On May 15th I celebrated by 29th birthday (can I really be 29). My family was in town that weekend for a wedding so we all got to celebrate together which was fun. Unbenounced to me Nick and my parents had been plotting behind my back to surprise me with a new embroidery machine!!!! The Brother PE 770 to be exact.
I have put this on my Christmas and birthday list for about 3 years now but never really thinking that I would get it, but they were very sneaky and gave me a big surprise. Now I can monogram and applique til my hearts content! These are a few examples of what this machine can do:
Thanks Nick, Mom and Dad! This is going to be one well dressed baby!!!!
That's right...come December our family of 2 is going to become a family of 3! There are really no words to accurately descride the feeling other than to say that we are thrilled and honored that God has chosen to give us this wonderful gift. There are a lot of things in my life that I haven't known, but one thing I have always known is that I wanted to be a mom, and now that it is a reality I am overcome with joy and excitement.
We found out we were pregnant in late April and had our first prenatal visit on May 18th! We were able to hear the heartbeat and will get to hear it again this Thursday when we go for our next appointment.
The process of telling family, friends and coworkers has been a blast. And as an added bonus one of my best friends Emily Branch is expecting as well, and we are due on THE SAME DAY. Not sure what those odds are, but nonetheless it is so much fun to have a friend that is going through this process at the same time.
I know that I have been a terrible blogger lately, but I hope to be much better in the coming months. On top of the pregnancy I have been consumed with calligraphy. Since late March I have addressed 555 double envelopes, written out 2 invitations, 2 reply sets, and 1 reception card. May not seem like a lot, but trust me...it is (especially when you have a full time job)! I have about 375 more invitations to go... Then I get to focus on decorating the nursery, smocking, and learning my new embroidery machine! I cannot wait!
This week, I like being lucky. I am very fortunate. I have a wonderful wife that loves me and lots of great material items. I have everything I could ever need but I have never thought of myself as lucky. At least I don’t feel as if I am as lucky as other people. Well that all changed last Wednesday. Here’s a breakdown of my day:
* Got to represent my employer at a golf outing. * Won a door prize at the golf outing. * Won a closest-to-the-pin prize at the golf outing. * Came home to find a voicemail from Timberline Golf Club explaining that I had won a free round of golf!
Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my day! But if you’re keeping score at home, the luckiest day I ever had was the day I went on a blind date with Julie.
This week, I love Mint Condition. This book takes a broad view at the baseball card industry – from the early days of tobacco cards to today’s numerous and confusing card sets. I collected baseball cards during a time when it was thought that pieces of cardboard would fund your retirement. Mint Condition does a great job of explaining how baseball cards were transformed from something enjoyed by kids into a greedy industry. This industry gave us one of the best examples of how oversupplying can ruin a good time for everyone. Baseball cards have a long history that has been documented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Library of Congress. There is a definite point in this history when greed took over. Mint Condition helps me see this point and also understand why my own collection is now worthless.
This week, I don’t like LeBron James. This has been the best season for the NBA since the mid-1990s. The talent difference between teams is razor thin. And this great season is about to be tarnished because LeBron James is going to win his first championship. One of the last guys that was allowed to skip college, LeBron is now more famous for dumping Cleveland and his home state for a franchise that is buying a championship this year. LeBron is the 2nd best player in the league (see: Kobe Bryant) and he is an amazing athlete. But his on-court antics, chest pounding and “look at me” celebrations have turned a lot of fans against him. I will definitely be pulling for the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk is the anti-LeBron and one of the best players ever to come from Europe. Dirk even has an Auburn connection…what would be a highly illegal connection. But a connection nonetheless. Go Mavs!
This week, I like the Regions Tradition. Thanks to our good friend Emily, I got to enjoy the 3rd and 4th rounds of this Champions Tour major in person. I've never been to Shoal Creek before but I was quickly impressed with the clubhouse, the course and the way the tournament was operated. I enjoyed walking the course with my good friend Clay (Emily's husband) on Saturday. We'll always have a funny story about my extremely awkward exchange with then-leader Mark Calcavecchia. I may or may not have caused him to lose the tournament. Julie joined us on Sunday but I think the heat impacted her experience. Being a major tournament, this was very special for me. I really enjoyed my time and can't thank Emily enough!
(Pause the video at the 1:40 mark and you'll see Julie, Clay and me directly under the tree in the background.)
This week, I love being in better shape. I've been walking laps and running stadium steps at Heardmont Parkhere in the B'ham area and it has really made me feel better. It's true what they say about exercising giving you more energy and my knees aren't as "noisy" when picking items up. I try to go walking every day after work and I am actually finding myself looking forward exercising. We'll see how that holds up in August! If I could get some help at home with my evening food consumption, I would be losing a lot of weight. And I know you are wondering: yes, my golf swing has improved with my new, stronger legs.
This week, I don't like judging people. While enjoying the Regions Tradition on Sunday, I couldn't help but to notice the numerous Alabama football fans sporting full gameday gear throughout the galleries. I mean...is a major golf tournament not even sacred? As I listened to countless shouts of "Rohl Tahd" to classy players like Loren Roberts and Tom Watson, I shared some quick-witted observations about these people with my friend. But later at home, I remembered that morning's Sunday school lesson about judging people. Why am I so quick to work up a judgement about some random person in Alabama garb and why do I think that I won't be judged on my appearance or actions by other people? Maybe human nature wires us like that but I am thankful for the challenges sent my way and for the opportunity to use these challenges to become a better person. I don't want to be so quick to judge people!
have everything I could ever need but I have never thought of myself as lucky. At least I don’t feel as if I am as lucky as other people. Well that all changed last Wednesday. Here’s a breakdown of my day:
numerous and confusing card sets. I collected baseball cards during a time when it was thought that pieces of cardboard would fund your retirement. Mint Condition does a great job of explaining how baseball cards were transformed from something enjoyed by kids into a greedy industry. This industry gave us one of the best examples of how oversupplying can ruin a good time for everyone. Baseball cards have a long history that has been documented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Library of Congress. There is a definite point in this history when greed took over. Mint Condition helps me see this point and also understand why my own collection is now worthless.
knees aren't as "noisy" when picking items up. I try to go walking every day after work and I am actually finding myself looking forward exercising. We'll see how that holds up in August! If I could get some help at home with my evening food consumption, I would be losing a lot of weight. And I know you are wondering: yes, my golf swing has improved with my new, stronger legs.
galleries. I mean...is a major golf tournament not even sacred? As I listened to countless shouts of "Rohl Tahd" to classy players like Loren Roberts and Tom Watson, I shared some quick-witted observations about these people with my friend. But later at home, I remembered that morning's Sunday school lesson about judging people. Why am I so quick to work up a judgement about some random person in Alabama garb and why do I think that I won't be judged on my appearance or actions by other people? Maybe human nature wires us like that but I am thankful for the challenges sent my way and for the opportunity to use these challenges to become a better person. I don't want to be so quick to judge people!
