Christmas in Pelham and other exciting news!

Since we'll be in Indiana for Christmas this year Jep and I exchanged our gifts to each other and to Dread last night. We had a great Christmas and I think we both got exactly what we wanted! I was so excited to get the new fancy camera I've had my eye on along with a few other things. Jep got some new clothes and money to put towards a new TV for our patio. Dread also had a very nice Christmas and got a new bone, toy, and new water and food bowl! :)

On to the exciting news... below are the new stockings I ordered on Etsy for Christmas this year. Notice anything different.....there are 4 stockings!!! Jep and I are pregnant!!! We're expecting a new little addition on June 22, 2011. We couldn't be more thrilled and are so excited to FINALLY make our announcement public!!!

Christmas in Elba

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with Jep's family. It was a jam packed weekend full of visiting with family and unwrapping presents. Jep and his brothers also continued their tradition of jumping into the pool in the middle of December. They're crazy! Below is the progression of the event...

The Pact

And...they're all in!

Dread Update

Dread had his second round of chemo yesterday. The vet tech warned me that he was pretty doped up and would be for the rest of the night...when we got home he made himself a nice little bed on the floor and stayed there until it was time to go to bed. Bless his little heart! We have two more rounds to go and if he looks good after that, we'll be done with treatments.

SEC Champs!!

Wow!! What a game and what a season!! I am so proud of Auburn and all that they've accomplished this year. It truly has been amazing to watch and I'm a little sad its all coming to an end...

2010 SEC Champs!!
Auburn 56 - South Carolina 17

...but for now...its off to Glendale!!!

WAR EAGLE!

WAR EAGLE!

Auburn 28-Alabama 27

Auburn 12-0!! War Eagle!

Dread Update!

Dread had his 2 week follow up appointment this afternoon. At this appointment he got his staples from his incision taken out and had an ultrasound performed to determine if the cancer has spread to any other parts of his body. I'm elated to announce that we got excellent news today!!!! Dr. L said that there were no signs that the cancer has spread and the area in which the mass was removed looked clear as well!! Dread started his first round of a low dose chemotherapy today as a precautionary measure and he'll go back in four weeks for another round of chemo.

I want to take a moment and thank our family and friends from the bottom of my heart for all of your love and support during this ordeal. I cannot express how much we appreciate all of the phone calls, text messages, and emails!! Dread, Jep, and I feel very loved!! :)

SEC West Champs!

Last weekend Jep and I were able to sneak away for a quick trip to the "lovliest village on the plains" to watch our Tigers play. We had the best time tailgating with friends and watching Auburn defeat the Georgia Bulldogs! WAR EAGLE!!!

Tailgating!

Our view of Pat-Dye Field--9th row, endzone...best seats ever!

Cam Newton showing the fans some love!

We're going to Atlanta!!

Now...let's BEAT BAMA!!!!

Update!

We got news on Tuesday that the results from the biopsy were in...the results were not what we had been hoping and praying for...the doctor confirmed that the mass removed was in fact a hemangiosarcoma.

We had an appointment today to meet with Dr. Lothrop to talk about the results and begin discussions on where to go from here...the good news we got today was that Dread's heart and lungs sounded good!

We have another appt. scheduled for Tuesday afternoon for Dread to get his stiches out and we will find out the results from a "c-kit stain." Many mast cell tumors in dogs are known to express mutations in c-kit (protein on the surface of some cells--"altered" forms of this may be associated with some types of cancer) which promotes survival, growth, and malignancy in these tumors.

I believe if they find that the cells are "altered" than we can treat him with Palladia (a relatively new anti-cancer drug for dogs.) It won't cure it but will be a temporary fix...

We will also do an ultrasound on Tuesday to see if it has spread to any organs--if so, then we may go the chemo route...

We left with a lot to think about and not a whole lot of answers yet...

Keep the prayers coming for Dread!!!!

Homecoming for Dread

Jep and I were able to pick Dread up from the animal hospital this afternoon!!! It was such a relief and so great to be reunited and greeted with lots of tail wagging! It's amazing how much of a part of you your pet can become. Last night with him being gone, I felt like a part of me was missing! The house was so empty--no offense Jep! :) We both are beyond ecstatic to have Dread home!!!

So back to our visit with the Dr. Milton this afternoon. Before we got to see our little baby, Jep and I had some time to speak with the vet about how the procedure went. He was pleased that he was able to remove all of the mass and did not see any signs that anything has spread to his liver or spleen. (GREAT NEWS!!) However, he is still very perplexed as to what this mass could be. Worst case scenario is that it could be a hemangiosarcoma-a very aggressive, nasty type of cancer. We are praying that this is not the case! Or, he said it could be something extremely benign. So, we are playing the waiting game...half of what Dr. M recovered has been sent to Auburn to be further evaluated. The other half was available for Jep and I to see! You heard correct--Dr. M actually let us see what he retrieved from Dread's side. It was a bloody mess about the size of a fist and looked a lot like a sponge.

Below is a picture of poor, pitiful Dread with his incision--Dr. M said he had to go in pretty deep so Dread has about three different layers of sutures. I counted 28 staples on the incision. We have a strict recovery regime we need to follow: Dread is not to run so he needs to be kept on a leash at all times-even in the house; he is supposed to be confined to a 6x6 space again so he doesn't run around too much; he also needs to wear an e-collar, and take three different meds (anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and pain meds) multiple times a day. We go back to Dr. M in 2 weeks for a follow up.

Please continue to keep our little guy in your prayers...we still aren't completely out of the woods. We'll hopefully get the results from Auburn by early next week. We'll keep you all posted!!

Out of Surgery

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and kind words of encouragement! Dread is out of surgery and we can bring our sweet boy home tomorrow! They were able to remove all of the mass and it will be sent to Auburn to hopefully find out exactly what we are dealing with.

And, with that update I will leave you all with a picture of our "little professor."

Day of Surgery

Dread on surgery day....I caught him with his tongue out! :)

Please continue to keep him in your prayers!!! We'll keep everyone updated on how surgery goes and if we get any additional information today.

Please Pray for Dread

Yesterday we received the results from a biopsy that Dread had done this past Friday and the news was not what we were hoping and praying for. The vet has informed us that the growth on Dread's side is in fact malignant. We've scheduled surgery for first thing tomorrow morning to remove the growth and will find out if it has spread to any of his other organs. We would really appreciate all the prayers we can get that surgery goes well and that the cancer has not spread.

No. 1

Auburn #1 in BCS!!

The Windy City

Jep and I spent the long Labor Day weekend in Chicago seeing the sights and visiting my parents as well as some very close friends. We flew into the Windy City on Thursday and immediately started touring the city. Our fabulous weekend was complete with...

a visit to the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center,

an architectural boat tour on the Chicago River,

a stroll through Millenium Park,

a wedding celebration for one of my oldest and best friends (since Kindergarten!!),

**The main reason we made the trip up to Chicago**

CONGRATULATIONS, KRISTEN & STEVE!!

stopping for drinks and dinner at a couple sports icons' very own restaurants

a trip to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play,

**Sadly, the Cubs lost by a landslide (Mets 18 Cubs 5) but we had a great time none the less**

watching the Auburn Tigers kick off their season by beating Arkansas State!! WAR EAGLE! So excited football season is FINALLY here!!!,

and, last but not least, indulging in some real Chicago Style Pizza and Italian Beef Sandwiches.

We had such a great time and can't wait for our next visit!

5 More days....

'til AUBURN FOOTBALL!!

WARRR EAGLE!!!

Indianapolis and a Poker Run

This past week has been a pretty busy one! On Monday I flew out to Indy to spend a few days with my family. We had a great time and every time I see them the more I wish we lived closer to each other!!! The majority of my trip was spent going out to eat, shopping, and catching up. I was also able to get together with Kristin, one of my best friends from high school, for a few birthday drinks. Hope you had a great birthday- it was so good to see you!!

On Tuesday night, mom and I spent a few hours cleaning out the attic and going through a bunch of old boxes filled with my artwork from elementary school, loads of high school pictures, and a ton of other stuff that back in the day I just couldn't throw away. While going through all the boxes, we came across my mom's wedding dress-- and this, I had to try on!

This dress was on the cover of a bridal magazine 31 years ago!

It was so great to see you Mom, Dad, and Donnie!! Love y'all!!

I got back into town from Indy on Thursday and then on Friday Jep, Dread, and I headed down to Elba to get ready for the 2nd annual Ollie's Army Poker Run which is a fundraiser organized by our sister-in-law, Lynsey, to help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research. We were really looking forward to spending another year on Gantt Lake with family and friends while supporting a wonderful cause and we had such a good time! Can't wait for next year!!

Me & Jep

Jep and Ollie

Beach Trip

Last weekend Jep and I were able to get away for a little trip to the beach with John, Lynsey, and Jerry. We ate a lot of delicious seafood, went for a boat ride to Crab Island, relaxed on the beach, and played a few mean games of pool volleyball--and, I'm not kidding when I say mean! Let's just say that Lynsey and I quickly realized that Jep is a BALL HOG and will not think twice about yelling at you if you miss a shot. He even had the nerve to remind me that I did in fact lose the game for our team and that we would need to spend the rest of the afternoon practicing. :) Haha! It was all in good fun though.

Here are a few of the pics from our trip!

Happy Birthday, America

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love all of the fireworks, cookouts, parades, and all of the red, white, and blue! Jep and I stayed in Birmingham this year and although I was disappointed we didn't make it down to the beach, we had a really fun-filled, jam-packed weekend. All weekend we kept saying to each other how happy we were that we stayed and celebrated on our home turf.

Saturday we took a trip up to Cullman to watch our nephew, Jayce, play in a tournament to bring them one step closer to becoming State Champs and they WON!! Jayce played so great and we are so proud of him and his team! Hope they can make it all the way! How cool is that to be so close to being a state champ at only 6 years old?!

After the game Jep and I went to the Bluez and Gumbo festival in Old Town Helena. We enjoyed bowls of delicious gumbo and hurricanes while listening to some blues. It was so much fun! And, to top it all off all of the proceeds went to a wonderful organization called "Homes for Our Troops," a program that provides homes to veterans who have returned home with severe disabilities and injuries. We were so glad we went and plan to attend again next year! We ended the night by watching the fireworks from our backyard with Jep's mom.

Sunday was spent enjoying the beautiful weather (88 degrees with very low humidity!) and eating some yummy barbecue. And, then downtown for "Thunder on the Mountain" with some family and friends. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Amy, we were able to view the fireworks show from a prime spot. THANK YOU for hooking us up! :) The show was great and wayyy better than watching them on TV like we did last year!

Thunder on the Mountain Finale

Between all of the fun, we did spend a little bit of time working on some things around the house. We bought some new, fun things for outside thanks to Grandma Cee for sending us a very thoughtful monetary gift for our one year anniversary.

The bench we got with a portion of the money from Grandma Cee

And, I can't forget to mention the 4th of July desserts I made. Jep made a special request for a Flag Cake and I told him that I wasn't sure if it would be as good as his mama's but I'd give it a try. It actually turned out REALLY good and I think I'll make it every year! :)

I also made some star shaped rice krispie treats because who doesn't love rice krispie treats?!

Wow, this post turned out to be a lot longer than I planned. I'm going to close with a picture of Dread. No, he is not dead...he's just working on his tan!!

Happy Birthday AMERICA!

And, a big thank you to our brave soldiers who have served or currently are serving our country! God Bless our Troops!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

Happy Father's Day to the World's Best Dad!!

I love you and hope you have a wonderful day!

The Giant Water Bowl

We got Dread his very own pool this weekend and he's not too sure what to do in it. He just walks around in circles and chomps at the water. We're working hard to get him to not drink so much as it leads to many, many potty breaks throughout the rest of the day!!

I have to admit though...he does look mighty cute in his little pool and Jep & I are enjoying it as much or even more than Dread! :)

Click the "play button" below to watch Dread play in his pool.

Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather as much as we are!!

We just wrapped up a fun filled week with my parents! My Mom and Dad drove down to Birmingham last weekend for my friend, Lindsey's wedding. I had the honor of being a part of Lindsey and Dan's special day. The wedding was beautiful and we couldn't be more happy for our wonderful friends!

Sunday, I was lucky enough to get to spend Mother's Day with my wonderful mom!! Mom, Dad, Jep, and I spent the day at Ross Bridge which is part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Mom and I chauffeured Dad and Jep around in the golf carts while we enjoyed the sun and sipped Bloody Marys.

One of my favorite photo shots of the day...Jep down by the lake with the geese :)

On Monday, I headed down to the beach for a few days with my parents. Unfortunately, Jep wasn't able to join us due to work. (We missed you, Jep!) Santa Rosa Beach is still as beautiful as ever and I continue to pray that it avoids any harmful effects from the oil slick. While down there, we did encounter some signs that the area is preparing for the worst though. Our first day, we watched construction machinery on the beach putting up concrete barriers to protect a lake that has a little pass that opens to the ocean. We talked to a local man who explained to us that coastal lakes are extremely rare and only found in three parts of the world which is why they are so concerned about protecting this particular lake. We also saw huge hay bales set aside just in case they would be needed.

Despite some of the preventive meausures, as I mentioned before, the beaches are just as beautiful as ever! Every day was gorgeous and we spent each day the same--we'd start off at the beach for a few hours, then spend a couple hours at our condo's pool, do a little fishing (yes, I said fishing!! :) Mom and I found a small fishing pole off a pier at our condo), and then head to dinner. We ate at some of our favorites-- Stinky's Fish Camp, Hurricane's Oyster Bar-- and tried a new restaurant (for us, anyway)- Bayou Bill's for some Alaskan King Crab Legs which were to die for!

And now, it's back to reality and back to work tomorrow...

Hope everyone has a great week!