Out of the woods and in to the Forest....er

Two years ago, someone more needing than John and me I'm sure, stole good ole Rhonda the Honda. I was five months pregnant and we were visiting friend in Philly, PA. We parked the car a block from their house and went inside. The next afternoon we were casually strolling through the neighborhood and noticed Rhonda was not where we left her. John and I, in a state of shock, laughed through most of the ordeal. What could you really do? I'm not sure if it was the extra hormones racing through my body but crying just seemed silly at the time. (Three days later it felt like the only emotion possible. ) Nonetheless, we rented a car and headed back to Baltimore, unsure of what to do next.
God was already at work. Allison and Stuart just happened to be in Birmingham for the weekend and John's parents lovingly offered their 1994 Volvo until we could come up with a plan. They drove it back up and we gratefully excepted and lovingly drove the Swiss heater for 2 years. It was/is a great car and did exactly what we needed. The biggest problem was the air conditioner, which just didn't work. It didn't really bother us in Baltimore. The weather was cool and we needed heat more than air. But as you all know, you really need air in Alabama, cold air. Again, this was our only real complaint of the car until recently. I think the car must just be tired but it has been quiting. We will be driving down the road and everything just cuts off. You have to be patient and try several times but it will eventually crank back up. Friday however, it did this 4 times. Three of which I was by myself, at night, and it was pouring down rain.
So, after two years, we figured out our plan! Saturday morning we went to a car lot and literally gave the lucky salesman who decided to say hello our money. He laughed at us because as we each test drove the vehicle, all we could talk about was how great the air felt. We are now the proud parents of a 2007 Subaru Forester! She is beautiful, in that awkward so ugly it's cute sort of way! I love it! White with tan interior and an amazing air conditioner! John and I (mainly John) did a ton of research. We were looking for a safe car with enough space to tote Abby's gear, fuel efficiency with the ever rising gas prices, and checking account friendly! I think we found it. I'm still working on a name for her. I really liked Frannie the Forester but John wasn't a huge fan. If you have any suggestions please feel free to suggest away! I'll post pictures of our exact one as soon as we have some but here's the idea. Ours is white and obviously not as new looking.

The Graduate

Sorry - I lied. I guess it is not just downloading pictures that delays my posts.
Last weekend we took a trip to Baltimore for John to graduate. For those of you who are confused; here's the deal. You graduate law school from the school you took 2 of your 3 years. So John was just a visiting student at Cumberland but has a degree from UB. We had such a great trip and I am so proud of John. The last three years were not the easiest but he stuck through it. His perseverance and dedication paid off. He was able to ignore my constant requests to not study and go do something fun! I was more supportive his first year. I would read cases to him just so that we could be in the same room and talk! For about a week straight I would lay on the bed in our room and read some book, I'm not sure if it was fiction or not but I read his novel out loud while he painted our bedroom. But as time went on I became increasingly more bored with statutes and the Blacks Law Dictionary. So to everyone who said that the wives deserved a round of applause for making it through 3 years, I say nope; it was all John!
Speaking of the ceremony. It was a lot different than I was expecting. They are graduating from law school, a very poised profession. But in my opinion the ceremony was far from professional and that surprised me. And I'm not sure if it is a northern thing or just Baltimore but the Valedictorian definitely threw up a power to the people during her speech! It was awesome!
In all seriousness, good job babe! I know it was not easy by any stretch of the word. You were tested, broken, and beat down in such a draining manner but you accepted the challenge and made it to the end. And you came out of this with so much more than just an intense knowledge of the law. I am proud of you! Now on to the BAR!!! WaHoo!

Take me out to the ballgame....

I have been sufficiently reprimanded so be prepared for several posts in a row here in the next few days! I apologize to those of you who hang on my every word an pine away for intellectual insight! Just kidding! The real reason for my infrequent postings is due largely to the untimely manner in which I download my pictures. I prefer to post with pictures because my words are not enough. I like to show off my sweet family. And when it takes me two weeks to sit down with the camera and download, it therefore takes me two weeks to sit down and post. But one of the first things I did yesterday was download all pictures so we are ready!

Last weekend we had a great time. Abby had a big weekend full of new and exciting events. We started off with a trip to the Barons Baseball game. Abby sported her pink Orioles jersey for most of the game! She had a blast because there were so many kids there. It is amazing to see her focus on all of the children. I think she could sit and watch them for hours. It was a late night though and she was very tired. The last hour of the game she sat in my lap and propped her head up on my shoulder. She was too tired to hold up her head but fought to stay awake to watch the excitement. As for the actual game, I have no idea what went on! I'm not sure if we won, what the score was, and to be honest, I don't know who the Barons played! But it was fun and I am glad we went.

The next event in our exciting weekend was a trip to the Farm! It was family day at my parents church and one of their members lives on a farm in Vincent, AL. It was great because there was a big open space for Abby to just run! Again, there were kids older than her that she loved to sit and watch. She also got to ride on a tractor! Pops was driving and to be honest I was very nervous! Needless to say, I had a death grip on Abby during the hay ride. But she was able to look at dogs, cows, and goats. My dad was very excited to show Abby the goats because about a year ago he helped castrate them! That may be inappropriate to say on here but oh well!

It was a fun weekend and I feel certain Abby enjoyed herself. It is still amazing to watch her grow and learn with each day. She is becoming such a big help and eager to copy John and I. At the farm we were loading up and I was helping my dad transfer drinks from one cooler to another. Without any prompting, Abby walked over and started picking up cans from one cooler and putting them in the other! We walked by the cows and she started moo-ing! Children are amazing and I love her more each day!

Fun in the Sun!

I love it outside and so does Abby. It is wonderful living so close to the park. Abby loves it! Especially when there are other kids around. The most recent trip was during a Joy League game so there were plenty of other kids to watch. But Abby had plenty of fun playing with dad. Her favorites were the slide and the tunnel. I know this is a short post but I really just wanted to put up pictures of Abby having a blast!