A year in pictures

So 2012 has come to an end.  And what a year it has been!  

Yesterday i was sitting in front of the tv watching Pitch Perfect for the 100^th time (ok, actually just the 5^th) while the puppies were chewing on large chewies and I was waiting for Taylor’s train to arrive from Virginia, i started thinking about the year.  What a life changing year.

 Can you believe a year ago tonight Drea and I were together?

And here is her beautiful family out on the boat for a New Years ride.  Now her family has expanded by 1.  hehe

I guess i didn't do much between Jan-April (can you blame me?  i mean i was getting divorced!)
For spring break, we went to Carowinds!

And on April 11th, my niece Ava Ray, turned 1!

Oh- and do you remember the green swamp fiasco?

 And i had to hire a pool company to make it crystal blue and sparkling again.

And on 4-27-12, i went to a champagne benefit for my dear friend Brent Pace and Cystic Fibrosis. 

I didn't eat much that night and after 3 glasses of champagne, ALL the cash that i had in my wallet went to the cause.  It was a good bit more than i was expecting to spend, but hey- it is for a great cause and a great (very handsome) man. I am hoping next year Drea can be my date- hint hint drea!

http://brentapace.com/champagneparty/

And while i loved making this, it is super duper heavy!!

In May, we had a 60th Surprise party for my wonderful mom!

And in June Taylor had a big month.

She got her license.

She went to Europe

And she got me a Joey hat!

In July, i started my 3rd (and last) year of Pulmonary Fellowship.  

Notice how i am the only girl?!?  But i love Matt, Travis, Clay, and Rahul!

Taylor and i did "wine and design" 

Another new addition- Leia

 She loves her brother

 In October, Kelly and Ellis got married!

Halloween!

Taylor's 16th birthday!!  Whooo hoooo!

 And in November, Paul and Erika found out they were having another girl!

Christmas came.....and the terror named Leia attacked our tree.

Final ornament count: 50+

  By the way, I put away all of the Christmas decorations yesterday and Leia still managed to chew up 24 glass ornaments this morning while I was sleeping.  Seriously?  So we have lost 50 ornaments just this year alone.  Thanks. A. Lot.

The babies!

I wish i had taken more pictures this year but i have been a little busy (getting divorced, working, raising a 16 year old, and adjusting to a new, healthier and better life).   2012 was a difficult, life changing year.  Goodbye 2012.  There were some good times but i would rather not revisit most of the other times.  2013 will be MUCH MUCH better.  Can't wait for this year!

Thursday things

1. Apparently my dogs are excited about Christmas too!
So today after coming home from work, i found a nice surprise.  Leia had decided to help open the presents under our tree.....because we apparently were too slow doing it!

Here is my present from Brett- which is a coat from Anthropologies ( !!!!!) that i had wanted.  Let me say that Tiberius DID NOT destroy the presents....he just felt bad for me because i was so upset (note his eyes)

And here is the culprit........in all her big eared glory.

Oh- and you might notice the green mixed in to the wrapping paper- well, that is tree branches that Leia also brought into the house.  Apparently they go well with wrapping paper all over the floor.  :(

By the way, this is the jacket- it was not harmed in Leia's attempt to hurry up Christmas.

Isn't she a beauty???


2. Moving on. Have you seen this video?  People are posting it onto Facebook like crazy and this morning i watched it in bed with Ellie looking at me strangely while i laughed my ass off.

Now that you have watched it and laughed your ass off, go to youtube and look up The Scary Snowman.  And then watch all the videos and waste 2 hours.  Your welcome.

3. What is NOT a waste of 2 hours- the movie Pitch Perfect.
For those of you who loved Acapella  groups back in college, this movie allows you to relive those glory days.  As a side note, i must admit that i was OBSESSED with an all male group back at Duke during my college years- Speak of the Devil.  My BFF at the time and i would go see them perform and swoon.  Seriously swoon.  Nothing was sexier than 20 guys, harmonizing to Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, and Marvin Gaye.  And to let you know what a huge fool i was during that awkward college time, during my freshman year I was in love with one of the guys in the group (a senior), and even wrote him a letter telling him that i liked him.  Or maybe loved him.  And that we should be together (date).  Ummm.....i am so sorry but now looking back on it, i was the weird, fat girl that was slightly stalker-ish and needed to get a life.  I bet he got so many laughs out of my letter.
Moving on.
Here is a clip of the movie.  Go rent or buy the movie- it just came out on DVD this week- you won't regret it!

4. I found this at the ABC store- and granted, Burnett's isn't the best vodka but this stuff is GREAT!  Drink it with coke. Or in hot chocolate.  Yum-o!


5. Apparently the end of the world is going to happen tomorrow, December 21, 2012 at 11:11. If today was your last day on earth (which is won't be bc i don't believe in all this hoop-la about the Mayan calendar, etc), what would you do?  Make today count.  And when you live through tomorrow, make the next day count too.

Love to you all!  Happy Thursday!

Santa letters

i wish i had kept all of Taylor's letters to Santa to look back and remember her young years....but also to laugh at the letters, her spelling, what she asked for (hello she LOVED Barney...and not the Barney from HIMYM but the big purple dinosaur).
but today, while i was surfing the web, i came across these gems and thought i would share my top 5.

5) Gotta love technology today.







4) Ok, this girl is obsessed.  I mean, OBSESSED!


 3) I love this kid.  So practical.

2)  This little one has BIG expectations!!!







1) And this one, i can't read out loud without laughing.  I mean, laughing so hard that i start crying....in the middle of clinic too.  Who threatens Santa?




Hope you enjoyed these letters and got a chuckle out of them.  7 more days til the jolly man comes to visit!
:)

Friday friday.

Good Friday to all.  11 days til Christmas.  Are you ready?

We sure are!  Get ready for some pictures!

Here is the front door

And the wreath that I MADE!!!  :)

And the wreath that i bought.

And our tree- with its lack of Christmas ornaments on the bottom part, and its lop-sided star.  :)

The fireplace

The serving table.

And Merry Christmas to me- here is a present i bought for myself:
You can buy them here for a mizillion dollars ($200 or so) or go to downtown Charleston to House of Sage and get them for 1/4 the price.  Whooo hooo!

Here are some randoms:
In case you like auto correct like i do, here is Glamour's 14 Funniest Auto Correct Dating Fails

And for more reading on Friday afternoon, Glamour's 25 Best Quotes from 2012

Oh- and i laughed when TAYLOR showed this to me.
The cast of Mean Girls (love that movie!!!).  Then and now.

hahahaha.

Happy Friday everyone.  Enjoy the weekend, the holiday parties, and the weather.  And please don't drink and drive.  Make sure you have a designated driver....or call Taylor and she can pick you up for $10.  Hey- it is better than jail!  :)

Tuesday Things

1. 12-12-12
Today is 12-12-12, the last major numerical date using the Gregorian or Christian calendar for almost another century. The next time three numbers will align as they did on 9-9-09, 10-10-10 and 11-11-11 will be on Jan. 1, 3001, or 1-1-1.
Today, for some, represents luck. For others, it’s a day of romance. For most of us, it’s just another Wednesday. Regardless of your beliefs, 12/12/12 comes along with some rather amusing facts and superstitions.
Did you know that wedding bells will be ringing for about 7500 brides today?  A survey conducted by US-based David’s Bridal estimates that around 7,500 brides will be getting hitched in America – a 1,446 per cent increase from the less significant 12/12/11. The surge comes as no surprise, considering the sharp increases in marriages which took place on 11/11/11 and 10/10/10. Couples are keen to tie the knot on a day which they say symbolizes love....and since i am jaded and newly unmarried, i would like to remind them that 1/2 of marriages end in divorce.  That means 3,750 of those women will soon be joining www.match.com and www.eharmony.com with broken hearts sooner rather than later.


However, the day will be anything but joyful for others. Many doomsdayers believe 12/12/12 will be the end of the world, thanks to an interpretation of the Mayan calendar. But, most of the end-of-the-world believers are convinced that the actual doomsday is on 12/21/12, when the Mayan calendar is set to end. Do you think they were dyslexic?

Oh, and randomly December 12, 2012 is exactly 6 years, 6 months, 6 days from June 6, 2006, or 06/06/06.

Regardless of what you believe or how you choose to celebrate this date, enjoy it.  I think i might take 2 dollars and play the lottery.

2. Moving right along to the craziness in my life- otherwise known as the puppies- they have been full of trouble this week.
-the ornament count for Leia is around 24.  yes, she has eaten or destroyed 24 Christmas tree ornaments.  She actually threw up glitter last week.  Threw it up.  It was awesome.
-Tiberius has decided that we don't feed him enough (seriously? seriously?) and chewed through the bag of dog food and proceeded to eat about 1/10 of the entire bag.  His poor stomach was so full he looked like he was pregnant!  And all he wanted to do was drink water!  And i might have freaked out and thought he was going to die from bloat (yes, it is a real thing).....otherwise known as volvulus....and cried and worried and prayed.  He farted all night long and then i am assuming took a large dump (i don't watch so i can't confirm this) and wanted to eat all over again.  I swear.

3. Do you miss the 90's?  I do.  If you do, read this .
Hello # 2 and # 9.  Can i tell you how much i love TBS from 4pm-6pm, watching Friends re-runs?  I go into a slight depression when i am in the ICU and miss those two hours. <3

4. It has been a rough year- so.....




 So to sum it up-
I am playing the lottery today.  My dogs are crazy.  I love Friends re-runs.  There were parts of 2012 that were not so fun - 2013 will be BETTER!!!

Monday Memories

Ok so i had an extra hour or two this morning because apparently the puppies can't sleep past 5 am anymore.
:(

But it gave me a chance to go through my iPhone and ALL the songs on it (random shuffle, skipping the ones i have heard over and over again) and think about when i first heard the song and feel the memories i had attached to the song.  The songs and the artists......some still around but many just a memory..... it made me wonder "what happened to the music?"
Why are there no slow (aka romantic) songs like "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak or "Kiss from a rose" by Seal or even "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden?  Why do we think that Justin Bieber and Rihanna and Ke$ha are musicians?  I know i contribute to the situation by listening to the "Top 100" station and will admit that the music is a bit catchy.  And yes, i am still obsessed with "Call me maybe."  But what happened to the music?  And side note. Really? Really?  Who spells their name with a "$?"  Is that really necessary?

And expanding on that question, where are all the romantic movies?  Movies such as Say Anything, with Lloyd Dobler holding the boom box over his head to win back Diane Court or City of Angels with Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage finding love in a most bizarre situation, are a thing of the past.  Instead we have Saw I, II, III, IV, V, VI, etc or Final Destination(s) or the movie Sinister, which i went with Taylor to see.  By the way, if you like scary movies- it will scare the PANTS off of you!  I had horrible dreams about Mr Boogie for weeks....and i didn't even watch most of the movie because my hands were covering my eyes!

Anyway, i realize this is a random post.  To end, i would like to share 4 of my favorite songs that i listened to this morning.  Songs that take me back to high school and college (mainly college).  Songs that i associate love, passion, adoration, and everything i ever wanted in the love department....lol.  Justin Bieber, eat your heart out.  And take notes.  This is how it is done!


Lifehouse "Everything"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9pfWKDS5chk
Counting Crows "Colorblind"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=164jS1qnCU0

DMB "Crash Into Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WqEOvEoCV3w

Goo Goo Dolls "Iris"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NdYWuo9OFAw

Picture Update

 This was going to be my Christmas card....but i realized i didn't have many people to send it to.....i guess that is what happens when you work all the time and have very few friends.  So for my 4 readers, this is my Christmas card to you.  Merry Christmas from Tiberius, Ellie, and Leia.

Ok, and how many of you love http://www.dogshaming.com/.

I can sit for hours and just laugh and laugh and laugh at the pictures.  It is better than autocorrect fail!

So here is my attempt at Dog Shaming....

 "Hi, my name is Leia and i ate 8 Christmas Ornaments today."*

* 12/02/12

Please note the * because after that date, 13 more ornaments have lost their lives.  And this is AFTER we put the tree on the table.

Oh, and which dog do you think did this?  Tiberius or Leia?  Or both?
It just so happens that this morning i was taking a nap and snuggling with Ellie and after i woke up, i went downstairs and  found this. And don't you love the dirt that is under the couch?  UGH!

And this is proof that doctors DO have fun.  hehehehe.
Love my happy hours with my girls.  :)

And since they already announced it on Facebook, i can share the news with you.....

I'm going to be an aunt again!

And it is another girl!

Congrats to my brother Paul and his wife Erika.  And of course the sweet older sister Ava.

Well, that is it for my picture update.  I wish i took more pictures and i wish i did more things to take pictures of!!  :)

xox