Let the Christmasing begin (is that even a word?!)...

We have begun celebrating Christmas already! This past weekend we hosted Andy's parents and had a fun weekend spending time together and enjoying our new Wii and Guitar Hero. Thanks, AG and Debbie!! We have already started to waste countless hours challenging each other on the Wii sports games and Andy has convinced himself that he is a rockstar. (and, for the record, even if he isn't the real thing, I am still his groupie!). There he is, the ROCKSTAR himself!!!!

Andy even showed his mom how to play! She was pretty good =)

We have also already celebrated Christmas with our dear friends, the Liegl's and the Steinfort's. This is our fourth holiday season in Charleston and we feel so blessed to have such great friends to share in the joy. The children have begun to dictate our holiday plans together (i.e., early bedtimes, no babysitter!), but we have still managed to get together and enjoy one anothers company!

Race looks dumfounded by Molly Paige's new airplane toy! haha.

Gracie shares her best reindeer smile!
Uncle Andy reads to our godchildren (Grant & Grace)

We do hope you will be spending this holiday season with ones you love, whether it be family, friends, or both! If the snow and ice allows us, we will be in Indiana for Christmas day. Your prayers for safe travel plans would be appreciated! ;) Ho, Ho, Ho........time for more Christmas baking around here!

A Left Seater joins the family

CONGRATULATIONS to Andy!

He is home from his trip and is officially upgraded to 'Left Seat' in SOLL II. In fact, he is Left Seater #81 and has special new patches to boot!! In his words, he is "as qualified as I can be in the C-17" (as far as upgrade qualifications go). Now, everyone could always use more experience, and he would be the first to admit that. However, he is now a member of an elite group of pilots, in fact only 80 before him have earned this title, and I am very very proud of him! Way to go Andy!

While Andy has been working on acquiring new titles and qualifications in the C-17, I have been working on a new project myself. Well, actually we are both involved in this adventure, but I have been carrying the majority of the burden lately, so I count this as my "new title and qualification"!

Since the majority of my blog-stalkers include family and close friends, this is not new to you; however, this public aknowledgement is a big deal to me (as I am sure all of you know...). So without further ramblings, I will just say it.......Andy and I are going to have a baby!!!!

We are 15 weeks today, making us due on June 9th. It has been a very exciting time for us thus far, and we anticipate that it will only get better! Since I know my mother is awaiting another belly shot, I will put the latest one here for your viewing pleasure! The "baby bump" (actually, it feels more like a pooch, but 'baby bump' sounds much more glamorous) is getting harder and harder to hide. I hope that I will eventually look pregnant rather than like the girl who didn't know when-to-say-when with the chocolate milkshakes!

In other family news, we got our Christma tree today!! Yes, we are aware that we may be some of the last in America to do this, but we have busy schedules to work around!! We have the decorations complete and it is finally starting to feel like the holidays around here! I suppose now that we have the tree, I should start my shopping.....(everyone does always say that I take after my dad!!)

Duke v.s. Purdue - Part II

This update is a bit overdue because Andy and I both left out of town the day after the BIG game and I have just now gotten time to upload our picture. The game was utter disappointment on my behalf (and Andy felt a little sorry for the Boilers too, even if he won't admit it). My Boilers couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, as they say in Indiana. Most would like to attribute that to Duke's smothering defense, but I will just chalk it up to a bad game ;)

The hollering between us was kept to a minimum, but Andy's screaming at the TV was in its normal obnoxious, sometimes angry, and slightly irritating fashion. He knows my thoughts on this topic, so don't start thinking "ohhh, she is using this blog as a platform to jab at her husband"! It is as if he thinks the Duke team can hear him through the television (which they may because he is SO LOUD!) and would rather take his advice and criticisms over Coach K's. Unbelievable.

But, I have digressed. Enjoy the photo taken just before tip off......while I still had something to smile about!!

A house divided...

PURDUE v.s. DUKE........

Beginning at 9pm tonight the claws will come out and the marriage vows will be pushed aside. My passion runs deep for my mighty Boilermakers and Andy is (as some would call it!) obsessed with Duke basketball. I feel for Vegas who will be subject to listening to the cheers, shouts, and verbal jabs that are sure to be flying back and forth through our living room. Oh, who am I kidding.....she will probably be hiding under our nightstand by the time the first whistle even sounds!

Any ideas as to what our bet should be?!?!

A new face...

My friend Jennifer (see 'The Baker's' in my blogroll) tipped me to a great website to help keep some variety to our blog! I know I was getting tired of the boring layout that we had for so long. Well, have no fear...... www.thecutestblogontheblock.com is responsible for our new winter look! wohoo!

Thanks, Jen!

Andy the pig catcher

We celebrated Thanksgiving early today with Andy's squadron at a great place in the country called Peaceful Way. A gracious family opened their farm to the 16AS squadron for a day of fellowship and fun as a way to celebrate the holiday and to all gather prior to the airmen being deployed next month. We enjoyed a turkey shoot, wall climbing, horseback riding, great holiday food, and the soon to be famous "greased pig wrestling"!!

Andy and several other originally unwilling participants were roped into participating in the pig event so that the commander wasn't out there all by his lonesome. If you refer back to a previous post (or maybe some of you still have it fresh in your minds), Andy was introduced to pig chasing on a recent trip back to Indiana. Although that memory remains a tough one for Andy to make peace with, the skills he learned on that trip served him well today!

The participants had their legs tied together as well as one of their arms tied to their belt loop to make it more difficult. They actually looked like a group of zombies shuffling around out there after the pigs because of their limited mobility. It was quite a site! =) The goal was the catch a greased pig and put a t-shirt on it (head in the hole and front legs in the arm holes!) Andy and Jamil ended up placing third, but they should still be proud of their efforts.

Andy and Jamil are tied up and ready to chase!

Below you will see the time where the pig won and Andy ended up on the ground!

They get it cornered!!

Andy gets a back leg and the pig is officially theirs!! Now what to do with it?!?

It looks like they have done this before!!

Now we have to get the pig all they way over THERE to get the t-shirt!!

I guess we will just have to carry it!!

Struggling to "dress" the pig and beat the other team that is working hard in the opposite corner!

The look of defeat as the other team finishes just before them!

The day wasn't all about pig chasing. We did compete in the turkey shoot and got to spend some quality time with Emily and Molly Paige. While watching Uncle Andy in the pig contest, Molly Paige kept shouting "doggie"....apparently she has never seen a pig before!! We need to get that girl out of the city more often!

Andy looks on and admires my shooting skills =)

We hope you are all having a fun weekend and are getting geared up for the holidays. We will be traveling to North Carolina next week to spend Thanksgiving with Andy's family and we couldn't be more excited!

A night aboard "The World"

We were lucky enough to be hosted aboard 'The World' last weekend to join some friend's parents who were in town on the ship. This ship is unique in that it is a private community where the apartments are owned so that you can travel the world from "the comforts of your own home". You are free to get on and off at your own leisure and can decorate your apartment however you would like. The World docked in Charleston for a few days and that is when we were invited aboard for a private dinner and tour. Wow, was it incredible! We decided that we should start saving our pennies now so that we can experience something this wonderful during our retirement!

You can see details of the ship here http://www.aboardtheworld.com/

The pictures do nothing to capture the glamour of the evening, but I will share them anyways. I felt silly taking pictures during the tour, so there are not many from that. I almost felt like the ship was sacred and I shouldn't mock it by pulling out my camera after every turn we made!!

The main lobby set the precedent for the beauty of the entire ship.

The putting greens on the top deck!

The pool is on the top deck too!!

Andy and a beautiful sunset.
Our private dinner was served here and was absolutely delicious.

After a wonderful night of friends and food, we stayed downtown at a great hotel and our balcony overlooked the Charleston harbor. What a view! We got breakfast served in bed and enjoyed feeling like tourists in our own town!