Hello, Hayden Andrew Farr!

Well, Hayden came into this world early Saturday morning!  Congratulations to Jill and Nick!  He is so beyond precious and his chubby little cheeks are too cute!  When I walked into the room, I just sat down for a bit.  I watched Jill rub his little hands and brush his hair with her hands.  Then, Nick took him to change his diaper.  I can't say I have ever seen a father so in love with his little one.  All my friends have had girls and Hayden is the first boy.  The way Nick looked at him and held him close was truly a moment to capture.  **If only I was a photographer, it would have been great!**  It was then that I realized not only for myself to want to have a family, but what I think Brandon should get to experience too as a father.  That undeniable love and pureness that babies bring.  There is something so special about it.  It just makes me realize that in due time, it will happen.   Not when we want it, but when the time is right.  Maybe one day Brandon and I will get to experience this kind of love and purity.  For, now, we'll just enjoy looking at Mr. Hayden Andrew Farr!  You can keep on staring at him too!  You know he's precious!

Happy 30th Brandon

Does this mean 3 cakes for 30!?!?  His new job is awesome!

On Friday, we celebrated Brandon's 30th Birthday!  We had a blast, although it was a different birthday party this year!  For the past 10 years, we have celebrated Brandon's birthday by going out dinner and then drinking!  We would go early to dinner and sit at the bar....then we would hang out after dinner...at the bar!  haha.  Well, this year was different.  It's amazing how alcohol can change ones entire life!  We waited to go to dinner until 7, when everyone else went early and had a drink at the bar.  Then, we ate dinner (very cheap when you don't add in alcohol!) and went home.  Some people stayed at the bar for a drink or few.  

Brandon was not excited at all about this birthday.  In fact, the day before his birthday, he said he was getting old and now he was on the downhill...I laughed at the thought of this, but it really did affect him.  So, I tried to make it a special birthday.  I blew up balloons and had them all over the house (Bailey FREAKED out), I wrote 30 reasons why I love him, I bought him his favorite snacks (I benefited from this!), and bought him new socks for his new job.  I know, real romantic right...lol.  It's what happens when you haven't seen a paycheck for 5 weeks!  But it was all done out of love.  

I have realized how much I love my life with Brandon.  I'm more excited about the next ten years of our lives than the past 10.  I feel like 30's are a change in life...learning how to live life to the fullest...and spending time with those who make you the happiest.  I can't wait to see whats to come!  

Run 2 Overcome

 

 

Today we volunteered for the Julie Valentine Center's Run 2 Overcome 5k and 10k races. At 4:45 my alarm clock went off....boy have I not seen that early since May!!  I do not miss waking up that early, but today was for volunteering.  I love being outside in the early summer morning so I was actually ok....I didn't even drink coffee.  Well, we met in Cleveland Park for the races.  I didn't run it..haha.  But if I'm not running in them, then I am glad I could volunteer for them.  It made me really miss running though, so I am glad I ordered a new armband yesterday!  Anyways, there were a few of us from school who volunteered and then I got my Daddy out there too!  He had quite the experience!  hahaha.  A good time had by all!!  Jill and I definitely ROCK at Registration!!  haha.  If it was a competition, we would have won ;-)  After we finished registration we were asked to go to the finish line to give them instructions and collect their bib tabs.  That was cool because I was able to get shots of Mom and Katie finishing!  Speaking of them....Katie, Mom, Rita, Trish, and Cynthia all decided to run the 5k race.  Here are some pics of them!  It was Katie's first race and did she GREAT!! I am so proud of her!!  I like the idea of having a running partner!!  

Back To Our Bubble

Well, it was time for us to go back to Ohio!  Finally...no weddings...no plans...just a relaxing vacation!  Well, we left Greenville at 5:00am...I drove...ALL THE WAY TO MARIETTA, OHIO!  haha...That never happens!  Although it keeps me occupied and Brandon doesn't hear me having to go to the bathroom every 10 seconds!  haha.  We got there around 1:30 (which is the best, so we had all day!).  We surprised B-Low and Bill..that's always fun.  Over the course of the week, we went out to dinner to B-Spot (a Michael Symons restaurant), Melt (I had a mozzarella stick and meatball sandwich!), hung out with Brandon's mom, sister, nieces, and nephew, went to Little Italy, and relaxed with the world's greatest friends.  It's little things that mean the most.  On Saturday, we played Spades for about 5 hours with a few people.  Every other night we hung out and chatted.  It was nice to just relax and hang out!  I hate going on vacation with an agenda.  Here are some pics of our vaca!  

Miles Market...The best bakery ever!

My old house...boy how it has changed!!

"A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else." 
- Len Wein 

Brandon and Wick





"It takes a long time to grow an old friend." - by John Leonard 

Downtown Solon...This is the new fire station.

"A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more."

My sandwich from Melt :) 

Brandon being Brandon :)

Brandon and Bam

My anniversary present for our 2 year!  

Brandon's nieces and nephew

Brandon and Steve playin around

Wick giving Brandon a haircut!  Love it :-)

Little Italy






"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships." 
- Abraham Lincoln 

The Story of Chloe...

Memorial Day 2012 started off as a very boring day that was very relaxing!  That is until my neighbor Joel and I were standing outside talking and up walked this dog that was panting so hard.  My heart broke for the dog.  So, naturally, I barked an order at Joel telling him to get the dog to come over to him and I would get water.  I ran in the house and filled up a bowl of water.  Joel was able to get the dog to come over and she loved all over us.  She was so friendly!  Never hesitated, never growled, just seemed so happy that someone had found her.  So, for the next 2 hours, we searched all over the internet for where to go.  Hmmmm.....it's Memorial Day....duhh!!!  No one works on a holiday!  Why didn't I think of that!?!  So, we settled in for the long haul.  Then we decided to go and get her scanned for a microchip (I want to go get Bailey microchipped right now!).  Nope..no luck...So, she came home with us.  Then, Brandon came home.  Of course he fell in love with her.  My mom did, I did, Joel did, so why not Brandon!  He gave her a bath and loved on her some more.  Then they went on a walk.  When it was time for bed, he made up her kennel (thanks to Joel's Mom) and made it look like a palace!  She was probably thinking she was at the Ritz!  haha.  

This morning, Brandon called the animal clinic that was on her Rabies tag.  Thank goodness that vets keep that information.  Anyways, Brandon got in contact with the owner, and he came and got her.  I found out her name was Chloe....Although I think she looked like a Lucy!  Come to find out that the man's daughters name is Lucy!  ha!  She was a sweet dog and I'm glad that we were able to get her back to her home in a short amount of time! :)  

  

Wordless Wednesday

Spring Break 2012 Baby!!!!

Wow!! What an awesome Spring Break I have had!  haha....that's a joke and a half...However, I have realized more than ever, how much my husband means to me and how lucky we are to be blessed with an amazing family and friends.   Here are some pics of my Spring Break 2012!

Well this is how it started....We ended up in the ER on Sunday morning at 4am...

Around 8:30am Sunday we finally got moved into the ICU room :)

Brandon watched a bunch of tv....a bunch...

He got to leave the room for his EDG.....Fun times!!

He liked for his room to be cold...So I felt like I was in the Arctic...Hardly the Caribbean Island I had dreamed of being on!

Mr. Sunshine finally started coming around and moved to the chair!!  

 After FINALLY scheduling a hair appointment to cut off about 5 inches of hair, I cancelled it...Then I called back and decided to go..I needed a break from the hospital!  Wahoo!!!  Short hair!!

 While I was gone, Brandon's friend Matt brought him a gift!!  So sweet :)  haha

Shortly there after, my friend Belinda and I decided to go get some dinner because Brandon was very grouchy.  After not being able to eat or drink anything (not even water or ice chips) for 3 days, he was Medusa....If he ever says I am again, I will remember this...haha...Anywho....we saw DMX at the restaurant and decided to take pics!!  Up in here...Up in here...haha (I am no longer a Celebrity Virgin!!)

This is his ride...straight up GaNgStA!  haha...

OMG FOOD!!  I have never seen Brandon soooooooo excited to eat before!!  He never eats!!  But I guess after 3 days of nothing, he was in heaven!!  It was gone in about 5 minutes even though it was a clear liquid diet only!

Mr. I Wanna Leave finally was allowed to get up and walk around....We did 2 laps and then back..Exciting times!

I soon needed another break, so I went and saw my favorite baby!  Madelyn and I had a whole hour and a half together!!  It was awesome!  So...I got to talk to Matt and Madelyn...Couldn't have been better!

And finally this morning....Brandon was able to shower and change clothes...Who would have ever thought those 2 things would be such a privilege!  He was so excited to leave that place!  

This pretty much concludes my Spring Break 2012!  May I never ever ever have to relieve that again!!  lol....

So, cheers!  Here is too a long 4 day weekend!!  Happy Easter Everyone....Be thankful for what you have and remember to spend time with your loved ones...since one day God may want them back before you are ready to give them up!  

Closer to 30...then 20....

So, today is my 27th Birthday.  Due to chaos this week, I really wanted to celebrate it this weekend.  It's too stressful...as you can see by me writing this post!  haha.  I got a lot more done today than I thought I would have.  Anyways, back to my birthday.  I really like this theory.  They say that "the best is yet to come."  And I honestly believe that.  I am really excited for this year and what it has in store for me.  On Saturday, my sister went with me to get a pedicure...it was heaven!  That is my favorite thing in the world.  Thank goodness for the girls at Nail Envy.  I love them.  Without them, my toes wouldn't be pretty and me so relaxed!  After that, we went shopping at Old Navy and I bought the cutest dress for summer.  Then, she dropped me off at the movie theater, where Joel surprised me with tickets to see The Hunger Games.  It was awesome.  Truly awesome.  I have been blessed with an awesome neighbor and friend.  We loved it.  Then, we headed home and headed for dinner at Rivera's.  Which just so happens to be my favorite restaurant!  I had the Veal Milanese.  AMAZING....Literally....I am not a slow eater and I literally eat slow so I can just savor every bite!  haha.  It was a wonderful day and I am blessed to have so many people in my life who love me for me!  lol.  Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate turning 27!  I love you all!!  

Wacky Wednesday

Well, I decided to try my hand at cooking again...I will get it right one day!  I had posted on Facebook about cooking tonight...My friend Anne remembered I had asparagus left...So, she suggested I saute the asparagus and chicken and mix with noodles in a bowl.  Sounded delicious.  However, I am really trying to eat healthier to try and lose weight.  So, I made brown rice, steamed the asparagus, and sauteed the chicken with italian seasoning and garlic.  You can see my brown garlic in the pain...yup, that's me making pretty colors!  lol.  In the end, I mixed it all in a bowl and added Parmesan Cheese.  I do have to say, it was pretty tasty.  Next time I try this, I will add onions to give it some more flavor.  Who doesn't love sauteed onions?! Maybe practice does make perfect.  :-)

Tastefully Tuesday

Hahahaha...I tried cooking again today!  I am bound and determined to get good at it!  I actually really do enjoy it!  Tonight, I had planned to have grilled chicken and steamed asparagus.  However, I didn't feel like taking the grill cover off, so I went and used the stove...BAD IDEA...haha..The asparagus came out really really good!!  Can't go wrong with plain old steamed asparagus.  However, my chicken, came out decent.  I mean it sat on the stove for 40 minutes to make sure it was really truly dead.  lol.  Every time I cut into it, it was pink!  So, my Italian breadcrumbs fell off, and I made some pretty colors in the pan again as Brandon likes to say.  However, I did manage to eat my chicken..and it wasn't terrible.  Not enjoyable as much, but edible at least.  :-)  I shall follow a recipe the next time I attempt to cook.  I am sooooooooo much better at cooking FATTENING foods like breads and desserts!  Till next time....

Bubbly Enchiladas

So, I decided to start cooking again!! I really do enjoy it, I just completely suck at it!  So, I found a Weight Watchers recipe on Pinterest for enchiladas.  It had 5 ingredients.  Ground Turkey, Enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, Pillsbury Reduced Fat Multi-grain Biscuits, and Mozzarella Cheese.  It was soo easy!  It tasted so good.  To my surprise, Brandon ACTUALLY ate it!  He wasn't a fan (I think because he ate it reheated and the biscuits soaked up much of the sauce).  However, it was still awesome.  I would trade out the Multi-grain biscuits for Flaky Layers though!  Then it would AMAZING!  

Salvation Army

So, my picture kinda stinks (due to them walking around out front and me not wanting to look weird taking a picture of the Salvation Army).  But, on Friday, Jill and I decided to go serve lunch at the Salvation Army....We had a blast and it was only an hour.  We met some really cool people and everyone there was so generous and grateful.  We liked it so much that we decided to go back today!  Again, we found the same people who were living at the shelters and they remembered us!  Today we served Tuna Fish, Potato Salad, Bread, and Chips.  I'm glad we had a lot of fun doing it.  I will totally do it again!  

Madisson's GOTCHA Celebration

Tonight, we were fortunate to celebrate Madisson's anniversary of her adoption to Joy.  It was such a good night!  It's called GOTCHA Day!  I remember that day like it was yesterday...Even more, I remember the day Joy got the phone call about her.  It was like God knew that this needed to happen and it was meant to be.  It's amazing how much of a miracle she is.  I truly believe God has put people in our lives for a reason.  Madisson lights up our eyes.  She makes us smile and laugh when we are down.  She has a presence about her that is unbelievable.  Joy read a book tonight called, "We Belong Together" by Todd Parr.  It's the cutest kid book about adoption.  We are so lucky to have Joy and Madisson in our lives and are truly blessed to have walked this journey next to them.