Happiness is...

• A beautiful family wedding in Charleston!
• A sanctuary full of beaming faces in the oldest (gorgeous!) Baptist church in the South.
• My very first sister-in-law.
• A full, gorgeous week at the beach.
• Shrimp, grits, shrimp and grits, and any other possible seafood combination Charleston has to offer.
• Early morning bike rides (yes, me!) and walks to the ice cream stand. Ahh.
• SPF 70 on my face to stave off sunburn - and it worked!
• Watching Blue play in the waves as he experienced something new - the ocean!
• Being pretty darn convinced that if dogs could grin, he was doing just that the whole time.
• Sipping Sprite on a rooftop deck with my two favorite boys. One furry and one suntanned.
• Feeling our baby boy move for the first time...together. Pretty soon I'll have three favorite boys.
• Waking up by choice or sunshine, not an alarm.
• Crossing the halfway point to meeting baby Grapenut - 20 weeks down, 20 to go!
• Dancing with my husband at two weddings in two weekends.
• Laughing at him for wearing a Friday night suit then two Saturday tuxes in a row - and six days of shorts at the beach in between to "balance it all out."
• Finally coming home to a (relatively) clean house.
• Putting off the unpacking. Why did we bring so much anyway?
• Happy faces to greet me at work; it's nice to be missed!
• So You Think You Can Dance waiting on my DVR.
• Our perma-frigid office feeling just right on a ridiculously hot summer day.
• Closing the laptop for the evening.
• Blue at my feet, pasta on my plate, B home and right next to me.
• Catching up on all the blog reading I've been missing - so glad to be back, friends!! xo

The first 500 days as Mr. and Mrs.

1 doggie surgery

1 new job

1 chipped plate

1 case of food poisoning
(That'd be today, folks. Poor, poor Bradley.)

2 football seasons
(With 2 different football coaches!)

2 trips to the animal emergency room

3 broken wine glasses
(Subsequently, 6 unbreakable wine glasses purchased solely for my use)

3 birthdays
(Mine, his, mine again...does that make me 2 years older in 500 days? Math is crap.)

3 trips to a doc in a box
(Why do we always get sick out of town on weekends?)

4 other couples' weddings

4 months of teaching 4-year-olds each Sunday
(Too many funny stories from those Sundays to count...remind me to tell you about Bradley playing the donkey in the Good Samaritan story. One for the ages.)

6 formal uses of our fine china and crystal
(Not bad, right?)

6 business trips

500 groggy morning I-love-you-have-a-good-day-grab-some-breakfast-call-me-later-goodbyes

10,327 thank you notes written, addressed, stamped and sent out
(All but one written by me, hence the 0 hours of yard work I have done since becoming Mrs. S.)

All in all, not such a bad deal. Love him!

I punched a man in the face yesterday.

Yep. Thought that'd raise an eyebrow or two. What did you do this weekend?

My fabulous four and a half day weekend was just what I needed - food, family, football, friends, Bradley, Blue and sleep. More later, but here's what you really need to know:

-Not a Black Friday item was purchased. Just FYI.

-Our first Thanksgiving with my in-laws was fantastic. I contributed the mashed potatoes and cornbread casserole, but the rest of our amazing spread was waiting for us when we arrived. And it was delicious. The lemon ooey-gooey cake was beyond words. Seriously. I'm scared to ask for the recipe, it's so good. Mmm.

-I missed my family but I think they managed just fine without me. :) I gave my brother a top-secret stealthy mission to take care of while he was home, but alas it was not to be. So my sneaky Christmas present plan is going to have to change a bit. Wish I could discuss it here but I'm not at liberty to say anything until December 26th. Just in case it works out...

-I got lots of sleep these last four days. Good sleep. Rainy and cold outside, cozy and warm under my down comforter kind of sleep. Nine hours at a time sleep. Ahh.

-After a breakfast-for-lunch with the girls and a spa manicure, I pushed it a little too hard at the gym on Friday. Perhaps the memory of my two-thirds mashed potatoes plate on Thanksgiving? Regardless, I'm hurting something fierce today. You should have seen me attempting to play with our four-year-olds at church this morning. If they hadn't thought I was so weird it might have been hilarious. A hot shower and two Advil later, I'm at least hobbling around with less difficulty. Heels tomorrow should be fun!

-Blue's unbelievable South Carolina tartan holiday collar came in from Pecan Pie Puppies. Pictures to follow - he looks so handsome!! And the proceeds support cancer treatments for our friend Ryan's beautiful yellow lab Sullivan. Absolutely worth it.

-The game I'll have to discuss in a bit more detail tomorrow. Suffice it to say that every minute was worth the cold and the rain. GO TIGERS! And good job, Dabo!! (But since when do we have to check really cute, one-of-a-kind favorite umbrellas just so you can forget them in the stadium? Only to remember it a mile away in the pouring rain. Genius idea, folks.)

-Three full weeks of work await me, then two shorrrrt weeks for the holidays. Whoo! Let's hope these next weeks fly by! (But go slowly enough for me to get everything done. If that's even possible.)

-Oh, and that little punch to the face? He certainly didn't deserve it; I definitely didn't mean to do it. Poor guy behind me at the game became a victim of my jumping up and down, fist pumping excitement. Guy leaned over, hopping around as well, and received a swift punch to the jaw. My hand hurt for twenty minutes, minimum. The sweet, sweet Tiger fan was so excited he just kept jumping. Sometimes love hurts, I guess. Particularly when it's the love of a football team. (This season, at least!)

Enjoy your Mondays back at work, lovelies!! Miss you and hope you had fabulous (non-violent) fun this long holiday weekend...

xoxo,
A.

A few of my favorite things

Sweet Ashley tagged me to list just six of my very favorite things. I've actually given this a lot of (non-blog-related) thought lately, hoping to narrow down the most meaningful ways to spend my time. It's a lot harder to do than it sounds...here goes!

1. Bradley and Blue. We may be crazy, but I love our little household. Sometimes I worry that it's unusual for us to so thoroughly enjoy just hanging out. I mean, shouldn't we be inviting more people in to our ridiculous, irrational house o' fun? That's something I hope to become more intentional about in coming months. I am, however, thrilled to enjoy myself so completely by doing so little.
2. My nearby and far-away friends. Notes in the mail, smiles as I walk to my desk, sweet voice mail messages when I'm too sick to call back, emails at just the right time, a lunch or dinner to take my mind off of every little thing - from top to bottom, I've been blessed with incredible friends. The ones who have known me since braces and bangs, those who met me before Bradley did, and the fabulous folks I've met since we moved to Greenville - each of you play such an important part in my life and my happiness. Thanks for letting me into your lives. (And for consistently updating your pictures on Facebook - y'all know that's my favorite peek into your world!) Wish I could have each of you on my street; wouldn't we make the most fabulous neighborhood?

3. My family. Raised me, see me through thick and thin, still think I'm amazing. How that is possible, I'll never know. I'm so fortunate to have parents who are also really great friends - to one another and to me. I appreciate them for a lifetime of family dinners, unfailing patience, vacation memories, much-needed braces, absolute belief in me, always answering the phone when I call and never blinking at my crazy stories. (The picky eating I developed against their wishes and best attempts to teach me otherwise, I promise. Those weirdos can even allow their food to touch. Bizarre.)

4. Reading. I could sit in a hammock, in my bed, on the beach, in a recliner or on the floor for hours each day and read. Blogs, books, magazines, journals, biographies, travel guides, shampoo bottle labels - it really doesn't matter. It's the fastest way to entertain me and the most fun I can have in an instant. It's equally relaxing, stimulating and informative. I should probably become a librarian when I retire. I may need to work on my inside voice, though...

5. Doing what I "should" do. While I'm not a fan of doing things simply because I have to or I'm expected to, the feeling I get afterwards is pretty remarkable. For example, I rarely feel better than I do in the gym parking lot after a workout. Or bragging about how I got up at 5:15 to hop on an elliptical. (That's a true story - twice this week. It's ok if you're shocked; I am too.) Checking something off my to-do list is a dorky thrill for me and clicking 'send' on a project I've been working on is always a relief. I hate cleaning but adore a sparkling house, laundered sheets and an organized closet. So, as this list winds to a close, I'm about to do just what I "should" be doing right now - cleaning for our open house tomorrow.

6. Dreaming. In every sense of the word. I'm the world's best and most appreciative sleeper. Left to my own devices, I could easily sleep ten hours a day. I'm always happiest after a full night's sleep or a quick afternoon nap; therefore so is anyone who has to hang out with me. I also enjoy dreaming by imagining what our life will be like in five, ten, twenty or fifty years. Will I be have my own little PR (or stationery) shop? Be a college professor? A writer? Retired and addicted to pasta? Living in that gorgeous house with a huge porch downtown? Spending a year in a glass-bottomed hut in Bora Bora? Answering the phone for Bradley's furniture company? Wrangling seventeen childreen or just one? Hard to say. My eight and a half ideal hours of sleep each night give me lots of time to explore the possibilities though. Not counting naps on Sunday, of course.

Honorable mentions: teaching our 4-year-old class each Sunday, Christmas ornaments, Christmas parties, Christmas shopping, monogrammed stationery, monogrammed table linens, clean sheets, a good thesaurus, new journals, recording Bradley-isms, pretending I can sing, broken-in jeans, hot showers, pedicures, Febreze, lip gloss, naps, holding hands, holding babies, Clemson football, Clemson colors, Clemson people, Clemson's campus, old-school family pictures, rewatching favorite childhood movies, gelato and Diet Cherry Coke. Whew.
P.S. The title of this post is a definite reference to a favorite childhood movie, The Sound of Music. Add in Annie, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Cutting Edge, Shakespeare in Love and With Honors and you have the perfect recipe for a 1990s Anne movie marathon, from 3rd grade to graduation. Anyone in?

What are your favorite six things? I tag Shelley, Kristen and Elizabeth.

An International Holiday for Dogs

Are you planning to celebrate Dogs Rule Day tomorrow, October 11th?

Here are 101 ways you can...

Dear Tommy Bowden

I bought an adorable football season collar for my ever-hopeful, absolutely devoted dog. He was so looking forward to showing his Tiger Pride as we cleaned the floor with Carolina and perhaps even as we won the ACC Championship.

Instead, the football has been snapped off and placed in a drawer for a brief mourning period. The collar itself remains; thankfully he looks good in purple and orange regardless of team affiliation.

While I am always a Tiger fan, Tommy, I can't stand to see you shame my hopelessly adoring dog this way. Those big sad eyes were too much for me after our loss to Wake last night.

Please don't make a mockery of his football collar. Please find a way to turn this around. (Or at least send me earplugs and a giant container of Rolaids.)

In other news, should your dog desire a similarly fabulous collar in Carolina or Clemson colors - or even in seersucker without any ACC/SEC overtones, you can nab them from Pecan Pie Puppies. Read more about my love for these creations here.

As I was saying...

One of fall's innumerable benefits - not needing to be bronzed and beach-ready but still being able to show off your toes. Look at Natalie Portman and her precious dog enjoying a promenade with a jacket and sandals. I like where your head's at, Natalie.

I would also like to be where the rest of you is - Paris. What a walk. Can you imagine how many outdoor markets Blue would tear into taking that same carefree stroll? I'd be willing to try all the same!

I'm not aging.

Yesterday I was twenty-something; today I am twenty something-else. That's all.

Tonight the three of us are off to the lake for a long weekend to celebrate my non-aging. (And to soak up the sunshine in four long-awaited consecutive days off of work.) Blue will be sporting his new lifejacket and I'll be sure to take pictures.

Have a beautiful weekend, lovelies!! xoxo

Man-Made (Better) Monday

My Monday in a nutshell:
1. Got Blue fed and antibiotic-ed up, headed off to work
2. Picked up rental car, headed to Atlanta
3. Three interstates and two-ish hours later, I'm there for a three-hour meeting
4. Back on the highway, took a little detour during some crazy construction
5. Return my rental car at 5:30, thoroughly exhausted. (How is that sitting still for a few hours can wipe a girl out so much? I could never commute any farther than I already do...)
6. The drive back to our house seemed slow as all get out and I was a little cranky...so I stopped by Target for some essentials (and some not-so-essentials)
7. Said pit-stop made me 20 minutes later than I'd said I'd be home, so I called B to let him know I was ok. (Fully expecting that he hadn't noticed.) He was worried, glad to hear from me, and a bit uneasy with the role reversal of waiting on me to get home for once. Cuteness.
7. Got home to find a happy Bradley, a newly suture-free Blue, dinner cooking, a pitcher of pina coladas, a clean kitchen and a big hug.

Wow. The crankiness evaporated immediately. Got lots of fabulous sleep knowing that Blue's (practically) all better, and now I'm ready for a fantastic Tuesday. Wishing the same for you ladies.

Bradley needs to get home early more often - I love it!!

Happy June, y'all!

Adventures at the Animal Hospital

I'm a still thanking God for the number of caring and capable professionals at our local animal emergency clinic. After a late-night surgery to remove blockages from his stomach and intestines, we are hoping our sweet Blue is on the mend.

The blockages in his stomach? A tank top, among other laundry items. Perhaps in a week or two this will be remarkably funny, but at the time it felt like my heart was being pulled out of my body. Leaving Blue alone for hours to be put under, cut open, stitched and stapled back up was gut-wrenching. (No pun intended.) Big hugs to Jennifer for meeting me there late late at night, missing the Grey's season finale ending, and taking Bradley's place while he was a state away.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and concern - we're taking baby steps and our boy is on the mend. We're still praying it continues to get easier as the days go by. Isn't it amazing how much an 80-pound dog means to you? I'm not sure if I can ever have children knowing that it could only hurt more...

The fabulous news - he's worth it.

Quick Hits

You should know:
1. My laptop is on the fritz, so excuse the slow posting and even slower Word Twist games I owe a few of you on Facebook!
2. My dog is also sick, which equals less sleep for me and Blue.
3. Getting even less sleep than either one of us is Bradley, who's working overnight this week. We've been in the same room a grand total of twenty minutes so far this week. Who's ready for a long weekend?
4. I'm in total denial that it'll be June any minute now.
5. I've been married ten months now! (Still no champagne...)

Quick list of gratitudes:
1. Daily check-ins from my fabulous parents, who never get their feelings hurt when I hang up because Bradley's beeping through.... Adorable.
2. Talking to Bradley ten times a day makes me feel like we're in high school. (Still ready for him to be back to daytime duty.)
3. Work is crazy but I have amazing coworkers whose strolls with me at lunch can make almost any day better.
4. It's absolutely beautiful out and we have a holiday weekend to enjoy it!
5. Being alone at night lets me watch some chick flicks that I can't bear to expose Bradley to. You know, like the America's Next Top Model finale, the Real World, the six-hour A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. A man can only take so much.
6. A show that got me through the last few months of wedding planning, So You Think You Can Dance, is back! Tune in!
7. The gorgeous red Juicy watch Kristen gave us as a bridesmaid's gift in March matches madras perfectly. Makes my summer outfits a lot more fun!
8. I'm starting to plan a vacation for 2009.
9. Last weekend in Charleston was gorgeous. Friends, family, food, sunshine & sleep.

So what are y'all up to? In my laptop-free home, I've been a little out of touch. I can't wait to hear how everyone's doing...and get a fixed laptop back.

Also, I need some fabulous new songs to add to my iPod. Suggestions??