Merry Christmas

This Family is...

special,
loving,
incredibly faithful,
and have been successful at stealing our hearts in just two short years!

We will miss them more than they know!
We love you, Sheltons!

This Monkey Means Business!

Last Saturday (Memorial Day weekend), Meredith participated in Brevard's annual Squirrel Box Derby race. She did AWESOME!! She came in 4th place overall in her age class. But missed third by 1/10th of a second! Man! Here's an excerpt from the website: "This gravity race is the only legal opportunity in Brevard where you can try to break the speed limit down Jailhouse Hill! All vehicles were hand built and decorated to please the crowd, as well as designed for speed. Contestants competed for trophies for the fastest critter, the squirreliest theme, and the nuttiest design."

In addition to 4th place, she won the Nuttiest Design and the Village People award (people's choice).

I actually bought the "derby car kit", partially assembled at a yard sale. It had to be modified to meet competition requirements. So Mark, and several handy family members, went to work on making it the speed machine that it is today! They added a new braking system, a roll bar plus fresh paint on the metal and wooden parts. Then we had to come up with a design for the shell.


Meredith has loved her sock monkey for a long time, so we thought it would be cool to incorporate that into the car. We took her sock monkey to Signs and More in Brevard. They photographed it and made the giant decal for the body. It turned out great. Old and young alike seemed to really take to the design!


We also had t-shirts made that had the monkey on the front and "This Monkey Means Business". We wore them the day of the race and everyone loved them. We even had several people ask if we were selling the t-shirts, because they wanted to buy one!

She and her Daddy prayed together before the trial run. She was pretty nervous, but she did amazing!

Cruising down the hill, she hit about 31mph! By the end, she was loving every minute of the race!

Biltmore/Kiwanis 5K Classic

Wow! It does feel good to have accomplished this goal. My friend Sherrie, and I set a goal back in January to begin training for this 5K. So we began walking/running at intervals of 90 seconds. We worked our way up to running over two miles before walking. On Sunday, May 16th we (Me, Mark, Sherrie, Dave and Katie) ran the race. Sherri and I finished in 36 minutes! These are a few shots from before the race. Very early...very foggy!




And a few from after:

We were so excited to be finished! And really proud of our accomplishment!


Here's the whole gang! Shortly after this we went to Cracker Barrel for a celebratory Pig Out!

This is a test....only a test!

Just messing around trying to get the "undefined...undefined" to go away on my blog posts. From what I hear, it bothers some people! ;) And what's a blog post without a picture, so here ya go!



Why this picture you ask? I wish I was cool enough to get away with this hairstyle!

**Edited to Add** It didn't work. I can still see undefined undefined. Does anyone know what to do to fix this?

**ETA2** Ha! I got it! Exported old blog into a new blog with same title, etc. and was able to fix everything! Whoohoo!

This is so cool

I came across this on Facebook tonight, and it is so cool! This website makes words from photos of objects that look like letters of the English alphabet. I "made" one that spells Hooper. Now, I want one, or two....or three different ones. I thought to myself, why didn't I think of that! Really cool! Here's the website so you can make one too! www.alphabetphotography.ca

Why? Oh Why? Maybe when pigs fly!

Can't I figure out how to get my blog header to look right!?!?!? I know I have already asked 50% of the people who read this blog that question (and by that I mean 1 out of the two people, who read this blog). LOL! But honestly, I cannot get it to change. Wonder if it's a glitch? I have tried changing the template, changing the background, adding a picture from my computer, adding a picture or graphic from the internet. And NOTHING! It stays the same...little...hard to read...very boring...header that it has always been. So, if someone happens to come across this blog and has an answer for me, please enlighten me. Then, I promise, I will post daily (okay semi-daily, or..semi-weekly) about real things happening right now, in or sometimes interesting daily life.

Where we're going....where we've been....

Just a quick update on what's been up with us lately. I know it's been a bit since I last posted. Since school started it seems that our days have been flying by. Meredith is so enjoying 4th grade. Some days it's hard to believe that she is nine years old! She is doing well and really loving her new teacher! I am so glad that school is fun for her again. She is enjoying children's choir at church. They recently began practicing for their yearly Christmas program. Should be fun! She has a singing solo this year too! In addition she is singing with the school chorus. That girl loves her music!


I have been busy with the Acteens group at church. They have been working hard to plan and organize the Fun Run/Walk to benefit the Sharing House and the Bread of Life (Soup Kitchen) here in Brevard. Sadly, it was too cold and rainy today to do the walk. So we had to postpone until the first weekend in November. I am so proud of their efforts and dedication to helping others in the community. Also, Mark had his Deacon ordination at church back in August. He is really enjoying serving the church members and community in that new capacity. And I could not be more proud of him and his dedication and passion to grow in the faith.

I have mostly just been plugging along at work. The class this year is filled with fun personality. The kids never cease to amaze me with the silly little things they say and do! Also, I had another birthday! Why does it seem that they get closer and closer together the older you get?? Mom, Dad, Ashley, David, Savannah, Mark and Meredith had a nice little party for me last weekend. It was nice to have time with family.

We are looking forward to our upcoming trip to Disney World. We have never been as a family so we are super excited to get to go. I will share pictures from that adventure when we get back!

Well, that turned into an epic post! LOL! Teaches me that I should post more often!

Meet Annie!

For those of you who know me....I know what you are thinking....SHE CAVED!! For years I have said I would never have a pet in the house. Dog, cat...whatever. Well, one day I saw this face and that changed.
Meredith has been asking for a puppy since we gave Sydney away almost two years ago. She wanted a little dog to cuddle with, to live in the house with us. I kept saying "uh, no way", "I don't think so", "who will take care of it?", etc. But her birthday was approaching and that was one of three things she had on her wish list. So, you got it....I caved, and we now have a new family member. She's a Yorkie Poo. Which means she's a mix between a Yorkshire Terrier and a miniature Poodle. Right now she is twelve weeks old and weighs in under 2.5 lbs. We are trying to house train her and she is doing okay. A few mishaps now and again. But for the most part, she's a good little puppy. Meredith is happy! And I have to admit, I am too! (Judith...can you believe that?)

Deep Impact - Fort Caswell

Spent last week @ Fort Caswell (Oak Island, NC) with the middle school youth from church. We had a fantastic time on this trip. Deep Impact was the name of this camp, which was missions oriented. There was a wonderful worship/celebration time with music and an awesome speaker daily. We ate all meals there on the campus and slept in barracks. The bunks weren't great...but they weren't awful either. Sleeping in an open barracks room w/ 49 other people was a real experience! Daily we got to go out to Kure/Carolina Beach and do "beach missions". This consisted of giving out cold water bottles w/scripture on the side, painting faces for kids and sharing the good news of Jesus. It was really an AWESOME time. Most people were really receptive, others not so much. But overall, I think our group really enjoyed the time they had there. Oh, did I mention we "got" to ride the ferry daily?!?!? It was cool, the first day....but after that it got a bit long. Most of our time was literally spent riding on the ferry! Oh well, it was all part of the experience. And I am so greatful to God for allowing me to have this wonderful journey!

All Stars!

We have been traveling to Canton since Monday of last week for All Stars Softball. Meredith and the team have had such a wonderful, exciting time playing in this tournament. They had some ups and downs! Lots of exciting plays that had us all up on our feet. They didn't win last night, but we were all so proud of their effort and dedication, night after night. I counted up in my calendar and found that Meredith has been practicing or playing softball for 14 weeks straight now. I am kinda glad that it's over. But on the other hand a bit sad. Watching her play and enjoy this has really been a joy for me!

Two posts in one day...

don't fall over Judith! I am posting twice in one day. What can I tell you..it's 111:20 and I am not sleepy. So, I am on the computer just fooling around. I saw this on Heather's blog and decided to do it. It's a "photo tag". You go to your photo editing software, open it, go to the 8th folder, then go to the 8th photo. Post it on your blog and share the story behind it. So here's mine. It's a photo from this summer's trip to Charleston. As most of you know, I LOVE me some Charleston! I took this photo of Meredith with another photo in mind. I wish I had it on this computer and could post it for comparison. But, it's a photo of her sitting on the beach, facing the ocean, when she was just 11 months old. This day on the beach, I just couldn't believe how fast she had grown and changed. This isn't a posed picture, she just stopped for a moment to gaze out at the vastness of the ocean, and I was lucky enough to have my camera ready!

Tagged!

Well, Erin tagged me on her blog. And I have been tagged several times on Facebook too, so I am going to post 10 Honest Things about me here:
1. I would love to have a job that involves my passion for creating. While I enjoy my current job, and have lots of fun doing it...my heart longs to do something "crafty" and creative and make money at it!

2. I love food, but I hate grocery shopping! Go figure!

3. I find motherhood to be the most challenging and rewarding thing I have done in my life, so far. Being Meredith's mom is certainly harder most days than I anticipated it would be. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

4. I wish that I would have finished college. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, so picking a major and working towards a career seemed impossible, at the time. It sure would have been easier if I had had a bit of life experience to guide me back then.

5. I am so thankful for my friends! As I grow older, I realize it's not the quantity of friends that I have, but the quality! And wow...I can say I have some high quality friends!

6. I am trying daily to be more faithful. I want to pray more, read the Bible more and learn more.

7. I enjoy teaching classes at our church on Sunday and Wednesday nights. Although I have worries that I am not "qualified" to do it. **Refer to #6**

8. I am proud to be married to Mark for 15 years. I joke that I was a "child bride", but wouldn't change a thing about the road that we have traveled together!

9. My weight is a daily struggle for me. I wish that it wasn't always on my mind.

10. I love American Idol, The Biggest Loser and Clean House. I guess I am sucker for "reality" tv. Somehow it makes me feel a little better about myself...seeing how messed up some people are. That's sick, isn't it?

So, there you have it! A few little nuggets of truth about me. And here's a silly photo to go along with it. It was taken by one of the Acteens girls at church!

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Sugar coated

We loved having the snow the other day. I just wish it would REALLY snow. You know, the kind we used to get when we were kids?!? I felt so bad for Meredith, though. It was a snow day AND a workday at school for me. So, she had to go to school in the snow! What a bummer. But, as soon as we got home she layered up so she could go outside. This was such a powdery, dry snow here. After rolling and jumping on the trampoline, she looked almost like she had been dusted with sugar. Hopefully, the next snow will amount to enough for school to be called off (for me too), and we can stay out and play all day.

Christmas outtakes

Well, this is what I get when I try to get a decent photo of me and Meredith in front of the Christmas tree. She will not, can not, keep a straight face. I just want one nice, pretty smile. But she either has her eyes closed or her tounge out. Silly girl! Still, it's all in good fun!

A blog update *this is for you Erin*

Okay, I have heard the message...this ol' blog is so stale! So I have copied Judith, yet again, and tracked this blog template down. But I must say it's my pal, Erin, that prompted me to make a change and a post! I loved your blog template so much Erin, and ofcourse the darling little LM's video. So here's a photo of my girl...although not so little anymore.
:) B

June TwelveFridays

A few layouts completed with the June Twelvefridays kit. It always feels good to get a bit o' scrappin' in here and there. :)

The Graduate

Well, it's official. Meredith is a 2nd grade graduate. I can hardly believe that she is now half way through her elementary school experience! Granted she has probably only completed the easier half, but half none the less. We are so proud of her accomplishments throughout this year. Especially her reading achievements. She actually read 100 AR (accelerated reader) books this school year. Not to mention the ones that she just read for fun. I am so glad that she enjoys reading and I know it will only enrich her life.

I just loved their little graduation ceremony. The homemade mortar boards, the yarn tassels and the fact that the principal presented each of them with their "diploma". It was a special day!