Well, we ended up not doing jack-o-lanterns. Sorry to disappoint anyone who was waiting to hear about that. :) What else has been going on...

Thanksgiving was good. We drove out to NC on Tuesday, arrived in Richlands around 7:30 p.m. then had to leave Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. so I could get back and cover a women's basketball tournament we were hosting here. The food was great, of course, and my mom sent tons of pie home with us. It wasn't the same Thanksgiving I'm used to, though: my aunt & uncle recently separated. They have been married 19 years - I was a flower girl in their wedding. So it was really strange not having him around, and my aunt is really struggling with all of it. On the bright side, she recently won a brand new truck from the United Way, which is really nice.

I'm going to Oregon this weekend with basketball. That should be fun. And when I say fun, I mean it's a really effing long trip for one game.

I found some wedding dresses that I really like, but I still want to try more on. I also found bridesmaid outfits that I like. I feel cheesy when I talk too much about this stuff, though, so I figure if anybody wants to know more details, they can just ask.

We are going to go after Christmas and have a cake tasting! I am really excited about this. FREE CAKE!

For the first time ever I am not spending Christmas with my family. Instead we are going out to CA to be with Mike's family. I'm excited about it but I get sad when I think about not getting to see everyone at home. Fortunately, we're going back to NC on Dec. 29th for my Grandma Catherine's 90th birthday party on the 30th so I'll get to see everyone then. Yep, she's 90 and still going strong, I hope I got those genes.

Uhhh... what else... the cats are still hilarious. McKenzie had a milestone the other morning when she came and laid down on my chest/stomach while I was in bed. That was the first time she'd ever done that. Of course it was 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning but she's so cute I didn't get mad. P.J. is still as crazy and bitchy and demanding as ever.

I have a new office mate at work. She is our new women's lacrosse coach. I never thought I'd get excited about lacrosse but she's really cool and now we finally have another couple to hang out with.

That's about it. Hopefully I'll have more to write about so it won't be so long between updates next time. My life is truly kind of boring, though.

Mike already wrote about the Duke-Alabama football game on Saturday but I figured I'd mention it here. It was pretty bad. Well, not overall. First of all we had to park in a field and hike through a ditch to get to the sidewalk. That was fun. But the tailgating was cool. The food was pretty good and there was a TV with a satellite dish set up to watch other games that were on, and of course beer. Then we walked over to the stadium, which is pretty amazing. Our seats were in part of the new section and we had an awesome view. The people around us were nice, too, except for a punk kid behind us who was mad when Duke was winning and told us to shut up and "F*** Duke". Very original... maybe he's from Maryland? They love that phrase up there. Anyway, like Mike said, it was pretty painful to watch. At first I was really excited because I thought we might actually win. I mean, both teams were playing pretty badly, and Duke was actually up for a while, and then was only down by two until the fourth quarter. But after that they did some even more boneheaded stuff and Alabama took a bigger lead. Now I realize why I don't follow Duke football on a regular basis - it would drive me nuts.

We finally sent out the Save the Date magnets on Saturday, which is exciting because now it's like it's really going to happen. I'm going to have a husband. That is so weird. We finished up our gift registry at Bed Bath & Beyond on Sunday. Man, that was fun. I think we may also register at Pier 1 Imports but I'm not sure yet. We also decided not to do the whole fine china/crystal stemware thing after talking to several people who say they never use theirs. The pattern we picked out is really beautiful and I would love to have it but I don't think it is worth it. We picked out some nice everyday stuff that will be just as good and we can run it in the dishwasher.

I can't believe October is here and basketball season is approaching quickly. It seems like it was just summer, we just got engaged, I just had my birthday... but that was three months ago. On the bright side, I love fall. It was so nice at the game Saturday night to be able to put on a sweatshirt and be comfortable, even a bit chilly. And the holidays are probably my favorite time of year. We're going to carve a Jack-o-lantern this year, which I've never done before. My mom always bought pumpkins but we never carved them, they just sat out as pumpkins with corn stalks and Indian corn and stuff as a display. So this will be very exciting for me to do a real Jack-o-lantern. We're also planning on going to Richlands for Thanksgiving which is always a good time with all the food, and then going to Stockton for Christmas, then back to Richlands for my grandma's 90th birthday party. Fun times all around.

When I started this blog I really didn't want to become one of those once-a-month (or less often) updaters, but I guess that's what I am. :( Even Mike posts more than I do. Maybe it's because I don't really have much to talk about, or at least not much that's interesting.

Work is still work. We have a volleyball tournament this weekend. Wedding planning has sort of ground to a halt. We did book the deejay, so now we've got ceremony location, reception location, and deejay, but that's it. This weekend we HAVE to order our Save-the-Date cards. Have to. We've been meaning to do it for like a month now.

What else... we stopped by a pet shop last night (beside the restaurant where we were going to dinner) and they had kittens. I really wanted to get one. They also had a kitten and a ferret running around in the store, and they were playing with each other. I don't know why I found that so amusing, but even thinking about it now makes me smile. Of course they had tons of expensive puppies, too. They had some sort of Beagle mixes (supposed to be Puggles but I don't think they were) that were SO adorable. But no way am I buying any animals from a pet store, I just think that's wrong when so many animals are up for adoption through local rescue organizations.

I got sick earlier this week with a bad cold. It was not the right week to get sick. Tuesday we had a volleyball match that I couldn't miss, and then I pulled half-days on Wednesday and Thursday because there was so much to do to get ready for this weekend's events. Now I'm feeling better but my ears are messed up. They keep popping and making me dizzy, it's weird.

See, I told you I didn't have much interesting to write about. :)

It's back to the old grind for me... volleyball & women's soccer officially start up this weekend. Soccer is on the road but volleyball is hosting a mini tournament here on Saturday. I can't wait. This year is going to be better, though, because I got a raise! Unfortunately it was a result of my boss leaving, so now there are only two of us full-time in my department, but since we're going D3 after this year it means less work for us (if I'm still around after this year). Also since we're not fielding men's basketball or baseball teams this year that's a LOT less work for us (those are probably our two biggest/most popular sports). However we are adding indoor & outdoor track & field as well as women's lacrosse starting next year, as well as the monster that is football, so things should get pretty interesting come this spring.

Wedding stuff is going pretty well. We officially booked the ceremony & reception venues and we're about to book a deejay for the reception, so I think things are rolling along nicely, considering we're still 10 months out. We've also pretty much finalized the guest list (maybe a few more cuts), which was really painful for both of us. Well, at least for me it was. Our original list was massive - almost 200 people - which was unacceptabled considering we'd chosen our venues (and set our budget) with 75 guests in mind. So I adopted the mentality of "If I haven't spoken to you in person or on the phone since college, you don't make the cut." It sucks because that meant a good portion of my friends had to go, but oh well. My family is so huge that there will still be plenty of people there that I love. And from everything I've read, your weddings guests should be the people who are important in your life *now*, not five years ago. So that made me feel better. Plus we're going to have hometown receptions afterward which non-guests will be able to attend if they choose.

Other than work & wedding stuff there isn't much going on. Mike started back with his kids almost two weeks ago and it seems to be going pretty well for him. His schedule is MUCH better than last year, plus he has his own room this year, which is awesome. He also got a raise this year which means we're bringing in decent money as a household now. Too bad most of the extra will go to the wedding/honeymoon. I hope it's worth it. :)

The kitties still make me laugh every day. The other day I came home early and was just hanging out until Mike got home a couple hours later, which is when I realized I hadn't seen PJ at all since I'd gotten home. So we started looking for her, under the beds and whatnot, and I was starting to get worried because we couldn't find her. I was having visions of apartment maintenance coming in to fix something or spray for bugs and her darting out the door. That was until Mike opened his closet and she was in there. We have no idea how she got in there. Even if the door wasn't latched when we left, she would have had to pull it open, and then there would have had to been enough pressure for it to latch. It was funny because she ran straight to the litterbox when we let her out, and she hadn't used the bathroom in the closet which was good. I have no idea how long she was trapped in there but we came up with the theory that the other cat did it.

That's all for now. I wish it would cool down so our electric bill wouldn't keep going up every month. Stupid global warming.

We are back from North Carolina and the wedding now seems like more of a reality, which is both exciting and scary. Scary mostly because it's going to be expensive, even without going overboard on anything. We've realized we're going to have to spend a good amount of money if we want something nice, and we've made peace with that.

Our favorite place for the ceremony is the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, which are absolutely beautiful. Here are some pictures we took over the weekend.

This is the ampitheater that we want for the ceremony:



























That's a closer look at the lily pond right behind where we would stand for the ceremony. It's really breathtaking and the photos, while good, don't do it justice.

And just because I feel like it, and because it's such a beautiful place, here are some other random shots we took at the Gardens on Saturday.



























Here is another possible ceremony site:














We looked at lots of places over the weekend (10 total) and have narrowed it down to our favorites. We would like a hotel reception (preferably the Hilton) but are still working out the details. The Doris Duke Center at the Gardens also has a nice reception hall:
























...but they don't have any nice package deals like the hotels do. We would basically pay for the rental of the hall and then have to take care of everything else on our own (catering, tables/chairs/linens, flowers, etc.). So we are leaning toward the Hilton deal, but nothing is set in stone.

We're also thinking about having everything on a Friday evening instead of Saturday, mainly for a couple of reasons. Well, one reason: money. The food & drink minimums are much lower (or nonexistent) on Fridays and Sundays. Plus, everybody gets married on Saturday and we want to be different and make life difficult for everyone involved.

Other than wedding stuff, I'm going to NYC this weekend to visit Alexis and Phoebe! I've never actually been in the city so this is very exciting for me. I hope to eat a lot of good food, do some great (window) shopping, and maybe see some celebrities. That would make an awesome weekend for me.

Oh yeah, as promised, here is a higher-resolution and better shot of my ring. It really is exactly what I wanted. :)

Wow, it's been two weeks since I updated. Guess I haven't really had much to say.

Work is starting to pick back up now as we approach soccer & volleyball season. I am working on media guides and trying to coordinate photography and all that good stuff. I really don't want to be busy at work again but oh well... until I win the lottery I guess this is what I must do.

This past weekend I worked the AVP Beach Volleyball Tournament here in Birmingham. It was pretty neat but really HOT. I got sunburned pretty bad on Friday - I guess I sweated off my sunblock and the reapplication didn't work because I was still sweating so much. Gross. But at least I get paid. It was also a good refresher course on volleyball statistics. Now hopefully my first real match of the season won't be a free-for-all where I basically make a lot of stuff up while I get back into the hang of it. Oh, I also got to see Misty May and Kerri Walsh play in the championship match which was cool - they are REALLY good. There were also a ton of other players there that apparently I should know but I don't: Holly McPeak, Casey Jennings, Elaine Youngs, and a ton more. All I really know is that there was a lot of great eye candy that weekend, for guys and girls.

The wedding planning has hit a snag and we keep going back and forth about where to have the ceremony. At first we were all about going to Las Vegas and getting one of the wedding packages at one of the hotels on the strip. Then we started thinking about the Duke Chapel until we found out how freaking expensive it is. Plus the fact that if we have it close to my home, tons of people will come, and we can't really afford a huge reception. So we are at a standstill and don't really know where to go from here. If anybody has any advice or ideas or words of wisdom, please share. We know that, no matter what we choose, someone (or several people) will not be happy, but it's so hard to make a decision that you know will automatically preclude people from being able to attend (for example, my two grandmothers will probably not be able to get on a plane and fly anywhere). Then again, it is OUR day and we should be able to do what we want, but family is important to both of us so we are going to have to make some tough decisions.

It was a really great birthday.

Despite the fact that I wasn't feeling very well (I thought it was strep throat but the doctor says it's just a bad cold), I still managed to have a great day. Got some cash as a gift and Mike gave me a gift card to get a massage back in B'ham. I took a great nap and then went to eat fresh seafood with my parents. After a little more hanging out, I got the biggest surprise of my life when Mike gave me my second birthday present:


Yep, that's right folks, I'm engaged! It was a total shock and the best surprise ever. (Sorry the picture kinda sucks - it was taken with a camera phone.) Mike proposed in front of my parents and little sister. After asking if I wanted my other birthday gift, he pulled out the box and got down on one knee, at which point my mom freaked out and my sister started to cry. My dad has known since March, though, when Mike asked him if it was okay. Of course I said yes.

At any rate, it's all very exciting. People are already asking if we've set a date but we haven't - we don't even know what state we are going to have it in or where we will be living next summer, so who knows. But we are really happy and I feel very grown up, almost like I'm playing make believe or dress-up. Also, a lot of my relatives are relieved because I guess we technically aren't living in sin anymore now that we've made our intentions known to the world. Or something.

We're heading back to Birmingham on Sunday, after which it will be very hard for me to concentrate on work, but I'll do my best.

You know you're a grown-up when your birthday gift involves tires.

That's what happened to me today. I got my car inspected here in NC since it's still registered here, and the guy told me my rear tires barely passed muster. After informing my mom, she offered to buy me new ones for my birthday. And here's the butt-kicker: I was really excited about this. So now I have two brand-new rear tires on the good 'ol Civic. Hopefully it will also slightly improve my gas mileage, which is around 30mpg already (I love my car).

Being home has been great so far. We drove in on Sunday (11 hours in the car, fun) and had dinner at my grandma's house (my dad's mom). That involved fried chicken, fresh corn on the cob, and lots of other great stuff, so that was a good start to the trip. Today I got jerked around a little bit more by my apartment people, got the new tires, ate at a Mongolian barbeque joint, and bought some stuff in bulk at Sam's Club, so all in all it was a good day. Tomorrow we're grilling hamburgers and hot dogs at my aunt's house, which is where we're bunking this week, and Wednesday my dad is grilling steaks for my birthday. Tomorrow may also involve fireworks in someone's driveway (really, what's 4th of July without that?), but we're not sure yet.

I think we're about to get a nice summer storm here in a little while. I swear it's hotter here than it is in Alabama, I'm not sure how that happens. I think it's a lot more humid here (71% as I type this) so that probably has a lot to do with it.

Also of note: my 14-year-old sister has gone vegetarian. I say good for her, wish I had the will power to do so. I know my body would probably thank me, but I just can't give up delicious animals.

Today was productive, we got the apartment cleaned up for the most part and got nearly all of our laundry done. I think it was probably about 10 loads, maybe more, that's how far behind we were. But now the place feels nice & neat and will be good to come home to in a week. It's always nice to come back from a trip away from home and not be stressed out by clutter, so I feel pretty good about that. On the other hand, I don't want to leave the kitties. My co-worker is going to come every other day while we're gone and I'm not worried about them but I don't like leaving them here because they will probably find something to tear up, or something to hide, especially since McKenzie loves to steal my stuff. (Note: if you ever get a cat, don't bother buying toys, just give it old lip balm tubes, hair bands, and plastic bottle caps.) Here is a picture of the furballs (McKenzie is on the right):


See how cute they are? It's all a clever front to get treats and not get kicked when they vomit on the freshly-cleaned floor.

I'm really excited to be going home tomorrow. Also, I'm excited because I got TWO pairs of workout shoes today. I was going to buy one pair but couldn't decide between two pairs so Mike bought the other pair for me for my birthday. Isn't he awesome? We also had lunch at Moe's today which was excellent. I would even go so far as to call it delectable.

I hope y'all have a great 4th of July. Don't blow any fingers off setting off fireworks in your driveway.

FRIDAY!!!!!!!!

I haven't gotten anything work-related done at work today. Not a single thing. I was also at lunch for like two hours. Of course we were saying goodbye to a co-worker so my boss was there which took some of the fun out of it but it was still cool. The co-worker who is leaving makes me very sad because she is such a cool person and has been sort of an inspiration for me as a fellow female in an athletic administration career, and I don't like seeing her go. She is also one of the few non-conservatives around here who I could always count on to speak up with many of the same viewpoints that I hold.

I also found out that my supervisor may be leaving the field of sports information and doing pharmaceutical sales. Can't say that I blame him, I've been waffling about this issue for the past few weeks, ever since we found out we're dropping down to Division III. On one hand, this job is great because office hours aren't strict since we work so many nights and weekends, I get a lot of free meals at games and when I travel with the teams, and it's pretty fun. On the other hand, the pay is crap and there are a lot of nights, weekends, and travel involved. I don't have a family yet but I don't see myself looking forward to working all these sporting events when, in the future, I've got a kid (or kids) at home. Maybe I'll go back to school but I don't know what career I would want to pursue. The easy choice (as far as decisions go) seems to be teaching but after living with Mike this past year, and living with teachers in my immediate family growing up, I'm not sure it's for me. I'm sure that I could do a decent job of it, but I don't know if I'd be any happier doing that than what I am doing now. I also (fleetingly) thought of nursing school but it seems like a HUGE commitment and something that would be really hard to do while still holding down some other sort of job. Other than that I'm open to suggestions. Oh yeah, and there's always the option of being a phone actress.

Today was Meals on Wheels day for me & Mike. It's only the second time we've done the route but I already feel protective of some of the folks we deliver to. It's really an eye-opening experience for me. There are about 13 stops (16 meals total) around the roughest part of Birmingham, and all of the people are very elderly and/or living in really bad conditions. Also, we can tell that for some of these people, seeing us is the only face-to-face contact they have on a daily basis. One lady today kept us talking and would have kept chatting for a while if we'd let her. She lives with her husband who I think cannot speak, he usually grunts at us when we say hello, so I'm sure she loves to have someone to talk to. I can also tell that a lot of the people are scared because they keep their doors locked and have bars on the windows. It makes me really sad and angry to think about people preying on the elderly. Anyway, I highly recommend doing something like this if it is available in your area. It doesn't take much time and is really rewarding. I know doing volunteer work is about helping people, not making yourself feel good, but I do feel good about doing something for my community.

Anyway, it's another hot day in the 'Ham (but not as hot as it could be), and I can't wait to head home to Richlands this Sunday. I'm really looking forward to seeing my grandmothers. Doing the Meals on Wheels thing makes me appreciate how independent and well-off my grandmas are: my mom's mother is close to 80 years old and still drives, attends church, cooks, shops, and my dad's mother is close to 90 years old and volunteers at church, cooks, drives, shops, sews, all that stuff. They are both really cool ladies to talk to, it's quite amazing to think of everything they have seen and experienced.

I have been really blessed in the grandparent department - my dad's father lived to 89 (he passed away in December '04 of old age) and was really the figurehead of our family. Everyone called him "Pop" and after Mike met him for the first time he was dubbed "The Godfather" because of his ability to pick up the phone and make things happen. When we were there that day, after Pop met Mike, he picked up the phone and called each of his three other boys (my dad was already with us) and they all came over. We had a little impromptu party. I was just thinking today of how awesome it is that I have such a large, wonderful family. It's really comforting to think that no matter what happens in my life, I will have somebody there to help me. I know everyone doesn't have that and I'm really thankful.

ADDENDUM: After he read this, Mike said that I forgot to mention that after Pop called everybody and they were at his house, he fell asleep in his recliner for most of the evening. LOL! Classic Pop. Also, I forgot to write about my mom's father, who I never knew because he died when my mom was nine from lung cancer after smoking for most of his life. I think that speaks volumes for my grandma, his widow, who raised four kids up pretty damn well after that.

I hate working during the summer for a myriad of reasons, but I think the main one is dealing with all the obnoxious kids on campus for the sundry athletic camps that are offered. My office has a glass wall overlooking the pool, and I have to listen to kids yelling down there just about all day, every day, in the summer. Also, as I type this, I can hear a bunch of kids running around in the racquetball courts, screaming their heads off (we have a window overlooking one of the courts in the office). Seriously, the girls are screaming at the top of their lungs, in true horror-movie fashion. I don't know how I can be expected to get any real work done.

However, I am listening to my station on Pandora so I'm happy for now and it's somewhat drowning out the sounds of the kids.

Today had a not so fun start as I realized today is not payday, which I had been looking forward to. I'm not sure why I thought I was getting paid on the 27th instead of the 29th. Oh, well.

On a brighter note, eight days til my birthday, and Mike & I are heading to NC this Sunday. Of course this also means eight days until I am officially on the downward slide to 30. Not sure how I feel about that. Some great presents would probably make me feel better, though.

Another thing that happened today that has been bothering me is dealing with the people in our apartment complex's front office. Our lease is ending at the end of August and we were hoping to get a decent deal for next year, hopefully on a 10-month lease instead of 12 months since we will probably be out of here next summer due to my job situation. Anyway, so we are told that a) they are required to raise our rent by at least $20/month (but probably more) if we re-sign and b) we can't get any sort of special on a 10-month lease, so rent would go up by about $75/month. It would be cheaper for us to start new at a new complex instead of staying here, where we have paid rent on time for two years now. Ugh. So that is what we are dealing with. I wish we could find a house to rent, too, because the pet fees at all the apartment complexes are getting higher every month.

This is a boring post. Also, Mike needs to hurry up and start his blog instead of obsessing over what to name it. :)

Well, I suppose I've decided to start the blogging thing. I guess I am a classic "joiner" because I really had no interest in this until lots of other people started doing it.

I have no idea how often this thing will be updated, depending on if I want everyone else to know just how boring my life is, or if I'd rather retain an aura of mystery and let everyone think that I'm not posting because I'm traveling abroad instead of just watching reruns of 'Law & Order: SVU' on DVR.

At any rate, this is as good a time as any to start this thing since it's summer and no sports are active. Come mid-August I will begin my annual immersion into what everyone else calls "Fall Sports" but what I like to call "Oh God, Where Did the Summer Go?" At that time I'll become obsessed with goals against average ratings and kill percentages so I probably won't be around much. But for now, this should be fun.