Cheers to Sara on her 30th Birthday

Just wanted to give a shout-out to my friend Sara Redmond for her 30th birthday!

Not only is Sara a wonderful wife & mother but she's a creative decorator, snazzy dresser, talented seamstress, and most of all a very thoughtful and fun friend! Here's to Sara on her 30th birthday! It's been a great year and I wish you a great start to the one ahead!!! Happy Birthday!!!

For my WAHOO's

I am blessed with a very special gift: I am part of a group of 8 friends that I can truly call my sisters. Even though distance separates us and even though we don't talk every day, we have a very special bond and are there for each other always. Our friendship started at Winthrop University after we all joined the Sigma Sigma Sigma (we really are sisters) and picks right back up every time we are together. Many of our memories revolve around the house most of us lived in at some point in our college lives. The address was 1021 Park Ave so I often get a good feeling anytime I see 10:21 on a clock or in today's case on the calendar! So in honor of October 21 (10/21).....here's to my Wahoo's!

The Wahoo's technically started in 2003 on a road trip to Florida on our way to the Bahamas. We thought since there were so many of us it would be easier to have a "group name." I remembered  hearing from a girl in high school that a Wahoo was a fish who could drink twice it's own weight. Being in college and thinking we were such rebels...we thought the name fit! So now instead of Maria, Jax, Hartley, Hales, Jessica, Heather, Ryan, and Harvey....we are the Wahoo's!

We mostly live in either the greater Greenville, Rock Hill, and Columbia areas of SC, one in Raleigh NC (finally got her closer than San Diego CA), and one near Hartford CT. We plan weekends at least 1-2 times a year and the great part is all of our guys get along too so we can leave them and have our own good time! One of my favorite Wahoo traditions is our "hanky." Ryan had this made when the first Wahoo got engaged and surprised us with it at our pre-wedding Girls Weekend. It has all of our initials on it and she had Hartley's wedding date embroidered. It's been added to and passed on through 5 weddings so far and has all been everyone's "something blue"

The hanky is still going strong, but as some start new additions to their families, we've begun new Wahoo traditions too....

We've seen life come and we've seen it go! We've been too far apart at times and then there have been others when you didn't even know we were there. It's been an incredible 7 years of friendship and it's still only the beginning! I wrote this poem a few years ago to share with my Wahoo girls and now I'll share it with my fellow bloggers:

"Few will ever understand....especially because it is so difficult to put into words what we have. An understood level of friendship, created from a sisterhood, has developed more than we could have ever imagined. We each add another layer to our inner circle...never quite realizing the true extent of our own contributions. To each other, we are a lifeline. Through all of our ups and downs, we have been and always will be together. So many parts of our lives will come and go , and although not always physically, the eight of us are always here. One by one and with each other, we are strengthening the bond of WAHOO! As young adults we begin into our journey of life and togetherness. I can't wait to grow in life with you."


I can only hope that all friends and family have something so special, now or someday!
Happy 10/21 day to my girls, in our bonds, harvey





Jamaica Mon!!!

Brent and I spent our 3rd anniversary in relaxing Jamaica!! After our wedding we didn't really have the money for a tropical honeymoon so we spent that time in the mountains. In some ways this was like our belated honeymoon; we've never been anywhere like this together and it certainly did not disappoint! We had a hard time narrowing down all the wonderful Caribbean destinations we had heard about so we had a travel agent help us out. She sent us to the Iberostar Grand in Montego Bay and we already can't wait to go back!!She really hooked us up with an ocean front room although you could see the ocean from all the suites. This was the view from our balcony!

Montego Bay was a great choice because it was a direct flight only 2.5 hours from Charlotte and then only a 20-30 minute bus ride to the resort. We got checked in and the butler showed where everything was in the room and then we went to explore and eat. This was the view from our first meal in Jamaica!!

Then we changed into our suits and hit the beach. The weather was beautiful most of the entire trip. Highs were 85 every day with a breeze...it was amazing! It was a little risky being hurricane season but it worked out very well for us. It was so UN-crowded that it was almost like having the whole resort to ourselves....and a few pool friends we met along the way!! This was our first day on the beach...they had tons of chairs and beach beds just feet from the brilliantly blue water!

Did you see the local in the bottom left corner of the first picture? We learned quickly that before and after the lifeguards and security guards are working (9am-5pm) that the locals come into the water either swimming or in a boat to sell you their "goods." Flames was the first (and only) one we personally encountered and lets just say his "goods" could be described as a " specialized water pharmacy." We obviously did not partake from the charming Mr. Flames! We mostly just chose just to soak up the sun and didn't leave the resort for any excursions. We were perfectly content the entire week with what the resort had to offer!! We also continued our tradition of taking a picture each year on our anniversary.

Happy 3rd anniversary to my love! 9/22/10

We spent a lot of time in the pool and at the pool bar. This is a view of the pool bar....its hard to tell where it stops and the ocean begins! The bartenders were fabulously friendly and very good at what the did!

 The bartenders were fabulously friendly and very good at what the did! We learned to LOVE Red Stripe and experienced some signature concoctions such as the "No problem," "Morris Day," "Greased Lightning" and more. They even invited me to sing into the exclusive A-1 microphone they used to entertain everyone!! Of course I had to decline for fear of getting us banned with my terrible voice!!

 The food, atmosphere, and people were all so great!! Although we don't have anything else to compare it to, Long Live Jamaica!!!

Our last night =(

It's hard to believe we've been married for 3 years already, and it's only getting better!!!! I count my blessings all the time to have found the one who was made just for me! 

Piano Lessons

I know this is going to sound silly, but when I was a teenager, I was writing a check at the gas station (this might have been before debit cards were in use that much) and the clerk asked if I played the piano. I was a little surprised since I did not and asked why he asked and he told me I looked like I had piano fingers. I don't know what piano fingers look like but mine are fairly short and bony and I've always been a nail biter. However, almost 15 years later, I've started doing something I've always had in the back of my mind since then.....I started PIANO LESSONS!!! I actually asked Brent for a keyboard for my birthday back in December and he delivered. It took me over 6 months to finally get around to it but now I these bony little fingers are actually taking lessons!

It's something I am just doing for myself, and why not! We never know when we are going to leave this life and might as well enjoy it. Surprisingly enough, I really do enjoy it. I've never played before although my sister and I did used to bang around on a keyboard we had when we were in elementary school. And there is the brief stint I had on the clarinet in the 6th grade band. I thought if I learned to read music then, that maybe I could catch on again! I got the contact info from Terri in my bunco group of a neighbor of hers that teaches and the rest is history! My teacher is probably less than 5 years older than me so it's easy to relate to her and there isn't any weird 60 year old lady pressure. I don't feel like I am going to "get in trouble" if I have a busy week and don't get to practice.....I'm an adult with a busy life but this is something I wanted to do. I take an early lunch from work on Wednesdays and it doesn't interrupt my evening life so it's really working out great! It's more challenging than I expected but I feel good about myself for learning something new and I have a whole new respect for most elementary songs!!! Don't expect any concerts any time soon but I'm so glad I finally took the plunge!!

We only have this one life....so I say do want you want!!

Tour of Charlotte

My great friend from Winthrop Jackie and her husband Greg moved from sunny San Diego to Raleigh NC last year! Raleigh is growing on them but they wanted to come scope out Charlotte to see it's potential. Throw in another best bud from Winthrop and her hubby Jason and it turned in to a wonderful weekend! I don't know why I had to wait for Jackie and Greg to come visit to see some of Charlotte's attractions!!

Technically we started Friday Night with dinner at White Horse in Rock Hill!! Saturday we drove past the Panther's stadium in to Uptown and walked a few popular city blocks. Then we went to Discover Place which was actually not bad. It's VERY child friendly and they were everywhere but we had a good time too!! The highlights for me were the bed of nails, the rope bridge, the super microscope in the THEM exhibit, and the octopus!

Although our quest for Ted's steamed burgers fell short, we ended up at a great local spot for lunch- the Penguin Drive-in. The nostalgia and the food were definitely worth the wait. I had the winky dinky dog (chili and pimento cheese) and sweet potato fries...yum!! Also witnessed Greg's first experience with Cheerwine!

Then it was on to a younger sorority sister's photography studio where my a few of my wedding pictures were featured along with lots of cute baby photos. Then we visited Freedom Park and drove through the NoDa area before heading back to the house to shower and get ready for our evening.

We picked up Brent and met the Deese's at the Pineville Lightrail station...also a first!

We rode it to the EpiCenter where we had a great dinner (and dessert) at Black Finn. We spent most the night after that at the piano bar, Howl at the Moon. After witnessing a bachelor so drunk I don't know how he was still having such a great time, several pink boas belonging to a bachelorette party, a surprise visit and performance by the lead singer of LONESTAR, and a purse snatching caught in the act....we realized it was almost 2am and the last Light rail left at 1am!! Whoops...so we hit the ATM and got a cab back to Pineville!

Sunday we treated Jackie and Greg to our newest love.....boating!! We recently bought a used pontoon boat and are absolutely loving it! We went out for a ride and some swimming before they had to leave for Raleigh!

It was a fabulous weekend full of NEW adventures with OLD friends!!!

Busted!

Yesterday, something happened that never usually does....I slept in until 9am....and only woke up then because my cell phone rang. Apparently my body needed the rest because I can't remember the last time I slept in past 8 or 8:30 at the very latest. I didn't even have a glass of wine or anything the night before!! The factors that usually stop me from the much needed rest include, my body's habit of getting up around 6:30, the sun coming up, and of course JJ & Maggie getting restless and wanting breakfast. For whatever reason, none of these were a factor yesterday! Brent left early for work and turned the ceiling fan on and the box fan up a notch before he left (making it nice and cool and the white noise even more present), it was cloudy outside, and the dogs were obviously tired too! So what is there not to love about this story....it was THURSDAY and I have a JOB! The wake up phone call I received was from my boss!! Luckily she was just worried that I was ok and not upset about my alarm clock oversight! When I looked at my cell phone alarm, the alarm screen was up but it wasn't going off or in snooze mode so I must have hit a wrong button! It was quite embarrassing to admit that I overslept but I'm grateful I'm still employed!! I doubt this will happen Saturday morning even if I try!!

Sweet dreams to all this weekend!!

10 years has nothing on me!

The class reunion was a blast! Brent’s class didn’t have an official 10 year reunion so this was my first experience and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Our name tags had our senior yearbook pictures on them, which was kind of neat and funny to see how some people had changed. I pretty much look the exact same but with shorter hair! It was casual compared to some of my friend’s reunions I’ve seen on pictures of on face book. I found a really cute dress that I felt very flattered and comfortable in and bonus…it was on super sale for only $15!!! We had a great time catching up with some old friends and Brent was a rock star finding his own conversations and new people to mingle with! I also pointed out my old high school love interest to which Brent appropriately pointed out that I was way hotter than his wife!

Again, not knowing what to expect, I thought the gist of the conversations at the reunion would be learning what everyone was doing these days, where they work, how many kids they have, etc. Surprisingly, I can’t really tell you much of what people are doing now…it was very casual everyday conversation but it was kind of nice. There wasn’t any “pressure” to feel like you had to prove how successful you’ve become or whatever…it was just a bunch of old friends hanging out! Because I had had a few beers when I first arrived, I didn’t take the time to make my usual plate of food…which was our only dinner for the night. After getting high on a quick blitz of chicken fingers we did do a little dancing and a big group picture before going on to the next destination. Looking back I should have know skipping dinner was the first sign it was going to be long night!

We all decided to meet up at a bar downtown. Unknown to us, there was a huge fight on TV and the entire greater Columbia area was at this bar to watch it. It did finally clear out after the fight was over and we had a great time. We unfortunately got separated from some of our old classmates but ran into an old friend of mine and Brent’s from Winthrop so we had two reunions in one! I guess I haven’t been out in Columbia in a while or maybe things have changed, but this bar closed promptly at 2am…and by promptly I mean a very large man walked around with a bus tub and insisted that we put our drink in it (full or not) and then politely pointed us in the direction to the exit! We were back at Melissa’s not much longer after that and probably part of the reason she is my best friend is that she had a frozen pizza cooking before I even changed clothes! The girls went out on the patio while it was cooking and when we came back in Brent was sitting upright on the couch holding a pillow over his face! As he went to bed, we stayed with drunken emotional girl talk until around 5pm….hello what were we thinking! I felt terrible for Jessica b/c she had to be at work the next morning. At least Melissa, Brent and I had the flexibility of having nothing to do but to feel terrible! Mel and I finally put some shoes on and went to fetch some Rushes hangover food. We somehow escaped with only 3 cheeseburgers baskets, a hot dog, three sweet teas, and two milkshakes. Brent was still sleeping upstairs so Melissa and I started to dig in. She looks over to me and says: “Jennifer, we are inside watching TV…why do you still have your sunglasses on?” My only response was: “I know, it just feels right!” After rotating eating, napping, trying to eat some more, and lying around some more…Brent and I finally left to go back home around 4. The moral of this story is that 10 years has taken its toll and reminded me that we are certainly not 18 anymore! All in all, even with the hangover, it was a great trip and I’m so glad I got to share it with my best friends and husband!

DFHS Class of 2000 Reunion

Sometimes it's easy and sometimes a little harder to believe it's been 10 years since I graduated from high school. With my reunion TONIGHT I've been flooded with lots of memories from the yesteryears. I had a blast going through some old pictures wondering what would have been caught on film if we had the conveniences of today's technology!! Brent is going with me and we are heading to the big event with my best friends from my Dutch Fork days: Melissa whose been my bff since high school and Jessica who I was friends with but became even closer to through college at Winthrop together. I really have know idea what to expect since this is my first reunion and Brent didn't have one!! I hope it's a good crowd and I get to remember the good times with some good friends that I haven't seen in a long time. I posted several pictures on facebook of the "old days" and attached are a few of the good memories!!

*Melissa and me with the Cancun sunset behind us on our senior trip

*Girls shot from our freshman field trip to Washington D.C.

*Senior Field Day

*Homecoming 99 (Senior year)

Pre-blog in a little nutshell

Grew up in a wonderfully blended family
Loved high school
Left for college and never came back (not to any fault of my family)
Loved college
Met my best friends and my love
Got a great job, got married, got involved in the community
…and here I am!