Breakdancing?

It seems as though Sophie knows a few breakdance moves...

More Visitors

My brother, Howie, along with his wife, Hannah, and their daughter, Ellie, were in Delaware this past week for a visit. Since David and I are only 45 minutes from Hannah's parents house, they were able to come to our place on Thursday night for dinner. We enjoyed visiting with them!

Sophie was so good with Ellie! And Ellie loved "puppy" too!

Ellie thought Sophie's crate was a great toy... she climbed in and spent a few

minutes opening and closing the door.

Another favorite toy was our piano.

Pretty Puppy!

Sophie at 16 weeks old.

More Visitors

My father and his wife, Gene, drove up from NC for a visit this past weekend. The last time Dad was at our house wa in January 2009, so a lot of changes have happened since that visit! My father has renovated many houses in his lifetime, so he truly appreciated all the work that we've poured into our home.


A visit from my father isn't complete without him offering to help with a project, and this weekend was no different. Less than 24 hours after he arrived, David had bought sheetrock and they were working on our new laundry room.

Of course, we also took time to play card games, look at pictures and talk.
Thanks for visiting, Dad & Gene!

I Still Miss You

Summer 1980 -

me and my sister with our mom, Ermalee Crosby

(a few months before our brother was born)

It's been 11 years, 9 months and 23 days since I saw you alive. Yet there are still moments (or days) when I'm struggling with life and the only person I want to talk to is you. The older I get, the more I wish I could hear your opinions and find out how you dealt with the rough patches in life. There are so many things I never thought to ask you... and now it's too late.


Mom, I miss you.

Labor Day Weekend

Look at my dirty feet, Aunt Alvana!

Seth and Aiden with Uncle David

Time for some swinging

Dan and Alenna with Cora

My sister and her husband came to visit this past weekend. Our tiny house was full... but mostly filled with fun! Saturday afternoon we spent some time at the nearby state park. The kids enjoyed the playground and the lake, while the adults appreciated spending time together. We love having the Loucks visit us!!

Doubtful No More

So I have to admit I was a little doubtful about how all the money we spent on new windows and siding could save us money. Sure I knew that we would be losing less heat in the winter and AC in the summer, but I imagined that we wouldn't notice much of a difference in the bills.

I WAS WRONG!

This summer was officially recorded as the hottest summer Philadelphia has ever seen (along with much of the East Coast), so we're really not being fair to compare it to the mild summer we had last year. However, despite a much hotter summer we've still saved over $160 in 4 months of electric bills!

David was right. These home renovations will pay for themselves in a few years!

New View

I've got a different view of the world since this past weekend, and it happens to be clearer.

I'd like to write that the change in perspective has occurred after growing emotionally in leaps and bounds... but it's really due to these new glasses.


It's been 7 1/2 years since I bought new frames. It definitely was time for a change!

4 Weeks

It's been 4 weeks since we brought Sophie into our home! It's incredible to look back at pictures and see how much she's grown since then. According to our scale at home (which may not be completely accurate) she weighed 15.5 pounds at 9 weeks, and she now weighs 24 pounds! She only occasionally has an accident in the house (in the kitchen, on our old ugly floors, in her "room" until she's housebroken), and usually the accidents happen when we aren't paying attention to her signals that she needs to go. Sophie's met more than 30 friends/family of ours, along with numerous adults and children during our trips to PetSmart and on walks around town... and she loves everybody that she meets. She's learned to enjoy riding in the car/truck. She's met/played with the dogs of 3 of our friends. She can be a bit rambunctious with other dogs, but she plays nicely. We've worked with her almost every day on training, and she knows a few commands. Here's a video of David training her this past Sunday:



If this is how far she's come in the first 4 weeks, it's exciting to think what she can learn in the next month!

A Walk in the Park

A wooded path at Longwood Gardens, PA

My good friend, Karen, drove up from her home in Maryland for a weekend visit. We spent Saturday walking around the 1,000+ acre Longwood Gardens. We talked, we soaked up the sunshine, we enjoyed the beauty around us, we learned more about nature, and we talked, and we talked, and we talked.

I felt my soul renewed by both my surroundings and my company.

Motorcycle Date

David and I went on a date this morning. We left Sophie at home for a few hours and went out on the motorcycle to a diner for breakfast... then toured around the south Jersey area on country roads.

The word that comes to mind is refreshing.

The smells of the country surrounded me... hay, fresh cut grass, nature. The sun kept me warm, the wind kept me cool. The roar of the Harley dimmed the other noises of the world...

... and I was alone with my thoughts and David.

Lessons From Sophie

Ok, I'll admit it... it's been a rough week getting used to Sophie! I've never had a puppy before and was only slightly prepared for the change we were making in our lifestyle. I'd read so many books before we brought her home, but somehow the challenge of it all didn't penetrate my brain.

But... things are getting better!

Some of the lessons I've learned since buying Sophie include:

* whining usually means she needs to go potty (in approximately 2.3 seconds)

* it is possible for her to go potty 3 times in 10 minutes

* to her, everything looks like a tempting chew toy (including my kitchen cabinets)

* there are no strangers, only friends she hasn't yet met

* mushrooms (growing beneath her favorite tree) can be a scary enough thing to cause her to bark

AND

* even though she can be frustrating, she brings laughter into every day!

It seems as though Sophie's goal in life is to become a lap dog.

NY Moments

This past weekend, after our trip to visit the Brackmans, David and I headed to NY state. It was a short visit to the area, but we packed a lot into the 20 hours that we were there.

Highlights of the trip included spending time with my brother, J, and his wife, Lori; the cool temperatures (what a big difference from the 90-100 degrees we've been experiencing in NJ!); visiting with my friend, Launa, and her family; and the puppy that we brought home with us!

Meet Sophie, our 9-week-old Boxer!

A Note on Friendship

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.

- Elizabeth Foley

Visiting the Brackmans

In a country where a lot of childhood friends grow up and move away from their home town, it's somewhat surprising that I've stayed in touch with a friend that I met when I was 10. Yes, time goes by when we don't talk on the phone and even more time goes by between visits. Life gets in the way, yet we always manage to pick up where we left off and continue sharing with each other from our hearts.

That's a pretty special friendship!

So David and I made the time to visit my friend, Carla, and her family, despite the 8-hour trip one way. And, despite the fact that our visit lasted less than 22 hours, it was well worth the journey!

Thank you Brackmans! We already are looking forward to our next visit!

David jumped on the trampoline during a rainstorm with Carla's boys...

... and made two new friends!

A sweet mother and son photo.

Carla and her husband, Jeff.

Girls Day to Lancaster

Regina, one of my friends from church, is currently hosting a girl named Teresa, who is visiting from Spain. Teresa is a chaperon for a group of teenage Spanish students who are living in the Wilmington, DE area for the month of July. Usually she will supervise the students for 3-4 group outings during the week, and spend her "days off" with Regina (while the students spend their days with their host families). Today was one of Teresa's off days, and Regina planned to take her to Lancaster County, PA. Long story short... another friend from church, Jaimy, and I took vacation from our jobs so we could join in the fun!

Regina set up an Amish tour for mid-morning. I wasn't at all sure what to expect, but this was a very unique excursion! We stayed in our vehicle and got a walkie-talkie from Kathy, the tour guide, to use between our vehicles. Then she spent the next 2 1/2 hours driving us around the Amish country, taking us to an Amish woodworking shop and an Amish home. We met two Amish families on our tour and saw lots of their beautiful craftmanship (in both woodworking and quilts).

After the tour and lunch we spent around 3 hours walking around Kitchen Kettle Village in the town of Intercourse. I don't particularly enjoy shopping, so I never would have imagined that I could spend that amount of time happily walking around shops! But there was a lot to see.

We went to The Canning Kitchen, where we were able to sample every sauce, dip, salsa, cheese spread, etc. that they sold. Yum! Regina and I spent quite a while in Dutchland Galleries and discovered we appreciate similar types of paintings. (Check out their website to view some of the paintings we saw! One of my favorite artists was J. Wayne Bystrom.) Then, at my suggestion, we effectively ruined our dinners by finishing the day with homemade ice cream from Lapp Valley Farms!

I'm thanking the Lord for the blessing of friendship. What an enjoyable girls day out!

Perfection Defined

Do you ever have those moments where you look at your spouse and think for me, he/she is perfect? That thought popped into my head today as I was hanging out with David.

Did you catch the key words in the last paragraph? I realize David's not a perfect man. We have moments when things are rough, but, he is perfect for me.

Nothing extraordinary had happened. No flowers, gifts, jewelry or other displays of love like you see from Hollywood. Just sitting on the couch, laughing at a personal joke and feeling so blessed because he gets me.

And that's an incredible feeling.

YML Party

David and I started attending Brandywine Valley Baptist Church in January 2010. After years of attending churches in NJ, but being discouraged because we hadn't found what we wanted, we decided to try looking in another state. I did some research through Google and formed a list of possible churches in the Wilmington, DE and Philadelphia, PA area. Brandywine Valley Baptist Church was the first church we tried, and we've been attending ever since!

In March we started attending a Sunday School class for newlyweds appropriately named Young Married Life, or YML. This has become more than just a course for us... it has become a great, Godly group of friends for both David and I. We have been so blessed!

Yesterday a middle-aged couple (who have been teaching our class for the last 2 months) invited us to their house for a party. At first the weather didn't agree with hanging out by the pool, so we ate, talked and played some board games, then went outside later in the evening. Including Jeff and Karen, the hosts, we deepened friendships with 7 other couples.

Finding our new church has been like coming home after a long journey.

Spontaneous Beach Day

David was sent away for work this past week. I understand why his company sends him away on trips (it's usually cheaper for them to pay for his lodging than to pay for him to drive to a far-away location 2 or 3 days in a row); I understand that he cannot help being sent away; I understand that he misses me... but I still hate being alone! So when I talked to David on Tuesday night and he said he would most likely be gone until Thursday evening, I decided to make plans to go away for Wednesday night.

I went to work early on Wednesday morning... crazy early! I was there by 6:30am! When my boss got to work I asked him if I could leave at 12:30pm, and thankfully he had no problem with that. David's mother, sister and nephew are staying in a condo one block from the beach in Atlantic City, and I drove there after work.

The rest of the day was wonderful! I went to the beach with Marney and Julian (my sister-in-law and nephew) and the cool breezes off the ocean made the weather feel nice. (It was 100 degrees at my house, but probably only in the low 90's by the ocean.) After dinner we went walking on the Boardwalk to Ben & Jerry's for ice cream, then just hung out at the condo for the rest of the evening.

I spent Wednesday night with them and commuted 1 hour and 15 minutes to work on Thursday morning. I worked a long day on Thursday to make up the time that I had missed from work, but it was worth it!

I'm thankful for inlaws that I enjoy being with and who truly accept me! I couldn't ask for a better family to be a part of.







Julian splashing in the waves.

Marney and Julian.

A Plethora of Pictures

I enjoy pictures... especially pictures of the people I love and wonderful memories... such as the memories I made last week during the Crosby Family Reunion, held this year in Sandbridge Beach, VA.

However, I was overwhelmed by the 1,500+ pictures I had to sort through when David and I returned home! Where should I even start?

Thankfully, using Picasa, I was able to create a collage of 60+ of my favorite photos from our week so I could post something to my blog (without spending a substantial amount of time). If you want to see more pictures or get the story behind some of the pictures, refer to Alenna's blog, Loucks Lounge.

A Functioning Living Room

Today at 9:30am our living room carpet was installed! David paid the installers some extra money to help him move the furniture back into the room. I haven't had a chance to hang anything on the walls (and I am hoping to buy some large indoor plants) but I was so excited that I couldn't wait to take pictures! The part of the living room that used to be so cluttered with the fireplace (as shown in this picture from 2007) is now the perfect wall for my piano. Also, last weekend on Craigslist (for a very reasonable price!) I found perfect high-backed chairs to make a sitting area next to the piano.

The 3 months of chaos have paid off... and I'm so pleased with our new room!

Lilacs!

Spring came early in NJ this year, and my lilacs are in full bloom! Carla and Alenna, this picture's for you!

Time Well Wasted

The clock is ticking. The clock that's counting down the arrival of our company, that is... not that other clock. We worked on painting the trim in the living room yesterday, but we still have a lot to go (baseboard, chair rail, crown molding and then the second coat of color on the walls)! So we should have gone home after church and spent the afternoon doing more painting.

But we didn't.

After church David and I got on the motorcycle and took an afternoon drive out to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. It was 75 degrees and sunny. We couldn't have asked for better weather!

David had surprised me yesterday with a Harley-Davidson leather jacket. It stays cool on the bike, even during warm weather, so I was happy to try it out on the ride today.


I had done some research of the area we were driving through, and I found a route that lead us to 4 covered bridges. The first bridge we came to was Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge, built in 1880.
Driving around on the country rounds provided us with views of many animals - sheep, cows, chickens, goats and horses. Also, due to the warm weather we've experienced lately, flowers and trees are in bloom all over the place! (Does anybody know what kind of flowers are on that hillside?)

The second bridge we came to was Pine Grove Covered Bridge. It's the only double-span, double-arch bridge in use in Lancaster County.

5 miles down the road was another bridge, White Rock Forge Covered Bridge. Here we were able to walk underneath the bridge and next to the river.

There were many Amish buggies on the roads today.

The last bridge we came to was Jackson's Sawmill Covered Bridge. The original bridge was washed away by a flood in the 1980's, so it's replacement is younger than me!

We walked across this bridge and looked at the view of the river from the window.

After our bridge tour, we headed into the quaint town of Strasburg, PA for a stromboli dinner.

At the end of the day I was reminded of the Brad Paisley song, Time Well Wasted. Verse 2 says
"It was time well wasted and there's no way I'd trade a few more things that I could've crossed off my list for a day I'll never forget. No, I didn't get a thing done but I sure soaked up every minute of the memory we were makin' and I count it all as time well wasted."

That's how I feel about today. It was a perfect 31st birthday!

Looking Back, Looking Forward

I took a picture of the back of the house today to compare it to a picture from the summer of 2007.
(As you can see, the capping above the back porch isn't complete and we still need a light to be connected to the wires above the back door...)

Bryan has been working on another job for the last 3 weeks, so there hasn't been much progress around our house. But looking at old pictures tonight reminded me of how far we've come!

Another Girl's Weekend

All the construction on our house has kept us too busy for the every-other-month visits that we usually make to NY to visit Alenna and her family. Also, the current limited space in the house has made it mostly impossible for any visitors over the past month and there is no way Alenna, Dan and 3 young children could stay with us. So I invited just Alenna and Cora for a Girl's Weekend! I know Alenna missed being with Dan, Aiden and Seth... and I appreciate them letting Alenna come visit. The weather was terrible most of Friday and Saturday (lots of rain and some flooding), so it gave us the perfect excuse to stay inside playing card games, watching a movie and of course, talking!


Alenna and Cora on Saturday evening.

Cora got a bath in my kitchen sink. She was fascinated by the water!

Cora with her Uncle David and Aunt Alvana... both whom love her very much!

Thank you, Alenna and Cora, for driving to NJ to visit us!

Weekend Work

We just had another work weekend at our house! Here's some pictures of the work that was accomplished.

The first layer of tape and spackle in the living room.

The last of the Tyvek was put on the house. (Ok, be honest... who else is annoyed looking at Tyvek put on upside down?! Good thing that will be covered up soon!)

Bryan and David worked on installing the frame of the front porch roof.