Young Wifflesnappers

Steven and I decided to add Wiffle Ball to our list of sports that bring us back to the good ole' days of elementary school P.E. class. This fall we are playing with the Young Wifflesnappers as part of the Wiffle Dixie Social League. Steven has decided that the above picture will adorn his trading card when he is called up to the professionals due to his amazing skills.

Wiffle Ball is much like softball in the way that it is played. Differences include: (1) the wooden board behind home plate serves as the umpire and any pitch that hits the board is a strike, (2) balls are not called since there would be way too many walks, (3) six players plus a catcher are on the field at one time, (4) no one plays first base and a runner is called out at first if the ball makes it back to the pitcher before the runner crosses the base, and (5) you can get a runner out by pegging them with the ball.

Steven hit a home run during his first game. He was very excited about his hit and is now listed on the league website with one home run next to his name.

Annapolis Wedding

We traveled to Maryland for Kathleen and Robbie's wedding in mid September. They started dating as high school seniors and then spent 4 years apart while Kathleen attended East Caroline University and Robbie went to school in North Dakota. Even though they were over 1,600 miles apart, they made it work.

Kathleen's maid of honor offered her family's beach house as a place to get ready and take pictures. It was a really beautiful setting and a place that had a lot of meaning to Kathleen since she spent so much time there growing up.

A close friend created an emergency kit with anything that you could possibly need.

Kathleen and I started the ECU garter tradition when Courtney got engaged after graduation. This has continued with Kathleen and I already have mine ready to go. We wear two so that we can keep the ECU one and throw the other.

Courtney, pictured above, and Kathleen will be bridesmaids in our wedding.

Limited Gas...Long Lines

Atlanta has an extreme gasoline shortage. Due to the hurricane damage in the gulf and along the coast, the pipe lines are not running at full capacity. Two weekends ago we began to see bags on pumps and stations that removed their gas prices, indicating that they were all out. Fast forward to now and you are lucky if you pass two stations on any route that have gas to offer. Even if they have gas, it is usually limited to one kind and is mostly unleaded.

I bought gas on Thursday evening at about 9:30 and only had to wait a few moments. The station was packed, but still moving rather well. Just a few days later there were lines backed onto the streets and cops controlling traffic in and out of station parking lots. Most stations that have gas are only allowing cars to come in one entrance and then are directing cars to pumps as they clear. We have heard stories of people waiting in line for an hour, limits of $30, people yelling and honking at one another, etc. I probably have until about Thursday before I need to fill up and I am planning on getting up really early to get gas and then going back home to get ready.

While their is an actual shortage of gas coming into the city, most of the problem is steming from people panicing. People are filling up before neccessary and if they are allowed they are filling up several of those red gas canisters for later. If people would just hold off until they needed it, the situation would not be quite so bad.

Weekend Visitors

Jennifer, Dusty, and Maggie came to visit us last weekend. They were really interested in checking out the GA Aquarium and so traveled the very boring strip of I-20 from Augusta to Atlanta to stay with us. Saturday afternoon we went to one our favorite Atlanta spots, Stone Mountain State Park. You may remember from an early blog that this is where we got engaged. I really love to take people here so that they can see the spot and also just enjoy some time outside. We had a picnic lunch by the bells and then walked through the village. On Sunday afternoon Jennifer, Dusty, and I ventured to the aquarium while Steven headed to the airport for a business trip to London. The aquarium was a very expensive investment, but a lot of fun. They had a special Titanic exhibit that was really cool.

Hot Georgia Nights

A second helping of GEL-Oh never hurts. Click on the title to this entry and you will go to GEL-Oh's blog where you can find out about what happens in Georgia on a hot summer night.

I said "YES" to a dress.

Everyone needs a little more GEL-Oh in their lives. Click on the title to this entry and you will go to GEL-Oh's blog where you can find out about my wedding dress adventures.

We Have A Date

July 18, 2009

Steven and I spent 4 days traveling through Charleston, Hilton Head and Savannah looking for a great place to have the wedding. Before we left we were almost positive that Charleston would be our favorite. We were quite surprised to find that Hilton Head was the best fit. The church and the reception site are beautiful and the location will give everyone a little time to relax at the beach and enjoy the summer in the SC Low Country. You can view wedding details by visiting our webpage created through THE KNOT.

St. Andrew By The Sea United Methodist Church

Church Interior

Port Royal Golf Club

Entrance to Port Royal

Interior Recption Space

Outdoor Reception Space

The Fourth of July

We traveled to Augusta on Thursday evening to spend time with Jenn and her husband. Augusta is about 2 hours from Atlanta and you pass right through it to get to Columbia, which is another hour and 1/2 east on I-20. They just bought a home and we had not gotten a chance to see it in person yet. We spent most of the 4th just lounging around and eating. Towards the end of the day we played a little Bocce Ball in the back yard and then headed to see the fireworks. It was a nice way to spend the holiday. Steven and I both had to work on Saturday afternoon, but at least we got one day of relaxation.

Wedding Season

We traveled to Pawley's Island, SC over Memorial Day weekend for Caroline's wedding. Caroline and I have known each other since high school and first met while sitting next to each other in Mrs. Pyles World History class. We did a class project together and have been great friends ever since. She is currently living in Orlando and working for Disney. That is where she met Evan a couple of years ago and now they are the married and living in a town house that they bought in Orlando. The above picture is at the rehearsal dinner.

This is a picture in the limo on the way to the reception. We all celebrated by having a little champagne. Just before this, we took pictures on the beach.

This is Heather who is Caroline's closet friend from Orlando and also the Matron of Honor. I was the Maid of Honor and one other friend from Orlando was also a bridesmaid.


Her grandmother owns a florist and so all of the flowers the entire weekend were just beautiful. I have one more wedding that I am in in September for a friend from college in the DC area. That will be it until my own!

Congratulations Jonathan!

The whole family traveled to Clemson, SC in May to see Jonathan graduate. I know, I am quite a slacker, it has been almost a month and I am finally posting.

Can you find Jonathan on the big screen?

I must say that this was one of the worst graduation ceremonies that I have ever been to. They insist on keeping to tradition and read the name of every graduate as they walked across the stage. Jonathan was 500 and something on the right side of the coliseum. This means that there more than 500 on the left and therefore he was almost the last name to be called. Wow!

Going to the Chapel

I woke up on the morning of Saturday, May 17th to find that Steven and Sean (Courtney's, my best friend from college, husband) were no longer in the apartment. Of course I am slightly confused and when I ask Courtney where they went, she says nothing. She simply gets off the couch, walks over to Steven's suitcase and begins riffling through it (also a little weird). She pulls out an envelope, hands it to me and tells me to read what is inside.

Steven's first letter beautifully described why he loved me. He used the following part of a Robert Frost poem...I shall be telling this with a sign. Somewhere ages and ages hence; two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. He was ready to travel that road with me and that because of that he had decided to change our plans for the day. I was to meet him at Stone Mountain Park by the old Carillon bells at 1:30. The second letter, which I was only allowed to have once I had showered and gotten ready to go, included a highlighted map of the park and a gift card for me and Courtney to get our nails done. Thank goodness he gave us something to do. I would have gone crazy just waiting for 1:30 to come.

When I arrived at the park at 1:30, Sean told me I was to walk down the path until I reached the bells. The bells sit on a peninsula on the lake inside the park. That path did not seem like it would ever come to an end. As soon as I read the letter that morning I knew what was coming and of course by this point had gotten myself all worked up. I rounded the corner and there he was with roses. He said "Not quite the world of coke, is it?" (We were supposed to go to the world of coke with Sean and Courtney that day. That had been my plan for a month. Of course they all knew what the real plan was and let me talk about it for that long)

Steven got onto one knee and proposed. As soon as I said yes the bells rang. It was an absolutely perfect moment.

We're Engaged! This is the spot where it all happened!

Courtney and Sean brought us a gift basket full of goodies including champagne bottles dressed as a bride and groom, and ECU garter (it is a tradition), and bride and groom baseball caps (seen below).

The surprises did not end here. We hung out in the park for a little while afterwards and I was told we had dinner reservations for later that night. Once again everyone managed to keep another secret from me. We arrived at the restaurant and his parents and mine were already there to celebrate with us. It was so nice to have them all there. We had champagne (which came in a She Said Yes! bag) and toasted the day.

All of the hidden truths came out later and I slowly began putting all the pieces together. I never picked up on it at the time, but when I thought back, it all fit. Steven had met dad in Augusta a month before to ask his permission. There were a lot of people who knew it was coming. I had no clue!

And of course, here is the ring!
GET READY TO PARTY WITH US IN 2009!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVEN!!! Check out who has joined the blogging world in my list of favorites (kyzer2020).

Throwing My First Bridal Shower

Earlier this month I organized a bridal shower for Caroline with the help of her two other bridesmaids. Caroline is a friend from high school who is getting married next month at the beach in South Carolina. As her maid of honor, I was really excited about having the chance to plan a shower and throw her a bachelorette party as well as come up with a speech that is not only sentimental, but also funny (well maybe a little more apprehensive than excited about that part). The bachelorette party is in just a couple of weeks and I must admit that I have not started writing that speech yet, although I have been thinking about it a lot.

We threw the shower at a restaurant in downtown Orlando and luckily had almost the entire restaurant to ourselves. The above picture shows the main table where we ate. The bags were designed by another one of the bridesmaids. She did such a good job and was really creative in the way that she used gift bags for the center pieces. We also ordered confetti with pictures of the bride and groom. The confetti below is actually from another shower a couple of summers ago, but I wanted to show you how great it turns out. You just go to http://www.photofetti.com/, upload as many as 10 pictures and then choose the colors that you would like to incorporate.

We ate first and had a great spread of pasta salad, salad, pizza and grilled veggies. We also had petifores and cream puffs for dessert.

After eating we tested Caroline's knowledge of her fiance (she did wonderfully) and then tested the guests about their knowledge of famous marriages and their ability to unscramble words and phrased related to weddings.

Lastly, she opened all of her gifts. Which included a wishing well full of ways to pamper herself.

Since Caroline and her fiance work for Disney we had the chance to visit Epcot while I was there. I became quite fond of the plant man below, but unfortunately had to leave him behind so that he could entertain more guests.

Celebrate Earth Day

Celebrate Earth Day by designing your own reusable shopping bag. Your bag will be entered in a contest and your bag could be sold at Kroger, which will probably never happen since there are thousands and thousands of entries. Since you may never see your design in stores, you also have the option to order it. The above is my design. You can view and vote for my design by typing 21228 on the vote for designs page (the title to this entry will link you to the website). Go Green! I can't wait to see everyone's designs.

Baptism

Steven's niece was baptized this past Suday at a Methodist Church in Buckhead (the part of town that Steven and his brother's family live in). She was born in October of 2007 and is now almost 7 months. Being the first grandchild, she has managed to wrap the whole family around her little finger. This picture was taken after the service at his sister in laws' parents house. We celebrated there and all had brunch together.

The dress that she is wearing has a really cool history. It has been in the family for 40 years and the name of each child and the date on which they were baptized in it is then embroidered on the slip. Even the boys have worn it. What a neat thing to pass on to each generation.

Recess Rejects

As some of you may know, the folks have been playing on a kickball team in Columbia for a while now. When they started playing the league was organized by WAKA (World Adult Kickball Association). After some time people became frustrated with how little they were doing for the players as compared to the money that they were paying to play. A group approached the recreation centers in Columbia and now play through them with improved services for a better price. They are currently playing for a team called FOOTLOOSE. As a team they are becoming closer and have been doing things together off the field. A lot of the team members came to a party they threw after the holidays and they just ventured to the beach together last weekend.

(sorry for the really bad picture, but at least you can see them in their uniform)

After moving to Atlanta and having a certain someone on the road way too much, I realized that I was going to have to make my own friends. Following in my parents footsteps, I decided to join GoKickball as a free agent. For $51 I get 8 weeks of fun and a team tee shirt. The Recess Rejects have picked me up and welcomed me as one of the three new players on the team. I was a little nervous at first, mainly about having to throw the ball accurately and be an effective player in the field, but now feel pretty comfortable and have a lot of fun playing the game that I have not played since elementary school.

As compared to Columbia's one league, the Go Kickball organization in Atlanta is huge. There are 13 leagues with any where from 6 to 15 teams each. You can choose almost any day of the week to play and can choose between competitive leagues and those that are a little more laid back.

We also have a league bar (Mellow Mushroom) that we visit after each game for some food and discounted league drinks. We most often order the house pizza and a kickball pitcher (of beer).

My team is currently 2-0-2 and in 6th place in our league. We play the number 2 team this week. They have won all four of their games. I just hope that we can pull out a win.