My Christmas Vacation! Jealous?

Wow! Simon (Lucas's brother) just sent us new pictures of the farm. While ya'll are freezing here in the states I'll be sunbathing by the hot tub surrounded by exotic beauty. I'm so excited! I haven't been since before we were engaged. I'll be happy to go as his wife! We still don't have our exact dates picked out though. We need to buy our tickets soon.

At Least He's Got His Looks

Poor guy just lost.... again. Also big losers at Wimbledon already: James Blake and Maria Sharapova. I still have Rafa and Roger though.

And He's Gone Again

We knew Lucas might have to go to Indiana Wednesday and back on Thursday but he went to work on Tuesday and they sent him on his way. He has been really busy there and will probably stay until Friday. He is traveling all the time now. I hope they remember all the hard work he is putting in when it comes time to evaluate his performance (and salary).

Speaking of salary, a lady just approached Lucas about teaching a weekly group lesson. And guess where it is.... Lake Forest! I take it as a sign that we need to be there. So I called up this realtor who had gotten some information on lots in Lake Forest for us and he is sending us over a price list. If the prices are right then we may be buying a lot in Lake Forest! It is my dream community. We almost bought a house there initially but it was at the top of our price range at the time. By hanging onto a lot for a few years then building ourselves (a house that we can actually design ourselves) we will have a much, MUCH nicer house. I can just see us raising a family there. During the summer we'll take the kids to the pool to hang out with other neighborhood kids, they can ride their bikes around the community and be safe, we can run around the jogging/nature trail, we can teach our children to play tennis. I see it all in my head and it is the perfect place! This will be my dream home in my dream community. I can't wait! I hope it all works out.

So Lucas will be at Lake Forest giving lessons every Tuesday now. If he has to go out of town like so often he does I may fill in for him. I think they are all beginners so it shouldn't be too hard.

I had a match last night after work. Mom came and got Rafa so he could play and watch. He was a good boy! We won then afterwards mom and I took Rafa home and went to eat Mexican. We sat there and talked for a long time in the restaurant then in the parking lot. It was nice to do that. I don't think we have done much with just us lately so it was a nice treat.

We were discussing our trip to Colombia for Christmas. My parents have decided to postpone their trip until next year but Lucas and I are still planning on going. Originally I had insisted that we stay here for Christmas then leave but mom was encouraging me to go be with his family on Christmas since we haven't had that experience and may not for a while once we start having children. I still think it will all depend on the price of tickets. We are going either way but I would like to go as cheaply as possible. It is so expensive... and they better not give me any of this 1 bag crap! 1 to 2 weeks in a foreign country... I need lots of clothes (even though their house keeper does all of our laundry while we're there... even folding underwear).

Tooth

Yup... just had my tooth sawed down. It didn't feel too good. I can still see a little indentation where I chipped my tooth but it is much better. Dr. Sellman said that when my teeth are aligned properly with my braces you won't be able to notice it as much. But he'll re-examine it after I get my braces off.... a long time from now.

I'm still trying to decide whether or not I should go to the doctor about my chin. Lucas said he will help me decide tonight and I can go tomorrow if need be.

Having Fun ~ with scars to prove it

We had our canoeing and camping trip this weekend. It was so much fun. We went to the Buffalo River and canoed through Crazy Horse Canoe Rental. We had a blast. I'll try to get pictures to you once we get these waterproof disposable cameras developed.

Along our route was a big waterfall. We stopped and climbed to the top to stand under the falls and take pictures. It was so cool! We stopped later for lunch and make frequent stops to relax along the river. It was on one of these stops that my first incident occurred. The boys were swimming to the middle of the river to jump off of some big tire that was there. I stepped off the gravel rocks and into the river.... solid mud surrounded my foot and would not let go. I seriously didn't think I was coming out of the river but after much pulling I made it... without my shoe. So the rest of the day I canoed shoe-less.

This might not be a major problem had my second incident not occurred. There was a large stone wall that people were climbing up to jump with the rope swing into the river. It looked fun so I got out of the canoe and attempted climbing the wall. One or two steps up and I decided this wasn't the best idea for me so I got back down. I walked barefooted back towards the river to get in when suddenly my feet flew out from underneath me. My backside hit hard against the stone rock and my face smashed into the canoe in front of me (at least from the logistics of my injuries this is what I assume happened).

I was suddenly surrounded my people screaming "Oh my god!" and "Get her in the canoe!" etc. It was crazy. It turned out I had a cut under my chin, bruises and scratches down my legs, and a chipped tooth (as I would later find out once I got to a mirror).

My nurse Aida took care of me though. I think I am fine but I still don't know if I should go to a doctor about this cut on my chin. Several people were thinking I may need stitches but it may be too late for that now. I am just working away with a band-aid on my chin.

I am also leaving right this minute to go to the dentist about my tooth. We'll see what he says about this chipped tooth. I'll let you know.

P.S.

Lucas and I are still loving the canoe trip and looking to buy our own now. We hope to go back canoeing in July or August.

08 State

So I did want to briefly run down the events of 2008's State Tournament. Amy and I traveled to Mobile over the weekend for our team's state tournament. There was a little rain, a little more drinking, and a lot of tennis. All in all we had a great trip.

I went 4-1. I lost my last match of the tournament to a player from Birmingham. I definitely should have beaten her and I can come up with many, many reasons (not excuses) that things ended the way they did but in the end I am happy I lost that last match. Perhaps it was my sacrifice match to keep me at 4.0. I hope I'm safe.

Amy played well throughout the tournament, too. However, she did have one major conflict throughout the tournament. This girl from Tuscaloosa was being completely rude to Amy throughout the match but nothing too out of the ordinary. Amy was the last court on, I had just finished my match, and we were all on the sidelines watching. Then, out of nowhere, after a point was finished this girl yells at Amy "Don't look at me! It was back." I couldn't believe how rude it was. And you know me, I'm all talk. So this really gets me going. We are sitting on the bleachers with our team and her team and I yell out "What a bitchy thing to say!" That definitely got the attention of her team but they knew I was right. Amy ends up losing the match in a third set tie-breaker. I really wish she would've won but guess what this girl did next..... you will never guess it in a million years. Amy goes to shake her hand and the girl takes Amy by the hand and literally tries to pull her over the net. I have never seen such awful behavior EVER! So, of course, I'm all fired up. The girl walks by me to go report her score and tell her that her actions were completely unacceptable. Then, I decide to take things a bit further and report her to the umpire. This is physical abuse we are talking about.... and this is WOMENS tennis! Come on people! So, in the end, the girl is trying to apologize to me. I tell her I don't want her apology and make her promise to never act out like that again and to apologize to Amy. I still can't believe it at this moment that she would do such a thing! She tries to apologize to Amy but then follows it with a "BUT" and Amy told her to get out of her face and never speak to her or touch her again. You go, Amy! I still can't believe it!

Anyway, Amy and I headed to Pensacola Beach after our match Saturday morning and lay out on the beach for a few hours. It happened to be Latin Fest so that was pretty cool! Then we met my good friend Carrie at their camper on the bay! I miss Carrie so much. It was great to see her! We went back to the beaches that night, ate at Crabs, and went to Bamboo Willies. We stayed with her at their camper that night and drove back to good ole' Alabama on Sunday morning.

Sunday night Lucas and I went to Hartselle for Father's Day and had some good Asian Buffet and then desert at my grandparent's house. Then, Monday came and we're back to work as usual.

Also, yesterday the foundation people were back at the house and now our house is level again! Well, as level as it is going to get I suppose. Now it is time to really start working on the house again. Lucas said we can start installing our new base boards and trim work again. I'm ready to start making progress!

In Rememberance

We walked into the hotel Friday afternoon during a rain delay between our matches and turned on the t.v. On the screen, memorials to Tim were already running and it took me a moment to figure out just what had happened. I thought, "How sad. Tim Russert's father died." Then I realized how wrong I was. Tim passed away Friday of a heart attack. I still can't believe he's gone. We were traveling Sunday morning and missed Meet the Press but I had a chance to watch the episode online. The "Meet the Press with Tim Russert" logo and call in came up and then the camera panned on the empty table and zoomed in on the empty chair... it was all a bit surreal. Tim has been the moderator of Meet the Press for 17 years. I remember getting ready to go to church growing up and watching Meet the Press. Through college, I always watched Tim and his tough interviews. Now (with no cable and limited channel choices) Meet the Press is a staple in our household. I look forward to watching the new direction that Meet the Press takes but know that it will never add up to the Meet the Press of my childhood and beyond. Tim Russert will be missed.

Mobile Bound

And we're off! Amy and I are about to leave for Mobile in a couple of hours. Wish us luck! We are hoping to be done on Saturday morning (which will mean we have lost) so that we get to go to the beach and visit with Carrie. Isn't that sad? Oh, well. This may be the only beach vacation I get all summer so I want as much of it as possible.

If you are interested in how we're doing, I believe you can check out the results here (we are HU-Volley 4 Fun-Sellers in Group 2) or search my name on Tennis Link. Hopefully you will see some good results (but not too good). :)

I should have some good stories to tell and photos to share when I return.

By the way, the photo is of Amy and I playing doubles at a local tournament. Such a funny picture I think. I'm sure Amy would agree! Ha!

Last Night @ Home

Tonight is my last night at home. I'm leaving tomorrow for the state tennis tournament in Mobile. Last night I got all my clothes out to pack tonight but I have too many. I need to consolidate tonight. We are playing 5 (possibly 7) matches. I hope to be done Saturday morning so we can go visit with Carrie Saturday and Sunday and go to the beach.

I have lots to do tonight. We have an 8.0 Mixed match at 5:30 tonight. Then I have to pack up all my clothes. I also need to string my rackets. Lucas was going to but then he had to leave. I know how to string rackets but I'm not sure if I know how to work Lucas's stringer. Maybe he can talk me through it tonight. I really need (or at least would like to have) fresh rackets for the tournament.

I am ready to go though. I think we'll have a lot of fun regardless of the tennis outcome!

See ya later

Lucas and I were woken up this morning at 6:45 by Huntsville Utilities. (In all reality we had already been awake the last 30 minutes or so but neither one of us wanted to get up. Actually, I had already gotten up to take Rafa outside to do his business.) Next thing you know we have no water and a big hole in our front yard. What a way to start the morning.

Lucas couldn't find his keys when he got ready to leave so we were both scouring the house looking. Seriously, I don't know how hard it is. There is a hook near the entryway from the garage.... come in the house, hang your keys up. This all would have been avoided. So he rushes out the door once he finds them.

I get ready to leave for work and have to chase Rafa around the garage to put him back inside. He is so sneaky... gets out every time. Huntsville Utilities men are standing waist deep in our yard when I left. Great!

Not long after I got to work this morning Lucas calls to tell me he'll be leaving for Indiana in a few hours and won't be back until Wednesday night or Thursday. And I am leaving Wednesday after work to go to Mobile until Sunday. So I guess we won't be seeing each other for a week. He did stop by work to tell me goodbye but I'll kind of be sad not seeing him for a week. I mean, we have gone much, much longer but it still feels weird. Oh, well.

One good thing that came out of this trip is that Lucas got to rent a Toyota Tundra to drive up to Indiana. He has been eyeing this truck for a while now. But he filled it up on his way to IN at $90 and decided maybe that is not the vehicle he wants. At least he learned something!

Showering baby Karson

The long-planned baby shower weekend was finally here. After I got home from my tennis match on Friday night we did a little shopping and cleaning but Saturday was the most cleaning I've done in any one day ever I do believe. We woke up at about 6:00 or so and started cleaning. Lucas worked outside while I worked inside. He also helped me clean our master bath and finish a few small little projects we had to do.

Our team had a match at 12 on Saturday but unfortunately we had to default a court. Lucas played but I did not. I took Rafa and we met mom and Grandmother there to watch Lucas and our team play. We pulled it out! Both courts had tough matches but we won. I'm so proud of my team! After the match, mom, Grandmother, and I went to Sams. Then we came home unloaded all of their platters and things to get ready for the shower. They also helped me hang up pictures and things that I had procrastinated doing since we moved in.

All seemed to be going well. I still had more cleaning to do but knew I could get it done. As Lucas and I were in the garage getting out the rugs we had put away (for Rafa's sake) our neighbor pulled over as he was leaving his house and told us we had water streaming from the meter cover in our yard. Lucas lifted it up and sure enough the entire pit is filled with water and flooding over, causing a very muddy front yard. Great! So I called Huntsville Utilities. They sent a truck over. The guy said it looked like our main service line was busted and they would fix it on Monday. Great! So we had a muddy yard and water streaming down the street for our shower.

I stayed up until about 1:30 the next morning cleaning and getting ready for the shower but the most important thing is that I got it done. The next morning I slept until 8 then watched the French Open finals (where Rafa just killed Federer). I potted the Impatiens I bought for the pots on the front porch and got ready for the shower.

We had fewer people than I had originally expected but all went well. The table was gorgeous! We got so many compliments. So I have to show you.

Here is a snapshot of the table. We used my cream tablecloth on the table then put one of my grandmother's blue round table clothes in the center with a lace rectangle tablecloth on top. We used blue place mats and blue and white check napkins and cloths to dress up the platters.

Here is a long shot of part of the table with mom's lemon blossoms at the forefront

This photo highlights the diaper cake and baby carriage fruit salad

I made cupcakes with blue sprinkles and little "Karson" toppers for each one.

Here is a closer shot of the diaper cake. I used an awesome template Homemade by Jill but I used silk flowers instead of the handmade flowers (not enough time or patience for that). I made a cute little topper with Karson's name. Kristina and her mom loved the diaper cake. Her mom told Kristina not to take it apart until her grandmother from Texas came down and sees it.

Here is another shot of the watermelon baby carriage. I found this idea online somewhere and dad took care of the rest of it. Isn't he crafty?!?

I was so proud of our table. I think we did a good job. And hosting the baby shower was a good way to make me do some serious spring (isn't it summer yet?) cleaning. Now Lucas and I have lots of goodies at the house. We even spiked some of the punch last night after everyone left. So good!

June - Desktop Calendar

I know it is a little late but I wanted to remind everyone about the free desktop calendar over at Shabby Princess. I've been so busy at work that I just got mine up yesterday.

Check it out: http://shabbyprincess.typepad.com/

I'm back

Oh, my long lost blog. I promise I have not forgotten you.

I should be back to normal after this week (except for a slight interruption for the state tennis tournament at the end of next week).

This has been the absolute most craziest week at work I've had in a long time. To top it off, we've had tennis matches every night. I thought I had a break tonight but realized yesterday that I have a match after work today, too. And one tomorrow! Also, the baby shower is this Sunday and I have lots (I mean LOTS) of major cleaning to do. I have been doing our laundry the last couple of days and got it all folded this morning. I've got to get it all put away tonight and do a little bit of organizing tonight before I start cleaning tomorrow. I'm also going to the grocery store to get everything I'm responsible for at the shower. We need to make a stop by Home Depot, too, and return the weed eater that quit working after one use. While there, I need to buy some plants for our front porch that Lucas promised me I could get before the shower. I hope I have time to pot them tomorrow.

Last weekend was Kegball and I can't begin to explain how fun it was. There was one sourpuss at the game but we didn't let her ruin the night. Lucas and I got our old pirate costumes out (altered a bit to withstand the heat). Dan and Amy came as Charlie Brown and Lucy. So cute! And Chris and Aida came as a doctor and patient. We had a blast! Here are some photos:



That is about it. Election night went really well. Tennis has been good every day. State tournament is next week!

It's Election Day!

I've been too busy with work and tennis to write. It's Election Day!