Our wonderful son!

Greetings!

I'm so excited, this is my 3rd post!  I think I may be able to keep up with this after all, people!

I have a lot of friends (and family!) that have children.  I too have a child, and it's my turn to tell you all about him!  He's smart, handsome, and so very sweet.  He's got brown hair, with a little white built in.  He's a little on the short side, but man, does he have ups! (yes, I just said that).  He's our wonderful son...Gizmo!

Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen!  Oh, yeah, forgot to mention, he's our "furry" son :)

We were fortunate to become Gizmo's parents in February of 2010.  I was in my office, when I said out loud (because I have a tendency to speak out loud at times), "I wish we could find a dog."  My husband and I had been searching since we were married to find a dog.  My work study at the time, Cecily, overheard me.  She asked, "are you looking for a puppy?"  I said, "yes," to which she replied "my mom's dog just had puppies, do you want one of them?"  Of course!  Since Gizmo was still fresh (it was January, and he was born on Dec. 30), we needed to wait at least 8 weeks before we got to adopt him.  Then, one weekend in February, John and I met up with Cecily and her mom in the Kroger parking lot off Wears Valley Road in Pigeon Forge.  And he was beyond adorable!

                                                                              He's so fluffy!!!!

So, thanks to Cecily and her mom, we had the addition to our family we had been searching for.  Thank you Cecily!

I don't know what we'd do without Gizmo, and I don't even want to think of it.  He has brought so much joy and happiness to us, and to everyone he meets.  Gizmo's yet to meet a stranger :)

Some of you probably think I'm crazy, the way I talk about him.  I can't help it!  I just love Gizmo so much!  I can't imagine how it's going to be whenever John and I have a human baby...if I feel this much love for a dog, it's going to be so much more with a human child!

Anyway, Gizmo loves to run outside, play with his ball, roll over, eat peanut butter and Doritos with his dad, go on car rides, chase squirrels (SQUIRREL!), the list goes on a on.  He also enjoys getting his hair cut, as you can see in this pic:

So, that's our son :)  We love you so much Gizmo!

I leave you with just a few other pics of Gizmo, since we as parents love posting pictures of our children :)

                                                                    My boys!  Love them so much!!!

I'm sure this isn't the last you've heard about/seen pics of Gizmo :)

Until next time!

Got a blog, now, about the name...

Thanks for coming back!  Have to say, I'm pretty happy with myself in getting out a new post within a week of my first.  I hope to keep this up!

I want to share with you about how I came up with the name for my blog.  I thought this would be the most difficult part, as I wanted something that was broad yet specific, descriptive yet up for interpretation.  Thankfully this was, in fact, the easy part :)  Once I decided to write a blog, the first thing that popped into my mind was the first 2 sentences of a Dave Matthews Band song-

"Hey my friend, it seems your eyes are troubled,
Care to share your time with me"

Now, that's a little long.  So instead I went with the title of that song, "The Best of What's Around."

As I've mentioned before, I love DMB.  You know how when you're not feeling like yourself, and you grab some comfort food and somehow, magically, everything feels better?  DMB is my comfort food, minus the calories.  Today in Northeast TN, it is snowing.  I plan to pop in to the DVD player Dave and Tim Live at Radio City whilst drinking a hot, delicious cup of coffee, and enjoy the snow from the comfort of my couch.

Anyway... I found it quite fitting then that this song described what I wanted for this blog.  Have you heard this song before?  You haven't!?!?!  Just kidding, it's ok.  I've posted it below so you can hear it.

It's it great?  :)

The other reason for the title of my blog is that it describes the way in which I strive to live.  I want to be the person that looks for the best in situations, and in turn helps others to do the same.  I'll be honest, it's not always the easiest way to think.  I am human, and things/people/situations can and do at times irritate me (shocker, I know).  Yet, I find this mentality to be the most rewarding.  And, it feels good :)

So, I hope that when you log in to read my blog and see the title, it will serve as a reminder to "make the best of what's around."

Until next time!

Helllllooooooo!

Greetings all!

Yes, I figured the time had come...I am writing a blog.  What will this blog is about, you ask?  Eh, whatever springs to mind :)  I enjoy reading my friends' blogs, and it seems like it would be fun.  To get started, I thought I would tell you a little about myself.

First, I am a child of God.  A Christian, saved by God's amazing grace.  Everything that's happened in my life, God has put into motion for me to learn and grow.  Am I perfect?  No.  But I learn more and more every day His love for me and my family.

Next, I have the most wonderful, awesome, amazing man for a husband.  He's the best husband in the world.  Wait...you say your husband is the best?  That's awesome!  I'm so thankful God gave me John, and I'm thankful He too gave you the most wonderful person to be with.  We have a furry son, Gizmo.  Awww...Gizmo.  He's the most awesome dog ever.  I suspect you'll learn a lot about Gizmo should you continue reading this blog.

I love my family.  Immediate, extended, in-lawed, I love them all!  You'll learn more about them in future blogs, I'm sure.

My friends are the most fantastic and awesome people around.  Each one has made an impact on me in some way, and for that I'm extremely grateful!

I love the Dave Matthews Band.  Seriously.  You can probably tell by the title of this blog.

Originally, I'm from Redding, California.  I ended up in Tennessee when my parents decided they wanted to move back to my dad's hometown.  I've lived here for nearly 19 years (give or take a few months) now, and while I love it here, I still consider California to be my home.

I'm very proud of my education.  My goal was to earn a Master's Degree, and that's exactly what I achieved. A lot of hard work (as well as weight loss and tears) went into it, and every time I see my diploma, I'm reminded how worth it it was.

Pinterest.  Oh, how I love thee.  When I'm bored, you're there.  When I need a break from work, you're there.  When I need to go to bed, you're there to keep me awake and tired for the next day :)

Pampered Chef...'nuf said.

Think I'll end the "introduction" there.  Want to leave topics for future postings :)

So, welcome to my life!  I'll do my best to keep you informed as well as entertained.

Thanks for visiting!