I highly recommend going to Bobby McKey's at the National Harbor. It was such a great time and I really look forward to going back. I've never been to that area before and it was really nice. There were many places to shop and eat all the while being on what seemed like it's own little island. There was a lot going on there but once you went outside of the little area, there really wasn't much.



And...banking off my previous post, here is a picture of the bruise from my fall:

















Beautiful...isn't it?!?! :-)

Random...

There really are so many things in my head that I can write about but I'll only pick a few this time.

1. Why Am I So Clumsy?!
I decided to write about this first because it's in the forefront of my mind while my thigh is thumping! I try, I really do try not to hurt myself. I don't wake up each day trying to figure out how I'll hurt myself that day. I don't! I'm just a clumsy person and I'm starting to think that it's hereditary because my mom has done things before to hurt herself and I've joked about how she needs to wear a bubble wrap outfit. I now need the same outfit! Usually every day I run into something, whether it's a coffee table or a wall. This are minor and sometimes don't leave a mark but when they do leave a bruise, they seem to stay around for a while. My iron level is okay so that's not the reason for them lingering. Anyway, in the past I've done things a little more severe such as burn myself as I'm putting things in the oven. I've done this a total of three times now - probably within the past year. Two of the times I have visual proof with scars. The third time was just a week ago and it was pretty bad. It is starting to heal and I'm doing my best trying to avoid it from also leaving a scar. Now just today, I was walking down steps at work and my shoes slipped and I slid/fell down a few steps. Luckily I didn't break a hip but my upper thigh is so sore! If it doesn't leave a bruise I will be really surprised. If it does, it's a guarantee to stay around for a while! So to sum this up...I'm clumsy and need to wear a bubble suit!

2. What Is Wrong With My Kid?
So in the movie Ace Ventura, there's a part where Ace goes "Weeeoooh" to someone's nipple. Ever since Connor was little, Rob would do this to him whenever we'd change his clothes. I guess if you do something enough times, it will stick in anyone's head. Recently, when Rob and I are getting Connor ready for bed and he's laying on the floor he'll say to Rob, "I weeeooooh" while pointing at Rob. At first we didn't really understand him or pay much attention but then he would continue saying it and get louder, "I weeeooooh, I WEEEOOOH". That's when we realized he wanted to "weeooh" Rob. To make him happy, Rob would lift up his shirt and let him "weeooh" him. That makes Connor happy and if Kenny is in the room he'll tell him, "I weeooh". Being the great big brother he is, Kenny will give in to Connor. Next and the only person left in the room is me. "I weeooh". Ummm...no, nope, sorry. Not happening. He'll normally ask me twice until I have to say, "You don't weeooh mommy" and then he'll do his rounds again with Rob and Kenny. It is cute but at what point will it be a little disturbing?

3. Skate Baby Skate!
This week Kenny's been going to in-line hockey camp at the Sportsplex. He has a friend that has actually played this past Spring so Kenny has expressed interest in wanting to play. When I found out the Sportsplex was holding two free weeks of hockey camp, I was all for signing him up. They are spread out as one is almost over and the next free week is in August. I wanted to see if it's really something he wants to do before paying the money for all the equipment. Unfortunately, I haven't really been able to see him participate but he's reported back to me that he is skating much better and it's definitely something he wants to do this Fall. "Since I really want to do this, can we go ahead and buy the equipment" is what Kenny has been asking me ever since Wednesday. I have to continuously tell him that I will not buy anything until he finished the last week of camp to make sure it's something he really wants to do! I believe the league will also let you rent the equipment but we've learned from using the used equipment this week - they stink and I would much rather buy Kenny new equipment that he stinks up on his own rather than equipment someone else stunk up! Before dishing out the money for the stick, helmet, skates, shin guards, elbow pads, etc., I want to make sure it is something he is interested in continuing. As of now....he's still all for it which is good!

Alrighty, that's enough :) I'm waiting for my leg to feel better and for this work week to end! Rob and I are going to the National Harbor this weekend with our buddies, Jason and Danielle to Bobby McKey's. I've never been to a piano bar but I'm sure it will be a good time and I'm excited for it!

Always Out-doing Herself!

So....I can't say enough times how much I love the wedding photographer that we used! They (Lori & Jon) are absolutely fabulous and I HIGHLY recommend Swadley Studios! I first found her when looking for high school friends on MySpace. I was reading on her profile about her love for photography and looked at a few pictures she had posted. They were amazing to say the least! The ideas and styles she has are fantastic and I think very hard to replicate. Yes - I know what you're photographing has a lot to do with the image but she seems to work her magic and I really believe she can make just about anything look beautiful! Even before getting engaged, I told Rob that if we were to ever get married, she will be my photographer! :-) Not only have I used her for our wedding but she has also taken pictures of Connor when he was 8 months old as well as our family photos in October 2008.

Because I'm not totally blog savvy, I have no idea how to add the slideshow but if you go to http://www.swadleystudio.com/slideshows/rjdd/ you'll be able to see the slideshow of her favorite photos from our wedding. All the photos taken can eventually be seen at www.swadleystudio.com/Durham.

Will You Just Die Already?!?

I know that title sounds harsh. However, I really really mean that.....for my tree! I bought a tree for the front of our house about a month or so ago. It's a Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry Tree. However, before I go into that story...I need to tell you had it started.

I really wanted a dwarf weeping cherry tree. I called around to local nurseries and no one had any. So, I actually found someone on ebay that was selling them. The ebay listing indicated that the tree I'd received will be about 3'-4' tall and would have leaf buds that are really to sprout. Sounds good, right? Absolutely, so I paid $70 and won the auction. When I got the tree in the mail, it was definitely within the size range that I was told. However, there were no buds nor did it look like there would ever be! Rob referred to the tree as a "whip" because that's basically what it looked like. What a joke! So, I mailed it back and am still undergoing the process of getting my money back!

Since the ebay tree was a letdown and because I have a purchasing impulse, that same day I went to the local nursery and picked out a great $170 Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry tree. The tree was perfect for where I wanted to plant it. I had to wait a couple days for Rob to plant it but a few days after Mother's Day, he was willing to do that for me. When we went to plant it, we had to cut the metal casing around the burlap which normally should be pretty easy. Well, the burlap was stuck to the metal casing so when all was said and done, the tree with root ball that was way too heavy for me to lift and actually caused struggle for Rob, was now a tree with very small roots that probably weighed about 5 pounds! All the dirt that was around the roots have fallen apart when the metal casing/burlap was removed! GREAT!!

We still planted the tree with high hopes it would live. Well....we're still hoping for that but it's future doesn't look too promising. The tree has slowly had leaves that turn yellow and fall, as well as branches that now snap off. The only thing that gives me hope is that not all of the leaves have fallen and not all of the branches are dead.

Will it live? I don't know but I wish it would hurry and and decide what it wants to do! In my mind I'm hoping the tree just experienced bad shock but will redeem itself. Sadly, I don't really think it will but there's no way I can bring myself to remove it until it's completely dead! So, while I'd like it to live because it wasn't a cheap tree, I'd almost wish it would just die so I can replace it with something else!!

Let's get this started!

Alrighty....so I guess this is something that I will get into as well. It seems to be a trend and I'm a follower so it's what has to be done :) Let's see. There's a lot I can post to catch you up but I will give the quick version. I'm a mom of two boys, Kenny and Connor, ages 9 and (almost) 2 respectfully. We live in a new house (as of March 2009) in Stephens City and I just got remarried on May 30th to my love, Rob :)

This entire life is a complete change to how things were just 3 years ago. I had just gotten out of a marriage that wasn't the greatest. I was married to a man that was very controlling and didn't like the concept of me having friends other than him because "we don't need friends, we have each other". Needless to say, that's a crock. So to meet my now husband and to have the wonderful friends that I have...and to be very happy...is a complete change from a time no too long ago!

I'm going to TRY (key word) to keep this updated but like everything else, life will get involved and I'll slack, but I will TRY! :)

The beginning....

We'll see if this is something I want to start :)