Leigh This Way

Lowry family weekend

2011-12-10T12:29:00.004-05:00

This post is really late. We were having issues with our firewall being way too over protective and it wouldn't let me upload picture so I was finally able to post some of these. Even then its just a few and not it the order I'd like but oh well.

The weekend of Thanksgiving we got to go to Augusta to spend time with Preston's best friend during high school, Ryan. These 2 guys were thick as thieves. From what I've heard they were always together. I guess you could say they had a "bromance". Anyways, Ryan and his wife now live in Hawaii and they just had their first child, a girl named Reaghan. They came over to the mainland for his sister's wedding but also for everyone to meet Reaghan. Since the family was all together, they decided to have her blessed that weekend. It was great getting to be a part of it. I just love this family. =)

. The Lowry Family (minus the newlyweds)

This is Skye's (Ryan's wife) family...I don't remember her maiden name. Oops!
(They're missing some family members too)

One BIG, happy family =)
Ryan, Skye, and little Reaghan

Skye's sister (who's baby was also blessed that day)

Ford Family Pictures

2011-12-04T17:38:00.004-05:00

So right after Thanksgiving I got to take pictures of my sister Jessica and her family. The weather wasn't perfect but we made due, had lots of fun and got some great shots. Brison was a good little man and slept the whole way through!

Blogger has been giving me problems about uploading pictures lately so here's a few. If you want to see all the ones that I've posted on my photography blog, go here. You can also click on the pictures below and it will make them bigger.

Walker Thomas Sheridan

2011-10-12T16:54:00.007-04:00

About a month ago, I went and took pictures of Peter and Ellen Sheridan's new baby, Walker. I wanted to not only try out a new lens, some of the props that I had received in the giveaway that I won in August, and also some new editing software. It was a fun shoot but Walker was wide awake. He didn't want to miss a thing! We tried everything to try and get the little guy to go to sleep but he wasn't having any of it. It turned out ok because I still got some cute shots of him.

Of course had to get one in the Clemson gear for his daddy

Like I said, he was wide awake,

like he was afraid of missing something.

I wish this would show up bigger. I've tried a few things but it still

stays the same size. (If you click on it,

a bigger picture will open up in another window,

then you can just hit the back button.)

Such a cute little guy

Belonging

2011-09-25T21:19:00.004-04:00

*This is probably going to be more information then some people want to know and most of this stuff no one even knows except for a very few people, but its ok. For you to understand where I am now, you need to understand where I've been.*

Preston and I have been in our ward for over 4 years now. Its an awkward ward and has a very high turnover rate. Its a ward full of lots of students and residents, lots of young families and older couples. Its got lots of cliques like a high school. There's the young families with little kids, the families that have been here for years with teenagers (only a few of those), there's the empty nesters, there's the elderly couples that have either lived here all their lives or are here for the weather, and then there was us. When Preston and I moved in, we were the only couple in the ward that didn't have kids. Later, 1 other couple moved in but they were trying and ended up having a kid. Its hard to feel like you belong in a ward where all the activities are centered around play-dates or knitting quilts, not to mentioned they're all planned at weird times like 11am. We've never had our home teachers come see us (and at one point one of them was the elder's quorum president) and I've never even seen or known who my visiting teachers were. A few months after we moved in the ward, we were put in primary where we stayed for over 3 years so we knew all the kids but none of the adults. I went to Relief Society once when the Elder's quorum was teaching primary for the sisters and was asked by 2 women if I was new. This was after we had been in the ward for 2 & 1/2 years!

I'll be honest and say that year after the issues with school, we weren't diligent about going to church here. During this period of time, I went into a very dark place and doing daily things was difficult. The feelings of failure and worthlessness were sometimes more than I could bare. I would put on a happy face and tell people "the right answers" when they asked how I was but inside I was a complete wreck. I've always been pretty good about hiding things and hiding my feelings but some things you can't hide. Panic attacks are one of them. I couldn't face the people with their questions, their looks, and the judgments that they gave when they asked about school and I had to tell them. When you live in a ward where about 50% of it is or are studying to be something in the medical profession, they don't have a lot of sympathy sometimes. Thinking about going to church and facing that would give me uncontrollable panic attacks. The shortness of breath, the racing heart, the dizziness, the shaking, and crying was more then I wanted to deal with so I dealt with it the best way I knew how, I avoided the source. We probably didn't go to our ward for the better part of 6-8 months. The worst part of it to me was that it seemed like no one cared that we didn't show up anymore. I guess it was ok though because in our ward, I didn't feel like we belonged so I wasn't surprised that no one noticed when we stopped showing up.

It wasn't until the day of my last knee surgery that I felt like someone cared. We were driving to the hospital and the Relief Society President, Sis Michealson called Preston's phone to get my number since his was listed in the directory as our number. I talked to her and she told me that she had woken up that morning with a strong feeling that she needed to call me. (When she told me that, it was like I was hit in the gut. With everything that had gone on in my life, I felt like I had been forgotten by my Heavenly Father but here He was using Sis Michaelson to remind me that he hadn't.) I told her that I was on the way to the hospital to have knee surgery and she offered to bring us dinner that night and get things arranged to have others bring us dinner. She came that night and we had a long talk. I told her everything that I had been feeling and she told me that she was glad she had listened to the prompting she had had that morning. She also wanted to let me know that there had been a lot of couples that had recently moved into the ward that didn't have kids and they were trying to get them all together so that they would have a kind of "family" base here since most were from out west.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. We've been going back to church ever since Sis Michealson came to visit me. We've been trying to get to know some of the couples and went and got some yogurt with one of them just a few weeks ago. Last night, one of the women had a little dinner get together before the Relief Society Broadcast and I was able to meet some of the other women. It was just what I needed after the insanely busy last couple of weeks (I've worked 40 hours each week, had a chemistry test, 2 english quizzes, a bunch of readings for english, an essay due, the PCAT, and I got sick!) Anyways, I already knew 2 of the women but one of the women in particularly I feel is going to be a really good friend. She's one of those people that after being with for a few moments I really felt like I had known her for forever. She's not everyone's cup of tea but its scary because she would blend in with my family perfectly. (I told her she reminded me of a mix between Joseph and Rachel. Scary thought, isn't it?! ;) hehehe) She's got 2 young kids but she isn't what I would think of as the typical "Mormon mom". (Not that that's a bad thing) I think because of her age she and the way she is, she seems to get along better with those without kids, then those with kids. We're going over to there house to have dinner on Thursday night and next week we're gonna meet up with another couple to have dinner. We're all trying to plan a day when we can have a game night or movie night. All the husbands are in school so we're trying to figure out their test schedules. I came home from church today, the happiest that I've been in a long time. I know that the most important part about church isn't the socializing but having friends there really does make a difference. I honestly think that this was the first time in a really long time that I'm going to start looking forward to Sundays.

Something at Church bothered me today

2011-08-21T23:09:00.002-04:00

So today when Abby and I were at there I noticed something that several people were doing that really bothered me. People were busting out the iPads, iPhones and other smartphones to sing hymns or look at scriptures. Now I will admit that I do have all the scriptures and lesson manuals on my phone but that is for those emergencies when I leave mine at home. This is something that I have seen these people do week after week at their own home ward. Are your scriptures really that heavy that it is just an inconvenience now to take them? Is it that hard to reach out and pick up the hymnal and flip to the page? I know technology helps us but it seems to be making some people really lazy.

I WON!! =)

2011-08-12T08:41:00.003-04:00

So entering all of those giveaways finally paid off. Yesterday, I came home from work to go and check to see if maybe I had won one of the prizes on one of the giveaways. You can imagine my shock to realize that I had won not just 1 prize but 33, worth a little over $1100!! I just can't believe it!! I've been telling Preston that I've been wanting to do photography on the side and this is really going to help me with the prop part of it and also the business side of things. I've also got a few things to help with the editing and I'm just soo excited! I'm soo blessed to win this. To check out some of the goodies that I won you can go here.

Oh, and yesterday was our 4th anniversary! So this just made the day even better! =)

Our own personal bodyguard

2011-08-07T22:02:00.002-04:00

Today was a fun day but I just have to post a quick story. Below you will find a picture of one of our "bodyguards". This particular one just so happens to be a whopping 5 pound Yorkie named Lady (as if that name doesn't put fear in your veins!). Lady likes to sit in the sliding glass door and guard us from anything that might come past the door, up the stairs, past the stairs, by the side walk, down the street, (you get the point) that might harm us. Rarely does she make any noise unless she feels likes its a true threat. Today Preston and I were watching a movie on the couch and all of a sudden Lady started with a really low growl( well as low as a 5 pound dog can go). Then she started to bark, excessively, I mean this dog was going absolutely nuts. Now, you have to understand that Lady doesn't usually make a whole lot of noise so we knew that something had to be wrong. Preston got up and looked out the window and started cracking up laughing. The bottom picture is the ferocious monster that he saw...

...The neighbor's son left it out on the porch and Lady didn't find it too friendly. (Come to think of it, it does seem a little creepy to me too!) Its good to know that I have such a good bodyguard watching over me ;)

Checkout Galpin Studios Summer Blast Photographer's Giveaway!

2011-08-02T08:49:00.005-04:00

Check out this neat giveaway with lots of cute stuff from Galpin Studios. It's a photographer's dream come true! =)

Ohhh....soo different

2011-07-15T01:56:00.004-04:00

So I was tired of the way the background was. It was too busy. Lots going on. So I decided to simplify it. I should have know that simplifying things just complicates things but I did it anyways. So now I've been trying to refix our blog and get it back up and running. So what you see is what you get. I know Preston will say something about me taking over the blog and it looking too girly but its 2 am and I've been at this since about 11:45. I'll fix it...later =/

4th of July Weekend - Part 1

2011-07-14T22:11:00.005-04:00

As tradition goes, Preston's family came down for the 4th of July holiday. This year, only his parent's could make the trip but its was ok because it gave us time to spend lots of quality time with his parents. Since it was only a few weeks after my knee surgery, we had to do activities that didn't require a lot of walking. Since I hadn't been to Preston's work yet, we decided to go tour it. Preston works as the accounting/inventory supervisor at the Charleston Tea Plantation. (I know, kind of ironic especially considering that we don't drink tea and when he's at work he can drink all the tea he wants!)

The Charleston Tea Plantation is America's only commercial Tea Garden. If you ever go out to Wadmalaw Island (which is a GORGEOUS drive!) you've got to go there. Its a great tour and would be a great place to have a picnic lunch.

We chose to take a trolley tour and Steven was our tour guide. He was great! Part of the tour is a recording by the plantation owner who spent 4 years in England learning how to taste tea. Each day he would taste over 600 types of tea and today he can taste a tea and tell you where it was grown. (Little known fact about tea - All tea is the same species of plant.

It's the soil that it's grown in, that gives it its distinct flavor.)

Daddy & Momma Leigh =)

The Tea Plantation (I have no idea why its so small. I resized in photoshop and uploaded it as a large picture but it still comes up small. Its late and I've given up. You'll just have to come see it in person! ;) hehehe) BTW the big green machine up top is a one of a kind tea harvester. It was does the work of 500 workers! It is also why the fields are shaped flat in the picture. It cuts the top of the them off and then harvests the leaves so that they can be taken to the processing plant and made into tea.

I told you it would be a great place for a picnic. I didn't get a picture of the front of the gift shop, but they have a whole bunch of rocking chairs and they have some picnic benches too. Wouldn't you just love to enjoy you're day here? I sure did! =)

Proud Dad

2011-07-05T21:53:00.004-04:00

So I know Abby will do a 4th of July blog later but I was a proud Dad this weekend. For those who do not know our dog Belle (turning four on July 15) is not a fan of water. She hates the bath. When we go to the beach she doesn't even like to get her feet wet. She is constantly running from the waves and would not venture out into the water. Well this weekend we went to the beach with my parents and Belle surprised us all. She actually played in the water. Not only did she play in the water and run and jump, but she also swam some. I knew dogs could swim, but I wasn't sure about ours since she would not go in the water. I know this isn't a kid but the dogs are our kids right now and I was so proud of her that she wanted to go play in the water and swim and have a good time. She is our southern Belle.

Belle swimming out to me. I had her leash just in case.

After she swam to me a kid wanted to come and pet her.

Go Belle Go!!!. Swim to Mama on the shore.
You are doing so good Belle. Keep going.
Getting closer.
Yes she made it. She couldn't wait to go back out.

Anchor

2011-06-22T21:20:00.002-04:00

You said open your eyes and
I said I don't like surprises
You said surprise you're up to your knees in the water and don't have a life vest
I know, I know, I know
But don't worry cause I've got it figured out
You said jump in the boat man
I said no you reach your hand
You said the storms that will come will be more than enough and alone you cannot win
You know, you know, you know
Without hope you'll only sink not swim

And the current here is stronger, now then I remember.
And I'm crying for You to help, please save me.

When I feel like I am drifting away
Sinking down, the sands are shifting today
I'm about to lose my way
You Anchor, Anchor me down
Looking out the sky's are turning to gray
All around the tide is pulling away
Just about to lose my way
You Anchor, Anchor me down

You said whatever happens
Don't get caught in the rapids
Hold on I’m over the edge and I’m reaching for help cause I’m caught in the deep end
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
I know, I know, I know
What you said but I’m in over my head
You said I’m not alone here
I said throw me a rope then
I've had more than enough of the rain
and the cold and I wanna give up and
I know, I know, I know
Without hope I'll only sink not swim

And the current here is stronger now, then I remember,
And I'm I crying for You to help, You save me.

When I feel like I am drifting away
Sinking down, the sands are shifting today
I'm about to lose my way
You Anchor, Anchor me down
Looking out the sky's are turning to gray
All around the tide is pulling away
Just about to lose my way
You Anchor, Anchor me down

And the current is stronger now, then I remember,
When I cry for You to help, You save me.
And the current is stronger now, then I remember,
And I'm crying out for you to help please save me.

When I feel like I am drifting away
Sinking down, the sands are shifting today
I'm about to lose my way
You Anchor, Anchor me down
Looking out the sky's are turning to gray
All around the tide is pulling away
Just about to lose my way
You Anchor, Anchor me down

Southern Gal Photography

2011-06-20T15:39:00.005-04:00

So a few weekends ago, Preston's brother and his fiance came down for me to take their engagement pictures. I was a little nervous because I'd never done anything like this before. I had also just gotten a new editing program so I was also just learning how to use that too. We took pictures at Folly Beach and around downtown. They ended up turning out pretty well. Its amazing what a good camera (even though I've got my eye on another one! shh don't tell Preston) and a decent editing program will do for you (not to mention the gorgeous locations!). To check them out go here

-BTW if you couldn't tell, I'm calling myself Southern Gal Photography. I haven't quite decided what I'm doing with this or where its gonna take me but I've already had a few people at work as me to take pics for them and since I was going to be posting them on the web, I figured I needed a name to "protect" my work ;)

Awesome photography giveaways

2011-06-16T22:56:00.002-04:00

There is this awesome website http://www.soulographer.com that is having a huge giveaway and sale this week and next week. If your interested in photography, its worth checking out.

Heaven has another Angel tonight

2011-05-06T23:28:00.003-04:00

Today at work, one of my co-workers recieved horrible news that her 3 year old goddaughter died. She died due to a gun shot wound to the head. There are lots of details to it that aren't necessary but needless to say it was a freak accident and all that it took was literally her mom turning her back for a split second and that was enough time for it to happen.

My friend is African American and they take the responsibilty of being godparents very seriously. They are as involved in the child's life just as much as actual family members if not more. She has been there for all the important moments in this little girl's life and in the blink of an eye, she is now gone.

All day long I've thought about what a tragic thing it was that this little girl had to lose her life and how will the family ever get through this. The father is blaming himself for the death. The mother is blaming herself for the death. I keep trying to think how awful it would be to lose a child under any circumstances but under ones like these it seems so much worse.

I'm so thankful that I do have the knowledge that this sweet little girl, who I had the opportunity of meeting a few weeks ago, is now with our Heavenly Father and I have no doubt of this. This is a sad occasion but it did make me grateful for the plan of salvation and for the opportunity that we have for families to be together forever.

Another co-worker who has a 2 year old son made a comment that has stuck in my mind. We were talking about how tragic it was that it would happen to such an innocent little girl. She said "you never know what will happen in the next moment so each moment that you have to hold your children, you should cherish it. I know that tonight when my son falls asleep, I'll hold him just a little bit longer and a little bit tighter and be thankful for that."

Holding On...Still

2011-05-05T22:45:00.005-04:00

So right now has been a very difficult time for me. People keep posting on facebook that they are soo sick and tired of studying for finals, how excited they are to be finished with school for the summer, and how glad they are the FINALLY be graduating. Every time I read a post with someone complaining about finals, I want to comment that I wish I had finals to complain about.

You see, if everything would have gone as I had planned, on May 2oth I would have walked across the stage and recieved my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. I would be getting ready to take my boards, looking for a jobs and planning our family. But as I have learned, at least for me, life nevers works out as I had planned. Instead, I'm getting ready for a 3rd knee surgery, looking for CE's to keep my tech license current, and planning on retaking my basic chemistry and biology courses so that I can reapply to pharmacy schools next year.

I've been trying to stay positive and be thankful for what I do have but its hard to do when all that I see is what's been taken from me. I've been listening to this song a lot lately and just been trying to hold on a little longer even though it seems like all that I've been doing for the past year or 2 is holding on.

Knee Surgery, AGAIN!

2011-04-13T09:59:00.004-04:00

For those of you who might not already know, I've got to have knee surgery AGAIN. This will be the 3rd surgery to fix the torn lateral and medial meniscus in my left knee. The 1st was Dec. 10th, 2008, the 2nd was Dec. 16th, 2009 and the 3rd will be on June 16th. Somehow I keep doing something that results in me tearing both of the menisci in my leg( this itself is painful and usually happens because I do something that causes my knee to lock and not move. When it does finally move, its after a loud popping noise and lots of pain.) Then I end up getting the tissue caught in between the bones in my knee and pulling at it causing sharp, shooting pain, which is not fun. Needless to say that standing on my legs for 8 hours 5 days a week, I end up with a swollen knee by the end of the day. My orthopedist says that from the look of these tears, he can't repair them so he's going to have to go in and just remove the damaged portion which does mean a quicker recovery time but does increase my chances of arthiritis in the knee later on due to less support in my knee. I'm just hoping that this will be the last time and that somehow we can figure out a way to prevent this from happening again.

What Love Is

2011-03-21T21:31:00.004-04:00

According to m-w.com Love is:

To hold dear
A strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.
Affection and tenderness felt by lovers
Affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.
Warm attachment, enthusasm, or devotion.

So what is Love to you? Helping around the house without being asked? Buying something that you know your significant other or boyfriend or girlfriend wants?

What do you Love? You signaficant other, boyfriend, girlfriend, kid(s), pet(s), music, crafts, sports, etc?

I am lucky to have Abby in my life and I know I love her.

This weekend, some of you might know know that Abby and I went to my Grandpa Leigh's funeral. This blog is not about that (I am sure Abby will write a blog about that because she is better at blogging than I am).

This blog is about Love.

The day after the funeral I went to visit my Grandma Falkenberry at a private nuring home. She has alzheimer's disease. It has become kind of bad. There have been times when she does not even recognize her daughter (my mom, and I am sure it has happened with my aunt and two uncles) and I am not sure if she even recognizes her own husband (my Grandpa Falkenberry).

We got to the private nursing home about 45 minutes to an hour before lunch. We were there talking to her and listening to her "talk." Sometimes she could put a complete sentence together and sometimes she just mumbled. Sometimes I could understand what she was talking about and sometimes I couldn't. My Grandpa Falkenberry showed up about 15 to 25 minutes before lunch was served.

Now I thought I knew what love was. We were able to witness a kind of love that is very special. My Grandpa walked in and he said with a smile and full of love, "Hello Darling. You look so beautiful today." He then treated my Grandma with so much Love and I was so happy that I could see it. I am not sure if she recognized him as her husband or not, but he took such great care of her and treated her as if she did not have alzheimer's disease. He put chapped stick on her and "stole a kiss" from her. He was able to get her to drink a milkshake that had protein in it. All this he did with kind words and full of love. He always complemented her and told her she was beautiful. I am so grateful to have seen this. My Grandpa is a great man. I know that this is probably the hardest thing in his life. What a great example he set for me that day. Never take a day for granted. No matter how bad it might be. It can't be any worse than your wife, husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend not knowing who you are.

This picture was taken before my Grandpa got there. I was sitting down and she told me to come closer. My mom was talking about my red shirt. My Grandma went threw a stage that red is all she wore. I did not know that when I wore this jersey there.

Putting chap stick on my Grandma

Telling my Grandma that he loves her.

Saying Goodbye to Granpda Leigh

2011-03-18T07:30:00.004-04:00

So a few weeks back, I posted this post about getting to visit with Preston's paternal grandfather and how we were afraid it would be our last visit. Well on Monday, March 13, he passed away. It is a sad time for the family but at the same time a happy time. We know that he is now out of pain and no longer trapped in a body that he can't control. At the end he couldn't remember his family and was having lots of difficulty with basic functions like eating and drinking. He lost over 20 pounds the last month of his life. His wife died Dec. 26, 2009 so we know that they are now together. Their 65th wedding anniversary was the 16th so we figure he just wanted to celebrate it with his sweetheart. We can't wait until their temple work can be done and we know that they can truely be together forever. He was a sweet and wonderful man but we know that he is now in a happier and better place.

Alfred Tilden Leigh Sr. 1925-2011

CW Mayo Photography

2011-03-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

So Christ Mayo of CW Mayo Photography posted some pics that she took of out wedding on August 11, 2007. She posted some of my favorites and since I didn't have a blog back then, I figured I'd post a link so that you could go and take a look at them here if you wanted to! Enjoy! =)

Day at the Dog Park

2011-02-26T22:35:00.008-05:00

So back in January we had on weekend where the weather was in the 70's and Belle and Lady were going crazy so we decided to take them to the dog park. There is a great park near the naval yard. We love to take the dogs there and walk by the water with them. Since it was such a gorgeous day we decided to go.

So this is slightly out of order but I couldn't get it in order and I liked the pic. There's a statue that they have of this sailor looking over the harbor "waiting" with his bag. While we were there, a ship went by and Preston got this pic and I liked it. There is a memorial at the park and this is the reflection pond. The memorial is dedicated to sailors all over and also tells the history of the Charleston naval yard. Its really neat. This is the memorial.
Its surronded by all of this cool little waterfalls. Its all very peaceful and I love it.
My little photographer.
This is the big ship that went by while we were there. Here's another statue that's at the park. (This one got me teary eyed. I'm a sap, I know!)
Its just soo big! Just an old barge but it sure was pretty. Ok, so funny story while we were there. So in case you haven't figured out, my dogs are magnets for little kids. Every kid and even plenty of adults are unable to resist the urge to want to come and pet my two little girls. =) While we were there, there was a family with 2 girls and 1 boy. The little boy wanted to come and pet the girls and I told the parents that it was ok. The oldest girl and the boy came and pet them. All of a sudden the middle girl says, "I don't want to pet them because I don't want to sneeze!" The mom then says that she could pet Lady and would be ok. The little boy, not wanting to be outdone by his sister says, "I don't want to sneeze either" and starts to back away from the dogs. Assuming that the girl is allergic to dogs, I explain that both of my girls are hypoallergenic and have hair not fur and won't make her sneeze. After this, she then pets both Belle and Lady. Seeing this, the boy then decides its ok for him to start petting the girls again. Little kids just crack me up! =)

So after walking around the park we took the dogs to the dog park area where we could let them off their leashes so that they could run around. I guess they had walked around enough to get some of their energy out because as soon as we let them off of their leashes they just walked around. It kind of ticked me off but at least they were lazy the rest of the day and let me take a nap once we got back home ;)

At least they walked around and investigated but I would have much prefered them to have run around
Then other big dogs showed up. Lady was just begging for the big dogs to pay her some attention. It was like she was saying "Hey, I'm down here!" Lady found a new friend! (I caught her mid shake and it reminded me of a lizard or queen elizabeth) ;)
The naval yard is really old. There is the area that has the warehouses (which Christi would make a GREAT photo place) and there is the area that was used to house the officers and other officials. The houses there are great! This is just one of them and I love it. (Just ignore the portorjohns in the corner. A lot of them are being renovated.)
(BTW - I'm FINALLY caught up!! at least I'm in the month of february!!)

Snow and Grandpa Leigh

2011-02-17T22:11:00.004-05:00

While in Alabama over the Christmas holiday we drove to Huntsville to visit with Preston's paternal Grandpa Leigh. His grandma passed away the day after Christmas 2009 and so we really wanted to make sure that we got to spend time with his grandpa. His grandpa has Alzheimer’s and crowds can be a problem for people with the disease so when we first got to his grandpa's house, Preston and his parent's went in, while the girls and I explored outside. We were also delighted to wake up that morning to a white Christmas, my first one ever! =) It was Belle's second time seeing snow and Lady's first so I wasn't quite sure how they would react.

Belle was interested in sniffing things out but as

you can tell from looking as Lady, she just ran through it.

Her hair was longer that the snow just stuck to her.

Then she decided to start digging. I don't think she found anything.
Isn't it beautiful?!

Later on, Allison came over. I was able to get this picture which

I so glad that I was able to get. Four generations of Leigh men. =)

Grandpa Leigh and Preston

(This was towards the end of the visit and Grandpa

was starting to get tired and loose focus)

I don't know how many of y'all have had any experience with people with Alzheimer's but many times they can tend to get focused on certained things. It can be very hard to rationalize with them and it doesn't matter what you tell them, they won't stop focusing on it. This happened between Grandpa Leigh's dog Ruthie and Belle and Lady. At first, Ruthie wasn't too sure about Belle and Lady and growled and them with they first came in. Things calmed down and they got along but he kept thinking that they were going to hurt each other. It didn't matter what anyone said to him, he wouldn't stop telling Ruthie to leave Belle and Lady alone. Finally, I had to take Belle and Lady outside so that he would calm down.

This pic would be soo much better without the stupid car!!

Isn't rural Alabama gorgeous!

The Leigh's have a tradition of backing out of the driving and the right as they start to drive away, they honk their horn and wave.

He seemed so sad to see us go. He is such a sweet man.

Preston told me that while he was visiting with his grandpa that there were times that his grandpa didn't know who he was and I know that he never knew who I was. Thankfully, towards the end of the visit, his grandpa realized who Preston was. I don't remember exactly what it was that was said, but it was just a certain phrase that let Preston know that Grandpa knew him. I'm so grateful for that because Preston's grandpa has now had to be placed in an assisted living home for the safety of him and of others. His disease has progressed to the point that he doesn't remember Preston's father or aunt who have been his main caretakers these past few years. He doesn't have any serious health issues but he keeps saying that he wants to go home to be with his dear Flossie, who is his wife. It was a sweet visit and have a feeling it will remain a very special one too.

Leigh Christmas

2011-02-14T00:34:00.005-05:00

This Christmas was spent with Preston's family in Hunstville, Alabama. The Wednesday before Christmas, Preston and I loaded up the car with our luggage, Belle & Lady and made the 8 hour drive there. Thankfully we made it there in good time. Its always nice to get to visit with the Leigh side of the family since we don't get to see them very often.

This little stud is Miles, Preston's sister, Allison, baby. Peek-a-boo!

Miles taking a look at all his loot. He hit the

jack pot Christmas morning!

Lady tried to stay out of Miles' way. He was in the

crawling and squealing stage and she didn't like

it very much. But isn't she cute?!

Belle wanted to know what was in her and Lady's stockings.

(Yes they have stockings and yes I brought them from SC.

They're my babies! Our whole family has matchin stockings!)

This is Johnson, Preston's brother. He's a goober but we still love him ;)

Johnson and his girlfriend Meghan. We're hoping

one day she'll become part of the family ;)

Preston's daddy opening one of his presents. He always

asks for wierd stuff like deoderant and after shave but

that's what he wants so that's what he gets. Oh, that and peanut M&Ms
Poor Preston wasn't feeling too good. He was miserable basically the whole trip. He'd had some dental work a few weeks before but he has a bit more work that still needs to be done. Anyways he had a tooth that had an infection that it was causing him some pain. Its started on Christmas eve and lasted basically the whole time we were there. =(

Mama Leigh opening the pick of us that she gets every year. We always see them for Christmas and we always seem to get new family pics in November so its become a tradition to give them a new family pic as a christmas gift. Lame but it works.

Johnson always gets some kind of cologne. This guy always has cologne on. He's got more bottle of cologne than any one that I know. I don't even know a girl that's got more perfume than this guy has cologne. He rivals a department store. Seriously!

Allison opening her Crock pot. Her parent's are finishing the basement and their turning it into a one bedroom apartment with a mini kitchen. When its finished, her and Miles are going to move down there so that they can have more privacy and Preston's parents can get a break from watching Miles. So for Christmas, Allison wanted stuff that she could use for when she moves down stairs.

Miles' 1st Christmas

Freeman Christmas

2011-02-13T23:25:00.008-05:00

Since the Freeman family has started to grow and get larger in numbers (more so than it already was) and since we have in-laws and other families we usually don't get to celebrate holidays and special occasions on their given days. Christmas is not exception. Christmas is usually celebrated on the Sunday before and that's what happened this year.

The Freeman Men

One of the greatest and most precious gifts our families been given (ok ALL my nieces and nephews are special to me but after the fight Spence went through just to live,

we're all thankful that he's here)

Seth's 1st Christmas

All the kids got hoodie towels from "Santa"

Allison is such a ham

Addison is so photogenic

Hayden is such a sweetheart!

Pop pop got books and movies

All the babies got outfits but I love Seth's little overalls

All the girs have Leap Frogs and they all got books to go with them

Benjamin got a Harmonica. I love Rachel and Kimberly's faces! =)

(I hear he's actually gotten pretty good but I haven't heard him for myself)

All the girls got Dr Seuss books and stuffed

characters to go along with their book

Spence got alot of cool and fun toys to help with his motor skills

I love this pic and how it goes great with mom's plaque

Another fun toy for Spence. Cars and a track!

LOVE this pic of Addison and her gorgeous eyes!

Chloe got a walkman (didn't know they still made those things!)

with a bunch of fun cds and

interchangeable "designer" headphones

Poor Lady was soo tired from all the kids playing with her earlier.

Belle just found a high place to where she could see

everything and be out of reach of the little ones ;)

(did you notice that their sweaters match? they're the same design

just alternating colors! I'm a goober I know)

Hayden wanting to see what Rachel got

Allison showing off her new shirt! This child cracks me up

I love all my nieces and nephews!

Left to Right:

Liam(6 mon), Chloe(6), Addison(3), Spence(1), Hayden(2), Allison(3), Seth(3 mon)

Kimberly and Preston's Birthday

2011-02-13T23:14:00.002-05:00

So both Preston and Kimberly's Birthday's are in November and due to conflicts we didn't end up celebrating them until the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Happy Birthday Preston!

Happy Birthday Kimberly!

Thanksgiving

2011-02-13T22:36:00.005-05:00

All right. So still trying to play catch up so here are some pictures from Thanksgiving with the Freeman Family. This year we had dinner at Jessica's house. We always end up having lots of fun whenever we get together.

Chloe giving Spence some loving (I love this pic!)

Allison looks excited about something...

...I think its Pop pop cutting the smoked turkey! Yum yum!

Even little Liam was excited about it

All the ladies working hard to make all the yummy food!

Liam ate early and then went to sleep

(Love his bib but it should say like daddy and Pop pop!)

All the family was together!

Even Emily came down

Then it was time for the girls to get into Kika's shoes.

I love my nieces

My sweet babies cuddled up watching a movie.

I snuck up on them and caught this pic.

I love my family and love the occasions that we all get to be together and enjoy eachother's company. I know that we only live w hours away from eachother but there are times that I feel like we live so far apart. I cherish the times that we get to be together and the thought that we get to be a family forever

Baby Seth

2011-02-03T19:21:00.005-05:00

So I've mentioned a few times that Rachel had a baby in October. She asked me to go a take a few pictures of him the weekend of the breast cancer walk so that she could send out a birth announcement, mostly to all of her husband Benjamin's family. (He's got literally like 14 siblings or some number close to that.) Now these aren't like official "baby pictures" or anything just some snapshots so that she'd have something to send out. Some of them were kind of cute so I thought I'd share them. Oh and I have no idea how photographers get babies to be so still. This little guy had just been feed and was less that a week old but he was most active newborns I've ever seen.

Seth Michael Johanson

Breast Cancer Walk for Life

2011-02-03T08:57:00.004-05:00

Every year my family does the First Ladies Breast Cancer Walk for Life in Columbia. This year, Rachel and her family didn't walk because she had Baby Seth just a few days before but they did show up for pictures at the end. Its always nice to go and see all the people that care about raising awareness and helping to find a cure for breast cancer.

This year it was a bit chilly starting off so Spence was bundled up.

I wanted to get underneath the blanket with him!

Waiting for everything to begin. I had to hold Lady so that she wouldn't get stepped on by people passing by and also to try and keep her warm. Poor thing was shivering she was so cold. (BTW - Chloe was about to sneeze ;)

So many people in front...

...and behind

Once things got started, Lady and Belle had no problems walking, except for all the kids that wanted to pet them! Belle ended up getting tired towards the end but Lady was full speed all the way to the end! She's got tons of energy for a 4 pound dog!

Things warmed up and Spence decided to

come out and say 'Hi'! What a stud!

Kika made shirts for all the kids that

said "I wear pink for my Vovo"

Little man Seth. He was only like 3 days old.

I am so thankful for my mom. She is the whole reason that we do this. She is the bravest woman that I know. I know that when she was diagnosed that she must have been terribly scared but she never showed it to any of her kids and instead spent her time comforting us. There were times that I would come home from college and she would want to know what I wanted her to make me for dinner and she would do my laundry. Even when she was dealing with so much, she still thought of her family first. I remember one time when I was having a real hard time dealing with everything. I had come home from school to find out that she had had dad shave her head. I knew that it was going to have to happen but I just wasn't expecting it. When I saw it I broke down crying. My mom has always had the most beautiful long hair and seeing it all gone just made the disease so much real to me. My mom sat there and held me as I cried and told me not to worry because Bro Whetstone had given her a blessing and told her that she would be healed so there was nothing to worry about. My mom has always been a woman of incredible faith and a great example to me. I'm so greatful for her and I hope that I can become a woman like her.

The South Carolina State Fair! =)

2011-02-03T08:07:00.006-05:00

In October, Preston and I got to go to the Fair with mom, Rachel, Benjamin, Allison, Hayden, and Seth. I love going to the fair but now that I'm older its more about the food and seeing how exicted my nieces get then it is about the rides.

The Johanson Family minus Seth who was too small to ride ;)

he took a nap instead

When we came in we were right by the place that made fresh doughnuts. You could put powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar (my personal fav) on them. They were soo yummy! I just couldn't help myself and I had to get a big bag to share with everyone. Hayden was nice enough to share some with Vovo and even decided to feed them to her.

Allison is trying to act like she doesn't know I'm trying to take a picture of her.

Aww. Cutie pies!

Crazy girl!

This is where Hayden's smiling stopped. Once the ride started,

she was a very unhappy little girl.

Allison on the other hand thought this was the best thing ever.

She wanted to ride this ride over and over. Rachel was laughing at

how much Allison was loving the ride

Allison seems to have know fear. The higher and faster, the more she loved it.

You can't really see Allison's face, but you can tell she's smiling. Mom was cracking up because Allison kept screaming and laughing cause she was having so much fun.

Preston and I took Allison and Hayden down the slide and decided to have a race

Allison was loving it but I'm not so sure about Hayden

Winners!!

Hayden seemed to enjoy the slower rides more but Allison would ride anything. The problem wiht these kind of rides is that it was hard to get a picture!

Cheese!! It was bright and ended up getting hot!

Sweet boy!

Cheese!

Allison watching the dog show. She loved it. The dogs would do all sorts of tricks. They'd catch frisbees, and jump into pools. She loves anything involving animals.

All of the dogs were rescues and they were amazing!

I love going to the fair! The rides, the booths, the food, the nasty, gross, fair workers and nasty people. Its all part of the fair experience and I love it! =) I can't wait until it comes back!

Blogging is about your feelings, right?!

2011-02-01T09:39:00.003-05:00

So I mainly post about what's going on and the activities that we've done but rarely do I post about my emotions. I'm a very emotional person but I've never been the kind to spill out my feelings to random people. Today is different. I feel like I have to tell someone and it doesn't matter who because if I don't, I'm just gonna end up back where I was 6 months ago.

So I applied to 2 pharmacy schools which is technically 4 campuses. I applied to the school that I was kicked out of because the also have another campus in Columbia at USC and I also applied to South University that has a campus in Savannah and Columbia.

So to do your applications, you have to use an application service called PharmCas. You send them all of your transcripts, your references, your PCAT scores, and anything else that your school might need. The PharmCas collects it all and sends it to the school. This makes it easier on the school because they recieve 1 packet with everything in it that the need for you to apply there.

Well today I went and looked at my PharmCas site, just to make sure they had mailed out my application on time (the deadline was today). They had mailed it out. (Thank Goodness!)

Something else that they do is they figure out your GPA based on the courses that the pharmacy schools are looking for. So if you took a whole bunch of junk courses to make your undergrad GPA look good but they weren't required to get into pharmacy school, then they don't count. This is where a lot of people get ticked off. Anyways. After all ways said and done my undergrad GPA was a 3.2. Not bad but not as good as I would like it to be. My actual GPA when I left undergrad was a 3.7 but like I said there were courses that I took to keep a full course load that were needed to get into pharmacy school so they don't count towards your GPA that pharmacy schools look at. They also have figured out my total GPA since I was in pharmacy school and that's where everything goes down hill. When you retake a course, they don't throw out the old grade, they keep it so it makes my total GPA for applying to pharmacy school a 2.6. I'm praying that they'll look mainly at my undergrad GPA and not my grad school GPA. I put a long explanation into my application as to what happened in grad school but I just hope that they'll see that I did well in undergrad and they'll want to speak with me face to face to see what really happened. (Can you tell that I'm really hoping that I'll get into South?! They're on quarters vs semsters so I'd be done in 3 yrs vs 4 and if I can get them to transfer the some or all of the coursework that I completed at MUSC then I'll be done even faster!)

Another thing that PharmCas does is tally up all of the credit hours that you've completed. They finally had this ready for me and I've competed 197 credit hours of college course work!! ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN!!!! Granted I've been going to college since August of 2003 and I've only taken 2 summers off so I knew the number would be high but I didn't expect it to be that high. Did you know that most undergrads complete around 120 hours? People with their masters complete around 160? and that people with their doctorette complete around 210? Technically I should be graduating in 3 months with my Doctor of Pharmacy but life just sucks and so do liars so I'm not. By the time I do finally get my Pharm.D, no matter which school I get into, I will have enough credit hours to have a bachelors, a masters, and a doctorette!! Sad but true.

Its so frustrating right now because here I have enough college credit to have a master's degree plus some and I work as a pharmacy technician. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I really do but its not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I don't want to be a technician, I want to be a pharmacist! It can be so frustrating at work sometimes because I get these calls all the times with people asking questions that I know the answers too but I can't tell them because since I'm only a technician, I'm not allowed to give out any medical advice per law. I know the answers and I know that the answers are right. I'm the person that the pharmacists come to when they are debating something or aren't sure about something because they know that I will either know the answer or I'll know where to find it. There are times that they get a difficult patient and they don't have time to deal with them and they will say, Let me let you talk to my intern and she can help you and they give the call to me. Technically I'm not still an intern but I know more than any of the interns that are there.

I'm not trying to brag but you don't know how frustrating it is when one of the people that is still in school thinks that Levitra is an over the counter medication and she wants to help a patient find it (Its a precription medication used to treat ED. You've probably seen commercials for it on TV) Then this said intern wants to fight with me because Vicodin doesn't come in 5/500 only Lortab does because our computer lists the brands as Vicodin tablet and Lortab 5/500. Hey moron, They're the same thing!!! Both have 5 mg hydrocodone and 500 mg acetaminophen. We also had another intern who almost turned a patient away because he said we didn't have the right dosage of amoxicillin for her child. What the guy wasn't thinking about was that since we had 250mg/5ml on the shelf and the kid's prescription was written for 175mg/5ml the we just do a little bit of calculations and give them the bottle of 250/5 and tell the mom to give him 3.5 ml. Its basic pharmacy math (which I know they've done!!)

Sorry, its just so frustrating to everyday be worrying if I'm going to get into school. To wonder if there will be compasionate people who will be looking at my case or if it will be people who will say, she couldn't make it before so she won't be able to ever make it. Wanting to be a pharmacist isn't something that I decided to do for the salary or because my friends were doing it. Its actually been on my list for a very long time. My mom was cleaning out the attic and found a collection of essays of mine from 5th grade. In the last few lines of the last essay I put that I wanted to be a nurse, a surgeon, a vet, or a pharmacist. I knew along time ago that I'm not the type of person that can deal with lots of bodily fluids of anykind so all of the above except for the last was one. This has literally been a lifelong dream and to have it taken away from me because things happened that were out of my control and because others didn't want to admit that they had screwed up so they lied has been the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with.

Chloe's Birthday!

2011-02-01T09:14:00.006-05:00

Chloe's 6th Birthday was in October. Its so hard for me to believe that this little girl is 6! Time has gone by so fast. Anyways, here are a few pictures from her birthday party with the family.

CAKE!! Yum!

The kids in our family have a thing for getting all the icing! =)

Chloe decided to take a little catnap...

...and just couldn't help herself. =)

The note says "Save this for a special shopping trip with Kika"

All that you see if a $5 but you know that if it came from Kika, that there's definitely more than 5 bucks there!

Coloring books from Vovo!

I've been giving Chloe a horse shirt for her birthday ever since she turned 1. It gets harder and harder every year but I just can't help myself =)

What a cutie!

Her big girl dress from Vovo!

I've been trying for 2 days to upload her video that Preston made but I haven't had any success. I'll make sure to post it, if I somehow get it to work.

Happy Late Birthday Chloe Bug! =)

Addison's 3rd Birthday

2011-01-30T15:00:00.012-05:00

Addison's Birthday was in September (letting everyone know how behind I am in blogging!!!) and all that she wanted to do for her birthday was go to the zoo and ride the ponies. So that's what we did...plus a little more of course. Here's a few (or more!) pics from the day!

The first thing we saw early that morning (at 9am!)

was this bear telling us good morning!

The gorilla decided to come out from his branch to take a look at us
This kitty was still trying to get a cat nap (hehehe) ;)

Quote by a famous kitty from a Disney movie
"Who dares to disturb my slumber?!"
(Major prop points from me if you know who said that.
Even more if you know the next line!! I'm a Disney dork, I know!)

I happend upon some more wild beasts!

Allison was so happy to go to the zoo! She loves that place

Chloe was loving getting to spend time with her Vovo

Look, its Timon!

This elephant was having so much
fun playing in the water

The elephant was showing its
muscles by braking the stick
All the girls got to ride the ponies but since Spence
couldn't Uncle Benja took him on the train all by himself

Here comes Hayden!

There's the adorable birthday girl!

Chloe was the only one who got to ride a big pony.

All the other girls were too small so they

rode the smallest pony there!

As soon as Allison came around the corner and saw us,

she started waving like Miss America!

(She must have been getting lessons from Mary Beth!) ;)

She just wouldn't stop waving at her "subjects" ;)

I had to tell her to put her hand down so

that I could get a good pic

Here is Allison letting me know

what the monkey's say
Spence was worn out

Aww, what a sweet daddy

Addison is such a cutie and always takes the best pictures

Here is the family's resident bird lady, for some reason,

all of the birds wanted to sit on Emily

Addison didn't want to let the bird sit on her finger

(some of them were really mean!) but she did want to

feed them so she let Auntie Em hold the bird instead

All my girls! What cuties!

Addison asked for a horse cake

(do you see a theme here?! She reminds me of a few other Freeman girls!)

I'm 3!

Addison opening her presents!

Addison watching her video from Uncle Buddy and Aunt Abby

Here's the video if you want to watch it! Happy Birthday Addison!

Way Behind!

2011-01-25T09:43:00.001-05:00

So I realized that I haven't posted anything from Thanksgiving, Christmas, our trip to Alabama, and every other crazy thing in between. I'm off tomorrow and Friday and I promise to update our blog and catch up on everyone elses.

New favorite blog/website

2010-11-23T09:08:00.005-05:00

So I found this new craft blog and website that I absolutely love!! Since I'm not a very crafty person, its always great to find cute things that other people can make. I'm really thinking about getting her to make a sign that says, Merry Christmas Y'all!! hehehe

I was going through her blog looking at old posts and I saw this canvas and it reminded me of Nell and Mary Beth because I can't tell you how many times I've heard them say this! =)

A new family member!

2010-10-07T18:10:00.004-04:00

So I've been absolutely horrible about blogging and I'm WAY behind but I just wanted to give a quick update.

Meet Lady...formerly known as Lollipop!

(If anyone who reads my blog, also reads Liz Ann's, she use to be her dog!)

She is a sweet 4 1/2 month old Yorkshire Terrier. She weighs a whopping 3 pounds and is an absolute delight to have!

The first question I always get asked is how does Belle like having a new dog. As you can tell, they get along great! This is them playing their favorite game of tug-of-war. Belle does have a few jealousy issues, as does Lady but we're working on them and haven't had any major outbursts so I think we're all gonna be fine.

We went to Lexington this past weekend and all of my nieces were so excited to meet Lady. They all wanted to hold her and poor Allison couldn't leave her alone for 2 seconds. It was cute but Allison always got really upset when I told her it was time to leave Lady alone for a bit. Lady finally escaped underneath a stool and fell asleep.

3 & 8 wonderful years

2010-08-11T09:04:00.005-04:00

Today is our 3rd anniversary and as you can tell, things definitely haven't turned out as we had planned. 3 years ago the plan was that I would be entering my 4th year of pharmacy school, we would starting planning on when to get pregnant so that I would have the baby after I would be able to take my boards and we'd live happily ever after. Then reality steps in and kicks you in the butt and changes all of your plans.

So what if life hasn't turned out the way we had planned....Who's does? I'm just thankful that I have such a wonderful man in my life. We've been together for 8 years and married for 3 of those and I wouldn't change it for the world. Yes we've had our ups and downs but we've learned and grown from them. Its so wonderful to know that I have such a loving and supportive husband that I know will stand by me no matter what life brings us. Its so great knowing that I can ask him for a blessing any time and that he's worthy and willing to do so (which seems to be quite often lately!) He loves his family and he's such a great uncle. He loves being able to spend time with his nieces and nephews and quite frequently, drops what he's doing to play with them. I know that one day he is going to make a wonderful father and I'm so thankful for that. I'm thankful that I have a husband who will do anything in his power to make me happy and he's always thinking of me above himself.

Happy Anniversary Preston! And thank you for being everything that I need! I love you!

I HATE LIARS!!

2010-08-10T14:57:00.003-04:00

So in my last post, I said that I was out of school. There was one more appeal that I was in the process of doing and it was with the head of the academic department at MUSC. I met with him last week to talk to him about how I felt like I was misadvised because no one ever mentioned to me about taking a leave of absence this year when I was having so much trouble dealing with Preston's job situation. I felt really good about the meeting and the guy seemed a bit surprised at how some of the situations were handled. He told me that he would try and make a decision by Friday and that he would let me know as soon as possible.

Well I got his letter in the mail today and he agreed with the college's decision to dismiss me. He said that he had spoken with the assistant dean at the college and that they assistant dean said that he and another professor advised me very early on when I started having medical problems (like back in 2007 and 2008) to take a leave of absence. In the whole time that I was at the college and with every person that I ever spoke to, NO ONE EVER EVEN MENTIONED ANY TYPE OF LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO ME!! The assistant dean is lying to the head of academics so that he can make it look like he did his job when he didn't.

It really pisses me off that he can get away with this and there's nothing that I can do about it. Its just my word against his. Why can people be honest and admit their mistakes? I guess he doesn't realize what this is doing to my life, my physical, mental and emotional health, and my future. I'm trying to get over it and move on but its really hard when I know that the final decision was made based on lies.

What I really want to do is go to the assistant dean's office and ask him why did he lie? Why couldn't he just admit that he had messed up? But I know that it won't do any good. What some people don't realize is that the pharmacy community is a very tight knit community. Everyone knows everyone or at least knows about you. Things get around very fast and everyone knows who you're talking about when you mention the pharmacist who forged her liscense and the guy who was arrested for stealing drugs. I still want to go to pharmacy school and finish but I don't want to have to deal with being known as the intern/tech/student who got kicked out of pharmacy school and then went and yelled at her assistant dean for lying or sent him harrassing e-mails.

I know I'll get through this somehow but just knowing that the head of academics decision was based on a lie from a man who can't admit his mistakes, just makes it even harder to deal with.

What's REALLY been going on

2010-07-24T21:08:00.006-04:00

So its been a long time since I've posted anything and some of that is because I didn't want to post about what's really been going on in our lives but I think I'm ready now.

After another difficult year personally, I'm no longer in pharmacy school. There were just so many things that went on that ended up affecting my schooling. It wasn't like I failed all of my classes miserable, despite everything. Some of them, it was literally by like 1 point or a few tenths of a point. I tried to fight the dismissal but they didn't seem to care about all the difficult things we faced since we've moved to Charleston but just about how I did in school. When I got to the dean of the school, he asked me why I didn't take a leave of absence this past year. I told him that I wasn't aware that I could. I've asked my advisor, who I spoke with twice during the school year, about why she never advised me or even mentioned taking a leave of absence but she wouldn't talk to me and told me to direct my questions to the dean.

Its all been very difficult and there have/are days when I don't want to even get out of bed. There were a few weeks when I was in a very dark place and felt like I there wasn't a way out. Of course, all of my family has been very supportive of me but its just very difficult to have a dream that you've worked so hard for so long, to finally come crashing down due to events that you had no control over.

The new plan is to work all year and try to get into another pharmacy school in the fall of 2011. I don't know if I'll have to start completely over or if I'll be able to transfer some of my courses. I'm still waiting to find out. We try to look at this as not the end of the road but just a detour. It doesn't make it any easier but I'm trying to stay positive.

I still have really bad days, and probably will until I get back in school. There are some days that its difficult to just function and get through the day. Others I can't seem to stop crying and any mention of my schooling makes me sob. Preston is a great husband and tries to do anything and everything that he can. Being the typically man, he want's to fix everything but there's just a part of me that's broken and it feels like it can't be fixed.

I still try to be the happy, optimistic person that many people know me as and I can usually suppress everything to make things appear on the outside as if everything is ok. I've also realized that I've become very good at hiding things to basically everyone but Preston. The bad part is that I've always had issues pouring out my problems to someone else. I feel as if its my problem so I should fix it. I know that he's my husband and he's there to support me in everything but its hard to change the way you've been for over 20 years.

I know this isn't the end but it still doesn't help on those days when I want to do nothing but hide from the world, the days where I wish I could change history, the days that I feel so inadequate and I feel like a complete failure.

For now, I'm just working at the pharmacy at Costco and trying to enjoy my job. But every time I pick up the phone and say "This is Abigail, the technician" instead of "Abigail, the intern" there's always a bit of an ache inside of me.

Someone reminded me the other day about the saying "When God closes a door, he opens a window" except I feel like I'm still searching for my window and I sometimes feel like it might not exist.

Cool Pics

2010-06-03T22:23:00.006-04:00

I (Preston) just figured out how to light paint with my camera.

Baby Baby Baby OHHHHHHH

2010-05-28T08:32:00.000-04:00

You know you like this cover

Awesome Friday Night

2010-05-23T15:46:00.027-04:00

Friday night, Abby and I had the chance to go see Switchfoot here in Charleston. All I can say about the show is that Switchfoot is by far the greatest concert I have been to. We were so close to the stage that we hardly zoomed in to take photos. Below are some pictures and I took and also some video. All the photos and videos were taken on my Panasonic DMC-ZR1. I just looked at how the videos embedded. For some reason the whole video does not show up for some reason. It cuts off part of he right side. If you want to see the whole shot, either double click the video or go to www.youtube.com/cdguylhs1

Jon Foreman (the lead singer) started the show out by walking through the crowd and he stopped right by me and gave me a high five.

Jon Foreman went nuts on the drum.

I love this song. This song is what I use for Abby's ringtone. It is a beautiful song.

They even played a Beastie Boys song.

Question

2010-05-19T08:55:00.002-04:00

So I thought the question I (Preston) was going to ask might be an easy one. Then I thought about it and there is no easy answer for this. You might really have to think. So here is the very deep and hard question:

What is your favorite Pixar Movie? Here is a list of what they have done to date:
Toy Story
A Bug's Life
Toy Story 2
Monsters Inc
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Cars
Ratouille
WALL-E
Up

I was trying to figure this out and I am have a hard time. I would have a hard time putting them in order from Best to Worst. If I had to rank them it would be something like this:

1. Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Cars, Up, WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles
2. Ratouille
3. Monsters Inc
4. Bug's Life

I don't know if I could have a #1. Everything I put at number 1 is great. So what is your favorite or how would you rank them?

Dance To This Song

2010-05-17T22:57:00.002-04:00

Great song with funny lyrics. Don't forget to turn the player off at the bottom.

Crafty Preston

2010-05-13T21:55:00.005-04:00

So my (Preston's) wallet was look pretty bad and I needed a new one. I decided to try to make a duct tape wallet. I have never had one and it is kind of different. Below are the pictures of what they look like. They are two different designs. The gray one on the inside has 6 places to put cards or IDs. The black one has two places to slide your cards or IDs. Also pictured are all the materials I needed.

So Excited

2010-05-07T13:15:00.003-04:00

Guess what?
I am sooooooooo excited.
LIVE IN CHARLESTON, SC (why they are coming here I have no idea)
Got our tickets today

Battery

2010-05-02T17:29:00.011-04:00

As some of you know, Abby and I have season tickets to the local semi-pro soccer team called the Charleston Battery. This is the second season we have had them. Believe it or not we have never taken pictures. So I took the pleasure of taking my "new" digital camera to the game to take some pictures. We are the team in Yellow and Black. These pictures and video were taken with my Panasonic ZR1.

The Karate Kid played for the other team. Some guys started yelling some quotes from the movie at him before the game started and he looked over and started cracking up.

Pretty Good Cover

2010-04-22T22:51:00.000-04:00

I thought this was pretty good. Abby didn't like it that much.

This Guy is SOOOOOOOO Funny

2010-04-21T20:58:00.002-04:00

So I saw this DVD by Gabriel Iglesias. He is sooooooooooooooooo funny. Here are some clips of him.

Allison's 3rd Birthday Present from Preston

2010-04-21T15:28:00.001-04:00

Allison's birthday was originally planned to be celebrated on Easter weekend so that Preston and I could be there...well we all know how that worked out. Anyways, Preston and I were able to make it up to Lexington this past weekend to give Allison her presents. Unfortunately, Benjamin's sister and fiancee were at his parents' house in 96 (its a town in sc) and he took the girls with him so spend time with his family. He didn't make it back in time for us to give Allison her presents but Rachel had to stay in town since she had to work so we gave them to her. Here is a video that Preston made for Allison's birthday. I LOVE IT!!

BTW - Don't forget to turn off the music player at the bottom!

NETFLIX IS AWESOME

2010-04-13T21:41:00.003-04:00

Netflix is awesome. They have a new feature I am not sure if you have heard of this but......If your Netflix plan is $9.99/month or more and you own a Nintendo Wii, they will mail you a disc where you can stream movies through your Wii and watch them on TV. The quality of the video is great. I love this new free thing. It is great. I have a feeling I will use this a lot.

The best Mac and Cheese in the World!!

2010-04-10T20:47:00.003-04:00

So Mary Beth asked for me to post the recipe that I use to make homemade mac and cheese. It is soo yummy. For long time I had been looking for a good old fashioned mac and cheese and I finally found a few that I liked and just combined the best parts of all of them to get one that I LOVE!! I know its not diet appropriate but its great for holidays and get togethers...or anytime you could go for some REAL mac and cheese and not the stuff out of the box. =)

4 cups cooked macaroni (2 cups uncooked)
2 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
3 cups cubed or grated cheese (I prefer mild cheddar or a mix of mild and sharp)
salt (to salt the boiling water BEFORE putting the macaroni in to cook)
2 eggs beaten
1 & 1/2 cups milk
a pinch of garlic powder and paprika

Heat over to 350 degrees. Cook macaroni according to instructions, making sure to salt the boiling water. Drain macaroni. Combine macaroni, butter cheese and a pinch of garlic powder (a little adds a unique flavor). Place in a greased 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Combine milk and eggs, pour over macaroni. Sprinkle top with a bit of paprika. Bake 40 - 50 minutes. Serves 6-8 people.

Enjoy!

Support Columbia, SC

2010-04-06T21:47:00.001-04:00

A band from right outside of Columbia, SC is putting out their debut major record label release on April 20th. Check it out and if you like it then support them. The band is called Sent By Ravens and they are so talented.

You gotta do, what you gotta do!

2010-04-06T10:02:00.003-04:00

So I've been really stressed out and I'm really cranky and sleep deprived right now and I just need to vent. Its kind of long and its alot of complaining. I know that there are people out there who's lives are a lot worse then mine, but humor me people!

So now that Easter is over, everyone is posting their pics from the fun that they got to have with their families. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they had a wonderful holiday but it makes me so sad that I missed it with my family. We had a major test in my therapeutics class that had a lot of material on it and I knew that if I went to Lexington that I would study at all! So after some very hard thinking and a few tears, I called mom to break the news that Preston and I wouldn't be coming down for Easter. It really stunk not being able to be with the family but I will say that over all it was a pretty good weekend...considering that the majority of it was spent studying!

Here's how my weekend went:
Friday - went to school then worked til 7
Saturday - went to school and studied for 7 hours, took Belle on a walk to relieve stress, took a bubble bath and went to bed
Sunday - slept in til 8:30 when Belle demanded to go out, studied for a few hours, made easter dinner (which was super yummy, especially my home made mac and cheese! have you tried the recipe yet mom?), reviewed some more and then went to bed
Monday - studied at school for 10 hours!!, went home and was going to go to bed but couldn't sleep so studied for about another hour, went to sleep around 12, woke up twice!! (insomnia can be the worst!) before getting up at 4am, studied til I fell asleep around 5:30, got up around 7 and went to school. Studied for about another 45 minutes before taking the test.

Ok, another thing that I have to vent on is the length of the test. 56 questions!! Ok, I know that the more questions you have, the less each one counts but these weren't easy questions. When I have to look at the patient info on the last 3 pages to be able figure out what diseases my patient has and what type of heart attack he's having (if its even really a heart attack and not a panic attack or a pulmonary embolism or GERD etc), so that I know what I can and can't treat him with, and know if it will interact with anything he's on or about to be given and then figure out what doses he needs...its not exactly a question that I can do in 30 seconds. Shoot some took me over 5 minutes when I had to do calculations for figuring out if the patient had renal problems, if they were overweight, how overweight were they, do I need to alter my dose, if so by how much, etc. I spent about an hour and 20 minutes on that test. That's WWAAYY too long for a test. I felt like I was taking the PCAT all over again!

Alright, so now that I got all of that out, I'm not sure how I did. It was pretty difficult and I'm jsut praying that I passed it. Now I get to go to the most boring class on the face of the earth, which is outcomes (which is another issue all in of itself! BTW anyone out there know how to square 4 digit number in their heads? I sure don't but my teacher expected me to be able to! We were told for the last test that the math would be math that you could do in your head so we couldn't use calculators. Last time I checked, only math geniuses could square 4 digit numbers and divide 4 digit numbers into 6 digit numbers in their head!)and then go home and get in my pjs and SLEEP!!

My New Toy

2010-04-03T22:53:00.014-04:00

Since I am going to become a mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters, I wanted a new camera. The digital camera I have is from 5 years ago. I decided on this because I did not want to talk Abby's nice SLR camera out with me and possibly into a not so great neighborhood. So I started looking for one and after almost buying one from Best Buy, then the still small voice (ok so actually it was Abby's not so still small voice) told me to go look at Costco. So I did. And of course the voice I heard was right. I was able to get a camera (that when it came out in Sept 2009 was $279.95) for $169.99 plus I got a 2 GB memory card and a carrying case. I got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1.

See Camera Here

The camera is a great point and shoot camera and as a plus it records video in HD. Below are some photos I have taken today and a couple of videos.

Test Video 1

Test Video 2

Love this song

2010-04-03T13:59:00.002-04:00

This song is called Less Talk by Queens Club. They are a new band and very good. Don't forget to turn the player off at the bottom of the page.

All About Me In 4s (Preston edition)

2010-03-31T13:09:00.003-04:00

All about me in 4's

I got tagged by Abby and since I needed a break from work, I figured I do this.

Facts about me in 4's:

4 shows I like to watch:
1. Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2. Celebrity Apprentice
3. Mentalist
4. Minute To Win It

4 things I'm passionate about:
1. My Family
2. My faith
3. Soccer
4. Book series that I enjoy

4 phrases I say a lot:
1. Yo Momma.
2. Guess what? Chicken Butt.
3. Love You (Try to tell Abby and Belle everyday)
4. Hey Baby (say this to both Abby and Belle)

4 things I have learned from the past:
1. My Parents were right (and usually still are!)
2. I don't know it all.
3. Family is important.
4. Everything happens for a reason.

4 places I would like to go:

1. England (to go to a soccer game).
2. Ireland
3. Spain (to go watch Real Madrid).
4. Jekyll Island (because it would make Abby happy).

4 Things I did yesterday:
1. Woke up
2. Showered
3. Work
4. Watched Sherlock Holmes with Abby (well I slept for 20 minutes because I was tired so most of the movie confused me. Guess I will have to watch it again).

4 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Getting a new job.
2. Finishing the Fablehaven series.
3. The next Charleston Battery game.
4. Moving out of our apartment and getting a house.

4 Things I love about winter:
1. Hot Cocoa
2. Cuddling with Abby
3. Family
4. Soccer

4 Things on my wish list:
1. a bigger bed (we share a double and I share with a bed hogging wife and body pillow. Belle and I hardly get any room.)
2. Get a better job
3. Get through allergy season without too many doctor visits.
4. that my car will keep running well.

4 Friends to tag:
Anyone who reads our blog and Abby didn't tag you.

All about me in 4's

2010-03-30T13:30:00.004-04:00

I got tagged by Mary Beth and since I needed a break from studying, I figured I do this.

Facts about me in 4's:

4 shows I like to watch:
1. The Real Housewives (any of them but New Jersey)
2. Burn Notice (great show!! I can't wait for the next season!)
3. The Mentalist (we got behind on this when we got rid of our DVR but Preston got it for over 50% off so we're catching up)
4. Law and Order - Criminal Intent (Preston recently bought the 1st 2 seasons and we're slowly getting through them but I love it!)

4 things I'm passionate about:
1. My Family
2. My faith
3. My profession
4. My books

4 phrases I say a lot:
1. Yo Momma...followed by some stupid remark (this is a running joke between me and Preston. A usualy phrase goes something like this. Preston: Abby while your up will you get me a drink Abby: Yo Momma gets you a drinks)
2. Good girl! (praise for a dog, or a kid, goes a long way in getting them to do what you want them to!)
3. eh, eh! No m'am! (this is usually when Belle is getting into something she shouldn't, is barking at something outside, or is jumping on me when I have nice clothes on which is usually just Wednesdays, for lab, or Sundays)
4. Leave it! (this one's been a life saver for us! If I drop something on the floor, especially when I'm cooking, and I say this phrase, Belle won't come near it. Its saved us lots of trips to the vet!)

4 things I have learned from the past:
1. My Parents were right (and usually still are!)
2. If I don't learn from my mistakes, history will repeat it's self
3. There's no point in arguing with a brick wall. The only thing it does, is turn me blue in the face. 4. I'm still working on this one but telling Preston what I want/need him to do instead of hoping he'll just do it or trying to drop subtle hints.

4 places I would like to go:
1. Ireland
2. Scotland
3. England (Preston wants this to be #1 so that we can go see a soccer game there.)
4. Jekyll Island (we went there on our honeymoon and I would love to go back and stay at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, maybe for our 5th anniversary after I've finished school and have a job, we'll see.)

4 Things I did yesterday:
1. went to class
2. Studied for my pharmacology test that's tomorrow (Wednesday) (I'm proud of this one because I'm trying not to procrastinate like I usually do and I've been studying for this one for almost a whole week!)
3. made dinner
4. Read just 1 chapter in my book before going to bed (instead of the usual 4-5!)

4 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. taking my last test of my academic career in May 2011
2. graduating!! (even though I still have a few years)
3. passing my boards (I see a pattern here ;) )
4. moving out of our apartment (this won't happen until after I graduate but I'm sick and tired of living in an apartment with inconsiderate neighbors!)

4 Things I love about winter:
1. Hot Cocoa
2. fleece blankets
3. Christmas music
4. getting to spend time with the family

4 Things on my wish list:
1. a bigger bed (we share a double and with a bed hogging dog and a husband who wants to make enough room for said dog, ours just isn't big enough)
2. to do well on my pharmacology exam
3. to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night (I frequently wake up in the middle of the night at can't go back to sleep for about 2 hrs. Its very annoying!)
4. for the weather to stay how it is for a few weeks. Its in the upper 60's lower 70's and I love being able to have my windows open all day!

4 Friends to tag:
1. Jessica
2. Preston
3. Nell
4. Amanda

YEAH for surverys (Preston's turn)

2010-03-19T12:18:00.003-04:00

So Abby did this and I read it so I guess it is my turn.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:30 so I could balance the check book before work.

2. Diamonds or pearls? Neither

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I think it was Invistus

4. What is your favorite TV show? Right now the first thing that pops in my head is The Celebrity Apprentice.

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal and mild

6. What is your middle name? Chandler

7. What food do you dislike? Veggies except for Caesar Salad

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? My favorite CD right now would be "The World Is A Thorn" by Demon Hunter. If I had a favorite song, it would be We Can Be More by Sho Baraka

9. What kind of car do you drive? Mazada Protege with 200,500 miles on it.

10. Favorite sandwich? Abby's Club she makes me

11. Characteristics you despise? Never thought about it but if you piss me off you will know.

12. Favorite item of clothing? Jeans and a soccer jersey.

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Since I love soccer I would love to go to England or Spain to watch a soccer game over there (even though it can be dangerous).

14. Favorite brand of clothing? If it fits and I like it, I buy it no matter who makes it. But for soccer jerseys it would be Adidas

15. Where would you retire to? Where ever Abby is.

16. What was your most memorable birthday? The Birthday Abby surprised me with a black UGA jersey.

17. Favorite sport to watch? soccer (going to watch the Charleston Battery) and football are about the only sports I will sit down to watch.

18. Furthest place you are sending this? Don't know

19. Person you expect to post it? everyone who reads this! =).

20. When is your birthday? November 15

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? I guess night.

22. What is your shoe size? depends but I am normally a 10 sometimes a 10 1/2

23. Pets: a wonderful westipoo, Belle (as if you didn't know from my header!)

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I finally got my college degree

25. What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to work with dolphins or be a cop.

26. How are you today? A mixture of being mad and upset.

27. What is your favorite candy? Atomic Fireballs or Baby Bottle Pops

28. What is your favorite flower? I always liked lambs ear in my Grandma's garden even though it isn't a flower.

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? March 20, that is the next Charleston Battery Soccer game!

30. What's your full name? Preston Chandler Leigh

31. What are you listening to right now? Underoath

32. What was the last thing you ate? Cool Ranch Doritos

33. Do you wish on stars? I do on falling stars.

34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red or black

35. How is the weather right now? Sunny and nice.

36. What is your natural hair color? brown

37. Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke

38. Favorite restaurant? Senor Tequila's...it is the best mexican restaurant!

39. Favorite color of nail polish? I think hot pink looks pretty good on me. What do you think?

40. What was your favorite toy as a child? I don't remember. I guess the play thing that had two sings and a fort on it my dad made us.

41. Summer or winter? I don't like too hot and I don't like cold. so somewhere between

42. Hugs or kisses? depends on the person giving them

43. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate or Vanilla what? I guess it depends.

44. Coffee or tea? hot cocoa

45. Do you want your friends to post this? Yep

46. When was the last time you cried? Not sure.

47. What is under your bed? big rubbermaid containers with purses, keepsakes, etc

48. What did you do last night? Played Wii while Abby studied, watched Wheel of Fortune, ate and watched Law and Order.

49. What are you afraid of? Heights

50. Salty or sweet? just all depends. I love sunflower seeds but I love candy.

51. How many keys on your key ring? 6

52. How many years at your current job? Four months.

53. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

54. How many towns have you lived in? 7-Dallas, Memphis, Chicago, Augusta, Spartanburg, Columbia, and Charleston

55. Do you make friends easily? I think I get along with everyone.

YEAH for surveys!

2010-03-18T21:59:00.003-04:00

I love surveys (I'm weird I know) and Mary Beth did this one so I thought that I would! =)

1. What time did you get up this morning? well Preston woke me up around 6:30 but I had a really bad headache so I went back to bed until 8:30. Waking up with a headache or migraine has got to be one of the absolute worst ways to wake up!

2. Diamonds or pearls? I love both but diamonds are a lot more expensive so I've gotten pearls more often, not that I mind! All that I need to complete my pearl collection is a bracelet and one day I'll hopefully get another enhancer for my wedding and engagement ring. They would make great graduations presents! (Uh hum...Preston, Mom & Dad...Wink, Wink, Nudge Nudge) ;)

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Young Victoria...I went early in the day by myself (which I really don't like) because Preston doesn't like period dramas but I love them! It was a really good movie and I can't wait until it gets released on dvd.

4. What is your favorite TV show? I love "who done it" shows like CSI, Law and Order, The Mentalist, reality shows like the real housewive of..., judge shows, and game shows. We don't have a DVR so I don't get to watch them very often but I still enjoy them.

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Whatever I can eat in the car on the way to class or cereal or oatmeal if I've got time to eat at home.

6. What is your middle name? Kathleen

7. What food do you dislike? BELL PEPPERS!! When I was little, I made Joseph mad about something and when mom made us lunch, he put some that mom had chopped up for dad in my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I can't stand them! If I eat something and its got them in it, I can automatically taste them, even if I don't know they're in there!

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I listen to the radio and my iPod mostly but I love News Boys' "Born Again" if from their album that'll be released in June. Its AWESOME!!

9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda Civic

10. Favorite sandwich? Roast beef or Jackie Whetstone's Chicken Salad YUM!

11. Characteristics you despise? being two faced...I'm having a problem with this from a co-worker/fellow student and its driving me crazy because I have no idea what I did to her to make her talk about me behind my back...UGH!

12. Favorite item of clothing? ummm, jeans, big sweatshirts, pjs...staples in my wardrobe

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you
go? Ireland, Scotland, and England and I will go there!

14. Favorite brand of clothing? If it fits and I like it, I buy it no matter who makes it.

15. Where would you retire to? wherever family is

16. What was your most memorable birthday? ummm don't really have one, well I do but its not a good memory

17. Favorite sport to watch? soccer (the Charleston Battery in particular) or anything horse related

18. Furthest place you are sending this? Don't know

19. Person you expect to post it? everyone who reads this! =)

20. When is your birthday? January 26th

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? I use to be a morning person but then I married a person who loves his snooze button so I guess I'm more of a night person but either way, if I'm sleep deprived I'm not a happy person and that's the most important!

22. What is your shoe size? depends on the shoe, anywhere from 8-9 1/2

23. Pets: a wonderful westipoo, Belle (as if you didn't know from my header!)

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? ummm...nope

25. What did you want to be when you were little? a large animal vet, mainly horses

26. How are you today? uh, ok I guess. I woke up with an awful headache and when I did get up it was chilly and overcast so I was in a hohum mood all day.

27. What is your favorite candy? I can't pick just one:reese's peanut butter cups, laffy taffy, gummy bears (but only a specific brand), sugarfree gum, anything chocolate...the funny thing is that I really don't eat that much of it. I go through spurts where I won't eat any for months and
then I will for a few days. Its weird

28. What is your favorite flower? Daisy

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? May of 2012 aka graduation day!

30. What's your full name? Abigail Kathleen Leigh

31. What are you listening to right now? Preston breathing and the noise from the tv from people that live behind us. We have really noisy neighbors...make that every neighbor! Grrr

32. What was the last thing you ate? Lemonade popsicle

33. Do you wish on stars? for fun but I don't expect them to come true

34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Crulean

35. How is the weather right now? chilly and cloudy

36. What is your natural hair color? brown

37. Favorite soft drink? Mountain Dew and Root Beer

38. Favorite restaurant? Senor Tequila's...it is the best mexican restaurant!

39. Favorite color of nail polish? I only paint my fingernails natural colors but my toes are usually red

40. What was your favorite toy as a child? my dinosaur piano

41. Summer or winter? early summer, before it hits 100 degrees with 90% humidity! Its killer here in Charleston, especially when you don't have time to go to the beach.

42. Hugs or kisses? depends on the person giving them

43. Chocolate or Vanilla? usually chocolate but it depends on what I'm eating it with...apple pie=vanilla, waffle cone=strawberry (unless its coldstone then its cheesecake) and eating out of a bowl=chocolate

44. Coffee or tea? hot cocoa

45. Do you want your friends to post this? of course! i love reading surveys almost as much as I
love doing them!

46. When was the last time you cried? during the last fast and testimony meeting

47. What is under your bed? big rubbermaid containers with purses, keepsakes, etc

48. What did you do last night? made dinner, did dishes, watched some tv, went to sleep

49. What are you afraid of? failure, disappointing people, being old and alone

50. Salty or sweet? definitely depends on my mood

51. How many keys on your key ring? over 10 and lots of discount/member cards

52. How many years at your current job? student=about 21 years, Costco pharmacy intern= 2.5

53. Favorite day of the week? any day with no school or work so usually sunday

54. How many towns have you lived in? 3-Lexington, Aiken, Charleston

55. Do you make friends easily? not really, I'm a pretty private person if I don't know you and I can be really shy. I'm not the type of person that just walks up and introduces myself.

So if you read this, I expect to see your answers! =)

Yeah for me!

2010-03-18T10:19:00.004-04:00

So I made our header yesterday and it was the first time that I ever attempted it. It took me over an hour because I had to figure out how to do everything but I think that it turned out pretty well, especially for my first try! =)

Oh, and I love that it looks like Belle is smiling! hehehe

We Can Be More

2010-03-17T22:14:00.001-04:00

Now this is what hip-hop/rap should sound like and what they should sing about

Great Weekend Videos

2010-03-14T20:13:00.009-04:00

So this weekend has been one of the best weekends Abby and I have had. It was so much fun. Actually it was more than a weekend.

On Wednesday night Mama Freeman, Rachel, Allison and Hayden came to spend the second half of Abby's spring break with Abby. We did not do much on Wednesday night because that is when they showed up and Abby had to work. After some wonderful pizza from Costco we were all sitting around and I was playing with Allison and Belle. That is when we noticed Hayden copying me when I was telling Belle to stay and wait. So Abby pulled out the Flip Camera (which we haven't used in a while) and she filmed Hayden copying me. Sorry that the video is not the clearest, the lens had fingerprints all over it and we did not notice it until we had filmed all the videos. But it isn't too bad.

Of course Belle loves having people her size. Here is a short video of Belle and Allison playing.

Allison kept picking up my guitar that I use to play guitar hero and pretending like she was playing it. There is a Dora video that she likes to watch where Dora is playing her guitar to calm down the alligators so that she can cross the river. Allison is singing the part in spanish and says "Calma, calma, ...mis amigas" it was really funny how often she would pick up the guitar and do this. It was really cute.

While I was at work on Friday, the girls went to the beach. Abby had mentioned it to Allison a few weeks prior and despite the weather, they knew that had to go at least one. Allison loves the beach and the water. She didn't care that it was mid 60's, she still wanted to play in the water...and she did it the sneakiest way that she could think of. Just watch and see what she comes up with.

Allison loves singing, especially primary songs. We didn't get a video but the girls went to the mall and Abby told Allison to follow her. Allison then goes "Follow me!" and starts singing "Follow the prophet, Follow the prophet, don't go astray!" She's such a funny girl. Here's a video of her singing Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam.

On Saturday, The Wheel Of Fortune Bus came to Charleston to host auditions to try and find some new people for Wheel of Fortune. Abby and I both know that Mama Freeman would kick some butt on that show. She is incredible. The way the process went was this: They have three shows (1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4:00 pm), you have to get in line before each show and fill out an application (they had three differerent color applications) and then go and wait for the show to start and see if they call you on stage. They bring all the applications and put them in a big "Golden Barrel of Fortune" which is a big barrel that they spin and then draw out 5 names. To get on stage they drew out 5 names and each group of 5 people go on stage and do a Speed Round (which is where you guess a letter and if your letter is up there you have 3 seconds to guess the puzzle). After the puzzle is solved you just walk off the stage and the next 5 people come up. They get as many people to tryout as they can in the hour. During the first hour show Abby got called up about half way through the hour. So we went and tried again for the second hour show so Mama Freeman could get on. The first name they drew for the second hour show was........ABBY. Everyone including the host laughed and he informed everyone that once you have been on stage you do not have to fill out another application. For the 2nd to last round, Mama Freeman got called up. We were so excited. We decided to wait to see if I got called up. They started to call the names for the last round for the hour. First name...not mine, second name....not mine, third name.....not mine, fourth name.....THEY CALLED ME. Below are the videos of our tryouts.

Better than Twilight or Hary Potter

2010-03-10T09:05:00.005-05:00

Everyone has their favorite books or book series. The following book series is my favorite. I am not sure if Abby thought I was crazy when I told her I enjoyed this book series more than Harry Potter or Twilight (I haven't read The Hunger Games yet so I cannot compare it to that series yet even though I do hear good things about it). Another great thing about it is that a member wrote it so there is nothing inappropriate. Here is what the first book is about. It is called Fablehaven:

For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite.Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken — Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good — powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most.

These books are very fun and very entertaining. The story is very easy to get into and very hard to put down. The good news/bad news is that the final book comes out on March 23. This means that if you haven't read the series and you start, you won't have to wait for each book to come out because it is almost over. Which is good for you people. Abby and I read them all last year and the 4th book really leaves you with a huge cliffhanger. I mean it is deeper than the Grand Canyon. But I would recommend these books to anyone.

IT IS HERE

2010-03-09T21:15:00.001-05:00

The day has finally come. The World Is A Thorn is out today. $7.99 at Best Buy. Easily Demon Hunter's best album ever!!!

Demon Hunter - "Collapsing"

Demon Hunter MySpace Music Videos

Big Milestone

2010-03-04T20:50:00.003-05:00

So I was heading to the library tonight and I looked down at my speedometer and I realized I was going to reach a milestone in my car. I had to pull over so I could take a picture of my milestone in my Mazda Protege.

Way behind but I had to share this!

2010-03-04T15:19:00.005-05:00

So I'm way behind on blogging and I'm hoping to catch up sometime next week during Spring Break. I've got snow days, new nephew and other stuff but I saw this video and had to share it. If you like Kesha's song Tik Tok or if you've even heard it, then you'll definitely get a kick out of this parody! BTW I've only heard this song once and some of the lyrics are questionable but this is a clean version so don't be afraid to listen to it! (Don't forget to cut the music player off at the bottom before playing!!)

March 9th

2010-03-02T21:55:00.001-05:00

I am so excited for March 9th. One of my favorite Christian bands has a new cd coming out. They are called Demon Hunter

Demon Hunter - "Collapsing"

Demon Hunter MySpace Music Videos

My (Preston's) Graduation Mess

2010-02-25T16:03:00.001-05:00

So the past two days have been crazy. On Tuesday February 23, 2010 I had not received my refund check from school. So I log online to find out what is going on. When I log onto the school's website I find out that they say I owe money. I quickly got on the phone and got the financial aid office on the phone. The lady who answered the phone said she would call me back in an hour. She said that the person who would look into the issue was not in the office. An hour and a half later I decided to call them again because they had not called me back. The lady said she was still researching it and would call me back when she finds something out. I think about an hour later I finally received a phone call and what the lady told me had me stunned.

She said, "Your financial aid was rejected because you are not in a degree or certificate program."

I said, "how can that be? Financial aid is good for the Fall and Spring semester. How is it that my financial aid is good for the Fall but not the Spring? I have always been in the accounting program and it has never changed."

She said, "Hang on for me for one second." When she came back she goes, "Mr. Leigh, you graduated."

I said "Really? I applied for graduation but never heard if it was rejected or accepted. I went online and it looked like I had to take another class. I called my advisor and asked if I had to take another class or if I was done. My advisor then told me that I had to take the other class. She told me she went to the department head and he said the same thing. Even though I had 27 credit hours they would not accept from another school, I had to get another 3 credits to graduate."

She said, "according to our records department you have graduated. You sould call the records office. So she then gave the the phone numbers to the records.

I then called the records office and they told me the same thing. I was confused so I decided to call my department head and he told me there was nothing he could do, that if I graduated and was falsely advised that I would have to go to the head of the records department to get this all straightened out.

I then called the head of the records office and she was not in the office so I left a message on her voice mail. She called me back the next day and told me that I am a graduate and that she would take me out of my classes without a penatly.

There are a few things that bug me about this. Don't get me wrong, I am happy that I have graduated. I want to know why I never received a letter saying that my application for graduation was accepted or rejected? Why would financial aid reject my financial aid over a month into the semester and not send me a letter? Why did the system make it look like I needed one more class when I didn't. I do plan on getting some answers. I am going to write the president or dean of the school. This is such a stupid situation and this should never have happened.

Something to make you dance.

2010-02-10T19:48:00.003-05:00

If this song doesn't make you dance I don't know what will. You might need to check your pulse if it doesn't make you wanna get up and move. Abby and I love the song. It is by tobyMac and the CD is out now. By the way, make sure to cut off the player at the bottom!

2010-02-05T15:53:00.005-05:00

(NOTE! This blog is not to put anyone down or to demean others triumphs [you know who you are!] I just wanted to share this and to also put it out there as motivation to myself to do even better.)

So I've been into couponing for a while now and its really saved us a bunch of money. Well this past weekend I went to a couponing seminar, with mom and Jessica, by the woman who runs Southernsavers.com. I've been using her website for a while now and its really helps us to save money. I thought I was good at couponing but this lady is awesome!! She buys all the groceries and household items for 5 people and only spends $50 a week! and that includes buying diapers for the youngest!!

Anyways, so after attending the seminar, I was ready to head to the grocery store and use some of the new knowledge that I had gained. I went out today and had the best shopping trip ever!! I know that being proud is not good but I just can't help it. I've never saved this much money before!

I got all of this, which is worth $183.95...

for $40.17!!!

Here's a list of everything since you can't really see everything that's in the pic:

2 bags of goldfish

1 bottle V8 fusion

2 cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls

1 tub Brummel and brown spread

1 3lb bag of onions

1 bottle of Gatorade G2

1 tube of Colgate toothpaste

1 box Reynolds aluminum foil

2 Chore boy scrubbers

2 boxes of Hefty ziplocs (gallon and quart)

2 bottles of Wet Ones

2 rolls of Fresh Pet dog food

1 container of Fresh Pet dog food

6 cans of Ceasar dog food

1 box of Hartz dog biscuits

2 bags of Pup-eroni dog treats

1 bag of Armour meatballs

2 McCormick grinders (salt and pepper)

1 bag of Baked Lays Cheetos

2 bags of Kraft shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar)

6 cups of Yoplait Light Thick and Creamy yogurt

1 bag of Hefty plastic cups

1 case of Crush soda

1 box of Captain Crunch

1 carton of Tropicana orange juice

1 box Ritz crackerfuls

2 bags of Stacy's pita chips

1 box of Cheez-it crackers

1 carton of College Inn beef broth

3 boxes of Band-Aid bandages (various sizes)

1 bag of romaine lettuce

1 package of strawberries

1 bag of baby carrots

2 bottle of French's mustard

2 bottles of Wisk detergent

1 bottle of T. Marzetti's light ranch dressing

2 bottle of John Freda Root Awakening (shampoo and conditioner)

1 bottle of Tums Smoothies

1 gallon of milk

I did go to Bi-lo and Publix so this wasn't done at once store but since they are literally right across the street from each other, its not a big deal for me to hit both stores in one shopping trip. I also popped into Costco on my way home since they're milk is only$2.55 for a gallon of skim milk!

I have found a new addiction, to see how much I can get while spending the least amount of money possible. When I beat this trip, I'll be sure to let you know! =)

Birthday weekend fun

2010-02-03T21:50:00.006-05:00

This past weekend I made a trip to Lexington to celebrate my birthday with my family. Preston and Belle stayed in Charleston because one of the girls in our primary class was getting baptized and Preston decided to stay so that one of her teachers could be there to support her. In a way it was a good thing because I stayed at my parents house and it gave us the chance to spend time together, just us three, and that hasn't happened in a really long time.

On my way into town, I stopped over at Joseph and Kimberly's house to see her and the kids. I knew that Kimberly wouldn't be able to attend my party because she has to stay home with Spence (who can't be around large crowds yet) and I haven't seen them in a while. I really miss them especially since I'm not always able to stop by when I'm in town but I was able to visit for a few hours and catch up.

Me and Baby Spence. He's getting soo big!

(BTW-he's awed by the ceiling fan & ignore my hair, it had been a long day!)

You can definitely tell we're all Freemans!

I think its the nose! hehehe ;)

Such sweet sisters

Allison is such a ham when it comes to the
camera and she makes the cutest faces.

She defintely loves her Vovo! (I love this pic!)

Hayden is such a cutie and is getting so big!

Mom wanted a pic since the whole family was together.

There's no denying that we're related!

(BTW - I just realized that we're standing in birth order!

Start with Joseph and move to the left, then down & right. That's just how it happened!)

Chloe is only 5 but she lost her first tooth while

we were at conference on Sunday and she was so excited!

It had been loose for a while and she was ready for it to come

out so that she could get a visit from the tooth fairy

After dinner, I gave Chloe an airhead that was

in my purse and this is what happened...

It was a great trip overall depsite the studying that I had to do for a good part of Saturday and the icy weather. I was able to go to the temple with Mom, Dad, and Joseph on Saturday morning and it was something that I needed very much. I love going and hate it that I can't/don't go more often.

It was great to be with all of my siblings on Sunday and spend time sitting around the table, laughing and catching up. I miss them so much being here in Charleston and hate being away from everyone. I can't wait until the next trip home!

Blessing in Disguise

2010-02-01T22:00:00.002-05:00

So this morning I was heading to work. Everything was just about normal except for one thing, I was leaving about 10 to 20 minutes before I normally do. I just happened to get ready a little quicker today because I was expecting a busy day at work. I was walking out the door in a pretty good mood. I opened the door and thought to myself, "Man it is cold." I then looked at my car.....Ice all over it. Normally I would have gone out to my car 10 minutes early and started my car and then locked my keys in the car. Then being the rude husband I am, when I am ready to go I will get Abby's keys and ask her to follow me outside so I can unlock my car and toss her keys back up to her. I know...Good morning sweetheart, feel the cold. Anyway I went to the car and pulled out my ice scrapper and started to remove the frost and ice off of my windows.
At this point I was cold and a little aggravated because this delayed me getting to work. So I get on the highway. If you know anything about Charleston then the next part will make sense. I got on 526 heading toward 26. About a 3/4 of a mile from the exit I take there is one of those electronic highway sign notification thingies. It said there was a wreck on 26 and to expect slow traffic. I just though, "Really! On the morning I have to get to work to do payroll!" So traffic starts to slow down and the left lane is coming to a complete stop. Luckly for me the highway sign was wrong, the wreck was on 526 not 26. So I was not really effected by the wreck too much.
Then today I was leaving work early since I got to work early. I went into my supervisor's office to let her know I was leaving. We also had a visitor from one of our other offices there. So we started talking about Bluetooths, I set up my supervisor's Bluetooth, and then the visitor and I started poking fun at my supervisor. The next thing I knew, 25 minutes had past and know I was staying later than I wanted too. So I told them I needed to head home. I left the office and guess what.......ANOTHER WRECK ON THE HIGHWAY. This time it effected me. It was on 26 heading in the direction I was heading. I found out from calling Abby that they shut the highway down and it was going to be about 30 minutes before they were going to open it again. So my normal 20-25 minute drive home took about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
When on the phone with Abby, she told me that the wreck happened sometime after 4:00
Now I am not saying I would have been in the accident, I was going to leave work at 4:10. I probably would have missed it, but I have to think that God was looking out for me today. Especially since I missed two wrecks by a few minutes.

Sweet

2010-01-30T19:50:00.003-05:00

So this is the new Demon Hunter song. It is so killer. I can't wait for the new album on March 9, 2010. It is going to be so good if they all sound this good. Not as much screaming so you will probably like it.

Birthday Surprise

2010-01-29T11:10:00.004-05:00

So as you all know, my birthday was Wednesday. Well I hadn't been able to sleep well that past two nights (meaning, I got like 6 hours total!) and was really tired so I decided to skip class and sleep in. (Don't worry mom, I did eventually get up and do some studying and watched the lectures that I missed! =)) Anyways, when I finally got up and opened our bedroom door this is what I saw-

and this-

Preston gets up at 5am everymorning for his personal scripture study and before he started to get ready for work he decorated our little aparment for my birthday. I was so surprised and I felt so lucky that my husband would do that for me.

That night we went to dinner at our favorite local mexican restaurant, Senor Tequila's (which is awesome btw!) then went and saw Extraordinary Measures (loved it!). It was a great night.

Oh, here is a pic of the cake that Preston had made for my birthday. Its an old pic but I love how excited Belle is to be at the beach for her first time.

I had a great day and I'm so thankful to have a such a caring and thoughtful husband. Now I get to go celebrate my birthday with my family this weekend. YEAH!

The Past Week

2010-01-27T21:01:00.002-05:00

So these are videos by two bands that I have been listening to for a while now. They are both Christian. The first band is Demon Hunter. I am in their fan club and they have a new album coming out in March. Since I am in their fan club, they give explanations for their songs so we can know what they are truly about. So below each video I will tell you what the song is about and you will see they are Christian. The second band is called Underoath. To me Demon Hunter is more melodic. Let me know what you think. I know most of the people that read this blog will not like either one but that is ok.

This song, although seemingly very sad and depressing, is in actuality a love letter to my friends and family. It is essentially something that I would want them all to know if I were to die. I ask my true friends to carry my casket down the aisle, and as they lay me into the ground, not to mourn for my soul, but rather rejoice for my salvation.

Death can be viewed as a very negative thing, but for Christians, it is where we find our true hope. Death is never something I would take lightly or toy with, but to address it I think can be very revealing. If you never spoke of the reality of death, you would be ignoring such an important part of life. This song asks my friends and family to “save sorrow for the souls in doubt,” for they know that my soul is safe.

Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
-Isaiah 57:2

Fading Away is about waiting to hear a call from the Lord. I think we, as Christians, can get caught up waiting on a specific word from God, all the while sitting stagnant and unproductive. Sometimes it seems like we can slowly begin to fade away from the Lord as we wait for something to slap us in the face. I think in many cases God wants us to take some necessary steps in order for His will to be revealed to us.

This song talks about how our own selfish attempt at life is likely to be ill fated, and how we so often live according to our own desires.

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
-James 3:16

This song explores the feelings we all get concerning death. We know that through our hope in Christ, life everlasting awaits us after our time here on earth comes to an end. But sometimes I get the feeling that I have yet to achieve all that I should with the life I’ve been given here. The lyrics explain “If only 33 years can save my life, I’ve had 24 more to make things right” This means that Christ gave 33 human years living on this earth and in that time he died for us all, covering our sins. And if I needed some time to come to terms with that, I’ve had 24 years to do so.

I think everyone has a certain bitter-sweet anxiety about death, and I think that’s very natural, even inevitable. In this song I speak about this anxiety and how, regardless of not being ready, I know where my fate lies. In the song I explain, “When I’m taken home and you’re still here, just clear your mind and dry your tears.”

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
-2 Corinthians 5:1

“One Thousand Apologies” is a song that I wrote as an apology to someone that I hurt. In the song, I talk about how foolish I’d been and how destructive my actions. “Resolutions are the same tomorrow” means that I will try to be a better person every day.

Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Hebrews 10:18

The other band is Underoath. Another great Christian band:

Happy Birthday to Abby

2010-01-26T08:10:00.002-05:00

So today is Abby's birthday. She is truly the greatest wife ever. She has truly blessed my life in many ways. I am so proud of everything she has done. She is incredibly smart and incredibly good looking. Actually she is so beautiful, gorgeous, hot, or sexy (which ever is the best).

So Happy Birthday baby, I hope you have a great year. I look forward to what adventures we get to have this year.

Southern Savers workshop

2010-01-21T10:42:00.003-05:00

So the couponing website that I use, Southernsavers.com, is awesome. The lady who does it, Jenny, does workshops all over the south to help teach people how to be better "couponers" and how to make the most out of their money. Everytime that I go to look for one in Charleston, its already full. Well my dear sweet husband (see previous post) signed me up for one that's going to be in Irmo, SC on Jan. 29. Its 2 hours and you pay $10 at the door but the information that you get is priceless. (Corny sounding but that's how I feel!)

I just wanted to let everyone know so that if they have the chance to go to one, they'll try and go. If you can't make this one, go to the website and look at the tabs at the top for "coupon workshops" where she lists all the workshops that she has planned within the next few months.

She has helped me to save so much money. There is never a time that I don't go the the grocery store that I don't save at least 50%! Preston and I live off of $60 a week and this not only includes groceries but things like toilet paper, deoderant, toothpaste, laundry detergent, etc. There is one lady in particular that comments on her site frequently and she has a family of 6 and they spend only $80 a week! And its not cheap stuff we buy but name brand products! And we eat well too! (If you've seen use recently, you can sure tell that we're not living off of beans and rice!)

Anyways, just thought that I'd mention it for anyone that might be interested in saving some money...or a lot of money! =)

What love really is

2010-01-21T10:23:00.007-05:00

So this is gonna be a bit sappy but this has really been on my mind lately and I just feel the need to express how thankful I am and this is the only way that I could come up with.

So the longer that I'm married, the more I learn about what love really is. Its not just saying "I love you" but more in how you act. An elderly lady came into the pharmacy and saw my rings and said, "Those are gorgeous. Your husband must really love you" That just got me to thinking about ways that I know Preston loves me. Here's some of the things that I've come up with that he's shown the past few months.

-Its doing things like holding your wife's hair as she throws up and then digging through the fridge at 2 am to see if there's any ginger ale.
-Making a special trip to the store to buy me my favorite bubble bath because I ran out the other night.
-Getting me a body pillow because I mentioned ONCE that I would like to have one.
-Hearing me talk about buying a new brush because mine keeps breaking and taking me to go get a new one the next time we're out. (This is a big one because I kept forgetting to get one but he rememebered!)
-Filling up my humidifier at night and cutting it on without me even thinking about it so that I can finally get all of the junk out of my chest.
-This is bad on my part, but Preston took me out to do something that I can't remember what but when I realized what we were doing I said,"I didn't think you heard me when I said that" and he said "I always hear what you say" (Doesn't that sound like a line straight out of a movie! Totally melted my heart!)
-Hearing me talk about wanting to go to a Southern Savers workshop and not only getting me a ticket but asking other members of my family if they want to go so that I won't be by myself.
-Its being really quite in the morning while he's getting ready for work and taking the dog out before he leaves so that I can get as much sleep as possible.
-Always asking me every night if I need help when I'm making dinner, even though I usually always say no.
-Doing the dishes, laundry and giving the dog a bath (without me saying anything!) when I have to work on Saturdays, which is usually his only day to really relax and do what he wants.

Love isn't about how big or pretty your ring is (even though I do love mine!) or how expensive a gift is. Its little things like listening and hearing what the other person is saying and the little things that you do to show you really care. Each night I go to bed, thankful that I have such a wonderful man in my life. I'm really am blessed to have him...for all eternity!

I Dare You

2010-01-18T16:45:00.002-05:00

So I have decided that I am going to do the 40 day Love Dare and also the 365 day Love Dare. I am not saying Abby and I are in trouble, I just want to make our relationship stronger and better. If you would like to do it with me I will email you the dares everyday. Let me know what you think. I dare you to join me in the Love Dare. If you want to join, give me your email address and I will email them to you.

Something Neat I Read

2010-01-17T18:02:00.002-05:00

So today I was reading in 1st Nephi 10 and it hit me that in verse 17 - 19 it tells you how to gain a testimony. I will let you read it. If you don't see the 5 steps let me know and I will tell you.

Falling Up

2010-01-10T21:59:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite Christian bands called Falling Up. I have started listening to them at work a lot again. I don't know what it is about them but I just love the music.

Falling up never made a video for this first song. I asked the lead singer about this song and he told me that it was one of his favorite songs that he has ever written. It is called A Guide To Marine Life

This song is called Escalates

Moonlit

Hotel Aquarium

This next song is by a group called The Send. The singer was the guitar player for Falling Up and he left the band and has gone solo. He will do well. The song is called An Epiphany

"An Epiphany"- The Send

The Send MySpace Music Videos

Question for people

2010-01-09T19:11:00.001-05:00

I was thinking about getting the book The Purpose Driven Life. Has anyone read it? I am always afraid of getting a book like this because I am afraid their views will be a lot different than mine and it will be a waste.

We're still alive...sort of

2010-01-07T08:43:00.002-05:00

So I've been really slack about writing about everything that's gone on within the past month but things have just been too uber busy and I never got around to doing it. So here's gonna be a brief overview of everything that's happened.

I had surgery and the doc just had to go ahead and remove about 25% of my medial menisucs and about 15% of my lateral meniscus. The bad part is that its in the area that takes the most stress but the doc said I should be good for 10-20 years. Hopefully by then, we'll have more money and better insurance but here's to wishful thinking. The good news was that 4 days after surgery I was walking/gimping around. I'm totally fine now. Oh, the gross part is that my doc did an inside stitch to try and minimize scarring and scar tissue but somehow part of the stitch got through my skin and I can feel it poking out! Its suppose to dissolve but its been over a month and I can still feel it. Gross but kind of cool.

Preston's Grandma Leigh died the day after Christmas. This has been really hard on him because this is the first grandparent that he's lost. It wasn't that big of a surprise though considering she had been going down hill for a while. She had a stroke that left her paralyzed on her left side the day after Mother's day in 2007. She had another smaller stroke a week before Christmas that was affecting her right side some. She was a really sweet woman but we just keep remembering that she's in no pain and that she's not confined to a body that doesn't allow her to do the things she enjoys like crocheing (sp?), gardening, canning, baking, etc.

We had our Freeman family Christmas here in Charleston, course it was the Sunday after Christmas. My family came down since I was still on the mend and we had a great time. Even as a gimp, I cooked a turkey! It was with the help of my Nuwave oven but it was the juciest turkey you've ever eaten and it was so yummy!

Preston and I went to Alabama on Dec. 30th for the viewing and then the funeral was the next day. It was nice getting to see all of his family and spend time with them but it was sad because we all were there because of the funeral. I'm glad Preston was able to see all of his remaining grandparents especially since we were suppose to visit them for Thanksgiving but due to Preston losing his job, we weren't. I'm also glad because he's got 2 other grandparents, his Grandpa Leigh and his Grandma Falkenberry, who aren't doing well. Both of them have Alzheimer's pretty bad. His grandma has had to be put in a home because of how advanced she is. We're hoping they'll last much longer but the sad truth is that the probably won't.

Right before we left Alabama, my throat started getting irritated. By the time we got home from Alabama Sunday night, I was running a fever. It was low grade so I just let it do its job. It wasn't until it got to 101.3 that I finally took some medicine since I couldn't sleep. So I went to the quack doc at the student health center and he told me that I had a cold. Seriously! I want to know where that man got his degree from, probably Print Shop! Anyways, I went home and continually got worse. My throat was killing me! So Tuesday night, my temp got up to 102 and on Wednesday I was gonna go back to the quack but then my wonderful mother suggested that I go see my doc at home in Lexington, Dr. Lyle, who is the best doc in the whole wide world! Course, I'm biased cause he's been my doc since I was 4 and we've been through alot together but he seriously is the greatest. Anyways, I went and saw him and he said it wasn't a cold but that I probably did have some kind of virus since my strep test was negative. He said to call him if things got worse and over last night THEY DID! I'm now literally (and this is gonna be a bit gross for some) choking on my mucus! YUCK! And I've got this horrible tickle in my chest and a nasty hacking chest cough. UGH! I've been sick all week and I'm tired of being sick! I'm now just waiting on the best doc in the world to call letting me know he's gonna call something in. Lets hope its soon cause I don't know how much of this my chest can take!

So anyways, that's what has happened since I last posted. I'm now going back to sleep, sitting up, so that I don't drown in my own mucus!

Need a Good Laugh

2010-01-06T16:19:00.002-05:00

So my wonderful Mother-In-Law emailed this too me. It is so funny.

To my brilliant friends…if we ever doubt ourselves we have something to refer to!
If you ever feel a little bit stupid, just dig this up and read it again; you'll begin to think you're a genius.
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(On September 17, 1994, Alabama's Heather Whitestone was selected as Miss America 1995.)
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,"
--Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest.
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"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
--Mariah Carey
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"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life,"
-- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign .
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"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body,"
--Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.
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"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country,"
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington , DC . ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it,"
--A congressional candidate in Texas
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"Half this game is ninety percent mental."
--Philadelphia Phillies manager, Dan ny Ozark
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"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
--Al Gore, Vice President
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"I love California . I practically grew up in Phoenix ."
-- Dan Quayle
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"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
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"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."
--Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
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"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people."
-- Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instructor.
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"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
--Department of Social Services, Greenville , South Carolina
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"Traditionally, most of Australia 's imports come from overseas."
--Keppel Enderbery
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"If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record."
--Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
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Feeling smarter yet?
Send it on to your brilliant friends.
I just did !!

Post Surgery Update

2009-12-18T17:58:00.003-05:00

Well I had surgery on Wednesday and my orthopedist had to remove the tear in my meniscus. He said that the chances of him repairing it and it lasting would have been very slim so he just removed it. He told me that I shouldn't have any problems after this for 10 - 20 years. Hopefully by then we'll have better insurance and a higher income.

They didn't do a nerve block initially because my orthopedist says its not really necessary with this type of surgery. They've also had problems with people forgetting they've had surgery and they try to get up and walk and end up falling. (I want to know how they forget they had surgery!) My orthopedist was going to put a numbing agent in my knee to help with the pain. Unfortunately, it didn't work and I woke up from surgery litereally screaming in pain. The anesthesologist decided that he was going to do a nerve block to help. After about 20 minutes and a few doses of pain medicine and the nerve block, I started to feel better.

I think that this time has been easier because I know what to expect and I know how to get around. Its been a big help having mom here to help take care of me, Belle, and the apartment. Preston has been very patient with me. Poor guy. When I have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I wake him up. If I try to move to get comfortable, I wake him up. Last night I woke him up around 2 am because I got sick and had to hurry to the bathroom. He gets up earlier for work than usual to make sure I've got everything I need before he goes to work. I'm very thankful that I married him!

I'm doing well. I've got pain but that's to be expected. I've tried to lower my dose and frequency of it because my stomach can't handle being on pain meds for a long time.

Pink Glove Dance =)

2009-12-11T19:37:00.004-05:00

This is an awesome video that Preston came across. It was put together by the employees of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon to raise breast cancer awareness in their hospital. Its so cute! I love it!

Love me some Christmas!

2009-12-09T08:24:00.006-05:00

I love Christmas time! I love having my tree up and the lights on. It just helps to put me in a good mood. I love making dinner and listening to Christmas music. I love the time that I get to spend with family talking about past christmases and all the drama that is usually involved with the holidays. ;)

Nell posted this survey and since I love Christmas and I've got 30 minutes before my exam (which can't really be studied for) I thought that I'd do this.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
- Glade apple cinnamon candles (love them!)
-an organizer for my coupons
-cookbooks (I like the ones with quick and easy recipes since I usually don't have the time for complicated ones)
-Nuwave oven (thanks mom and dad for this one! We got this early because its such a big help!)
-giftcards to basically anywhere

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you ever received? the only handmade gift that I can think of was a sweater the Toyeka Campbell made for me while she was my basketball coach. It had a basketball on it cause I was the Free Throw Queen! (she gave me that name at the beginning as an oxymoron but then it ended up fitting. hahaha gosh I miss those days!)

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle? I did it last year, I made the tie fleece blankets for all of my nieces. They were really big so that they could grow into them. and were so cute, if I do say so myself. Now I've gotta make one for Spence but I think I'll save that till next Christmas when he's older and I can see him open it.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child? There are 2 that I vividly remember. One was a Sesame Street phone where you could dial a number on the phone (it was a rotery?) and a character would talk to you. I played with that phone so much and I remember crying like crazy when it stopped working a few years later. The other one was a piano shaped like a dinosaur. I loved it but my siblings didn't!

5. What is your favorite holiday food? anything and everything! My new favorite is a pumpkin pie momma Leigh made for Thanksgiving (it was the best ever!) and the other is this sweet potato casserole mom makes. My mouth is watering just thinking about those.

-Oops! Gotta go take my final!

-Now that that stupid and insanely difficult exam is over...back to my survey =)

6. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays? I plan on trying to make some holiday goodies for my work party on Saturday night and for our sunday school kids.Then hopefully I'll make some either the monday or tuesday before my surgery. The scary thing is that I've never made any of them! hehehe Hope they turn out good. I'll let you know. I'll have to get mom and Preston to try some and let you know.

7. Favorite Holiday Songs? "NOT the stupid Christmas Shoes song"...I totally agree Nell! The first time I heard that song on the radio was the year that mom got diagnosed with breast cancer. She was diagnosed in August and was going through chemo during Christmas. I could just hear the opening notes and I would burst into tears! Now that mom's better, I still hate it!

I prefer the traditional songs and hymns. What Child is this?, We 3 Kings, Angels We Have Heard on High, White Christmas, etc. Paul Cardall has a few Christmas CDs and I just love them! Its piano music and it helps me to get in the Christmas mood but still remember the spiritual part of it. I was listening to it yesterday while taking a break from studying to make dinner and it was just wonderful!

8. Favorite Holiday Pastime? Every year when I was a kid, we would pile up into our van and go around looking at Christmas lights while singing Chistmas carols. There were so many places to go and it was all so beautiful. It really made Christmas "magical" for me. There don't seem to be as many places as before but I still love to look at them. The James Island County Park here in Charleston decorates every year and its over 3 miles of lights. There's also a little Santa's village, a place to make smores, a merry-go-round, and tons of other cool stuff. Its so much fun and its become a tradition for us.

This past Sunday

2009-12-09T08:06:00.003-05:00

About a month ago I decided that I finally needed to get my patriarchal blessing. I just felt like I was finally in the right place in my life to get it. I was finally really satisfied with where I was with my life. I felt like I was on the right track but I felt like I was missing something since I did not have my patriarchal blessing. So I set up our tithing settlement time and also made an appointment for that Wednesday night to meet with my bishop so I could have my interview to be able to get my patriarchal blessing. Of course, after the interview I set up my time with the patriarch for when we could do the blessing. We set it up for December 3rd because he likes to do them on Thursdays. He said he didn't think that Thanksgiving Day would be good for either of us if we wanted to stay married. We both had a good laugh when he said that.
So the day of my blessing came. I decided that I would eat breakfast since that is the most important meal of the day and I also had to work. After I finished my breakfast I would fast until after my blessing. I was excited and nervous about the patriarchal blessing. I was not quit sure what to expect. Well as I was getting ready to leave work my cell phone started to ring. I pushed ignore since I was still at work and I did not recognize the number. Well the person left a message. As I was getting ready to walk out the door I listened to the message and it was the stake patriarch. He told me to give him a call. So of course I called him back and he informed me that he had not been feeling so good this week and felt like we needed to push my blessing back until Sunday. He apologized to me but I told him it was ok. I understood he did not want me to get sick. So I called Abby and told her to go ahead and fix dinner because my blessing was pushed back until Sunday since he was not feeling so hot.
Sunday came and I was still excited and nervous. So after our tithing settlement we went down to the patriarch's office which is in the same building because our building is the stake center. He told me that he still needed a few minutes, so Abby and I sat outside his office waiting. When we went in to start he asked me for my recommend. I was just like "Oh no. It is next to the bed." He told me since we lived so close I could run home really quick to grab it. On the way home all I could think of was "how could I leave that at home" and "man, this is so bad." Well I returned and everything was ok. We talked for a little bit and then he gave me my patriarchal blessing. I cannot wait to get it in the mail so I can read over it. I tried to catch as much as I could but I know I missed some blessings.
So let me get to the point of this. He told me that most people will make a copy of it and store the original away and use the copy as scripture and highlight things and write notes on it. I want to encourage everyone to take out your blessing and read it. If you haven't made a copy of it then do that so you can write notes on it. There might be some blessings you have forgotten about in your blessing. I can't wait to get mine so I can do the same.

My Epiphany

2009-12-06T21:13:00.004-05:00

So today at church I had an epiphany. It was after sunday school and I was letting the primary president know that we would be teaching next week but the 2 weeks after we wouldn't. I let her know it was because of my knee surgery. One of her counselors, Sis. Pierce, was standing near by and she wanted a little bit of info as to what was going to happen. I told her about and her next question was who my visiting teachers were. I told her that I didn't know because in the 2.5 years that we'd been here, I'd only recieved 1 letter from them and that was it. They did talk to me once in the hall about 4 or 5 months ago but that's it. She then quickly offered to bring dinner to us the day of my surgery and another counselor, Sis. Frances, offered to bring it the next day. It was at the moment that I almost broke into tears because I finally felt like people in our ward cared.

We've lived here for over 2.5 years and have spent 2 years in the primary so needless to say we don't know that many people. Most of the ward activities end up being during test times so I'm not able to go. Also the relief society isn't the best at keeping the primary sisters up to date on activities and such. Most of the time, I find out about activities because of an e-mail that's sent to the sisters THE DAY OF the activity to "remind" them about it, so needless to say I find out about many activites after they've already happened.

I know that I'm not the most outgoing person (I know some might laugh but its true. If I don't know you, its very hard for me to talk to you) but despite my best efforts, I haven't felt like we really belonged. Maybe its due to the fact that most of the people in the ward are either married couples with kids or older people. Our primary is huge but there are literally less than 10 youth in our ward. There is only 1 other young couple in our ward without kids, but they're trying to have a baby. Its so difficult being in a ward where there are always play dates being planned or mom get togethers or craft activities to make kids clothes and knowing that I'm not invited. Its difficult to talk to most of the sisters about things because the conversation always gravitates towards they're kids and the only way I can remotely relate is that I'm an aunt, but I know that's not any where close to being a mom and dealing with everything that goes along with it.

Last year when I had my surgery, people in both the primary and the Relief Society were aware of it and I never got one phone call, offer for dinner, etc. I know it might sound selfish but I really felt like no one in our ward cared at all. Mom was only about to stay for a few days after my surgery because of work and that first week after surgery was horrible. When you've only got 1 good leg, its very difficult to make something to snack on, let alone a whole meal. Because of Preston working and then having to come help me and take care of the apartment, needless to say we ate a lot of take out.

This past year has been very difficult on us and to realize that someone in our ward really did care meant more to me than I can ever express. Its amazing what one little act of kindness can mean to someone. I know for as long as I live, I'll always remember what Sis. Pierce and Sis. Frances' did today.

**Update** Preston went to a concert on Saturday and that it turns out one of my visiting teachers was there. Preston talked to her at church on Sunday to talk about the concert and it turns out that all the info she had on us was wrong. They even listed my name on her visiting teaching list as Abby Lee - go figure. Anyways, she's also volunteered to bring dinner! Hooray for visiting teachers!

What I learned from Tiger Woods

2009-12-04T08:54:00.001-05:00

So I am sure everyone knows what has been going on with Tiger Woods. Well the other day my Dad and I were talking about it and he said something that I had never really thought about. He told me that Tiger Woods has the life everyone would want: money, fame, cars, houses, and model for a wife. My Dad told me that he probably did what he did because he doesn't have the gospel in his life. Which I never though of, but then the next day I was listening to the local Christian station here and there were talking about it but they had a different take on it and it goes right along with what my Dad was saying. They started out by saying the same thing: Tiger Woods has the life everyone wants. They said he has a beautiful wife, he has lots of money and is famous. But then they said that what they think is happening is that he is not content with what he has. That he has to have something better, but that we all do the same thing. We might not cheat but we all always looking for the next great thing we can buy. We are always wanting something better. We always want the next big thing. Then I started thinking about me, and at the time I just bought (and was about to return) this new alarm clock that talks and you talk to it. I am such a tech dork and I like having cool things. But after listening to what the radio station and the DJ saying how we are never content, I am determined to stay content with what I have. I should be content because I have a roof over my families head, Abby and I each have a car, we each have a job, and we do not go without the things we need or sometimes the things we want. I should be content with what I have and not try to keep up with the Jones'.

Funny

2009-12-04T08:21:00.002-05:00

So my Mom and Dad came into town for Thanksgiving. During the Thanksgiving Holiday my Dad told me a joke I thought was funny. I will try my hardest to word it right:

So in Heaven after Jesus and Satan both said they had ideas for a plan, God told them to go and get a proposal ready to present in two days.

When the day arrived both Jesus and Satan were working hard to finish their proposal. When Satan was almost done with his proposal his power went off. Satan could not believe it. Once he got got he computer back up he was very disappointed when he realized he could not retrieve any of his proposal. There were only a few hours until it was due.

When time came to present Satan asked God if he could have an extention for his proposal. He explained that when he was almost done with his proposal he lost power and lost everything. God told Satan that he could not have an extention. When Satan asked why God just replied, "Because Jesus Saves."

Knee Surgery Update

2009-11-25T13:59:00.004-05:00

So thankfully since Preston's got a job, I'll be able to have my knee surgery as planned this Christmas break. Spending 2 Christmas' in a row on crutches is not what I had planned but there isn't anything that can be done about it. My last exam is on Dec. 14 and I'll have surgery on the 16th.

Preston won't be able to get off because he doesn't have any vacation time so my mom has graciously offered to come down and take me to surgery and stay the rest of the week to take care of me. His mom also offered but since my mom lives closer it'll just be easier. Plus there's just something about having your mom around when you feel awful that helps you feel a little bit better.

My pre-op appointment was on Nov. 16th and I talked with my orthopedist about what's going to happen. There are 2 options: he can try and repair the torn meniscus or he can just remove it. He won't know what he'll have to do until he gets in there and sees the damage that's happened over this past year.

If he repairs the meniscus, I'll be on crutches for 6 weeks and have to go through physical therapy again (not exactly the most pleasant thing I've had to do!). If he removes it, then I'll be able to start trying to walk a few days after surgery. The bad part about having the meniscus removed is that my knee can still bother me and it also increases my chances of developing arthritis in the knee, which could end up meaning a total knee replacement later on down the road. If my knee still bothers me after he removes it, I've got a window of about 6-12 months, where I can have the meniscus replaced aka have another knee surgery.

I don't know what's going to happen and it frightens me. I'm praying that he'll be able to repair the meniscus and this will be the end of my problems but with all of the locking and the bones rubbing against each other that I've had this past year, I'm afraid that he'll have to remove it. I'll just have to wait 3 weeks to find out, which is going to be torture because patience is not a virture that I've mastered yet!

Happy Late Birthday Preston!

2009-11-25T13:34:00.004-05:00

So I know that I'm really late but Preston's 27th birthday was on Nov. 15.

He's the best husband in the world!

He is hardworking and very supportive.

He's a righteous man and I'm so thankful that he has the priesthood.

There are many times that he helps me to be thankful to my

Heavenly Father and to see how He cares about us and helps us in our lives.

He doesn't mind helping me around the house and frequently

asks me what does he need to do to help me.

There are many days that I go off to work on Saturdays and come home

to the laundry and dishes done, the dog bathed, the apartment

cleaned, and dinner ready and waiting for me.

He realizes that I'm not perfect and that I'm definitely

not the best homemaker but he doesn't seem to mind.

He is patient with me when I'm stressed and irritated.

He doesn't seem to mind (too much) all the times that I need to be alone

or stay up late so that I can study and do homework.

He's a fabulous uncle and loves spending time with his nieces and nephew.

The way he intereacts with kids was actually one of the first things

that made me realize that I wanted spend the rest of my life with him and it was only after we had been dating for a few months! He is great with our Sunday School class and its amazing to see him with them, especially how patient he is with one of our "kids" that is autistic.

He is going to be a fabulous dad one day.

I'm so thankful for all the crazy things that happend to put us together.

If it wasn't for EFY where LaNelle became friends with his brother Johnson, Johnson inviting Nell to go see him in Augusta, and Nell inviting me to go with her to

go see Johnson, I never would have even met Preston.

(Johnson loves to constantly remind us that he's the reason we're together!)

We've been together since 2002 and I'm glad that we'll be together forever!

I love you Preston! Happy Late Birthday!

75% off Photo Christmas Cards!!

2009-11-25T13:17:00.005-05:00

So I know that I'm way behind on blogging and I'm hoping to maybe catch up sometime this week when I'm not cooking, working or entertaining the in-laws but I saw this great deal on Southern Savers and had to share it

Go here to get the link for 75% off Christmas photo cards now through Nov. 30th. I can get 30 of them plus the white envelopes and shipping for $10! They've got lots of designs and if you want to get matching envelopes they have those too.

It was too good of a deal not to share. Hope this helps!

Great News

2009-11-03T16:58:00.000-05:00

I got a job offer. Now I just have to pass a drug test and a background check.

Our CrAzY Life

2009-10-31T21:40:00.005-04:00

Things have been amazingly crazy around here. This is the first week that I had since the middle of September that I don't have any tests. Sadly to say, no slacking off because I've got 2 next week.

Anyways, I just felt like I should give an update on everything going on. Like I said in my last post, Preston got laid off and as now been out of work for two weeks. It hasn't been easy on either of us. Preston's had trouble dealing with the issue that he hasn't "failed me" because he can't help it that he got laid off. He's had a few good leads and we're just hoping that something will come through soon. We've cut back majorly and are constantly planning ahead for worst case scenarios. I will say that its been amazing how this has brought us together. We're in a town without any family so we only have each other to rely on. He's also been very willing to help me around the house which has been a big plus.

I've been busy with school, studying and working so its been a pretty uninteresting but yet busy few weeks for me. I'm just really thankful that I work for a boss who is very understanding and not only works around my school schedule but is willing to rearrange everyone else's work schedule so that it will work with mine. I've been able to pick up lots of extra shifts and he always calls me anytime he needs someone or if he's got extra hours.

Both of us feel that Preston will be able to find a job soon. Hopefully before Thanksgiving so that I'll be able to concentrate on finals the week after Thanksgiving and so that I'll still be able to have my knee surgery in December. We just keep having to remember that everything happens for a reason and that Heavenly Father won't give us more than we can handle.

(I was telling my boss the last week that the end of 2008 and 2009 has been such a difficult time for us that 2010 better be an AWESOME year!) ;)

Worst Day EVER!!

2009-10-06T06:51:00.003-04:00

So yesterday I was sitting at home after school doing homework around 2:30, when all of a sudden my front door opens. I thought it might be the bug man because the apartment let us know that he would be spraying that day. It turned out to be Preston. I asked him what he was doing home so early and he says "I just found out that next Thursday is going to be my last day at work". My heart dropped!! Preston is the accountant for his company so I never thought that he would be let go before some of the others in his company but I guess me and the boss man don't have the same way of thinking.

Preston then got on the computer and thankfully there are lots of jobs that he qualifies for that he can apply for that are in Charleston. Another good thing is that we've paid our rent through January so we know that at least we've got a place to live and we don't have to worry about making rent. Also, thanks to me stockpiling with groceries we've got a head start on "food storage" so we'll only need to be perishable things like milk, eggs, and cheese and can make it on what we've got for a while.

I don't know why this happened but I keep hoping its because Preston will find a better more reliable job somewhere else but with everything that we've gone through in the past year, this just adds on top of it. I would have to say that 2009 has not been a good year for either one of us. Please keep us in your prayers that Preston will be able to find a job soon. I know that my boss will let me pick up hours but I can only pick up so much while going to school. If anyone knows of a job in the Charleston area for an accountant (he'll have his associates in December but has worked as a staff accountant for 3 years) please let us know. Any leads would be wonderful. Thanks.

Birthday Fun

2009-10-05T14:13:00.005-04:00

The weekend of September 26, Preston and I went down to Lexington so that Preston could take a test in his online accounting class but also to celebrate birthdays. Since we knew Baby Spence would be coming home soon (he went home on Sept. 29th) we decided to celebrate Kimberly, Chloe, Addison, and Brian's birthdays before Spence came home. We had planned on going to the zoo but unfortunately it rained that morning and threatened to rain the rest of the day. Instead we took the "kids" to Chuck E Cheese to play games.

Allison was having fun but I think she was having trouble taking it all in.

Addison loved the rides

Kika and Allison playing a game. Allison was really good at it too.

Chloe loved all the games and I think she played everyone of them

Even the big kids loved the games

Brian was awesome at skee ball. He won the bonus of 250 tickets twice!

Preston and Mom had fun with Deal of No Deal. Mom and

I both won the million dollars, which was 80 tickets.

One of the prizes the kids got from the tickets

was cotton candy, and they loved it!

Chloe went to town!

When we got home we had dinner and opened presents.

Kimberly got this statue from Mom and Dad

of a mother holding her baby.

Brian, the big gamecock fan, got lots of gamecock stuff.

Kimberly also got books, course since Spence's home and

the family's on home bound, I don't know how much reading she'll get done! ;)

Chloe loved her Princess stamps!

Addison loved her Care Bear coloring book.

Mom gave Chloe and Addison goody bags full of stuff. Since we couldn't go to the zoo, she gave them some zoo fruit snacks. When Chloe opened her bag, she didn't know what to think of them.

She sure loved the books though.

Addison got a bubble machine that can be used in the bathtub.

I didn't get any pictures of the cakes because I was the one lighting them and bringing them out. Each person got their own cake and we sang Happy Birthday to everyone individually. It was a great day!