And the Stockings Were Hung

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care and they are all ready for the baby to be there.

Ready we certainly are, well as ready as we can be I guess. My daddy
senses are telling me it will be happening really soon and just that thought brings a smile to my face.

With all the different emotions I've felt since we found out we had a little one on the way, the feeling I have right now is the best yet. I guess l finally feel ready and excited at the same time.

I can't wait to welcome her into the world, but realize I am going to have to, but just like the monkey said when his tail got cut off. . . It won't be long now!

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008 has been an incredible year for the Berndsen Family, and as we decorated for our first Christmas in our new house, we were reminded of the many things we were blessed with this year.

First of all, that swollen belly of mine sticking out from the picture. Experiencing this pregnancy together has been an amazing adventure, full of learning, laughter and love. My husband has been absolutely incredible to me (as he always was) and I have seen him grow abundantly as he prepares for his role as a father in these next few weeks. I love the way our preparation for parenthood has brought us closer as a couple as well and strengthened our marriage even more, which I hadn't known was possible. We are very much looking forward to our expanding family, and our expanding love.

The new home we were able to decorate this year is a blessing in and of itself. Several years ago, we knew that we wanted to build a new house, but that it would take a lot of sacrifice and dedication to make it a reality. We put our minds and hearts to the task, and in February 2008 we were able to close on our very own brand new house, full of the personal touches that we had individually chosen. We loved the building process and are so grateful that we were able to work toward and complete our goal, just in time to bring our newest member into the world. :)

That goofy dog in the picture is also a blessing (though some days we might not admit it), as he brings us such joy and laughter in his silly antics. It really does seem he understands when we talk to him, and his many confused expressions literally make us laugh daily. During the building process, Beazer lived with Grandma & Grandpa Berndsen while we lived with my mom for a few months. It is great to have our dog reunited and a part of our daily family again. I know that once our daughter comes that he will likely take a back burner in our lives (and we have tried to prepare him for that as well), but until then, we are enjoying his silly behavior, many wet kisses and his need for our attention.

Less than 2 weeks and counting...

Well, it is officially less than 2 weeks until Elliana is due to arrive. At our appointment on Friday, we learned that still no progress has been made, but at a little under 38 weeks, the doctor was guestimating that she was already weighing in at approximately 7.5 lbs! T.J. is a bit doubtful that she is that big, given the doctor also followed that statement with "But, I have been known to be off by a few pounds in the past." Given the previous week estimate by another doctor of a high 6 lbs to low 7 lbs, the 7.5 lb estimate sounded pretty accurate and on track.

As the doctor said, contractions are the word of the week, and although the contractions are few and far between, we are eagerly awaiting her arrival for whenever she is ready to appear.

Until then, I am continuing to learn patience and count down the days until estimated arrival. :)

Baby Berndsen Update

No, our daughter has not yet made her appearance into the world, but after our first weekly appt last week, I think it is safe to say that we are more excited than ever about meeting her in the next few weeks.

Last Friday, we met with my doctor who is currently estimating that Elliana is already weighing in at approximately upper 6 to a low 7 pounds. I think this pretty impressive given that at that time she still had a little bit more than 3 weeks left "to cook" where weight gain will continue these last few weeks.

We have now reached just 19 days until she is due, and we believe we have everything ready for her arrival! The hospital bag and diaper bag are packed and ready to go. Her room is complete and appears to be ready for a princess. The clothes have been cleaned and organized by size. The car seat has been installed and is enjoying its new home in the backseat of my car.

On my way to work each day, it is so much fun to see that little car seat and imagine our daughter in it in just a few weeks. Until then, we will continue to wait and pray for the health and safety of our little girl. We know she is in good hands.

Almost ready for arrival...

With just 41 days to spare before our daughter is due to arrive, we are proud to say that we have completed her room!

Although T.J. quickly finished painting the room for his little girl, we were waiting on all of the furniture to arrive, the bedding to be washed, and then the polka dots to be hung. This past weekend, we are thrilled that we were able to complete those outstanding items.


We can already imagine Elliana enjoying her room as much as we have enjoyed preparing it for her. I can already imagine spending hours in that recliner gently rocking her and reading to her. Talking to her about the love that Mommy & Daddy have for her and how we have been looking forward to being her parents all of our lives.

As you can tell, there are many clothes that are already awaiting her. Each outfit is a symbol of the many people that already love her and are looking forward to meeting her. Because believe it or not, her mommy has bought only one or two of those outfits, and the rest have been gifts for our little girl! What an incredible blessing and abundance of love, and I know that she will apprecaite it as much as I do...even if it takes her a little while :)

4th Generation on the way

As I was reviewing pictures from my baby shower this past weekend, I saw this picture and was overcome with great joy. Joy as I realized that the picture depicted at least 3 generations of women in my family, and if we are including Elliana, who is technically in the picture, it represents 4 generations!

I am excited to bring our baby girl into the world in a little over a month, and to introduce her to the many people who already love her so very much. I know her Dad & I are eagerly awaiting her arrival, but it is safe to say that we are not the only ones.

Just 46 days until we are able to meet her! I can hardly wait!

Pumpkin Festival 2008

It is a Berndsen Family tradition to attend the Minges Pumpkin Festival in the Fall each year. We were excited to go this year to look for new decorations and accessories for our new home, though we were surprised to learn how much Elliana wanted to buy!

First she begged me for the hot ear of steamed corn with butter. Given I was a little hungry, I surely wasn't going to deprive her of some vegetables! After that was gone, she kicked for some funnel cakes, which by the way both T.J. and I have to agree were by far the best funnel cake we have ever had! It was extra thick and crispy and we seriously discussed going back for another one. But...we don't want to spoil her (not yet anyway) so we decided against it.


After browsing a few more craft tents and discussing a few potential purchases, she began moving about everytime we passed the Homemade Root Beer and Kettle Corn stand. Thinking it was just a fluke, we waited in the long line and sure enough she kicked the entire time. So, being the good parents we are trying to be...we bought some of that too.


Overall, this past weekend was a new experience for us at the Minges Pumpkin Festival. We are already looking forward to going again next year and actually watching her experience it all for the first time, rather than just feeling her experience it from within my belly. This past weekend was the first time that we have ever attended, and only purchased food. As I like to say, it has to be Elliana, because I know I never ate this much before I met her :)

Fall Fun

A few weeks ago, we had our first trees in our new yard delivered and installed. It is truly amazing what a difference a little bit of nature has added to our bare lot.

Although our house felt like our home months ago, the addition of our new trees has truly begun to complete the package. We are already enjoying the beautiful fall foilage and the shade that our new Maple trees have to offer.

I just thought I would share a quick picture of the proud tree owners enjoying a bit of nature...in our own front yard :)

Those Darn Watermelon Seeds

Well last time I wrote about Ashley, I had thought maybe she was just carrying a deflated basketball under her shirt. Now, however, I’ve abandoned that idea and think I’ve figured out what is really happening.

We all remember those hot summers at the pool, right? At some point, someone decides to mix swimming with a watermelon. But it isn’t the swimming and watermelon I’m focused on here, but rather the point after swimming with the watermelon where the watermelon is cut up and everyone takes a slice.

I think every kid thinks, while eating this slice of watermelon, “What happens if I swallow a seed?” Well kids, this is what you get :

I know what your thinking, mom and dad said that wasn’t possible, but I now have proof. So kids, take it from me and my beautiful wife, DON'T EAT THOSE DARN WATERMELON SEEDS!

Blessed and Thankful

It seems everywhere that I turn nowdays that we are bombarded with depressing news and stories of economic and political turmoil. So, I wanted to take this moment to reflect on the many blessings that we have in our lives, and express my gratitude for each and every one of them!

First of all, I am incredibly grateful for my wonderful husband. Several years ago, I laid awake at night and prayed for a man that would someday be my husband. I never imagined that I would be blessed with T.J. who exceeded every expectation. God delivered T.J. at just the right moment in my life, and sometimes I feel that he was truly designed just to complete me, and I to complete him. I love the little jokes that only the two of us understand and the silent language that we have developed over the years. I love how supportive he is of my goals, and I pray each day that I can always be the wife that he needs and deserves. I love seeing the excitement in his eyes when we discuss our future role of parenthood, and I can hardly wait to create new memories with this wonderful man for the rest of my life. So..I guess I just want to say thank you Lord for giving me this incredible man!

I am grateful for our families, and am amazed at how each set of parents (yes, we have three) offers us different ways to love and serve one another. I am grateful for their support throughout the years and the love that they shower us with.

Our little girl, who is due in just 88 days! I am so incredibly thankful that we were chosen to be her parents, and we can hardly wait to meet this little munchkin who loves to roll around and kick her mommy. We can hardly wait to watch her personality unfold and see the characteristics of her parents unfold. Just last night, T.J. and I were talking of all of the fun we will have with her activities and how much we are already looking forward to dance classes, soccer, baseball and anything else that she might be interested in. I am grateful that my wonderful hubby has started her room, and that we can already imagine rocking her to sleep each night.

I am grateful for our friends, whose support and advice have helped us in many ways. I hope that T.J. and I are also a blessing to each and every one of you!

Okay, so I don't have room on this tiny blog to mention every single blessing that I am grateful for, but I do hope that our actions will demonstrate our "attitude of gratitude" throughout or lives. Also, I do want to state that it is hard to put the few items above in order, so let me just say that these items are in no particular order because I couldn't imagine my life without a single one of them!

Our Little Girl

On Monday we went for another ultrasound and were amazed at how big our little girl has become all of a sudden! It was just 5 weeks since our last glimpse inside my belly, and it was truly amazing to see the little face and cheeks that have formed on our daughter. We got a kick out of seeing her stick her tongue out at us as we watched her dance and move within me.

In this picture you can see her face, eyes, and little cheeks as she lay on her side in my belly. It's incredible how just a few weeks ago she looked so much like a skeleton, and now she looks like a newborn. I am already looking forward to holding her in my arms and looking into those eyes that show themselves for the first time in this picture.

The past few weeks she has been very active and loves to kick her Mommy throughout the day and night. I love her little kicks and look forward to each and every one! Though I must admit I like it most when she kicks her Daddy's hand as he talks to her. There is just something about seeing them interact, even at this young stage of life, that warms my heart and fills me with excitement and joy over everything that parenthood will bring.

We are quickly approaching the 100 day mark until our little girl is due to arrive. Until then, we will eagerly await meeting her and continue to take care of in every way we can think of.

I guess it is true what our parents always said..."You can't understand the love a parent has for their child until you are a parent yourself." I think it is safe to say, that T.J. & I now understand and are loving this new love.

Bay Harbor, Michigan

On Saturday, we returned from our "babymoon" getaway to Bay Harbor, Michigan. We knew that we needed a little getaway before our daughter was born, and Bay Harbor was the perfect destination for us!

We began our vacation on Monday with a visit to Toledo to see the Fisher family! Although brief, it was so much fun being together and just catching up.

On Tuesday, we arrived in Bay Harbor, a small residental community about an hour south of Mackinaw Island. The community was surrounded by lush forests, and multi-million dollar views, which explained the impressive houses and boats that were common to the area. Throughout the week we relaxed by enjoying the scenery, exploring the marina, indulging in the spa at the hotel, and of course just relaxing and spending some quality time with my best friend.


We are already discussing our next trip to the area as a family, and all of the great things will be able to do together the next time we visit. But until then, we are incredibly grateful for the getaway, and are trying to keep that relaxed spirit we learned last week to remain present for a long time to come!

Jenna & Matt's Wedding!

Yesterday we were thrilled to be a part of the wedding of Jenna Berndsen to Matt Sutton! The wedding was absolutely beautiful, surrounded by a beautiful rose garden, perfect weather and lots of love.

Jenna and Matt were beautiful and their love shone throughout their ceremony. Everything went perfectly, and we can hardly wait to celebrate their marriage again next week at their dinner party as they return home from their honeymoon.

Congratulations again Jenna & Matt! We are so very happy to have a new brother added to the family.

Our deck is reaching completion...

This summer, T.J. and his dad have been working hard every weekend on building our family a deck to enjoy. This past weekend, the railings on the main deck were completed, and all that remains is the gate at the top of the steps and the railing for the steps (and a few little finishing touches).

I am so very excited to watch this beautiful deck be built right before my own eyes, and can already imagine our family enjoying it with our little girl next summer! I can picture our landscaping around the deck skirting, and get excited when I think of the garden I will plant. Thank you T.J. and Tom for spending so very much time and energy every weekend to work on our house and for doing it all with amazing attitudes! I am very grateful for having you both in my life! Thanks again!

Lovin' the Rugrats

As I'm heading into daddydom I find myself thinking about how life is going to change and what it will be like having a little one around. Then I realized, I already have four great examples of how it is going to be right around me all the time. These four examples are our nieces and nephews, Marin, Sam, Sarah, and Dinah. These little guys have been giving us all kinds of experience with the exciting times ahead for Ash and I. So I figured I'd just share a few pictures of some of the fun times we've had together.

Marin is the oldest, so he's first. Sorry Dinah, but I'm the oldest too, and I make the rules here. Here Ash and I are with Marin sporting our cool psychedelic glasses. Just pop a pair of these bad boys on and you are set to see angels, bells, noel, or even a light bulb when you look at a light. This is a Christmas tradition around the Wallace house. As the oldest, he has a hard job to do, has to do everything first. Not just for his parents, but for his grandparents and his aunts and uncles. All of us adults push the oldest ahead and it is our first time too having a child, nephew, or grandchild, so thanks for being willing to take the first step with us.

Sam is next. We don't have a picture of us posed with Sam, but if you know Sam, you know why. When it comes to pictures, Sam is a bit camera shy. Usually he looks the other way. This picture is a good one though, somewhat representative of him coming out of his shell for the picture.

As the second, Sam teaches us that not all our kids will be the same. Each have their own personality, and we as parents need to adjust accordingly to the personality of each of our children. Sam shows us a sensitive caring side. He also stops us if we start to eat before praying. Thanks for being there for us Sam and keeping us in line.

Sarah is next. As the first girl, Sarah shows us the cuteness that a little girl can bring to the family. Sarah is the first one who was so adventurous and independent while at the same time having a quiet, shy side. She has that little smile which is a ray of sunshine and reminds us as that these little people can provide quite a bit of happiness. Sarah is tough to, you know she has a big brother. And with my experience as a big brother, I know she gets picked on sometimes.

Finally there is Dinah, the youngest. If I were to describe Dinah in one word I think it would have to be generous. Although she is only 18 or so months old, she has learned as the youngest, you have a little more freedom, but you have to give a little too. With older cousins running around, you are basically always sharing their stuff, or your stuff is shared with them. I guess that is why Dinah finds it fun to just walk around, pick things up, then hand them to someone. Dinah is also her own person and will tell you if you aren't doing things the way she expects.


Thanks to all of you for being who you are. Thanks for all of the fun times and the smile. And thanks for being there to give me a little preview of the fun it is to have you little rugrats around.

Gender Prediction?

Okay, so I know I am getting ahead of myself given the ultrasound to "reveal the goods" is in just about 2 weeks, but I was curious if any of my friends/family had any gut reactions as to the sex of our baby.

I have probably spent more time than I should have on gender prediction tests, especially since I have received such mixed results on each. After all, does it really just come down to wait and see, or is there validity in any of the crazy wives' tales that are available today?

So, I thought I would share the results of the various tests now just to see how accurate they are once we know the sex for sure. After all, this waiting and guessing period is part of the fun, right? :)

Test # 1 - Pencil Test
Performed by Uncle Nick two weeks ago, he was quite certain we would have first a GIRL and then a BOY. For those less versed in this "scientific" approach, a string is thread through a needle and the needle is then stuck into the eraser of the pencil. Depending on how the pencil swings or sways, supposedly determines the gender of the baby.

Test # 2 - Chinese Gender Chart
Legend states that the Chinese Gender Chart was buried in a royal tomb near Beijing over 700 years ago. The original is allegedly currently in the Institute of Science in Beijing. To sum it up...this is a chart which measures the mothers age at conception and the month in which she conceives to deliver the truly scientific results of the gender. So...Given I was 27 and Baby was created in April, I am predicted to have a BOY.

Test # 3 - Heartbeat Prediction
If the heartbeat during ultrasounds is over 150, then it is supposed to be a girl, whereas all heartbeats 100-150 are in the range of baby boy. So, given we have now heard heartbeats (in order) at 145, 170, 150, 148...I have no idea what gender that leaves us with.

Regardless of the results in just a few weeks, I can guarantee that T.J. & I are ready and excited to welcome this baby into our lives!

Take Me out to the Ball Game!

On Saturday night, we treated Tom & Shelley to a night out at the Cincinnati Reds game to celebrate Tom's Birthday. Yes, we are well aware that Tom's birthday was actually in March, but this was an event planned months in the making!

We began the evening by dining at Hofbrauhaus for some delicious German cuisine. After literally stuffing ourselves to where we could eat no more, we quickly walked across the bridge to try to get our very own Jerseys from the Red's Jersey giveaway promotion they had going on at the ballpark. Unfortunately, we must have enjoyed our dinner a little too much, because when we arrived, all 20,000 of the jerseys had already been distributed. But, we had a great time in spite of the missing jersey!

The pictures above are just a few of us celebrating and having a great time together. Thanks guys for making our Saturday night so special!

From the Daddy-To-Be

I know what you are all thinking, but you are all wrong. That's NOT a deflated basketball under Ashley's shirt, nor is it a small pillow. If you are thinking maybe it is just a trick of the camera, you'd be wrong too. What you (and I) are seeing is just our baby starting to poke out from her belly. Wait - not just our baby, it is the most exciting change in our life poking out from under that shirt.

I've been having a blast being a daddy-to-be. Taking care of Ashley and our little one has been so much fun. I've enjoyed watching her change and helping adjust to the trials of pregnancy. I've been learning patience, which I'm sure will come in handy with a little child. Ashley knows just what to do to prepare me in every way.

I've enjoyed talking about the future, after the little one arrives and sharing our news with everyone we meet - even the car salesman!

Thanks to everyone for all your love and support. We will continue to provide updates as the pregnancy moves forward. In the meantime, I'll just be sitting here, frequently rubbing an ever expanding belly, picking up the slack for a more tired wife, anticipating the future of my family, and enjoying every minute along the way. Until the next time. . .

Getting bigger!

Half way through week 13, it is safe to say that I now look pregnant. To see my belly grow right before my eyes is truly remarkable, and every time I catch a glimpse of my changing reflection in a mirror or window, I can't help but smile to myself.

So far, I love being pregnant! Though I must admit I wasn't very prepared for the fatigue and headaches that frequently visit, but T.J. is a tropper and takes great care of me. Nauseousness, I was prepared for, and honestly eating more makes it go away, so who am I to complain about that? Bring it on!! :)

We met with my new doctor last week and were able to hear the heartbeat again through a doppler this time. Hearing your baby's heartbeat is truly an undescribable experience. The fast "swoosh-swoosh" of the heart is enough to bring tears to any happy parents eyes as they imagine holding their infant in their arms in just a few months. The heartbeat was very strong and ranged between 150-160 beats per minutes, which is just a little lower than it was the last time we were able to hear it, when it was at a very high amount of 170 beats per minute. But, I was quite stressed at the previous reading, which could have easily explained the higher heartbeat the previous time.

I still find it hard to believe how fast these past few months have gone bye! I am already 1/3 of the way through the pregnancy, and yet it still feels like we just found out. As we begin to look for nursery furniture, bedding and decorating ideas, the excitement builds as we eagerly await to meet our first child!

Thank you Lord for this amazing blessing, and continue to watch over our little one and help him/her to grow healthy & strong. :)

Do weekends move faster than weekdays?

As I awoke this morning, I came to the realization that weekends must literally make time move faster than a typical weekday. It seems like just yesterday I was here at work preparing for the weekend, and yet somehow the weekend is now gone and it is Monday again! Is anyone else amazed by that concept?

Overall, our weekend was pretty good! We got a bit of a jump start to the weekend when my Dad met T.J. & I for lunch on Friday at the Behle Street Cafe. Thanks Dad! After work, we stopped by the Home Depot for some deck supplies, and then headed home for a wonderful evening of Netflix and Pizza (one of our favorite ways to spend an evening).

Saturday started a little earlier than I would have liked at just before 8:00 AM as we prepared for my wonderful father-in-law to arrive to assist T.J. with more deck building. The progress is moving right along, and the framing of the steps is now complete. In no time, we will be able to relax and use our backyard! While they were working hard outside, I relaxed a bit due to a headache and worked around the house.

I was pleased to bring the hard working boys back some lunch from Burger King. I can't quite describe it, but with this pregnancy, I have literally been craving fried food (I know...not healthy, but it sure is good!) and am always eager to share the extra calories with my loved ones. After lunch, I crawled back into bed trying to fight the headache with the only medicine I am comfortable taking right now...SLEEP.

We prepared for church and our Father's Day evening with my Dad and brother. After church we headed to Don Pablo's for some celebrating of fathers! It was nice to just relax and enjoy family for a while, and of course to see our niece and nephew who we don't get to see too often.

Sunday- again began far earlier than imagined, at 7:45 AM. I have learned that the earlier you wake up, the more hours in the day (I should have figured that out years ago, but I have enjoyed sleep far too much). I wanted to be sure to wake up early with T.J. to give him his Father's day to be gift, and shower him with love. We spent most of the day just relaxing and enjoying each other and the many sports available on cable. We made dinner together and then enjoyed a nice walk around our neighborhood before the storms were scheduled to roll in.

Overall, a pretty great weekend...but again, it does leave you to wonder what makes time fly so much more quickly on the weekend than on a typical weekday?

Our Deck is Underway!

On Memorial Day weekend, my wonderful husband and father-in-law began working on building our new deck! We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of our deck, since once it is complete, we will be able to begin using our yard more often. In just a few days, an incredible amount of progress was made, and the floorboards were almost complete.

I have to admit that I felt guilty watching them work so hard in the hot weather, but they insisted I was not to help, so who was I to argue?! Although the picture above is a few weeks old, I couldn't help but show off the amazing work that they were doing.

This coming weekend, more progress is to come, and the stairs will be added. So, until then...I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to Tom & T.J. for working so hard for our family! I really appreciate it!!

Miami, FL

On Sunday we returned from 6 days in Miami, FL. Though not a typical destination for us, T.J.'s work offered him a Conference in Miami, so who were we to turn it down?

Since we are not into clubs or dance parties, we filled our non-conference days full of long walks on the beach, laying at the pool and overall just relaxing!

We were both surprised to find the water a clear, bright blue...almost like the Caribbean waters. It makes sense given it is in the extreme south of the US. The weather stayed beautiful and sunny, and the get away was just what this couple needed for a little forced R&R. :)

Ready for vacation!!

As our next vacation approaches, to say that T.J. & I are excited would be a bit of an understatement. The picture above is from the hotel we will be staying at when we head to southern Florida in just a few days.

Just a few weeks ago, we were really struggling on where to go on vacation, and all of the details associated with planning a trip. But then T.J. learned that he had to attend a conference for work, so DARN, I get to tag along! It's amazing how quickly prayers are answered in such unusual ways.

Although T.J. will need to be working the first few days, we extended the trip by staying longer than needed to ensure a nice getaway is reached.

More updates will come upon our return, but until then, the Berndsen Family is eagerly awaiting our next little getaway. :)

Beazer is Back!

During the building of our new home, our dog Beazer stayed with my in-laws while we lived with my parents. Although we have been in our new home for almost a month, we were waiting to get Beazer back until the majority of our boxes were unpacked since he is such a nervous dog. So...on Thursday, we were more than excited to bring our little puppy to his new home.

As you can tell in the photo, Beazer had no problem finding his dad's lap and relaxing in his new home. It seemed as if Beazer had no trouble remembering our routines, and is adjusting very well. As I type this, he is snoring loudly and cuddled up on his favorite chair. I had almost forgotten how much I missed this little guy, so it sure is great to have him back in our daily lives again!

Welcome Home Beazer!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

It is Monday, the day after a major weekend event; Ashley's birthday! We had a great weekend celebrating Ashley's big day. I guess since Ashley has been maintaining the site, she failed to put her big day into our news section, so instead, I will write about it to give her day the attention it deserves.

No, we didn't go on a cruise, but I just liked this picture and thought I would use it. Ashley's birthday was Saturday, but we got an early start on Friday. We went on a little mini shopping spree for the house where Ashley picked out a bunch of new items to start the decorating and organizing process she has been looking forward to for the last 7 months while we awaited our home. This is definitely the way Ashley would start her birthday weekend and I enjoyed seeing her smile as we went from store to store.

Saturday, we spent some time early in the day at our home getting the new things together. This was just a prelude to our evening. We had a great dinner at Brio and then went to see the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall.

Sunday, we did a little more shopping for the house during the midday then spent the late afternoon and early evening with Ashley's parents at Dave & Busters. Then, we finished off the night at with a quite filling dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.

I hope Ashley will have fond memories of this birthday weekend. I think I can speak for everyone, in saying we all had a great time, and the best part was we were able to spending it celebrating a great person in our lives whom we all love so much.

So again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!

Moving Day

After 7 months of preparing for our new home, moving day had finally arrived! On February 26th, the weather forecasters were calling for rain and snow showers, but we were determined to move forward with our moving date. At 7:00 am, T.J. left for our storage unit in Western Hills, while I ventured toward our new home to await our appliance delivery and installation. The appliance delivery people arrived a little after 9:00 only to discover a dented fridge has been delivered. So, I decided to accept the range and wait a few days for a new, undented fridge to arrive. Around 10:00 the movers arrived, and the true work began. Since we hadn't seen the majority of our belongings in such a long time, I found myself getting excited when a mover was carrying a piece of furniture I had forgotten that we had, and therefore forgotten how much I liked! Luckily, the weather held off and we were moved from our storage unit to our new home in a little under 4 hours. We were very blessed to have amazing movers to assist us during the moving process, making what could be a very stressful day, relatively stressless.

I think it is safe to say that the first week in our new home went by in a blur of boxes and chaos. Especially the first few days, which entailed several visits from installers of all sorts (cable, phone, security, garage door openers, etc.) just to name a few. Thankfully, my wonderful in-laws brought dinner and help the day after moving, which was just what we needed! They were able to offer advice and recommendations that we hadn't thought of, not to mention they had a lot of energy that we simply no longer had at that point.

A week ago today, our brother-in-law Jason, graciously offered to help us move the remaining items out of my mom's house (where we have been staying during the building process, thanks Mom!). Although the U-Haul rental was almost 2 hours behind our reservation time, Jason & T.J. were able to move the majority of our stuff onto the driveway while I picked up the U-Haul truck and brought it back. This moving day was quite different than just a few days prior, as the weather was almost 65 degrees, rather than the snow we had experienced on Tuesday. Thank you Jason for all of your help!

And so, for about a week now, we have been completely moved into our new home. And, we have been settled for about four days...but, we are well on our way, and are loving every minute of it!

Connecting the Past and Present

I recently realized with our new site and blog, that if you click around enough, you can get to something I started working on "way back" in 2006.

I've found that something I enjoying when I get some free time is writing. Whether talking about recent events, talking about our life, or just making up something creative I enjoy the art of taking thoughts and words together in writing. In 2006, I started my own little blog that is still out there to look at. It is called "Written Play Dough". What this represents is a place for me to take my thoughts from different sources and put them together in bits and pieces. It doesn't have to be significant or even complete, and sometimes it is just a matter of putting together writings from the past. It just gives me a place to do something I enjoy. It is kind of like play dough; but written. :-)

Now that I've remembered it, I hope to use it more often. If you'd like to check it out, feel free. I won't make you point and click to find it, so here it is http://writtenplaydough.blogspot.com.

Let me know if you enjoy it! I hope you find it is worth your time.

Happy Birthday T.J.!

We had a fantastic and busy weekend celebrating the birthday of my best friend, T.J.!

On Friday, we went to T.J.'s parents house for a great home-made dinner and the first of the birthday celebrations. Dinner at Tom & Shelley's is always fun and a great way to celebrate the love of my life! Not to mention, we were able to spend some time with our puppy too. Though, as usual we did end up eating way too much! Thanks for a great time guys!

Saturday was T.J.'s birthday, and although we just relaxed most of the day we sure did celebrate that night! After church, we went to Brio Italian Grille for a romantic dinner and then browsed Barnes & Noble for a few hours looking for some new books for our upcoming trip. What a wonderful and relaxing time!

On Sunday, we celebrated T.J.'s birthday with my parents @ the Montgomery Inn. It was wonderful to just relax over dinner and talk for awhile. Dinner was great, but again, we ate way too much! Thanks Dad & Carolyn for a great time!

With all of our celebrations, I hope T.J. knows how very much he is loved by so many and we are all so very grateful to have him in our lives. Happy 28th Birthday!

My Inauguration

I guess now it is my turn for an inaugural blog post. I'm excited about this forum to share about our life. Whether large or small, we now can tell you all about the events going on in our life. I'd imagine at first, it is going to take some getting used to, but eventually, it will become somewhat therapeutic. I'm excited to not only write to tell you about us, but I'm also looking forward to reading your comments, so please leave them if you are so inclined.

Sometimes I just like to write, therefore, besides the "goings on" type posts, I'd like to throw in some creative writing, thoughts on recent events, and am even open to requests if that comes up.

Right now, I'm quite unsure exactly where this will go and that is also what excites me about it. Please join us on our journey through life together, within our family and friends, and through our world. We are ready for the adventure; are you?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I suppose a new year's resolution of ours was to update our http://www.tandash.com/ website and actually keep it up to date! So, we are adding a blogging feature as part of our enhancement.

We hope you enjoy our newly refurbished website and blogs, and we will try our best to keep it up to date.

We wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2008. Happy blogging!

Love,

T.J. & Ashley