Ok, this time I mean it...

I am no longer going to slack off on this blog. Seriously. So here we go...

Made a trip to Home Depot today to buy plantation blinds for 21 windows and doors in our new house. Lee has now installed one and is moving on to number two - this is going to be a long night, friends. But we're so glad to have a weekend to actually start tackling the projects we've known we wanted to do... since we moved in December 3rd, things have been NUTS. We were gone most of December, and then starting in January, we've either traveled or had houseguests almost every weekend. This weekend, we domesticate.

I have also found out about two people - one a good friend, and one a friend of a friend - who are going through some pregnancy scares. It always amazes me how strong people are during these scary times...but then I think back to when we were going through it, and people probably thought the same of us. It's not necessarily strength - or it wasn't for us - but more just that "peace that surpasses understanding." Scary times and whenever I'm introduced to a new story, my heart breaks and I remember all over again. But I'm glad I can give some empathy, hopefully some comfort - especially in looking at how amazing Annalee is doing now. Feisty, smart, precocious three year old... that doesn't have to go back to the cardiologist until NEXT spring. Ahhh... we are more than blessed.

Ok, I will leave you now - we ask for your prayers for our friends (old and new) and for us as we install millions of blinds this evening. ;) I'll be back soon!!

Heartbroken But Hopeful

It saddens me to no end to have to type this - but Baby Ewan (whom I mentioned in my previous post) lost his battle and went to be with God. His mother is so incredibly brave in sharing her story and her thoughts and feelings - I became attached to their little family over the course of a few weeks, and my heart just breaks for them. Please keep them in your prayers.

As heartbroken as I am for Ewan, I am cheering and have great hope for Baby Jordan. He is at Egleston now awaiting the first of his three surgeries. He will have the same surgeon as Annalee, and their family has been on my heart and mind so much. Please also keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

I am humbled by these families and their willingness to share their stories and their fears, hopes and hurt. I have been holding Annalee a little tighter lately having become reacquainted with the heart baby world. We are so incredibly lucky to have our miracle baby, and although I've never taken that for granted... I am thankful to be reminded to count our blessings.

Sending up prayers...

It took me a while to be able to follow other heart babies' stories... it was just a little too close to home. But soon after Annalee was almost a year old, I began to delve back in - one eye closed - to the world of heart babies and their precious, fearful, hopeful parents who dare to share their stories online.

Part of following these babies' stories is therapeutic - it makes me realize how much we have to be thankful for and how far Annalee has come. Another part of me wants to follow these stories because I almost have to... why should I be done with "that world" just because Annalee is healthy? Things could have gone down a completely different path, and I feel a real need to stay connected to that world. Almost a calling to pray for these tiny babies and their little broken hearts.

Right now I have two special heart babies on my mind - one is Baby Ewan. Little Ewan is barely a week old and has already had surgery, several cath lab visits and is such an inspiration. His parents are scared to death - as you can imagine - but their faith is amazing. The other little one I have on my heart and brain is Baby Jordan. Jordan is due in about six days - there is a lot of fear and anxiety about his heart as well... he has been diagnosed with HLHS (Annalee's original diagnosis), and I know it's such a scary time for his family. Please keep both of these amazingly brave families in your prayers... I have been where they are, and it's a dark and lonely place. Prayers can make all the difference in the world.

I'm going to leave it at that for now... nothing I can say after talking about these little ones seems very important. Just keep them in mind and send good vibes. Heart families are a special breed of people and heart babies are such fighters. I have my little fiery 3 year old heart baby to prove it. :)

New Beginnings...

It has been almost a year and a half since I updated this Blog... sinful :) But I was inspired by two very special heart mommies to start writing again, and here we are.

A lot has changed - we are now in Greenville, South Carolina... Annalee is three years old... we are joining a new church and navigating this new state and home town - it's not where I thought I'd be a year ago, but I'm learning that it can be good.

So here we go... a new beginning brought about by empathy and concern for families who went through what we went through. What a special and confusing cycle...

Praying for Emma Kate...

I have been following the progress and journey of little Emma Kate Keisler - she is an HLHS baby whose parents I connected to through little Sammy's mom, Erika.

She had surgery this morning and is stable and doing well - continue to think about this precious little girl, her parents and her sister. She has the same surgeon (super man) that Annalee had - Dr. Paul Kirshbom. He is a miracle worker, and I am hoping EK will be good to go after today.

You can follow Emma Kate's mommy's blog here.

She is a precious little girl...I know they can all use everyone's support.

Thanks!!

Two Years Ago Today...

This is probably going to be a little tough for me to write - and I thought about NOT acknowledging this day, but something is making me want to do this. To put it on "paper." To remember and be thankful. So, here goes nothing...

Two years ago today - February 20, 2007 - Lee and I were on our way to see Dr. Edwards in Savannah for my 20-week ultrasound. We had so much going on - Lee was actually planning to leave straight from the appointment to go to Tifton...he had interviewed, gotten and accepted a job (the job he has now), and was starting that very day. He was going to be staying with my parents in Tifton until we sold our house in Savannah and we were able to buy something there...which I found kind of hilarious. I mean, who wants to live with their in-laws?? But he was totally fine with it, and (this really is true) my parents are the coolest...so I was happy about the arrangement.

Anyway, our appointment was at 8:50 that Tuesday morning - it was cold, foggy, and just kind of miserable outside. We took separate cars so that Lee could get on the road after the appointment and I could drive on to work. I was nervous, but that was to be expected. I was mostly just excited - and I was POSITIVE that we were going to find out that we were having a little boy. I just knew it. And Lee was just as positive that we were having a little girl... so we had a little friendly competition going on.

We made our way into the ultrasound room with our tech, Angie. She asked us if we wanted to know the sex of the baby - a resounding "YES!" to that question. Then she got me all settled, gell'd me up and got to work. We found out within seconds that we were having a little girl (Lee won), and she was showing us the head, arms, feet, toes, etc. etc. Then, Angie got really quiet. Too quiet. I immediately panicked and asked what was going on. That was the moment that changed our lives forever.

"Guys, I hate to tell you this...but something's not right with her heart."

To be honest, I don't remember too much after that. It's extremely blurry and comes in bits and pieces. I completely lost it - I do remember that - and Angie mentioned some things to Lee (I did catch something about "left side not developing" - that piece of information stuck), and then she shuffled us out the building and into the back door of my ob's office. This, I figured out later, was to keep us from upsetting the other patients. I get that - I do - no one who is pregnant wants to see another pregnant woman bawling about something she just saw on an ultrasound. You're talking contagious panic - coupled with hormones; that can't happen at an ob/gyn's office.

So, there we were, in tears, sitting in one of Dr. Edwards' patient rooms listening to him tell us that he "...wishes he could tell us it would be ok. blah blah blah blah..." It was excruciating. And I wanted to know what to do next. He called over to the Savannah Perinatologists' office to try to get us an appointment. No dice. He told us it might be a few days before they could see us. A few days?! How are you supposed to deal with that kind of information - which basically is NO information - for a few days? But, we had no choice.

Lee called his new boss and briefly explained the situation. I got into my car - called my mother first. One of the hardest phrases I've ever uttered was, "Mama, there's something wrong with her heart..." Then I fell apart. I was just so helpless. I called my best friend, Beth, next - said the same thing to her...fell apart again.

Lee and I both drove to our house in Savannah - we were panicked. I have never truly understood the meaning of having someone pull the rug out from under you until that moment. I was a wreck. I didn't have the strength to call work, so I sent an email. I just couldn't bear talking to them, even though many of them were close friends. Lee and I talked - trying to piece together what we could remember from the nightmare at Dr. Edwards' office...I thought I remembered the word "syndrome" - Lee was devastated at that because it meant the problem was probably not isolated. His devastation threw me into a deeper panic...it was a truly terrible few hours.

We called Dr. Edwards again - trying to clarify if we indeed heard "syndrome," trying to get more information, trying - in vain - to get some peace of mind. All we got was more confusion - and Dr. Edwards told me that whatever I did, do NOT get on the Internet and start searching for things. He said I would only make myself crazy. Yeah, right. Like I didn't jump right into that brier patch.

Our appointment with the perinatologist was not until about 3 days later - we could not just sit there. It was truly torture. So I decided that we should both go to Tifton - Lee could go ahead and start work the next day, and we could still be together, and I could get a little added support from my parents. It was a wonderful decision. I have never needed family so much in my life.

The next few days were pure, unadulterated Hell. The "why us" - the "what did I do wrong?" - the "what could I have done differently?"...the questions you ask yourself over and over and over that can never truly be answered.

Heading back to Savannah was tough. It was like going back to the belly of the beast and asking for more. My mom came back with us so that she could stay with me in Savannah when Lee had to go back to Tifton. The doctor's appointment was more stressful than anything I could have ever imagined - so many people told us (before that appointment and afterward) about similar experiences that just "fixed themselves" - it was so tempting to hope for an outcome like that...but so dangerous to lull yourself into that false place.

Anyway, the fetal echo cardiogram did show underdevelopment on the left side of the heart. When we went in to talk to the doctor about the "diagnosis," he brought up Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. I already knew. I had been on the computer constantly - unbeknownst to Lee - digging into every heart defect website I could find. That was the "syndrome" that I found that dealt with the left side of the heart...and it was, apparently, the most serious heart defect that an infant can have. It requires 3 surgeries - all open heart and all extremely complicated and dangerous. I even knew the year of the first successful three surgeries (1978)...I knew more than I should have known. And more than I wanted to know.

I spent a lot of time by myself those first few months - Lee was in Tifton working, and even though my parents tried to share time with me in Savannah, that was not an easy arrangement. I am not sure how I got through...I found strength I didn't know I had. I found something called "Heart Mommies" online, and I read voraciously about their plights and their ups and downs. I educated myself - prepared myself for the worst - prayed, cried, watched American Idol, went to work, ate, cried some more...it was a painful and frightening time.

We officially moved to Tifton on April 2nd, 2007. I had somewhat come to peace with our situation at that point...not totally, but I was trying. We moved into our new house, we ordered our crib and baby furniture; we did things that were very, very hard to do without knowing what lay ahead. But we did it - and that point in time made us a stronger couple (and family). On April 25, 2007, Lee, myself and my parents headed up to Atlanta for our first appointment with the doctors at Sibley Heart Center with the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

That was a very long day - we had several appointments. Met with the pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Nanci Stauffer, met with our perinatologist at Northside Hospital (where I gave birth), and my brand new OB, Dr. Richard Robbins.

To bring this chapter of our very long story to an end, we found out that day that our diagnosis was no longer HLHS...it had been officially changed to Coarctation of the Aorta. You would have thought someone gave us a winning Lotto ticket. By this point, I had read about every CHD there was, and I knew the significant difference between HLHS and CoA - and it was huge. There would still be surgery - that was almost guaranteed - but our little one was probably going to be ok.

Man, I could go on forever - and this is the first time I've actually written about all of this...wasn't sure how it would go or how much I had forgotten. Not much, apparently. How could I, really? Anyway, we are a very, very lucky family - with an amazing, beautiful, smart, healthy little girl. I will follow this entry up with her birth and surgery when the spirit moves me, but for now I will look back on this day - exactly two years ago - and be thankful for what I have and what we have been through.

Wow.

Brrrrr...

It's a chilly morning here in South Georgia...and that is rare. It must be why I really like cold weather so much - for the simple fact that we don't get much!! It is supposed to be 19 degrees tonight - and that, my friends, is frigid. And I love it.

We had a good weekend - Friday night we left Annalee with my parents and hung out with friends at their house...I vowed that we would be home by 11, but we somehow pushed that until 1am. It was well worth it, though. They have two little ones, and I think the older we get, and the more responsibility we all have, the more we enjoy just having some wine and talking with other adults. It was great fun. And it was cold that night, too...heaven.

Saturday night was the LOLA event - Love of the Love Affair. Now the Love Affair is an arts festival that's held the first weekend of May in Tifton - has been going on as long as I remember. After moving back to Tifton, I was recruited to be on the Arts Council which is in charge of the dear old festival. Let me tell you, all of those years I attended it...I never, ever realized what kind of work goes into putting it on. It's incredible. So Saturday night we had a dinner and silent auction to help raise money - as everyone knows, the economy right now is not condusive to fundraising, but we did ok. And the event was lots of fun for everyone involved. It's just amazing to me that I never realized what a big production the Love Affair was...I will never take any sort of hometown event for granted ever again!

Beth is coming to visit this weekend - I am beyond excited. I haven't seen her in months which is rare for us...I am in desperate need of some good Beth Time - it's just what the doctor ordered.

Alright, back to work...and to secretly enjoying being chilly...

How Embarrassing...

I used to be such a good blogger - I really did. I am going to blame my lack of entries on having an 18 month old and a part-time job. So there.

Just signed up for Twitter - am still not exactly sure what you get out of it, but since I am in marketing, I need to educate myself on all social media. And I think it will be fun when I get the swing of it. Along with slacking on my blog, I have quit following all of my favorite bloggers - I'm on a mission to find them all again and get caught up on their lives. Not sure if there are enough hours in the day for all of this, but I'm willing to give it a whirl.

So, like I said, Annalee is now 18 months old. She's such a blessing...and so funny and smart - and bad. I have been reading two blogs in particular lately about a little girl (Emma Kate) who has HLHS... This was the heart defect diagnosis originally given to Annalee in utero. Emma Kate just had her 2nd heart surgery and is in the hospital - I found her parents through Erika who is mommy to Samson. When I first heard the acronym "HLHS," I did what all Gen X'ers do...felt sorry for myself and then went straight to Google. I ran across Erika's blog, and I cannot tell you what comfort that gave me. Although Annalee's diagnosis changed from HLHS to Coarctation of the Aorta (much less serious), I still feel a kinship with the HLHS parents. Annalee still did have to have heart surgery, so in that I can relate...and because we were so very lucky, I feel like it is partly my duty to follow these other families and give them my support and prayers. Anyway, that said...Emma Kate's parents have inspired me to start this up again :)

I saw this poem on Emma Kate's mommy's site - made me cry:

Twas the night that you joined us...all eyes were on earth.
Awaiting with joy for a most special birth.
The angel's stood ready...for each need and care,
But all of them knew... that the Lord would be there,
And I labored on... and daddy was scared,
We waited...and wondered... and hoped we'd prepared.
We knew you were special...but so very sick,
Yet hope had grown in me... with every kick.
And soon it was time...into this world you came,
I heard a soft cry... then I called out your name....
And God held your hands...while the angels stood by,
Since I could not hold you...they hushed your soft cries.
One small angel looked to the father and smiled,
"Can you truly teach hope... through such a small child"?
"An infant so helpless...a baby so new...
"Oh please tell me Lord...is this what you will do"?
God looked from the angel...to the baby's sweet face,
"Through her my young charge... they will learn about grace".
"I penned this child's journey...quite a long time ago,
"And through her great courage...such true love will grow".
"Every hair on her head has been numbered you see.."
"It's my hope that through her... they will learn to see me.
"Oh my little one with a special heart... Great love will see you through.."
"See look that is your family.. They've been waiting for you.."
"I send you to their waiting arms...for a time we'll be apart.."
"But I'll always be with you...for I live within your heart."
And so we held you in our arms...And thanked our Lord above..
In you...we see the miracle, of His undying love.
So when it's Christmas morning, And I watch my children play,
I'll need no great reminders, For I see my gifts each day.

-Stephanie (Mommy to Braeden, HLHS)

Ok, enough for now...I'll be back later. :)

New Beginnings...

Well, I was not quite finished copying/pasting all of my old entries into this brand new blog...when - lo and behold - my precious (!) husband decided to move all of "that clutter" off of the desktop and into some hidden (read: nonexistant) folder. Anyway...all gone. We were able to recover lots of my work documents - thank God - but warbleme from Spring of 2006 until Spring of 2007 is gone forever. Moment of silence.

Ok...so back to the present.

There is so much that happened between Spring of '06 and now that it overwhelms me to try and put in all down...I will bullet it for now. When I have time (and energy), I will go back and detail some of these significant events.

• Spring '06 - we moved into our house in the 'burbs and settled in quite nicely among the vinyl siding and postage stamp yards


• Summer '06 - the housewarming party to end all others...we had a BLAST. Guarantee you Stonebridge has not seen a party like that since (even the cops came...classic)


• Fall '06 - I found out I was pregnant on 11/11...and proceeded to freak out. Took a shower, went back to bed, cried a bit. Eventually I got used to the idea and Lee I were ecstatic


• Winter '07 - In February (the 20th, to be exact), we went in for our 20-week ultrasound to find out if Baby Huff was girl or boy...and found out that she had a heart problem. The weeks and months that followed were pretty horrendous...but we kept getting better and better news (this is one of the stories I will have to detail later)


• Spring '07 - Lee and I moved to Tifton - into my old neighborhood! Such a strange turn of events, but Lee found a great accounting job here, and it was really important to us to be close to family...so here we are.


• Summer '07 - Moved up to Atlanta in mid-June to await little one's arrival...Annalee Timbs Huff arrived via c-section (planned) on June 29, 2007. 6 lbs, 12 oz - 18.5 inches...Born on a Friday afternoon at 430pm (happy hour baby, I like to say)


• Summer '07 - Annalee had heart surgery at Children's Hospital of Atlanta on July 5, 2007 to correct a Coarctation of the Aorta (again, I will detail this later). She was in the hospital only until July 9th...we brought her home to Tifton July 12th.


• Fall '07 - I don't remember it - totally sleep deprived and hormonal.


• Spring '08 - We found out at Annalee's cardiologist appt in April that her heart looks WONDERFUL...she won't go back to the cardiologist until April 2009 (good for mama's sanity), and she is such an adorable little angel...we cherish every day


• Summer '08 - I began working parttime (3 days/week) at an advertising agency here in Tifton...I know, can you believe there IS one?? And it's GREAT...I even get to write some which I love.

That brings us pretty much up to speed. I will detail more later. Glad to be back, my friends...

Well, good... (2.24.06)

I have been saying that a lot lately - mostly in a sarcastic tone. It makes me laugh. For example..."Molly, you're 10 days late on your car payment..." Molly: "Well, good...." hahahahah
So, I am leaving work in an hour and a half. Swinging by home, picking up Charlie and our luggage, picking up Lee at work, and heading off to Atlanta. I didn't ask for the time off - but my boss is in Tampa for the next week, and no one seems to need me in a huge way today...don't think it will be a big deal. Of course, I say that and some huge emergency will come up and everyone will be running around screaming, "Where the Hell is Molly??!?!!?!" Oh well, knock on wood. I have certainly put in enough overtime (unpaid, mind you) that I deserve a few hours off to avoid traffic. So there. :P
I am a little sad for one of my coworkers today... She's really young (barely 23) and is working in an administrative role with our company for now. Very bright - graduated from UGA and picks up on things so quickly - but that's just how advertising works. Have to pay your dues. Anyway, her boyfriend is in school, working to get into dental school, and she is here answering phones and feeling unfulfilled in her job...the boyfriend is constantly studying, and they're both living with their parents right now, and they're just frustrated. I can really understand it. And for some reason, at that age, it is really hard to see the big picture. It just feels like you're in a rut that you'll never get out of. She broke down in here a few minutes ago, and I just had to let her cry because honestly there wasn't anything I could say to make it better. I told her that it will eventually be fine...he will be out of school, she will move up in the company, they will have time together...but right now, she's just sad. And that makes me sad. But happy that she (and others) feel they can come to me about stuff. I hope I helped - even just by listening.
Watched a really bizarre/funny/interesting movie last night - "Pretty Persuasion." It reminds me of a cross between "Heathers," "Jawbreaker" and maybe "The Virgin Suicides" and "Election." Crazy movie - Evan Rachel Wood, James Woods, Ron Livingston, Selma Blair - lots of great actors. It's about a bunch of soulless, wealthy, fame-obsessed people - but so good. I recommend.
Ok, it has taken me forever to write this - many interruptions. Have a wonderful weekend!! We will be moshing and celebrating Loco's grand opening with the select few in Tifton. haha... :)

U-G-L-Y...I ain't got no alibi (3.1.06)

I'm ugly, hey hey, I'm ugly! Hahahah... I just got back from the dreaded DMV (had to further the process of changing my name), and I swear, looking at the picture on my new driver's license, I might as well be a toad. Good Lord, it's bad! Ick ick ick. Had to get some Twizzler Bites to make me feel better. And to add insult to injury, I parked in an unmarked employee space and was blocked in by a government vehicle. Oh well, that's behind me now. It was actually a decent experience minus the small traffic inconvenience and hideous photograph that I will be carrying around for 5 years.
Tonight is our Young Professionals Happy Hour - yeeeee... And it\'s sunny about 80 degrees outdoors - perfect weather. There is even going to be live music there tonight, which I love. Good times! I have gotten through the day with no chocolate and no fried food - and the 3rd thing that both Lee and I are going to try to give up are cigarettes. I only smoke when drinking, but it's time to put them down. It's just a stupid gross habit. Wish us luck!! Won't be easy for him, definitely.
I had a really bizarre dream last night about being chased by a killer. It was awful. I ended up stabbing him in the neck with a fork, but I couldn't make myself really hit him hard. It was weird. He was chasing us through some sort of amusement park - so scary. At the end of the dream, it was just me, the park had closed and he was still lurking around looking for me. Yikes... pretty intense. He had on a red shirt.
Lee and I had a LONG talk last night about what we're going to when "Junior" comes along... my company doesn't offer maternity leave because they don't have to - we're too small. We get 4 weeks because that's the law, but that's it. I don't know what we're going to do when that time comes... I am watching a coworker go through it right now, and it's so hard. This just isn't a very parent-friendly place. Much too fast-paced and driven for "silly" things like children. I know we will be able to work it out - maybe our company will even have grown by then and HAVE to offer a real maternity leave, but it definitely was a grounding discussion. And kind of an exciting one because it means we're thinking toward family. I just really don't want to give up my career (or my salary!), but I want the birth and first few months of our baby's life to be wonderful...not stressful and laced with work. Well, we will cross that bridge later, I suppose. For now, just keep your fingers crossed that we hire about 5 more people. heh heh
Happy Hump Day!

Goetz's Caramel Creams are the Best Candy Ever (3.1.06)

Just thought you should know.
Today has gone surprisingly well for a Tuesday - I got tons accomplished, the weather is gorgeous outside, I like what I'm wearing, and things generally seem to be going my way. That's a nice feeling. Yesterday I was so sluggish - couldn't get motivated to do anything at work, and then so tired when I got home that I was a zombie. Drank a glass of wine, made supper with my husband, watched Wife Swap and The Bachelor (I am torn about the outcome) and we went to bed. I had not even an iota of energy to do anything else. Today is a different story...yeeeeehaw.
Mardi Gras - Big Fat Tuesday...that's today, my friends. Which means tomorrow begins Lent. I am Methodist and have never given anything up for Lent before, but this year I am. I think I am going to either give up fried foods or chocolate. Either will be pretty tough for me, but I want to prove to myself that I can do it. Wish me luck...may just flip a coin. Both would be a big sacrifice...and I'm not big on self-control. haha
Happy Hour tomorrow - for the Young Professionals of Savannah. Sounds dorky but it's really a lot of fun - you don't feel like you're chasing the heels of the early-twenties crowd...more people our age in the same boat. I really enjoy them. We have SO much to do before we close next week that I shouldn't even be thinking about Happy Hours...should be thinking about packing...but I am going to allow myself this one little bitty night out. ;)
This is a complete stream of conciousness entry - forgive. I am going to work on my time sheets, play on myspace a little (so addicted - wah!) and go home to my sweet husband. May even have fried food AND chocolate tonight...it's my last chance!

Whirlwind (2.27.06)

This weekend was absolutely perfect - so much fun!!! We did travel a little too much - 4 hours Friday, 3 hours Saturday, 3 more yesterday - but we had the best time.
The concert Friday night... remember that it was NoFx. We're talking punk, moshing, beer-throwing, Bush-bashing, angry band. But as much as I am not "in tune" with some of those things, it was SO MUCH FUN! The venue was incredible - huge and dark and felt like a castle. There were actually 3 other bands playing in the downstairs room...crazy big place. We had a blast. The hotel we stayed in was so neat - built at the turn of the century, very quaint, small rooms, but so much character. We loved it. And we could walk to the concert.
We got up early Saturday morning, packed up, and hit the road. It was raining so hard, but because I am a control freak, I insisted on driving. Ugh... I could barely see! I hate it when people think they need to speed on wet roads - the vapor/mist/crap coming off of their cars was blinding, and it was a really nervewracking drive. But after we hit Macon, it was smooth sailing. Got to Tifton around 2, had a late lunch with the family and just rested.
Saturday night was the Loco's Friends & Family Grand Opening - despite the weather, everyone had fun. How could you not have fun? The booze and food was free! hahah... My brother's best friend is the proprietor, and Tom had given him several pieces of Tift County High School football memorabilia to put on the walls. Well, when we first walked in, Tom pointed behind the hostesses' station, and what should be displayed on the bookshelf but MY megaphone from high school. Complete with my name on it (there aren't that many Molly's in Tifton...so this is obviously mine).
I was caught between feeling flattered and feeling like an old vintage relic. But it was funny, we laughed it off, and I drank three extra beers to numb the pain.
Came back to our little nest last night - it's hard to believe that it will no longer be ours in a couple of weeks. Yikes! I have loved that house so much... Times they are a changin
Happy Monday.

It's Official! (2.23.06)

Just got back from the Social Security Office... I have now - in the eyes of the law and a nice lady whose nameplate read "L. Polite" - taken my husband's last name. I know, I know...we've been married for almost 5 months, but the process is a PAIN! The SS office is only open from 9am-4pm, M-F...that does not really work for those of us with the ol' jobby jobs. But I needed to do this before we close on the new house - apparently it can make the closing complicated, blah blah. I hate paperwork.
I actually do feel a little different now - that's kind of weird. I mean, I've been introducing myself with my new last name for awhile now, and I am using the towels with my married monogram, and all of those little things - but legally changing it - whew, whole different matter.
Which brings me to another point - I did not realize until the past year or so that keeping your maiden name as your middle name is, for the most part, a Southern tradition. Very interesting. I just thought everyone did that - or kept their maiden name. So interesting to me - I just cannot imagine dropping my maiden name altogether. I almost feel like it would be insulting to my parents. Does that make sense? It does leave me with rather a strange name now...it certainly does not roll off the tongue... but it's my past and present and future. All together.
Didn't mean to get philosophical.
Going to a punk concert tomorrow - will NOT be philosophical there. Will drink beer and try not to look my age. Maybe even MOSH! Sweet.

Strike that, life is good until you make a fool of yourself on a conference call (2.21.06)

Why do I do things like that? I am on a conference call - with 8 other people (3 of them clients) and I am the first up. So instead of being a normal person and just getting right down to business, I practically scream "Good morning!" in a weird voice and then yell, "MEDIA!\" (which is my "subject")... Everyone sat there in silence, I turned purple, and one of my co-workers actually said, "Whoa." I think I thought it would be funny - who knows... With my friends, I do weird stuff all the time - I AM weird - but I need to remember that not everyone gets me. Especially when they can't even SEE my face to understand that I'm joking. Ugh... I hate that feeling. I will put it in my HUGE pile of Most Embarassing Moments. I think it was number 4,359,299...jeez.

Phooey.

In other news, we have two trips (count em) two trips this weekend. We are headed to Atlanta Friday night (4 hour drive) to see NoFx. This band is one of my husband's favorites... I will enjoy it, I'm sure (as I did Social Distortion), but I have this vision of me surrounded by eyeliner-wearing punks moshing all over one another and I stand awkwardly in my pea coat. hahah...It's actually a funny thought. Saturday we are driving to Tifton (another 3 hours) for the Friends & Family opening of Loco's down there. My brother's best friend is the owner, so we got these sought-after invitiations through him...should be a lot of fun. Free booze and food and a bunch of people we know. :) But, my God, we are going to be slap worn out by Sunday.

I watched a massive amount of television last night - old Laguna Beach episodes, Flip this House (AWESOME show), The Secret Life of a Serial Killer (extremely interesting...and creepy), The Bachelor (Allie G didn't show...I kind of feel bad for her crazy a$$), and then a show on a transexual about to have an operation. My brain is fried. But expanded. ha...

Happy Tooseyday - Math homework, green beans on the stove and Inspector Gadget on TV ... ah yeah

Here Goes Nothing! (2.7.06)

The owners of the house we want accepted our offer. The guy that wants our house signed our counter-offer...we're ready to go! So crazy - this happened so incredibly fast!! I haven't had time to let any of it sink in. Bizarre! I looked at Lee last night and was like, "Yikes! Is this even a good idea?? We haven't had time to really even think about it!!" Which is not entirely true - we sat in our den about a week ago and made a HUGE list of pros v. cons about what we're doing. Then my accountant husband assigned values to all of our points, and the pros won 111 to 79. So, we DID think about it...even analyzed it as much as you can. It just seems so quick.
Soon we will be out of downtown (knock on wood that everything goes smoothly) and into a 2 year old house in a new neighborhood. Three bedrooms, a bonus room...a PATIO... a YARD... wow!! So excited...yet so anxious at the same time. Please keep your fingers crossed that this all works out.

Our House...in the Middle of the 'Burbs (2.6.06)

So, we are in "negotiations" right now - we got a great offer on our house that we are countering (for timing reasons), and the people that own the house we want have accepted our offer (contingent on us selling our house). Stressful, fun, scary, exciting - all those things in one. Keep your fingers crossed - we could be moving into the burbs as early as March! Yikes!
My brother came into town this weekend at the last minute. It was such a nice surprise, and we had a really great time. He got in around 930 on Friday night, we had a few beers and headed downtown. I am so lucky to have such a great brother - and even luckier that he and my great husband get along. A few times during the weekend, I was upstairs doing this or that and would hear them having conversations downstairs. Totally comfortable with one another and like old friends. It made me so happy. Two of the most important people in my life - and they love each other. What a blessing. Fun, fun weekend.
This week is going to be a long one...I don't even know why I say that, but I feel it's true. Maybe because it's 11:12 am on Monday, and I feel like I've been here for at least 17 hours. Ugh... We do have a fun trip to look forward to - we're headed to Nashville, TN Friday - we're going to visit my friend, David (who sang at our wedding) and our friends Beth & Robert are going to. Will be a blast - these are my best friends...I wish everyone could make it (a true "Circus" reunion), but those times are few and far between these days. I'll take what I can get!
I will write more later - have a wonderful Monday.

Life is good (2.20.06)

I think I have written posts with that title before, but if anything is worth repeating, it's that phrase. Life IS good. Sometimes it makes the world a better place to sit back and think of everything in your life that's going in the right direction. It's so easy to let the bad stuff take over...but taking even just 5 minutes to count the "pros" can make you feel downright silly for mulling over the crap.
I had a great weekend. Friday night, Lee and I did nothing - had a few beers, played Trivial Pursuit, ordered pizza and just talked. And it was so much fun. Saturday I hit the road for Atlanta - Melissa's birthday celebration. Got up there around 430, sat with her for awhile in her midtown loft, Beth arrived. Of course when Beth arrived, she immediately broke out the wine (I love her) and we all started getting festive. Shortly thereafter, Melissa's parents (who I've known almost my whole life), sister (whom I cheered with in high school) and brother-in-law got there. It was all hugs and laughter. Something about "home" folks, you know? Melissa's friend, Heather and her boyfriend, Rob, got there and we all headed out to dinner.
It was CHILLY in Atlanta, but we were all bundled up with our wine in our "travelers" (which is not legal in Atlanta - na na na boo boo...it is here), and we walked to the little Italian restaurant down the street. Baraonda is so charming - small, filled with good smells and laughter, great food. We all sat down, ordered drinks, and toasted Melissa. After a big, long, yummy meal (and several bottles of wine), Melissa's dad picked up the tab (so sweet) and we were on our way. M, B, myself, Heather and Rob headed out to "the club" - a place called Vision on Peachtree. This is just the kind of place 50 Cent is talking about when he sings "in da club..." But what an experience! Rob got us in for free and even got us VIP passes - so much fun. The place was HUGE and glitzy and cheesy and awesome. We had a blast.
We ended the night at this little joint called McCray's which shares a parking lot with Melissa's condo building. It was late, we were tired, tipsy and happy...and it was time to call it a night.
Went to lunch yesterday with Beth's baby, Andie (who is so adorable...I want to eat her). All in all, just a wonderful trip with good, old friends.
I got home and Lee had made beef stew and had written me a poem. I am a lucky girl. :)
Happy Monday - don't forget to count your blessings.

Friday...Thankfully (2.17.06)

I have been really bad about writing lately - just so much going on. This week alone, we had an inspection of our new house, a buyer back out on our old house, a new buyer come in and make an offer, talks with the new house owners, and finally setting a date of March 8th for the closing. All that and working fulltime too. Who has time for Valentine's Day??

It's been exciting, though, and I think (HOPE) we're all set. Our house is getting inspected on Wednesday, so please keep your fingers crossed. It's an old house, but it is in remarkably good shape. I just hope the inspector agrees with me.

Last weekend, Lee, me, Beth, and her husband, Robert, all went up to Nashville, TN to see our friend, David. We had a blast. It snowed, we drank, it snowed, we ate, it snowed, we slept. So much fun. David rented limos for us Friday and Saturday night to take us to and from town - so much fun - these limos are older, a little roughed up, and we had a blast. I had not been to Nashville in years (b/c the drive is horrendous), but it was so much fun. We'll have to do it again soon. And David has become quite the real estate mogul - so proud. :) Good times.

Tomorrow I am headed to Atlanta to help one of my best friends, Melissa, celebrate her 30th birthday. Beth is going, too, and I know it will be a blast. Going to have a date tonight with my sweet husband, and head up there in the morning.

Oh! I got a new desk today at work - I am quite professional now. I hope this doesn't mean I have to start wearing suits...although my office DOES smell of rich mahogheny. hahaha

Have a great weekend!!

Being a grown up... (2.1.06)

is not all it's cracked up to be. We have decided to sell our house and move to the 'burbs - something I said I would never do. It's such a strange feeling to know what you need to do and to feel yourself wanting to do what's best for your "family" and not just yourself. I guess being single so long made me a bit (eh-ehm) selfish/independent. But, here we are, talking family and future and knowing we need to get out of downtown Savannah.
For that reason, I am going to list all my favorite things about Downtown Savannah - I have been living within a 1.5 square mile area for almost 6 years, so I've accumulated quite a few (bear with me):
1. Spanish Moss - so gorgeous and just everywhere (tourists play with it and get chiggers - heh heh)
2. Pinkie Masters - the best dive bar ever - I have lived 5 minutes from this place for so long...they even gave us a wedding gift
3. Forsyth Park - huge, smack dab in the middle of downtown, historic, perfect running path, WONDERFUL concerts and plays (where you can pack wine and food and have picnics...so much fun)
4. My Short Commute - I will go from a 2 minute commute to a 15-minute commute - not terrible, but I will miss the extra sleep (you and I both know that every minute counts)
5. Soho - the best lunch restaurant EVER - they have the most amazing tomato basil bisque I have ever tasted
6. Six Pence - where I met my husband... :)
7. Our church - this is the church I belong to and where we got married - it's beautiful and is so special to me...will be a bit of a drive, but we'll keep coming in for the services
8. Spur of the moment plans - it's so easy for us to pick up and go to restaurants/bars to meet friends right now...everything is within walking distance almost! So that will change
9. Squares - the Savannah squares...green and well-manicured and romantic
10. Crazy homeless people - that's kind of what we're getting away from - but they're so hilarious...will miss the characters
11. Sweet Leaf - best bbq restaurant in the WORLD
12. Mercury Lounge - love the bartenders and the ambience
13. Vinnie's Pizza - some of the best pizza you will ever put into your mouth - and located right in City Market...great joint
14. Beach Access - right now, we're only a short drive...we'll double that by moving out, and I am a BEACH GIRL in a serious way
15. Church Bells - you hear them all day every day...they have become part of my Savannah soundtrack - I will certainly miss those
That's all for now - making me too sad. Wish us luck - we're in Counter Offer Hell right now.