Gooser is 10!

My oldest niece (who on the blog, I call Goose) turned 10 back in June!  10!!!  Time sure flies.  She is such a sweetheart and she is so smart!  She loves to read and anything to do with history.  Although she used to want to be a Hotel Manager when she grew up, it has now switched to aspirations of being an Actress.

We always take a picture of just she and I whenever we're together.  Here's one from each year since 2005 (before that year, everything is still on film and I haven't scanned those to be digital yet - if I get them scanned at some point, I'll add them).

2005:

2006:

2007:

2008:

2009:

2010:

2011:

2012:

2013:

2nd Anniversary

May 24-26, 2013

For our 2nd wedding anniverary, we took a weekend trip to Berea, KY.

  We stayed at the Historic Boone Tavern, a stately Inn dating back to the 1900's.

Our room was beautiful!

Also, we just so happened to be the "Guests of the Day" when we checked in!  Our name was on the lobby marque and we got a coupon for a free dessert at the hotel restaurant!

Part of the "History Package" that we had booked when reserving our hotel room was a tour of nearby Berea College, given by one of the students.

It's a gorgeous campus and the college has a unique "no tuition" history.  Read more about it here.

After our tour, we grabbed a pizza at a place called Papaleno's.  It was YUM!

Then we turned in and watched the Cincinnati Reds game.  Brandon really enjoyed the little bench at the end of the bed....

....it was the perfect viewing TV spot (we ate our free dessert while we watched too).

The next morning we explored the town of Berea, which has many, many arts & crafts stores.  It has two districts to explore and can be done on foot if you're up for the challenge.

We also liked the porch of our hotel - sitting and rocking and talking.  It had been a busy couple months for us and this was such a nice respite.

For dinner this night, we headed over to the hotel restaurant - also part of the History Package we booked.

It was an awesome meal!!  I highly recommend anything from this restaurant.

And it included another dessert!  This did not disappoint either.

Our last day in Berea, we had breakfast at a funky little coffee shop.

Our last stop before heading out of town was the Kentucky Artisan Center, where several local artists sell their work.

What a sweet trip we had - can't believe it's been two years already!

Baby T

May 22, 2013

 

Brandon's best friend, Mark, and his sweet wife, Anne, welcomed their first child - a son, Baby T!

He weighed in at a whopping 10lbs, 1oz!

But, with such tall parents (Mark is over 6 foot and Anne is almost, if not, 6 foot), this little guy was perfectly proportioned for them!  :)

I could kiss that face right off - look at those cheeks!!!

Brandon couldn't wait to hold him! 

I couldn't either!

No A/C!

The first two weeks we lived in our house, our air conditioning didn't work!  Before moving in, we hadn't turned it on yet, but Moving Day and the days following were pretty hot, so we turned it on.  But when the house didn't cool down, we knew we had a problem.

The upper floor of the house stayed in the 80's with no A/C, but the lower (partially underground) floor was much cooler.  So, we slept in the Man Cave on the couches (one of which is a small couch bed).

Even though it was kinda crappy, we tried to look at it as an adventure.  Thankfully, our Home Warranty covered replacing the A/C unit (even if they took forever to do so!)

Bev's Retirement Party

Oops....this post was supposed to go before the Moving Day post!

May 11, 2013

Brandon's Mom officially retired back in April and we had a party for her in May.

Kim, Brandon's sister, put together some photo boards....

......and we had everyone write some "Retirement Advice" to Bev.....

.....and sign a picture matte for her too.

Bev was the church secretary for 17 years and also kept the kids in the church nursery.  Everyone LOVES Mrs. Bev!

We had a great turn out for her party.

Brandon spoke a few words about his Momma - about her faithfulness, dedication and perseverance.  He told of how, before this job, she worked a factory job that she hated, just to help provide for the family.  And how she had learned of the church secretary job, but didn't know how to type, so put herself through classes to learn.  Then, when the job came open again, she was able to be confident in her skills when applying and getting it.

Then it was time for cake and desserts!

Bev with her family:

Back row: Justin (Grandson), Jimmy (Hubby), Billy (Son-in-law), Pam (Sister), 

Sandra (Sister), Brandon (Son)

Middle Row: Aislin (Great-Granddaughter), Bev, Kim (Daughter), 

Cindy (Sis-in-Law), Me (Daugher-in-Law)

Front Row: Dennis (Brother), Martha (Mother)

Congratulations Bev!!  Enjoy retirement and don't work Jimmy too hard.  ;)