From 2 - 3

Happy Halloween!
Trick or treat?
I get treat!
Bryan and I found a steal of a SUV on Autotrader in Summerville, SC. We drove out there last night and picked it up. It's a 2002 Sequoia. Looks just like the Explorer, but with 4 doors and a 3rd row of seats. :) Drives great - is quiet with all leather interior. Mommy-mobile for sure! There's a place for a stroller, a baby, 5 guests and even groceries! (all at the same time!) No more crawling into the back of my 2 door or up into Bryan's truck. We finally have a vehicle that accommodates all!

Do we live in the ghetto??

Front page of Sundays newspaper. Scene started in my neighborhood, down the street and ended less than a mile away.


A man whose truck was repossessed Oct. 15 fired shots at the repo man, then chased him down and took the truck back. But then sheriff's deputies chased the offender down and arrested him at gunpoint, according to reports.
James Edward Mock Jr., 42, Carolina Trail, was charged with reckless conduct and simple assault, said Bulloch County Sheriff's Sgt. Tracy Miller in an incident report.
The complainant called the sheriff's office after having a little trouble repossessing a white 2005 Ford F-250 from Mock's home. He told Miller he went to the Carolina Trail address with " proper paperwork" to repossess the truck, verified the vehicle identification number to ensure he had the right truck, and hooked the truck up to his wrecker.
He was lifting the truck when Mock came outside and fired a gun, he told Miller, but he drove off anyway.
The complainant made it to Williams Road and was traveling across Veteran's Memorial Parkway when "a Ford Explorer then pulled in front of the wrecker and slammed on brakes," reports stated.
When the repossessor stopped the wrecker to avoid striking the Explorer, Mock got out of the passenger's side of the vehicle and demanded the wrecker driver to " drop the truck as he yelled to the other vehicle ... 'get my gun,'" Miller stated in the report.
The wrecker driver tried explaining to Mock that he has repo papers to pick the truck up, but after Mock yelled for the driver of the Explorer to get his gun, he lowered the wrecker so Mock could get the truck, Miller said.
Mock "jumped in, drove the vehicle off the wrecker and left the area along with the Ford Explorer," reports said.
Miller met with the wrecker driver on Williams Road near the Veteran's Memorial Parkway intersection and was talking to the driver when the driver of the Explorer reappeared, turning onto Williams Road. At the same time, Mock, in the F-250, "approached the bypass off Williams Road," reports stated.
Miller heard the driver of the Explorer, who was not identified in reports, yell to Mock "Go, go, go!" and Mock turned right onto Veteran's Memorial Parkway, heading towards Westside Road, he said.
Miller gave pursuit and caught up with Mock, stopping him. As Miller approached Mock he "ordered (him) out of the vehicle at gunpoint due to ... the offender had already shot a gun earlier," he said.
Bulloch County Sheriff's Inv. Jared Akins arrived at the scene and handcuffed Mock, charging him with reckless conduct and simple assault. Mock was taken to the Bulloch County Jail and later released on bond, according to jail records.

From 3 - 2.

Well, she's finally gone. Bryan sold my Explorer today to a man in Macon - I am happy that we're one step closer to a new family vehicle. But, had I known yesterday was going to be the last day I'd drive her - I'd of gone on a longer drive and given her a kiss goodbye.

She was a good truck.

Week 23

Now that LBN's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, you may be able to see him squirm underneath my clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that LBN's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing his for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as a dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

Happy Halloween!!!

So, Monday Bryan and I were SO excited to go to the Statesboro pumpkin patch. We were ready for a rustic evening... hayrides, warm apple cider, scarecrows.... you know, the whole 9 yards. We put our coats on and got ready for a fun, festive evening. All we knew was it was out on hwy. 80. Little did we know that it was across the street from Lowe's and Ryan's steakhouse. The 'pumpkin patch' was more of a 'roadside stand'. So much for rustic! Hey! I thought we lived in the country or something! What gives?


So - we thought about going to Lowe's for cheaper pumpkins ... but since this 'pumpkin patch' is allegedly a 'Statesboro Tradition,' says the Statesboro Paper, we opted to purchase only 1 pumpkin and a pumpkin carving kit. Team effort. We're excited for our Trick-Or-Treaters so we decided to go with the friendly message ... "welcome" ...

We actually pulled the template out of the pumpkin carving kit we got at the 'pumpkin patch.' There was even an option to enter a pumpkin carving contest!!!

(Entries were due Oct 31, 1997). Hmmph. Now, that explains why the pages were brown and crispy.

We're growing our own pumpkin patch next year.

We also decided this: If the Statesboro 'tree farms' are actually 'roadside tree stands' we're driving to the mountains.

Hooray!

Good news for Steph :)

I was informed personally by the MFA director that my design portfolio had earned it's way into the Master of Fine Arts program.

Yippee Skippee. I start in the spring with 6 credit hours.

Now ... what to take, what to take.

(Oh, and thanks for my letters of rec's, ladies! xoxo!)

Week 22 - 24: Papaya

5 months and 2 weeks pregnant. Watch what you say -- LBN is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and our own voices most soothing (& miriam's) . Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day, so I apologize if you can't feel him kick :).

Georgia Southern vs. App State

Bryan, Steph & our future Eagle Fan

Drew & his cooler scooter

Slider - GSU's greatest fan

Steph & Lindsay

Private show by the Eagle Marching Band

Low Country Boil to celebrate Rachel's birthday

Steph & Ashley (and Drew)

Steph, Brooks, Lindsay & Rachel

It was a pretty cold morning Saturday - but true blue fans toughed it out to support Our House. The normal gang came out to spots J122 & J123 and celebrated Rachel's birthday. It was a blue out game and although we lost the extremely close game - it doesn't mean we didn't enjoy playing games like ladder ball and corn hole, eating low country boil, pretty much the best cupcakes ever and spending time with friends.

The Day Has Come.

I can no longer see my feet.

I had a doctors appointment - LBN is doing great. 132 heartbeats per minute. Right on track.

He commented on how he really liked my shoes.

I smiled and joked, "thank you - which ones am I wearing? I can't see them anymore."

Week 21: Banana

LBN gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, I have to think about what I want LBN to eat as I prepare my lunch. (sorry, kiddo - I won't be eating any seafood.)

And by the looks of last week's cantaloupe... LBN has grown a whopping 4 inches in just 7 days.

Week 20: The Baby Bump

The more-than-a-baby bump at the end of my 5th month; photography by Lindsay Byrnside.

A week of big things.

Well in one week, I applied for grad school, had photography accepted into a juried show, wrote my first grant, felt LBN kick from the outside, Bryan completed a HAZMAT course and another course to allow him to go to school up in ND to work towards a promotion and we finally figured out LBN's decor and types of neccessities. Yes, we registered (with mom's help).

LBN is now reacting to food I eat + music. It's fun to see what gets him going. He definitely seems like Rihanna's Disturbia and Taco Bell's cheese dip. Those two things get him moving. The biggest kick he gave me so far was after the filet mignon, thanks to Grandma Sharon, I had on Friday night. I thought he was going to kick and punch his way out while I was going to bed.

I can't wait for Bryan to get home so he can feel LBN, now, too!

Week 20: Cantaloupe

At the end of my 5th month - I've got a heavyweight in my belly now (well, in baby terms, anyway). Our little champ weighs about ten ounces and has a height, crown to rump, of about six and a half inches.

LBN's First Home Video