Bad Dog!

So...I got home last night, and I was on the phone with my mom. As I walked through the front door, Scarlett came barreling at me in her "I'm in trouble, mom please save me" run. I looked up at Michael, and he DID NOT look happy at all. He looks up at me and says, "I'll tell you later!" I hang up with my mom to see what our little girl could have possibly done. Michael proceeds: "Scarlett Belle has lost all of her privileges of going outside without a leash!" Holding back my laughter, "what did she do?"

To make a long story short, Michael explained that Scarlett had gone outside and spotted a racoon down the street. She took off, followed the disgusting creature into the woods and up a tree as she howled for it to come down from the ground below with the neighbors outside watching and Michael chasing behind both of them yelling at her! Yes...our sweet little princess whose perfect white fur was freshly bathed, chased a most likely rabies infested raccoon up a tree with her daddy following behind her. I love me some Tennessee!

My little raccoon hunter!

Christmas Already?

OMG! I have now idea where the time has gone! I swear I blinked my eyes and it's only 10 days until Christmas!!! Yesterday seems like it was just Thanksgiving Day! It felt like months of waiting before Julia arrived from Australia, and she has already been gone for more than a week! I think 2009 will go down in the record books as the shortest year in history for me. Life has truly been a whirlwind, especially in the last few months, but I do look forward to seeing what 2010 has in store for us. Good things I hope! Michael will graduate from UT with his master's degree, and he will be job hunting come spring, and with many fingers crossed, hopefully we will be househunting by this time next year. But as I have learned in my wise, 27 years (he he), plans don't always play out in the wonderful game of life like we want them to!

Well, I am happy to say that one thing this year went better than planned, and that was our Thanksgiving festivities. We hosted Michael's family, a few of our friends, and 2 dogs in our tiny apartment, but it was so much fun! We had more food than you could ever imagine (including 3 fried turkeys), and all the wine and spirits one would ever need. Needless to say, it was a very, very, very great holiday! It was so great in fact, that some of us couldn't keep our eyes open because of all the tiresome holiday fun(hmmm hmmm CAROLINE). One of the best things about the holiday was having two of my closest friends Elizabeth and Julia join us. I'm glad I got to spend Julia's first ever Thanksgiving holiday with her! Aside from being weary of a few food items, including Sean's creamed onions, I think she had a blast!

A few days after Thanksgiving, Julia received a great going away present before heading back to Australia. The first snow of the winter fell on December 5, and though it all melted by the afternoon, we got to play for a little while, and I think Julia was impressed. Thank You Mother Nature!!!

The ladies at Thanksgiving

The First Turkey Goes In...

Julia injecting her first Bird!


Scarlett discovered she likes Turkey!


Our first winter snow!






Jules and her earmuffs!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

From all of us at the McGreevey house, "HAPPY THANKSGIVING!" Michael and I are hosting our first Thanksgiving at home, and I will let you know how it goes. It's 10:41 a.m. as I am writing this, and our first turkey has been dropped in the frier!

Scarlett Belle wanted me to tell all of you, "HAPPY HARVEST"!

A Walk

Needless to say, things in our lives have been a bit difficult these past few months, and Michael and I have had very little time to enjoy each others' company as just the two of us (oh yeah, and of course Scarlett Belle fits in there). But we are doing the best we can, and we know that through tough times, we only get stronger although it seems we may never see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We have been together for six years now, and for the most part, it has been just the two of us...the way we like it. Michael is my best friend, my shoulder to cry on, and the man I laugh with every day. He has brought more life to my existence than I could have imagined, and I thank God for him every day. The good Lord knew my obsessive compulsive soul needed a loving slap in the face every now and then to simply chill me out every once in a while, and Michael is the perfect man for the job!

Well...he wasn't perfect at first!!! I have always been one to take walks, maybe it's a need for fresh air, or maybe it's because I don't feel like exerting myself anymore than a nice sprawl requires, but I know I have to exercise somehow. I've never equated running with fun, so I settled for walking instead! I was a walker when Michael met me, and I still am, but I remember living in Arkadelphia while we were in college and begging Michael to take walks with me in the afternoons. "Men don't take walks," Michael would complain. "Why don't you walk, and I will run and double back for you to catch up!" "Sure," I would balk back at him, "but don't expect me to run with you!"

It took a few years and a hyper dog to finally get Michael to fit a walk into his schedule everyday alongside me. I guess he figured out that men do take walks, and I am so glad he did because this is my favorite part of the day...just the two of us together, catching up and chilling out, with Scarlett Belle beside us.

A few weeks ago, we took a breathtaking walk on a trail off the Foothills Parkway in the mountains. It was a wonderful and beautiful afternoon just as the leaves began to peak with their autumn glory. It is on walks like these that I thank God for all that I have and for the beautiful world he created for me to enjoy!

There are lots of pictures...sorry I couldn't decide which ones I liked best!

Saying Goodbye

I am so sad to say that Michael's loving father Kevin passed away last Thursday, November 5th, after a short but difficult battle with cancer. Making the painstaking journey once again to Florida to visit Kevin in the hospital was so hard for us, knowing he wasn't the same boisterous man we all knew and called dad, but to find out he had passed before we arrived was devastating.

I braced myself for the worst weekend of my life, but to my surprise, this weekend was less about mourning the death of Michael's dad and more about celebrating his life and the joy he brought to the men and women he touched. It was amazing to see the love that poured from everyone who was fortunate to know him! This weekend was full of celebration, wonderfully funny stories, and much needed time with family we don't get to see often enough. Though we wish Michael's dad was here with us on this Earth, we know that he is happy in heaven, and we are thankful for the time we got to spend together with the family and friends we love.

During the weekend, we were able to go to the beach and celebrate Scarlett's 2nd birthday on Saturday! For her big day, we let her run wild on the beach, chasing birds, barking at seafoam, and swimming in the waves. She even attempted to drink from the Atlantic, but as you will see, the salt didn't settle too well with her! She had a blast, and we enjoyed watching her splash around the sand and sea as well as watch Sean perform his awesomeness (don't know if that is a word) at sea kayaking! After the big afternoon on the beach, we headed home and let Scarlett have some doggy cake! She was oh so happy!

Getting ready for take off!






Tug of War on the Beach!


So happy!






She didn't dare taste the water again!










Singing Happy Birthday! She looks so enthusiastic!

A Trip to Florida

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Florida and visited Michael's dad. Though the circumstances of the trip weren't the greatest, we did have time to escape to the beach, where the wind made it a little more bearable in the horrible heat! You couldn't pay me to move to Florida because of the heat and humidity! It was a beautiful afternoon, and I am glad Michael and I got to spend some time with his brother Sean, who never gives up an opportunity to sea kayak!

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