks and potatoes, vegetables, salad from Olive Garden and I made my specialty mango martinis. YUM! Needless to say, I think everyone had a great time... maybe took much fun with our Christmas gifts from the guys. We'll leave it at that... Anyway, here is a picture of my table. Just to point out my bargain of the day, John and I went to William Sonoma in search of nothing that we really needed. I found these chargers that matched my side plates perfectly! They were originally $22/plate and I got them for $1.99/plate! You can't beat that price! I sucked up 12 of them right away!

"Here starts the next 40 years of your life"

2009-01-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

That was my quote from John the morning of January 5th....

Orientation started at Hershey... 1 1/2 weeks of long, 8 hour days; doing nothing but listen to the talk about benefits, policies, family-centered care, etc. Well, I am happy to announce that finally, I have started on the floor. Yesterday was my first day in the newborn nursery. I love every minute of! I loved bathing the babies, feeding them, changing them, and cuddling. It was also really nice to see some of the same people that I worked with over the summer. It's also nice to have people you know and who remember you too. I am only 1 of 2 new graduates working on the Women's Health floor. My days and weeks couldn't be crazier, but I'm taking them day by day, as I still juggle 3 jobs. Don't ask me why...

Have a great end of the week!

Ski Greek Peak

2009-01-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, John and I had the opportunity to go to New York with his family and friends to ski. We do it every year, but this year, it snuck up on us so fast that before we knew it, we were scrambling to pack and leave in within 30 minutes! Craziness! I had packed dinner for the road the night before so at least that was a little stress taken off, but still.... The 4 hour trip seemed to go by fairly quickly. John got mad at my driving, we stopped for a bathroom break and changing of drivers, and before we knew it, we had arrived!

John's parents always rent 2 places, one for the younger crowd, and one for themselves. We have dinner and lunch at one place, but yet can be on our own in the evening if we want. It's very nice.

Saturday was spent skiing, although looking back, I wish we would have gotten up earlier in the morning and skied longer before heading in for lunch. I always seem to have trouble getting in the mood to go back out after lunch, but I promised John I would this time. After we trucked back across the street, the snow was really starting to fall hard by this time. After the chairlift ride, we would be so covered in snow, as it would just start to pile on your pants and in the crevasse of your zippers. Pretty cool to see, but not after we started to get freezing cold. I bundle up ALOT, where-as John wears a long sleeved tee and vest. Needless to say, he was ready to go in as well. We stayed out for quite a while and enjoyed ourselves. I think this is the first year that I said I really enjoyed skiing. I feel I've gotten a little better, accomplished all the levels! and can't wait to do it again.

Saturday was dinner and appetizers back at the other condo. Fun, Fun, Fun! PJ introduced us to a card game (the name is not coming to me right now) in which I majorly lost! My meat-balls were a hit the stuffed shells for dinner were great!

Carol, Bert, and Maura

We woke up Saturday morning to the blizzard from the day before. We easily got 8-12 inches of snow. I totally forgot my snow boots, so when I went to clean off the car, I sank right down in. I was freezing! and there was no way I could keep up with cleaning the car as the snow was falling that fast!

We took it easy coming home, no accidents! and enjoyed the warmth of our car and our own home once again!

GO PSU!

2009-01-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

JUST ANOTHER REASON TO PARTY; BUT WHY NOT?

Cole and Mia

Abigail and I

Happy New Year!

2009-01-15T18:07:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful time with our friends as we dined at Al Mediterraneo's in Hummelstown. We had awesome food! This was our first time ever going out on New Years for dinner and I knew to expect high prices, but not as high as we payed. The dinner included soup/salad, the main entree, and desert. John decided to try octopus before the meal and REALLY enjoyed it! I was surprised. Normally, I like things like this, but the octopus came out to the table with tentacles and it's suction cups still attached! I tried a little; tasted like a marinated portabella mushroom, but I wasn't going back for seconds! John devoured it! After dinner, we headed back to Brian and Amanda's to watch the ball drop. Short, quiet night for us as we sadly watched Dick Clark stumble through his count-down before heading back home. All in all, we had a blast!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-15T17:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas came and went super fast. It was a week spent running all over the county to and from our family's homes. I finally convinced John to sleep at our own home on Christmas Eve, as we have always slept at his parents for the past 5 years. Our Christmas Eve was packed with 3 parties and church. We finally left John's parents home at 2:30AM, only to be back Christmas morning at 8! Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep. When we arrived, we ended up having to wake everyone up to do the "Christmas thing." We had an amazing morning with them, followed by lunch at my grandmother's house and dinner back at the Phillips'.

Dinner at the Phillips Christmas night:

Amazing looking table!

Amazing cooks!

Amazing food! Eventhough the Christmas menu NEVER changes, I still look forward to Mushroom Supreme and Cranberry Sauce! YUMMM!

We previously did the Christmas dinner and gifts with my family on December 24.... like I said, it was a long Christmas. Our 'second parents' joined us and we had a fun-filled Disney Christmas... that's another story in itself...

Christmas at my grandma and grandpa's:

My cousin Ali and I

On December 27, we celebrated Christmas with my dad's side. We again, had more great food and had a lot of fun playing American Idol on Wee. Needless to say, neither John nor I were about to sing, but that didn't hold anyone else back!

Dad with Cassidy

My uncle John

HANNAH GARMAN

2008-12-18T05:23:00.000-08:00

This is an email I received from a friend of mine. Please read below and hopefully you can help make Hannah's Christmas Wish come true :)

Hannah is my 5 year old cousin who, just a few weeks ago, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a rare and incurable brain tumor. She has been given 12 weeks to live and is currently in her 7th week. Hannah's story is sad, but especially sad because her mother passed away just two years ago from breast cancer. Her father, brother Jordan, and sister Brittany are dealing with the unthinkable.

Right now Hannah has lost most of her motor skills. She is confined to a bed and cannot really do anything or play with the gifts she has been receiving. Hannah LOVES getting cards, though. She has gotten so many and has so much fun opening them and reading them with her grandma. She is so proud of all of her cards - her room is filled.

When asked what she wanted for Christmas, Hannah said she would like to see how many Christmas cards she could get. Many people have passed along this wish to their churches, friends, prayers groups and families and I'm asking you to continue to pass on Hannah's story.

So if you have time during the holidays, and would like to help Hannah with her wish, please send her a card. Her address is:

Hannah Garman
704 Orchard Rd
Lititz, PA 17543

You can feel free to forward this to as many people as you wish. If anyone has questions, they can email me at shanelle.lee@hotmail.com. If you want to keep up to date on Hannah and her progress, check out her Caring Bridge website at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahgarman

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers especially through the holiday season.

Many blessings,
Shanelle

Christmas Tree

2008-12-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

We finally got our Christmas tree! This is only our 2nd tree we have gotten, living in the same house for 4 year! We have never truly made the time to go get a tree, plus, with my schooling and finals, it has been so difficult. So, the tradition has grown that we meet up with John's parents and other friends and family for breakfast and then head to the same great place in search of a tree. This year, I think we were all in a hurry. Normally, we take a wagon ride through the fields until we find the perfect tree. I love that part! Instead, this year, I believe that everyone tagged a precut tree and no one ventured into the fields. Still, I love the experience and all the smells that go with having a fresh-cut Christmas tree.

UGH!

2008-12-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Not a good way to start my weekend... :(

Needless to say, the blame was not on me for this one. John had been begging me to get my oil changed in my vehicle and convinced me to head to Cloister because they were fast and cheap. So I did. After being told I needed a new lightbulb, oil filter, and new transmission fluid, I left with a bill of $120 instead of $30. (To make matters worse, I opted not to get the tranmission fluid replaced on this visit. That alone would have run me $150!) Anyway, those Cloister guys must have done something to my tire in order for me to come back... I just know it :)

Graduation~

2008-12-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

Kelsey and I at Annie Baileys after the final

Our study group

Celebrating at Krista's after the final. A Champagne toast to the new graduates!

Well, after a long 2 years of tears, laughs, and frustrations, we have all made it! We made it to the end of nursing school and are looking forwards to starting in the real world. I have accepted a job at Hershey Medical Center in Women's Health, where as the rest of my study group is planning to stay at Lancaster General. It's an awesome opportunity and I couldn't have asked to start at a better place. I love the women I will be working with, and I am so excited! My start date is January 5th, so I have a little time to get scrapbooking and cleaning up the house. (We all know it has been a wreck these last few weeks. Tuesday alone, I did 10 loads of wash; and there's only 2 of us! It was not good!) Anyway, the pediatric office has graciously given me full time work during the day until I start at Hershey. I am just so excited to finally have 1 full time job! Plus, I will only be working 3 days a week/12 hour shifts.

Anyway, here are some pictures of graduation!

STRESS!

2008-12-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

I have been so stressed out with studying for finals and my last test, I needed some time to do something for myself. I came home after the test today and set up for Christmas. This was as far as I got; I felt guilty for not studying.... so to the books again! I am just looking forward to when I won't have to worry about school and can finally get into the Christmas spirit!

Oh, and did you see Jupiter and Venus the other night? Look really closely...

Black Friday

2008-11-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

I did it again.. I was up at the crack of dawn for my annual black Friday shopping extravaganza! Michelle was sick this year, so it was the first year that I went by myself. Normally, we make coffee and hit the road.

I woke up at 2 and was at the mall by 3:30. This was the first year that some of the stores opened at 4AM instead of 5. Needless to say, I picked the right store because as I was standing in line outside, they decided to open their doors 15 minutes early! This might not sound like a big deal, but when there is a mad rush of people sprinting across the parking lot, you'll be lucky that you were standing in line.

After 9 hours of shopping, I just about finished my Christmas shopping. I tried to convince John to purchase a big screen TV as a joint gift, but he was not having any part of it. Needless to say, our friends purchased one the same day and John was probably kicking himself for not saying yes. The deals were really good, but you wouldn't know that we were in an economic crisis with the financial stock markets by the way people were buying things! It was nuts!

at 2AM

Nursing: The Heart of Technology

2008-11-17T12:48:00.001-08:00

Here a just a few quick pictures we took at the nursing convention we went to in Harrisburg. The convention was titled: Nursing, The Heart of Technology. We heard great seminars and attended an NCLEX review course to prep us for boards. I don't truly know if this was helpful, because after we were finished, our brains were fried, and I felt dumber than ever! Anyway, think about this slogan, I thought it was interesting:

1. Nursing, The Heart of Technology
VS.
2. Technology, The Heart of Nursing

We saw videos and demonstations on robotic machines caring for patients, passing medications, and now even doing procedures in operating rooms! It was crazy, but it made me think: is this was we have finally come to? Where is the compassion and "therapeutic touch" of another human being?

But then I saw the up side: These robots can care for people with easily transmittable diseases. Think about it... If a nurse cares for a patient with small pox (this disease is easily spread through direct contact or by touching a contaminated surface or area), they are putting other patients at risk by then caring for them. Do you really know if there are no organisms of anything on their clothing, their shoes, their pen? Scary, isn't it?

The bad thing about technology is people and their resistance to change. One speaker talked about the older generation of nurses and their resistance to change. The speaker commented that she was one who resisted the change from the mercury thermometers to the tympanic or oral! How little a change, but how resistance and stuborn nurses were. Can you image using a mercury thermometer today? I don't even know if I would know how to use one!

Anyway, I found myself sitting there, being one of those "old nurses." I saw these robots, the "incision free surgeries," the thoughts for pacemaker changers via telephone waves, etc.... and I thought, 'never in my time.' But guess what, it's coming... and sooner than we know it.

Study time :)

Jenelle, Me, and Kelsey. Look at all of our goodies. I bet we got about 30 pens, easily, tablets, hand sanitizers, lotions, all kinds of freebies!

Me, Dana, and Gail

Happy 25th/23rd Birthday!

2008-11-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have decided that I officially do not like birthdays anymore. This year was really hard for me. I hated 25! I guess I wasn't the only one because everyone else that I talked to, felt the same way when they hit 25. I don't know what it is, I just don't like it. I feel I'm not done with school, I haven't really accomplished anything since highschool, and I have nothing really to show for my work after being out of HS for 6 years! UGH; 6 years; let's not say that again!

So, needless to say, no matter how I feel, my birthday came and went. After a long drawn out day of studying (6 hours), followed by a non-eventful night at work, I ended the night falling asleep by midnight. The following evening, after a long bickering event of where to go to dinner, everyone finally decided on this awesome restaurant called Johnny's. It is an awesome steak house for John and I am in love with their Salmon and martini menu! The night ended well and everyone had a fun time.

Janelle and I

Nothing like a good chocolate cake and a mango martini!

The boys

The girls

The night my world ended :(

2008-10-31T07:47:00.001-07:00

Tonight, John and I decided to combine finances. By finances, I mean, EVERYTHING! To top off my wonderful evening, John made me call and cancel all of my credit cards. I know what you're thinking, 'Jacquie, you shouldn't have so many credit cards!' Let me just tell you; some of these credit cards have not been used since 2006, and some, I can't even find anymore! It's horrible. As the receptionists on the at the credit borough laughed on the other end when I told them my husband was making me cancel the card, John's mouth couldn't hit the floor fast enough when they told him the credit limits ranging from $700-&2300! It amazes me: and we wonder why people can't get out of debt. Imagine, $2300 worth of Limited clothing in a couple of shopping sprees! I'd be in heaven!

Strasburg Ghost Tour

2008-10-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Michelle invited Tracy and I to go on our first ghost tour of the season. Actually, Tracy and Michelle have never been on one before! I remember a couple of years ago, John and I went on one and have a wonderfully, scary time! I loved every minute of it!

This ghost tour was a little different. It was more directed to people who are "out-of towners." We walked the streets of Strasburg, listened to ghost/history stories, and visited grave sites. SPOOKY!

Michelle's mother had invited her Red Hat group and we were just the tag alongs I guess. They were such fun women and they couldn't stop talking! It sounds like there are trouble when they all get together! Afterwards, we stopped at Friendly's to celebrate the October birthdays. Nothing better to end the night than a hot fudge/melted peanut butter ice cream sundae! Ugh, the gym can't be calling my name sooner. HAHA!

Tracy, Michelle, and I

Some of the Red Hat Society Ladies

My pumpkin

2008-10-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

I went for the simple look this year. It was all about getting the other pumpkins done. This is my best example of the character on A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Oh what fun you've missed:

2008-10-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun now that's it's fall. I love the weather and I love dressing in sweatshirts! This past Sunday, I went to carve pumpkins with the annual crew. We ended up carving 9 pumpkins total. Michelle was having a 70th birthday party for her mom and we needed to carve multiple little pumpkins to light the paths. They turned out adorable. We made a whole day of it. I brought stuff to 'make your own pizza' and pumpkin cookies for desert. The kids loved it. You'll see by the end pictures that we had a "not-so-happy camper." It seems every year we have one and this year was no different. Oh well.... Here's to next year!

All the pumpkins in a row....

Abigail did a great job. She carved 3 ghosts the entire circumfrence of the pumpkin.

Mom, Michelle, was so proud of her HAND DRAWN cow she thought up and created! Way to go Shell!

Zac was so proud of "his" pumpkin his mom made. He kept telling everyone that those were his hands she traced.

Gabrielle did a wonderful job on her pumpkin as well. It was a long 7 hours.

Farm Show, Farm Show, How I Love Thee

2008-10-10T12:37:00.001-07:00

Ah, you know it has hit Autumn when the leaves start to turn, and you realize you now need more than a sweatshirt outside. The beginning of the Farm Show also marks a time for Autumn, as we get excited to carve pumpkins, prepare for the trick-or-treaters, etc. I love it!

I have been to the Farm Show only twice this week. I've enjoyed many long lost pleasures such as Kreider Farms milkshakes, funnel cakes, and a warm toasted sub. I love every minute of it, from looking at Bobcats with John, to seeing a 1200 lb pumpkin. It is also a good time to catch up with friends that we 'never find the time' to see, unfortunately.

Every year, I love looking at the animals and watching the baby pigs feed, holding the chicks, etc. This year, kittens came onto the scene. I loved all of them! I wanted one so badly, but with Matilda, I don't think that would fly too well. (with John either) John and I had a wonderful time together last night as we walked the grounds of Manheim and laughed over chocolate milkshakes. Such fun times!

Courtney and Drew's Wedding

2008-10-10T12:21:00.001-07:00

Courtney and Drew's wedding was perfect. After almost a whole week of rain, the weather held out Saturday for their special day. The weather was perfect, the sun shining, and fall leaves falling. How beautiful!

Courtney and Drew

Jess & I

AJ, myself, and Eric

Jess & AJ

Awwww!

Ty & Marissa

High School Reunion?

Colin decided to break out the guitar. It was awesome. He and AJ decided to write a song about Courtney and Drew's wedding. It was so creative! They did an amazing job!

This is the table of 'party-poopers.' They did not want to have fun!

Keely, myself, Courtney, Jess, and Sara

Thank You

2008-09-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

We can say thank you enough for all your love and support to us. We couldn't have made it 5 years without all of you behind us, encouraging us through school, starting a buisness, and life's everyday challenges. We love you guys!

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WEDDING PICTURES, CLICK THE LINK TO THE RIGHT FOR A SLIDESHOW.

Cooking with Mom

2008-09-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

My Saturday consisted of spending the morning at the pediatric office... working of course. MISRIBLE! Since we are getting into flu season, it seems all I am doing is giving nebulizer treatments and giving flu shots. This past Saturday was exceptionally bad...
I had to give 2 flu shots to a brother & sister; probably 11 & 7? They were both screaming so loudly, kicking, punching, and holding onto the door handle to escape. The mom was in no control what so over and after about 5 minutes of this going on, she started to have a break down and cry! She finally got the little girl onto her lap and held her tight. I was just about to go in for the sting, and the child starts to vomiting. She had worked herself up so much, she made herself sick. Although once she got her shot, she was fine. Her brother on the other hand was not so easy. I offered to grab another nurse to help hold him down and he promised he would stop the kicking. Again, once I had the needle open and just about near his arm, his mom released her grip and he started swinging and kicking again. Needless to say, I immediately backed away, needle open and all. I was not about to get stuck with a needle, clean or not clean... I didn't care. This ordeal went on for almost 20 mintues! I'm in the room thinking to myself, 'I do have other patients, I don't really need this today!' I know it's horrible to think, but this is outrageous! As much as I love kids, I hate giving shots! This makes for a really long day!

When I finally got home, my parents brought over Chinese and we started cooking. Our friend is having surgery and I wanted to make dinner for her family while she is recovering, so I decided on something easy... soups. My mom and I made chicken corn noodle soup and white chicken chili... AWESOME! Here are a few pictures for our fun 5 hours of cooking....

Yes, I made the dough rivals! My favorite part to the soup!
And we couldn't have done it without the palmagranite martinis! YUM!

The best part was that I got to use all my new cooking gadgets! I love the Le Crucet and recommend it to everyone!

Look at all the soup!

Goodbye Lancaster, Hello Chicago!

2008-09-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, and Myla has since moved... :(
She has ventured out to the big city of CHICAGO!
We celebrated with a going-away party for her last Sunday.
Here are just a few pictures....

MYLA, WE MISS YOU... COME BACK!

Rascal Flatts

2008-08-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we were invited to see Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift with Bryan and Amanda. Both our wedding songs were "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts and it was a neat experience to share this fun time with them.

The concert was at the Giant Center and Bryan got 4 box seat tickets! It was amazing! We were high up and super close to the stage. Taylor Swift was not as good as I thought she would be, but the crowd seemed to enjoy her. Rascal Flatts were great. Awesome effects, smoke, ballons, confetti, etc. It was a real fun night!

WEDDING PICTURES!

2008-08-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Follow this link for a slide show that our photographer put together. Needless to say, we have about 530 pictures that are not here. How will I ever chose?

http://www.garywilkinsonphotography.com/wedding/jacqueline-john/

John's favorite gift

2008-08-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

I must say, with everything we've purchased, I got the better end of the deal. I get to use the blender, the mixer, the pots and pans, etc. Poor John... does he really want to use all that? NOPE! So, his favorite gift from a number of couples was this...

And as you can see, we've already put it to good use :)

Mr. & Mrs. William Sonoma

2008-07-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, I literally think we have purchased the entire store. The evening after we got home from the honeymoon, we were in a spending mood. John and I went to William Sonoma and purchased our ENTIRE registry! $1500, 4 hours, and no fighting later, we were home again. We have since been cleaning like mad to get the house back to some level of organization. I love everything we bought and I can't wait to use it!

It's funny because I would have purchased some different serving pieces, but a friend from high school, his mother works at William Sonoma and helped us purchase our registry. She kept telling me to go big! (She has 3 hungry boys and was always cooking during high school when the "girls" arrived for the evening at her home). Super cute! I love her! So of course, I bought the serving pieces for 20+.

We will be having holiday dinners eventually, right?

Bachlorette Party

2008-07-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

...

2008-07-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the mulch still hasn't been taken care of since the "Mulch" post way back when. Our marriage counselors decided to have some fun with it and this is what we came home to one evening....

A tribute for Father's Day

2008-07-03T17:41:00.003-07:00

I LOVE YOU!

Bridal Shower : June 7th

2008-07-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

I was very surprised when John and I headed to our friend's home for a birthday party, and here was my bridal shower. The planning must have been such a process and the ladies did a great job. I was very surprised... and John was able to keep the secret well. Everything was great; from the hurricane drinks by Mr. Phillips to the flowers are gifts for the guests. Everyone had a great time!

My lovely fiance :)

Awww..... :)

Some of John's favorites

The ladies who threw the engagement party. Janelle, Courtney, and Steph

Billy Joel Concert

2008-07-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

Quick pics at dinner before heading to the Billy Joel Concert

Why?

2008-06-09T12:28:00.001-07:00

The other evening I went to a Giant which I rarely ever use. I was on my way to work and wanted red beets for dinner for some odd reason.? I went to get in the self check out line because of only having 1 item, and yes, I like to do it myself once in awhile. There were 4 ladies in front of me with cart loads and they had formed one long line, back the isle!, for these registers. 4 registers and 1 line!? Come on! I kindly asked which line they were in and they commented, "We're waiting for all of them." What do you mean, 'all of them?' It's one or the other. You don't form one line for 6 open registers at any other stores. You pick a line, unload your stuff, hope there are no price checks, and pray you picked the right line. You take chances. UGH! I just don't understand people. Hey, and maybe everytime before when I used these self pay lines, I was jumping in front of others. Who knows! :)

Have a great day! Weather here is 93!

Wedding

2008-06-01T17:09:00.001-07:00

Here are just some quick pictures of Dana's wedding.

Newlyweds :)

Jennelle, Kelly, Kelsey, & I

Too cute

MULCHING! UGH!

2008-06-01T16:56:00.001-07:00

Just a quick picture of my mulch job that I am so proud of....

The flowers this year have grown so much as well... everything actually!

A Night Out

2008-06-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Let the celebrations begin! We had a lot to celebrate... I just finished school for the summer, Traci helped put together a successful post prom, and well, Steph and Michelle just needed some fun!

We decided to go out in Lancaster and "bar hop." Now, none of us have truly ever done this, but I guess there's a first time for everything.

The night started when John and Traci's husband drove us to an awesome restaurant for dinner. (Only later did I find out it was a gay bar, but we still made it fun). On the way to the restaurant, the guys decide that we are in the CASH CAB! How cool. They had questions made up for us to answer and we were trying to win their money. Steph was awesome at it and got every question! She won us $50! After dinner, we went to a couple of bars and had a drink at each unique bar. We listened to bands, mingled with people we knew, and even witnessed 2!, yes 2, hit and runs. We had a blast and we totally needed every minute of it. Can't wait to do it again next month!

Finals

2008-06-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

So, we finally finished the semester and I am just now getting around to blogging about it. So much has been happening. Fortunately, we all passed and are moving on to the final stage of our schooling, as of now. I'm sure there's much more to come. Here are some quick pictures from the night we all passed. We headed out to Marion Court and had a great time!

Engagement Party #2

2008-04-30T09:50:00.001-07:00

Another engagement party was thrown this past Saturday. It appeared that everyone had a wonderful time. It was good to see our friends and hang out for the evening. We were stunned with the generosity of the gifts and the turnout. Gail did a wonderful job on my bouquet for the wedding rehearsal, and we received some really creative gifts. Now, I guess it's our turn to throw the party so we can use all the "stock the bar" stuff! Can't wait!

Candice, Jess, and I

My love :), who did a wonderful job on his speech. It almost made me cry.

I cannot believe all of things we received! It was totally unexpected and yet greatly appreciated! We love and thank you all! You're the best and we can't wait until July!

BeerBQ - Summer Fun

2008-04-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Dana and Myla decided it was finally time to throw a housewarming party in their new place. The weather was awesome and it was so nice to see everyone again. We really had a great time (what I remember of it :( ) Here are just a few pics from that night.

My #2 lover---John's still and always will be my #1! MUAH!

Lunch with the girls

2008-04-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Jacquie, Shelly, Jacqui, and Patty

I think my right eye has more eyeshadow than the other! AHH!

Today was awesome. My day started out getting a hair and makeup trial for the wedding. That was a disaster waiting to happen. I hated the makeup and the hair, ugh, I was ok with. I never wear much makeup, so to look all done up was hard. Here are a few pictures. It's ok if you hate them too :)

After that drauma, I met some girls from my LPN program for lunch. It was awesome to hear how everyone was doing. Jacqui came up from South Carolina and Patty is living here as well as Maryland. It's interesting to hear the difference in pay rates, but to also consider the cost of living in different areas on the US. We had an awesome time.

The evening ended with the next blog at the Summy House.

A Night out with Friends

2008-04-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Nice picture John :)

Steph, Dawn, and Jeffrey

John and Jana

Awwww... Tracy :)- - - This was totally your night!

Brad

Here are just some random pictures of us. We have been hanging out at a local restaurant pretty much every weekend. A friend of ours plays guitar there once in a while, so we try to support him whenever we can; plus, we really enjoy ourselves.

Gala

2008-03-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Marc and Carol

Jason and Cara

My parents

John hit big on the wheel... only once

The band that is playing at our wedding happened to be playing at the Hershey Hotel tonight. We bought tickets for the evening and we enjoyed gambling with fake money, dancing, and dinner. John's parents, my parent's and a couple my mom works with all attended. We had a great time. The band was awesome, eventhough they were not playing any music that we liked. Tonight, they played more of a 'swing style,' but we got the idea of what to expect. Here are just a few pictures of our night.

A Tribute to VT

2008-01-18T09:12:00.001-08:00

As you may not be aware, John's kicker in football will be attending Virginia Tech for college in the fall. John can't stop talking about it, so I decided to make marroon and orange cookies for VT and our skiing weekend.

Ready for this?

2008-01-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

Ok then, here we go...

Class finals, you start your job today, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Welcome to class, again, and soon to be Valentine's Day.

Wow, I've totally lost track of time until John said something the other day about not having a post in a while. So here is the brief version of 2 months:

My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December. Their children threw them a party and we also got pictures professionally taken with the grandparents and grandchildren. It was a lot of fun, plus, I got a new picture for my Blk & Wht wall.

A day of babysitting Zac... We headed off to Hershey Park to see the Christmas decorations and of course, go through Chocolate World. We had a blast!

The results of pulling an all nighter to study for my final in December. A bunch of people came to our place and studied for what the entire day. It must have paid off because we passed!

This is just a quick add in of Halloween at Rockwells :)

First day of a new job. So far, I am loving it, but it is truely tiring work. I don't really have a set schedule as of now, especially with school, but I'm sure things will work out.

John and I...

Oh, by the way... Did you know we are getting married THIS YEAR!? AHH! Exciting!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T11:34:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, we traveled to DUSHORE, Pa to be with my family for Thanksgiving. We stayed with my aunt and uncle in their cabin. I felt like 'Hunter Jacquie' the whole weekend. We rode the gator, went spotting for deer (which John thoroughly enjoyed), taste-tested wine, rocked it our with Guitar Hero, and had an awesome party. I even got to shoot a bow and arrow and a hand gun. The gun was a little too much for me. It was just too loud, plus, I didn't seem to hit anything. And when I say anything, I mean, we don't even know which direction the bullets went. Pretty bad. Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving....

Welcome Hunters! Hunting started this weekend and my dad, Uncle John, and Jonathan all stayed up for the entire weekend to hunt.

Yeah...

John and I infront of the bobcat. My parents, aunt & uncle said they saw one of these the last time they were up, so we just had to get a picture. That would be pretty scary if I saw one of these. Plus, my aunt said there was a bear up there too which she's seen. I will admit I was scared to go outside at night by myself....

John shooting the rifle.

"Guitar Hero" A totally awesome game Josh brought with. We rocked the entire weekend!

Happy 50th Birthday to my DAD!

John and Janelle flying in the woods on the gator.

Janelle & Josh in the back while John was driving. It was so much fun to go up in the woods, through open fields, etc.

Aunt Pam & Mom wine tasting.

Jonathan, Lauren, and Uncle John taste testing as well. The wines were pretty good. They were just what I like, the sweet stuff. These weren't super dry for John's liking.

Once I get some more pictures from my mom, I'll post those as well. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Only 30 more days till Christmas, and I didn't even go Black Friday Shopping! Oh wait, I did. The women shopped in downtown Dushore on Friday around noon. Let me say one thing, this was not the BFShopping that I am use to. We shopped at a hardware store for guns, the Jolly Trolly (a knick-nack store), and the liquor store. John did, however, get his first pair of fleece-lined Carhartts and he looks totally adorable in them. :)

Poconos Weekend

2007-11-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

Everyone enjoying dinner at Club Lake Naomi

SNOW! The first I've seen for the year!

Amanda & I

Amanda, Brian, & John enjoying the 'Frangelica" (actually, I don't remember what this shot was but it was nasty :(

Jason & Kate

Bob & Amy

My love :)

Just a quick insert about this past weekend...

Brian and Amanda invited us up to their cabin in the Poconos just to get away. There were 4 couples total who went. The cabin and grounds were beautiful! We had an awesome time hanging out, going to breakfast, etc. Saturday night, we all got dressed up and went to Lake Naomi Club where Brian and Amanda's wedding was held. Dinner was amazing. Sunday ended with everyone going on a hike (except me because I had to study for a quiz Monday morning) and watching football all afternoon. What else is new?! Apparently the hike was great and everyone had a wonderful time. Oh yeah, and it snowed about 6 inches. Our hopes were to get snowed in, but we knew it was just wishful thinking...

Hectic Again

2007-11-08T09:27:00.001-08:00

Yes, this title could be for all blogs from here on out. It is never ending! Here's a little update of what has been happening....

1. Halloween, I ran out of 5 bags of candy by 7:15! John and I did take a walk up to meet the new neighbors who are our age. We seem really nice and hopefully we'll get together soon. It's always fun meeting new people!

2. Our basement flooded again! We weren't sure what had happened, but thankful this time, I learned. Before, I put just about everything in rubbermaid containers to protect them. Only some picture doubles were ruined, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us to get it cleaned up.

3. I got a nursing job! YEAH! I start at the hospital on December 11th. I am super excited and I can't wait to buy scrubs! Is that wrong of me to be excited over that?

4. I got a wedding dress! It is perfect. It seems to be everything that I have wanted in a dress. (I know I haven't gotten the pictures up of the girls either, but I will try to do that tonight)

5. Our weekends are packed for November. With going to the mountains, Thanksgiving, etc. we should have a fun month.

6. My birthday was boring, but what should I have expected at 24? I didn't see John all day and I was at school from 8am-9pm. John did get me a cute charm for my PanDora. Right after he gave it to me, we tried to put it on. He was cooking dinner and I dropped the charm under the refridgerator. What a site it must have been to watch us move the fridge, and use a flashlight and flyswater to get this tiny charm. Oh the adventures we have....

Tug? is that a word? :)

2007-11-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, here it is... a simple tag from Steph and Michelle....

Two names you go by:
1. Jacquie
2. Jack

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. sweatshirt
2. wool pee-coat (it's cold in PA)

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. hang out with my love and plan the wedding... hahaha!
2. scrapbook

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. to pass school (and my test monday)
2. to get away and have fun for awhile

Two favorite Pets you have had:
1. MURPHY; our sheep dog:(
2. Tiger; our cat
(although I do remember having races against janelle with our hermit crabs. i think mine was "speedy")

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Melissa
2. Katie
(my only 2 blogger friends)

Two things you ate today:
1. frozen grapes (don't judge before you try them)
2. pretzels

Two people you last talked to:
1. John
2. Lady who I had a job interview with

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. working
2. FOOTBALL GAME! (DUH, it's Friday)

Two longest car rides:
1. Florida by far
2. Denton Hill (it's in the middle of nowhere!)

Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. New Years

Two favorite beverages:
1. Apple Juice or Grapefruit Juice
2. Iced Coffee from McDonalds

Yes, so there it is; my first tag.

October!?

2007-10-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

I cannot belive how far into October we already are... and NO POSTS!
This month has flown by! Here is a quick overview of where my month has gone:

October 6th: Bridesmaid dress shopping and an awesome engagement party thrown by John's parents. The Phillips' had their home decorated beautifully and with tons of friends, we had an amazing time. That morning, we all met at my house for Moravian Sugar Cake, fresh fruit, and coffee. Here are just a few quick pics of everyone. (John's side met us at the Bridal shop; there are still 4 more girls!) The dress color is not this, but these are the styles they each picked. Everyone looked beautiful!

My fall break from October 8-10 consisted of helping Courtney make a final decision on the place for our class reunion. We only had one stop to make and we were both very impressed. The class reunion is July 5th. It's close to the wedding, but I know we'll all pull it off wonderfully! The rest of my week consisted of running errends and cleaning up around the house. I feel like the house has been neglected for awhile and it needed some major work.

John has been hard at work mowing the lot. We still drive by it at least once a week. We are both so excited to move and we can't wait to start builing. John kind of keeps up with that and I maintain this house... to some degree I guess.

This Saturday we went to the Sertoma $200 dinner and did not win the 15 grand. We had a great time with our friends and after dinner, went out to have some more fun. I can't believe the stuff that we do are our ages. The next morning, John and I woke up still laughing histerically from the night before.

Today I won tickets to the Pa Ren. Fair. John has been asking what we should do for my birthday and since he has never been to the fair, I thought it might be a good idea to just get away.

Wedding wise: I still have NO dress. Drauma at the Bridal Boutique and I am once again dressless. I think that I should start a count of all the dresses I purchase till I finally find the right one. Otherwise, we've interviewed a DJ whom John and I both really seem to enjoy. Our struggles currently are working out a time line of when everything is to happen. It's a lot to think about, all the details you never considered. Check in a week or so for updated pictures.

Stress

2007-09-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, everything has been happening so fast here lately. School seems to be flying by and I am loving every minute of it.

In the past 2 weeks,

1. Matilda has gotten beat up outside our house. She came flying in the house one night and she was bleeding from under the chin. Poor thing :( I told John that we are never letting her out again! We'll see how long that takes till one of us caves.

2. Barons won last week and lost the week prior. Last week, we had an awesome celebration. I won't tell secrets, but they say pictures tell 1,000 words.... (and yes, we are soaked and wet at 3am!)

3. I took my LPN licensure test on September 14th. I was super nervous taking it and was 100% sure that I failed. I had all 205 questions! An awesome girlfriend met me for lunch afterwards and helped me get my mind off the test. We had a blast, and to finish the week, I found out that I passed!
*Just a quick note to go along with this story. Susan and I went to the Dollar Tree to kill time. While in line at the register, I noticed hundreds of pregnancy tests lining the wall! How accurate do you really think those tests are?! Aren't they like $20 in the stores normally!? It just made me think, wow, you have to be really despirate to buy a $1 pregnancy test and trust the results.

4. I have decided to go dress shopping on my own. I've learned that taking people with you can be a bad thing, as well as a positive thing. I went by myself yesterday and Jannese met up with me later. We did lunch and had a fun time discussing wedding stuff. She's been a huge help in the whole thing. The good thing is, I think I have it narrowed down to 3 dresses that I love. (this are after the 2 that I already purchased)

5. I am LOVING night clinicals! I have an awesome instuctor who has everything together perfectly. I have clinicals at York from 2:30-9. It definately makes for a long day, especially when I get up at 6am!