Funny/not-so-funny story of the day:


Bella sleeps in her crate and stays in it when no one is home to watch her and make sure her destruction is kept to a minimum. Since we go to the beach every weekend, we have to haul it back and forth. My weak muscles have a lot of trouble carrying that huge 5,000 lb crate, so last week we decided to order a canvas crate. It is super light-weight and folds easily. She didn't know what to think of it at first but she slept like a baby in it the past few nights.


Well, today I was shadowing all day so my mom was on dog duty. She put Bella in her crate in my room and closed both of my bedroom doors while she ran an errand. When she got home and opened the back door Bella was there to meet her. My mom had no idea how she had gotten out of the crate AND my bedroom. This is how:

My monster dog ripped through the brand new crate then jumped up on the doorknob and let herself out of my room. My mom said Bella was so proud of herself and was running around like a wild bull when she got home.

Right when I got home she tucked her tail and crawled in my lap and gave me the sweetest "I promise I'm an angel" face. Ugh, she is such a mess. Anyone else have a wild terror puppy, or am I the only one??

Right on.

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day, so I will take a minute to brag on my amazing mom. I truly believe that she is the best mom in the whole world. She makes sacrifices every day for me and my sisters. She is the most selfless person I know and would rather be miserable if everyone around her is happy.

She has slept in my bed and rubbed my back when I've had my heart broken, nursed me back to health through [many] sicknesses, put up with my bad moods, and convinced me that I should agree to going on a date with the handsome blonde baseball player the day she moved me to Chapel Hill.

How gorgeous is my mom!? She looks like a model!

Three years ago I flew to Florida by myself to be on the summer staff for a Young Life camp for a month. I started feeling really sick and figured it was just from long days of playing with kids and not enough sleep. Well, they took me to the doctor and SURPRISE.. I was the first person in Florida to have the SWINE FLU. Yep... count on me to catch any and every type of sickness possible. I called my mom crying hysterically and she said she was coming to get me. She left straight from there and picked up my aunt in Tarboro and they drove 13 hours through the night to pick me up. I got in the car and we turned around and drove 13 more hours home. Talk about a saint!

It would take me days to write down all of the things my mom has done for me. I know I don't tell her nearly enough, but I am SO very thankful for my mom and I don't know what I would do without her. I pray to be half as great of a mom one day as she is to us every day.







Grey's shower

Today was all about our beautiful bride, Grey Batts! It was a perfect morning for a bridal shower. It was so much fun to get everyone together to celebrate Grey and her soon-to-be hubby John. I cannot believe one of the girls is getting hitched! Can't wait for their wedding in October!

The stunning bride! John, you are one lucky man!

Grey's adorable niece/flower girl

Mimosa station

We love you, Grey!

Beach getaway

Me and my best friends escaped to the beach for a few days of fun in the sun this week. We had a blast talking, eating, and laughing. Half of us have been best friends since pre-school. Literally, 18 years of friendship! Our group was complete when we met the rest of the girls in 6th grade when our elementary schools went to the same middle school. Ever since then we have been inseparable... and I wouldn't change a thing! Even though we all go to different colleges and are all so different, when we get together it's like nothing has changed. Time spent with my best friends is good for my soul.

Molly and I, beach bums since the beginning

 Fast forward 17 years... nothing has changed!

And the weekend was wrapped up by short-sheeting Molly's bed (we are mature):

Baby update!

Keehln is 13 weeks today! Her belly is still tiny and just looks like she has eaten a big meal. Yesterday I went to her doctor's appointment and got to hear the baby's heart beat!! It was such a neat experience. It took the lady a minute to find it, then we heard the little baby loud and clear. There is an old wives tale that says a heart beat above 140 beats per minute means it's a girl, and the heart beat was 180 bpm at her first appointment and 162 bpm yesterday. So Keehln is convinced she is having a girl.

We will find out if it's a boy or girl in 5 weeks. We are all SO EXCITED and are in the process of planning a "gender reveal" party. I told her I am going to learn how to read ultrasounds so I will know the gender at her ultrasound appointment before everyone else finds out at the party ;) Just kidding. That's all for now... more on baby Page next week!

Bella

This post is dedicated to the wild, sweet, furry love of my life: Bella. It all started last summer when Garrett was at one of his best friends Bryant Gaines' house in Charlotte and saw his dog. He had a German short-haired pointer, and Garrett fell in love. He sent me a picture of the dog and I responded "I do not want a spotted dog". Well, a year later, we have a spotted dog.

I have been an animal lover my whole life. Some of the earliest memories I have are of me and my best friend Molly Aldridge in the creek in her back yard catching bullfrogs, fish, and anything else we could find. I used to want to be a vet until I realized how many sick dogs they have to see (I don't need a job that makes me cry every day). Well when we got Bella I fell in love immediately, as I knew I would. I'm pretty sure Garrett gets so tired of me talking in a baby voice to her like she can understand every word I'm saying. Oh well. I admit that I am annoyingly obsessed with my dog, sorry.

German short-haired pointers are known for their energy level. If Garrett knew this before we got her, he sure didn't tell me. Our daily goal is to try to wear her out and make her tired, which most of the time doesn't happen. Ironically, she is laying beside me asleep right now which is not normal. She is exhausted from being on the beach all day yesterday digging in the sand and chasing birds. I am still waiting for the day that she lays around and naps all day like most dogs... hopefully those days are right around the corner. Despite her wildness, she is so sweet. She loves to be by your side at every minute and still thinks she is a lap dog at 50 lbs.

There have been plenty of times that we have wanted to put her in doggy time-out and leave her there forever. Garrett lives on a big farm and one day he unhooked her leash and opened the door to let her inside and she turned around and took off running. Knowing there was no chance he would catch her, he drove their truck through the fields after her. Well, the term "bird dog" is no lie. When Bella sees a bird, there is no stopping her. He drove a few miles until she finally decided she wanted a treat bad enough to stop running. Another time she thought it would be fun to play in a big pile of fire ants. Then she thought I was playing with her as I yelled at her to get out. I had to drag her away and get all the ants off of her which led to both of us covered in ant bites, and me being furious.

I know I am bias, but gosh she is so darn cute! Even though some days I would love to sleep in past 7am or not spend all my money on dog food and toys, I wouldn't change a thing! I love our spoiled spotted girl!

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone has a great week!



Dad's 1200 mile bike ride

Hey everyone! So tomorrow my dad leaves for his 1,200 mile trip from Greenville, NC to Key West, Florida... on a bike!!! How crazy is that?!? He is making this 1.5 week trip to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs. For those who don't know, Boys and Girls Clubs give disadvantaged kids a chance to succeed by providing academic help, teaching healthy lifestyles and character development. My dad will make stops along the way at Boys and Girls Clubs across the east coast to give talks about nutrition, oral health, and bike safety. His goal is to raise $100,000 and he is at about $61,000 right now.

This challenge fits my dad perfectly because 1) he is a "fitness guru" and 2) he loves helping others and giving back to the community.


I am very thankful that I see many traits in myself daily that come straight from my dad. The first, although not always a good thing, is my extreme type-A personality. My dad can never sit still and is constantly looking for new challenges to undertake. He is not satisfied until his goal has been accomplished completely and perfectly. I am the same way, which results in me being stressed out 99% of the time. I can thank my dad for my constant desire to succeed and for showing me that I should never settle for less than I deserve. While my mom (and Garrett) is constantly trying to prevent my mental breakdowns by telling me to stop worrying about school so much, my dad is pushing me to go to med school and telling me he knows I can do it (which isn't happening... not now at least... sorry, Dad). I am thankful for my dad's example that no goal is too high.

My dad worked his butt off to get into dental school, and got accepted into UNC Chapel Hill's program (go heels!). He worked his butt off in dental school and graduated 1st in his class. [Side note: his professors didn't tell him that he was top of his class, so him and my mom didn't go to the awards ceremony. They called him and asked where he was, which was when he found out! Woops!] He decided he wanted to put himself through 2 more years of stress (orthodontic school), but UNC did not accept him. Crazy! But instead of settling, he took a year off and taught at the dental school and reapplied. This time he was accepted!

Pray for safe travels for my dad and for physical and mental strength! Follow his journey here: http://riding4areason.blogspot.com/?spref=fb and if you would like to donate you can do so here: http://riding4areason.org/

"No descipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees."  -Hebrews 12:11-12