Out in the country...

Bear spent Friday night and all day Saturday out in Holly Springs, MS with his Aunt Tori and Uncle Lee. They apparently took a long walk, played softball, and played catch. Bear also got some time in with his cousins, Joey and Phoebe. When we got back from Missouri Saturday night, Bear was passed out asleep and didn't wake up until 8:00 the next morning. Sounds like a great time to me! Here are a few pictures Tori and Lee took that day. Thanks guys for sending them to me!

Don't do it...

I woke up with a sore throat and a small cough. Someone recommended this to me today. At the risk of sounding like a 5-year-old, I'd rather be sick with the flu than take that medicine again.

A few more pictures from our day with Sydney.

We had the most perfect visit with Sydney on Saturday. We got there around 9:00 a.m., picked her up from her grandma's house and then went to the park. It was so pretty and crisp outside. I couldn't resist taking a million and a half pictures. After our photo session at the park, we ate lunch at McAlisters, and then went to see "The Enchanted." That's the movie where the cartoon characters turn into real people and a princess is trapped in New York City. Sydney loved it! After the movie, we went back to Syd's house and played tea party with her for a while. She had a birthday party to be at, so we left about 4:30. The visit was much shorter than we would have liked, but we had the best time. We found out Saturday that Syd is going to be in a pageant (her first ever) in two weeks. We will of course be there! I can't wait! I love this girl!

Friday night, Zach and I invited Tori, Lee, Russell, and Alison over for a puppy play date. We ate burgers, played DVD family feud, and watched the dogs play. Russell & Alison have a weimaraner and a german shorthaired pointer. Tori and Lee have a lab and a collie mix. Bear was in doggie heaven. The visit made us even more excited about getting Bryant. 2 more days!! When Tori and Lee left, they took Bear with them so Zach and I could go to Missouri on Saturday. Tori said she took plenty of pictures of Bear. I'll be sure to post those when she sends them to me. I hear it was a fun time! Here are a few pictures from our dog-filled Friday night.

19 hours left until we get to see this crazy girl!!!

Bring on the Rain...

Yesterday morning around 5:00 a.m., I woke up to the sound of thunder, lightning, and rain pounding our roof. I took a deep breath and snuggled up closer to my husband. It was one of those perfect moments. Here's what I wasn't doing: *trying to decide whether the weather was severe enough to break into programming. *worrying if the lightning would interfere with our live shot. *worrying if the Digital Storm Tracker would make it across the river *obessing about why my "Storm Team Coverage: 6 Box" didn't make it on air *answering calls from half of the Mid-South about the weather on their street *answering calls from half of the Mid-South about why we cut into their favorite show *having an intense discussion on whether the storm should be branded "breaking news." *sending our photographers to capture every flooded street, downed tree, or power line they could find. Ahhh.. the life of a "former" tv news producer. One day I will probably begin to miss it... but not today.

Wow!

I got to see my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew today!! My family has been using a computer program, Skype, to talk to Dan, Tami and Zeke online. Dan and Tami set up a web camera and you can actually see them and they can talk to you. They've told me about it, but I've never actually experienced it.. until today. Dan talked to me about journalism stuff, the Tigers, our new dogs, and lots of other fun stuff. Tami was cooking in the kitchen, but came over to say hi for a few minutes. She showed me her pregnant belly!! So cute! Little Kaiyah is growing! And eventually, Dan brought Zeke over to the computer. That was almost too much to handle. He is getting so big. I don't have a web camera so he couldn't see me, but I sent him funny faces online to make him laugh. He let out a few giggles. The Skype program is a MILLION times cooler than I ever imagined. I've created a mental "to do" list: get a web camera and microphone. This little program may help me adapt to them being across the world. I love you guys! The conversation was great! Can't wait to see you again!!

Great weekend

What a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Friday night, Zach and I stayed in. Saturday night, we met up with our friends, Heather and Paul, for sushi and Hibachi. Heather was my little sister in my sorority, and still one of my great friends. She is so talented... a great cook, writer, and decorator. You can read more about her life here. I'm so glad she lives here in Memphis! Afterwards, Zach and I went to see the Great Debaters. It was SOOOO good! I highly recommend it! Sunday, we got up to go to church. We spent the rest of the afternoon napping and playing with our animals. Last night, Zach and I went outside (it's 65 degrees here- what the heck is that about??) to enjoy the warm weather. We smoked our pipes and watched Bear play. Next weekend, we get to see Syd!! 5 days and counting.. SO EXCITED!

Exactly one year ago yesterday, my brother-in-law, Lee asked my sister to be his wife. Lee was in the Marine Corps, stationed in Africa. Tori was living here in Memphis. The two, who somehow managed to make their love work from across the world, decided to meet in Italy to celebrate the New Year. On January 6, Lee proposed. Of course, Tori said yes, and they were married in July. It was like something out of a movie. I love it!! Ever since, our family has enjoyed getting to know Lee. In just 6 months, he's become a member of our family... and one of our best friends. I couldn't have hand-picked anyone more perfect for my wonderful sister. I love you guys!!

New Blog!

My parents have created a blog! I'm so excited! I love reading the blogs of other people-- especially my friends and family. So much fun!!! You can check it out here.

We've Lost Our Minds...

Apparently someone slipped some doggie crack into Zach's and my food because we've decided to get another one! Yes, I know- we're crazy. We took Bear to Lee and Tori's house on Monday and he had so much fun playing with the other dogs. We felt bad making him come home. Since we're at work all day, we thought it would be a good idea to give him someone he could play with. We wanted to do it while they're young to make sure they get along well. So, last night we went to the home of the breeders. They were so wonderful and had such a big family... Mom, Dad, 4 kids, 2 dogs, a cat, 2 hampsters, and 8 puppies. We took Bear with us and he picked out his new brother. Right now, Bryant (Zach picked out the names- can you tell) is only 4 1/2 weeks old. Bear is exactly three weeks older. They were so cute wrestling and playing last night. We're going to pick him up on Wednesday, January 16. Bryant is a golden retriever- very similar to a lab. Of course, I forgot my camera.. but I found a picture online that looks very similar to Bryant right now.

Happy Birthday!

One of my best friends in the world turns 26 today. And in honor of her birthday, I want to take a minute to brag on her. Joanna Daye Hodge Goforth is one of the most amazing people I know. She's a mother, wife, artist, athlete, servant, sister, daughter, aunt, and friend. Joanna is hands down the best listener I know. She loves her children and her husband. Her amazing desire to know Christ shines through every day in her unselfish desire to know her friends and family.

Joanna has brought me so much joy and comfort in my life since we were little kids. I just wanted to take a minute to shine on her a little.

Thank you, Joanna, for everything you do in this world. May your birthday be as happy as possible!

I love you!

We were hoping to go see Sydney this weekend, but we just found out that she's going to be busy this weekend, so now we have to wait until next weekend to see her. Aaaghhhh... I miss her so much and I know Zach does too. I just keep thinking about her sweet little smile. 10 days and counting...

Happy 2008!

Resolutions for 2008: laugh more serve more love deeper forgive easier pray more worry less On New Years Eve, Stephanie, Adam, Russell, Alison, Zach and I met up at Tori and Lee's. We ate, laughed, played games, watched Rockin' New Years Eve, and shot fireworks. We had a few minor episodes.. Tori and Lee's dog went missing temporarily, Lee almost burned the house down with his pyro-personality, Bear treated Tori and Lee's kitchen like a toilet- and used the bathroom about 15 times. But otherwise- it was a great time. Aside from the fear- Lee really did put on a great fireworks show! I was very impressed. Zach and I ended up staying all night. The next morning, Zach and Lee went to play football. Tori and I loaded up the dogs, went and got coffee, then met the guys at the football field. It was absolutely freezing and the dogs were out of control, but Tori and I couldn't stop laughing at how stressful the situation was. As usual-- Tori and I had so much fun together. I'm lucky to have a sister and best friend- wrapped up all in one person. Here are a few pictures from that night.