The New House in Boone

We have finally found where we are going to be moving to in Boone. It's a 3 bedroom 2 bath house on Blairmont Drive. It's near the hospital, near the golf course in Boone, and definitely closer to both of our jobs than living in Blowing Rock. I think that that will cut down on a lot of anxiety in the winter for sure. Here are some pictures of the house up above. It has a deck with a view. The dogs will love having more space. There is a washer/dryer and a dishwasher and a 2 car garage. We are very excited. The move in date has been scheduled for starting on July 22nd and then ending on July 26th. I think that this will give us some time to get things out and into the new house. Thank goodness we are only moving across town and not 2 hours away this time. This will be a relief as well. Another big thing about this house is it has AIR CONDITIONING. This is a big find for anywhere in Boone/Blowing Rock. I am excited to be back in business in the air department. Apparently other people in the mountains didn't get the memo that it gets hot here too and sometimes air is necessary. Now the mountains definitely are cooler than other areas of the state but air should never be ruled out. If anyone would like to help us move let us know! :)

So Many Blessings...

Today I have been thinking about blessings and I have been realizing just how blessed that I am. Josh learned recently that we are going to be able to stay in the Boone area because App has found the funds to be able to pay him a full time salary. This pay increase will help us out tremendously and make it so that we can afford things that we couldn't before and help us to save money towards the future. We are going to be renting a house somewhere in the area that we aren't sure of yet. And we are going to build up our house appliances so that soon after this we can buy a house somewhere in the area as well. We are glad for this. I also am blessed that it's summertime and the outdoors are beautiful. It's fun to be able to enjoy them for 3 days out of the week. I get to have Fridays off during the summer and of course the weekends as well. It's always nice to be able to do that. I also get a vacation week in the month of July. I am totally looking forward to that and can't keep my feet on the ground I'm so excited about it. We are going to Disney World with Billy and Pat and we get our own room. Exciting right? Last time that we went on vacation with the Porter's Josh and I weren't married yet and had to sleep in separate beds although we were in the same room. Interesting how time changes things right?

In my last posting I mentioned that my Grandmommie was really ill. She has since recovered from the colon infection and been moved to a rehab facility in Kings Mountain. Here they have taught her how to walk and make sure that she can move around on her own. Being in a hospital bed for a week for a 90 year old can be quite tough. She is coming home this week and having someone stay with her that is somewhat like a home health nurse for 2 nights. This will suit Al and make sure that Grandmommie is able to be on her own. I feel that someone that is 90 years old should have someone check on them often and this not just being a daughter in law or a son but a home health professional that can make sure that she is getting everything that she needs. Prayer definitely works though. I was so afraid that Grandmommie was more sick than an infection and wouldn't be able to recover. It was a miracle that it was just the result of a stomach bug. I myself have had a stomach bug within the last week and know just how intense that those can really be. It's interesting to think to yourself about just how these bugs get started and how fast that they travel. I know that neither one of us want that again.

Also, Josh and I are about to have our one year anniversary on June 21 which is next Sunday. Josh would have just gotten back from the NATA conference in San Antonio Texas and hopefully he won't be too exhausted. I am not sure what all we have planned to do for our anniversary but I do know that our first year of marriage has been so blessed. We both have gotten jobs that we love and are planning to stick with. We have two adorable dogs that we love and they sure are happy dogs. We have survived a very snowy winter together and are looking on towards the future and saving money for things that we know we will want and need in a few years. Josh has a good head on his shoulders about money and he also knows that saving money is important. We have had our share of fusses but I feel like what married couple doesn't? You have to be able to get through the tough times to realize just how in love that you really are. God didn't say that marriage would be easy but he did say love, cherish, and respect your husband/wife. I think that God sums it up when he says that marriage is holy and meant to be held on a pedastool. I look forward to many many many more years of marital bliss.

Update

Grandmommie went to the hospital on Friday with severe abdominal pain. She had not eaten in about 4 days and was getting dehydrated and sickly. My Mom took her to the Emergency Room under orders of Uncle Al because she didn't have enough time in the day on Friday to get in to her regular doctor. They admitted her into the hospital and she actually is still there as of today. She will have to stay there until she gets completely better. She has an infection in her colon. They gave her antibiotics through and IV, fluids through an IV, and also morphine for the pain. That must be intense. I know that morphine is a very strong drug. I am glad to hear that she will recover however. She will also probably need some rehab when she gets out because of the fact she has to sit in the bed for so long and it is causing her legs and other parts of her body to feel sore and not even able to move. I hope that this will get better soon. Moving around is the most important thing for anyone, especially the elderly.

Appalachian lost their games on Thursday and on Friday as well last week so the guys ended up staying the night on Friday and coming home on Saturday morning. Josh got in about noon and we got our things into the car and went on to Montreat. I am sad that I didn't get to go to Greenville and see the games and my cousin Kevin but I'm glad that we got to visit with Billy and Pat at Montreat. Even though we live in the mountains Montreat is still an amazing get away. The Porter house there was built in 1907. Can you believe that it's over 100 years old? It is in great condition and the downstairs has been redone since the year 1907 I'm sure. The upstairs is more of the old timey look and gives you the home feeling every time you step foot inside of it. We went to lunch at Dr. Pepper's as soon as we got there. This restaurant is right in the middle of Black Mountain downtown. We then hung out at the house and helped straighten up a few things. We mounted a flat screen tv on the wall in the living room which I might add is a very nice addition to the downstairs. Papa Porter will love it I'm sure when he sees it for the first time in a few weeks. Bill Porter comes up for a few weeks every summer and relaxes and gathers his thoughts. I think that it's kind of like his sabbatical, as you hear so many people talk about in the summers. Saturday night we went to dinner in Asheville at a place called Cheddar's and ate entirely too much. Then that night we just watched tv together and fell asleep. Sunday morning we got up and did more things around the house. I wanted to go to church at Montreat Presbyterian Church but we just couldn't gather ourselves together in time because we were so tired and lazy. We did get more things done around the house. We all left in the mid afternoon and headed back home. I was sad to go but glad that we had been able to be together.

While we were at Montreat and sharing stories about our lives, Pat told me a story about how Josh's cousin Eric is in the hospital in Tennessee. He apparently had surgery on his hand and it has become infected. He has been in the hospital for about 10 days I believe and they are saying that he needs to control his drug habit or he will die. His brain apparently has been fried from using so many drugs. This is a sad thing because everyone in the family loves him and wants the best for him, not the worst. He will have to do something in order to be able to regain control of his brain and drugs are not the answer. I say prayers for him everyday that he will make a full recovery and not need to turn to drugs for an answer or for an escape.

In the mean time, my family had been gathering together at the hospital in Charlotte to take care of Grandmommie. Uncle Al and Aunt Ann had gotten Grandmommie a new loveseat from a furniture store in Charlotte and put it in her living room. I know that she will be excited to come hom to this surprise and will find herself more comfortable on that couch I'm sure than her old couch. That couch was beginning to feel very uncomfortable and she spent most of her time in a chair instead. Al and Ann weren't leaving until today so I'm glad that my Mom and Dad got to spend some time with them. It's so nice to be with family.

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

There is nothing more precious in my eyes than family :)

The Importance of Grandmothers

Grandmommie has been having a rough time these past few days. Apparently she is very sick to her stomach and had some incidents that weren't too pleasant. The doctors seem to think that she just has a virus but I sure hope that she gets better soon. People say that she was getting some of her color back today but Daddy said that she was talking funny tonight. I don't know exactly how funny that she was talking but apparently she just seems too weak to talk. I think that the Lord will lead us through it but I think that we need to say prayers for her. Grandmothers are very special people and without them we may not learn all the ways of the world. She is so very wise and loving. I hope that she can get better and recover fully.

Appalachian and the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament

Josh has left and traveled on to Greenville, SC with the Appalachian baseball team. The season is winding down with the final Southern Conference Baseball Tournament. They start off the tournament by playing the Citadel at 1 p.m. tomorrow. If they win then they will play at 5 p.m. on Thursday but if they lose then they will play again at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Whew! That would be an early game huh? I think that playing at 5 would be a much greater advantage. I think that tournaments don't ever really reflect how well a team can play because the circumstances in a team's life changes throughout each game and throughout each team that they play. One day one team can play amazingly and the next day everyone not feel well and play awful. Baseball however is unique in the fact that someone can help make up for someone else's slack.

Say prayers that App makes it far into the tournament. If this does happen then I will be going to the ending games on Saturday and Sunday. I hope that this happens because Tuesday-Saturday without seeing Joshy is tough enough as it is. I can't wait until SATURDAY! :) On top of this tournament going on it's also Memorial Day weekend and the fam is going to Montreat along with Vick and Allen. I think that that will be a fun time. If App does end up losing and the boys come home then Josh and I are going to head on over to Montreat to relax and enjoy some more mountain air. That house is so nice and relaxing that it's hard to not want to be there all the time.

Sam's Bridal Shower in Belmont

Today was a great day. I drove home to Belmont to attend Sam's bridal shower at Mitzi and Doug's house in Pinsto Forest. This is in my parents neighborhood so I stopped off to get my Mom and then we traveled on down the road to their house. It was raining so we needed an umbrella to carry the presents inside under. I parked somewhat on an incline and Mom couldn't get out of the car. It was hilarious! I was laughing so hard and standing in the rain. If anyone could have been there for this you definitely would have wanted to be.

We went inside and everything was beautiful. There was a dining room filled with punch bowl, pretty flowers, tarheel shaped white chocolate, carolina blue m&m's, chicken salad sandwiches, and carolina blue and white cupcakes. There was a pretty display of gifts in the living room and after everyone had gotten something to eat we gathered around to watch her open her gifts. She received many things from her registry which were all beautiful of course. I'm sure that she can't wait to use all of them. She will be the best cook in the world and have the best kitchen that anyone could ever ask for. Everyone feels that way during their wedding time because of all the kitchen utensils that you receive. It's fabulous!

It was so great to see Ansley, Mitzi, Mimi, Glo, Julie, Maw, Stephanie Sellers, Stephanie's Mom, my own mother, Meg, Mary Barron, and others of course. Ansley is getting a little belly on her and I think that it's precious. She is going to have a little one and they are naming it Jayden Thomas and I can't remember the last name but what a cute name right? Next shower will probably be Ansley's shower unless Erin's wedding shower in June comes before that one. It's an exciting time. Sam will be married on September 5th and Erin on August 8th. All my babies are growing up. :)

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Last night and this morning have been so awesome because Josh has been able to be at home and gotten to sleep in. I even got him breakfast in bed because I am so happy that he is here. Baseball season is winding down and it has been a long road. The last thing left and the last traveling that he has left for a while is this coming week when Appalachian goes to the tournament in Greenville, SC. I hope that App makes it all the way and wins the whole thing but I also hope that I don't have to be without my husband from Tuesday-Sunday. I will however go to the final tournament game and stay in his room with him if they make it that far. That will be a lot of fun and work perfectly especially since I don't have to work on Memorial Day. Merry-Land will be closed. Woohoo!

Last night App won against Longwood and they played a good and somewhat quick game. I've seen games that last forever and this game seemed to just breeze by. Longwood probably didn't even know what hit them even though they did almost come back to win since the score was 3-2. Josh and I are missing out on some important events this weekend. It is Alexandria's bachelorette weekend in Savannah, Georgia and it's also the night of Sam's lingerie shower in Charlotte, NC. Also last night and today is the Alumni Reunion of KDR brothers in Greensboro. I will be able to make it to Sam's shower at Mitzi and Ansley's house tomorrow between 2-4:30. I decided that this will be do-able since it's only a drive to home (an hour and a half) and I already have the gift ready to give when we get there. My Mom and I are going to go together.

As a side note I feel really blessed that both Josh and I have jobs at the moment in this economy. The United States will take a while to recover from this hole that we've dug ourselves but I know in my heart that the Lord will provide and take care of us. Prayer is always a must!