Here's my 8 things....

1. When I was about 6 or 7 years old I took a clogging class (yes you read that right, a clogging class) at the Deep Creek rec center. Although I don't remember anything I learned, I remember really enjoying the class!

2. I HATE going to the dentist!! I love my actual dentist, just not having to get my teeth cleaned. I hate the noises from all the machines and all the scraping an poking they do on my teeth. I truly dread going, but fortunately it only has to happen twice a year.

3. Here's my fatal haircut story! When I was a sophmore in high school, I decided to cut my bangs. When I came home from school, I decided that I would cut my bangs before the game that night. I wet my bangs and cut them to what I thought would be a good length. Little did I know at that time that when your hair dries, it tends to shrink up a bit. The length was so short by the time it dried, it looked like I had no bangs. (The sad part is; I had a perm too, so the curl made them even shorter) My parents had not been home, but when my mom saw me later at the game she said that from across the gym she could tell that something was terribly wrong with my hair. I guess I wasn't cut out for giving haircuts!

4. That leads me to my next thing. I too like Heather was a cheerleader. I cheered all four years in high school. I was the captain of my squad my senior year and voted most spirited a few times. A few years after college I returned to my high school and became the varsity cheerleading coach for three years. I had a blast both as a cheerleader and as a coach!!

5. I am fascinated by old houses, buildings and even big boats I see that have been abandoned or run down over the years. I always wonder how old they are, what kind of history they had, who lived in them or why they might have been abandoned. I would love to go through and see what they look like on the inside.

6. In July of 2001 I spent a few weeks in Beijing, China teaching English to Chinese kids. I had never really thought about doing a missions trip, but the opportunity came up and everything just fell into place for me to go. It was an awesome experience and I am so glad that I was able to go and minister while teaching. By the time the few weeks were up I was so ready to come home and thankful for what I had to come home to.

7. For the longest time I have wanted to be a professional organizer. I am always trying to figure out better ways of organizing my house so that everything is where it should be. I know how good it makes me feel when everything is neat and organized, I am sure others would like to feel that way too. I just think it is so much fun! I also wouldn't mind being a cake decorater. I have had so much fun making Ryan's birthday cakes the past few years (and Emily's soon) that I would love to be able to do that for others.

8. I was born at the same hospital my mom was born at and I lived in the same house my entire life. My dad built the house a few years before I was born and my parents have never moved. The house has so many memories and is so sentimental to me, I couldn't imagine anyone else living there. It is so neat to see Ryan and Emily running through the house and yard like I used to!!

Summer or Winter?

Ryan discovered his hat and gloves from last winter in the closet yesterday and insisted on putting them on. He figured it would be a good idea to go outside and play with his beach ball while wearing these items. Now notice that he has no shorts or shoes on but he does have the hat and gloves on. It was so hot outside, but he had the best time running around the yard playing ball! When I finally was able to wrestle the hat off his head, his hair was soaked with sweat. At least he's color coordinated, right?!

A Day at the beach

ryan and his daddy in the water

the boys playing with the wheelbarrow
watching Charlotte's Web
emily loved playing with this fire truck
Sunday we spent the day with the Weissingers at Jen's parents beach house in Nags Head. We had so much fun, the weather was perfect and the kids had a great time. First we went to the beach and then spent the afternoon at the pool. It was nice to be able to do both, especially when they are right next to each other. Ryan got to ride Alex and Caleb's scooters, which I think was the highlight of the day for him. Emily took a nap and crawled all over the place. We grilled out hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner and then headed back home. Thanks Weissingers for a wonderful time!!

World of Wonders

Saturday morning we headed out to meet the Judd family at the Botanical Gardens. The boys love to go to the World of Wonders part and play in the big fountains of water. Another successful day of summer fun!!

A Weekend in Charlotte- Take 2

My friend Kimie and her sweet little boy Sam.

Emily crawling and getting into everything.

Ryan and his friend Jack in the tub after the boat ride.

Ryan loved riding Mr. JB's motorcycle (aka-scooter)

After spending Friday night visiting with Kevin's friends, we spent the rest of the weekend with some of my dear friends that I grew up with. We don't get to see each other very often, but we truly enjoy our times when we do get to be together. The weekend was filled with lots of good food, boat rides, motorcycle rides, lots of kids and wonderful times catching up. Ryan had a blast playing with some new friends and getting to do all kinds of fun stuff. He just made himself right at home and had a wonderful time. Emily had a great time just crawling all over the place, exploring and chasing after their sweet doggie. We had a wonderful time and were sad to leave but look forward to the next time we can be together. Thanks Walters family for another memorable time together!!

On our way back home we stopped by to see the Williams family. Beth was gracious enough to make dinner for us before we headed off for the rest of our ride. We enjoyed getting to visit with them and also Josiah who was staying with them for a few days. It was a very busy weekend, but filled with lots of fun times!

A Weekend in Charlotte

Ryan and Madisen

I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have updated my blog, we have been so busy. Last weekend we went to Charlotte to visit some friends and had a wonderful time. Our first stop was to visit a friend of Kevin's that he grew up with in Roanoke that lives in Charlotte. We met him and his family for dinner on Saturday night. Here is a picture of Ryan and their oldest girl Madisen. Aren't they so cute together!! We had so much fun visiting with them and Ryan had so much fun playing with Madisen.

The Big "Hot Dog"

Today we met Heather and the boys at MacArthur to let the boys play on the big hot dog. We figured it would be a nice way for the kids to play and stay cool. Unfortunately the air condition didn't seem to be working so it was very hot. The heat didn't seem to bother the boys, but Heather and I sure were sweating!!

Kangaroo Jac's!!

Ryan bouncing on the dinosaur!
Anderson bouncing on the dinosaur!!
The boys heading down the slide!!

Tonight we went to Kangaroo Jac's with the Judd's and the boys had a wonderful time! I must say that it is very difficult to take pictures of two little boys as they are jumping and bouncing all over the place. I was able to catch a few moments of fun as they were playing. (unfortunately you won't see any pictures on Heather's blog due to the fact that the batteries in her camera died) Ryan and Anderson love all the climbing, jumping, bouncing and sliding. This is a great way to tire the kids out at the end of the day and then send them off to bed. Once again it was another fun filled evening with the Judd family!!