too good not to post…

We had our maternity portraits done on Monday by Mr. Mae and this was D doing a test shot for the photographer…
I love my husband…

It’s a girl!

Doesn’t she have the sweetest profile?? We think that may be D’s nose…

She squiggled and squirmed and danced around – she was really moving in there. The sonogram technician was having fun with her and – PRAISE GOD, HE IS FAITHFUL – found everything about our little sugar ‘n spice to be just perfect. Here’s the almost 5 month belly…

We’ve been keeping busy – shocker, I know. Baseball, final exams, settling into the house… we even went to prom on April 28th! (As chaperones, of course.)

Mr. and Mrs. Mae chaperoned with us and we had fun – though most of the time was spent monitoring the DJ’s questionable song selection…grrrrrrrr.

D and I have managed to spend some fun time together lately. We’ve shopped for shoes, watched Friday night movies outside on Marion Square, hung out at the beach, and toured around Asheville, NC during a baseball series against UNC-Asheville.

Of course Guinness & Bella are up to their same old tricks. G begging for food…

Bella “guarding” the house (which usually entails incessant barking at passersby whilst she tucks her tail and runs.)

And of course their constant pleading to be taken back to beach…

"We are family…"

Mom, Dad, Bob & Arlene headed down to Charleston on Tuesday for some Southern sight-seeing and a CSU baseball game. Here we are being silly and having dinner at the Mellow Mushroom.

(Loony Tunes, Bob & Barb… after seeing these two in action, I realizsed we were lucky it was just 2 of the 4 siblings!)

And of course there was some time for serious baseball conversation… Aunt Arlene even put in her two cents about recruiting based on a players “upside.”

D and I enjoyed listening to stories of their crazy capers in Savannah. We bid adieu and set them on back up 17 to Pawley’s Island. Now it’s just the two (three!) of us again.

Beach bummin’

I’ve been reclaiming my beach time lately. So have G and B – it’s like a “Where’s Waldo” – Miss B is fairly conspicuous, but can you find G? (He had taken off after a sandpiper…)

Unfortunately, Coach W’s schedule has been quite erratic lately, due to some rainouts, so I’ve been going solo. Though I suppose if I count the dogs and our little bun-in-the-oven, then I’ve actually been in quite good company…

And there he or she is! Poking out for sure, there is no sucking in that 14-week belly. I felt some flutters at the Kickin’ Chicken on Friday night. (Maybe we have a spicy chicken wing fan!)

On Saturday, I headed up to Pawley’s Island without D -who was quite upset to have to stay behind for rescheduled games. Uncle Bob and Aunt Arlene came in from Minneapolis to hang out at the beach house Mom & Dad D won at a silent auction. Here’s Bob, Mom, and me – are they siblings or what??

We spent some time sight-seeing the more soulful side of Myrtle Beach and walking the beach outside the house.

Aren’t they cute!! They make me excited about life after 50 – so cool and fun to be around!

More pics to follow as the week progresses. The fabulous foursome will be in Charleston for D’s game against the Citadel on Tuesday, 4/8. (Watch it online here!)

Phew! It’s only March?!!??

It’s been a full year so far for the Wolfepack. Here’s a quick synopsis (mostly in photos) of where we’ve been since we haven’t been on the blog!

After ringing in the New Year in style with Mr. and Mrs. Mae, we had one very relaxing afternoon on the tidal creek, fishing and spying the mischevious dolphins that chased away our dinner. I swear they knew what they were doing. Oh well… they can’t go to Publix like we can.

And sometime later that weekend we had the Mae’s over for dinner one last time in our funky, little downtown apartment. Although technically it wasn’t just the 4 of us anymore. We found out on January 27th that we are having a baby! So shortly there after we signed a lease and started packing boxes (again). That’s 6 times in 2 years and 2 months – nauseating.

February rolled in with some mild weather and lots of sun. Mom and Dad D came down for a visit and I was blessed to have my mom there for my first day of morning sickness. A week later, on Valentine’s Day, we headed off to the Maya Riviera for E and S’s wedding. Thanks to Mom and Dad D, we were able to be there for our friends and enjoy a romantic rendevouz before the craziness of the ball season got underway. It was fun to see old college friends, go snorkeling and kayaking together, and pretend that I wasn’t experiencing intense nausea and serious food aversions.

Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. J!

And the next weekend we were at the season opener for NCAA college baseball…and that’s pretty much what we’ve been doing every weekend since February 22nd.We did enjoy a day away from the diamond on Easter Sunday. We actually got to attend church – gasp! – and Sunday School – double gasp!! – and catch up with our friends at First Baptist. We can also now officially call our new digs a “home” because we cooked a holiday (the most important holiday) meal in it. We broke in the new kitchen to roast a lamb for Easter dinner with our adoptive family (aka Mr. and Mrs. Mae).
Although it was terribly unorthodox, it was a warm spring day harkening to an early summer and we had some limes we needed to use, so D made his special margaritas. Lamb and margaritas… ? …
…however we took this as evidence that Mrs. Mae approved.
We also have a recommendation to make – you must get Catch Phrase! It (and Scattergories) has been the source of much entertainment for the 4 of us lately. (Hey we’re teachers, coaches, and upstart photographers, okay?) And, I must say, the boys are getting a little cranky from being so sorely beaten… EVERY TIME!

Happy New Year! (and Happy 2nd Anniversary to us!)

We enjoyed a wonderful 2nd anniversary and the best New Year’s Eve outside of our wedding that we could remember. We celebrated with our anniversary brunch, menu a la Jackson Hole, WY. Then we headed to the beach with the pups for some sun and surf before the evening festivities.

After a fun day relaxing and remembering, we zipped on home to get ready for a fantastic New Year celebration. Mostly it was fantastic for Mrs. Mae and me because we were on the arms of the most dapper young men in the city.

Although, we must admit that we looked pretty smashing as well. (heehee.)

So we started off at Raval, a fun european tapas bar. Mrs. Mae and I enjoyed our conversation and goofing around while the boys took photos of us being silly.

Then we got hungry…

So we headed on over to 16 Market for some posh palate-pleasers and a chic count-down to 2008.

…10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

After we decided that our feet hurt too bad and that we were too tired because not one of the 4 of us could remember the last night we had been up until midnight, D tried calling a taxi……but they were all busy – so we walked home – a truly charming late night/early morning stroll through the unique and amazing city we are blessed to call home.

This year, D and I truly realized how much the Lord has blessed us with the friendship of Mr. and Mrs. Mae. We feel honored to be their BFFs. The four of us have a connection that only comes from those placed on our path by the Holy Spirit. God hand-picked us for each other and because of our love for Christ, we ended up on the same journey.

And of course there are no words for the joy and gratitude we feel from the simple truth that D and I are each other’s forever. When the Lord knit us in the womb, before our days were but one (Psalm 139:13-16). He had us planned out for each other – he designed us knowing that! He ordered our steps so that on December 31, 2005, we would become one flesh (Genesis 2:20-24 & Mark 10:6-8). Awesome.
We are excited to see what the Lord has for our marriage and the life we’ve built in the next year, and to walk in the grace He has lovingly set before us. Here’s to the fresh new mercies (Lamentations 3:22-24) of 2008!

and… we’re back.

The holidays came and went in typical whirlwind fashion, though I don’t think we were particulary swept away with Christmas-y craziness. But two things that fell to the wayside were Christmas cards (our apologies) and the blog. But, better late than never!

Amidst English Lit and Spanish finals, a new photography business, and baseball camps, the four of us still managed to enjoy some festive evenings tooling around King Street after home-cooked meals and having fun exchanging gifts before we drove up to Mom and Dad D’s for Christmas.


We arrived to a warm and cozy welcome at Mom and Dad D’s… cookies and breads and comforting seasonal menus filled our bellies every night. The house looked beautiful and we enjoyed lazing around, being silly, and cuddling up to the fire in our matching pyjamas. It was L.L. Bean through and through – Golden Retriever included.

We enjoyed a great Christmas Eve candle-light service at RBC. Pastor M delivers a genuinely compelling and straight-forward gospel message each year to reach those attending the service that would not normally be there but for the Christmas holiday. This was also the last time we were dressed respectably – after church Mom suprised us with those super-comfy, matching Christmas pyjamas!

Unfortunately, there are no pictures to prove it this year, but we got to see J! He came up from his parents’ new home in Winchester and spent the night with us in Clifton. Like last year (see photo below), he and D enjoyed catching up hipster-style in Georgetown. We miss you, J!

Quick pics…

Us at the Marion Square Tree Lighting.

D and R at the King Street Christmas Parade.

Michelle My Bella.

Season’s Greetings

The holiday season is here… Cozy-ness abounds! How can anyone be a Grinch with autumn scenery like this??

We got our first Christmas tree this year… we had to forego one last season due to the teeny-tinyness of our San Francisco apartment. The day after Thanksgiving we ventured out to Mount Pleasant and brought home a pre-lit, artificial tree from Wal-Mart – how American!! Here’s D caught mid-assembly, a proper “before and after.”

Thanksgiving was relaxing – and filling. Mom and Dad W were out for their first visit to the South. We enjoyed double-dating around Charleston for a few days. (Hey, Dad, there are your sunglasses!)

And to make sure our guests were ushered properly into the Low Country culture, D took Dad W crabbing Thanksgiving morning and they brought home some succulent hors d’oeuvres.

Though the morning was not without excitement for me and Mom W. Of course, the first holiday dinner I cooked for my new in-laws could not go off without a hitch – that’d be too easy. As the two of us sat chatting over amaretto tinged coffee and Gramma S’s scones, a sudden rush of water interrupted the conversation and the insuing flood quickly turned our attention to the kitchen sink. Needless to say, an hour later the floor and cabinets were drying, the plumber had left, and we were returning to our cold coffee and warm conversation. (Thanks for the emotional support, Mom!)

…

To finish out our week off, D and I hit the beach before the evening high-tide in search of a respite from Thanksgiving leftovers. We brought home a tasty little guy – we think he was a Red Drum – and enjoyed a well-appreciated change in fare Saturday night.

And for any of you who are actually following the stocking progress, here’s the most recent snapshot… it’s getting longer!!

Betty Crocker Sunday

Actually, I’ve made a whole weekend out of it. I am so thankful to be on vacation for a week. Ahhh… I can hear myself unwinding…

We had no baseball this weekend, so I started prepping for Thanksgiving -my second year cooking the feast solo. (Except for calls home to Mom to double check ingredients and techniques.) I really love doing it – and I love having guests and the whole celebratory mess of it all.

Here’s the cranberry sauce – action shot!

…and the pumpkin pie…

Here’s my Gramma S’s pumpkin bread -on which we’ve already started munching…

…and her scones. Mmmm. However, I didn’t sprinkle in sultanas and roll out a one-inch thick circle, cutting out off-kilter isosceles triangles the way she did. I dowsed the dough with dried blueberries and cherries, dropped them into scraggly lumps onto a baking sheet and called it a day. But the taste is the same… buttery, mellowly floury, and the tang of fruit in every bite.

D was a little under the weather this weekend and insistent that only college football and french toast would cure him. We had no bread, so I made some.

In the down time between rising dough and a preheating oven, I started D’s stocking. (Yay!) More pics to follow as it actually takes the shape of a sock…