Thanksgiving in South Carolina

Grace and I ended up going home for Thanksgiving. I had not intended on it, but we decided on Wednesday morning to head home. And so, we went. Grace had a great time. She got to meet John Christian, Rebecca's son, and had a fun time with him at his grandparents house. She also met Belle and Beau, Papa's dogs. She loved them too. All and all, we are glad that we went home for the long trip, even though it took an extra two hours to get back up here on Sunday.

Party Hardy

Uncle Walter had a Clemson/Carolina viewing party out at the pond. The boys apparently had a great time. Some of them forgot to put their bottles away, though. When we got home for Thanksgiving, Gracie decided that the pool room was the place to be. Note the Mardi Gras beads around the neck. These are Aunt Laura's. Grace decided that they were prettier on her. We had a really difficult time getting them off of her. In fact, we brought several sets of them home, and we wear them to school each day.

World Travels

For those of you that were unaware: Lamar has been spending the past several weeks in Pakistan. He and the rest of the guys went to participate in the earthquake relief effort. He said that he has taken many pictures, some of which I will publish when he gets them to me. The conditions are pretty much what you would expect of an area that has been completely devistated by a natural disaster. The exciting news...they should be on their way back to Bahrain right now. They have done great work there, but they are ready to return to Bahrain for the remainder of their deployment. He is still scheduled to return home the middle of February. Grace and I are definitely ready! He is half way finished with his deployment. He left Norfolk on August 15, making today 3 months:)

What are you?

Are you Dixie or Yankee? This is a pretty fun test. I was 83% Dixie. There was a concern that I still use Confederate money? Try it and see where you fall. www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.html

Tyler and Grace

This is Tyler. He lives next door and is about three weeks younger than Grace. They go to the same daycare and spend much of their awake time together. Tyler got his helicopter pjs for his birthday. Of course, being helicopters, we had to have a pair as well. Complete coincidence that when he came over to visit the other night, they both had them on.

The Great Pumpkin

Grace went trick or treating on Monday with the daughter of a friend of mine. She had a ball and came home with half of a bag of candy that she cannot eat. She did have about eight packs of smarties that night. I was afraid that I would never get her to sleep. Alas, I was mistaken. She got so tired she fell asleep on the way home. She went as a pumpkin. At first she was not really into the costume thing. She kept taking it off, but eventually, she forgot that it was on. She was too cute:)

Happy Birthday To Me

Grace turned one on September 25. How cute is she. By the number of parties and cakes she had, she should be starting kindergarten. She got all kinds of things, but her favorite is the Shout Elmo. She will dance with him for hours. She has also started blowing kisses and giving hugs. So cute!!

Miss Grace

Grace will be one year old next week. Boy how time flies. She is walking and messing and is full of herself. This is a picture of her eating her absolute favorite meal...Spagetti. We usually have to strip down to eat and then head straight for the bath, often trying to get it out of ears:)

Good News!!

Well, I have accepted a new job here in Virginia. I am going to be the Branch Director for Childcare Programs at the YMCA. This is a fancy title for stating that I will be in charge of the six sites at the Portsmouth Branch of the YMCA. Grace will be staying where she is located. She loves it and they love her. I have given my notice at my current position and will start my new job on October 17.

Bahrain

Just thought that you might want to check out the "horrible" accommodations that Lamar and the guys are having to endure in the Middle East. No one should have to endure these conditons:) Just click on the link and go to the *AS PROMISED* link:)

http://homepage.mac.com/jefe26

September 8, 2005

This is entry number one. I decided to create this to keep everyone informed about our newest adventures here in Norfolk. Lamar is still in Bahrain. He left on August 15 for those who are not aware. Grace and I are still her in Norfolk going to work and school. All else is still the same:) Hope all is well with everyone else:)
This is a picture of Grace taken about a month ago. Gosh how time does really fly. She will be one year old at the end of this month. She is walking, talking and throwing fits. Definitely not a learned behavior from her mother:)