Something is crazy wrong with my blog! Help! (fixed now!!!)

I have a ton of news to share and when I sat down and popped onto the blog I saw all kinds of "photobucket" buttons where graphics should be.  I didn't make this change....anyone have any ideas what is going on?

UPDATE: I contacted Designer Blogs, who did such a fantastic job on the facelift of my blog a few months ago, and within 24 hours Erin had everything fixed and taken care of!  I was really impressed with how quickly the response was and I actually like things better than before. 

We made it!

The boxes are unloaded and ready to be unpacked but we have  been playing and enjoying being together so I think they can wait a bit longer. I am going to leave you with a lovely photo of  the sun setting over the Sound and some sweet Southern words by "The Mississippi Magnolia", Patricia Neely-Dorsey.

Photo property of Groves & Groves Photography, Edenton, NC

SOUTHERN LIFE

If you want a glimpse of Southern life,
Come close and walk with me;
I’ll tell you all the simple things,
That you are sure to see.
You’ll see mockingbirds and bumblebees,
Magnolia blossoms and dogwood trees;
Caterpillars on the step,
Wooden porches cleanly swept;
Watermelons on the vine,

Strong majestic Georgia pines

Rocking chairs and front yard swings

June-bugs flying on a string

Turnip greens and hot cornbread,
Coleslaw and barbecue
Fried okra, fried corn,fried green tomatoes,
Fried pies and pickles too.
There’s ice cold tea that ‘s syrupy sweet,
And cool, green grass beneath your feet;
Catfish nipping in the lake,
And fresh young boys on the make.
You’ll see all these things
And much, much more,
In a way of life, that I adore.

Copyright 2008 Patricia Neely-Dorsey

For other beautiful photos in and around Edenton please visit Groves & Groves Photography

Today is the Day!

Everything is packed and the loading crew is here stuffing it all into the back of a big truck.  We are saying good bye to Florence, South Carolina today...3 years to the day of our arrival.  How weird is that?  So many friends have been popping in and out the last couple of days and I think our good byes have all been said.  It is time.  It is time for the new adventure.

I wonder what this new season will bring.

Starting Out Southern

Starting Out Southern

I am going to take a moment to do a little Mommy Bragging!  My sweet baby girl (well, not baby really but you know what I mean) has started a new blog to share what she is experiencing as a new college graduate, working her first job, decorating her first home, getting her first puppy and all the other fun firsts coming her way!  I hope you will pop over and see what a GREAT job she has done on her first apartment.  She is a talented DIYer and totally gets working on a budget!!!  Starting Out Southern

Father's Day 2013

Father's Day 2013 hasn't been a traditional celebration.  I didn't cook a special meal.  We didn't even go out for lunch after church or anything.  Because we are in the final days before our move, we spent the majority of the day after church tying up loose ends before our movers arrive tomorrow to pack. My Dh got to do glamorous  things like loading his truck down with all kinds of things that the movers won't move and he also gets the wonderful task of transporting our 2 cats during his 4 hour drive back to Edenton today.  Yes, I know that makes me out to be wife of the year...

But, I can't let the day go by without shouting out how much I love him and how proud I am to be his wife and what a GREAT Daddy he is.  The past few months haven't been easy and he has had to make some decisions that were difficult, but he made the choices he thought were best for our family and I love him for that.  He is a husband and father that demonstrates servant-leadership daily.  He is kind and strong and we are so blessed by him every single day.  Happy Father's Day, my dear sweet husband!!!!

In other news, we had a final Sunday with our church family which was  bitter sweet because it is never easy to say goodbye to family, but we are so glad to have these people in our lives...if only for too short a season.  So, all in all, we are ready to move though we will never forget the sweet friends we have in Florence, South Carolina!  Keep checking back as I share our adventures in our new home, Edenton, North Carolina!

Update on the Little Man

Some of you have sent me messages asking about how my DS2 is doing.  He is doing really great!  Today we spent the afternoon at MUSC to get the results of his recent sleep study and extended EEG montage.  This comes after a visit and EEG in April that didn’t bring the news we had hoped for.   Unfortunately, his April EEG still showed abnormal activity and the risk of seizures has kept us on the diet.  After his initial disappointment he has managed to have a pretty good attitude about the limitations it continues to place on his life.  He does so much better than I would.  He has will power of steel!  

Fortunately, today the results did not show any abnormal sleep patterns and NO sign of seizure activity during sleep.  WhooHOOO!  It was such huge relief to find out there are no additional issues; and at this point we don’t have to add medications on top of the diet. 

DS2 just finished 5^th grade with wonderful grades and a Presidential fitness award. He also recently played the part of Sebastian in a local Children’s Theatre Production of A Little Mermaid. He is busy this week at a musical theatre day camp and will be spending his summer learning to sail once we get moved.  We are blessed and I am so proud of this little man and how hard he works to not allow his medical issues to hold him back. 

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. 
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! 
He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. 
~Psalm 127:3-5

Leaving her...

I have gone silent again on this blog, which I have come to realize means one of two things: either I am crazy busy with life in general or I am feeling a bit emotionally raw.  The last couple of weeks I have had both of those covered in full.  Two weeks ago we loaded up a U haul to the gills and moved our daughter to the Atlanta area.  I should say back to the Atlanta area because it is where we lived before moving here right after she graduated high school.  She is now a college graduate and has started her first real job.  I am so proud of her and her choices and admire her courage in taking on the world.  She is working in a job she feels passionate about and seems custom made for her...as if her whole life has prepared her for such a time as this.  She has her own apartment which she has decorated and it looks like something out of a magazine (and did it all on a very tight budget!)  She is looking for a little fuzzy room-mate now to keep her company and things are good for her....really good.   

But leaving her there, even knowing she was safe and happy, was one of the very hardest things I have ever had to do.  When our move is complete, week after next, we will be 8 hours away from her and that kills me.  I know others have children scattered throughout the world and 8 hours seems like nothing so I probably shouldn't complain....but it was like leaving the best part of me when I drove away.  She and I are like 2 sides of the same coin and I feel just a bit lost without her.  

It was hard when we left her at college the first time but I knew she would be home in a week or two...but this time I don't know when I will see her next.  I know she is too far for me to hop in the car and meet her halfway for lunch, or make a hasty trip when something unexpected happens, or to share in the little things that happen day to day.  I know she is surrounded by people who care about her and will take good care of her if she needs anything....but I am not there...and it hurts.  I am not sure who it hurts more...me or her.  

Of course, we still talk for long periods of the day on the phone and text continually but knowing there are going to be 2 states between us just fills me with anxiety.  We still keep the cell lines popping with photos of things we see during the day and I am learning to reuse the United States Postal Service as well...but....