Santa Claus - Attempt #2

Our second Santa visit was much like the first. The pictures speak for themselves. We went to the mall today with the MOMS Club and rode the Pink Pig and attempted to see Santa Claus. He still isn't a favorite of Giana's. I'll try again. :) The Pink Pig is a Christmas tradition in Atlanta. We ran into Dominic on his lunch hour in pursuit of new shoes so we grabbed him for a photo opportunity. I think Giana was more excited to see Dominic then she was to ride the Pink Pig! After grabbing lunch with the group, Giana and I stopped at Dominic's hotel to surprise him. Again, the highlight of her day...she'll take Daddy any day over Santa or a silly train ride. If only these moments would last...

A few of the other pictures are from our visit to the Center for Puppetry Arts a few days ago where we saw "Sam the Lovesick Snowman." We had a great time.

Now were getting ready for Grandma, Pa-Pa and Aunt Dee-Dee to arrive in a little bit. Looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving with our families. Happy Thanksgiving!

My Farewell Dinner

Last night was so much fun. Sad, but fun! A few of my friends surprised me and took me out to a farewell dinner. We had a great time and it meant so much to me. They are the reason why this move was such a difficult decision. They are very special and I love them all. On a happy note, I think there are about 5 of them from Ohio and they visit often. And many of the others are Delta flight attendants so I'll make sure they come see me or grab dinner with them during a layover. You gotta love that! While I'm going to miss them all so much, I will especially miss my friend Kristi. She has been my partner in crime for the last couple of years. We've had so much fun together and I'll miss her dearly. I'll make sure we stay in touch often...and don't worry...we're already talking about taking a trip to NYC! Goodbye for now my friends and we'll meet again soon! :)

Home Sweet Home

For many of you reading this post, the following news will come as a surprise. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to move back home. (Ohio.) I grew up there and have family and friends in the area. It’s familiar and it is a great place to live and raise a family. I love the weather. I’ve missed the long fall season and snow at Christmas. I love the shopping, restaurants, neighborhoods, parks and just being home.

Well, I don’t have to miss it any longer. We’re heading north to Ohio in December. Dominic accepted a promotion with his company and it’s in Columbus, Ohio!

I’m very excited for what lies ahead for my family. But life is bittersweet. I’m incredibly sad at what I’m leaving behind. We’ve planted roots, made friends and have built a sense of community. This is the only life that Giana has ever known. I’m just plain sad at the thought of leaving this “home” behind.

As Dominic and I have moved through this process over the last few weeks we’ve really not told anyone. We decided to wait until we had a final decision. We’ve had time to think things through. While I love my life in Georgia, “home” is where Dominic and Giana are. And it looks like we’ll be in Ohio.

Dominic will be leaving in early December and Giana and I will follow shortly thereafter once we get all of the move details taken care of.

To all my dear friends…I will miss you all so much. Thank you for your friendship and support. I love you all! Never goodbye. God bless you and I promise to keep in touch. xoxo

Christmas Gift Suggestions

To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

--Oren Arnold

Santa Claus - Attempt #1

Santa came to the local Hallmark store on Saturday. Yes, I said Santa. He's starting early this year! When I saw the notice hanging on the door last week, I thought to myself "this will be a great photo opportunity for our Christmas cards." So I dressed Giana in the cutest little outfit and off we went. (We being Dominic, Giana and myself.) It's a good thing Dominic was there to take pictures because Giana was glued to my hip and refused to get near the man. He was so kind and asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She mumbled "a horsey." The look on her face said it all..."if you think I'm going to sit on HIS lap, you are wrong but I still need to make sure he knows what I want for Christmas!"

So, no Christmas card picture this time. It's early in the season and you can bet that I'll TRY the Santa picture again. In the meantime, can anyone recommend a place to get a rocking horse for a 2 year old...one that she can grow into?

A Sad Day for our Country

It’s no secret that I voted for the McCain/Palin ticket. With that being said, I’m not surprised at the outcome of the election. Before my freedom of speech is taken away, I thought I would share this with you. There are not many issues that Barack Obama and I agree on. He does not represent my views. He is not MY president. I’m not a sore loser. I’m a concerned United States citizen. I could list many, many reasons as to why I’m concerned but I’ll share with you just one. Her name is Giana. Her future and all of our futures are in jeopardy. We live in a crazy world and our national security is at risk while under the watch of Barack Obama.

May God bless our country in this serious time of need.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged to do the following:

1. Choose the 4th picture folder on my computer.

2. Choose the 4th picture.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag 4 other people.

This is a picture of me and my sister, Julie in July 2005 at our cousins wedding in Ohio. It was a fun day...weddings are always fun!

Now I choose:

Gina

Jessica

Kristi

Jennifer

Our Little Spider

Oh what joy a little candy will bring! Giana had a great time trick or treating with her friend Nathan last night. They covered the entire neighborhood and she really enjoyed herself. It's so fun to see life through her eyes! Daddy and Uncle David had no problem "checking" her candy!

Earlier in the day, we carved her very first pumpkin. She enjoyed the entire experience except when she decided to take bite. I warned her but she didn't listen. I suppose that's the first of many hard lessons that she'll experience in her life. And I'm certain in about 20 years or so she'll realize that Mom is always right! :)