Bozeman, Montana

Hey everybody! It's Joe ... finally contributing to this blog. I recently got back from a trip out to Bozeman, Montana to visit my best friend Craig and of course ski! My trip started out with an unexpected overnight stay at the Denver airport (not a very restful night of sleep). But once I finally arrived, Craig wasted no time getting me to the mountain. It was a sunny day and the snow was great! I stayed for three perfect days of skiing, got to experience two mountains (Bridger Bowl & Moonlight Basin), and spend some time with my best friend. Here are some pictures I took out west. Enjoy!

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Other than the fact that I'm 1/8 Irish (lol), St. Paddy's Day is a great holiday for us. First and foremost, Joe's godmother was Irish. So even though this day brings a tear to our eyes, it's a great time to remember this wonderful lady that was near and dear to us. Our thoughts were definitely with her this holiday and Joe even wore green in remembrance. Then it's also my dad and Tina's wedding anniversary. Two years ago, they got hitched in Las Vegas at The Little Church of the West Wedding Chapel. A ceremony I will never forget!

And saving the best for last, it's also Cooper's 6th birthday. That's right, he's a St. Paddy's baby. What a lucky kid. This is a picture of him at school this year on his birthday. After seeing this tie at a costume store, he just knew he had to have it. Besides it being completely fashion-forward, it matched his 'Get Lucky' button perfectly.

The Wheless' Come for a Visit

The Wheless' came for a visit last weekend. We just love spending time with them. Over the past few years, Joe and I have become really close to my aunt and uncle. And we absolutely love spending time with the kids. They are the closest immediate family we have and we thorougly enjoy being with them as much as possible.

So the weather was definitely a far cry from the Spring Fever we had last week but we still got out and explored the city. We visited the Children's Museum on Saturday and then had dinner with Aunt Margie and Jim that evening. On Sunday, we treated the kids to the Fort Fischer Aquarium and some of Joe's homemade bean salsa before they were back on the road again.

We're hoping to get together with them in April for Aunt Caroline's BDAY. Does someone smell a Bald Head Island adventure?! Stay tuned.

Matt Long

Joe's triathlon sponsor featured a guest speaker tonight at the bike shop. It was a gentleman named Matt Long, FDNY firefighter, who after being a lifelong runner and recent Ironman triathlete was hit by a charter bus one morning while commuting on his bike to work in NYC. After three years of recovery which included learning to even stand again, he is now back into the game and just completed the NYC Marathon last November. He gave such an inspirational talk and is a walking miracle that proves anything is possible when you think you can. After overcoming his tragedy and succeeding as a runner again, he has started the 'I WILL' foundation. Check out the links below for his story in Runner's World and the link to his non-profit organization. What an inspiration!

www.iwillfoundation.com

www.runnersworld.com/mattlong

Gone Skiing

In less than two weeks, Joe is off to the slippery slopes of Bozeman, Montana for a little outdoor skiing adventure! His BFF Craig temporarily lives out there and Joe has decided to join him for a weekend rendezvous. Joe is beyond stoked right now. One of the things he misses most about his home state of New Hampshire is all the skiing that could be done in the winter months. (You saw my post of the 0.01 centimeter of snow we got this year in Wilmington so we don't get to see the soft powdery stuff very often, let alone go skiing.) So with a countdown of less than fourteen days, Joe is already unpacking the snow gear and making sure all bells and whistles are checked. I, in turn, wanted to test out everything also just to make sure all t's were crossed and i's dotted.And as luck would have it, Joe's Name Day is March 19. So obviously I wanted to get him something special to take on his ski adventures. Check out this awesome moustache bandana! It's the perfect accessory to keep all usually-exposed facial features nice and toasty. And Joe looks absolutely charming in it.

Spring Fever

This past weekend rang in 70 degree days and Wilmington was just gushing with Spring Fever. So we decided to:

1. Help Ashley and Dave build a sofa table for their new digs. With our fingers crossed, we're hoping that Ashley & Dave sign on their new home in April. In preparation, Ashley and I have been searching high and low for decor to fill their new place. A few Saturdays ago, Ashley & I took a road trip to Doug's Salvage and purchased some wood. Dave and Joe thought we were getting in over our heads but we had full confidence in the guys to turn our sofa table dreams into a reality.

2. Take a bike ride downtown and enjoy the beautiful weather together. From our house to downtown Wilmington, all you have to do is follow the Cape Fear River. It's a great ride. After munching on some hot dogs at Trolley Stop, we fiddled around and just enjoyed ourselves. We went into a few shops, Joe got his hair cut, and we ended it with some ice cream.

3. Enjoy some lite reading on the hammock. I've officially been sucked in by Edward Cullen and the Twilight series. Some girlfriends and I decided to start reading the series and we are all obsessed. I've already read the first two books in a week. And I've just started the third book, Eclipse. Is it wrong if I secretly wish that Joe and I were vampires?!

4. Hang out with Josh and Jen. We ended up heading downtown again with Josh and Jen to enjoy the nightlife. Joe and I played a little air hockey where ol' Joe crushed me for the win. But I did come back to life at ski ball where I was the highest scorer of the night. After a great evening, all four of us went on a bike ride the next day. Always a great way to end a great weekend.

Ella Jean Turns ONE!

I'm sure you've seen a million and one posts that include little Miss Ella Jean on our blog. Well she just turned the BIG ONE in February and we had a blow-out party. Robin handmade her jumper and '1' bib she's got on in the middle shot. And the pink-n-white crown really topped (literally) everything off. The rest of the pictures are some of my favorites over the past year where I've gotten to know this incredibly charming little girl. Happy Bday EJ!

Livin' for the Weekend

Joe and I usually have pretty packed weeks. With media buying consuming 9-10 hours everyday for me and Joe maintaining a full-time job and full-time school workload, we are usually pretty ready for the weekends to get here. This past weekend was no different. When 6pm rang, we were off! We spent Friday evening w/Ashley just relaxing and eating out at our favorite tex-mex place. And then Saturday, Joe and I went out to celebrate Josh's birthday at a vietnamese-tai restaurant followed by some intense Wii-gaming where Joe was crowned the hula-hoop champ.
It's now Sunday. I'm baking some much anticipated banana bread. And I think we're headed to Barnes & Noble. And then a movie. Slumdog Millionaire. Very excited about that!