Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday

Jared and I before the gameBefore she opened the doorSurprise!!So sweet, good job Drew!! She was so shocked!!Me with the birthday girl

Happy late Thanksgiving to everyone! Its been a little crazy around here or I would have posted sooner. On Thursday, we headed to Cabot to see Jared's family for Thanksgiving. We got to see all of his family and catch up with Jared's "Granny Nell" from New Jersey, who was in town for the holiday. We were so glad we got to see her and spend time with her! We had our big lunch on Thursday at his other grandparent's house in Bigelow, there was a TON of great food, his Gran is the best cook! Thanksgiving was a little scary/sad for us this year because Jared's younger brother, Josh, had to be taking to the hospital in an ambulance around noon on Thanksgiving. They thought maybe he had a heart attack (at 25), but then said maybe not, they weren't really sure... after 2 days in the hospital, he was able to come home and will have many appointments and tests as a follow up. We are praying for you Josh, we hope you get better soon!!!

On Friday, we headed to LR and went to the Razorback game. I sat through the entire game, in the cold, and the rain, so that Jared could watch his team :) I was so glad that we stayed for the very end (not that leaving early is EVER an option), because WHAT A GAME it turned out to be! We were sitting in great seats right by the field at the 50 yd line so we were able to be right in all the action. At the end of the game (after the TD pass), Jared went running down to high five all the players. He literally leaned over the wall for 20 minutes to give high fives and "great games!" Of course, it was mainly family of the players, or people with small children down there, but Jared didnt seem to mind, he was really enjoying the moment. There was this sweet little boy next to us that was probably 5 years old and his dad was holding him over the wall, London Crawford reached up and gave him his glove and sweat band and the boy was so excited. I could see it in Jared's face that he secretly wanted the glove and sweat band. Ha!! Maybe next year. What a season!

On Saturday, Jared and I went to lunch with 5 of my girlfriends (he's the best for always doing that) and then shopped all afternoon. Then, Saturday night we went to Anna's surprise birthday party. She was shocked when she walked through the door, as you can see in the pictures and it was so fun. We were so glad that it worked out that we could be there to celebrate with her. We love you Anna, Happy 26th birthday. The two of us have a lifetime of memories together and I know that we will have millions more.

Today we had Thanksgiving with my family. We all cooked this afternoon and had a big meal earlier this evening. The food was great and we spent most of the night looking at and playing with Charlie! I swear he had grown in the four days that I hadnt seen him! He is so much fun and brings so much joy to all of our family. Thanks for a great day of fun! I cant wait for Christmas!!

Jared and I are so thankful for all of our family and friends. We are also thankful for our babies, Louie and Charlie. We love all of you so much!! Here are a few pics from the past couple days, hope everyone has a good week!

Tomorrow is Jared's 28th birthday!!! Happy Birthday, tomorrow!

Talk soon,
slg

Congrats Seth and Megan!

Jared and I at the wedding Jordan and Jared
Jess and I (with her new hair color!)

Mark, Daddy and Jared, the best three men I know :)

The beautiful bride and groom.

This past weekend we went to Seth and Megan's wedding. Everything was so pretty and we had a great time. There was a lot of good music, friends, food and family. Megan looked absolutely beautiful!! We really enjoyed ourselves and are so happy for the Newlyweds! Congratulations Seth and Megan!

On another note, I have a feeling that a bunch of my best girlfriends are going to be getting married soon (YAY!!!), so I made sure to pay close attention to all of the fabulous details. It is so much fun planning a wedding and I look forward to helping all of my friends when the time comes! They all did so much for Jared and I when we got married and I cant wait to do the same for them. SO HURRY UP AND GET ENGAGED ALL OF YOU :) Just kidding, sort of.

Here are a few pics from the wedding. Hope everyone is having a good week!

slg

Beach Pics

Welcome to the Islands!
Dinner at the Lighthouse

Beautiful Beach

The pool overlooking the ocean

Sweet Jared

Sunrise over the ocean

Jimbo, Steph, Jared at Cemetery Beach

The 4 of us headed to dinner

Jimbo and Steph

Jared and I having dinner

The gorgeous water

Here are some of our pics from vacation. I think I took almost 200!! WOW! Something about this camera makes me take more than I normally would :)

We finally got all unpacked and even put a dent in our laundry this evening. I have been running around the house trying to get things back in order. I didnt exactly get to start decorating for Christmas just quite yet... tomorrow?!

Talk soon,

slg

We're Back!

We made it back to the US from our fabulous vacation. We had such a great time and really enjoyed ourselves. Jared and I decided that it is hard for us to not have access to our phones, computers and the like. We are such type A that it is hard for us to relax, but we did this week. I read Marley and Me and a bunch of magazines and Jared caught up on a bunch of reading for his MBA. We ate and drank all that the island had to offer and we had a great time with Steph and Jimbo. All in all, it was a fabulous time and I think our bodies are in shock by the 60 degree difference in temperature! I could get used to the 80s year round!!! We are sitting in Charlotte and about to board the plane, so I have to get in line :)

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend, I am planning on making our house a Winter Wonderland tomorrow. Cant Wait! Hopefully, I can talk Jared into putting the lights up on the house. He almost fell off the roof last year, so it could be a challenge ;)

I will post pics from our vacation when I get them loaded!

Talk soon,

slg

Our Secret Vacation!

We have been planning a trip for 6 months that is a total surprise! Our friend Jimbo asked us 6 months ago if we wanted to go to Grand Cayman with him and Steph for her bday. It is a total surprise to her that we are coming and I can't wait to get there and see her!! She is going to be so confused!!! She and Jimbo flew out of Springfield this am and just took off from Atlanta.... so I know she wont be reading this until she gets back! Jared and I are sitting in Charlotte about to board here in a sec. We are so excited to go and have been looking forward to this for a long time! We have so much fun stuff planned while we are there, I will post tons of pics when we return. We will be there for seven days, so I will be absent from blogging :) I will also be absent from my phone, email, work, and all the other busy things in life. Just relaxing with my wonderful husband and good friends.

Here is a pic of the resort, I plan on being at that swim up bar in less than 5 hours :)

PS- my sister has a new hair color, this is big in our family, go to her blog and check it out! http://www.the-hallhouse.com/

Talk soon,

slg

Christmas Cards and Happy Birthday Steph!

Last weekend, we went up to campus and took a bunch of pics for mom's Christmas card. I think we got a really cute one. I won't post it and ruin the surprise of mom's cards this year, I'll post them after she sends them :)

As for ours, I have designed the card, I am just waiting for a certain picture to be taken so that I can complete the card. Should be cute!
We went to Abuelos last night to celebrate Steph's bday! Happy 26th Birthday Steph!

We had such a great time and a lot of our friends got to come, it was great to see everyone.
We are going to be super busy this coming weekend. I will post more pics when I find time. Hope all of you are doing well!!!

Talk soon,

slg

Birthday and Baby Shower

Bethany and her friendsJared trying to decided what to order, such a cutie :)

She was standing on her chair, while everyone sang

"Happy Birthday".... At Shogun, they also do this
disco flashing light thing that is a little over the top if you ask me!

D'Andre with Charlie at Panera

Julie with a cute little lion toy
Sarah, me, Allison, Bethany The Girls

On Tuesday of this week, Jared and I went to Shogun for my sister-in-law's bday. Bethany turned 20 and is a sophomore at the U of A. Here are some pics of her and her bf Taylor, and some of their friends. We had a great time celebrating with her! We love you Bethany, Happy 20th!

I took a study day on Thursday this week and got caught up on a lot of my reading and tests for my two new products that I will sell starting Jan 5. I studied all morning at the house, then met my friend and counterpart, D'Andre at Panera around lunchtime. We studied there until 5:30!! We got a lot done... still have a ways to go, but will get there. Charlie and mom came to have lunch with us and here is a pic of him and D'Andre.

On Thursday, my bunco group had a baby shower for our friend, Julie. She is having a little baby boy in January and she is doing great. We went to dinner at Crabby's and she opened gifts there. It was so much fun!! I think she got some good stuff for her little one that will be here really soon.. cant wait to meet him!

Here are some pics from the week.

Today I am going to Christmas and Birthday shop. Steph, Anna, Jared and Monica all have bdays coming up! Just inching their ways closer to 30 :)

I think I'll stay 25 forever, its a great age!

Then, after we shop, mom is wanting us to get dressed and go to the University to take some pics for her Christmas card, I'll post them when we get done, hopefully Charlie is on his best behavior :)

Have a good weekend, GO HOGS!

slg

Election Day

Although I have strong political views, I don't ever post them on my blog.... I don't usually talk about politics unless I am discussing issues with my friends or family. Yesterday was an interesting day and one that will only show it's true colors over time, just like any election. I will have to wait and see what happens over the next years and then I will be able to form a real opinion. I feel so strongly about all of it, but I don't want to offend anyone in regards to the Presidential election, so I will refrain from posting on it :)
However, I wont refrain from posting my views on Act 1. For those of you who don't know which Act this is, here are the specifics:
Section 1: Adoption and foster care of minors. (a) A minor may not be adopted or placed in a foster home if the individual seeking to adopt or to serve as a foster parent is cohabiting with a sexual partner outside of a marriage which is valid under the constitution and laws of this state. (b) The prohibition of this section applies equally to cohabiting opposite-sex and same-sex individuals.
First of all, why in the world would anyone want to put a ban on a system that is already struggling to find loving homes for these children. This is putting a blanket ban across many different situations and not placing value on an individual basis. There are so many loving families out there that are not the "traditional" family that would make wonderful homes for these children and now they will be denied. My thought is, if they are saying that a child cannot be adopted unless it is raised by a couple that is heterosexual and married, then they better be making it illegal for a single woman to become pregnant or for a lesbian to have invitro. Of course this would never happen, but if its fair, make it fair. Ideally, every child would have a mother and a father that are married and provide a good home, but look at the world we live in. You can only hope that a child is fortunate enough to have that. I just cannot fathom the thought that this Act has passed and that these people honestly believe the alternative (staying in Foster care, bouncing from one house to the next, belonging to the state, not knowing what to expect on a daily/nightly basis) would in any instance be better than living in a home with a fully capable man or woman, gay or straight. The fact is that these people would have to pass all the screening and tests to adopt that any married couple would, they don't just approve adoptions over night. I just think that if any person meets the standards and can offer a loving, safe, and welcoming home, they should not be denied the right to even be CONSIDERED.
Not to mention, the way this proposal was worded on the ballot could not have been any more twisted, backwards and confusing. I had to read it three times to even understand the indirect verbage. There are many people in the state who have since realized that they have voted incorrectly on accident, hopefully this will be looked at.
The last thing I want to say about it is for those people who prefer the "alternative" homes for these children, which sometimes aren't homes at all, I hope that you take it upon yourself to adopt these children. If you are going to sit back and judge and think that only people like yourself are capable, then by all means, please take the initiative in doing so, because many other people who would have been blessed to have these children, won't be able to because of voters like you.

Happy Halloween and A Fun Game!

He loved his candy! Sweet little puppy dog!

Mario and Princess Peach

The Boys

The Girls
Mom and Daddy
Jared and I at the Boerner's

The Last Tailgate at the Apartment :( Steph and I at the game
The stadium.. what a game! Go Hogs!

Happy Halloween!!

Before we left to head out for the evening, we waited for a special Trick or Treater to arrive... a sweet puppy dog named Charlie! Uncle and I fixed him a cute little pumpkin full of candy (that his dad probably ate). He looked so sweet in his costume!! They headed off to a party with tons of little ones for the evening.

We had such a great time at our friend's Allison and Andrew's Halloween party! Steph and Jimbo had us over for pizza before the party and then we all went over there together. She had gone all out for the party (no surprise, because she's always fabulous). She fixed punch with dry ice that was steaming over and bubbling. She even made koozies for a party favor, "Halloween with the Dolans 2008." How cute is that?!? The costumes were all creative, cute and funny! I loved all of them, I don't think I could decided on a favorite! Thanks for such a great time Allison and Andrew!

Saturday morning we woke up and went to Steph's apartment for the last tailgate ever at "the apartment." The apartments are being purchased and leveled at the end of the year by the University so they can be replaced with a parking deck :( I have had seven FUN years at the apartment and made countless memories there!! We will miss that place so much, but we know the next place they find will be just as fun!

After the GREAT game, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings with Jess, Mark, Bethany, Jordan and our good friends Nick and Jim. What an exciting game between Tech and UT. I don't even care about those teams and it managed to keep me entertained. We had such a fun time!!

Today I have been Christmas/Wedding/Birthday shopping online all morning!! I have found some fabulous items!! Can't wait for the holidays that are quickly approaching!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
slg