Facing the Giants

A few months ago we blogged about Fireproof - great movie! Comes out on DVD the end of January- a must see! Last night we watched Facing the Giants. This is an earlier film by the creators of Fireproof. Another great movie! We don't recommend too many movies, but 2 thumbs up for both of these! Happy Viewing!

A little movie fact: Check out the female sports reporter at the very beginning of Facing the Giants. Does she look familiar? She's the lead actress in Fireproof!

Link to Movie website and review

Christmas 2008

Ok...so this might be a long one due to the amount of activities we've been involved in this Christmas. For starters we tackled our Christmas shopping at the last minute and in the quickest time imaginable.....thanks to the Outlets in Smithfield. I guess it's a sign of the times, but we were able to pick up a great deal of bargains and finished up most of our shopping on Sunday.

We started our Christmas journey at Ashley's Dad's house for lunch on Christmas Eve. Thanks for the Snowman decorations Mary!!

Ashley and I shared our 1st Christmas together. We searched for a while to find just the right "Our 1st Christmas" ornament and I finally asked her to make one just for us. It looked just like the bulletin board at our wedding.


Ashley's Grandma earned a day out of the Laurels and everyone was thrilled to have her home for Christmas. I dropped Ashley off at her mom's house and helped get Grandma into the van for a short trip down Aversboro road. We are so grateful for the generosity of the VP folks for providing the transportation. After a huge breakfast spread of eggs, sausage, deer sausage?, apple/peach turnover, casseroles, etc...we sat around catching up. I didn't have much to catch up on, so I headed to the computer to check out/cleanup/ and provide a health check. I've found it helps decrease the help desk calls during the day from Ashley's Mom :)) ** Just kidding!!!!

We also visited Ma-Ma for a bit and then back to the house for our Christmas steak dinner. Haven't ever had that on Christmas...I'm going to like this tradition.

We got up early on Friday and headed north to Williamsburg to see my folks and family. My brother and sister's families were already there and after lunch we had our Christmas together. Thanks for all the gifts!!. We exchanged our cookies for the annual Reffit Cookie Swap- this is too sweet to miss!

We took the kids to the park on Saturday and visited mom at her shop. So many Christmas trees...and not to mention a whole tree full of elves and faires....yikes.
The girls made homemade marshmellows & watched an old chick flick together. The marshmellows were really good!

We'll be going back Sunday afternoon...but so glad to see our family again :)

Check out all our Christmas memories. Thanks for a great Christmas!

Advent

Seth & I were asked to light the candle of love for the 4th Sunday of advent at church this morning. As we prepare for our 1st Christmas together it was very special to be a part of the service.

Mike's Farm....again!

We headed to Wilmington for our an annual Christmas trip to Mike's farm. They have the best country food I've ever eaten. I polished off 3 plates worth and banana pudding for dessert. As you all know, I've been training for these all u can eat events my whole life :)

Here are some pics of the Christmas Lights Hayride

Folks in town

My folks came down from VA this morning. Another passenger was Cinder my Sister's dog (*sorry if it didn't spell it right Karen :) ) Ashley and Mom have already put together a Gingerbread house. Mom thought it was a nice gift to brighten Grandma Gainey's spirits. We delivered it Sunday night and she loved it.

We had a dog walk and tonight we are going to eat some of the fish I caught in October. A short stay but glad they could get some time away for a visit.


Mom and Dad presented us with our first Christmas gift of 2008...a wreath that Mom made :)



Love you Folks!!!

Our 1st Christmas card!

Not exactly what we had planned, but they came together in a pinch! We postponed our family pictures until the spring, gotta get Grandma well!

Michael Cayden Yount

Michael Cayden Yount arrived 12/2/08 @ 10:42pm, 8lbs 3 oz.
Proud parents Lindsay & Shannon are doing great!

What a precious little baby! Seth & I went by to meet Cayden after work. He is precious! Sweet little face, soft skin, that baby smell, & just snuggles up & sleeps in your arms! What a cutie! More pics here.

I am blessed to have great friends! Lindsay I met at St. Christopher's preschool when we were 3 & have been friends ever since! We joked tonight about how she had such long pretty hair even then & there I was with the short blond peach fuzz! Too many memories over the years, some we won't share! Shannon came along in high school, though it took Lindsay until after college to realize he was the one! They are great friends & it is a joy to see their family grow! Congratulations!

Our first turkey day

We celebrated our first Thanksgiving together. Since Grandma was in the hospital we decided to go to K & S Cafeteria. I think it was ReBecca mentioned it was our first Thanksgiving....and this is the laughter that followed. We made a big laugh of it. More pictures online

an excuse to post a picture

Ten days into November and we can feel Winter closing in. The temperature has dropped to 60's during the day and more importantly the 30's when I leave for work. The leaves have started their assault on our yard and we still have a mole or two in the front yard still making tracks. We think Ashley may be coming down with some kind of bug..I hope it passes quickly.

Here's a pic to break the cold weather and to remind us of a warmer time (White Bay on Jost Van Dyke).. yes we visited the SD bar :)

Vote!

The Reffits went & voted early today. The line wasn't long at all & we were out in about 15-20 minutes. Beat the lines next Tuesday & go vote early!

another Wahooo!!!

I was invited to go fishing out of Manteo and decided to call in sick....i called it a "Mental Health Day" on Thursday. We went about 2 hours off shore and in search of Yellow-Fin Tuna. It didn't take long till Joe snagged a little Tuna, then Nicholas got a small Dolphin Fish. I was up next .... It didn't take long to pull in my 51 pounder (citation size is 40lbs or higher). Joe caught another Wahoo but it was a bit smaller than mine... Yeah me!!!:)

We had it cleaned when we got back the the dock and had plenty of icebags full of fish steaks. We have yet to defrost and cook some up but I can't wait.

Race Weekend Minus the Race!

Seth had a great time at the race & he was greatly missed! This is only the 2nd time we've been apart since we got married in April. I know, spare you the sappy details! But this time it was different.... this time he left & I was the one at home alone! Over the summer I was gone for a week on the youth mission trip & those kids kept me so busy all week so time flew by. I hadn't been alone here in "our" house since it was "my" house pre-wedding. It was quiet, but I have always liked to be alone & enjoy the quiet from time to time. I spent some time with Sarah at her new house Friday after work, such a cute place! On Saturday I had several projects around the house & enjoyed the day- it was one of the first days we've had that has actually felt like fall! Saturday morning I painted my new fall canvas. I hadn't painted a canvas in a few years & it was lots of fun! Now I can't wait to start on one for Christmas! What a cute Mickey Mouse halloween light too- thanks Josupait family =)!

The dogs & I survived, but we did miss him & our Saturday morning pancakes. Yes, he makes pancakes almost every Saturday morning- isn't he great! I know, more sappy bliss! I am glad he had a great weekend, but it was good to see his car in the driveway when I got in from church this afternoon!

Tyler- these cookies are for you! He put in his order for treats for the trip- rice crispy treats & sugar cookies. The rice crispy treats made it to Charlotte, but after parent/teacher conferences last week & Logos on Thursday night the cookies never got made- I owe you!I made these & added some M&Ms this afternoon- treats for the lunch boxes. No, you don't have to be a kid to have a lunch box either! I'll bring you a fresh batch this weekend when we head to Wilmington for our annual trip to Mike's Farm. I'll let Seth blog about that next weekend- that is one of his favorite places in the world!!

Race Weekend

Tyler invited me out to a race weekend near Charlotte, NC. The Lowe's Motor Speedway had it's Bank of America 500 as part of the Sprint Cup Series. I've never payed too much attention to the sport in the past and basically thought its was cars going in circles....I was way off!!!. I DVR'd the last race in Talladega and watched the entire race. Drafting, Pitting, Car handling loose or tight, laps upfront....the terminology took a bit of time to get used to but added a whole new dimension to the sport.

**you can move around this Panoramic image iwth your mouse. I stitched together, we were sitting in the Ford section directly across where the orange seats start ..below the Blimp if you can find it :)



I had a great time and got to test out my tent in the beautiful accommodations in Peninsula Campground.


Thanks for the great weekend Tyler...I had a blast!.

Here is a video just before start :)




I got a shot of The Komen Sponsored Car ...

Fireproof

After church today we headed to Garner to have lunch with Mom, Grandma, Matt, Toni, & Carter (great lunch mom!). After lunch Matt & Toni were headed to Cary to watch Fireproof & invited us to go along....SO glad we did! We hadn't been to the movies in ages, I think we have only been to the movies once or twice. I had heard about the movie & sent Seth the link, but today's trip was a great surprise. The theater was packed, sold out on a Sunday afternoon. It was an amazing movie, one we recommend to anyone. We're not usually the type to recommend too much, but for this we'll speak up! It is worth a date night for sure. A great movie, a wonderful message, and when the entire theater claps when it is over you know it was worth the ticket price!

You never know what you'll get with Hollywood these days. We've become numb to a great deal and we accept much more than we should when it comes to movies. This is a great movie with a great message. I don't want to give it away....just go watch it! Check out the site & see where it is playing in your area, it is only playing in selected theaters.

We had a great double date with Matt & Toni- thanks guys! I will give my brother a shout out here- he is a captain with the fire dept. & it is hard to watch certain scenes knowing he risks his life and has been in many of those situations. He is very good at what he does, a natural gift & he is highly praised in his profession. I am very proud of him, but pray often that he is safe as he works to keep others safe. Love you Matt, proud of the work you do, & proud of the leadership role you have with your crew. =)

Preslee- special thanks to you too! I had the movie tickets you gave me in my car & we used those today! Thanks for a great movie! =)

5 months

We'll celebrate 5 months as Mr. & Mrs. tomorrow. It has been an amazing 5 months! We were talking tonight before Seth headed to bed (his 4am alarm usually gets him to bed before me on school nights!) & I just looked at him & had to smile. I am thankful for my husband & the happiness he has brought to my life.

We're going out to dinner tomorrow to celebrate. The 1st date we have had in months. He's been planning all week! I am looking forward to a night out w/ my husband!
Don't know what I did to deserve him!

my bro got married :)

We just got back from the wedding/family weekend. We went up right after Ashley got out of work to make a shower for Lori. A bit of rehearsal and some good BBQ friday night. The wedding was great and we got to see a lot of family/friends. I was able to introduce Ashley to my Uncle Willie and Aunt Denise. We are happy for John and Lori and wish them "happy trails" :)




After the wedding, we went down to W-burg to visit the parents and spend some more time with my sister's family, grandma, and of course my folks. We took a trip to the park nearby and that was fun.



Some more pics of the events here

when was the last time you crawled under a boat?

For me it was Saturday. Whitley needed some help working on the boat and I didn't know what i signed up for. The boat was out of water prior to the hurricanes we've seen lately. Since it was on dry land there was some maintenance to be done.

For starters the barnacles get scraped off...luckily Bruce arrived early and started on this. I had a few tasks. One was painting the underbelly where the propeller shaft is connected. Not normal paint and since Bruce scared the crap out of me that this paint would not just simply "wash off" I was very careful to not even get a drop on me **thanks latex gloves.

We polished the railings that surround the boat and then buffed and waxed (that's 2x folks) the 'metal' which makes up the bridge (i hope i get most of this terminology correct) :)

All in all it was a good day of hard work, really makes you appreciate the boat trips even more.

A Night Downtown with Friends

We're blessed to have great friends, if you're reading this you're one of them! We enjoyed a night downtown with some of our closest friends on Saturday. I've known these girls since preschool & you couldn't ask for better friends! We get together often, but this time it was couple's night out with us & all our men. We enjoyed dinner on the patio at Mellow Mushroom & then walked down to The Cupcake Shoppe for dessert. The girls got these cupcakes for my bridal shower in the spring & we fell in love with them- the icing is AMAZING! We've been excited about this outing for weeks. The guys weren't quite as excited about the cupcakes or the girl talk that came at that point, so they ate & went off on their own for a while. We had a great night. Next time you're downtown you have to stop by for a sweet treat! They are all good, but the strawberry cupcake was our favorite! Pumpkin was the flavor of the week & it was a close second. Check out the rest of the photos on Picasa. Thanks for a great night, can't wait to see you all soon!

Hanna

Hanna blew through last night & into the morning. The rain stopped around 11am & the final count was 4inches. A few limbs in the yard & that is all! Looks like Ike has headed for the Gulf so maybe we'll get through this season safe!

The rain kept us in this morning so I did a little cleaning. You all know I have cleaning issues! The Poole kids all have our OCD quirks, thanks Dad! My biggest is cleaning....a great disorder to have, but clutter makes me nervous & it isn't always a good thing! This morning I tackled the hardwoods. Our house is 1/2 hardwood floors, I fell in love with them when I walked into the door last summer, but they aren't always the most fun to clean! They get mopped often, Swiffer WetJet at least weekly (who doesn't love the Swiffer?!), but they need that deep Murphury's Oil clean from time to time & it was time. Seth hid out in the office to watch tv & I put some elbow grease in & got them done. They look good & smell great! A productive Saturday morning!

Mom is healing from her surgery & doing some organizing at the house while she is recovering. Love my mom, but my clean freak genes didn't come from her- she is our clutterbug! She found lots of old family items last week: pictures, keepsakes, & this old newspaper clipping. I had forgotten all about it! Pretty neat shot. Mom & I got a good laugh out of the pigtails. I was a pain when it came to my hair as a kid. That OCD again! I always took it down & redid it after she left the room, so in about 1st grade she gave up & made me do it myself so we'd all be happy! I pulled it back sooooo tight! Old memories always make you smile! To be young & carefree! Thanks for putting up with me mom!! =)

Trip to Garner Park

After church, we headed to Garner to see the the boys (Cameron and Ty). Cameron wanted to go to the park and play some baseball so we headed out. Ty followed on the skateboard and we hit a couple balls and let Cameron run the bases. It was so hot out there. Ty skated back to Granny's and we played some soccer.


The water fountains were pushing out luke warm water


...blehhhh...


but we still had a good time on the swings and playground.

I got Ty some back to school items. You remember Ty from Myrtle Beach right.. (click here)

windshield woahhhssss

My daily commute on 440 provides many exciting adventures. Usually there is a 2-3 speeders which provide some 'i'd never try that' moments, a truck dropping materials on the highway, or a wreck that the non-affected traffic lane needs to come to a stop to stare at.

Today was #2.. truck + not securing their load. It sounded like a baseball bat hit my glass ..i think i even ducked in my seat as i watched the projectile fly. After the initial shock...i knew i wasn't paying for yet another windshield (i replaced it once on my Altima and after the first 3 months I have already replaced the Honda windshield). I had to pick up the pace to catch up to the truck. His license plate covered with dirt, I couldn't read it. I found a 'hows my driving' sticker and called. After 5 min explaining the truck and other items..the operator says this company is no longer covered by service. I wrote down the company name, license plate on the front, and decided to tail the drive until he stopped. He stopped 5min later to gas up his rig. I approached him cautiously as not to scare him but also inform him of what happend. He examined my windshield and said he was hauling steal for recycling. He was on his way to the site and I could follow him to get this taken care of. Once there the general manager came out, explained what happened and they inspected the truck . The back tire had blown....which became my projectile.

They were very apologetic and said they would cover the repair, even setting up the service on the phone for me. I'll take it in on Tuesday.