Funny

It is funny how time moves so quickly when you grow older. I know that we all were told by our parents that we should slow down because as we grow older we will not believe how quickly time moves. But if you were like me, I thought "yeah right, can I borrow the car?"

Anyway, I have a bunch of pics to post so I will get to that as soon as I can. Thanks for checking back.

More of Charleston, S.C.

Well, here is the continuation of the vacation pics from South Carolina. In these photos, you can see some of the architecture that is "old town" Charleston. There were so many nice homes that it is impossible to pick a favorite so here they are in no special order.

This is St. Michael's Church. I'll leave it to Wikipedia for the background.

St. Michael's Churchyard, adjacent to historic St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Established in 1751 as the second Anglican parish in Charleston, South Carolina) on the corner of Meeting and Broad Streets, is the final resting place of some famous historical figures, including two signers of the Constitution of the United States.
Interred in St. Michael's Churchyard are:
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1746-1825) Colonel in the Continental Army, member of the U.S. Constitutional Convention and signer of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Minister to France, Federalist candidate for Vice President and later candidate for President of the United States in 1804 and 1808
John Rutledge (1739-1800) Governor of South Carolina, 1779, member of the U.S. Constitutional Convention and signer of the U.S. Constitution, Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court
Robert Young Hayne (1791-1839) Senator, Governor of South Carolina, and mayor of Charleston
Arthur Peronneau Hayne (c.1789-1867) U.S. Senator from South Carolina
William Dickinson Martin (1789-1833) U.S. Congressman from South Carolina
Mordecai Gist (1742-1792)American Revolutionary War general
Thomas M. Wagner, Civil War Lieutenant Colonel and namesake for Battery Wagner).
Across the street is St. Michael's Church Cemetery. Interred here is Francis Kinloch (1755-1826) a delegate to Second Continental Congress from South Carolina.

This is the Circular Congregational Church. It also has a cemetary with many very old gravestones. Some of which are in remarkable condition. We found that those from the 18th Century were holding up much better thatn those from the 19th and early 20th Centuries.

This headstone is from the mid-1700s. We liked the simply design including the skull and crossbones. This is very common for that time and is not indicative of the person being a pirate.

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The next two pictures are of Tommy in front of cannon and mortars on the Battery.

More Vacation Pics

I think in time, everyone will be tired of seeing vacation pics as a topic headline, but we have so much to share!

On Tuesday of our trip we went to see Ft. Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. I personally loved it, but again, I could have done without the unbearable humidity. We finished the day by stopping in to see Forrest Gump's restaurant and walked along the Battery and Rainbow Row. By the end of the day, everyone was wiped out and ready to head back. But we got to see so many nice things, it truly was a memorable trip.

I had trouble with the pics leading up to the fort, so I will work on those and in the meantime post a few from inside.

It seems easy enough, but Matty would not be the next contestant in the human cannonball experiment at Ft. Sumter.

Tommy was amazed at the size of the cannon in the fort.

This last one is the four of us after only 30 or 40 minutes of walking around the fort! And we had to duck into the museum and gift store to cool off while inside!

After the trip back, everyone was hungry so we ate at Bubba Gump's restaurant in downtown Charleston. There were many props in the restaurant including Forrest's suit. They said they were the real thing, but I have my doubts.

And here is a shot of the outside of the restaurant. If it were not for the fact that they had people out on the sidewalk inviting you in, you can easily miss it.

After eating, we moved on to walking along the street that led to the famed Battery and Rainbow Row. All that any of us there can say is that the houses here are magnificent! All with a few exceptions are in fantastic condition and those that are a bit worn are being repaired. I am only going to include a few pics of the homes, but it will give you an idea of the lavishness. For me personally, you can forget Beverly Hills and Hollywood - - I want to live in Charleston! (and if you ever visit there, you will see what I mean)

Here is a small section of Rainbow Row.

Here is one in the "low-rent" district.

Had to throw in one of the "slums"

As we got nearer to the Battery, the left side of the street opens up into Charleston Harbor. Tommy and Cousin Nick took a moment to take in the sights.

Here is a good shot of the Battery.

I will post more of Charleston in the next entry, but that is all the time I have for now. God Bless!

Vacation Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our recent vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The first one is of the boys playing miniature golf at....wait for it.....dun,dun,dun...MT. ATLANTICUS!!!!

The second photo is of the boys in the van after 2 HOURS of playing in hot humid weather at night! While the heat WAS oppressive, we all had a great time.

And I would be remiss if I did not mention that I was the luckiest guy around for I had my beautiful bride with me as well!

The boys were grateful as told by the shouts of "Mommy and Daddy, you are the greatest!" several times that night. One thing is certain at Myrtle Beach, there are no shortages of miniature golf courses.

Well, that is really all I have time for right now. I'll post more in the coming days. God Bless!

What's been going on...

After many months on the housing market we finally sold ours to a very nice young couple in February of this year. We closed on the house at the end of the month and it was such a relief. But the real fun was the move itself. (No, I am not serious)

With the help of my father-in-law and brother-in-law, we made more than 3 trips with a very large moving truck. I had no idea how we accumulated all that stuff in our little house. The weather was cold and snowy. So needless to say, the next move will be with hired professionals.

As for the boys, Tommy is now six and Matthew is now three. Tommy completed and graduated from kindergarten. Melissa and I did not even know they had graduations for kindergartners. But it was amazing. The change the took place in Tommy in that short school year was nothing short of miraculous. God truly had his hands all over it. He was reading by Christmas and is getting better every day. His math skills are excellent and I am very glad for that! The only thing they could knock him for was his proclivity to talking during teaching time. Go figure, a six year old with a short attention span! So as for that, we did not hold it against him. He starts first grade next week. WOW! I have really neglected this blog.

Matthew is great also! He is talking well now. Ok, as well as a three year old can have a discussion. He is going through a phase that does not include eating what is in front of him. Actually both of them are in that stage. Matthew has been doing his best to knock his front teeth out by falling down. But thankfully, he has been unsuccessful so far. TMI coming but so what....he is very nearly potty trained. He knows when to tell us he needs to go and the only problem is that he is too short to get on the toilet by himself. Plus the whole, wiping well thing. But that will happen and what are parents for?

Melissa is working harder than most people should at work. Actually, no one should have to work that hard, but it is just who she is. That is her nature and I love her for it and respect her for it. She is the epitome of what a good employee should be. Oh and of course she is under compensated.

As for me, I have lost 50 pounds since February. I saw some pictures that were taken over the holidays and decided enough was enough. I still have about 25 -30 pounds to go to be "healthy" but the difference in me is already extraordinary. My energy levels are up and I just feel good. I work out four times a week and modified my diet. That is about it and it is great!

One of the best things about a blog is the ability to share information with a world-wide (in theory) audience and I would like to just take this moment to thank Melissa for all of her support. Without her, there is no chance I would have continued. I know that I have been a tremendous burden on many occasions complaining about my weight, but she has always been there for me. I love her more than words can express!

As for our extended family, we have several of our loved ones that are in poor health. Melissa's Uncle Jackie is dealing with cancer and it has been rough. Her grandfather, Papa, is also living with cancer. The doctors have decided that treatment is no longer an option. Thank the Lord that he is saved and has a wonderful relationship with our Lord and Savior! There is no doubt that we will see him again someday and when the time comes, that will help with our burden of despair. Melissa's grandmother, Memaw, has been dealing with several medical issues for years now. She is still receiving dialysis treatments and there are many tough times, but again, she also has a wonderful relationship with God! We are so grateful for that!

Well, that is all for the updates for now. More as they occur. Thanks for stopping by and may God Bless you.

All in all, things are going well. God has kept his hand on this family and has seen us through hard times. But we are assured that He is with us through all things and that he will never give us any more than we can handle. We only need to trust Him.

Going to be slow

This blog is going to be slow in the beginning, but I will make a go of it. I will be posting some changes that have occurred with the family since my previous posts to get people caught up and will hopefully post pictures in the near future.

To be continued....

Back?

After a seriously long absence from the blogging scene, I am contemplating a return. Not like people will be overwhelmed to hear it. I just think it might be cool to get into it more.

I would like to get pictures up along with my thoughts on random topics. Well, maybe not too random. We'll see. No promises though, so don't hold your breath. You can't dial 911 when you are passed out.

Long time, no update

Wow, I started off ok and then just dropped the ball. We have been so busy with many matters that I have let this sit here My apologies. The boys are great, everyone is great, we are just swamped with life.

We are in the midst of selling our home and it has been a struggle to say the least. 40 lookey-loos and no offers. Aarrgghh!! Anyway, we are confident that God will provide a buyer for our house and we will move on in His time. Until then, we wait.

Hopefully, I can get some newer pictures up soon. The boys just keep growing. Tommy is doing great in school. My little genius! And Matthew is doing great at driving us insane. Just kidding. Sort of. He is acting his age you might say. Well, another update will be forthcoming, I promise. Thanks for being patient.

A little about the boys

Well, here goes. Tommy is 5 and knows everything there is to know about everything. Matthew is 2 and wants everything he sees...even if it is in your hands. Actually, something in somebody else's hands is even more appealing!

Besides Mommy and Daddy, the must have their daily dose of MeMe and PaPa. They being Melissa's parents. If they miss a dose, they become two patients without their daily dose of lithium.

Tommy has been in K5 for three weeks now and has shown the teacher a thing or two. She now knows that he can talk... a lot... more than she wants him to. You get the picture. He is a very smart boy! But you know the old adage....too smart for his own good.

Matthew, meanwhile, has had to adjust to life at home during the day without Tommy. Surprisingly, that has not been too hard. He spends his days with MeMe while Mommy and Daddy work. And time with MeMe is just what the doctor ordered.

Now, MeMe is glad when 5:30 rolls around cause that means Mommy and Daddy are on the way home. And don't get me wrong, what's not to love about spending all day with these two boys?! But MeMe looks at the clock after 5:30 like Mike Tyson looks at an ear in a prizefight!

Now that you know a little bit about the boys, we can take a look at the rest of the family in the upcoming posts. God Bless!

Just had to join in

Well, well, well. After my brother (Colin's Blog) and my best friend (JJ's Blog) started their kid's blogs last month, I just could not let the world miss out on my two wonderful, perfect, amazing, (sense a theme here?) boys.

This will be the story of my boys, Tommy (5) and Matthew (2) and their walk through life and maybe a few things about Mommy and Daddy from time to time.

So, in the coming days, months and years (God willing) I will be posting updates on our boys and their impact on the world. So sit back and hopefully you will enjoy the ride. God Bless!

P.S. - Links to our family and friends will show up on the right side of the page.