misc.alain.eous: . . .

I can best be described as a wife, new momma, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, friend,
and "human" momma (to our beautiful dogs). I am a Southerner, having grown up in The
Carolinas. Marriage has brought me "north" to Virginia, where I am loving life with all of my
boys. As the title suggests, this blog shows miscellaneous glimpses into my life.

2001 : met in college
2003 : began dating
2005 : graduated from college
2006 : got married + adopted Skye
2007 : purchased our first house
2008 : adopted Mason
2009 : lived life
2010 : we welcomed Will
2011 : Matt got a promotion
2012 : I got a promotion

Photobucket

I was born in Hendersonville, North Carolina in 1982. We moved to Aiken, South Carolina
just in time for me to start kindergarten and lived there until my Junior year of high school. I
graduated from high school in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, where my parents still reside.

Matt was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, where both of his parents were also
born and raised.

After graduating from high school in 2000, I went off to college at the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro. Matt, also a 2000 high school graduate, and I met through mutual
friends during our sophomore year there. We didn't care for each other at all! I thought he
was a jerk (he was a baseball player and was totally full of himself), and he thought I was a
snob (I am an observer, a woman of few words, I think before I speak, don't waste my
words, got the senior superlative in high school for being "shyest" - you get the idea!). Matt
eventually transferred to George Mason University, and I never thought about him again...
until the Spring of 2003, when we began to catch up online (on this old fangled computer
program, AIM Instant Messenger - you may remember it) and we both came to the
realization that neither of us was really how we had stereotyped the other in the beginning.
Then we began a long distance (6+ hours) relationship and eventually fell in love. We like
to say that friendship came first - ha!

Brace yourself for the whirlwind...

Matt proposed in January of 2005. He graduated from George Mason University in May of
2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. I then graduated from UNC-Greensboro in
August of 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture. We moved to Northern
Virginia, planned a big wedding, and were married in North Carolina in April of 2006.

Just before our wedding, we adopted our Skye-boy. He is so sweet, charming, and super
intelligent - very much a daddy's boy!

We purchased our first home in the Fall of 2007.

We adopted Mason in the Fall of 2008. He is a ball of energy, always eager to please, and
gives great kisses - a momma's boy all the way!

Our son Will was born November 14, 2010. He came early at 36 weeks because he just
couldn't wait to meet everyone. Being the early bird that he is, he already fits right in with our
little family. (Matt and I are notorious for being super early for everything. We leave our house
50 minutes earlier than we need to in case we hit traffic - I mean, hello - we drive northbound
on I-95 toward Washington DC on a daily basis - things happen, often!) Will truly means the
world to us, and we are so excited to work together as parents raising a compassionate,
caring, honest, confident, and passionate young man. Our dream is to provide him with all the
knowledge and skills he needs to make a difference in the lives of those around him and to
become a productive member of society. I can think of no greater experience than to watch
him discover and create his place in the world!

We both work hard and are dedicated to our jobs. We are easily entertained by our dogs and
have great laughs at their expense - all out of love and good fun. We watch a lot of television,
but can never agree on the channel. We live for weekends and absolutely hate alarm clocks.
Our favorite pastime was riding around in the husband's Mustang with the windows down
listening to the music a little too loud... now, with the volume at a moderate level for itty-bitty
baby ears. Our greatest joy is watching Will's little face light up when he smiles!