Something in These Hills

This is an excerpt taken from a poem written by Joe Sherman, Class of '34.

There is something in these hills that you and I can't define and others can't understand. A wave of warmth always surges through me when "outsiders" say, "I don't know what it is about you Clemson people, but your undying love for Clemson is admired by everyone I know."

Yes, there's something in these hills where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness.

I have an undying love for Clemson that was instilled in me at a very young age. Mr. Sherman hit it spot on. There is something special about that place. Something that most people can't even put into words. I always get cold chills when I step back on campus and I'm immediately flooded with the most incredible memories of the best four years of my life. I know the best times in my life are yet to come, but I will always take my family back to Clemson and hope they can experience the same joy I felt there. To put it simply, I love that place and always will.

Ok, enough sappy-ness, let's talk about the real reason Clemson is on my mind today... FOOTBALL!!!

I'm a sports girl, through & through. I can call out a linebacker or center if either aren't doing their job. I know the positions, the strategies, the penalties, all of it. And I love it all (thanks, Mom). I really think this is one of the reasons Ryan fell in love with me.

I've been anticipating the start of football season for a few months and back late last year we got a call from Ryan's cousin, excited to tell us that he was getting married. We were thrilled and then he announced the wedding would be on September 1st. I stopped dead in my tracks and then uttered the devastating words... "that's the start of football season." I saw Ryan start to tear up and we both began to digest what was happening. We would have to miss Clemson's season opener against Auburn.

We find ourselves months later still a little sad that we'll miss the game tomorrow, but knowing we have the opportunity to support his cousin & new wife as they start their life together. Luckily, we think we'll make it home to watch the 2nd half on TV :)

So, in the spirit of the game, I'll leave you with this...

C-L-E-M-S-O-N!

T-I-G-E-RRRRR-S!

FIGHT TIGERS!

FIGHT TIGERS!

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!

Dear old Clemson we will triumph,

And with all our might,

That the Tiger's roar may echo

O'er the mountain height.

Maternity Fashion

Here's an entry I wrote back on 8/3:

It’s getting harder & harder to hide this surprise from people at work. I ate spaghetti at 10am today, for goodness sake. They’re starting to pick up on my unusual eating patterns and one lady flat out questioned me when I mistakenly told her I was “craving” quesadillas. Note to self – don’t use the “C” word. My only saving grace is that I haven’t been sick at all. If I wasn’t so upbeat through this process so far, they totally would’ve nailed me by now.

I spent 2 hours yesterday looking at baby clothes (precious) and maternity clothes (holy not cute). I refuse to look fat when I’m pregnant, so I will, most likely, be rocking skinny pants & fitted tops throughout the fall & winter. I’m vein, yes, but I’m a woman & I deserve to feel pretty. Maternity fashion has its price, though, and it isn’t in the TJ Maxx range. Yikes. Everything I like is upwards of $70 for a top and don’t even get me started on the dresses. This is mad. I will ONLY wear this stuff for this pregnancy, b/c I’m sure nothing I want now will be in fashion when #2 comes in a few years.

Back to the drawing board… I have an idea of investing in a few pieces that I think will carry me really far – a great pair of skinny jeans & a pair of skinny black work pants. I will wear the pants off those pants. For real. I can justify spending a little more if I know I’ll wear something a lot, so those will be my two splurges. I’m going to try to stick with basic tops that I can change up with necklaces & scarves. I’m pretty excited to be pregnant in the fall & winter and since the baby is due at the end of March or beginning of April, there won’t be much time for warm weather clothes. I can deal with that – leggings, boots, blazers, scarves. I’m going to try to be the cutest preggo ever. Please don’t tell me if I fail._

It's pretty funny to read how I felt only weeks ago. I had my mind set on something & still haven't accomplished it. I did buy a pair of skinny maternity jeans from Old Navy & they don't make my butt look like a pancake, so I consider that a win. I haven't found any skinny black work pants, so I'm still on the hunt. My mom bought me some great pieces last weekend when we went shopping that will carry me for a good while and I bought one Pea in the Pod dress. Good Lord, the prices. It made me hurt. I want to fee pretty, but I don't want to be crying when I do it. Here are some cute maternity fashionistas that I'm trying  to get ideas from:

Eye on the prize, I know, but I don't want to look back at pictures 10 years from now & wonder why I wore things I could've fit an entire village in. Fitted, flattering... I'm trying.

9 Weeks

We've made it to month 3!

Size: a grape or green olive, almost an inch long & weighs less than an ounce!

Major happenings for the baby: eyes are fully formed, the tail is gone & the sex organs have developed.

Sleep: Pretty good, unless the dogs start barking & I usually have to get up during the night to use the bathroom once or twice.

Miss Anything? I thought I would miss wine, but I haven't at all. I do miss sandwich meat. Weird, I know, but I want a cold turkey sub so badly!

Food Cravings: All things bad :( Seriously, though, I'm craving chicken biscuits every morning, and pasta or some other type of Italian food during the day. Loving fried chicken right now!

Have you started to show yet? Oh, yes! So much so that I went to my 1st appointment early because I was convinced I was either having twins or I was farther along than I though. Both guesses were wrong & we're right on track for 1 baby on April 3rd! The beano has helped, so the bloating has gone down a good bit.

Gender Prediction: Boy. I'm absolutely convinced!

Looking Forward to: Everything! We have a long road ahead so I'm trying not to get ahead of myself.

Two Purchases

HOT

(I found these necklaces on eBay. I searched for "statement mint necklace" and these beauties popped up. I got both for less than $10 + free shipping. Score!)

NOT

Oh, hey pregnancy! My stomach has been so large & in charge the past few weeks and I finally broke down & called the doctor yesterday. When I say large, I mean I look to be about 4-5 months pregnant, not 2. My best friend was worried I was farther along than I thought, which is why I went to my first appointment at 7 weeks instead of 8. Nope, only 7 weeks & only one baby in the belly (deep sigh of relief). Apparently my stomach grows at an unbelievable rate every time I eat. Beano was the doctor's only suggestion. Awesome. Fart meds. I hope this works so I can wear my clothes a little longer!



Surprise! Baby G Makes 3

We can’t put into words how excited we are. For those of you who’ve been through this, you know exactly what I’m talking about. For those of you who will go through it, hang on tight!

It’s been an exciting & tiring process telling friends & family. It was so cool to hear & watch their reactions as we revealed our surprise. We got a few, “I totally knew,” and a few “Oh my gosh, I had NO idea!”

We told our immediate family about 3 weeks ago. We coxed them all into driving to Lexington for lunch. We claimed it was because our biggest fears were coming true (we’d move to Lexington & no one would visit us). Lie. We knew better, but the guilt trip was fun to ride for a week or so. It was really hard coordinating 4 families’ schedules, but we finally settled on a date & everyone came rolling up around noon. We were supposed to grill burgers & brats, but as luck would have it, we had a torrential downpour that day. We’d never cooked for 10+ people before, so we turned to something easy - good ole spaghetti. Might as well call it “bad ole spaghetti.” It was seriously the worst food we’d ever made. I’m not even sure what we did to it, but our families were kind enough to eat it.

Before we ate, we called everyone into the living room to say the blessing. Before the blessing (that never actually happened, we realized later), Ryan began his speech of, “We’re so glad everyone could come today. We know it’s not easy to drop everything you’re doing to come have lunch with us, but we appreciate it more than you know. There’s actually another reason we brought you all here & we have a little announcement to make…  (Dramatic pause. Jaws hit the floor. People start to gasp because they realize what he’s about to say.) We’re having a baby!!!!!!!!!!!!

OHMYGOSHWHATYOU’REHAVINGABABYTEARSAREFLOWINGPEOPLEAREJUMPING

That’s about how it went. Everyone went nuts. Even our 2 year old nephew who had no idea what was going on started jumping around. It was awesome & exactly the reaction we were hoping for. We caught everyone off guard except for Ryan’s dad & my sister, who admittedly had gone through my bathroom cabinets when she arrived to see if she could find any evidence. She bailed before she turned the pregnancy tests over for fear of being caught.

After that, we started telling our closest friends & the rest of our family & finally announced it to the world (AKA – Facebook) yesterday, and we received such an overwhelmingly great response from the rest of our friends.

We can’t wait to watch the growth of our child. We know that being surrounded by people that love us so much will only make this experience even better!

Fall Fashion

Who's ready for Fall? ME!!!!! More specifically, I'm ready for football, my mom's chili, more time with family & friends and Fall clothes. I always get excited about fashion trends for each season & try to buy a few pieces. I'm all stocked up on colored skinny jeans, so I've got a head start, but here are some other trends I may try to dabble in...

Statement Collars

I must admit I don't own a single article of clothing with a collar on it. Nada. I somehow resemble a shrunken-head doll when I wear collars. I'm going to try this trend, though - with my hair completely pulled back.

Bold Colors

I'm so excited that colors are big for this Fall. I hate how completely washed out I look every Fall with muted colors & no tan. This should bring some umph into everyone's lives!

Electric Blue





This is one of my most favorite colors to wear & I'm pumped it's here for Fall. Another color to celebrate!

Animal Print

Oh, hey there. I was thinking more like this:

I purchased this top from Old Navy & wore it to work today, paired with my favorite statement necklace & black skinny pants. I've already gotten tons of compliments on it!

Printed Skinny Jeans

This is one trend I won't be trying. I have to draw the line somewhere.


Happy Fall shopping!





Kitchen Teaser

We're getting close to being finished with the kitchen, but I wanted to tease you with this picture I took last week before things really kicked into gear.

No more 90's cabinets & green countertops - remember this guy?

We now have cabinet doors, new appliances, wall paint & the backsplash is going up today. I can't wait to post about the finished room!

Celebrating 3 Years

Better late than never, right? Ryan & I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on July 11th. The past 2 years we've taken a trip to celebrate, the 1st  year to Savannah and the 2nd to Charleston. This year we stayed in town (mainly because we can't get away Ryan's office for a hot second). We are planning a surprise trip, though. It's a surprise because we don't know where we're going, or even when, but we're excited! We're thinking sometime in the Fall - either to NYC or somewhere tropical for a few days since we didn't get a vacation this Summer.

Here's a picture of us after our dinner at the Melting Pot - bad food, awesome experience! (Seriously - have you eaten there??)

Here's to you, love. Thanks for making the past 3 years so unbelievably wonderful!