Spring Forward.

It's March!

As if most of you are not aware of the month, seeing that March Madness is prominent on every screen in every home and bar.

It's been awhile so it's time to play catch up!

Starting with...

Opie, of course!

We just had our "3 month check up" which for him was actually his 3 1/2 month check up, since we had a bit of a late start.  Opie has literally doubled in size since the vet last saw him.  I noticed he was growing, his nose is longer, his belly is smaller and he is now taller then the little dogs he likes to play with.  When we first brought him to the vet on Feb. 14th, he weighed in at 7 lbs, so little!  This time around he weighed in at 13.6 lbs, so not quite 14 lbs but nearly.  He has now mastered (aside from a few accidents) going potty outside and we even went as far to teach him "sit" and "lay".

He is so smart!

We started off the month visiting Ryan's older brother! 

It was so nice getting to see them and spending time with William, not to mention Opie was totally worn out from playing with Ziggy the moment he woke up to the moment we took him upstairs to go to bed.  It was nice being able to sit around and do nothing for once.

And as you can see I was the only one awake the entire drive home.

Last Saturday Ryan and I had the opportunity to hang out with some of our friends that we don't normally get the chance to see.  We all attended Beertopia which allowed us to travel from tent to tent, tasting different beers from an abundant list of breweries.



1st photo - http://tomhendersonphotography.instaproofs.com/buy_print.php?fav=0&col=0&id=151309059&type=original&eventId=562269
2nd photo - http://tomhendersonphotography.instaproofs.com/buy_print.php?event=562269&type=original&id=151309185
3rd phot - http://www.flickr.com/photos/harveyshepard/5526460547/in/photostream

 

I honestly felt that I was going to know, or have tasted most of the beers offered, but to my surprise, many of the breweries I had never even heard of!  It was a lot of fun, and really great getting to see the faces of those I miss seeing on a regular basis.

It has been over a month now that my brother has been in the Airforce!  Mom keeps me updated after speaking to him when he is offered the chance to call.  He has really come into his own, who would have guessed that my little brother thrives off structure!  He was named the leader of his group and takes on the responsibility of making sure everything is kept in order, while accepting the discipline if it does not.  I am so proud of him and the decisions that he has made! I miss him everyday and hope all the while that he is happy and enjoying every moment of it!

As most know, this is my (hopefully) last full semester as an undergraduate.  I loved interning at Charlotte Parent in the fall so much and in knowing that I am receiving credit for the work I am doing and gaining experience that many may not have coming out of college to boot, I could not resist doing another!

This past Tuesday, I have been accepted to intern for the Charlotte Observer Magazine this summer.  I am so excited for all that they have planned for me! 

 

But this discussion will be left for a later date.

 Carolina Bride - http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/05/1357827/januarymarch-2012.htmlLake Norman - http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/11/25/2803885/february-2012.html

South Park - http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/17/1845434/march-2012.html

  

I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weather!

Have a great day and...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

While Away, Remember When...

Time flies by so fast.

One minute your hanging out on the couch with your family, the next your off to college, graduating, and starting a life of your own.

With my brother leaving in less then a week for the Air Force, I can't help but want to look back...far back.

Roley Poley that one! Had to be propped up next to someone to keep from rolling over.

Clearly that didn't always help.

 Cousins by chance, friends by choice. -Anonymous

 The first few years, it was us against our mother.

Sometimes children just can't be tamed, whether that pertains to the hyper wild child or unmanageable hair, in this case it's both.

Then our mom married our dad Pete, and it wasn't just the two of us any more, there were six!

Preston never allowed a day to go by with out cracking a joke, faking a fart through his armpit (or not faking at all), or walking around the house with our older brother Preston, shirts over their heads laughing as they said, "I am cornholio!"

Pictures via My Mom

I remember when mom would have us watch this video and we thought it was so scary, no matter how many times we watched it!

 
Video via Youtube
Hopefully the time will pass so fast it won't even seem as though he was away.

Have fun brother, I love you!

My New "Library".

The time has finally arrived!

Ryan is moving to Charlotte and I spent my day off yesterday preparing for the occasion!  On a day that I would have normally sat around and caught up on all the shows that I missed, I spent it rather productively, can't say I'm not proud.

As I've said before, I am on a decorating kick and so I rearranged my room to accommodate accordingly.

By moving my bed closer to the window only leaving one way to crawl into bed instead of two, this allowed me to move my couch giving me more room throughout my room.

I have been dreaming about rearranging my room in this way and had envisioned that I would get rid of my old bookcase and place my books on the wall above the couch, making my very own (beginner) library.

Didn't turn out exactly the way I pictured but it does the trick.  At least now I know that I need to buy another shelf for the remaining books that didn't make it on my wall.

 Turned out rather nicely thanks to Stacy, her keen eye, and her knowledge of the power drill!

I also discovered that by doing this I am in need of bookends! Thanks to my friend Ariana and the pottery I received (or bought I don't remember) from her at an art show, I was able to sidestep that issue.

Looking forward to a day full of unpacking and storing.

Also can't wait to join my family and friends at my little brothers 21st birthday/farewell party!

So proud of Preston as he prepares to enter the Air force!

Love you brother!