tis' the season

thinking about making a come back...

And she's off...

kate rode for a few feet unassisted over spring break but was hardly ready to hit the open road. this past weekend after hearing a charming tale of a sweet little friend of ours, that is much younger, i think kate felt the time had come to really get "rollin". all it took was about 20 minutes by herself and she was off. here she is this afternoon taking a ride around. way to go kater!

** you've gotta give the video a minute. she makes her appearance several seconds into the footage.

let's hear it for the love birds!

congratulations john (pete's little brother) and cindy - on your ENGAGEMENT!!!
&


in the act ... sorry is it so small i stole the image.

congratulations allyson (pete's little sister) and mike

on your ENGAGEMENT!!!

No... they did not both get engaged on the same day my posting efforts are just slack. john proposed to cindy last month and mike popped the big question yesterday. both mike and cindy already feel like they are part of the family however it will be a treat to celebrate these two incredible bonds and officially welcome them into the family.

we can't wait to celebrate your love~

pinch ME!

feeling so very blessed these days and giving BIG thanks

for so many wonderful things in my life...

family; first and foremost;

my good health;

my childrens good health;

my husbands good health;

parents;

friends, old and new;

knowing that spring is near;

daffodils;

yummy nourishing food;

asheville;

hiking;

birds singing;

a great job that allows flexibility;

running again;

the warm sun;

security;

a good cup of coffee;

kate and trey dancing... together;

digger;

working out in the yard;

planting;

celebrating love and life, both old and new...

it's all good!

happy times!

gaw pushing kate
pete and his father enjoying time spent together, sunshine and a little cheer

the kids tearing it up on the drive

two of my favorite ladies!

how many boys can we fit ont he bench?

three gast birthdays to celebrate.

time for cake!

kate helped with the party preparations -

she really getting into that sort of stuff now

miles and pete having a moment...

and now it is time to show off some muscle

meme passing out some goodies!

i LOVE kates little head there in the middle

cheeeeeese

we couldn't have asked for a better time friday.

great friends.

good food.

meme and gaw.

yummy cake and

SUNSHINE!

WNC Magazine Brief

yep...that's our bedroom!

another cuz is taking the plunge!

congratulations amy and kevin!

probably the cutest darn save the date announcement i've seen yet.

can't wait to celebrate your nuptials~

ladies night out!

the ladies: val, megan, mary, liz, amy, heather, rebecca and heather the preggos!

happy birthday to you

happy birthday to you

happy birthday dear heather

happy birthday to you!

oh my dear friend - what would i do without you?

i am not sure how i ever got so lucky.

landing here in asheville...meeting taryn by happenstance... and then YOU!

here's to many more birthday days and many more memories!

you are my sunshine - no doubt about it~

an ode to molly-MOO~

tanner does too!

a very special little someone is having a birthday this week. we just wanted to let everyone know that we think you are

OUT OF THIS WORLD

and that we love you!

friends are like a good foundation...

it was 1996... pete and i had just moved from FL to Atlanta and we were starting all over... a big new exciting city, promising careers, endless amounts of energy and absolutely NO FRIENDS.

turns out i had a cousin living in atlanta. a cousin i had never met but it was still nice to know i had a connection to at least one person. my mom suggested i call her and introduce myself, so i did.

turns out that very weekend her girlfriends were hosting her bachlorette party. long story short i went. not knowing a sole i somehow mustered up the courage to arrive at this party and met my cousin sara "then archibald" now marslek for the very first time.

sara welcomed me into her home and into her circle of friends. that night i met a woman named ellen who captivated me. she knew a little bit about everything and she had a laugh that could fill the room. that night i made my first real friend in atlanta and to this day, some 14 years later ellen is still a part of my life.

she is one of those women who says she is going to do something and she does it WELL. she is one of those women who remembers the important dates in life. she is one of those women that you can share the uncomfortable and unpleasant moments of life with and she doesn't judge she just listens.

as fate would have it Ellen and her darling family came to visit last summer and introduced me to her husbands cousin that lives here in Asheville. as if history were repeating itself a new connection was made and another dear friend has been gained.

since that last visit Ellen, Becky (the new friend gained) and I have been dreaming of a girls get-a-way that involves something physically challenging followed by a day or two filled with sun, sand, shopping, sitting and perhaps even a few adult beverages.

Unfortunately schedule conflicts and the budgetary constraints as a result of 2009 have prevented some of our more grand plans HOWEVER... we have committed to running the Biltmore Classic here in Asheville in mid May.

last week a large envelope arrived in my mailbox. return address atlanta. i opened it to find the contents above. i laughed - and once again i gave thanks for ellen.

until may~

looking forward to it my friend!