Boo at the Zoo

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Zoo days..Columbia, SC

In progress...

Outerbanks of NC

A place like no other, the Outer banks of North Carolina. We stayed in Nags head and Ocracoke. In one sentence: Quiet, beautiful fishing/beach towns with lots of history...and good food of course! I'm dreaming of the soft shell crab and broiled scallops that tasted like butter!



The island is small enough that you can use your bike, most the time. Lydia and little cousin Brody were brave enough to let me pull them.



The Ocracoke lighthouse, one of the oldest in the U.S.




An up close shot of an Ocracoke Spanish "pony". The theory behind them is that their descendants were left behind from the Spanish explorers, De Soto or Cortez in the 1500's.

We visited the Lost Colony of Roanoke site and went to the outdoor play. Amazing!!



Yvette, Brody, and Lydia panning for pirate booty...Too bad they never found my wedding ring I lost on the beach! =(

We had so much fun. Thank you abuelito and abuelita (and the Bowmans) for spending time with us in this beautiful place. We will never forget it!!

Moms Week..

First, I want to pay tribute to the beautiful woman who started it all. My little Lydia gets her name and her beauty from her dear abuelita. Mom, where do I start....I love you! I love your patience, (which I struggle with, I know ;) your kindness, your concern, sincere love for your family and friends-pretty much everyone around you, your unselfishness, your energy, your endless lists of talents, and of course you always are there to listen....and to ease my feisty, determined nature. As I work on myself, I hope to develop a lot of the wonderful qualities you have. My life right now is a never ending, fast-paced roller coaster-but I know I need to take more time appreciating the wonderful family, especially mother, who will always be there for me, through thick and thin. (getting teary eyed) I hope you know that I love you mom. And even though we don't get to talk all the time I know you are thinking of me and praying for me. I feel your love and support from hundreds of miles away.

Izzy! (Someone.... cue the Cyndi Lauper song, "Girls just wanna have fun" ) You are a fun mom! Isaac and Maile are two lucky kiddos! You grab life by the......horns. Thank you for being such a loving, supportive sister. You have a talent of building others up and seeing the positive out of life. We're glad to, hopefully, have you closer!
Issy-I love this picture! Thank you for being a thoughtful, caring sister and aunt. I think this photo captures that! I know someday you will make an awesome, patient mom. You treat your nieces and nephews as if they were your own..It is so sweet to see! Thank you for your warm cards and calls. I think it is a true talent -- to always be thinking of everybody.
Eva, I'm laughing right now because you and Bro Bro are two peas in a pod! I love that you are a hands on mom, always going and doing. That's why our lil' Brody is so stink'n smart! We're sooo excited, that you might be coming to the beach with us!! Hope it works out!


I am so lucky to have the best kid in the world! (okay, maybe I'm a little biased). Sometimes I wished I had one more, but I am grateful for what I do have, God has blessed us with a beautiful, smart little girl who keeps life exciting. I'm honored to be her mom. To all my friends and family -hope you have a wonderful mothers day!

Miss, "No, I'll do it!"

Little miss is growing into be her own person..independent, sweet, fun. She hates to be shown how to do something...and wants to be hands on the whole time (like mom).

Valentines Gratitude

Happy Valentines Day..here are some Beignets for you all! I had some this morning.




February was a crazy month for me. About 3 weeks ago I had surgery and a biopsy because of a previous irregularity with a mammogram. It was nerve wrecking waiting for the results-and on top of that I had quizzes to take and a research paper to turn in. Luckily I have very supportive friends and family who have been praying for me, so that really helped. About a week ago, the results of the surgery came back and luckily everything was benign. No abnormal cells found. I'm very grateful, I hear so many stories of situations going the other way. Good health- what an awesome birthday gift!