And I said Lord I'm happy 'cause I'm just a walkin' my dog, Singin' my song, Strollin' along - It's just me and my dog

Lord Horatio Nelson Williams
April 28, 1996 - November 8, 2010

Can you tell it was my mom's turn to name our pet?? She was a history major in school, and an avid history buff most of her life, so Nelson got one mouthful of a name. But he handled it quite well really :)

Nelson was the best dog ever. He lived for 14 1/2 years, and brought so much joy and love into our lives and our homes. Monday was really hard, and so have the last few months leading up to his passing. His health has been rough, and he was losing a lot of weight and his hips would give out...I won't go into any more of his issues, but the time came where a decision had to be made, and to do what is best for him, we put him down. That was not an easy decision to come to, but he was really suffering and that isn't fair to keep him alive because of selfish reasons. Especially with the cold weather coming in - it made his arthritis so much more painful.

I don't want to be all mushy and sappy and emotional, but I since he lived for 14 wonderful years, I was to share 14 of my favorite memories/lessons that I learned from him. I know it's cheesy, but this dog saved me in many ways through some hard times and I can't ever repay him for all the love and compassion he showed me.

1) Going to get a dog - I was getting ready to go into high school, and we were going to get a dog! I was so excited. We went to visit this family that had a litter of boxer puppies and it wasn't for sure we would get one, but it was a possibility. When we got there, it didn't take long for Nelson to attach himself to us. We have always said he picked us out, not that we picked him out. He followed us everywhere! It was so cute. And if we stopped walking, he would sit on our feet and when he looked up at you with those sweet puppy eyes, you couldn't help but know he was meant to be with us. It was the cutest and sweetest thing I had ever seen up to that point. I remember picking him up for the first time and him just licking my face and I was sold. Thank goodness the rest of my family was too! He came home with us that day.

2) One of the most amazing things that Nelson did for me was to be there for me. It sounds cheesy, but Nelson got me through some really hard times. My parents got divorced a year after we got him, and it was really hard on me and my brother. I remember sitting on the floor of my room in the basement crying, and Nelson would come and curl up in my lap and lick my tears and stay with me until I calmed down. He didn't just do this once or twice - he did it all the time for me. When I would come home from college and visit and was sad or upset about something (something trival and silly I'm sure) he did the same thing. Even last November when I had a miscarriage, I went to my mom's house to visit him and I sat down with him and started crying. He was so old and his hips hurt him, but he came and sat in my lap and licked my tears and let me cry, showing me nothing but the purest and sweetest love. I know it hurt him to sit like that, but he didn't budge until I was ready. I treasure those memories and that love he showed. I know he did similar things for my brother - we were his top priority and he took care of us. He loved us, and we sure love him right back.

3) I was really lucky to have a basement bedroom in high school. It had a door that went straight out into the back yard, which is where Nelson spent most of his time. Well, I loved my dog a lot, so I used to sneak him into the basement to sleep in my room. I'm pretty sure my mom always knew, but as long as she didn't catch him on the furniture, she never said too much about it... I, of course, had to push the limits though. I loved having him jump up on the little twin bed with me and fall asleep. It wasn't super comfy for him, but he did it (He was a big dog and it was a small bed). He would jump up and sleep in the bed with me until I was asleep, then jump down and sleep right next to the bed on the floor. I could reach down and pet him at any time. Then in the mornings, when I would start to wake up, he would jump back up on the bed and snuggle with me. I remember a few times my mom would come down to make sure I was awake, and she caught him up on the bed. Boy did we get in trouble...but he never stopped doing that for me. I was selfish, letting him get in trouble because I wanted things my way, but he never disappointed me!

4) He hated getting baths. My favorite bath time incident happened about a month after we brought him home - I had on a poncho and was bathing him on the kitchen sink. He was not happy to be getting so fresh and so clean, and wiggled right out of my hands, jumped over my shoulder ripping the poncho, and ran off in the house covered in soap. HA! We finally caught him and got him washed off, and we no longer bathed him in the sink.

5) Cropping his ears. This is not something I will ever do with another dog, but we did it to poor Nelson. The surgery isn't fun for them, and he had to have it twice, because one of his ears fell after the first surgery. Now, having this done to him isn't what I loved - but seeing his ears all wrapped up with a little bowl.cone around his neck - it's pathetically adorable! See for yourself - it's not the best picture, but you can see the general idea. Poor little guy!!! Isn't he the cutest thing??

6) Nelson hated his crate. We tried to crate train him, but I think since it was also used for punishment, it didn't really work for him. Trying to get him in there was the biggest ordeal ever - it involved blocking off all doors from the kitchen, trying to corner him and bribing him with meat! Even then, he still put up a fight. On the one hand, it was amusing to watch him do this to other people (my mom or brother) but then when he would do it to me it was so maddening! But he looked at you with that sweet puppy face, and all was forgiven. I'm pretty sure this is part of the reason he ended up being kept out in the yard instead of inside....

7) I will warn you - this is a gross one! But Nelson had, well, awful gas. Like, he could clear a room in 10 seconds flat (I say 10 seconds because there was always a delay between him passing the gas and then the deathly stench.) He even did this at the vet's on his last day. I have some funny stories about this, but I will spare you :)

8) Nelson loved to chase animals - especially squirrels. And he was a fast little guy - he caught them too! I remember the first time he brought his prize up on the porch to show us through the kitchen door windows - we were eating breakfast. EW! However, he was really proud of himself. He was a great runner though, and looked great chasing animals around!

9) Nelson didn't get to go on a ton of walks as he got older. I remember taking him on a walk when he was about 7 or so, when my mom lived off Holly Springs Road. I used to walk from her house to the intersection of Post Oak Tritt and Holly Springs. It was about a 3 mile walk, and it was a nice little stretch. Well, one day I decided it would be nice for Nelson to get to take a walk with me! He loved to run spurts around the yard and stuff, so I thought he was in great shape. Well, it turns out I was wrong. We got to the Post Oak Tritt and Holly Springs, and he was spent. We still had a mile and half to go! It took over and hour just to get home because he kept stopping and laying down every few feet. Poor kid - I felt bad for him!! But it was also hilarious to see this big old dog so tuckered out and me dragging him along (at one point I tried to carry him...but he was over 70 pounds at that point...so that didn't work out as well as I had hoped.)

10) This one is sort of embarrassing for my brother....but my brother would get him to chase him around the kitchen/den areas and they would go in laps. Nelson was fast so he would catch my brother and then he would end up pantsing my brother. HA! Nelson always beat him, too.

11) One of my favorite things about the boxer breed is the personality that boxers have! Nelson had a ton of personality - including letting you know when he was mad and having a special relationship with you and winking at you (I'm totally serious too!) My mom got the brunt of his attitude, especially his angry attitude. He would do things that would make her mad, because he was mad. Like if he didn't want to be left alone, but my mom had brought him down to the basement because of the weather, he would leave her little "presents" (aka poop) on the floor (it wasn't a cement floor, so it wasn't the worst scenario....but it still had to be cleaned up). When Gordon and I would come to see him, he would give us the cold shoulder for a while when we first got there. He would of course let us pet him, but his boxer kisses weren't around for a good while! He sure told us :)

12) My mom and step-dad's house has a great backyard and Nelson loved it. There is a nice big hill that he would love to walk to the top of and sit and look out over his territory. He would sit up there in the sun and just be. Even as he got older and his arthritis was really tough on him, he would take at least a few walks a day up to the top of that hill and sit there. It was sweet to see him up there looking over everything, including my mom and step-dad.

13) The hill also served as an amazing burial ground for ham bones!! At holidays, we always save the ham bone for him and we would take them to him outside and he would get so excited and run up on the hill and bury his bone. Then dig it up and bury it again. The process was limitless! He couldn't handle leaving it just one spot, and it is so cute to see him digging and then filling the hole by moving the dirt back in the hole by pushing it with his nose. We always loved watching him bury and move his ham bones around :)

14) Lastly, I love Nelson because he was truly a best friend to me. I love dogs and the compassion and companionship they give. Nelson was the most loyal dog I have ever had and he loved us so much. I hope he knows how much we love him. It was hard since both my brother and I moved away from home, and he stayed, but we made sure to visit him and spoil him when we did see him. I can never thank him enough for all the joy he brought into my and my brothers life. There are so many other stories I could tell, but I will stop now. The most important thing I can say is that I love Nelson and he came into our lives at the perfect time! I'm so grateful he picked us, because life without him would not have been as happy, as loving or as special. We are all better off for having him in our lives!

That's enough of my ramblings. Here are a few more pics from the last few years...

Oh, Mexico, It sounds so sweet with the sun sinking low. Moon's so bright like to light up the night, and make everything all right..

Things have been pretty busy around here lately...The biggest change that has happened was that I ended my job. It's been a big adjustment for me, but it's also been really nice too. I'm able to get a lot more done around the house and getting ready for the baby's arrival, as well as able to rest when I need to. It's been really helpful. It's weird to not be working, since I have worked for so long, and I miss my co-workers a lot. Overall, I worked with some amazing people and made some wonderful friends and it's been weird not seeing them every day! But it's for the best and I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to be home for a little bit before the baby comes. Bowser has loved it too - he's my little shadow and is just so sweet. I can tell he's happier too.

We also got around to knocking a big task off our to do list - we finally had our fireplace knocked out and had some french doors put in instead. I loved having a fireplace, but it did not work. It was going to cost a lot to fix it and we did not have any access to our back yard from within the house. Knocking it out and putting in doors was a perfect option. I will upload some before and after pictures later, once we get Jacobs computer set back up, because it looks awesome! The den looks better too - so much more light and it feels more comfortable. Bower loves it too because now he can run around the backyard and come back in when he wants. Before we would have to wait outside with him and that was a pain. This will make life much easier once the baby comes too, to let Bowser out and such. I love sitting in the den with all the light and looking at the fall colors start to come out. AWESOME!

Other than that, I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention lots of exciting things that have gone on, but for now I think that will work. I will do a more detailed doors, pumpkin patch, amazing baby shower post soon. But for now, I will wrap up with where I'm at in the pregnancy...just for kicks.

How far along: 32.5 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 7 lbs
Gender: Our little girl is continuing to grow and kick more and more every day.

Maternity clothes?: Maternity clothes, especially pants, have been the best thing ever. I am glad that I finally gave in and got some! Thanks to oldnavy.com, I have gotten some for some great prices!

Sleep: Sleep continues to be difficult. If I make myself stay up late, and get REALLY tired, I sleep through the night fairly well, only getting up to pee lots of times. But I'm not getting enough sleep, because I still am constantly tired, but at least I'm sleeping through the night. I know it will only get worse, and once she gets here it will be even more crazy, so I'm trying to appreciate it what I do get as much as I can.

Best moment this week: This weeks best moment would have to be finally getting stuff int he baby's room set up, as well as my amazing friends throwing me a sweet baby shower!! It was so cute and thoughtful!! I love it. I will put pictures up later.

Movement: She kicks a lot these days. She definitely has her favorite times of day to be active, including in the middle of the night, but it's reassuring to feel her moving around, and it's impressive she's such a hard kicker! I think her favorite target is my bladder....

Food cravings: French fries (or potatoes in any form!), ice cream and milk, and red meat. Those are the strongest and most consistent cravings I have.

What I'll miss: Umm, that's kinda of tough! I'm not sure what I will miss at this point. I'm just looking forward to her arrival.

Milestones: We've been taking childbirth classes at Northside, and that's been super helpful. I am glad we decided to do that. I'm also calling to find a pediatrician for us. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to go to the same one I went to when I was a kid - the 2 doctors who where there when my brother and I were born back in the day are still there! I loved going there, so I think I will stick with what I know to be good. It's weird to think I will be taking my kids there now...
Theme: I don't know what the theme of the last week would be...probably just getting stuff together and in order. It's a relief and exciting and slightly overwhelming all at the same time.
Extra: There have been lots of changes going on in our house and lives....since I just talked about it all, I will leave it at that for now :)

I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it; Collapse into me, tired with joy...

So, I thought I would post some ultrasound pics on here. I went to the doctor Monday, and since it was at Northside instead of my regular OB, they ultrasound is much clearer! They got some great shots and said she's growing really well and looks very healthy! WAHOO! They also said they won't need to see me back there unless my regular doc sends me back because of problems, but I think we should be fine. The reason that they are concerned and have done so many ultrasounds on me is because of my vasculitis. Since they don't know what causes it, and I have had 2 outbreaks of it (the first one which stuck around for like a year and then I had all the prednisone issues.... and then in February when I got super sick and had a viral infection, I broke out again. This time I went to the doctor the day it broke out and he started me on a 2 week round of prednisone and it went away. Have I ever mentioned how I hate that stuff?) So to make sure that everything is going well and that the baby is healthy, they have done more ultrasounds. She's a rock star and they said she looks great! Wahoo! I'm so relieved.

Here is her blog debut :)

Rainbow's are visions, they're only illusions and rainbows have nothing to hide...

I haven't really talked to much about my pregnancy so far, and I thought it would be interesting to see where I am at and track it a little more. The first half of the journey has been good, and I'm glad to be over the halfway point. Lots of changes are ahead, and I'm trying to get ready for them the best I can. It's exciting, fun and scary to me all at once. Jacob has been great in keeping me calm, being excited too and just being a great husband. I'm pretty lucky to have him!!

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 3 lbs
Gender: It's a GIRL! I don't think I've said anything on here about it, so there ya go. She will be here on December 10th, and we are so excited. So is our family! I may have already bought some adorable clothes...I couldn't help myself! Now to start planning everything... We decided to not mess with anything until we knew the gender, and now that we do, a whole new reality has set in - yikes! But a good yikes. There is a lot to do before she gets here! Bowser will be so excited to have a little girl to play with :)

Maternity clothes?: I finally bought some and it was the best decision ever. I'm so much more comfy now, and I don't look like I'm just trying to fit in my normal clothes.

Sleep: Sleep is awful these days. I consistently wake up between 3 and 5 in the morning and can't fall back asleep until about 20 minutes before the alarm goes off. I look exhausted and I feel exhausted! Plus, I get either really hot or really cold and my nose is so stuffy that I can't breathe well. So, between all of that...sleep and I are apparently taking a break. I hope we get back together soon...I really miss it.

Best moment this week: Hmm...this week's best moment would probably be the realization that I will be parting ways with my job at the end of September. I've known and talked to them about it back in July, but the reality is finally starting to sink it. While it's sad and weird to think about not working, I'm grateful for the 2 months before the little one comes that I will have to "myself" to get things done that really need it. Plus, then I can reunite with sleep, because if my body will let me sleep - I don't care what time it is, I'm gonna do it!

Movement: I am feeling her move around a lot more these days - it's crazy! I didn't really know what to expect when you read about feeling the baby, but it's kinda cool. She isn't doing any ninja kicks yet, but I can feel light little kicks and lots of flutters. I can't wait for Jacob to be able to feel it too.

Food cravings: My cravings have been kind of weird. Nothing has been consistent, but when something hits, I really want it! One of my favorite ones is the Philly cheese-steak sandwich from Philly Connection....oh man, so good. Crap, now I want one!!

What I'll miss: As of right now, I can't really think of anything I will miss about being pregnant. Maybe feeling her moving around...

Milestones: I don't really feel like this is a milestone exactly, but I've started with the heartburn. It makes me feel officially pregnant and it's not my favorite. Luckily, I'm enjoying tropical flavored Tums, so that makes it a little better...but I'd rather not deal with it at all. I guess I need to make sure to stay away from tomato sauce and onions...at least those are a few of the triggers I have noticed so far.
Theme: The theme of the week would have to be lack of sleep and heartburn. I won't repeat what I've already said...but gosh, I miss my sleep.
Extra: One of my favorite things that has been happening over the last few months has to do with Bowser. I'm not really sure how he knows, but it has become a normal thing for me to sit on the floor with him and for him to rub his head on my tummy. I feel like he knows something is going on, but he doesn't know what. It might sound super silly, but I love that he does that! He is also super protective too. We had a friend come over last week to see us for a bit, and he laid at my feet the whole time, wouldn't go near the guy and when he came over to shake my hand before he left - Bowser stood up and watched his every move. It was adorable! I feel bad for the guy though...he just wanted to pet Bowser, but that wasn't gonna happen. I like the non aggressive approach Bowser uses. Typically, he warms right up to people after he hesitates for a minute, so this was interesting to see. Bowser is already taking care of the little one!

When you're the president of the Breakfast Club, and you're not hesitant to fall in love, To fall in love with the eighties...

* Warning: This post contains a random assortment of childhood books/authors/memories. It may or may not be coherent :) *

With the opening of Ramona and Beezus in theaters today, People.com had an interview of sorts with Beverly Cleary. I have to admit, I was more than a little excited to click on the article. I grew up reading books, and one of my top 5 favorite authors was Beverly Cleary. I read every book she wrote - more than once. Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, Ralph S. Mouse, Beezus, Ellen Tebbits, Socks, and my all time favorite - Ramona Quimby. I fell in love with the all of Cleary's stories, because on some levels you could relate to them, but they were also outlandish enough to make you laugh and cringe all at the same time. Ramona had this incredible imagination - one that I wish I had.

Anyways! I started this post because I read the article with Cleary, and I felt like she is exactly the person who I would have expected to write such wonderful books. She's 94 now, and seems like a wonderful woman who has done so much in her life! (I ended up reading a Wikipedia article on her as well, so not all of my thoughts stem from the People.com article.) She has a love for books and children, and both are evident in the way she has lived her life and the way she talks about her books. My favorite quote from the People article:

She doesn't analyze her characters.
During one meeting with Ramona and Beezus director Elizabeth Allen, "[Beverly] asked, 'What are the themes in Ramona?' " recalls Allen. "I said, 'It's about this iconoclast who's learning how to navigate in society.' And she looked at me cross-eyed and said, 'No. It's about growing up.'

I love the simplicity that she keeps to her charters and her stories. They are timeless, as she says, and she wants children of any generation to be able to pick up the books and be able to relate to them, or feel a sense of normalcy when they read them. I know it worked for me. Growing up, we moved around a lot and I was constantly changing schools. While I would eventually make new friends in the neighborhoods we lived in or at school, I never felt like I had a place. One thing I did have was books! The characters never changed no matter where I lived, and I would read books over and over again and it gave me a sense of security in new places. As I've grown up, every now and then I will pick up one of my childhood favorites and those feelings and love of the characters are still there. I look forward to sharing those books with my own kids one day! (In fact, I just cleaned out about 3 or 4 boxes of those books from my mom's basement and now they are in my basement! It was fun to go through them all.)

Since this is sort of a hodgepodge of ramblings, I think I will leave you with my some of my favorite childhood authors.

Beverly Cleary, of course.


Ann M. Martin - Babysitters Club Series

Louise Fitzhugh - Harriett The Spy and The Long Secret

Norton Juster - The Phantom Tollbooth


Francine Pascal - The Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High Series


Judy Blume (there are so many that I loved!!)


Roald Dahl (also, so many favorites!)


Carolyn Keene - I loved anything and everything Nancy Drew

Anyways, those are just a few. I read so much that I can't remember them all now! It was fun to take a trip down memory lane though...I really want to go home and read the Phantom Tollbooth now :)

Did you notice I was afraid? I thought I'd run out of things to say. Two more hours until today burns this away, and it starts all over again.

Some days are rough and tedious. Like today. I thought that yesterday was Wednesday, and it turns out - nope! It was only Tuesday. Now this is becoming the LONGEST Wednesday of my life. I need to laugh, so I found some entertaining Liz Lemon clips that did the trick. I love Tina Fey.

Stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper "i love you", birds singin’ in the sycamore trees, dream a little dream of me.

Well, to say that nothing has really been going on with us would be one big fat lie! Where to begin??

Well, for starters, for those of you who don't know yet - I'm pregnant! We are expecting the little one to arrive on or around December 10th - just in time for the holidays, poor thing! What a time to have a birthday. Jacob and I are really excited about it (and I'm mildly terrified!) I'm almost 14 weeks now...so I look forward to that 2nd trimester being better than the first thing to start happening. I have been blessed for sure, as I know plenty of people have it way worse than I do, but I'm ready to stop feeling so icky all the time. I've had lots of doctors appointments and a few ultrasounds, and we know that things are going well and that the little one is doing great. I'm right at 14 weeks, so hopefully I will start feeling better soon!

I survived the annual board meeting at work. It was a bit harder this time around since I was in my first trimester and all, but I did it and I didn't complain (well, I didn't complain at work. Jacob would probably say I complained a lot!) We had an even on Thursday night that was quite impressive. I have to admit, that my boss really knows how to put together an event. I have learned a lot from working with her on these things, and this one really took the cake. All the hard work we put in to making it happen really paid off because the Trustees loved it. It was nice to see people appreciate your efforts.

Jacob has planted our garden again, and it's doing really well so far! And I actually have pictures - good pictures to show!! Let me post some pics of the garden then I will explain my new picture taking circumstances. I wish I could remember all that he planted, but I know some of the things are tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos, cayenne peppers, bell peppers, strawberries...and a few others. Hes so good!

As far as having these beautiful pictures is concerned, I got a new camera! Well, I didn't get it persay, but my amazing husband and friends and brother all chipped in to get me this amazing camera that I have been wanting for my b-day! I turned 28 on the 28th, and I couldn't have been more grateful and humbled by what awesome people I have in my life! Heather took some pics and made a cute collage for her blog, so I stole it to put on mine! Yay for my Canon Rebel XS! It's such a stud :) Now I can take real pictures of things we do, people we love, and of our growing family! Bowser has proven to be a great subject so far!

Speaking of Bowser, what post would be complete without a few shots of the cute pup! He's about 50 pounds now and 8.5 months old. We totally got lucky when I picked him out - he's the best dog we could have asked for. Since I've been pregnant, he's gotten a lot more protective of me and the house. He barks when he hears or sees cars/strangers coming up the drive way or when he hears random noises that he knows aren't common. I love it! I feel safe and loved, especially when he comes and sits in front of me on guard and barking. Too cute! He also seems to be getting more well behaved (though if he steals my bottle of prenatal vitamins one more time....) Anyways! Enough about him! Here are some cute shots of him taken with my new camera!! Check out that tongue!

Oh, and so I know I have admitted that I have a deep love of the TV show Bones, but I also have that same love for Glee!! I'm a Gleek, and proud of it! I don't want to write about the finale in case some of you haven't watched it yet, but holy heck was I LOVING it! Not only do I love Journey, but I love the McKinley High Glee Club - great finale!! Here is them preforming at regionals - sigh. I just can't get enough :)