Pumpkin Pies with a Dash of Nostalgia

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I've been given the responsibility of baking the pumpkin pies this year! Quite a big responsibility since it is my favorite Thanksgiving dessert! If the pumpkin pie isn't just right, Thanksgiving just isn't the same in my book. I've had the ingredients in my pantry for about a week now and have been looking forward to a day of baking for a while now. I woke up today with a list of things to do outside of the kitchen. Once I got home from errands I ran straight to the kitchen, turned the stove on so that the mulling spices I bought from William Sonoma last year would fill the house with a holiday smell, tuned the radio to one of the TWO stations in Greenville playing Christmas music and started baking! I've never made a pumpkin pie before so I just decided to use the recipe from the label of the canned pumpkin that I got. They look good...I hope they taste as good as they look!

What is it about smells that bring back memories? All day, I've gone through a wave of vivid memories of my mom in the kitchen at Thanksgiving time baking and cooking while dad is outside grilling the turkey. I stand in awe of how she was able to put so much on the table at once when it's taken me the better part of a day to bake just 2 pies!

I hope that wherever you are this Thanksgiving, you are with those you love and are thankful for the blessings that surround you. I am blessed to have the most incredible family and friends anyone could ask for. The longer I stay in this kitchen with the smells and tastes and sounds of the holidays surrounding me, I think of my family, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, brothers, mom and dad, friends and doggies and seriously can't think of anyone else who could be more blessed than me. I am grateful to have every single one of you in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome Movember!!!

Say hello to my friend Clay! He just sent me this picture to update me on the status of his 'Mo'. You see, he is raising money for Prostate Cancer Research by growing a moustache during the month of November. I really think it's actually just an excuse to be able to go in to work everyday looking absolutely ridiculous but that didn't stop me from sending in my donation to help the cause! How could I not??? Look at him! If you care about Prostate Cancer Research or just want to see how much further this 'mo' will go, you can go to www.movember.com. Click on the US tab, then click on the 'Donate' tab at the top. You'll want to then click on 'Donate to an Individual' and type in Clay's registration code which is 1691111. Happy Friday!

Recipe for a Perfect Fall Weekend...

1 family dinner in Columbia with good wine and even better lamb
3 of the cutest dogs you can find barking, wrestling and playing all night long
1 ticket to the USC v. Arkansas game on Saturday
a dash of 70 degree weather
1 Michael Phelps standing 50 feet away from me to drule over
1 USC win
1 Auburn win
1 night hanging out with new friends
1.5 hours spent at Mass
1 Body Pump class
1 Yoga class
30 minutes at the dog park
1 tall Pumpkin Spice Latte
1 batch of African Peanut soup
1 new episode of Desparate Housewives

And of course...no pictures! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did!

She's so Photogenic!!!

A gal I know from Auburn and a fellow blogger hosted a contest for pet owners to submit their favorite pictures of their canines and other pets! I entered this picture of Sierra that I took when she was a puppy! She hasn't announced the winner yet, but I think my girl has a pretty good chance, don't you think? She compiled all the pictures she was sent into a slide show! If you need a good laugh and a warm heart, check out Erika's blog and look for Sierra! Erika is an incredible interior designer and her blog is one that I stalk often! Her twin sister, Darby, has a really cool blog as well! Check them out!

What an Awesome Opportunity!

As I'm trying to seek the intentions God has for me in this life and not focus on the limitations, I'm trying to open my eyes to every opportunity sent my way. I feel certain that I have made good friends in Greenville so fast because I completely opened myself up to whoever God sent my way. When my cousin sent me on a happy hour without him to meet all of his friends just 2 weeks after moving here, I went not knowing who or what to expect. What a blessing it has been to have met so many fun people and been included in so many great events like a day on Lake Keowee, birthday parties, and Gamecock Football! Me and Meredith at the tailgate

No...this is not a new friend...this would be the locksmith that charged Matt $150 to unlock their car after they locked the keys in the car!

Mom and Dad were able to get me 45 yd line, 10th row seats to the game! So, no...I did not zoom in to take this picture! Best seats I've ever had for a football game!

Besides making good friends, I've been trying to find opportunities to fill my extra time. I have a lot of time on my hands 1.) because work is slow, and 2.) because I'm single and don't have a family to take care of. So because I'm not letting the nature of my job and a slow economy nor my marital status define who I am, my eyes are open to the intentions God has for me. I decided a while back to try to get involved with the Children's Hospital at Greenville Memorial. This was such a natural decision for me since I grew up watching my Mom give so much of her time to Children's Hospital at Richland Memorial in Columbia. Lucky for me, I have a pretty solid connection with the Children's Hospital here in Greenville.

I asked Bill Schmidt (who just so happens to be the Director of Children's Hospital), or Dr. Bill as I like to call him every now and then, whether there was any group I could be a part of that would allow me to meet other people and get involved with Children's Hospital. Being the eternal optimist that he is, Dr. Bill immediatly said, "Yep! I'm going to get you involved with the Development Council!" Within a few weeks, I had 2 emails in my inbox welcoming me to the Development Council and inviting me to a New Member Orientation. I had to sign a Commitment Form and started to read a description of the Council which mentioned that this was a 3 year commitment! Yikes! What had I gotten myself into?

So, today was the New Member Orientation. I tried to remember what Mom would wear to hospital board meetings back in the day, so I threw on my favorite wool tweed dress pants, some sassy heels that are impossible to walk in and a sweater. (I love dressing up in the fall!) I walked into the lobby of Greenville Memorial and felt like I was in Phipps down in Atlanta! There was a hustle and bustle about the place, very upbeat, piano playing in the lobby, food court straight ahead. Was I really in a hospital???

I turned the corner to go to Conference Room #5 and saw Linda Brees who Dr. Bill told to look out for me! She immediately threw her arm around me and welcomed me! They took my picture for the directory and then shuffled me into the Conference room where a bunch of men and women, dressed in business suits were sitting around a table eating lunch. I felt a bit of anxiety as I started to think of little ol' me...a former school teacher...not really fitting in with the 'suits'! But as soon as I sat down, everyone was so nice and we had a great lunch talking and getting to know each other.

Dr. Bill soon came into the room and sat down and ate lunch with us. Then the meeting started. As the various leaders of the group went around and spoke to all of us about the Development Council and its purpose, I began to realize that this was an incredible opportunity given to me! Suddenly, getting out and meeting people took second base to getting out and making a difference.

The Development Council does so much to support the children and staff at Children's Hospital! They plan events and fundraisers to raise money for the hospital...anything from the Radiothon that raised over $200,000 dollars this year to golf tournaments. They are committed to the education of children and parents about child safety to keep kids OUT of the hospital! There are so many other ways that the council gets involved with children and I'm so excited that I have been given a chance to work with them too!

The absolute best part of the meeting was at the end when Dr. Schmidt took us on a tour of the Children's Hospital. Besides my father, of course, I have always said that Dr. Bill is one of the most incredible men I know. To see the Children's Hospital that he runs and is so passionate about reaffirmed my respect for Bill and all that he has done to make this facility one of the best around. He took us through the NICU first which was absolutely heart breaking and incredible at the same time. To see babies in little beds, clinging to their lives...some of them only weighing in at a little over a pound! Each baby has a station with a monitor and rocking chair. Each station also has a dry erase board on the wall. One baby's older sibling wrote a note saying that he loved his little sister. Another baby had a note written on the board from one of his nurses saying, "Yeah! I weigh 3 pounds!"

Every child at Children's Hospital must go to school. Dr. Bill showed us the classroom they have set up. They bring in teachers who are hired by the school districts to work at the hospital and teach kids who are sick. So while kids are in the hospital, they are counted present at school and can return without missing much of anything!

Dr. Bill also showed us the 'Treatment Rooms' they have on the Children's Hospital floor. He told us that there is a strict policy that no treatment beyond a finger prick is ever done in a child's room. Any procedure that has to be done, the child is taken to another room, neutral ground, so that their rooms are a safe haven where they can relax. They also put kids to sleep for any painful procedure because they want the hospital experience to be as pain free as possible.

I could go on forever about everything else I saw today...but I won't! It was amazing! I almost felt like I was on an episode of Grey's Anatomy and I was one of the residents trying to keep up with Dr. Bailey because Dr. Bill walked so fast throughout the tour that he was literally about 15 feet in front all of us the whole time! Every time he started walking again, we were almost in a jog to keep up with him!

I can't wait for the next meeting which is November 5th! One day after Election Day! Oh boy! And with that in mind and Halloween approaching...I'll leave you with this cartoon to ponder! (I found it while blog stalking...yet again!)

Something to Think About...

I've been reading "The Shack" by William Young lately. I'd recommend it to anyone who struggles with the question of why God lets bad things happen. There was a quote that I wrote down the other day after I read it that I keep thinking about:

"...humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I (God) have for them"

How often do we focus on the limitations of ourselves and others? I think of myself as a single girl in her 30's before I think of anything else. Not to say that being single is always a limitation but a lot of people view it that way. And those who view it as a limitation and are burdened because of it are missing what God has intended for them. I am not defined by my singleness but by who I am and who God wants me to be...a teacher, a daughter, a friend, a sister, etc.

How often does society define others by their limitations? Kids with disabilities are often defined by their disability rather than who they are. Emily once told me while we were at Auburn that we should always consider "the child before the disability." In other words, rather than saying "the down syndrome student" we should say "the student with down syndrome."

Even political candidates are defined by their limitations (i.e. McCain-old, Palin-inexperienced) when really we should define them by who they are and what they have to offer.

I've been thinking about this quote for the past few days and thought I'd share. I hope it sticks with you for a while as well!

I'm Still Sleepy!

So, Sierra sleeps in my room (on the floor, not in my bed! I have a thing with dogs in bed...I can't stand the hair and Sierra is a bed hog). She used to sleep in her crate but that stopped around the time that she started waking up at 4:00 am and barking! The bark collar worked for a while but then I decided that she spent so much time in her crate during the day, it wasn't such a bad idea to let her sleep in my room. I started this down in Charleston and she did great. Her bed was on the floor about 2 feet away from mine and each night we would go to our respective beds and turn in for the night.

Lately, however, Sierra dog has been a bit restless. I've woken up for the past couple nights to her shaking her head (she has an ear infection which I think is why she's shaking) so of course, her collar makes noise. So, I've taken her collar off before she goes to bed. That seemed to work for a while. But last night, she came up with a new trick to wake me up.

About 3:30 am, I wake up to what sounded like my poor dog using every muscle in her body to hurl all over my carpet. I threw on the light, sprung out of bed and hurried her into the bathroom on the tile floor. Once in the bathroom, she stares up at me with a grin on her sweet face, as if to say, "Wanna play?" Oooooh! I was not happy! So now that my eyes are adjusted to the light and I feel as if I've run around the block a few times after the mad sprint to the bathroom to avoid massive damage to my carpet, I'm wide awake. And what does Sierra do once she realizes that it's not time to play? Well, she just goes back to her bed and falls asleep. Needless to say, the snooze button on my alarm was pushed a couple extra times this morning! Praise God for Office Days!

Weekends in Greenville

I just thought I'd post some pictures of what's been going on in Greenville over the past couple weekends. My last post was about my girls weekend with Erin and Jenn. Here are a couple pictures. Don't you love how Erin and I are twins in the first picture and Jenn and I are dressed alike in the next? I'm a complete copy cat!

On the bridge in Falls Park

At SkyTop Apple Orchard

This past weekend, Mom and Dad came up to Greenville with the Bayards to stay with the Schmidts. On Saturday, we all went up to Table Rock to hike and have a picnic lunch. The hike brought back memories of when we came up to Greenville to visit Bill and Jean when I was younger and we all hiked Table Rock. I can remember sliding down one of the rocks into the water below. Table Rock is only about 45 minutes away from Greenville so I hope that I'll get up there again soon! I think Sierra was a mountain goat in her former life! She never stopped...my hands felt like they were rope burned from pulling back on the leash so much! She loved it.

I have to say though, one of the more memorable moments for me was what happened after we got back from the hike. While we were hiking, Ruth Bayard stayed behind because her foot was bothering her. So we planned to meet her at the trail head for lunch. After we ate lunch, Ruth walked up to the restroom before we got in the car to go back to Greenville. Mom, Jean, and I were talking around the table as Ruth walked up the hill. Mom was holding onto Sierra when all of a sudden Sierra starts barking in Ruth's direction. We all looked up at Ruth and it seemed like she was fine...so we just told Sierra to lock it up. Sierra kept at it though. A couple minutes later, after non stop barking, we realized that Ruth was still up at the top of the hill and hadn't made it to the restroom yet and she was limping. She started calling down to us so her husband John ran up the hill to her. Turns out that she had twisted her ankle and was really hurt. I'm not saying that my dog is a genius...but I am convinced that she has a 6th sense!

Sierra and Dexter

Okay...so I was going to post pictures that I took of Fall for Greenville, but since it just took me almost 30 minutes to post the last few, I think I'll take a break for today! Is anyone else having problems posting pictures to your blog? Everytime I try to post them, they go the the top of the post and then I have to drag them to the spot in the post where I want them to be. Lately, it's been next to impossible to drag them...they just don't move! What am I doing wrong? Should I post the pictures first and then type around? Help!

Girls Weekend!

This weekend my friends Jenn and Erin came to visit me in Greenville! They both got here around lunch time on Saturday so we went straight downtown and grabbed a bite to eat at Paris Cafe on Main Street. Mom and I went there a couple weeks ago for lunch...it's a great spot to grab a good sandwich and salad and sit outside to enjoy the fresh air! I then took them up and down Main Street to look at all the cute shops. Jenn took advantage of a baby free weekend and started her Christmas shopping! On Sunday, we went with Angie and Tres and family to the SkyTop Apple Orchard in Flat Rock, NC! It was an adventure!

The more people I know who have children, the more in awe of parenthood I am! We drove up to Angie and Tres' house to see a Suburban and a Mini Van packed full of strollers, snacks, car seats, and oh...babies. They had friends in from Charlotte who had 2 kids so there was twice as much stuff to haul up to the mountains. The drive up to the orchard was absolutely gorgeous! The fall colors have started to appear so it is really cool driving into the mountains! I can't believe I'm this close to them! Once we got up to the orchard, we met Jason and Caryn and their new baby, Charley. Tres and friend, Chad, got a dozen apple donuts which were better than they should have been! Oh my gosh! They were like an apple version of a funnel cake you get at the fair...but better.

You should have seen the whole clan walking through the orchard. The kids were hysterical! One little girl, Peyton, kept picking the apples, biting into them and then throwing them down on the ground. I'm sure the people walking through after us must have seen a couple dozen apples with teeth marks in them on the ground and wondered what strange animal was lurking around the orchard biting into apples but not eating them. It was a great place for the kids to run around and it was fun for the adults too! I thought it was pretty cool being able to just pick an apple off the tree and eat it right there!

We then stopped off in Hendersonville to get lunch at a Mexican restaurant afterwards. You should of seen the poor girls face at the door when Jason told her that we had 15 people with us, "and 6 of them are kids!" They survived and the place is still standing so all in all, it was a great day.

When we got back, the girls left and I went straight to my room to read the last 9 pages of The Other Boleyn Girl, which I've been reading for the past 6 weeks almost and could not put down! This was the longest book I've ever read--I LOVE to read but am a slow reader so this was a pretty big deal for me! I couldn't wait to rent the movie so I went straight to Blockbuster. I sat down with a glass of wine and the homemade applesauce I made with the apples I picked (I know...doesn't sound like a very appetizing combination, but I was full from the Mexican food). From the first 5 minutes of the movie, I was disappointed! They changed the whole thing!!! I hate when Hollywood does that! I get so wrapped up in the book and involved with the characters and the story line! I actually get sad when I finish a book! So I get really excited when to watch the movie because I feel like it's a way for the story to keep going. It just wasn't the same.

It was a great weekend overall...and of course, I forgot my camera everywhere we went! Hopefully Erin will send me the 2 pictures she had room for on her camera that we took at the orchard on Sunday and I'll post those soon!

A Few Things that Scream FALL

I've always been a lover of season change! I love the days when you can first notice a change! The first truly warm day when you know that beach season has begun. Or the first cool day when a hoodie would be a good idea to wear in the morning. On those days, you can almost smell the change in the air.

So since I haven't really experienced a true fall in a few years (don't get many of those at the beach...humidity sticks around until Thanksgiving...I swear!) I'm really enjoying the fall in Greenville. I'm posting some pictures I've taken over the past couple weeks as I've celebrated Fall making its appearance!

College Football Season
Auburn vs. LSU Tailgate Warrrrrrrrrrr Eagle! Hey!
September 20, 2008

Banana Nut Muffins
by Krusteaz
I tried to find the Pumpkin mix but had to settle for Banana Nut. I'd recommend this mix though! They were really good!
(Jennie--if you're reading this, the answer is yes...I was blog stalking and found the idea for the mix and the picture from Darby's blog. I can't help myself sometimes!)

Pumpkin Spice Latte
from Starbucks
I discovered this latte last year and it's the perfect blend of coffee and fall flavor. It's pretty sweet so I can't handle much more than a tall.

Apple Juice and Fall Apples
I love Simply Orange juice and thought I'd try the apple version today when I was at the grocery! It's awesome! It's the dark kind of apple juice that reminds me of apple cider. Any time I see apple juice or apples, I think about the mountains when the leaves change and the apples are ready to be picked! You'd think I grew up on an apple farm. Truth is...I've never even been to an apple orchard but I remember when my parents would go to the mountains in North Carolina and bring back a ton of apples and make homemade applesauce.

Red Wine
I think the best time to drink red wine is when it's cool outside...and you have a nice grilled steak to go with it! The best part of this picture is the fact that I had to pour myself another glass of wine. Oh well!

Hope you are enjoying the Fall weather too!

I'm the Worst Blogger EVER!!!

Wow! I just took a look at the date of my last post and it's been exactly a month since I wrote anything...which is sad because so much has happened!

So when I wrote the last post, I was only 29. Just a little girl in my twenties, didn't know much...but now, I'm a wise, accomplished, independent 30 year old!!! This is where I spent the morning of my 30th Birthday!

If you're saying to yourself right now, "That doesn't look like a very fun place to start off your 30th Birthday," you would be right! This is the Charleston County Courthouse. Two days before I moved to Greenville I was pulled over for failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign in my neighborhood. Who knew that the word STOP on the big red signs actually mean stop??

So my first birthday present was from Judge 'What's His Name'...a $130 fine reduced from a $232 ticket! Wahoo! Happy Birthday Me!

I worked for the next two days in Charleston and then retreated to the beach where my family very mysteriously told me to be on the weekend of my birthday! So once my parents and brothers made it to the beach, they gave me a beautiful pair of earrings and told me that they were throwing me a surprise party the next night! Well...I guess they didn't get the memo that a surprise party was supposed to be a surprise BUT it was great because I was able to call everyone they weren't able to get in touch with which wasn't very many people at all! I was so overwhelmed by how much effort they had put into getting in touch with everyone! My cousin Bill and his wife Monica were even in town! It was perfect! I told Mom that the only thing that would make it better was if my Auburn friends could have made it up for the weekend. That would have been a lot of travel though and I was so excited to see all of my Charleston friends the next night, I just put the possibility of my Auburn friends joining us out of my mind.

After a great dinner on the porch and a few glasses of wine, it was late (about midnight) and we were sitting on the rocking chairs on the porch. Dad got a mysterious phone call and decided to take it out in the back yard? All of a sudden, I look up and two of my best friends from Auburn, David and Paige and their 11 month old baby, Sara Beth, my Goddaughter are standing there! I couldn't believe it! I stared at them for a couple minutes and then just started crying! There is nothing more I would have wanted to ring in my 30th year than to have my family and best friends together at the beach for a weekend! Awesome!

Sara Beth learned how to "surf!"

David and Sara B

SB loved the sand!

Sara Beth in her party dress!

It turned into a Hat Party!

Colin, Mike Quinto (family friend) and Bill Lovelace

Monica Lovelace, Colin and Bill

Cousin Bill and me

Blair being, well...Blair

Sierra's Life Saving Abilities!

So, we all know that my dog is brilliant...but did you know that she could save your life if you were drowning? I think I might start calling her Lassie! This weekend new friends, Matt and Meredith Dowless, invited me and Sierra out on their boat on Lake Keowee. I didn't quite know how Sierra was going to do on a boat but figured it was worth a shot. I knew she wouldn't try to jump out of the boat or anything because that would require being more than 10 inches away from me so I was pretty sure we could at least keep her safe while moving...I just didn't know how the boat would fare after having a 70 lb. ball of fun running around it all day long! She adjusted pretty well to being on water rather than land and eventually as Matt put it, "Got her sea legs!" Matt took us to a really nice cove where we hung out most of the day. Everyone jumped in...well, we had to push Sierra in. Once she was in the water, she was a little nervous at first because I don't really think she knew what was going on. She's used to jumping in after a stick or a ball, not being pushed off a boat. So, she kept swimming from the shore to me and back. All of a sudden, she swims straight to me and grabs the life jacket I'm floating on with her teeth. I thought she was trying to play with it because it looked like on of her toys so I told her 'no' so that she wouldn't eat the life jacket. Then (and this is where she shows off how brilliant she is) she grabs on to the strap of the life jacket and begins pulling me to the shore! She literally swam with all of her might and dragged me all the way to land! And all I could do was let her drag me because I was laughing so hard! Everytime I swam back out to the middle of the cove, she came after me and dragged me back! So we all took turns having 'shore duty' which consisted of throwing the stick or a ball for Sierra. Look at the picture below of the 3 girls floating in the water...there's a tiny speck in the background way behind us...that's Sierra swimming to catch the ball that one of the guys threw! Needless to say, she was exhausted last night! I don't know why some of these pictures are so small. If I can figure out how to make them bigger, I'll try to post them again! Sorry!

What Could Be Better...

...than spending a night with Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan in Greece? That was my Friday night! I went to see Mamma Mia and thoroughly enjoyed myself! There's nothing like sitting in a cool dark theater, having popcorn and a diet coke for dinner, and totally immersing yourself in a great movie! I sang along to every song! It was great! If you haven't seen the movie yet, especially if you've seen the play but even if you haven't, I suggest that you check your local listings as soon as possible and treat yourself!! It was great!

I Have Blog Envy

In my down time, when I'm not obsessing over Michael Phelps, I've discovered a new obsession...other people's blogs! I read them every chance I get! It's crazy! Mostly, I stick to people I know personally (try not to be too nosy) but sometimes friends will turn me on to someone else's blog that is interesting and it becomes part of my daily rountine of blog stalking! I discovered some really cool blogs out there and also have noticed that some people have really cool custom backgrounds! How did they do it? Where did they get all the cool graphics? How did I end up with the lame template that comes with Blogger.com? Is there anybody out there who can tell me how to come out of my lameness and enter to world of cool blog custom backgrounds?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

This post is dedicated to my wonderful mother who turns...well, another year older, we'll say...today! And in honor of her birthday, I thought I'd follow in the footsteps of David Letterman and do my own Top 10.

Top 10 Reasons Why My Mom is Cool

1.) She's hilarious...if you need proof, look at the picture above.

2.) Every one of my friends says so. (Seriously, ask them.)

3.) She never takes herself too seriously.

4.) She has great taste in clothes. (And gets me great deals from Worth!)

5.) She's a great cook!

6.) She loves books and never tired of trying to pass the same interest on to us kids. We eventually caught on.

7.) She was an awesome teacher which I know is why I was determined to go into education.

8.) She has a HUGE heart as evidenced by every waking minute she ever had free was dedicated either to her kids or volunteer work.

9.) She's an incredible listener. (She doesn't even screen my calls!)

10.) She loves my dad.

Ok, so I have a dilemma. When I left my house in the hands of Danielle and Shelby, I also left them responsible for my lawn. I have been responsible for lawn maintainance in previous places I've rented so I knew this was reasonable and the girls were on board. I even gave them the name of the guys I've used for the past year who have done an excellent job of turning my weeds into actual grass! Well, Danielle called me last week to tell me that they weren't able to get in touch with my guys and asked one of Shelby's friends to mow the lawn. Danielle was concerned because 1.) he overcharged them big time, and 2.) he didn't do all that good of a job. When I talked to Shelby, she couldn't tell me what more he had done besides just mowing the lawn. I explained to both girls that it was important that whoever did the lawn mowed, edged, and weeded or else I was concerned the weeds would come back. Coincidentally, my yard guy called me the same day Danielle did and I realized he had a different number than the one I had given the girls earlier so it was an honest mix up. I told both Danielle and Shelby that since these guys have been working on my yard for the past year, and I know they do a good job, I would prefer that they continue to work on the yard. My dilemma is this...I'm starting to feel bad that I am having them pay $35 every 2 weeks for lawn guys that I requested.

What do y'all think? I seriously want to know other opinions! Leave a comment! Should I pay for the lawn care myself if I'm going to be picky about who they use? If the guy that overcharged them had done a good job, I would have been okay with letting him do the lawn but I got nervous because it didn't sound like he had done a very good job!

8 For 8!!!

Well, I'm a little tired this morning thanks to Michael Phelps! I thought he was supposed to swim at 10:15 p.m. last night but no...he had to wait until 10:55 p.m. I tell you what...my Olympic viewing schedule has really taken a toll on me! :) By the time I stayed up for the medal ceremony and interviews, it was after midnight! It was worth it though. What an amazing relay! Oh, and did anyone hear Bob Costas point out that the number 8 is considered lucky in China? This would be the reason why the Olympics started on 8-08-08. Isn't it incredible then, that Phelps broke the record to win 8 gold medals???

I went to Mass this morning at St. Mary's downtown and really enjoyed it. They have a young adults group that looks pretty active that I think would be a good way to meet more people in Greenville. I also noticed that the high school youth group is taking a retreat to Camp Kahdalea next weekend! I was a JC in 1995 and a counselor in 2000 at Camp Kahdalea. Paige and David went to Camp Kahdalea/Chosatonga as well. I actually met Paige for the first time when I was 15 at camp!

I also wanted to share with anyone/everyone who checks this blog from time to time the e-card that Blair sent me the other day. Before I go on, click here to view it. It took me a couple times of listening to it to understand what the guy(?) was saying but evidently my family is cooking something up in Charleston for my 30th birthday this month. No doubt that some of you reading this right now are laughing because YOU are in on the plan and I have NO IDEA!! As always...I'm clueless! So we'll see...and if any of you want to help a sister out and fill me in on the plan...you know how to reach me! :) The suspense is killing me!

I'm a bit obsessed...

...with Michael Phelps! Actually, with the entire 2008 Beijing Olympics! When I look back on my first 2 weeks in Greenville, it will be hard to forget these games and the countless hours I've spent watching all the amazing athletes compete. If you've missed any of the first week of these games, you've really missed out! The swimming has been the best by far in my opinion. Does Michael Phelps not absolutely leave you in awe? There are times when I've questioned whether he's human! Last night, when Phelps swam the 100M Butterfly, you would have thought it was the opening game of college football...there were so many people crowded around the TV in the bar cheering him on! Will he beat Spitz's record tonight? We'll see @ 10:15 pm! Swim Michael Swim!

Sierra's New Hangout

The past couple weeks, I have been trying to get to know Greenville as much as I can. Last week, I spent a lot of time at the house unpacking. Work is pretty slow right now which is good but I was starting to have a bit of cabin fever. Sierra had been so good at not tearing up her new home or terrorizing the new neighbors. But about the middle of last week, she gave me this look that said, "Ok Mom...you've uprooted me from the only home I've ever known and made me pace the same 4 rooms for the past week...take me somewhere! I'm bored!" So I decided to try to find the dog park that I've heard about in Cleveland Park downtown. I was able to find the entrance to the park so I turned in and figured there would be signs pointing to the dog park...much to Sierra's dismay, there were no signs. So we drove around for a little while...saw plenty of playgrounds and picnic areas, but no doggies. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see a lady walking a dog. Then I see a couple more people walking dogs. I knew we were getting close. I swear that Sierra is psychic because before the dog park was even in sight, she sprang up in the back seat and starts wailing and crying and jumping around she's so excited. And then we found it! The dog park! I could barely contain Sierra as I parked the car. People must have thought that this was the first time I've ever let the dog outside anywhere! She was that excited! Try picturing me leashing a 70 pound ball of energy flailing around in my back seat and then "walking" her to the gate. She nearly jerked my arm out socket! Watching Sierra enter a dog park is one of my favorite things to watch because she takes all of the energy that she's saved up (hard to believe that she's ever saved any) and just lets it all go as she runs from one group of dogs to the next, rolling around, sniffing butts, jumping, fetching, saying hello to people, whatever. It's hysterical! There was a 5 month old male doberman pinscher that took a liking to Sierra. Needless to say, he would not leave her alone and kept trying to "dominate" her much to his owner's embarressment. This happens all the time...every time I took her to the dog park in Charleston, all the male dogs would follow her around and try to hump her. She never fought back, never snapped at them...little hussy. Well, I discovered the other day at the dog park that I'm not the only one who has been affected by the move to Greenville. Lil' Miss Sierra has decided it's time to start standing up to those mean ol' boy dogs who try to have their way with her. Every time he tried to hump her, she would bark and snap at him and then run away. I was proud of my girl! :)

The dog park itself is really big and has swings for people to sit on. It's entirely covered in mulch which is really nice.

"I've had enough...can we go home?" Sierra says as she hides under the swing!

This statue is outside the dog park. It's called 'High Four!' Get it?

Sierra was not being cooperative during picture time. I tried to get her to sit down by the statue but this is all I could get. She was exhausted!!!

I've also taken advantage of Paris Mountain State Park. I had heard that there were lakes there where Sierra could swim. So, last Friday, I packed a lunch and my book and a ball for Sierra and headed out on just a 15 minute drive to the park. It was a really pretty day and I found a nice shaded area where I sat and ate and threw the ball for Sierra. She found the lake on her own so she got to swim. It was so nice to still be able to find a place outside where I could relax, read and play with my dog, even if it wasn't the beach!

Later on that day, I had planned on meeting Tres (cousin) for happy hour to meet some of his work friends who were around my age. He thought they'd be a good group for me to meet because they were outgoing and very friendly. Turns out the Tres had a makeup tee ball game (he is the daddy of 3 after all) that night but said his friends had invited me along despite his absence. I thought, "What else am I going to do on a Friday night besides watch the Opening Ceremonies by myself?" So, I got ready and went to On the Border to meet Tres' friends and discovered he was right...they were very outgoing and very friendly. One girl, Meredith, even invited me to dinner with her husband and other friends after happy hour. It was great meeting new people and seeing new places downtown. I even got them excited about the Olympics. Meredith's husband Matt told me that he didn't get into the Olympics but I talked it up so much that by the time we made it to a bar after dinner, all the guys were glued to the TV watching the Opening Ceremonies as if it were opening game of college football!

Last night, I met Meredith and Matt along with Jason and Caryn for dinner again at another restaurant downtown, Pomegranate. It was so good!

Next weekend, Meredith and Matt have invited me and Sierra (oh boy!) on their boat out on Lake Keowee! I'm very excited!!!