Josh & Mel Owens

Happy Birthday, Laya!

2012-01-03T19:17:00.001-08:00

I don’t think I have ever been more excited to wake up at 3 a.m. as I was today. Today is the day we have prayed for, planned for, and counted down to. Today is the day we finally meet our angel.
We picked up Jessica, and were at the hospital by 5:15 on January 2, 2012. Soon after that, she was taken back to Labor and Delivery to get ready, and then we were brought back to her room to wait out the last few moments that stood between us and realizing our dream of becoming parents. While we were waiting, Jessica reported she was feeling some mild contractions, which was confirmed by the monitors that had been applied.
Around 7:30 they came and took her back to the delivery room, and left us to don the “father suits” (aka blue paper scrubs, shoe covers, and hair covers. We were brought into the room after the c-section was under way. We were careful to keep our eyes OFF of the surgical area, which was not hidden by more than a drape 3 or 4 inches tall. We overheard the OBGYN say that she was in active labor, and we later found out that if she had not had the c-section today, she might have suffered from a ruptured uterus.
Layla arrived at 7:54 a.m., weighing 7 lbs 5 oz, and measuring 19” long. (for my friends in the medical profession, her APGARs were both 9!!) The moment they pulled Layla from Jessica’s womb marked the beginning of so many things for us! The next several hours were a mixture of every emotion possible. We were thrilled, overwhelmed, terrified, anxious, and a thousand other emotions that cannot be put into words. The hospital where she was delivered was very small, and not very familiar or comfortable with adoption, which led to a lot of frustration over the next few days. Some of the staff even tried to convince Jessica to reconsider her decision. I was allowed to hold Layla for a few seconds after we stepped out of the delivery room, before they took her to the nursery. For the next several hours, we were only allowed to see her through the nursery glass. We waited anxiously for Jessica to be out of recovery (she did well with the c-section) and back to the room, and then had to wait on Layla to have additional tests/x-rays, before the 3 of us could finally see Layla for an actual first meeting. Throughout the day, we were introduced to many members of Jessica’s family, none of which who were supportive of her decision to place Layla for adoption. We handled their looks, remarks, and attitudes with grace (if I do say so myself) that we can only attribute to the result of lots of prayers.
The day was filled with lots of visitors (Jessica’s friends and family), and trying to juggle spending time with Layla (which we were only allowed to do in Jessica’s room), communicating with friends and family who were anxiously waiting on information about Layla, and figuring out how to be parents to this new arrival. By 10:00 that night Josh, Jessica, and I were all exhausted. We left the hospital and headed back to our hotel room to spend what would be the last night with just the two of us.

Happy Birthday, Laya!

2012-01-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

Waiting

2012-01-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

Today is the end of an era. After today, we will no longer be just a married couple; we will officially be a family of 3! I don’t know if the magnitude of this has really hit either one of us, but at least we are holding it together today (so far, at least). Last night was (obviously) New Year’s Eve and we celebrated in style. We were back in our hotel room by 7:30, and in p.j.’s by 8:00. We watched Auburn kick Virginia’s butts (War Eagle!) and then made it long enough to ring in the New Year in Eastern Time with Dick Clark and see the ball drop in Times Square. Surprisingly, it took me a while to fall asleep, even with the whiskey spiked hot tea I had been advised to drink, but we were able to sleep pretty well, and catch up a little on the sleep we have missed the last few days.
Today has been relatively unproductive, but down time has been nice. We went to IHOP for our New Year’s dinner, definitely a first for us. We did manage to get our family all (mostly) set up on Skype, so that they can see Layla in person, rather than just in pictures, even if we can’t see (and in some cases hear) them. We also made a run to pick up some things to make our stay more comfortable, including some basic grocery items, and a couple of bag chairs (until they get our recliners in the room), and pillows, as we are sleeping on the smallest pillows I have ever seen. I mean seriously! I have throw pillows at home larger than these pillows are!
We have to be at the hospital tomorrow by 5:30, so I plan on trying to be in bed by 7 or 8. Falling asleep might be a different story, but I hope to get some rest. People keep telling me I won’t be able to do that again for a while.
The next time I write, I will be a mommy! P.S. Josh wants everyone to know that the “War Eagle” was NOT from him. J

A journey of 1000 miles

2011-12-31T22:02:00.000-08:00

We loaded up our new Yukon, which was bought especially for this purpose, and set out 12/30/2011. Destination: Laredo Texas. We departed a family of 2, but will return with a new member of our family. We are making the 1000+ mile trip (and that’s just one way) for the second time in as many months. The first time, we came to meet with the wonderful, brave young woman who has trusted us with one of her most precious possessions, her child. Her name is Jessica, and we found each other on Facebook. We have been in contact since May, but were not officially “matched” in adoption terms until late September. We met with her in November, and spent time getting to know her and her other 2 beautiful children. We were lucky enough to be able to accompany her to a doctor’s appointment, where we heard the most wonderful sound, the heartbeat of our daughter.
We have spent the last few months busily preparing for the arrival of our new bundle of joy. Our home office was given a new life as a trendy pink and zebra print themed nursery, fit for a diva, and the closet has been filled with more tiny clothes than she will likely be able to wear. We have been blessed by the generosity of friends and family, as they have offered to lend and give us baby items and other assistance to get started with our new baby girl.
After dropping Sam, our first “baby” (a teacup poodle) with family, we started the 18 hour drive early Friday morning, with the hopes of making it all the way to Laredo before we stopped for the night, and had to unload the vehicle. We had the SUV completely full from top to bottom, with additional luggage stashed on the luggage rack, and a borrowed platform attached to the Reece hitch, a last minute addition, which turned out to be completely necessary (Thanks Heath!). However, we only made it as far as Sequin Texas before we called it a night.
Friday was a very emotional day for me. We were overwhelmed with texts, calls, and messages wishing us well and offering love and prayers, and I found myself crying at each gesture, and sometimes for no reason at all. In fact, at one point during my turn to drive, when I had gotten myself worked into a tearful frenzy worrying if other kids would like Layla and if she would ever be asked on a date, I woke Josh, who was sleeping in the passenger seat, with my sobbing. Also, as luck would have it, I had begun developing a sore throat earlier in the week, and as a precaution had gone to the doctor to get started on an antibiotic. Saturday morning I woke up to find that I had left my voice somewhere between Louisiana and Texas, and could literally talk no louder than a whisper. At the advice of family and friends, I began attacking my laryngitis with a battery of home remedies, and some suggestions that I think were purely for the entertainment of others. Armed with a cup of hot tea, we reloaded the vehicle, and set out for a second day of traveling.
We reached Laredo mid day on New Year’s Eve, and were so glad to have quickly found a hotel with a small kitchenette (a necessity for as long as we will be staying), which did not require us to take a second mortgage on our home. Then came the lengthy process of unloading the vehicle and settling in to what will be our home for the next one to three weeks. I am sure that the staff got much entertainment at seeing Josh straining to push the luggage cart, which was loaded to capacity, while I attempted to help guide it while balancing an armful of odds and ends.
After that was done, we went to pick up Jessica and take her to the hospital, for pre-op lab work. It was great to see her again! There was none of the nervousness from our last meeting, and we were all much more comfortable, and at ease with each other. After completing her lab work and a comical dialogue with the unfortunate phlebotomist who made the mistake of asking me if I had children as he was drawing Jessica’s blood, we went to get a bite to eat. Jessica played along easily with the confused phlebotomist, adding to his bewilderment by pointing to her stomach and telling him that that was MY baby she was carrying. We talked easily over dinner, and really enjoyed each other’s company. She had told us many times how much Layla usually moves, but as luck would have it, she was quite and still the whole time we were with Jessica.After dinner, Jessica was sleepy, so we dropped her off at her friend’s apartment where she is staying, and after one more stop to pick up more hot tea, honey, and other ingredients sure to either restore my voice or kill me, we returned to our hotel, to spend an exciting New Year’s Eve watching football and sipping hot tea.

Vacation!

2011-09-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

We have had the BEST week! We left last Saturday on our way to Tybee Island, GA. Neither of us had ever been there before, and we were excited to discover new territory, and spend time together. Josh has been working 12-15 hours a day for the last couple of months, so we were looking forward to spending some time together while we were actually awake. On our way over, we stopped to visit with some good friends, Kathy and Chris, and meet the latest addition to their family. We miss those guys, and it was great to spend a little time with them.

We LOVED Tybee Island! The condo we rented was wonderful, the atmosphere there was great, we had gorgeous weather, and of course there was the food! From our balcony or the beach, you could watch dolphins swimming by and playing all day long. One evening, we were walking along the beach at sunset, and a pod of dolphins surprised us right off shore. We were able to wade out in the water, and watched as they swam, played, and fed like 20-30 yards from where we were standing. Unfortunately, my battery on my camera died just as this began, so we don't have good footage :-(. We spent most of our days looking around in shops, exploring the island, and relaxing on the beach or by the pool. We also visited the Tybee Island light house, where we made the climb up 178 stairs to the top. The view from the catwalk up there was amazing! On our way home, we stopped in Savannah and spent the day. We checked out River Street, had lunch at Paula Deen's resturant (completely UNDERwhelmed with the food), and ended the trip with a walk through Forsyth Square. It was a great trip! After the events of the last year, this time away TOGETHER was exactly what we needed. I am including a few pictures from our trip.

Sunset on the Beach

Preparing for a very unsuccessful crapping adventure

At the top of Tybee Island Lighthouse

A glimpse of one of the many dolphins we saw

Still waiting....

2011-08-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

I wish that I had some good news to report on the adoption front, but I do not. There have been some possibilities, including one that we felt fairly certain about, but in the end, none of them worked out. I know that means they were not "Our" child, but I am sure I would have loved them anyway. So, I guess I will try to be patient and wait on the wonderful, beautiful child that God has out there waiting for us.
On another note, we are packing for vacation! Yea! However, I am beginning to think that God is messing with me. We had a vacation scheduled in April, but the day before I flew out, our area was devastated by tornadoes, and even though we were fortunate enough to not have any damage, we also did not have power. We did have a generator, but since that requires someone to be here to run it, we decided to stay here and salvage our freezers full of food. So now we are booked for another vacation, this time on Tybee Island, and now there is a hurricane headed up the east coast. Geez! I guess we will be putting life to the expression "come hail or high water" because we are going on vacation. I need this trip so badly! After the crazy year we have had, some time away is just what the doctor ordered.
Maybe the next time I post I will have some exciting baby news to share, but until then, please continue to remember us in your prayers, and our baby, where ever they are.

Thanks!

Mel

Waiting....

2011-07-08T20:37:00.001-07:00

So, the homestudy is behind us. No problem (just like everyone told me). The social worker was very nice, and she didn't even run a white gloved finger over the ceiling fan blades, or comment on how well I had done ironing my curtians. I guess I went a bit overboard, but I didn't want to take a chance. So, now that all of the paperwork is in place (for the most part), and our profile books and information have arrived at the faciliators office, we are ready and waiting, literaly!
I was crazy to think that the waiting was going to be the "easy" part of this process! In my naive mind, I thought that it would be easier when all of the busy work was through. But this waiting with nothing to do is not as easy as I thought it would be. We have been clients for exactly 3 weeks, and I have called exactly 3 times, every Friday, to check on the progress. When I called today, I found out that our profle book had been presented this week to a birthmom who is expectng a little girl, but that she selected a couple from California. I am trying not to be too upset, and to look at the glass as 1/2 full. We have already been presented and it has only been 3 weeks, and now that another couple has been matched (and I really am happy for them....40% happy, 60% jealous), that is one less couple that we are "competing" against, so to speak.
I know that God knows the child that we are meant to parent, and I am trusting Him. With that said, I can't help by wish He would hurry up and bring that child to us. I am praying for patience, but also for us to be matched quickly....is that contradictory?

Profile books, legal consulations, and Home Study-Oh My!

2011-06-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, for those of you who don't know, Josh and I are going to be parents!! But, true to form, we are not going about it in the traditional way. We have decided to adopt! We and our families are very excited and anxious to meet the new addition to our family.
After speaking with several couples who have also adopted, we have chosen to use an adoption facilitator. In essence, what she does is "find babies." We have created a profile book, which is to be delivered next week, detailing our life and our desire to have a child. This will be sent to the facilitator, along with lots of paperwork (and of course $$), who will then present it to potential birth mothers, who will use this to choose adoptive parents for their child.
In the mean time, we are continuing to plug away at the massive amount of paper work that goes along with the adoption journey. As a whole, it is very overwhelming, but we have been able to take small amounts at a time, and finally, it seems the end is in site!
Next up, is what is possibly the most intimidating part of the process-the home study. The purpose of a home study is to ensure that children are being brought into a safe home environment. Sounds simple enough, right? WRONG! Before you can schedule the home study visit (performed by a social worker), you have to fill out an enormous amount of paperwork, including information on all of your family members, your occupation, finances, medical health, criminal record (or hopefully lack there of), and letters of recommendation from friends and family. Our home study is scheduled for this Thursday. Yikes!! I am so nervous, and poor Josh-his to-do list is growing by the day. I know deep down that it will go well, but I still feel that it is necessary to have the house pressure washed, the baseboards cleaned, and every closet re-organized.
After that, we are on the downhill slope (for now, at least). We will hopefully have our profile books submitted by the end of this week, and we have scheduled a consultation with our attorney the follow week to start the legal part of the process.
After months of preparation, all aspects are seeming to come together quickly, and at the same time, which is both wonderful and scary. We will continue to try to take things one day at a time, and just have faith that things will go smoothly and quickly.

My new love

2009-06-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

After spending a tremendous amount of time lost and driving aimlessly on Tuesday, my sweet husband went out and bought me a TomTom. This invention is the greatest! Tom has cut my driving time in half in the field, and my frustration and stress levels by at least 95%. Wednesday and Thursday were wonderful! But, like any other relationship, as the new wears off, you take off the rose colored glasses, you begin to see things differently. For instance, Tom directing me to the wrong Kershaw street in Hoaks Bluff was excusable (in his defence, there are two, spelled the same....go figure). But today was another story. After he tried to send me home (almost the middle of Boaz) from Sardis by way of Duck Springs, I am beginning to see his true colors. We have decided to take some time apart this weekend. I think it will be good for us, but I predict on Monday, when I am faced with a stack of random addresses I will be begging for his forgiveness.........that's the way love goes, right?

Anyway, thanks for indulging my silliness!

Mel

Settling in

2009-06-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!! We made it! The move is over, and most of our belonging are unpacked...I just don't know where they are!! We had so much help moving in, and I am truly greatful to everyone. We were really totally liveable by Sunday-with a fully functioning kitchen (and we arrived at the new house late Friday afternoon). We ran into a few minor plumbing kinks (no water to the fridge hook up, hot/cold switched in the master, leaky sink) but all of that has been worked out. We can't believe how much bigger this house feels! I need more furniture! (:-) We have started on the fence, so that Bear can move out of his pen. Things are falling into place.
Josh has started classes, and I have been on the job a couple of weeks. Things are going great! I couldn't ask for better hours....start at 9 in the a.m. done by 2 or 3!! I can't believe I ever considered not taking this job!
Now our biggest dilemma is whether to put in a pool, or buy a boat? Those of you who know Josh know his vote....Both!! He has been laying boat trader magazines around for a while, so that might be the choice for now, but who knows? Stay tuned!! And thanks again for all of you who helped us! We really appreciate you, more than you will ever know!
Loves!!

Mel

MOVING DAY!

2009-05-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is here!! I am happy, sad, excited, nervous, and stressed all at the same time. We picked up the moving truck (the largest they have) yesterday, and have started putting all "non essential" items in (i.e. I had to beg Josh to leave the bed and fridge off for now, since we aren't leaving for at least another 24 hours!). My inlaws (bless their hearts) are coming down today to help us load everything, and then tomorrow we will make the move. I can't believe I will be spending my last night in this house! I love this house so much! We have had so many memories and so many good times here! I know this is the right thing to do, but it certainly is difficult.
Since Josh will probably pack the computer as soon as I put it down and turn my back, I won't be on for a while!
Keep us in your prayers! And thanks in advance to everyone who has volunteered to help us move, here and in north Alabama. Yall are awesome!

Mel

A loop hole

2009-05-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was flipping out, thinking that I was going to be homeless in a few short days, if this deal in Mobile doesn't close soon (which it appears is NOT going to happen). But, thanks to an awesome idea by my Mom, and our great real estate agent's help, we are going to be able to rent the new house from the sellers until closing! That makes me feel so much better! I did not want to have to move our stuff from this house to a storage unit, only to turn around and move it from the storage unit to our new house in a few days. Looks like we won't be homeless after all! Yea!

Feeling better,

Mel

Delays

2009-05-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so even though we have an accepted offer on our house here, and they have approval for their loan, apparently there are like 1000 other things that have to fall into place before this can close, and time is getting short! After this deal closes, we still have to close on the house in Boaz, and all of this needs to happen before the 26th, or Josh and I will be homeless!!
On another note, I can not believe how much stuff we have accumulated in the four years we have been here! I don't think there is any way that two people need this much stuff! Every time I think I am getting somewhere with the packing, I find a whole new mess to deal with! I am running out of boxes and patience!!!!

Can you tell I am stressed?

Mel

Houston, I have a job!!

2009-05-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally made a decision!!!! I know...it's about time, right? I am taking the home health job. I can't believe I am doing it, but let's just say it was an offer I couldn't turn down! ($$) I am susposed to start work May 26, and Josh's first day of class is that day also. We also have an accepted contract on our house here, which is awesome, since we didn't even list it, ANYWHERE! God is just too awesome for words sometimes!!
Well, I have a lot to do....packing, paperwork....Fun!
More to come as I know.

Mel

Accepted!!

2009-04-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

We put an offer in on the house that we love, and after some "haggling" back and forth, we have an accepted offer!! Now, if I could just make a decision on the job...
I think I know what I am going to do, but I really am dreading calling the other company and turning down that position! I wonder if an email or text is an option?

Later!

Mel

Interviews and House Hunting

2009-04-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

So, since we have decided we are moving, and Josh is going back to school, we still have a few minor details to work out. We need a house, and I need a job, to pay for said house. We met with a real estate agent (who is great by the way-Rebecca Grave, ReMax of Albertville) who showed us some houses that really weren't what we are looking for, or where we wanted to be, and then one house that we absolutely love!! It is a new construction, in a new subdivision in Boaz, and is is gorgeous!! The only thing that I don't like about it, is that it doesn't have granite counter tops. For those that don't know, just before we decided we were moving, I had some gorgeous granite counter tops installed, and now I have to leave them (I checked..it is some where in the real estate handbook!). Oh well! I also had 2 job interviews this weekend. One was with a nursing home/short term rehab, and it went well. The second was with a home health company, and they offered me the job on the spot (the rehab place called me while I was interviewing with the home health company and offered the job also.) So now I have a decision to make...and those of you who know me know how that goes!! Pro/con lists and sleepless nights, here I come! However, I will say that I know things could be worse...at least I have two really good offers to consider....a few weeks ago, I was wondering if I would ever find a job. God really works things out....

Mel

New Furniture, Art, and New Experiences

2009-01-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

We have been talking about buying a cocktail ottoman for a very long time. Last weekend, we decided to take the plunge. We chose an ottoman at Rooms to Go (NEVER buy anything from there), and then paid an additional fee to have it delivered in 2 days (instead of having to wait more than a week and pick it up). The catch was, they couldn't (or wouldn't) tell us what time of day they would be bringing the furniture, so we had to make arrangements for one of us to be here all day long. Josh, being the selfless person he is, volunteered to take the first shift and sleep late, while waiting on the delivery. Lunchtime came, and the delivery had still not arrived, so I left work, and came home to relieve Josh. About an hour after I got home, Josh called me and said that he had gotten a phone call, informing us that our furniture would not be delivered that day after all. As it turns out, the ottoman was out of stock, and wouldn't be available until the next week (1 week after the original promised date). We were FURIOUS! As soon as Josh got home from work, we went back to Rooms to Go, got a refund on the ottoman (rush fee included). Then, we went back on the hunt. After several unsuccessful stops, we hit pay dirt. At J and J Furniture, we found a wonderful deal on a beautiful coffee table, and 2 end tables. Not only did we save more than $100 on what we had paid for the ottoman, we were able to pick up the furniture, fully assembled, the next day! So on Wednesday, when we got home from work, we spent our night arranging and rearranging the furniture in the living room. We are loving our new furniture, and the new arrangement. Then today, we stopped by a Starving Artist Sale, and found an amazing oil painting of 2 elephants, which fits in great with our "safari" themed living room. Of course, after all of this shopping, I have put myself on restriction, at least until next payday!! I will try to post some pictures soon.
On a totally unrelated note, at this time next week, I will have lost my camping virginity. That's right, I have made it almost 27 years without having to sleep on the ground, but all of that is about to change. Josh who is a seasoned camper, has caught the camping bug, and along with some friends of ours, has planned a trip for next weekend. When I had originally agreed to try camping with Josh, he promised me the luxury of a toilet, and that we would go when the temperatures were going to be above 50 degrees F. So, when we go this weekend, we will be a mile walk from running water, and the temperatures are supposed to be in the 40's. We will see....
Mel

Closet secrets

2009-01-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

So, as Josh and I were cleaning out closets this morning, we found a little surprise in the top of one of our closets! A BONG!! Apparently, the previous owners of this house indulged in some "recreational activities" we were not aware of! They were toking on the wacky weed, or whatever the kids are calling it now days! Josh actually had to tell me what it was. My first guess as to what it was, was really off, but still equally disturbing. It is really hilarious to us, because these people appeared to be the most conservative, buttoned down people you have ever met. Guess it just goes to show you, you never know what goes on behind closed (closet in this case) doors!

Mel

PS if the cops come a take us to jail for possesion of drug paraphernalia, please show them this blog as proof it wasn't ours!

MOVING ON UP....to north Alabama!

2009-01-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Josh and I have decided the time has come. It is time to say goodbye to Mobile, and move closer to the things and people that matter most. No, we are not pregnant, divorcing, in financial trouble, or running from the law. We are just ready to be closer to our familes. And yes, one day we hope to have children, and when we do, I want them to grow up seeing their grandparents aunts and uncles and little cousins more than a few times a year. So, we have officially begun the process of relocating. We have looked at some houses, and I am looking for jobs in that area. Josh is planning on going back to school to get his Paramedic degree, so I will be supporting him for a change! We are very excited about this decision. The biggest hold up is going to be selling our house, so keep your fingers crossed for us!!

Mel

New Years Resolutions!

2009-01-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

This year, I have put a lot of time and thought into my New Years resolutions. Based on my track record of keeping resolutions, and my actual goals for the year, I have set the following resolutions: 1. To gain at least 10#s. 2. To exercise less. 3. To save absolutely no $.

Since I have never kept a New Year's resolution in my life, I am hoping that I will actually end up a more active, slimmer, and slightly more wealthy individual in 2009! I will keep you updated on my progress!

Mel

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2008-12-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was Josh's Birthday! Unfortunately, we had to spend that day at a funeral, and then traveling 5 hours home (for the 2nd time in a week). But we celebrated later that week, so don't feel too sorry for him!! And, because I am an awesome wifey, I got him a Wii for his birthday!!! I can't wait to actually have time to play it! I am always glad when Josh's birthday comes around. For a few months we are the same age, and he has to lay off of the 'older woman' jokes.

Mel

Eventful Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I love this time of year. Especially since we are so far away from our families, getting to spend the holidays with them has become so special to us. This holiday season, while we were home, we managed to cram as much family time and events into the time we were home as humanly possible, barring giving up sleeping! Since Tara and Daniel are newly engaged, and Tara is a 'frugal' young lady, she decided that she wanted me to take their engagement pictures. I was flattered, but totally confused, since I had never taken ANYone's engagement pictures before. Anyway, we gave it a shot, and 4 hours and 400 pictures later, she did actually end up with some usable shots. Some of them were even pretty good, if I do say so myself! Who knows, I may decide that PT just isn't for me and I want to be a professional photographer....hmmmm.

We also had a get together at Mom and Dad's to decorate their Christmas tree, and kick off the holiday season. When we were all still at home, putting up the Christmas tree was always a big family affair. Since we have all gotten older, it has become more of a chore for my parents than the fun event I remember from my childhood, so this year I decided to infuse a little holiday cheer! Overall, it was a good time for everyone, I think! And the tree looked really good, despite the fact it was leaning a little to the left (sorry, Daddy!).

We had Thanksgiving dinner at with my family Thursday, and with Josh's family Friday night. Both dinners were delicious, and having them spaced out that way, made it much easier to fully enjoy both meals. We also decided to take an updated family portrait of the Owens family Friday night. That was an ordeal, to say the least! With that many people in a picture, and 2 of them under the age of 4, it is nothing short of a miracle that we ended up with some really good pictures! Again....maybe we should consider going pro with the photography thing! ;-)

And of course, Saturday was the Iron Bowl! Josh was thrilled to be able to hang out with his family and watch the game, but me being the lone Auburn fan in the -Owens' house that weekend, decided to road trip it back to Oneonta to watch the game with a friendlier crowd. What a heart breaker!! Oh well, we had a good run; maybe next year!!

Sunday was Bradley's first birthday party! I can't believe he is already 1! It seems like such a short time ago were were driving up to Boaz to meet him for the first time! The party went well, despite the fact that the birthday boy didn't get his nap out. There were so many kids there! It felt like all of the children under 5 in Sardis were there! I was also the unofficial photographer for that event...see a trend developing? We headed back to Mobile after the birthday party. We had a great trip, and were so glad to be a part of all of these events! Now, we need another week to catch up and rest from all of the family togetherness!

IT'S A GIRL....and a boy!

2008-11-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

My oldest sister, Amie, is expecting her first child next May, and we found out today that is it a girl!! I am so glad she is having a girl...she would probably raise a very sissy little boy, no offense, sis! Also, one of my younger sisters, Tara Gail, got engaged last weekend, and she is getting married to Daniel in April. In between those, my baby sister, Beth, will be graduating from MSU. Next spring promises to be a very very busy time for the Phillips family. I will keep you posted!

Under Construction

2008-11-12T05:14:00.000-08:00

Well, any of you who know us well, know that we love home improvement projects. Let me rephrase that...we love the IDEA of home improvement projects. When it comes to the actual project, we tend to start strong, stall out somewhere mid-way, and then wait on word of a visit from friends or family to kick us into hyper drive to finish.
We recently put in new granite counter tops, which went pretty quickly, mainly because we hired someone to do it. I was blissfully ignorant to the whole process, and expected to walk in the day the counter tops were installed and immediately begin enjoying my new kitchen. Instead, I walked in to see my kitchen torn apart (literally) and 2 strange men and Josh standing over a whole in my new granite, discussing the fact that our cooktop probably wouldn't go into the hole that was cut for it. Long story short, the cooktop did fit-barely. The installers finally left us the survey the situation. Rather than the beautiful new kitchen I had imagined, I was left with a layer of sawdust covering my kitchen and my gorgeous new counter tops, as well as everything inside my lower cabinets, and a dishwasher that was no longer attached to anything. Slowly, my kitchen was put back together, and finally my dishwasher no longer falls into the kitchen floor when I open it.
Shortly after the kitchen project was complete, we decided to replace the doors in the house. Since Josh works for a mill works shop, he took down the doors, and took them to work to use as templates for our new doors. The plan was for the doors to be taken down one night, go to work the next day, and the new doors be here that night. The reality was that the doors in our house were a slightly different size than the slabs that Josh's shop keeps, so they had to be ordered. While we waited, our doors sat at the mill works shop. Yep, that's right- No doors! No bedroom door, no bathroom door....it was great! Josh finally got the slabs in, made the doors, brought them home, and eventually got them hung. Next came painting them. We also decided that we should paint the trim throughout the house to match. We began painting, and finished the trim in the main living area, and exactly one door. That is where we hit a road block. I dislike painting, but Josh HATES it! We kept coming up with really great reasons not to paint the doors on weeknights (we need to go to the grocery store, we need to walk the dogs, we need a night to rest from going to the grocery store and walking the dogs) and we hated to waste our weekends on something as mundane as painting doors. That is until we found out that my grandparents were coming to town this weekend for a visit...So now we are 3 days away from my grandparents' arrival, and again, I have no doors (well, to be accurate, I do have doors, they are just sitting in the living room floor still waiting to be painted), there is an air compressor in the kitchen, my bedroom curtains are draped over my fitness equipment waiting to be ironed (because Josh thought he was doing me a favor and decided to wash them) and all of my bedroom furniture is pushed into the middle of the room, surrounding the bed, leaving only a small path for getting in or out of bed. Gotta love home improvement projects!

Happy Howl-o-ween!

2008-11-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yep, I hate to admit it, but I have become one of those people. I dress up my dog! This year, Sam had his first Halloween costume. And rather than trying to help me come to my senses when I presented the idea to Josh, he voiced his opinion of what the costume should be. After some discussion, we chose a little devil costume, complete with horns. He was a very cute little devil, and he wore his costume so well! He helped me pass out candy to all of the trick or treaters. And if that isn't bad enough, we got out the camera and tripod, and sat it up to take pictures of us and Sam in his costume. We need help!!