Time flies when your having fun!

August 20  marked our 5th anniversary -- it’s amazing how quickly 5 years of marriage have flown by. We both really anticipate our anniversary each year, not only because it marks another year of life together, but because its always a surprise. Everyone knows I love a good surprise (if I can stand the suspense), but I also love surprising others.

Back when we first got married, we decided that instead of doing anniversary gifts, we’d do a trip instead. We would alternate who would plan the getaway, and the destination would be a surprise. The only stipulation is that it has to be someplace we’ve never been to together. The 1st year, Ben took me to Savannah and we stayed at an awesome bed & breakfast, did some sightseeting, barhopping & fine dining. For our 2nd anniversary, I planned a trip to NYC (Ben had never been!) and we saw a Broadway show, strolled around Soho and tried to cram in as much sightseeing as we could in 3 days. Ben rented a cabin up on Lake Joccassee for year #3, complete with a borrowed boat, stocked kitchen & a well-hidden Maddie (going rogue since no dogs allowed in the cabins). I got a bye on our 4th anniversary because Jackson had just been born and we couldn’t really take off for a weekend & farm out a 8 week-old preemie.

So keeping with our tradition, it was Ben’s turn & he planned a great 3-day weekend up to the mountains of Western North Carolina. His Godparents graciously let us stay at their amazing mountain home in Whittier, NC and we spent the (child-free) weekend sleeping in, eating out, wandering around quaint mountain towns, riding mountain bikes, scoping out flea markets & just being somewhat lazy.  Our only definite plan was to sleep as late as we wanted and to eat out for every meal!  It was the first time we’ve been away from Jackson, so we just soaked up the freedom to relax & play.  We definitely enjoyed our time away from him, but we missed him more & more each day and come Sunday, we were both very eager to see our little boy.

Dropping Jackson off with Bebe & PopPaw,
who had him the first half of the weekend.

The Gurley's beautiful home!  The picture doesn't even do it justice!

Exploring the mountain community in the Mule. 
Sure beats hiking or biking up those killer hills!!

Our first mountain bike trip together.  It had just rained earlier
that day so it was a bit muddy (yuck!).  The river behind us
was a tubing mecca and we considered going tubing,
but the water was kinda cold & we had not come prepared. 

I guess I need a fender on the back tire at least. 
No one said anything about getting dirty!!!

Ben was glued to the tv per usual.  Gotta keep an eye on that stock
we just bought.  Thank you, Fox News!

Heading back to Hickory to pick up our sweet pea.

Hasta luego, Maddie!

 

Its official - the Talbert's are now a 1-dog family!  I won't even try to hide my enthusiasm.  Through word-of-mouth, we met a wonderful family who had recently lost their beloved boykin and were eager to fill the void.  They came over in early August to meet Maddie and she's been with them ever since.  It sounds awful to admit, but neither Ben nor I, or even Bella for that matter, have missed her all that much.  The dogs had become outside dogs and we spent more time reprimanding them for licking/jumping/being smelly then we did loving on them; we didn't even get to enjoy them. 

Now that Bella is flying solo, she is back in the house and didn't miss a lick.  She is as obedient as ever and is definitely relishing in the fact that she now enjoys the simple luxuries she used to take for granted, such as air conditioning, table scraps, petting & hugs.  Jackson adores Bella and wakes up pointing downstairs & panting, which is his way of telling me he wants to go play with the doggy.  He gives Bella hugs & she is so gentle & tolerant, even when he is a little rough or steps on her paws.  I am also obsessively brushing Bella daily because I cannot take the shedding. 
(For all your dog lovers out there, the Furminator has changed my life.  It removes gobs of hair and I swear it has reduced the hairballs by 95%.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.) 

We know that Maddie has definitely been upgraded in life now that she lives with a family with 3 boys who love to walk her, snuggle with her and give her the exercise & attention deserves.  This was definitely a win-win for everyone and one day when Jackson is older, we'll wish we had spunky little Maddie around to keep him entertained. 

As a tribute, I've compiled a little summary of Maddie's life with us (it reads like an obit but that was definitely not my intention!):  Maddie loved the water & would jump in anytime she got the chance.  She loved getting affection and would sit in your lap for hours if you let her.  She loved to "give kisses" and no matter what we did, she just didn't get what "no lick" meant!!!  (She also liked to lick her butt which I had a real problem with.)  Maddie loved to play fetch in the cul-de-sac but not so much in the backyard.  She was very gentle & submissive around kids & dogs that were bigger than her and she'd roll over on her back when approached.  She was timid in crowds, but would go nuts when she was in her comfort zone.  Maddie absolutely loved going on car rides & when she was just a puppy, she fell out of the back of Ben's truck while we were going down the road (unharmed, thankfully).  Maddie wasn't the sharpest dog on the block, but was definitely smart enough to only sneak up the stairs when we weren't looking.  Maddie loved to be loved & was the most loyal dog I've ever had.

P.S. Ben, sweetheart, please don't surprise me with another "best birthday gift ever" ever again.

Maddie wakeboarding with Ben at Lake Joccassee

Maddie all decked out at our Ugly Christmas Sweater party
(she hated to be dressed up)

Maddie insisting on riding shotgun in J's wagon

Trip to Georgia

Last weekend, we headed down to Brunswick to visit Oma & Opa.  Opa was recovering from his knee replacement so he was out of commission, but we still had a wonderful time.  Jackson loved seeing his Oma & Opa.

Giggling at Opa

We went to St. Simons for an afternoon. Gorgeous but super hot!

1 little monkey hanging in a tree

Oma & her 2 boys

He spotted a puppy from across the park & got super excited.

This boy loves to swing!

He also loves to "drive"

Baby's 1st bubble bath

 

I guess there is such think as "Too much of a good thing"...
Mommy got heavy-handed with the bubbles
& pretty much ruined the bath.

J is fascinated by Opa's beard!

The one & only picture of Oma & Jackson that turned out.

3 generations of Talberts.
 Jackson & Opa have the same shaped head
& have about the same amount of hair, too!

Going...and going...and going...

With Jackson moving full speed ahead (he's practically running now), I am always trying to find activities that keep him busy & wear him out.  Here's a little peek at what we've been up to...

Playing in the bookstacks.

Beating the heat at the library.

Century Park (about 2 miles from our house)
has an amazing playground...
and also was where we were when Jackson
got his first major boo-boo 3 weeks earlier...

Of course the first major boo-boo happened
just days prior to Michael's wedding. 
Jackson fell face-first onto the edge a wooden platform
when he tripped over some uneven mulch.  
Thankfully it didn't turn into a true black eye!

Sliding with Daddy.
He also went down by himself for the first time!

Park playdate with Julie & sweet Slade. 
These 2 are buddies for sure!

Julie & Slade.  I love his expression!

J adores Maddie & Ashleigh, the 2 n'hood girls
who love to come play with him
(and give me a few minutes to get some things done)

"Evening tailgating" which consists of Ben & his O'douls
& me & my Bud Light,  sitting on the tailgate of his truck
while Jackson plays in the driveway.

He's hitched!

It’s amazing how quickly highly anticipated events seem to pass. We have been talking about, planning for and pretty much eagerly anticipating Michael's wedding for months now. This fabulous, amazingly fun weekend of festivities seemed to come & go in the blink of an eye.

Our weekend started on Friday morning, with Mom & I putting some finishing touches on the rehearsal dinner decor while the boys spent the day playing on the lake. Just for the record, Ben can still tear it up on the wakeboard -- he landed both his flip & his 360, which Dad supposedly caught on tape in order to one day prove to Jackson that yes, your daddy was pretty cool back when he was 30!

Fast-forwarding to the rehearsal dinner, Ben & I both gave toasts to Mike & Jenn. The obvious highlights of my toast were the poster-size pictures that went along with my "poem".

"I always wanted a sister, but pretending wasn't hard
When you willing wore my red leotard."

"I went to NC State, you came 2 years later.

You were a Sig Ep & I was a Zeta.
Speaking of Sig Ep, remember that night
That you knocked on my door in Batman tights?"

Even more entertaining was watching the trainwreck of what was supposed to be a variety of toasts for the bride & groom turn into a roast for Michael, with his fraternity brothers each telling increasingly more embarrassing and definitely more inappropriate stories. Mike was good sport & fingers are crossed that Jenn's grandparents couldn't make out all the juicy frat-house/spring break/party-hardy details.

Ben had a belt buckle custom-made for "little brother". 
(Its a NC State "S-block" logo, though you can't tell it from the pic.)

Jenn, my new sis-in-law!
(FYI, I'm demonstrating how Mike should carry her
through their doorway when they get back from the honeymoon!)

And what a better way to spend his last night as a bachelor than to share a bed with his sister? Just like the good 'ole days of having camp-outs in each others rooms, we were laying on Mikey's bed having one of our typical late-night chit-chats and true to form, I fell asleep. (I will state that when I woke up at 3:30 am, I opted to join Ben in our own bed).  

Saturday morning rolled around quite early & we headed to the church around noon.  The wedding was beautiful & Jenn look absolutely stunning.  Mike was ever the handsome groom & everything went without a hitch.  My pics are a bit sporadic & I didn't take nearly as many I thought I did...I don't even have a picture of the bride & groom at the reception!  Enjoy!

We had a pre-game brewski to calm the groom's nerves...

Mike & John-David aka Party Boy pre-wedding...

this was the real cause for the pre-wedding jitters!

Keeping Mikey company during pre-wedding pics.

The  beautiful Mother-of-the-Groom

Jackson showed up right before the wedding, decked out in his mini-tux, complete with a black eye!

The new Mr. & Mrs. Isaac with their godson.

Our little family of 3...too bad J refuses to smile for photos

After about 15 attempts, this was the best pic I could get of J & Bebe (so typical!)

Like father, like son

Mesmerized by the band, about to bust out his dance moves =)

I LOVE you, Mikey!!!

Jenn, your a lucky woman!