My Niece Is In Town!

Erick and El usually go out of town somewhere cool for their anniversary, but because of the new baby, things have changed. I suppose it poses the problem of what to do with Isa, and then I guess the whole money situation can change a bit, too, with a baby. So, this year, they spent their anniversary week back home. Now, I know that sounds cool and all, but would you believe they spent it working on my mom and dad's patio? Fun fun!!

The cool thing is that every time they visit, it's always a mad dash, and I really don't get to see them or spend time with them. I guess it wasn't a whole lot different this time, because Erick was busy helping Dad, and I was working a lot myself. However, on my day off, we were finally able to all get together and do some hanging out.

Oh, long gone are the days of Charleston Sports Pub with my brother. Or, the fun times of being out all night long at Acme. Instead, we spent some quality family time with his family and Gabriel at Chuckie Cheese. It's really kind of cool that our kids are only 9 months apart. Right now, they are going through different stuff, but later on, they will probably have more in common and be more interested in doing stuff together. For now, it was fun watching them play simple games and enjoy the rides.



Gabriel was able to do a little bit more than Isa, since he's at least walking, but she was still willing to try and participate in the activities. Here they are tossing ping pong balls in some buckets, and trying to win tickets for prizes!

Here's Uncle Erick and Gabriel doing some male bonding time. Heeyyy...that's cheating! You can't use both hands!!

Gabriel climbed up into this thing, and I thought he was going to use the slide, but once he got to the top, he chickened out and crawled back down. Oh well, maybe next time....


And then, of course, you can't leave without dinner! A child's true main staple--pizza! After eating, we counted up the tickets and Gabriel scored himself some really cool plastic bugs.

It was actually a lot of fun to do stuff with the kids. It's by no means easy work, and I find myself becoming frustrated at times, but I can honestly say that I enjoy being a mom. It's a great thing to be able to watch your child enjoying themselves and their new experiences. Even cooler is when they have their cousins around to do things with them. I'm looking forward to when the kids are grown up, and they can look back at these pictures and treasure growing up together. I'm glad I have my family, too, to do this with!

Thanks for visiting, Erick and El! Disneyworld?

WARNING! THIS POST HAS GRAPHIC CONTENT

**IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE GRAPHIC CONTENT, DO NOT READ THIS POST!!!**

Did you hear about the guy who got attacked by an alligator here at Short Stay? It was all over the news. They said it was the worst alligator attack here in SC. Did you know the details? Yes, he got attacked by an alligator. And he was in a pond. A secluded pond with warning signs. Snorkeling. Snorkeling in a pond with warning signs stating that there are alligators in the water.

I mean, duh. Hello?!

Gabriel Loves Animals

Gabriel is just like his mommy; he loves animals. A lot of his first words were of animal names and sounds. Here is my little boy, who is quickly growing up. He loves animals!

Jamaica Girls' Trip 2007

beach
Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

Well, I made it back in one piece. Our first annual girls' trip was indeed, a success. I met Anna and Rachel in the Atlanta airport, with Rachel flying in from Charlotte. The flight was fairly short, and we were anxious to get vacation started.

Speaking of "anxious to get vacation started," I must say that we started out on a bit of the wrong foot. First of all, when we finally got through customs in Montego Bay, we hopped anxiously onto our bus, ready to see our hotel and get checked in. We were graciously greeted by sitting in our bus for half an hour, wondering where our stupid driver was. When he finally decided to grace us with his presence, we were introduced to the crowded, narrow, and crazy driving of Jamaica. Not only that, but the driver and another passenger were bickering back and forth over his tardiness. All I could think of was him jumping into the back of the bus and strangling us.

After checking in, was the fiasco of figuring out what the damned number was to use our calling card so that we could all check in with our hubbies to let them know we were alive. Cell phone service didn't work, and the instructions to using the phone card failed to give us the 800 number to dial out. No worries, we'll just use the internet service to figure it out. That is...if you have the patience for their reeeeaaallllly slllloooooow dialup service. Twenty minutes wasn't even long enough to load the first page. You damned impatient, spoiled Americans...


After we finally figured out the whole phone thing and checked in, everything improved from there on. We started our next day bright and early to visit Mayfield Falls. This was not at all what I had expect...in a good way. For starts, our driver, "Indian," was excellent. Very friendly and eager to teach us of Jamaica, he did an outstanding job. Next was our fantastic tour guide who took us through the falls. I guess I was sort of under the impression that we would be hiking up "something" to look at waterfalls. I had no idea that we would be hiking *up the actual waterfalls*. Now, I am not exactly crazy about water, but I am so glad that we did this excursion. It was not at all "touristy" and we were the only ones on this guide. Mayfield falls is very peaceful and beautiful, and our guide Dennis was happy to show us some really cool stuff that we never would have found on our own. He even showed us some really cool hiding spots behind the falls where we were able to take cool pictures of...

Another cool excursion we did was to go ziplining above the jungle in Montpelier. It was a bit of a tiring climb, but well worth it. I was surprised that Anna agreed to do this one, but I think she was glad to do it. The crew was witty and fun, and the experience was memorable.

Here's a pic of our bungalow. I wish I'd taken more pics of the inside, but take my word for it. They were well done. This is the cool swim up bar...that we never used. It was neat, but I guess it would have been cooler if we'd actually used it. Their cocktails were so strong and some so gross that they even gave Rachel goosebumps! LOL!! Here's the rasta guy that was not only a contortionist and a fire dancer. He was also our limbo instructor...and I won!

Aside from our excursions, we mostly just hung around our resort and relaxed, which was really the main purpose of our trip. With jobs, babies, and husbands, I thought that we were all due for some unwind girly time. I think we need to remember that aside from a mommy and a wife, we're still just us, too. Hey, we're all entitled to a little ME time, right?

I did thoroughly enjoy our trip, and hope that we can make this an annual thing. But as always, I was missing my boy and eager to get home to him. It's always nice to get away sometimes, but it's also nice to come back to the ones you love....

...that makes me so very sad to hear...

I am praying for strength for you both, and for God to show you in which way it is His will for you to go.

Goodbye 20's; Hello 30's

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Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! I'm oollld and moldy, Happy Birthday to me!

I worked on my birthday, but ditched at 2:30. I had some quick errands to run and dropped off the baby before heading home to shower and get ready. I really hate parties for myself, so I asked for something low key and intimate. Kevin was happy to comply, and had some friends join us for dinner and cocktails downtown at Carolina's. I think I've written about Carolina's before, but I chose this restaurant for the dessert. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my crabcakes and aligot potatoes, I really look forward to the pecan brittle basket with fresh fruit. Not only that, but I can really tear up some baked goat cheese with greens. YUM!

Following dinner were cocktails at Mercato's. By then, I had a splitting headache and was exhausted, so I was home and in bed by 2 a.m. Damn, I am getting old.

One big thing that I really wanted was to celebrate my birthday with my family, so Sunday was the "family celebration" day. Kevin and I picked up Gabriel, and headed off to the aquarium downtown.

This was actually Gabriel's second time at the aquarium, but he was only 6 months old the first time he visited, and I doubt he remembered. He was actually very well behaved and loved looking at all the exhibits. The thing he enjoyed the most, though, were the large maccaw parrots at the Amazon exhibit. He kept asking to go back and say hello to them.

It was a really nice day Sunday, so after the aquarium, Kevin and I sat in the sunshine at the park and watched Gabriel do what little boys do. Play in the dirt and look for bugs. He loves bugs!

The afternoon was very relaxing and enjoyable, and to be quite honest, I was more excited about the family time over hanging out downtown. Well, then again, I can always appreciate a good dinner...It was a good birthday.

My Birthday Present To Me

new camera
Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

Ho hum...it's th eve of my 30th birthday. I've been pretty good about restraining from excessive spending of money. Oh wait...that was until my last purchase of the Sirius Stiletto. Well, anyway, that was some time ago. Oh wait, and then I did purchase some new luggage that I was badly in need of after the closing with my sister in law. Hmmm...okay, well I really need this one.

I went to Best Buy today to burn some time while waiting to pick up my lunch order from Wild Wings. I was just on my way out of the store, thinking of how I was so proud of myself for leaving empty handed. Perhaps I'd thought such a thing too soon, because I decided to do a quick run through the camera section. Wrong move.

Aren't I going on my girls' trip in a week? And won't we be around lots of water? Isn't my Sony getting a little bulky? Yes, I really am in need of a waterproof 7.1 Olympus digital camera. Oh, how convenient, it's nice and small too!

Ugh, I'm seriously having buyer's remorse. But damn! I'm so excited about my new camera!!

Let's Get Creative!

Sussex Great Room
Originally uploaded by xosunnydaysxo.

Well, I've left First Coast Homes, and am now working with Rex Thompson Homes, Carlton Place in Goose Creek. It's a pretty community; lots of trees, which is rare to find in a new community, and pretty hills.

I can tell already that this builder is different than the one I worked with before. For starters, we actually get to decorate and choose all the selections in our model home. My partner, Kathy, and I got through choosing our flooring, cabinets, and countertops. Next, was the fun part. Paint colors! I wanted to do something kind of contemporary and different. With my own home, I have really been limited with what I could choose. Kevin and I have very contrasting tastes, and since he's the one with the money who can actually pay for all the stuff, I've sort of left the decisions up to him. But, Kathy was more than willing to make this a collaborative effort with something we both liked, and thought would make the house look good. I'm so excited!!

I decided to go with the espresso brown and taupe in the living room. So far, I think it looks good, but I can't say that the owner is too thrilled at this point. He called Kathy to jokingly ask what this s**t was in the model? We both reassured him to give us time to get things together, and it would come along nicely.

I left the master bedroom to Kathy's liking, since she let me have free reign with the great room. She decided that a robin blue bedroom would compliment the downstairs nicely. I must admit, it turned out a bit brighter than we anticipated, but perhaps once we can get the decorations and things in (chocolate brown?), it will tone it down. I think it looks cool so far with the tray ceiling though.

So, what do you think? Stay tuned to see how the house turns out!

We're Not Criminals; We're STARS!

WTF?! As you can see, I've been awfully busy at work.