And MORE wreck news

I thought FOR SURE my next post would be a really happy one. Wrong.
Just a brief update:
*The Idiot has yet to respond to the mail or messages from his insurance company. This means they are going ahead with the proceedings by using the police report, my statement and the witness statement (thankfully, she saw the light colors). This could potentially be a good thing...then again, it might go the other way...and knowing my luck, well, you get the drift.
*The dealership called. Guess what?! They found MORE stuff wrong with the Murano. This means a higher price tag and more time. Thank goodness for insurance, huh? We won't see the car until AT LEAST Sept. 9th, if not later. That's well over a month in a rental...that'll be a fun bill to send to the Idiot's insurance company!
*Diagnosis: Whiplash. Classic case. Will continue to get worse if it is not addressed immediately...per my doctor. This means physical therapy THREE times a week for at least a month.
Um...I just really want one brief opportunity to tell 'the Idiot' what his stupidity has done to turn our lives upside down. Hello?! I'm a SAHM (stay-at-home-Mom), WHO is going to watch McKinley so I can go to P.T. AND Zumba, AND make all these calls to various departments of my car insurance company, AND just deal with our daily lives? It won't be him! I know, I know...at least I'm alive. I get it. But I'm so over all the 'stuff' that has come with this wreck.
I PROMISE the next post will be fun.
I promise.

A trying week

Lately, it seems that while we have so very much to be thankful for, we also have a lot to carry around right now too. It's been a difficult week, emotionally and we are looking forward to a better time of things...very, very soon.

We got a call from my mother-in-law that Cary's Grandmother (Mamaw) had suffered a heart attack. Though it was mild, she is ninety years old and the doctors were being very careful with her situation. She remained in the hospital for a few days, was released to her retirement community and is under a greater amount of care. She will be in physical therapy now because the heart attack made her very weak and she was unable to walk. When we went to see her yesterday, two of her grandsons made her get up and walk! Go Cary and Jimmy! She did so well and I think she really liked having those strapping young men at her side. Who wouldn't, right?!
Anyway, we are all very worried for Mamaw , she is in our prayers.

The same morning, Cary called me to tell me that LeRoi Moore died unexpectedly. LeRoi was the AWESOME saxophonist from Dave Matthews Band. If you know Cary and Lynn, you know that the Dave Matthews Band, or DMB are a huge part of our relationship. On our first date, I got in Cary's SUV and heard DMB playing! I knew we were good to go then. lol
Though it's not like we know LeRoi personally, we appreciated his talent and his contribution to the band just the same. So, we were pretty shocked.
LeRoi was involved in an ATV accident back in June (link to story here) and had many complications. Unfortunately, it ended his life and broke many hearts.

Then we learned that a friend from my childhood had lost his sister - whom I also knew from all those years ago. The story is so sad. This young woman was pregnant and died from complications of Pulmonary Hypertension. This disease is more common than most think, though each case is different and rare, it is actually very common in pregnant women.

I don't talk about it much, because most of the time people just 'don't know what to say' or whatever, but this awful disease is what I lost my Dad to nearly three years ago. It is a devastating disease, though I have never really met a disease that isn't...maybe that's why they named them DISEASES. Not a pleasant word. At any rate, this disease is complicated, can easily and commonly be misdiagnosed (as in my Dad's case) and is most certainly fatal if not found and treated in a timely fashion - oh, and it's also hereditary.

Later that morning, while walking into my Zumba class my Mom spotted one of my Dad's best friends in the store beside the studio. I hadn't seen him since the memorial service I held for Dad. Mom called him over and told him she had 'something to show him'. He LITERALLY RAN to the car and said he knew exactly what she wanted to show him. He opened up the door and met McKinley. He couldn't stay away, he was so excited to meet our boy! He said that he always wished that my Dad could have held on long enough for 'this' because there's nothing like it (referring to beinga Grandparent).
Me too...

So hearing all this really brought what I've been feeling since the wreck to the forefront. While I didn't exactly see my life flash before my eyes or anything...it was an EYE-OPENING experience for me. I seem to have those a lot - lol. It's like God's little reminder to continue to strive to be the best person I can be and love and appreciate my family and those who are still close to me.

Even more good news (sense the sarcasm) regarding the wreck...the Idiot has NEVER even bothered to call his insurance company back to give them his statement about the wreck. That was August 5th...come on! Oh, and they've added an additional $1000 in damages to the car and it will be the 2nd week of September before we see it again. And one last thing...evidently I have whiplash or something too. Our insurance company is making me see our family doc next week so I can be further evaluated. That stiff neck never went away, so whatever...blah. I'm ready for all of this to be over.

I'm sure my next post will be more positive...it has to be!
lol
Lynn
aka Debbie Downer
;-)

Wreck Update

Well...there's good news and bad news.
Thankfully, our car is NOT totalled. The adjuster said the car had a great deal of damage, but looked more expensive to fix than it was. He also said that I was very, very lucky. Yep. You're not kidding.
The bad news...the idiot's lying game is costing us a lot more time than it would have taken if he had chosen the 'right' way and told the truth. Thanks to his indiscretion we are now looking at MONTHS before his insurance comes through. Thank you, Idiot.
Oh...and though the car is NOT totalled, it will take a month to fix. Seriously. Something about Nissans and how technologically advanced they are takes twice as long to fix after an accident. Oh well, it's fixable! Yahoo!
In the meantime we've been given a really stinky (ala cigarette smoke) little SUV. I'm hoping we can get out of it and move on to a much more lung-friendly vehicle.
Beggars can't be choosers.
More updates to come!
Lynn

Good Day to Count Blessings

This is a long story, but I needed to get this out. Tuesday was a pretty trying day for all of us. And unfortunately it looks like we're going to be dealing with this issue for a while. On my way home from Zumba class on Tuesday afternoon, I was involved in a very scary crash.
THANK GOD, I was by myself - which as a SAHM (Stay-at-home-Mom) is very unusual. Normally, I would ALWAYS have McKinley with me, if not Cary and/or my Mom too. Matter of fact, I almost asked Mom to watch McKinley AT my class...but I didn't. They stayed safe, at home. Thank God.
I was heading home, eastbound on Ohio Street (if you're from T.H. or familiar you'll know where I'm talking about - it's a very busy 'main' street). I was the lead car among the little pack on the 3 lane one way street and had the green light at the intersection of 13th and Ohio Streets - and it had been green for a LONG time.
As I neared the intersection, out of the corner of my right eye I noticed this truck which had come out of no where, heading northbound and was traveling at a high rate of speed...through the red light. In an instant I slammed on the brakes, screamed (trust me...I screamed. My throat still hurts), and tried desperately to avoid the car some way, somehow. Suffice to say I didn't, as the pictures below reveal.
Everything was a two and a half hour blur then. I'm okay, just scared, angry at the idiot driving the truck (and trust me folks, he was an idiot), startled and so very, very thankful all in one. What a wreck - oh, no pun intended. The ambulance arrived first while 'the idiot' (as I will forever refer to him) began claiming his leg was broken as he suddenly developed a limp - but was STILL ABLE TO MANEUVER on said broken leg. The EMT RUSHED him into the ambulance, closed the doors as if to leave, then suddenly the doors opened and the idiot appeared, released from his broken leg by the EMT, who I'm certain pulled away and laughed. Oh but wait! Along with the limp, the idiot suddenly realizes an amazing amount of back pain and grasps his back in a dramatic fashion, glares at me and says, 'Oh, my back HURTS'. Gee whiz, he sure was in a hurry to get from his truck to my car as he sprinted to check on my condition, ask if I was okay, beg forgiveness and admit fault for flying through an already red light. Where did THIS guy learn how to ACT?
It gets better.
The police arrive, thankfully I'm familiar with both of the officers working the scene. NOT familiar as in having dealt with them before, as I'm proud to say that I actually sat inside a police car for the very first time in my life yesterday afternoon...to give my statement...in the front seat. Call me vanilla. Ha ha.
So, the cops get the idiot's statement first, which -- SHOCKER -- changes from his original profession of guilt to utter blame and fault laid on yours truly. He began to get belligerent and angrier by the second and actually came forward, arms splayed as if to attack, asking, 'WHY THE F*** DID YOU TURN INTO ME?' All I said was, 'Excuse me?' Thinking back on it, I wish I'd been able to find my inner backbone, for I would have certainly given the idiot a piece of my Murano-wrecking mind. One officer immediately jumped forward and walked the idiot back to his car, warning him to stay there until he said he could move. Twice more he approached me again during the LONG wait for this afternoon to be over . I was actually scared.
Finally, after many frantic phone calls to Cary (who beat it to the scene as fast as his ride would carry him), my Mom, my friend Sara S., and a slew of other friends who I tried to reach to ask for a ride home (good timing, huh? Middle of the workday), I was released to leave..sans the family car. The Murano was towed away, while the idiot's truck was drivable. Hmmm...must be nice to be the one to have caused the whole dang thing in a great act of stupidity and then to just drive away, like la-dee-dah, all the while laying blame on someone else.
I'm happy to report that the idiot has met his match in the form of a witness. She tells a very similar tale to me - only from the angle of pedestrian about to cross the street from where the idiot came barrelling. She stated that my light did not even turn yellow until after the traffic behind me got through the crash site. Amazing how that all works out, huh? Someone else to be grateful for.
So, I got home, FINALLY. I am so grateful for Sarah, Mary and Ezra (see them in McKinley's b-day slide show!). They stopped everything they were doing and came to rescue me and everything I had to schlep home from the scene (car seat, stroller, McKinley toys, loads of paperwork, etc). I truly, truly appreciate the help. Cary and I both do.
So, here I am today, amid many phone calls to wrecker services, insurance companies, THPD, Babies R Us (for a new car seat...), and our Nissan body shop and I can't seem to get two very, very intense emotions out of my head: Unbelievable gratitude to God and my guardian angels - lead g.a. no doubt being my Dad - for keeping me safe (and I still can't quite figure out how) and for NOT having any of my family with me. And also absolute, red hot anger toward the idiot for treating a potentially deadly piece of metal like a freaking toy, disregarding common law and thus completely complicating many lives in tow.
All I know is that I am so very grateful for actually being alive to feel this anger and gratitude. Had I been one second sooner, my survival and any additional passengers would most certainly have been the question of the day.
Now we 'WAIT'. Not something I'm good at, but I have to do it. The rental will arrive on Friday (thanks to the idiot have 'questionable' car insurance, we have had to wait to move on everything and therefore having no option of availability), hopefully the new car seat will arrive by Saturday so that we may all attend a special wedding...and maybe, just maybe, the Murano won't be totalled. Though, after closer inspection this evening, Cary and I realize that this is a real possibility as the frame is possibly bent.
If I may, I'd like to toot the proverbial horn of Nissan. The impact of the crash was big...you can tell by looking. But I barely felt a thing, seriously. I mean, I heard it and I felt it...but not like I should have. That's some shock absorption.
I hope the next post about this wreck will be a very positive one. I'm not holding my breath, but I AM being as optimistic as I can.
Bottom line, I'm sore, my neck is stiff, I'm tired because I can't sleep, every time I close my eyes I see a truck rushing toward me out of the corner of my eye, Cary's tired and stressed, Mom's tired and stressed, even McKinley had a really rough night sleeping...but we're all okay.
Thank God.

Lynn

Picture taken at Nissan dealership

One of the points of impact

Again taken at dealership, side view of hood damage

View from the scene, taken with camera phone. This view shows damage all the way to passenger door

The idiot's truck. Note: man pictured is NOT the idiot. Don't know who this is. Notice that the truck is strategically placed between the posts of this bank sign. Kind of remotely funny. Damage done to his vehicle in this crash is at the left rear, behind wheel. That's it. I suppose he could have thanked me for pushing him by the HUGH traffic light pole...too much to ask?

A Big Birthday Celebration

McKinley's first birthday came and went very, very quickly. All three of us had some serious recouperating to do post-soiree, so I'm just now writing about the big day. I wanted to be sure that the post reflected just how much fun it was for Cary, McKinley and I. It was so great to see family, friends and neighbors gather together to celebrate 'The Big 1" with us.

First of all...let's just talk about the weather for a second. I don't know WHERE such a gorgeous, non-humid, non-sweltering day came from in Indiana in the middle of July but it certainly was welcome, if not down right unheard of. We can only hope/wish/pray that each year is just as beautiful for our boy and his parties.

Just before the party got started a giant, blue castle arrived in our back yard. It matched our Little Prince theme perfectly! It sure was a sight watching that thing expand and reach high into the sky. I am sure all the children enjoyed it, and I think a few of the adults got a little thrill in the jumping throw back to their childhood too...self included. Ha ha! Though, I certainly do not remember the jumping causing an instant head rush as a child...perhaps that's due in part to aging???

Everyone was invited to the make-your-own-crown/tiara station, I didn't see as many adult crowns as I'd hoped though...hahaha, just kidding! All the kids did such a great job on their little works of art. And on their way out we had treat bags complete with a 'grow your own' castle or rubber ducky, some glow sticks, star erasers and a hand clapper noise maker (bet those were noisy rides home...sorry parents...didn't think about that). Each of the kids also got chocolate-dipped, crown-shaped rice crispy treats that I made. Those were fun for me! I haven't made rice crispy treats in a very long time, probably since I made them with my Mom and Grandma actually. That smell of melting marshmallows brought back so many wondeful memories of my childhood.

After everyone was finished eating it was quickly time for CAKE! So, we got McKinley dressed in his cake outfit, complete with birthday crown, lit the candles and sang. He dug into his cake and got icing E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. It was in his hair, in his NOSTRILS, in my hair, on Cary's face, on our clothes...heck, we're still finding it in all of the little nooks and crannies of the high chair! Mmmm, the cake was so yummy, McKinley especially liked it between his fingers. That was the best part of the whole day! He got so 'into' his cake that we took him straight to the tub.

Once we were finally done cleaning McKinley up, we started opening presents. It's too bad some of our guests had to leave early because McKinley really started to get into the package opening and LOVED playing with his new goodies. He got some really great stuff!

Eventually, the castle came down and the three of us headed inside for the night. McKinley slept like a little log that night and had some extra long napping the following day.
I know he had such a wonderful time.
We hope all our guests did too.

Lynn

Reminiscing

So, we're heavy into preparation for an awesome First Birthday Party for McKinley Shane.

Wait.

Did I just say that?

Could it be that our boy's FIRST birthday is really here?

I get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

My, how our precious son has changed and grown and developed. My, how our precious son has changed the world as we knew it. What a smile he brings to our faces each day just with a silly jibber-jabber sound, or by clapping for no apparent reason, or by snuggling in real close and sighing. Was there a time before him? Yes, but it certainly was boring in comparison to the pacifier runs, incessant bottle washing (because you KNOW I insist we do it by hand, with non-toxic, biodegradable, plant-based dish washing liquid), and silly sounds we suddenly are professionals at making. I mean, who ever thought it would come so natural to do all but stand on your head, in public just to get that infectious giggle out of your kids?! It's GREAT!

I can honestly tell you that in the last year of our lives, Cary and I have become quite proficient at the following:

*calculating total fluid ounces of formula consumed by McKinley, as well as vegetables, meats and fruit and the baby food pyramid

*multi-tasking, one handed

*swooping (as in things OUT of McKinley's little grasp, very, very quickly)

*knowing and predicting his every move, every sound, every mood before he even knows it's happening.

And finally...my favorite:

*waking up, numerous times throughout the night, every night, just to see how McKinley is...that's a big one for me especially. Prior to motherhood I could easily sleep through a flipping hurricane and not be any the wiser.

As I anticipate the weekend's festivities, words cannot express the emotion of motherhood behind this big event. Can it really be that a year ago tonight TWO of us had checked into the hospital but THREE would be coming home? I remember every second of those last few days before we became parents (um, whomever said you forget these painful things CLEARLY did not have the memory I do. HOW can you FORGET pain like THAT?). Walking into the hospital, climbing into that ridiculously uncomfortable bed, watching Cary's eyeballs grow bigger and bigger as he calculated the levels of each contraction. Holding our tiny baby boy. Wow.

Though I was so out of it from the anesthesia, I still remember hearing McKinley cry for the first time. I remember the doctor bringing him over to me so I could kiss him...it was seconds before I conked out. I remember barely being able to move, but when he cried I felt this urge to get my sore body going so I could comfort him. I remember watching Cary change his first diaper (Lord knows I still had too much anesthesia and was in NO shape to do that...Cary did a FINE job!!!). I remember everyone who came to see our boy! That's mostly thanks again to Cary. He took pictures of EVERYONE.

I won't go into our birth story in detail...who wants to know that stuff anyway, right? Suffice to say the induction didn't work and after a complete mental breakdown from yours truly, we ended up going C-section VERY early on the morning of Friday the 13th of July.

I think perhaps the funniest thing that happened during our all-too lengthy stay at the hospital was during my Mom's call to everyone to update them on the news that we were going with a C-section. My Mom handed me her phone and I was suddenly telling a girlfriend the story. I do NOT remember what I told her, I only remember saying that I was seriously so hungry. After I was finished, in the most calm, collected tone she could muster my friend asked me this:

"So, just to clarify. You're having a C-section because you're really hungry?" God bless her for making it sound like it was the only reason there was and that it made SO much sense! She never questioned any reasoning of mine, at all. I really wonder what I said to her...hmmm.

And to clear up any confusion...no, I did not choose to go with a C-section because I was very hungry. I WAS very hungry, but there was a failed induction, no progress and a baby that needed to come out that factored MUCH higher in the decision-making process.

Also, I actually got to eat MUCH later than I would have if we had been able to go 'natural'. Ends up I went from 7pm Wednesday night to SATURDAY EVENING before I got to eat. And even then all I was allowed was CHICKEN BROTH and JELLO.

Yuck.

Have you ever tried to EAT chicken broth?

Well, don't.

Trust me.

So, I looked at McKinley's newborn picture tonight. And then I looked at him. It is truly one of God's many miracles to see all the changes and growth of human life. McKinley is our blessing. A beautiful, sweet little soul that was a gift to us, from God. We are forever grateful.

Lynn

Then & Now

Yahoo for date night!

Cary and I ventured to Indy last Saturday to see one of our favorite musicians, John Mayer. Mom and I each bought a ticket for Cary's Father's Day present, so it was a win-win situation for us. I got a date with my hubby and Mom got a date with her precious Grandson!

Cary and I have been John Mayer fans almost as long as we've been Dave Matthews Band fans...well, I guess that's probably not true. We've been fans of DMB since we were in high school, John Mayer would still have been in high school too, he's the same age as we are, which makes him all the more cooler in my book. Anyway, whatever...point is, we love him. I'm absolutely obsessed with his 3rd studio album - every song is just awesome!!! My iPod is full of his stuff and I can never pick which song I want to hear. I fondly remember the day that Cary surprised me with a really cool new cell phone...this is LONG before we were even engaged! He also surprised me by picking the ringtone..."Your Body is a Wonderland", JM's first hit. I caught a lot of flack for that at work...I think my co-workers thought I had a pretty big ego, but I don't. I'm just a John fan!

So, that being said, can we just talk about how great the concert was?! OMG. We had the best seats, we were SO CLOSE! Not close enough to catch one of his guitar picks, or get an autograph (as he so graciously did at the very end...how COOL is he?), but we were very content. He sang almost everything we wanted to hear, he jammed with his band in that bluesy way of his, talked to the audience and even bragged about seeing Indianapolis' fireworks - oh...and making his own, in his hotel room I might add. Cary swears that's a reference to his very famous girlfriend, another favorite of ours.

Speaking of JM's girlfriend, humor me here. Never in my life have I ever uttered the words, "I just got to see Jennifer Aniston's boyfriend" until Saturday night. How cool is that? I know, I know, I'm a dork...and a long time FRIENDS fan.

So, get this: cameras are now allowed in concerts. Guess they finally gave it up. They all know we sneak 'em in every time, especially now that everyone has a camera on their cell phones. Gone are the days where I stuck my little crappy camera in my pants/shorts/shirt praying that no one would strip search me and stick a knife in my film, as was the big, scary rumor back in the day. I was always the kamikaze of our group, stating that I was taking it in anyway! lol This was also WAAAAAAY back when we always bought lawn seats only, please. So you know you couldn't even tell who was on stage in my pictures because what high schooler actually had ZOOM on their crappy cameras in the mid to late 90's? FUNNY!

This time it was simply posted, 'No Professional Cameras'. Well, great! However, that left me seriously out of luck. We lovingly use my Dad's camera from his dabbling in professional photography, so there was NO way I was going to get in with that hum-dinger. The only thing I have is another goofy self-portrait, taken in the car of me and Cary to share.

Oh - KUDOS to the genius engineer who finally figured out a completely foolproof way to get people the heck outta the Music Center. We waited THREE MINUTES, as opposed to the THREE HOURS we have previously waited to get out onto the interstate. Awesome job, Noblesville.

What a great night!!!

Happy Fourth!!!!!!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July. We did!

On Thursday evening, the three of us headed downtown for our City's annual Fireworks. We weren't sure how McKinley would be, so we stayed near the car. It's a good thing too...once the big boomers (as my Mom calls them) started, McKinley thought it would be a MUCH better idea to enjoy the fireworks along with the simulcast of music from a local radio station. Good thinkin'.

It was pretty sweet seeing him react to the big, bright explosions in the sky. He sat in my arms and laid his head down on my shoulder to watch from a comfy spot.

On Friday evening, we invited Mom over to watch our own little display of 'kid-friendly' fireworks. McKinley didn't mind the tank (which was my own childhood favorite), and he liked the egg-hatching hen (which 3 out of 4 did NOT hatch any eggs, thank you) but his favorite had to have been the chinese pagoda (also a favorite of mine back in the day...). All decked out in his 'Little Firecracker' shirt, which we felt very appropriate for a July baby, he was quite the picture of Independance as he 'walked' all around the patio in his walker.

We put McKinley to bed that evening and had to play his lullaby CD three times to help drown out the crazy fireworks. It has never been so lively on the 4th in our neighborhood as it was this year. Fun! One of our neighbors had HUGE, professional-like fireworks...it was pretty cool to watch, once you got past the smoke screen in front of our house. hahahaha

Happy 4th of July!!!
Lynn

Cutest Invitations EVER

Okay, I cannot get over how cute these things are. McKinley's birthday invitations could NOT have turned out any more special or more like what we asked for.
I have to toot Polka Dot Bumble Bee's horn here (formerly Secret Stork Surprise), Veronica's company also did our Christmas cards and we loved both of them equally. I'm adding a link to her site (see left side of page), if you use her please mention our name.
She comes highly recommended!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://polkadotbumblebee.com

Family Reunion

This weekend, despite more stinkin' storms, we trekked down to Btown to visit with family. Cary's uncle was visiting from Cali and his cousin was in from Tx too, so it was a great time for a get together. It was so nice for us to catch up with everyone.

McKinley got to meet some family he's never met before, as well as spend some time with his G&G, Aunt & Uncle and big-boy cousins. The weather held out and was BEAUTIFUL, thankfully. All in all, it was a great day.

We ended the day at Grandma & Grandpa's house, where McKinley got to go on a walk with his Grandpa. He went all the way out to the big fence where he gripped on and wiggled his little toes in the grass. So fun!

Below, Grandpa shows McKinley how to hang on to the fence.

What a fun day!

Lynn

Strawberry Festival

Yum! It's that time of year again! They painted the GIANT strawberry in the middle of Ohio Boulevard, so it was time to get ourselves to downtown and dive into some yummy-good strawberry shortcake.
Guess who went with us this year? Yup...McKinley had his first taste of authentic strawberries! He's had strawberries in his baby food and puffs many times (and loves the taste, thank you), so it was only fitting that he would enjoy this little adventure. Oh yeah...there may have been a HINT of whipped cream on them too. And he just might have really enjoyed that part as well. hahaha...bad mommy moment? Don't think so.

Um, I should explain the horse with all the strawberries...last summer after the Colts WON THE 2007 SUPERBOWL, BEATING THE BEARS...uh hum...our local art museum sponsored this really cool competition for our city with these fiberglass horses. Many local businesses puchased colts and painted them, some to match a theme of their business, or just in an artsy way. Most of them are downtown and a lot of them are back on display this summer, they are all so beautiful too. This one belongs to the church who puts on the Strawberry Festival every year. We just could not help ourselves...I did look for a sign that said, 'DO NOT TOUCH' and found nothing, so picture time!

Above, Daddy gives McKinley his first taste of the sweet fruit. And...he

looks at me as if to say, 'Mmmm, WHAT was THAT and HOW can I get some MORE?!!'

Loads of fun, can't wait until next year when McKinley can have his own little shortcake!
Lynn

Crazy times and a little vacation too

I've been so bad about updating lately...
Life has been at warp speed and there just isn't enough time for everything we want and need to do! Aren't we all this way? It seems that the last 3 months have seriously pushed us to live at even faster paces.
Well, The Vernon's have been busy, busy, busy and here are just a few things that have been going on:
*Bathroom reno - we did it again. We picked a weekend project and just went with it. I'm so loving our new bathroom color (GREEN!!!! BRIGHT GREEN!) and the new sink and cabinet. It is so different from anything else we've ever done. I love it!

*Vacation - We hit the road and went to Myrtle Beach, S.C. last month. It was much needed break and so beautiful there. McKinley was an A-N-G-E-L on the road, we were pleasantly surprised. We stopped off in Asheville, N.C. for the first two nights and were able to visit Biltmore Estate, which was one of my favorite trips as a child. The three of us truly enjoyed the beautiful day together as we toured the huge estate (LOTS more was open than I ever recall), the gardens (my favorite) and the winery. It was such a lovely day and the weather could not have treated us better.

At Myrtle Beach, we did just what the name says...we hit the beach. McKinley was obsessed with the sand and the ocean water as it rushed up to him. It was quite a sight! During our trip we visited some really cool outdoor shopping and adventure places, Cary bought a Harley (just kidding! Gotcha!) and we just chilled, enjoying the ocean view from the condo . It was so much fun. The worst part was running out of time...we forgot to do a few things we'd intended, like I really wanted to parasail again and we wanted to hit a museum. It's okay! Next time! The highlight of the trip was certainly spending some family time out on the beach and in the pool. We had a great week and cannot wait for our next vacay.

*Road trips - Lately we've been making many a trip to Indy, and let's just say that we will be until September of '09m if ya know what I mean. Oh well, we get to enjoy each other's company and get away from the norm for a couple of nights.

*GNO aka Girls Night Out - Jodi and I (and two other friends) made a night of it on the eve of my 30th birthday. We went to dinner at Outback, ordered cocktails (I had the most amazing Strawberry martini) and then headed over to see Sex and the City, the Movie. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see it again...and again...and again. Love those girls.

*BNO aka Boys Night Out - while the four of us were sobbing and laughing away at the movie, Cary and Jodi's boyfriend Dave hit the town as well. They smacked around a few golf balls, played a little pool and had a beer or two. Jodi and I met up with them after the movie...good times, kids!

*Mother's Day - Hard to believe I haven't updated about that. It was quite a day for me. It has always, always been an important day for me to celebrate all the women in my life, but this day I got to be in on that celebration as well. It was nice. The best part of the day was relaxing together, just the three of us before bedtime. McKinley was playing with us and so happy! It was wonderful. That sweet little boy and his Daddy gave me the most beautiful and touching cards and a new Coach purse for my first Mother's Day. Good goin', boys.

*Father's Day - This past Sunday was Cary's First Father's Day. McKinley is such a good boy...he got John Mayer tickets for his Daddy and Mommy to go next month. What a thoughtful little boy!

*Party planning - seems someone we know is turning a whole year old very soon, so we're hard at work planning a great day for everyone. Can it be possible that McKinley will be a year old? Whew! Look out, we're gonna have a very active little man on our hands!

Can't wait until McKinley's birthday!
Lynn

My Big 3-0

Well, my birthday came and went all too quickly. I had such a wonderful day! Mom and Cary...and McKinley, of course threw an awesome surprise party for me. I had no idea. No kidding. I got suspicious a few times, but was very quickly thrown. Trust me, when I heard the many voices singing, "Happy Birthday to You" in unison on the rooftop terrace of the restaurant...well, I was just very surprised.
The funniest thing was, we pulled up to meet my Mom for lunch at this great new place that I really like. As I'm getting all of the McKinley stuff out of the car I heard the singing and thought...what the? I looked up and saw Mom's and Jodi's faces and then all of these other heads started popping up from the terrace and the crowd grew and grew. It was HILARIOUS.
It was so nice to have some of my friends and some family to share the day with. I got to see some faces I had not seen in a long time, and the best part was everyone knows everyone now! I love that.
Mom and Cary put all this together...sneaky little things...they sent out invitations and emails without me being any the wiser. I didn't think I'd be that easy to fool.
I loved all the decorations they put together, the personalized M&M favors...in purple, of course and even the crazy-giant b-day hat, sunglasses and #30 lei they made me wear. It was pretty funny.
What a fun day!
I put together a slide show to make it easier to share all my pictures. With my lack of updating, I figured it would be easiest to share them that way.
To being THIRTY AND THRILLING!
Lynn

Thoughts on turning Thirty

Well, first of all...can it be that it has truly been over a month since I've updated this thing?! OMG. It's been busy, let's just leave it at that. I have so many pictures to post...vacation in Myrtle Beach, my first Mother's Day, McKinley's 9 mo. shots (even though he'll be 11 months!) and general updates, and the crazy amount of things going on in our lives!

Before I do that...I feel like taking a little time and reflecting on what's about to happen to me tomorrow. I'll officially be entering a new decade. A decade I've often heard referred to as the 'grown up' decade. No more twenty-something...now I'm gonna be THIRTY-something! Crazy how my life is flying by.

I'm excited about this new 'page', if you will. A while back, someone very wise told me that I have to look at each new happening in my life as a page in my book. At the time she told me this I was doing all I could to cope and just get up every day and figure out how to be, during my grief of losing Dad. Now, I can look at that statement as a very positive thing.

You see, there have been some really great 'pages', and there have been some really crappy 'pages' too. I do believe the great ones far out number the crappy ones. lol God willing, may it always be that way.

At the top of this blog, just above our family picture is my favorite quote. I found this quote during that dark time of grief and I again pulled from it in my daily life. Now, I look at it also in a very different way and feel it best describes how I try to look at life every day.

So, here are some of my 'pages' that took my breath away:

Turning 20...whoa, that was big time. I totally tried to wish a year of my life away just to be 'legal'. Hmmm, now that I look back on that I'm sure glad I couldn't fulfill that wish. If I'd lost #20, I would never have met Cary. So, that's my first really great page of my 20's.

CARY.

Nuff said! ;-)

Well, he gets many, many pages.

Whew, TWENTY ONE, well, Lordy...that was a pretty GREEN day. I don't mean environmentally 'green', either. Oh well, live and learn...and puke in front of a car-load of police officers as they laugh, right? Chrissy, I know you're laughing, and thanks for capturing those special moments on film. No, I will NOT be posting those on here. Huh.

Another really great page was finding my independance. At around 20, I was really going for it! I was paying my own way through life and working (HARD! FOUR jobs at one point), going to school and just beginning to appreciate the meaning of 'earning'. I felt so proud when I paid for my spring break trips all by myself, or when I would go out with girlfriends and have MY OWN money! It was great.

There for a while, all the pages were good. I was so happy in my relationship with Cary, had good friends, great parents,lots of fun, etc.

...but then it got REALLY good.

Cary proposed.

That's the page in my book that is lit up like freaking Christmas. Matter of fact, that whole year of planning our wedding was PURE joy! The wedding, the big WHITE page, was the highlight of my mid-twenties. Was I really TWENTY SIX then? Whew. Ahh, spring chicken, huh?

Our first year of wedded bliss went a little awry for me on a personal level. I became unhappy in my job (that's an understatement) and my Dad's health grew worse. Cary and I made the decision to do it on one income (SINK's are what we were! Single income, no kids! lol), it was great. I could take some time for myself and focus on my degree. But the darkest pages came in October of that year. My Dad became so ill, things were bad. We buckled down and did everything we could. I even 'moved' with him to Indy during his stay in a hospital there. On December 1st, I lost him and also lost a part of myself. For a long time my pages were dull and dark as I tried to find my way as whomever I was becoming then.

In the midst of all of that, Cary and I decided it was time to think about becoming parents. It just felt right, we needed something positive!

In just less than a year after Dad died, we learned that I was pregnant! It was then that things began to change and the pages got brighter and more purposeful everyday.

On July 13, 2007 I became a mother. That's the page in my book of life that, when you turn to it, the page just glows like the heavens. That's just all I can say. He makes me glow.

I finally got to where I needed to be in this journey through my 20's. I got things figured out that I hadn't been able to for a long time, through the dark stuff, anyway...there's always SOMETHING to figure out. I think I can thank McKinley, Mom, Dad and Cary for helping me figure out what I needed to know!

Now, today is the last page of my twenties...and I'm cool with that, really...I promise. I can hardly wait to see what those thirties will bring in my 'book'.