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!

It's a GIRL!!!

No, no, no, I'm not expecting so don't let your mind go to that place! I'm just so excited that Abby has hair long enough to put in bows!!!! This is a big event for me. I should finally stop getting the question, "how old is he?" John and I have discussed this and never thought it would irratate us for people to get our child's gender confused; but it did. I shouldn't let it because I rarely can tell if a baby is a little boy or girl. Which is why I often refer to them as, little one, baby or something similar. So to be able to put a bow in Abby's hair without the help of toothpaste is very exciting. Now we just have to figure out how to make her like it! Right now she trys to pull it out every time but usually if you can sneak it in her hair while she is focused on something else, it will stay for a good while!

I am also happy that I can finally post some pictures on here that give her a more girly look! I was starting to notice that all of her pictures on her were a bit ambiguous. She had on nuetral pajamas and blue t-shirts. So here are some pictures of my little girl!

You can see she wasn't really feeling it at first!!

10 Things you may not know about me!

But actually there are 12. And I'm sure I could keep going. I have recently seen myself with a more critical eye and discoverd all sorts of strange behaviors! Some of these you may already know and after learning the others you may realize I am not as awesome as you once thought…maybe I should not have posted this????

My Mom is SOOOO weird!!!

1. I tear off the first square of toilet paper in every public restroom. I cannot use it. It is a strange germ phobia/issue I have. I cannot help but think of the last person to use the restroom and that their germy hands touched that piece of tp. I can’t use it for toileting purposes now! It officially contains what I like to call, pee particles! And because of these pee particles floating around the restroom, I don’t like to leave my toothbrush out in the open. The pee particles also cause to me to freak out and throw out my gum if I accidentally blow a bubble or open my mouth in the bathroom.

2. I hate to wear earrings or suites. I am convinced I look like an 8 year old playing dress up in my mom’s clothes.

3. My profile is not my best feature. My chin is almost non-existent and so I do not like to be photographed from the side. However, I discovered that if I swallow, it pulls up my skin and gives me a well defined chin! I spent my entire wedding day swallowing and now anytime a camera is in view, I swallow!

4. I have a fear of parking decks, tunnels, and bridges. I don’t trust the structures and am convinced that they will collapse or I will get trapped in them. Maybe I have watched too many movies but I tend to feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest when I have to go through, in, or over.

5. Broadway is my dream job. I wish so badly that I could sing and it would be so fun to dance. So to be able to do all of that would be amazing! By myself, in my car, all alone, I am a Broadway star.

6. Holidays and special occasions are my favorite. I love to make a big deal out of anything worth celebrating. I could care less how commercialized an occasion has become because in my mind there is always a reason to have fun. My theory is that, regardless if we should, we don’t always show people how much we care so why not go all out on days set aside to do just that!

7. I can only talk on the phone using my left ear. My right ear just does not hear as well and I feel spastically uncoordinated trying to hold it on that side. Should I have my hearing checked?

8. I love people. I thrive on being social and surrounded by people. I hope that when Abby grows up my house is where all the kids want to be. Please do not ever feel like you are intruding on me. I have an open door policy and, if it were safer, would leave my door unlocked. I enjoy drop-ins and surprise visits.

9. One of my favorite things to do is go in to Abby’s room in the middle of the night and pick her up. I love to snuggle with her and feel her head nestled in the nape of my neck. John is always worried that I am going to wake her up but most of the time I am selfish and just don’t care! She’s just too sweet and innocent for words.

10. I am very prideful and stubborn. In my mind I can do everything. Nothing seems illogical or unreasonable. I don’t read instructions or directions and always think I can figure things out. I hate the word 'can’t’ because to me that says you are throwing your white flag up in surrender. I would rather fail a million times than have anyone else do it for me or tell me how.

11. I have the most massive crush on Patrick Dempsy. In fact, I am obsessed with Patrick Dempsy to the point of having to come clean with John. He knows that if Patrick ever knocks on our door, I'm sorry; I will have to leave John to be with him. He is on my 'List' and actually the only one on my list. When he smiles (yes I realize it is only on television) I melt and get goose bumps. Watching him in movies and on television makes me feel like a giddy school girl wondering how I can change my path in the hallway to run in to him!

12. You can almost always count on seeing me with my sunglasses on my face or acting as a headband. They are like a soft blanket that comforts me daily. I feel invisible when they are on my face and naked if they are not on my head. If I don't have a pair handy for any moments notice I panic and begin breathing rapidly. I will wear them when needed on bright, sunshiny days, when it is pouring down rain, even when I get out of the shower to hold my hair back as I put on my make-up.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Yes I realize I already posted today but this calls for another round! John was offered and then chose to accept a job!!! He is officially a real lawyer in a real firm in the very real city of Birmingham. I guess he is not technically a really lawyer just yet. He does still have to finish this little thing called school and take this silly little test called the Bar but other than that he's in. I know he is beside himself thrilled and I am just tickled pink! We were starting to get to that point where making jokes about his unemployed status was not funny anymore. They started to hit just a little too close to home, and it did not really feel like much of a laughing matter. It was all fun and games while he was in school and not expected to have one. In fact, his first year he was not allowed to have one by order of the school. But as time went on and school started coming closer to an end it became more of a punch in the gut than a joke - ha ha - not funny! I am so proud of John and knew he could do it. Once he got in for an interview there was no way anyone could pass him over.
So let the joking cease and the celebrating begin! The Lord is good and he will provide!