Sunday, July 31, 2011

Day 2


Another fabulous day that started with a scrumptuous (and complimentary, might I add!) Sunday brunch at our restaurant downstairs, Jacob's Kitchen. It was seriously PACKED, not to my surprise, since I really think they are hiding Food Network chefs in there!


Next we drove around a bit...down memory lane...and went to see Rich's old house...

854 Law Lane! :)

Then we spent the next two hours trying to get to the beach...we laughed at ourselves (and high-fived!) after we finally sat down in our beach chairs about how long it takes to get ready to do anything with two kids! Especially on our first beach trip with just us- we had to buy chairs, an umbrella, sand castle equipment...you know, everything you need at the beach, we needed! But oh, so worth it to see...

...one happy heart...

...and one happy face! :)

And tonight was so fun. Dinner at an Irish Pub right across from...


...our B & B! Isn't it perfect?



Two snoozers during the meal- beach wore them out! Made for a nice, quiet dinner though... :)

And then we drove into the city for ice cream and swinging on the Pier. Jadey loved it!


A thunderstorm came up while we swung and the most beautiful lightning ever flashed across the sky...as if God was putting on a show just for us...

...just for our little family of 4!!!


Too tired for love stories tonight...so excited for another day here in one of my favorite towns with my three favorite peeps!

Room #6

So we drove, drove, drove as far as we could last night...made it to Augusta, GA where we finally laid our heads on pillows at a Holiday Inn at 2 am. My favorite thing about hotel rooms is that you can close the curtains and the room stays PITCH BLACK until whenever you want to wake up...which helped our kiddos sleep a little later today, thank goodness. Anyways we loaded back up and finished our roadtrip to the soundtrack I made Rich the first summer after we met when I had moved home and he was still living in Charleston. Crazy how songs bring back emotions...and as we got closer and closer to the big C-town, we started remembering all the things we used to do, the feelings...the very beginning...of us. All 4 of us. :)


...coming into the city and seeing the bridge finished for the first time...

I asked him if, when he got that CD in the mail from me- a girl he really didn't know that well yet- if he thought it was "just another girl"...or if he felt different about me even that early on??? See, I never really dated anyone before Rich. He dated about, um...100 girls. :) But you know what?...he said he did feel different. Not in love, certainly, but different. He said that with all of his other girlfriends, he didn't really care about their feelings, but with me, from the very beginning, he felt "responsible" for my feelings. That was so honest and so intresting to me that it wasn't an emotion that he felt differently, but a "responsibility". And why am I BLOGGING about all this??? Because just like I told him today- I think we have a really sweet love story that I have never written down. And I want to. I want our kids to hear our love story and know that God destined us to be together. You see, it is no small incident that tonight me and this "boy" from my college french class are sidled up next to each other on a bed- me tick-tacking away on these keys and him- giving his thumbs a super work out with "Angry Birds"...like we've been together our whole lives. No small thing at all! He was born in ENGLAND. Me, America. He grew up in Baltimore, MD. I grew up in Dickson County. :) I was raised on a church pew...he never darkened the doors of a church- a self professed atheist, in fact, when I met him. From two entirely different paths, the most unlikely pair finally "stumbled" upon each other in the hallway of a community college here in Charleston. I have wondered many times what the conversation in heaven must have been like that day as he and I woke up, ate breakfast, got ready, drove to school...did all the things we'd always done every day of our lives...but THIS day, this day was to be the day we'd finally meet. The paths would finally cross. I like to think the angels watched with anticipation as I parked my car and walked toward that building, nervous for my first day of french class. "Gabriel, it's about to happen!!!...she's finally gonna meet the guy she's been praying for since she was a little girl...and she doesn't even know it!!!!" As Rich's mom let him out a few blocks away (so no one would know he wasn't able to drive) and he walked and smoked a cigarette (yes, indeed, folks...I married a one-time LOVER of the cigs), I wonder if they said, "Look! He doesn't have a clue that he's about to meet a girl in a few minutes that's going to help him finally find some peace...he's been running from God his whole life- and right now he's walking directly TOWARD Him!!!" I just wonder, often, if the angels really do rejoice in moments like ours, where two people come together to accomplish His purposes...where futures start changing and the world becomes even just a little bit better- just because two people meet...and fall in love. I wonder...

Anyways, more of that story later...but for now- we are HERE. We are in Room #6

of the I'ON Bed & Breakfast...


...super plush room with comfy southern charm...


...and can I just say the restaurant downstairs is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!? Rich and I split both our entrees tonight- Goat Cheese Ravioli and Pan Seared Scallops over a bed of perfectly steamed spinach...and Kobe Beef Sliders! Seriously gourmet...and don't know if we're gonna be able to handle Sunday brunch in the morning!!!


I surprised Jade by packing a bunch of her babies and toys and wouldn't you know that there was the perfect little closet in our room that I went in and set up for her...when I told her to go in and look she literally squealed with delight and danced a jig! So cute!


She's loved the big bathtub with the detachable shower nozzle (we don't have one of those at home :)...


...and she was so cute at bedtime laying her dolls out to sleep with her in her OWN big bed...

And Jude...well, tonight we finally got them both laid down to sleep (or so we thought) and were going to take advantage of the huge bathtub (seriously the longest tub I have ever seen- like it was made for Rich!!!)...you know, soak up a few relaxing moments...but just before we got our pinky toes in that warm water, our little guy let out his own squeals and was not going to calm down until he was right with us! Yes, it turned into a bubble bath for THREE! :) Funny how life changes with babies...but always for the better! He kicked and cooed and talked to us until we were all prunes---we LOVE us some Jude Warren! :)

Tommorrow we will go to that beach I mentioned before...the one where my sweetheart gave me the ring on my left hand. Now that was another good day, too...

Nite!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Uncles

You know you have a LOT of uncles when you start referring to anyone and everyone with that title. Recently, a new friend of our family stopped by my parent's house and Jade met him for the first time:
"Jade, this is Mr. Marty...can you tell him hello?"
"Hi Mr. Marty!"...

...but about 10 minutes later, she looked up from where she was playing in the grass and curiously questioned, "Mom- where'd Uncle Marty go?" Classic.

So I am sitting here on the bed today (in our fabulous Ion Bed & Breakfast Room #6- which I will tell more about later) feeding Jude and eavesdropping on what Jade and her favorite playmate in the world are talking about. This is how it goes:


Jade: "Put this shirt on Darla, Uncle Rich!"
Rich: "Jade, I have told you a hundred times, I'm not Uncle Rich...I'm Daddy. Daddy to you..."
Jade: "Uncle Daddy- put this shirt on Darla!"

I laughed out loud. :)

Pretty rare that one girl gets not 1, not 2, not 3 but FOUR brothers... and I will admit it took me until I started inheriting fabulous sister-in-laws to determine it was actually a lucky turnout for me!!! And since I have 4 brothers, Jadey technically has 4 uncles, but she hears the word so much that she pretty much calls any ole guy that hangs around our group "Uncle ___". We are so thankful for all the uncles...Uncle Joe, Uncle Nate, Uncle Gav, Uncle Tay Tay...Uncle Dra...Uncle Jeff...Uncle Rocky...Uncle Marty :)...and Uncle Daddy!!! :) We love you all!!!

Friday, July 29, 2011

5 years

Five years ago today, Rich and I stood on my parent's front porch and promised our love to each other. Five years. Goes by fast. Two babies later, we are headed back tonight, on this anniversary, to where it all started--Charleston, SC. We haven't been back since he got down on one knee on a beach there and asked me to always be his. And I said yes! We are so excited to see some of our old stomping grounds, to take Jade that same beach to play...And to reminisce about the very beginning of this wonderful life we share. Who, but God- in His sovereignty and grace- would have ever know how far this "back row of class" romance would go! Today Rich called me and started out with, "Well hello, French class girl!" :) I love when he still flirts with me... So here we go down memory lane together, now with two tag alongs, and we'll keep ya posted on how it goes. Mr. Andrews, I love you "big ocean" as Jadey would say...and it's still you and me,baby- 'til the wheels fall off! And oh, by the way...I am still YOURS! Thanks for askin'!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Sweet Friends...


Been so fun to watch Jade making her own friends this year by the pool! :) Love that Cate Calmus!!!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

lifelong

life·long: adj \ˈlīf-ˌlȯŋ\

Definition of LIFELONG
1: lasting or continuing through life
2: long-standing


some things in life-

and some poeple-






are lifelong.
Thank goodness!