Softball :(

Ryan’s softball game ended up being cancelled. It had rained most of the weekend prior, so I guess there were some puddles? He was not too happy, but at least we got to spend time with one another.

My New Project

My new project is to try and train Abby to become a Therapy Dog. I bought this manual from the Delta Society http://www.deltasociety.org/ to learn more on Therapy Dogs, training etc. I have also contacted a private trainer in town. I will get Abby more private training lessons. And my goal is for her to become certified and pass and then I can take her volunteering with me to see sick patients or visit the elderly. I think she would like it. If for some reason she doesn’t pass at least she will still be better dog and even more behaved than she is now. And if anything I will have learned something from it and would like to train our second dog, in years to come to be the Therapy Dog. My goal is to have well behaved and manner canines. I love Abby, but I do know she has some things she could work on as I am sure we all do ;) Well, I will keep you all posted as to how this goes. I am sure it will be a slow process, but I am looking forward to the adventure; I know it will be a lot of work.

First Weekend of April

Friday the 4th, Ryan and I had our regular routine and after working out we came home and had dinner, watched some TV (a few hours of the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic – my favorite along with some HGTV) and then hit the bed. Saturday, we woke up, showered and hung out for a little before I went to volunteer for the first time at the Women’s Place in UVA’s Hospital. I shadowed a 2nd year from UVA who is looking into studying medicine or pharmacy. She was very sweet and showed me what it is we are supposed to do to help in the Women’s place. First we had to see if anything needed to be stocked and it looked as though the nurses or previous volunteers had already taken care of it. Then we found any of the newborn bed/carts which were empty to be cleaned. We cleaned four of them. And I got a tour of the floor and then we were able to knock on the doors to see if the mothers needed anything drinks or snack etc. All seemed to be good. Supposedly this was a very slow day with only two newborns in the nursery and two rooms occupied; I am hoping it will pick up more in the summer. I was able to be in the nursery most of the time as that is where I was getting the beds ready for newborns. The babies are so tiny and cute. I am not used to seeing a 1 day or hours old baby. I did enjoy my first day. I will be shadowing again this Saturday the 12th and I am looking forward to it. It puts a smile on my face to be there. After my volunteer work, Ryan, Abby and I went on a jog around the neighborhoods; it felt good to get a quick workout in. Then we got showered and ready to head to Gordonsville. We went to Michael & Katie’s House and chatted and then headed to a nice dinner with them and each of their parents. Ryan and I had a filet mignon and it was very tasty! Katie and I then split a dessert of cheesecake mouse with strawberries and aww that was so delicious; we were in love! Following dinner we headed back to their house and all chatted and watched the last game of the final four with Kansas beating UNC. I of course was excited because I WON my bracket pool I was in; yea for me! Ryan and I win now some extra cash, so that was very exhilarating! I am psyched :) After the nice long day, Ryan and I headed home and hit the bed.

Sunday the 6th, we woke up and went to church then grabbed some Bodo’s breakfast sandwiches and went home to eat them. Ryan then had to rush to get ready to play golf with Shooter and another buddy. They played on a cold, drizzly day. I stayed in with Abby watched some TV, went over and chatted with one of our neighbors for a bit and then came back, took a little nap with Abby and then made dinner for Ryan’s arrival. We had dinner together and watched our Sunday night shows. Then we hit the bed for the start of a new work week.

Monday the 7th, was just another normal day. We worked, had lunch at home, worked again, worked-out, ate dinner together at home and watched most of the final basketball game before we hit the bed again. Today is another normal day, but was even tougher for me to get up for work. I was sooo sleepy. After work, I will get a quick workout in and then head home to eat dinner (our chili will be cooking all day in the crock pot, so dinner will be ready). Then Ryan has to get ready for his softball game. Abby and I think it is still too cold to make it to this one, maybe next week. His game is at 8, so I will be hanging out with Abby during that time.

Last Weekend of March / 1st of April

Thursday, March 27th I had book/wine club and this month it was hosted by Erin (my neighbor and friend up the street), so I didn’t have far to go. Of course when you get a group of girls together for dinner and wine we talk about anything and everything. The main topic for this evening was babies and come to find out I caused Erin to spill the beans and she told us she was pregnant. She had literally just found out and hadn’t even told her parents or in-laws yet. She went to the doctors the following day to find out how far along she was and she was 8 weeks. So exciting, now for the next few months we have our book to discuss plus Erin’s baby. We were all so happy for her and cannot wait to see her progress! Anyways after all of that great news we did get to discuss our last sad book and select another. Our new book is Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. Hopefully I will be able to read this one with ease, plus it is shorter, so maybe I will have time to see the movie too before our next get-together. During this evening Ryan stayed home with Abby and got some additional work done. He was able to spend quality time to himself.

Friday, March 28th Ryan and I went about our days as usual going to work and then working out afterwards. Once we got home Ryan said he wanted to go to dinner with me instead of eating in. He wanted to get out since he had a long week. Work is tough and stressful on him now. So the two of us tried a new restaurant on the Corner, we went to Three. It was very good. We enjoyed our time together. After dinner we headed home to hang out with Abby and then went to bed after the NCAA basketball games finished. We slept in the next morning.

Saturday, March 29th, after waking up a little later than we should have, I vacuumed the house and tried to tidy up while Ryan mowed the lawn. Then we showered to get ready for Lisa and Dave’s arrival. They were coming in town for just the day and night to stay with us and go to Sarah’s going away party at Capps’ House. We went to lunch with them when they arrived and caught up on all the good news. Lisa is 3 months pregnant too. So we had a lot to talk about with that. We are really excited for Lisa and Dave! Lisa of course was our designated driver. ;) She is so cute and I know will be a great mom! They just moved closer to us into Maryland. So hopefully we will now get to see each other more since they are no longer in NYC. Well I do have some photos of the party. We enjoyed ourselves and loved being able to spend time with Dave and Lisa.

I also have a few ultrasound pictures of baby Maloney. So cute.

Oh and I believe I forgot to mention in the last entry that Renee and Chris are expecting as well. We found out the evening of March 24th. She is 8 weeks pregnant as well meaning we will God willing see our new baby cousin during our Correa Christmas. We are excited. So fun with all the great news!

Sunday, March 30th Kendra’s 25th Birthday! Yea! Happy Birthday Kendra! We woke up early to go to breakfast with Lisa and Dave at The Nook. Then they left and we went back home to vedge and nap after a long night. I napped for about an hour and then left to meet Maddie and Sara (she was in town from Wilmington) so we could catch up. Then they came back to the house. Sara hadn’t seen it yet. Josh and Joshua James came to pick up Maddie from my home so I got to see baby Joshua James too. He is a cutie and so sweet. Then Sara had to head back traveling and Josh, Maddie and Joshua James left too. Not too long after Ryan and I had dinner at home, watched some TV shows and I scrapbooked a little more and then headed to bed after an adventurous weekend.
This past Monday and Tuesday we were back to our regular routines with work, workout and dinner at home and tonight will be the same. Tuesday the 1st of April, Kyle found out he got his summer job. He will be working for UVA, so gets to stay in Charlottesville. I love having him in town and I know Abby is happy too; she loves him soo much! This means Kyle will be able to spend more time with Ryan and I and he will be 21!!! YEA! Tomorrow, Thursday April 3rd Ryan is being treated to a nice dinner with his co-workers for putting up with the craziness at work. No spouses were invited to this dinner, so I will miss Ryan, but maybe I can get some more scrapbooking done (sometimes it seems never ending). We are not sure what our weekend plans are yet, but I will be back on blogging I am sure sometime next week. Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!

Easter Weekend ‘til today

Friday, March 21st we made a last minute decision to go to dinner with Katie & Michael at West Main. It was good and then we headed back to our place to hang out and chat some more. Ryan and Michael watched some bball while Katie and I enjoyed sipping our wine and chatting in the kitchen. We had a good night and then Saturday we slept in which was nice, had lunch at home and headed out to Sam’s Club to pick up a few items we were out of. Saturday night Ryan and I had Katie and Michael over again along with Basil, Kyle and his friend, Warren. Ryan and I cooked the six of us dinner. And we just veged at our place and watched the bball games on our new TV. I am into the games a bit since I entered into another pool this year! That would be awesome if we won!

Easter Sunday, the 23rd of March, Ryan, Kyle (he stayed the night with us) and I woke up early to go to church and then had breakfast at The Nook on the downtown mall. I would totally recommend this place, very reasonable and the food is pretty good. After breakfast the three of us headed home to see Abby and hang out with her. Kyle and I rested that afternoon and I did some laundry too while Ryan put some fertilizer on our grass and then went golfing with some work buddies. Sometime after six in the evening Kyle and I headed over to the Klekamp’s (Katie’s Parents) house for Easter Dinner. Ryan met us there later after his golf outing. And of course we did not leave there hungry. We enjoyed our time with them and owe them some invites to our house. The night came to an end and I took Kyle back to his apartment since he still had a few hours of school work ahead of him and then went to meet Ryan at the house and that concludes our Easter Sunday.

Monday I had off as a holiday for my company. It was nice, but I of course still received many work phone calls since I deal with the management company and Realtors; my days off are not really always off. But I managed to get some more laundry and ironing and cleaning done, so that was good. Then Abby and I worked on some scrapbooking and before we knew it Ryan was home from work and we had to eat dinner quickly and head to the Virginia Game (they are in the CBI tournament). They won thank goodness which means they will be playing tonight, Wednesday, March 26, 2008.

Tuesday, the 25th was my day back to work and I was busy with 2 new contracts and sending in reports etc. It was nice to have things to do and not be overwhelmed but still have some on my plate. After work I did my regular workout routine and then went home to eat leftovers with Ryan and watch our newlyweds’ show which we taped from Sunday. Then Ryan had to head to his softball game, the first one of the year, which they won! Abby and I decided it was too cold to cheer them on, when the weather warms we will be out there again as their dedicated cheer leaders. While he was at softball I scrapbooked some with Abby and then we headed to bed.

This morning I worked at Riverbend for a bit and then headed to Walker Square. Maddie called and we decided to meet up with Joshua James for lunch which was nice. I haven’t seen them in a while. We had great Panini’s at Café Cubano on the downtown mall, again another great place! Joshua James was good and so cute. Every time I see him it makes we want one like him! After lunch I had to head to work, but I showed Maddie the way to a new park which she could walk to downtown. They loved it and Joshua James was in heaven! He is such a good boy, he says, “Kelly hold me” and he always says “yes m ‘am”. He is so sweet! It was nice for Maddie and I to chat a bit too. If Ryan can get me a free ticket I will be going to the bbal game with him again, if not I told him not to spend the money; I can work on my scrapbooking. We will see what happens. I hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful last week of March.

We have a countdown to Kendra’s Birthday. She will be 25 in 4 days (March 30th)!

ACC Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, NC

Hello again, I guess I will begin where I left off, which was prior to my trip to Charlotte.
Thursday, March 13th, I left straight from work and began driving down to Charlotte, NC to meet Ryan for the ACC tournament. I had a much longer drive than anticipated since I ran into lot of traffic on 81. I was stopped or going maybe 5mph for about an hour or so, so by the time I reached our hotel I was pooped. I went in, showered and got ready for bed and by that time, Ryan had just arrived from downtown. We were placed at a hotel which was nice, but in the outskirts some. The Cavaliers lost, this night, so I unfortunately didn't get to see them play the rest of the weekend.

Friday, the 14th, we went to the VAF breakfast at the Omni downtown and then to the afternoon games were we got to meet Jay and hang out with him for part of the day. I got to see Virginia Tech beat Miami which was nice. Then we went to a an ACC dinner/snack for us since we were meeting NC State folks later on for dinner we didn’t want to eat too much and be too full. After that we went back to the Omni Hotel to see if there was any possibility of switching from our hotel farther out to the Omni downtown. And come to find out they did have a room for us which was great for convenience. So, after many phone conversations, we were able to switch. We then road the Lynx, the new Charlotte transit system (VERY NICE), to the Restaurant which was where we were meeting Ryan’s NC State friends for dinner. We ate at a Japanese Steakhouse, which was so good and then Media and her husband took us to our first hotel to pack up our bags and check-out. Then we packed our car and moved down into the Omni. We literally dropped our bags and then left to go meet Graham at his sweet condo in downtown Charlotte. It was literally two blocks from the Omni, so everything so nice and convenient. We then went out with him, Shooter, Jess and Sarah (who had just come in that night). We had a blast and there are a few pictures to prove it. Then we went back to the hotel before long and headed to bed after a long day.

Saturday, the 15th, we woke up and Ryan and I went on a run outside since the workout room was so small and all the machines were in use. On our way back from the run we got to stop and watch part of their St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which ran just outside the Omni. Before long we went in to grab some breakfast, which became a aggravating. The food took just about an hour to get to us and meanwhile Ryan was dealing with ticket issues and I was trying to book an appointment for a massage at the spa. Since it took so long, Ryan went up to shower and get ready for the games. I asked for our food to go to take up to our rooms so at least Ryan could try and scarf some of it down before he went to do his job. He left for the arena a bit early to deal with the ticket issues he had on hand. Then I got ready and headed to the arena to meet him. We were able to sit in the suite with Jess and Sarah which was very nice! I got to sit first row of the suite to watch my Hokies play UNC and of course they had to lose by 1 point; it was depressing, but at least they tried hard! After the game it was pouring, but I had to head back to the hotel for my massage. I got and there and it was so nice to get that done; I was overdue and hadn’t had one since our honeymoon! Then I came back to the hotel took about a 20 min nap before Ryan walked in the door. I showered quickly and got ready for dinner. Ryan and I went down to the lobby to meet Brian, Brian, Jess and Sarah. We ended up walking out of the hotel and eating at Brixx Pizza which was very good and then we headed to a few bars downtown. We had another great time! After our night we went back to the hotel and crashed.

Sunday, the 16th, we woke up in the AM and got ready, packed and checked-out. Ryan came with me to get my Starbucks and then we left town. We of course stopped at Concord Mills Mall on our way home. We looked around had lunch and bought a couple items. And then Ryan drove me back home. We had Bojangles for dinner of course on our way. Once we got home, we were pooped. We unpacked and got ready for bed. I then met Kyle to pick up our Abby girl; she stayed with him all weekend. She was great and it was so nice to see her. We had a wonderful nights rest!

Now this week has gone by so fast. We haven’t had anything exciting going on other than our normal routine. Kyle may come over tomorrow and be with us for Easter. Other than that I do not believe we have any other plans. Well I hope everyone has a fabulous Easter Weekend! I am off on Monday! YEA!

Hugs and Kisses to everyone!

Well this last weekend, what did we do….

Friday, March 7th Ryan and I just went home after our daily workout, had dinner at home and just stayed in. It was a rainy day and night, so we just spent our time together. Then Saturday, March 8th, Ryan and I slept in with Abby; thank goodness she is such a good sleeper! After waking up, we showered, got dressed and had lunch at home then headed to run a few errands. We went to Lowes and the Harris Teeter to pick up a few items we needed. After getting home we did some cleaning around the house and the got ready to go work out. We did a quick workout and then went home to shower and finish straightening up the house. Then we got ready to go to dinner and out with Katie & Michael. We went to dinner at Orzo and then drinks at Ten and then Shooter took us over to Oxo for some dancing! We had a great time; it had been a while since we went all out.

Sunday, March 9th we definitely slept in after a long night. We had lunch at home and just hung around the house; I did laundry and some more scrapbooking until we had to go to church. After church we had dinner at Christians and then headed to the UVA vs. Maryland Basketball game at JPJ. It was a great last regular season game for Sean Singletary; he also had his jersey retired prior to the game. I have a signed jersey by him (thanks to Ryan), so I am excited to see where he will be playing pro in his future. After the game we headed home to bed.

Monday, March 10th we worked our full day and worked out after work. Ryan then went to pick up Grammie while I was cooking dinner for the 3 of us. Ryan, Grammie and I had dinner at our house. Grammie got to see the house all painted. She liked it and we think she enjoyed herself. Tuesday the 11th was just another normal day. Wednesday the 12th, Ryan left for Charlotte for the ACC tournament. So I was alone last night with Abby. It was quiet and sad and scary without my hubby home with me. I am leaving straight from work today to go be with him in Charlotte for the weekend. I am excited to see him and see part of the tournament as well.

Well have to run, but more to come after our weekend in Charlotte!

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Finally a Picture of our New TV :)

Thursday, the 28th thru Sunday the 2nd of March!

Back to catch up from last week. Last Thursday, I hosted Book Club at our house. It was great. I made chicken burritos and veggie burritos along with chips, salsa and guacamole to munch on. I also bought a few bottles of different wines. It turned out to be a great girl’s night. We all decided on a new book. We picked something different from last month’s reading. We are now reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, we’ll see how I like this one as I am not opposed to trying something new. It is fiction and I usually prefer one’s based on true stories or something you can learn from. While we were all at my place, Ryan went out with a couple of his buddies.

Friday and Saturday Ryan and I just stayed in, did laundry and relaxed. Saturday night Ryan and I were invited by one of our neighbors to see the Temptations play at the Paramount. They were actually VERY good! They played all their great old songs like “My Girl” etc. There is only one original left in the group. But they were all still amazing. After the show, we went to Siips and enjoyed some wine and cheese at the newest Charlottesville Wine Bar.

Sunday, Ryan and I went to church and then tried Brunch at this place downtown called Bluegrass Grill & Bakery. It was extremely good. I totally recommend it! We did have to wait, but it was well worth it! After brunch we headed to Grammie’s/Nuns’ place to visit her. She was in the hospital last week, but now seems to be doing much better. It was nice to chat with her. I think I might be cooking dinner for her early next week. We will see how she is feeling. I want to make sure I don’t veer from her diet restrictions too, so I will have to see what is off limits to be sure she gets the healthy meal. After our visit with her Ryan went to play 9 holes of golf at Spring Creek with Michael and I went home to nap. When Ryan came home we had left over burritos for dinner and watched my shows on our new TV!

This week we are busy working and then Wednesday, UVA plays Duke which we will be attending and then Thursday we are supposed to be having dinner with a donor. And then before we know it, it is Friday again! Well we hope you all have a blessed week! We love you all!

More Info On our Two New Additions

Thanks Meredith for the Comment. Below is some additional info our two new additions

Fifi was born on August 6th, 2005 into a desperately poor family in Lampung. She lives with her parents in Indonesia only in a simple house, earthen floor, bad sanitary without electricity and private bathroom in it. Her father tries hard to earn a living by working as a traditional farmer, but he earns very little that it is impossible to meet the family's needs. Her mother, although resourceful at trying to make the most of the little, cannot do much with her husband's low income. The family's annual income is around US$80.00. It is painfully obvious that the child needs help if she wants to get proper nourishment, clothing and better attention. When we learn of her needs, we are happy to welcome her to our big family. Fifi has fairly good health condition and she makes good progress. Her hobby is playing dolls.

Edwin Javier was born January 9th, 2004. Edwin lives with his father and his mother in Nicaragua. He is responsible for running errands. His father is employed and his mother maintains the home. There are 2 children in the family.

Edwin is not attending school because he is too young. Soccer, playing with cars and playing ball games are his favorite activities. He also attends Bible class regularly. Please remember Edwin in your prayers.

Edwin lives on the plains of Neighborhood Village Venezuela, home to approximately 10,000 residents. Typical Houses are constructed of cement floors, brick walls and corrugated iron roofs. The most commonly spoken language is Spanish.

The regional diet consists of maize, beans, bananas, chicken, guinea pig, fish, bread, cassava, beef, plantains, rice and potatoes. Common health problems in this area include respiratory illnesses; diarrhea and parasites. Half of the adults are unemployed but some work in factories and earn the equivalent of $76 per month. This community has electricity, potable water, sewer and telephone but needs libraries, computer labs, employment opportunities and improved housing.