tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70782300847121669602024-03-12T23:53:01.773-04:00simply suz.Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-60954467076823045512011-09-01T17:01:00.002-04:002011-09-01T17:04:08.338-04:00Farewell for now...<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201108-NW-Favorites/18816867_jbVbS4#1457733010_Vft9J32-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201108-NW-Favorites/i-Vft9J32/0/L/2011081065-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Hi there, Internet friends.<br />
<br />
As you may have noticed, I haven't blogged much this summer. I could blame it on our move, re-prioritizing now that Matt is a full-time dental student, my lack of desire to sit in front of my laptop after I finish my workday (since I'm now a full-time telecommuter), or the piles of dishes that somehow manage to appear every night.... but the truth of the matter is,<b> I just haven't had the energy to devote to this little virtual "home" I built the last couple of years & I'm at a point in my life where I want to be intentional about where I spend my limited free time.</b><br />
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<b>So I'm going to disappear for awhile.</b> Maybe a long while. Maybe a short while. Who knows when I'll feel like I need another creative outlet... but for the time being I have a lot of other creative aspirations that don't involve me in front of the laptop. I do enough of that already.<br />
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<b>What - you may be thinking - am I going to do with all my free-time now that I'm not blogging? </b>Well, if you've gotten to know me at all the last couple of years - you've probably figured out I'm a planner & list-maker, hence I have lots of great things in mind. But before we get there <b>(in case you care...and if you don't, just jump on down to the end)</b>, a little background on how & why I ended up saying sayonara to Simply Suz.<br />
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Actually, the decision to bid farewell to the blog came after a dinner conversation Matt & I had a few nights back. It was a <b> familiar conversation for us</b>.... we're at the point in our relationship/marriage where we're ready for that next step (a.k.a. starting a family), but because of our life situation, we've decided it would be wise to wait a bit longer.<br />
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<b>That's tough for me to swallow. </b>Especially when I look around & it seems like everyone else is expecting (including folks who seem to have just tied the knot yesterday, almost everyone we know who got hitched around the time we did, heck...even friends of my <i>little brother </i>are becoming parents)! Matt & I intentionally heeded the advice of wise, older couples who valued that pre-family time in their marriage, and decided early on that we wanted our relationship to be rock solid before we introduced a wee one. <b>I came up with an arbitrary number of years when we'd "have it together," and thought that for sure, by year 4 or 5 we'd be ready. </b>In my mind, that'd give us enough time to work out any kinks, travel (something I wouldn't trade for the world), be free enough to try brave things (like moving to a state where we didn't know a soul), be financially stable, and of course, grow individually and as a couple.<br />
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<b>In many ways, we are ready. </b>Our relationship has grown tremendously & we've learned (sometimes in difficult ways) so much about each other in the past 4+ years of marriage (& <b>8 years</b>...almost to the week ... since we first met). Maybe year 5 was the magic number relationally, but there are so many other things that factor into our timing. <i>I should stop and mention that in no way am I saying there is a "right" time to start a family... it'll be different for every couple.</i> One thing I do know, is that the decision shouldn't be based on boredom, a desire to fix something amiss in your marriage (at best, it'll be a temporary fix... at worst, a baby will make things more difficult), or even (in our case) a desire to "keep up with the Joneses." <b>It's a no-turning-back decision, and should be considered thoughtfully & prayerfully!</b><br />
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The truth of the matter is, <b>Matt is already getting a taste of the demands of dental school, as am I. </b>He has been a wonderful partner and such an amazing helper at home, but I would rather him focus his efforts on succeeding in school than vacuuming or doing dishes. That means that after my workday ends, I have to find time for all of that household maintenance stuff that I was fortunate enough to share with Matt before he started dental school. I know that some of you are thinking "you'll make it work" ... but I also know that <b>Matt is going to be an amazing dad</b> one day and I want our kids to get his/our full attention. For at least the next two years, he needs to be pretty much solely focused on school and I don't want to "rob" him of the opportunity to enjoy the early years of our (future) kids lives. <br />
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<b>I think this sense of impatience & restlessness can be true no matter what your life situation & presents an opportunity not to focus on what you're "missing out on" but on what God can do in your life <i>right now. </i>A relationship, marriage, family, particular job not in the cards for you at this very moment? Instead of feeling sorry for yourself (which I sometimes do), figure out ways to enjoy this season of life. I feel grateful that the Lord put Matt in my life early on, but now He's teaching me to be patient as we wait to grow our family. He's teaching me to look to Him and trust His perfect timing, instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing.</b><br />
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So.... the end of that dinnertime discussion with Matt was about what we want the next couple of years to look like. For Matt, his life is pretty prescribed/full with the demands of school. In order for me to prevent myself from resenting him or the 10 pregnant women/new moms I know, <b>I want to be able to look back on this season of our life and feel excited about how I spent my time, closer to Matt than I've ever been, thankful for the ways in which the Lord grew me, and hopefully more prepared to be a mom when this is all said & done.</b><br />
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Here are my mini-aspirations for this season of my life. Some of these are going to be a challenge, some may seem trivial, but I'm taking this opportunity to set some mid-year resolutions, that will hopefully carry me through the sure-to-be-grueling (but also potentially amazing) next four years.<br />
<ol><li><b>Support Matt.</b> I want nothing more than to see him succeed in dental school. We have worked too hard to get to this point for me to now become needy and value something I can certainly handle (like dish-duty, which I despise) over his success in school. That means taking responsibility for all of the household stuff and relieving him so that he can focus on school... More importantly, my enthusiasm for him, my prayerfulness, & my patience really need to be a top priority. Maybe babies need to sit on the back burner awhile longer, but our marriage should be thriving.</li>
<li><b>Be incredibly active.</b> Again, to some this may seem trivial, but I know when a family comes along, I'm going to have a lot less time to spend at the gym, riding my bike, or going for a run on a whim, so I want to take time to <i>enjoy</i> these things because I really and truly feel best when I do. Plus, I need to get out of the house more often (since I now work from home) so I am excited to make this more a part of my life than ever before.</li>
<li><b>Give back & get involved in the Gainesville community</b>. I'm pumped to start volunteering again with Young Life, a ministry I am passionate about and which really shaped my college years. In addition to having an opportunity to pour into college and high school kids, I know it'll help me feel connected to our new community.</li>
<li><b>Grow in my faith and find a great local church. </b>We were blessed to get plugged into 2 great churches in Chicago and North Carolina (Calvary in Oak Park and The Summit in RDU) and these churches both challenged us to go deeper in our faith and were places where we met friends and built community. We're still "shopping around" - but I'm anxious to find a church home soon!</li>
<li><b>Read. </b>Despite my crazy travel schedule, I've managed to read four books in the last month (which is more than I read our 2 years in N.C.) and I'm wondering how I wasted so much time on Facebook, watching television, and working on this blog when I could have been burying myself in a good book. In short, I'm a big nerd and I really like to read. From observing my sister & friends who are mommies, I recognize that this is a luxury!</li>
<li><b>Be creative!</b> I have developed a real enjoyment for photography, so even though I won't be sharing my photos on the blog, you can always check them out at <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/">http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/</a> (and get a flavor for what's going on in the McA's lives)! Additionally, I'm looking forward to spending more time on some random house/craft projects, as well as one of my favorite things to do.... cooking!</li>
<li><b>Make time for adventures.</b> I get a kick out of sleeping in a tent, breathing fresh air, climbing up mountains, exploring new places, & taking beautiful pictures. That's a heckuva lot easier to do without young kids, so although it'll be more difficult time and budget wise with the demands of school, I still want this to be a priority. I need an escape from the daily grind & have something to look forward to!</li>
<li><b>Talk to my friends instead of stalking them online. </b>I came to the realization that I was spending more time keeping relative strangers up to date on our life than picking up the phone or writing an email to my nearest & dearest friends and family. Shame on me. One of my New Year's resolutions was to write letters every week much like my grandmother does, and I've failed miserably at that. It's time for me to take my mode of communication off the computer & intentionally invest in those individuals who truly mean so much to me. </li>
<li><b>Get good rest.</b> Because I won't do a good job of accomplishing <i>anything </i>on my list if I'm running myself too thin. </li>
<li><b>ENJOY</b> <b>exactly where we are <i>right now.</i></b></li>
</ol>So friends, that's all. I will leave the blog up and just might decide I want to start posting again, so don't write me off just yet! Again, you can keep up with us via our <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/">smugmug site</a> (I've been pretty successful in weening myself of facebook so you won't see much there), give me a jingle, or shoot me an email at mcandrew dot susan at gmail dot com.<br />
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All the best!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Suz</i></span><br />
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Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-23582413079458982712011-07-18T16:46:00.001-04:002011-07-18T16:51:03.570-04:00A Maternity Photoshoot for LoriRemember my lovely friend, <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-weve-been-up-to-some-snapshots.html">Lori</a>? Well she is darn-near-ready to have her baby boy, so I figured it's about time to share her maternity photos that I shot ....oh....over 2 months ago. Oops. (You may remember seeing a few photos that Lori snapped for Matt & I during this shoot <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/05/photo-of-week-us.html">here </a>& <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/06/four.html">here</a>.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1292160396_77KRVVM-A-LB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-77KRVVM/0/L/201105113-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Early on in her pregnancy, Lori asked if I'd be willing to take some preggo-pictures for her & of course I said <i>yes</i>! Unfortunately, we put it off until our last weekend in NC (before <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/05/photo-of-week-sara.html">back</a>-to-<a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/06/married-congrats-tom-care.html">back </a>weddings & our <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-weve-been-up-to-some-snapshots.html">big move</a>) & the weather threatened to ruin our shoot. Thankfully, right before we were about to call it off, the rain clouds cleared up and we were blessed with a beautiful night & beautiful light.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1291956819_TDbLNK8-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="424" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-TDbLNK8/0/L/201105184-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>We took most of these photos in Carpenter, NC... just a hop, skip & a jump away from Lori & Dave's home in Morrisville. Carpenter was an absolutely darling spot for our little photoshoot...and there is no denying that Lori is a natural in front of the camera. She was absolutely glowing. (Can't forget the dad-to-be. Dave - you're looking good, too!)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1292138033_9GBdT6s-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-9GBdT6s/0/L/201105060-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>I had a hard time picking out a handful to share on the blog, so instead, I've embedded a little slide show with my favorites. Consider yourself warned: it's a bit long (2 full songs), but in all fairness, I pared it down from 500+ photos! If you'd rather browse through my faves instead of watching the video, you can just check out my Smugmug album <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS">here</a>. I even managed to hand over the camera over to Matt & sneak in a few photos with my dear friend! <i><b>I</b><b>f you are a prayerful person, </b><b>p</b><b>lease lift up Lori & Dave as they get ready for the arrival of their first little one! </b></i>He'll be here very soon!<b><br />
</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><iframe frameborder="0" height="299" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26592631?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="398"></iframe></b></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">(<i>Psstt...</i>If you expand the video to watch it full-screen, just make sure to click the little button that reads "SCALING IS ON" so that the photos aren't crazy grainy when they blow up to full screen. If the Vimeo player says "SCALING IS OFF" you are a-o-k.) </span><br />
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P.S. Due to some last minute travel-changes, looks like I'm going to get to meet Lori & Dave's baby boy next month! I am oh-so-excited as I was bummed to move right before his arrival. (<a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/02/welcome-to-world-liam.html">Sound familiar?</a> I moved right after my Chicago-BFF told me she was pregnant! Our timing is terribly off...) Can't wait to meet the little guy & see our good friends again so soon!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1291964751_4HPJjv2-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-4HPJjv2/0/L/201105208-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>P.P.S. I'm in love with the fact that the tomato plant behind Lori in this photo is called "Better Boy!" I actually didn't notice it until today despite looking at these photos a gazillion times. What a happy coincidence for this soon-to-be-momma of a little boy! I sure hope he is a good little boy... with parents like Lori & Dave, it's almost guaranteed!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1291976198_X3DqKjZ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-X3DqKjZ/0/L/201105236-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-77862707179972280542011-07-07T20:53:00.000-04:002011-07-07T20:53:50.839-04:00What We've Been Up To {Some Snapshots}I know what you're thinking....<br />
<br />
Hello??? Anybody there???<br />
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Believe me, I hear ya & I recognize it's been quiet at <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/">Simply Suz</a> lately. Don't you worry, I do have an excellent excuse -- we have been traveling (including a major out-of-state move) or hosting family 6 of the past 7 weekends. To top it off, the weekends prior to our marathon travel-stretch we were packing, preparing for our move, & saying goodbye to our NC friends! Needless to say, I am exhausted both physically & emotionally & have not had any time or energy for blogging!<br />
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Here are some snapshots of where we've been & what we've been up to the past couple of months....expect full feature blog posts on (most) of these happenings in the coming weeks!<br />
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<b>Weekend of May 14th...</b><br />
I did a <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/05/photo-of-week-us.html">photo-shoot</a> for my super-cute, super-sweet, preggo girlfriend, Lori, & her hubby Dave. Lori is due at the end of the month, so hopefully I'll get around to sharing some of her darling photos before her little man arrives!<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1372663218_2kLrT4H-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-2kLrT4H/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> <br />
I also enjoyed a special treat that week at a work... a team getaway.... sailing in New Bern, NC!<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Other/201105-Sailing/17106000_k45kzT#1372669421_4MdTVsK-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Other/201105-Sailing/i-4MdTVsK/0/L/20111-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> <br />
<b>Weekend of May 21st....</b><br />
We headed north to New Jersey for my beautiful cousin, Sara's <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/05/photo-of-week-sara.html">wedding</a>. We were joined by (most of) the Lohuis fam (Mark...you were missed!). Hannah had on her dancing shoes, so she managed to keep us on our toes!<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Terry-Wedding/17223351_j79z2B#1372674515_qw9MFhZ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Terry-Wedding/i-qw9MFhZ/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> <b>Weekend of May 28th (a.k.a. Memorial Day Weekend)....</b><br />
We flew out west to Wichita, Kansas for brother Tom & sister Caroline's <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/06/married-congrats-tom-care.html">wedding</a>. It was a McA-filled weekend! <br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Tom-Caroline-Wedding/17364820_4QWpLv#1372685926_J8sMwmn-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Tom-Caroline-Wedding/i-J8sMwmn/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a><br />
I'll be sure to fill you in much more on that, including the darling rehearsal dinner Mom & Dad McA orchestrated!<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-T-C-Rehearsal-Dinner/17364585_tFHfBN#1372707437_C7xs5fN-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-T-C-Rehearsal-Dinner/i-C7xs5fN/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><b>Weekend of June 4th...</b><br />
After saying goodbye to our good friends in NC, we hit the road & headed south to Florida! My gracious folks helped us unpack a truck-load-o-stuff into our new home.<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Small-Group-Dinner/17136468_9Dnn2F#1372715429_BpWQBt9-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Small-Group-Dinner/i-BpWQBt9/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><b>Weekend of June 11th...</b><br />
We enjoyed a mini-weekend-getaway with my family in Orlando. We lounged by the pool, grilled out, made a pit-stop at Ikea to get some home essentials & enjoyed quality Florida fam time.<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201106-Orlando-Weekend/17577428_WMLXHz#1372724604_BxqFSmf-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201106-Orlando-Weekend/i-BxqFSmf/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><b>Weekend of June 18th...</b><br />
We took a traveling-breather & worked on settling into our new place. We also managed to take a break from all of the unpacking to celebrate <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/06/four.html">our 4th anniversary</a> on June 23rd! <br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Home/201106-Welcome-to-Florida/17578066_cx7C8G#1372740754_K58R4wV-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Home/201106-Welcome-to-Florida/i-K58R4wV/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><b>Weekend of June 25th...</b><br />
Katie, Matt & Hannah came to visit us in Gainesville! Katie gave us a great tour of her alma-mater & we chased around our adorable niece all weekend.<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201106-Stott-Visit/17823559_Cjhn3C#1372729037_rQX7GKD-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="301" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201106-Stott-Visit/i-rQX7GKD/0/L/2011-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><b>Weekend of July 2nd...</b><br />
We headed home to Vero & spent the Fourth of July weekend with Mom & Dad Lo, Katie, Matt, Hannah & Grandma. We hit the beach, enjoyed pool time, hung some crown molding (technically that wasn't a "we" activity...Matt helped the-other-Matt with that), rearranged my folk's furniture & set up their sound system (okay, the Matts did that, too), ate lots of hot dogs (I'll claim that), watched the fireworks, & enjoyed Matt's favorite holiday!<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201107-Fourth-of-July-in-Vero/17936223_x4398j#1373172389_MBMnqN9-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="300" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201107-Fourth-of-July-in-Vero/i-MBMnqN9/0/L/Nikon-Transfer-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a><br />
Visit <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/">Simply Suz</a> in the upcoming <strike>weeks</strike> months (<i>I'm just being honest here</i>) to get more details on all of this fun stuff & a few additional adventures planned before Matt starts dental school in August! Please be patient, it may take me awhile, as we have no plans of slowing down anytime soon!Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-28919437958611139852011-06-23T09:23:00.000-04:002011-06-23T09:23:42.506-04:00Four.<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1350916354_FHb8bnQ-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="160" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-FHb8bnQ/0/L/Collage2-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1350917244_p2gKqBf-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-p2gKqBf/0/L/201105399c-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1350916402_JrpLWSr-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="320" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-JrpLWSr/0/L/Collage1-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-86167966165433338622011-06-09T08:30:00.000-04:002011-06-09T08:30:36.879-04:00Happy Birthday to my NEW sister.... Caroline!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Tom-Caroline-Wedding/17364820_4QWpLv#1319767554_Q7js8x8-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Tom-Caroline-Wedding/i-Q7js8x8/0/L/2011051634-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The McAndrew Wives :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Just eleven days ago, <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/06/married-congrats-tom-care.html">I gained another sister</a>. Sure, she's technically an "in-law" but in the McAndrew fam, we drop those details! I adore <i>(sweet) </i>Caroline, feel blessed to now call her a sister<strike>-in-law</strike>, & am so excited for many many years of great family memories ahead. <b>Happy 25th Birthday, Care!</b> We hope you have a wonderful day! Love, Suz (& Matt, too!)Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-54696697230306753462011-06-03T09:11:00.002-04:002011-06-03T09:20:14.901-04:00Married! Congrats Tom & Care!<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="181" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Tom-Caroline-Wedding/i-QFVksF2/0/L/2011051407b-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="700" /></div>We had a blast Memorial Day weekend in Wichita, Kansas celebrating with Tom & Caroline as they tied the knot! I plan on sharing a bunch of photos & giving a full recap of their big day (& all the wedding festivities) <i>after</i> we get settled in Florida (we move tomorrow!), but in the interim, I wanted to share a few links to my photo albums, especially for family & friends who may be interested. Mom & Dad McA + wedding party .... this is for you! <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Photos...</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Caroline-Bridal-Lunch/17364553_SXkKHP">Caroline's Bridal Luncheon</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-T-C-Rehearsal/17364565_v7xxRV">Wedding Rehearsal</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-T-C-Rehearsal-Dinner/17364585_tFHfBN">Rehearsal Dinner BBQ</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Getting-Ready-Wedding/17364599_9vXx5M">Getting Ready</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Tom-Caroline-Wedding/17364820_4QWpLv">Wedding Day</a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>A couple of important notes....</b> </div>*I lost steam (& time!) as I sorted through these photos so you'll notice a TON of duplicates, especially in the wedding album (hence, 28 pages of photos in that <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/">Smugmug</a> <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Tom-Caroline-Wedding/17364820_4QWpLv">album</a>...oops). I wanted to share these ASAP instead of waiting until I had time to sort & delete! My apologies for photo-overload! I will pare down once we're settled in Florida.<br />
<br />
*If you are in any of the photos & want to save a copy, just click on the photo you'd like to download in <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/">Smugmug</a>, select the size ("original" will likely be the largest & the best resolution), & then click "save photo" or the file folder icon.Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-14483912279408083472011-05-25T21:51:00.001-04:002011-05-25T21:55:27.960-04:00Photo of the Week: SaraWe are in the throws of moving so I won't be blogging much the next couple of weeks, but I <i>absolutely could not resist</i> sharing a couple photos of my gorgeous cousin, Sara, who tied the knot with Andrew this weekend in NJ.<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Terry-Wedding/17223351_j79z2B#1307128600_HJ8rP9J-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="494" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201105-Terry-Wedding/i-HJ8rP9J/0/L/Desktop-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a><br />
We were fortunate enough to be able to steal away some time to make the trip north, & had a great time with our big extended family. I'll share some more photos later... probably in mid-June when I get around to blogging about a host of other things... including <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS">Lori's maternity shoot</a>... hopefully I'll beat the baby on that one! Congrats Sara & Andrew!<br />
<br />
Wedding season is certainly upon us! In just a few days, Matt's brother Tommy will be marrying the love-of-his-life, Caroline! Congratulations also to Caitlin & Mike<i> </i>(Cait is a Vero friend)<i> and </i>Katie & Matt (Katie is Matt's cousin) who also got hitched this past weekend. Wish we could of been at all of those weddings (Florida, Minnesota & New Jersey).... but alas, we haven't figured out how to be in 3 places at once! Darn!Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-86483805039579745692011-05-19T08:31:00.000-04:002011-05-19T08:31:43.829-04:00Photo of the Week: US!<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS#1292047268_xxGkgs2-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/i-xxGkgs2/0/L/201105408b-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a><br />
I <b><i>love</i> </b>taking photos, which means that I am usually <b>behind </b>the camera instead of in front of it. That was the case for most of Saturday evening when I did a (not-so-mini) photo shoot for my preggo friend, Lori, and her hubby, Dave. I had a BLAST shooting Lori & was really pleased with the <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Lori-Maternity-Shoot/17059880_4VmfcS">results </a>(don't worry.... I'll blog all about our maternity shoot later... I have whittled 500+ photos down to my favorite 163, but I still need to get down to a manageable number to share here on the old blogsky!), however, what I was most surprised by were the a few photos that Lori snapped of us at the end of our evening - including the winner above. Maybe I'm biased but....isn't it cute?!?!? Isn't my hubby handsome?!? It's probably one of my favorite photos of us since our <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Mr-and-Mrs/0951/1189453126_RwPbJ-L.jpg">wedding</a>! Thanks for letting us step in front of the camera for a few shots, Lori!Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-56014197456648369202011-05-15T10:04:00.002-04:002011-05-25T12:00:17.442-04:00Photo of the Week: FireworksSo.... I wrote this post last week prior to a big-time blogger crash. My draft post disappeared for a few days & then magically reappeared (making this lady very happy). Sorry this is a tad bit outdated, but I hope y'all enjoy the photos!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286791867_BTG57LJ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-BTG57LJ/0/M/201104203-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div>We went to a Durham Bulls game <strike>last Friday night</strike> <i>two weeks ago</i> to see my little bro's friend (<a href="http://www.dbulls.com/cgi-bin/player.cgi?id=696">Alex Cobb</a>) pitch & enjoy what turned out to be a beautiful spring night (after a brief rain delay). <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/triangleoffense/archives/2011/05/07/durham-bulls-beat-syracuse-chiefs-again-el-tiempo">Alex pitched a great game</a> (the kid has come a long way since his little league days with brother Mark) & we had a blast, thanks in part to great seats, courtesy of Alex, & wonderful company, courtesy of our friends, Lori & Dave! The Bulls put on a fireworks display after every Friday night game, & I tried my best to take a few fun shots (hello slow shutter speed). I think the photo above was a success! Here are a other few favorites from our fun night with friends....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286792384_RcxNZR7-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-RcxNZR7/0/M/201104148-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a rain delay (our seats were sheltered)...it turned out to be a beautiful night at the ballpark!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1288283968_VGd3KMv-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-VGd3KMv/0/M/bulls-1-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love a night at a baseball park.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286792214_3rSSJXF-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-3rSSJXF/0/M/201104142-M.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1288283406_mnzb93L-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-mnzb93L/0/M/bulls-4-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guys.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286792969_KvMStLm-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video
Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-KvMStLm/0/M/201104167b-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks for the tickets, Alex!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286792025_gX2VJRK-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-gX2VJRK/0/M/003-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex made this Vero Beach native proud!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286792894_vJZv8vL-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-vJZv8vL/0/M/201104165-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bulls homer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1288283777_p8fkN7G-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-p8fkN7G/0/M/bulls-7-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286793570_gb64Gd8-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-gb64Gd8/0/M/201104185-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love me some fireworks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/17005033_npKWjf#1286791944_JH3kzXG-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201105-Durham-Bulls/i-JH3kzXG/0/M/201104206-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a great night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-56585358960544785822011-05-14T10:38:00.002-04:002011-05-14T10:41:27.563-04:00Happy Birthday, Dad!<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/15864231_suVoP#1189566592_MYe8x-A-LB" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/0299/1189566592_MYe8x-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="266" /></a><b>Happy Birthday to Dad Lo who turns 57 today!</b><br />
(Dad's looking good for a 57 year old grandpa! Truth be told, this photo was when taken when he was a young 53 year old whippersnapper with no grandbabies yet...just a daughter about to get married...)<br />
<br />
But seriously.... my dad is a pretty awesome guy. Everybody - & I mean everyone - respects him and the person that he is. He is honest, trustworthy, hardworking, steady, faithful & selfless. Dad also has a reputation for being a planner (where did you think I got it from?!) & has been know to work out the behind-the-scenes details more than once. <br />
<br />
Maybe it's because he's the oldest of four, but he also <i>cares </i>incredibly well for everyone in his life - <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/04/happy-birthday-momma-lo.html">his wife</a>, <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/200909-Hannah-Grace-Arrives/PICT0274/1166785237_A62Pt-M.jpg">kids</a>, <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/09/happy-1st-birthday-hannah.html">grandchild</a> (please...if you don't click on any other links...click on <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201009-Labor-Day-in-Vero/20100945/1163701692_EKFQf-M.jpg">this one</a> & <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201009-Labor-Day-in-Vero/201009186/1163704220_hnsXA-M.jpg">this one!</a>), <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/15883234_zC8MF#1191131668_FCN8h-A-LB">his mom</a>, <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/1210-Moline-for-Gramps/201012-151/1163434080_NDfK9-M.jpg">sons-in-law</a>, <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/15883234_zC8MF#1191128782_qGjpW-A-LB">siblings</a>, <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/Copy-of-Neal-Nancy-Mike-Jane/1191132079_NnfSu-M.jpg">friends</a>, coworkers - and asks for very little in return. Most importantly, my dad loves the Lord & taught us (primarily by example) of what it looks like to be a humble servant of God.<br />
<br />
Dad, I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I can't wait to give you in-person (instead of virtual) birthday wishes in just a week! We love you!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Love, </div><div style="text-align: center;">SJ & Matt, too!</div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-74423132256760133472011-05-08T11:13:00.015-04:002011-05-08T13:50:13.976-04:00Happy Mother's Day!<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201009-Labor-Day-in-Vero/15535273_aVH7j#1163702598_CJSLz-A-LB" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201009-Labor-Day-in-Vero/20100996/1163702598_CJSLz-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>We love moms.</b></span> <br />
<br />
You already know how much we love our moms (you can read about <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/04/happy-birthday-momma-lo.html">mine</a> & <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/11/more-very-special-birthdays.html">Matt's</a> in the blog archive).... so in celebration of Mother's Day, instead of a lengthy post recounting their lovely qualities (hopefully they already know how we feel about them!), I'm just going to share some favorite photos of my favorite moms! Each one of these ladies holds a special place in our heart today. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Happy Mother's Day to <i>Momma Lo, Momma Mac, Grandma Shirlee, Grandma Gerry, Margot, Katie, Aunt Beth, Aunt Nancy, Aunt Becky, Lori, Shann, Nicole, Carol & Stacy</i>! We love you & are so thankful for you today!!!</b><br />
<br />
Psst... 2 of our good friends are also celebrating birthdays today...scroll to the bottom to find out who!<br />
<br />
On the left: 3 generations of Lohuis ladies: my mom (Nana), my niece (Hannah) & my sister (Katie or "Momma" to Hannah!)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><br />
<br />
.......</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>One of my favorite mom-memories: Mom helping me put on my wedding dress [June 2007] </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/15864231_suVoP#1189565714_gteaJ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/0128/1189565714_gteaJ-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I adore my mother-in-law, affectionately just "mom" to me (I'm lucky to have 2 moms!) [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Rehearsal-Dinner/15864472_Fe3Fd#1189576027_kA528-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Rehearsal-Dinner/0346/1189576027_kA528-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>My big sister, Katie, is such a great mom. </b><b>[November 2010]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/Thanksgiving-in-Vero/15531602_x5XB7#1163443943_FbziZ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/Thanksgiving-in-Vero/201011686/1163443943_FbziZ-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Grandma Gerry & I have always been close. I love her to pieces. [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/15864231_suVoP#1189560360_CeKqz-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/0450/1189560360_CeKqz-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Grandma Shirlee holds a special place in our heart, too! [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/15883234_zC8MF#1191131668_FCN8h-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/IMG1045/1191131668_FCN8h-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Did I mention we love my mom? [June 2010]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/15570817_YtaH2#1166594460_TXNzA-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/201006176/1166594460_TXNzA-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/15570817_YtaH2#1166594589_MU3gf-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/201006186/1166594589_MU3gf-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Katie & her girl, Hannah. Aren't they beautiful? [June 2010]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/15570817_YtaH2#1166589557_FPYNN-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/201006430/1166589557_FPYNN-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>We're also so thankful for Margot today! [June 2007]</b><br />
<b> </b><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Other/Miscellaneous/15573880_zxvzG#1282154105_f3BRM2s-A-LB" title="SI Exif"><img alt="SI Exif" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Other/Miscellaneous/i-f3BRM2s/0/M/shower1-M.jpg" title="SI Exif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This photo just melts my heart. Matt loves his momma. [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/15861123_KAsCc#1189355875_w9qQm-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/1190/1189355875_w9qQm-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I'm lucky to have Aunt Beth & Aunt Nancy as godmothers</b><b>! [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/15883234_zC8MF#1191128782_qGjpW-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/6-24-2007-24/1191128782_qGjpW-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>It's impossible not to love our Aunt Becky... she's a gem. [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Rehearsal-Dinner/15864472_Fe3Fd#1189576350_j9v3w-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Rehearsal-Dinner/0357/1189576350_j9v3w-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Another all-time favorite photo of my mom... getting down at our wedding! Momma has moves! [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/15861123_KAsCc#1189360829_zHtbp-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/1345/1189360829_zHtbp-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Stacy and her sweet girls (minus their new addition!) [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Rehearsal/15864686_pKzpT#1189598031_Bu8zw-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Rehearsal/0122/1189598031_Bu8zw-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Grandmas :) [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/15864231_suVoP#1189559478_DfNFP-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Getting/0436/1189559478_DfNFP-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Hannah & Nana are best buds, can't you tell? [November 2010]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/Thanksgiving-in-Vero/15531602_x5XB7#1163444349_s4Hww-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/Thanksgiving-in-Vero/201011712/1163444349_s4Hww-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Heidi & her boys. [September 2007] </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/200708-Stanford-v-UCLA/15860736_9rGez#1189323244_omx8r-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/200708-Stanford-v-UCLA/IMG1157/1189323244_omx8r-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I miss my Champaign-mom, Carol.</b><b> She took such good care of me (& everybody else!) [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/15861123_KAsCc#1189359217_qbQdS-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/1293/1189359217_qbQdS-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Liam is oh-so-lucky to have Nicole as a mommy. [November 2010]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201011-Pre-Thanksgiving-in/15531549_xq9ya#1163439335_m5UHr-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201011-Pre-Thanksgiving-in/201011455/1163439335_m5UHr-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>...As are Belle & Graysie to call Shann their mom. [March 2011]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1218224472_NRF4N-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103308/1218224472_NRF4N-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I'd be remiss without celebrating mom-to-be, Lori (& one of my favorite NC friends)! I have no doubt that she will be an <i>amazing </i>mother! Her little guy is blessed (so is pup, Rylee)! [March 2011]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/2011-03-Flag-Football/16216759_7XvYg#1218228744_JBwTw-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/2011-03-Flag-Football/201103267/1218228744_JBwTw-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Not only is today Mother's Day, but 2 special people are also celebrating their birthdays today! </b><br />
<b>Happy Birthday, Mary & Mike!!!!! We love you guys & hope you both have very special days!!!!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I spy Marclar (hint: peaking in the left-hand corner) [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/15861123_KAsCc#1189348238_gvdwJ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Our-Wedding-Reception/1699/1189348238_gvdwJ-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"M" is for Mike & Mary. 2 great friends celebrating their birthdays today! [July 2010]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201007-Slagors-Visit/15542888_Poray#1164349198_4sCGK-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201007-Slagors-Visit/201007500/1164349198_4sCGK-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I'm telling you, it's impossible not to love this girl. [June 2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/15883234_zC8MF#1282128569_9mp92m7-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/200706-Wedding-Weekend-Other/i-9mp92m7/0/M/n1904455_38071342_288-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jenny & I are lucky to be married to these dudes. [July 2010]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201007-Slagors-Visit/15542888_Poray#1164294249_EvqN4-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201007-Slagors-Visit/201007338/1164294249_EvqN4-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><br />
[I have to give credit where credit is due: Our gorgeous weddin<span id="goog_207070"></span><span id="goog_207071"></span>g photos were taken by the talented <a href="http://scarlettlillian.net/">Scarlett Lillian</a>... and our dear friend, <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/08/hiatus.html">Liz Fay</a> is responsible for the photo of Mary! The rest were taken by yours truly! Thanks for stopping by!]Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-78957968707787100742011-04-27T00:00:00.002-04:002011-04-27T00:03:09.245-04:00Happy Birthday, Momma Lo!<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/15570817_YtaH2#1266557324_QGkhRNH-A-LB" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Family/201006-Strang-Wed-Lohuis-Visit/i-QGkhRNH/0/M/2010.06_188edited-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="266" /></a><b>Happy birthday to my sweet mom who turns 57 today!</b><br />
(She looks pretty great for a grandma, am I right?!?!)<br />
<br />
I am so very blessed to have an incredibly close relationship with my mom (we are two peas in a pod), which has strengthened in the 8 years I've been far from home. We gab on the phone almost daily (Matt tells me we're pros at just shooting the breeze), & I can't tell you how ecstatic I am that we'll be close enough to catch up in person more often! That means I can celebrate her bday in Vero next year! Yippeee!!!<br />
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My mom grew up with 3 brothers so she is a tough lady. She has the uncanny ability to calm my girly anxieties, while simultaneously keeping me in check when I'm overreacting. Tomboy tendencies aside, she is also an amazingly caring, prayerful, faithful women of God, who has taught me so much about being a Christ-following wife. To top it off, she's got the "Nana" role down pat. If there is a grandma gene, I'm pretty sure she has it! Hannah adores her Nana (what's not to love?!)<br />
<br />
Mom, I hope you know how much you are loved today!!!! Have a wonderful birthday! .... can't wait to see you very soon!<br />
<b>We love you!</b><br />
Suz & Matt<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. I'll be back soon with more celebrations of Mom & Dad in the next couple of months. Mom's birthday is shortly followed by Mother's Day, then Dad's birthday, then their Anniversary, & then Father's Day! Whew.... Hallmark is making a killing off of us in the next month!</span>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-10278970537878080622011-04-14T23:14:00.002-04:002011-04-15T08:35:13.041-04:00Well hello there!<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Other/Miscellaneous/15573880_zxvzG#1252129777_w7n54-A-LB" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Other/Miscellaneous/Desktop1/1252129777_w7n54-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="300" /></a> Hello, friends!!!<br />
<br />
As you may have noticed, I've pretty much disappeared recently from <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/">Simply Suz</a>. Woopsies. That's because I've been a busy bee purging & packing in preparation for our big move!<br />
<br />
I hope to pop in every once in awhile over the next 2 months prior to saying "adios" to NC (actually less than that now!), however, I can promise you that I won't be posting quite as often as I have in the past. Blame it on the empty boxes that have yet to be filled. <br />
<br />
Also, I'm hoping to soak up as much beautiful Carolina springtime before we head to the Sunshine State. In the few weeks since my last post, we did take a mini-trip to visit our <span id="goog_929944821"></span><a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/07/finally-4th.html">besties<span id="goog_929944822"></span></a>, & hopefully we'll squeeze in some more of that before we push off!<br />
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In the meantime, I've had a lot of thinking-time while working my way through our closets, so I'll leave you with my (maybe-not-so-blog-worthy) random thoughts as of late!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Suz</i></span><br />
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<u><b>Susan's Random<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (& let's be honest...not-so-blog-worthy) </span>Thoughts</b></u><br />
<ol><li>You may recognize the photo above from my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289">profile</a>. It's one of my favorites taken with our old point-and-shoot in Glacier National Park in Montana (<i>love love love </i>that Park).<b> I could use a vacation right now.</b> I'm counting down the days until we head to the Northwest this summer (Seattle & Portland!). Is it August yet?</li>
<li>Speaking of cameras, <b>our Nikon d90 turned <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/04/preview-lizfay-comes-for-visit.html">one </a>this month! </b>It's been such a fun adventure learning a little more about photography in the last year. If you're ever interested in checking out more photos than what you get to see on the blog, check out our <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/">SmugMug </a>page. (Just don't steal a photo without asking first!) One of these days I plan to write a post about "what's in my camera bag" since I've had a few folks ask camera questions in the last year... Don't hold your breath, though!</li>
<li><b>I've spent most of the last couple of weeks shuffling through our <strike>treasures</strike> junk in our guest room</b>. It's become the repository for "out of sight, out of mind" & has been the focus on my purge. I decided to take my time on the packing process to allow myself sometime to trim our belongings & get rid of stuff we either never use, or only realize we have when it's moving time. Plus, it's a good excuse to organize - one of my favorite pastimes.</li>
<li>There's not a TV in our guest room, so I have watched about every <a href="http://www.hulu.com/"><span id="goog_228577596"></span>Hulu </a><span id="goog_228577597"></span>episode that I have even the slightest interest in while I go through file cabinets, shred & toss old college notes / CPA review books (I can't believe I've seriously been holding onto those for 4 years). It's an interesting exercise to go through the things you hold onto. My favorite part of packing, however, has been going through my old photos & little mementos I've saved over the years. <b>I have been reminded of some great friends, family & memories. I'm a blessed girl.</b></li>
<li>While packing the other day (after I exhausted my Hulu queue), <b>I found myself at the website <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/">I Am Second</a> & became officially obsessed.</b> I have watched powerful testimony after testimony of athletes, authors, celebrities, musicians, & regular folks who turned to Christ in the midst of very real struggles. Their stories & authenticity are truly powerful, & I encourage you to check some of them out. Some of my favorites so far: <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/ashley-rawls">Ashley Rawls</a>, former beauty queen, <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/christian-hosoi">Christian Hosoi</a>, pro skateboarder, <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/brian-welch">Brian Welch</a>, former Korn bandmember, <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/anne-rice">Anne Rice</a>, author of <i>Interview with the Vampire</i>, <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/baron-batch">Baron Batch</a>, college football player, <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/bethany-hamilton">Bethany Hamilton</a>, pro surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/whispering-danny">Whispering Danny</a>, tattoo artist, <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/christine-petric">Christine Petric</a>, adopted girl-next-door & college soccer player, I could go on & on.... There are so many great stories, each one a testament to the presence, glory, & love of Jesus. <a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/">Watch them.</a>. Promise it'll be worth your while.</li>
</ol><i><a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/"><b>(About I am Second) </b></a>Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second.</i>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-79151698532231102242011-03-30T23:04:00.001-04:002011-03-30T23:10:30.959-04:00A Successful Marriage.<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1234553706_ZvZvQ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/1223491150201103498/1234553706_ZvZvQ-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a> </div>2 weeks ago (I know, I know, I'm <i>way </i>behind on blogging....) we jumped in our (<a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/03/out-with-old-in-with-new.html">new!</a>) car & drove 6 hours west to Murphy, NC for the <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/03/photo-of-week-sneak-peek.html">wedding </a>of our college buddy, John, & his bride, Cara. The nuptials took place at a <a href="http://mcguiresmillracefarm.com/mcguire/">beautiful farm</a> with gorgeous mountain views, & the Cregers couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Sunny, clear & unusually warm for March... especially considering we had freezing rain this week!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223489485_AiKpr-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103435/1223489485_AiKpr-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div>John -- affectionately "Creger" (last-name/nicknames seem to be a theme with many of our college friends) is not only a great friend & a fun guy, but also has an incredibly strong faith. I love a good wedding & certainly the tasty food (barbeque at this mountain wedding...yum-o), dancing (<b>please scroll down to the bottom of this post </b>for some video evidence of a fantastic dance performance by Creger & his mom), & mini-reunions are all part of the celebration, but sometimes, I think couples miss the heart of the day. Not the case with these 2.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223490547_2v8HC-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103473/1223490547_2v8HC-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div>Their pastor did an incredible job of celebrating their relationship in Christ, challenging them to keep their primary focus on their walk with God, all the while painting a picture to the family & friends who had come to celebrate with John & Cara of what a successful marriage should look like.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223490779_UrhHY-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video
Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103483/1223490779_UrhHY-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div>One particular statement stuck out to me (forgive me for paraphrasing his much more powerful words): Just because you "make it" 50 or 60s years <i>doesn't</i> mean your marriage is successful. <b>A successful marriage is one that is centered on Christ & reflects His glory. </b>Our marriages should be a testament to the grace & power of God in our lives. After all, the marital relationship is to mirror that of Christ & the Church.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223490877_NUrxi-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103487/1223490877_NUrxi-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div>Mr. & Mrs. Creger, it was such a joy to celebrate with you. Matt & I wish you many many years of love, joy & a relationship centered on the God who brought you together. As for everyone else we had the pleasure of seeing in Murphy, get busy. Someone else needs to get hitched so we can all get together again soon!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491340_B3N7B-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103504/1223491340_B3N7B-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I took a bunch of photos (would you expect anything less?!?) & won't share all of them on the blog, but if you're interested in seeing more, <a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ">click here to go to my smugmug album</a>. Here are a few (okay more like 20) favorites from the day....<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223489740_U8qqt-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103443/1223489740_U8qqt-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My gorgeous friend Liz. I'm a tad bit jealous my hair won't do that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223490194_UtM8R-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103459/1223490194_UtM8R-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">With my main man.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1224786061_hJgru-A-LB" title="Courtesy of Jackie Miller's mad photo skills"><img alt="Courtesy of Jackie Miller's mad photo skills" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/Jackie1/1224786061_hJgru-M.jpg" title="Courtesy of Jackie Miller's mad photo skills" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My main man, with another man. How dare you, Tim?! :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223490278_pnKhV-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103462/1223490278_pnKhV-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cbiz & the fellas (Brad & Tim). What lucky men.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491467_r9Uwd-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103509/1223491467_r9Uwd-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Mrs. Schroeder & Mrs. Miller) These 2 ladies also married their college sweethearts!<br />
Andrea, Jackie & I (plus Cara!) all married Young Life boys... they're keepers!<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223490459_TgTh7-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103469/1223490459_TgTh7-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a><br />
My aisle seat proved awesome for getting ceremony shots. (Check out that view!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491469_puFF8-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103505/1223491469_puFF8-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lammers fulfilling his groomsmen duties (& apparently enjoying it). I'm digging the peacock feather.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491718_nZZXX-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103518/1223491718_nZZXX-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">2 of my best girlfriends (sadly, we were minus <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/11/birthday-girls.html">Jenny</a>).<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491592_2zLRZ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103513/1223491592_2zLRZ-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a><br />
Matt sandwich (with Brad in the middle).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491823_eELJA-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103522/1223491823_eELJA-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cake.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491870_rFy9B-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103524/1223491870_rFy9B-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">More cake. It was tasty.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223491904_BWjUV-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103525/1223491904_BWjUV-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Had to share because I did her hair.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223492225_9fYp6-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103535/1223492225_9fYp6-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QINgUkKWcYw">Creger & his mom's rendition of Thriller. </a>Please scroll down to watch!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223494561_gax8f-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103564/1223494561_gax8f-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/03/photo-of-week-sneak-peek.html">Photobooth fun </a>(this may be my favorite photo of the entire wedding).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223492700_Qg8NQ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103542/1223492700_Qg8NQ-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photobooth shenanigans continue. Loving Abby with long, blonde hair! Ha!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223751083_B9EjS-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/MSMcA/1223751083_B9EjS-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bahahahaha...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223508027_yyQXC-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/PhotoOP2/1223508027_yyQXC-M.jpg" title="" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wish I could go back & add a photobooth to our wedding.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223751042_tH5vu-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/cupcake1/1223751042_tH5vu-M.jpg" title="" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Court & I came back with props.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223495367_rAav6-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103575/1223495367_rAav6-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Matt got a talking to after I looked at all of our photos & in 99% of them he's goofing off.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223493549_ogDpd-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103551/1223493549_ogDpd-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">That's more like it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223493794_e25w2-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103554/1223493794_e25w2-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">If Courtney & I had an album cover, I'm pretty sure we'd use this photo (we were both fond of our shoes).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223514212_LQ55T-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103559-1/1223514212_LQ55T-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Nah. We'd probably use this instead.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223495169_EhrND-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103572/1223495169_EhrND-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Matt + Matt = BFFs 4ever.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223506826_XRXZU-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103599b/1223506826_XRXZU-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I miss this girl.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1224787085_XaBCw-A-LB" title="Courtesy of Jackie Miller's mad photo skills"><img alt="Courtesy of Jackie Miller's mad photo skills" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/Jackie3/1224787085_XaBCw-M.jpg" title="Courtesy of Jackie Miller's mad photo skills" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Taking a break from dancing to smile for Jackie's camera.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223506912_X5xZ5-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103585b/1223506912_X5xZ5-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The whole gang. Our U of I / Young Life family (Missing a few key people...). Gosh, I love these folks.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223489419_FZ8Ai-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/201103603/1223489419_FZ8Ai-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">End of the night. Before the crazy-big-moon made its appearance.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><b>To wrap this up, I <i>have</i> to leave you with this video.</b> In lieu of a more "traditional" mother-son dance, Creger & his mom surprised the wedding guests (& maybe Cara...not sure if she was in on it) by doing the <i>entire</i> Thriller dance. It was both hilarious & awesome. It's no secret where Creger's smooth moves come from anymore.... Way to go, Momma Creger!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QINgUkKWcYw" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></div></div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-21379616835768858052011-03-27T22:33:00.000-04:002011-03-27T22:33:47.241-04:00Photo of the Week: Sneak PeekWe went to a super-fun wedding <i>last</i> weekend in the NC mountains. I'm about 2 weeks behind on blogging, so hopefully I'll be able to share some more photos later this week. In the meantime, here's one of my faves:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/16282391_aSdhZ#1223751023_GEQu6-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="432" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Weddings/201103-Creger-Wedding/Creger/1223751023_GEQu6-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: left;">John & Cara (a.k.a. Groom & Bride) had a photo booth for their guests to snap shots to put in their guest book (we also got a copy to take home - please 'scuse the poor scan job). If you are planning a wedding.... I'd <i>highly </i>recommend a photo booth. Super fun & I'm sure a blast to look over all of the photos later. I visited the booth a lot with my girlfriends & Matt, & on one of those visits, we were able to snag the groom for a little "photo shoot." Court, Liz & John.... this one is going on the fridge! More to come! Congrats, Mr. & Mrs. Creger!!!!! Such a joy to celebrate with you!</div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-70651869449962232162011-03-25T08:32:00.000-04:002011-03-25T08:32:48.677-04:00Congrats, Shann & Johnnathan!Our friends <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/02/shower-for-shann.html">Shann </a>& Johnnathan (& big sis Graysie) welcomed a new edition to their family 2 weeks ago. Meet Belle...<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217430341_iKVXG-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103318/1217430341_iKVXG-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217431301_Eio8g-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="426" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103320/1217431301_Eio8g-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217432311_C7tr9-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103321/1217432311_C7tr9-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>I was able to stop by just 3 days after she arrived with my sweet friend, <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/10/autumn-in-mountains-day-1.html">Lori </a>(who is also expecting!), to meet the little lady. Shann (middle) looks pretty darn amazing for just having a bambino! And isn't Lori (right) just glowing? That'll be you in a few months, Lori! Except you'll be holding a little man.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217436489_SG3Sh-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="320" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/Belle1/1217436489_SG3Sh-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217438965_FXfyq-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103305/1217438965_FXfyq-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="266" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217438060_BtpK6-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103295/1217438060_BtpK6-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div>Belle is absoutely perfect. Sweet. Teeny. Peaceful. Soft. Everything a baby girl should be. (Plus...check out that hair!)<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217429201_ZQpTU-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103307/1217429201_ZQpTU-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217434602_HWTb2-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103328/1217434602_HWTb2-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217433457_my8CP-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103323/1217433457_my8CP-L.jpg" title="" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217439806_L9zKQ-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103303/1217439806_L9zKQ-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217437007_7ezng-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103290-1/1217437007_7ezng-L.jpg" title="" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">She slept pretty much the whole time we were there. She did take one peek at her visitors & then went back to lala land. I love this photo of Belle & their dog, Maple. Maple is just keeping watch over her little sister.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1217435753_4t6b8-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103331/1217435753_4t6b8-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="266" /></a></div>I'm hoping to go back soon to visit with my 50mm lense, which should be a lot sharper than the 18-105mm lens I brought with me on my first (impromptu) visit! I'd love to snap some better photos of the family of four (Shann & Jonathan already have a sweet pea named Graysie). <b>Congratulations to a beautiful family!!!!</b>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-72895439011280462622011-03-24T18:11:00.002-04:002011-03-25T08:42:11.948-04:00Out with the old.... In with the new....<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/16235430_26Pfm#1227456317_Ha5wo-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="200" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/1227456317_Ha5wo-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><b></b></div><b> </b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">On the left, our Jeep "at home" in the NC mountains will now be at home in the Virginia mountains. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">On the right, our new Honda Accord (photo courtesy of the seller) is ready for road trips!!!!</span><b> </b></div><b></b><br />
<b>A month and a half ago, when we finally 100% committed to the University of Florida for dental school, Matt & I sat down at dinner & made our "pre-move to-do" list. </b>At the time it was daunting, overwhelming & exhausting to look at everything that we needed to accomplish in a few short months. Probably the most stressful item on our list (after figuring out my work situation) was car-related.<br />
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<b>You may remember our<a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/09/tuesday-musings-tale-of-one-car-family.html"> Camry tragedy</a> from the fall.</b> If not - I'll catch you up to speed: Our car died 2 hours away from home & was too expensive to repair so we cut our losses & sold the non-working shell. The end. We dropped down to being a one car family again, which works really well for us, & quite frankly, is our plan for the indefinite future. We were fortunate enough to have inherited Matt's parents' Jeep (the Camry was inherited from my folks) so we had a good, solid set of wheels. Not to mention Matt's 2 wheels (his bike!), which he rides to work every day & plans to ride to dental school in the fall. We're a "green" family :)<br />
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<b>We knew that we'd need to invest in another more family-friendly/fuel-efficient car down the road, but for the time being, the Jeep was perfect for our life situation. </b>We don't go on many long road trips from NC (like we used to do in the Camry), & the Jeep is a great "around-town" kind of car, <i>plus</i> it's fun for a young couple like us! We can easily pop our bikes on the back & be at the trails in 10 minutes. We loved (still love) our Jeep.<br />
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<b>As gas prices rose & the reality of our move to Florida set in, however, we realized that the Jeep may not be the best car for us going forward. </b>We'll be just a few short hours away from my folks & we'd like to be able to go back & forth to Vero more regularly than we do now. We forsee lots more road time in the Jeep & although it's fun - it doesn't get great gas mileage & isn't the safest car on the road. Plus, we realized that we'd eventually like to have a family (now don't get too excited - we have to get Matt at least part way through school before we start thinking seriously about that!!!), & throwing a car seat in the back of a soft-top Jeep just wouldn't cut it. Add to that some pricey, routine maintenance that was coming up (it is a 1998, after all) & we decided it was time to say goodbye. ***Cue tears***<br />
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<b>We resolved that instead of waiting until our family grew to buy a more "practical" car, we would see if we could sell the Jeep in NC </b>where it may go for a higher price than FL (four wheel drive is probably more useful here than in flat Florida!) & buy a (new-to-us) used car pre-move. This was also spurred on by the fact that it costs a small fortune to bring a car into the state of Florida, so we wanted to arrive with our 'long-term' car instead of paying to register the Jeep in Florida & then doing it all over again in a year or two with a different car.<br />
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<b>Whew. I'm getting long winded. Long story shorter.... after a thorough search, we ended up finding the perfect car to suit our needs.</b> A <a href="http://s874.photobucket.com/albums/ab305/bkrocket/2005%20Honda%20Accord%20LX/#%21cpZZ2QQtppZZ20">2005 Honda Accord</a> that had only one owner (a nice middle aged mom), relatively low miles (55k), & was in great condition. A week ago, after our fair share of negotiating plus an inspection & tune-up at a local shop, we forked over the cash for this beauty & drove her home. The seller snapped our photo before we left & emailed to me: <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/16235430_26Pfm#1227457954_5PVjg-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/1227457954_5PVjg-M.jpg" title="" /></a> </div><b>The same night we brought home the Honda, Matt listed the Jeep on Craigslist.</b> He told me that night "no one is going to pay (our list price) for this car." I had suggested starting high (we had negotiated on our Honda & brought the price down $600), & we'd be more likely to get to our goal price by starting higher. 12 hours later we had about 10 emails in our inbox. Needless to say, Matt was surprised. Selling a car through Craigslist is certainly not as easy as trading in at a dealer or selling to Carmax, but we knew the car was worth more than what a dealer would give us (we had quotes from a local dealer & Carmax before listing on Craigslist) & for us, it was worth the hassle of dealing with potential buyers ourselves. Plus, we'd done it once before with our Camry, so we knew the ropes, so to speak.<br />
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<b>Today, one week after listing, the Jeep drove away to it's new home. </b>An older man from Virginia ended up buying our beloved Jeep for just $100 under our list price (so much for Matt's worries). He wanted a car he could put his dogs in & drive to his mountain house off the Blue Ridge Parkway. He also mentioned that his wife had a convertible & he wanted a car he could take the top off, too! We were happy to see the Jeep heading to such a good home. As for the price, we were ecstatic. When we listed the car, we'd hoped that at the end of the day we could walk away with at least $1k <i>less</i> then our list price (after negotiations, etc), but given the high interest level, we soon discovered that we'd priced pretty appropriately.<br />
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<b>We had done our homework. </b>Here are a few things we found to be helpful when buying/selling as a private party ... or as Matt suggested I title this post <b>"How to Sell a Car in (less than) Ten Days"</b>:<br />
<ul><li>Get Edmunds & Kelly Blue Book values on your car & set your price realistically. Your buyers will be looking at the blue book value, so you want to make sure you're in the ball park (with some cushion for negotiations). Be realistic about your car's condition. Keep in mind that for a car to be considered "excellent condition" -- it's probably pretty darn new.</li>
<li>Take your car to a dealer/Carmax to see what the trade-in value would be. This can help set your floor & help in setting a price. If selling your car as a private party doesn't work, at least you know your options!</li>
<li>Look at your Carfax to anticipate what buyers will be looking at & be ready to explain any thing from the Carfax that may reflect poorly (e.g. accidents, liens on the car, etc). No need to create negotiating opportunities down the road. Disclose! Disclose! Disclose! It's good for not only the buyer, but an honest seller avoids surprises that may end a potential deal down the road.</li>
<li>To further that point -- disclose everything you know to be wrong with the car upfront so as not to create a negotiating opportunity for buyers down the line. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but that helped us bring down the price on the Honda. After having it checked out at a shop pre-purchase (for which we footed the bill), we were able to get the seller to bring down the price for some necessary repairs. Had she told us upfront (in her defense, some of the things she wouldn't have known), she may have avoided this discussion all together.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/16235430_26Pfm">Put a ton of photos online</a> so as to weed out potential buyers who wouldn't be interested after seeing some of the car's less endearing qualities. For us - that meant advertising our Jeep's rust & wear & tear that is to be expected on a 13 year old car instead of having them show up to look at the car & then decide they weren't interested. In the end, you don't want to show your car to everyone & their mother, so it's best to only deal with serious buyers. Value your time.</li>
<li>Have a bill of sale ready with appropriate clauses to protect both yourself and the buyer (<i>very important</i> - that you are selling the car in "as is" condition!). Keep a copy for yourself & give one to the buyer. It's not required, but it's a helpful document to have in your files. (You can download samples online; I relied on both my dad & Matt's dad to help draft one).</li>
<li>Be clear on payment upfront. We were paid in cash for both the Camry & the Jeep, but we actually paid using a certified check for our Honda at our seller's request. It's also nice if you can deposit the cash at the same time you're signing over the title (to make sure your buyer's not into any funny business). Our bank doesn't charge to notarize for bank customers, so we could do both at the same time.</li>
<li>Make sure to know the process with your insurance company / bank / DMV / etc. Each state is a little different, so have whatever paperwork they require ready to go! You never know when a buyer may give you a ring!!! Know the process before you list your car! No need to scramble at the last minute.</li>
<li>If you are a buyer, know the registration/title fees, taxes, any changes to your insurance rates, etc. before you shop around. Your budget may be a lot smaller after accounting for all of those costs. If you're buying from a dealer -- the fees skyrocket even more. For example, one dealer wanted to charge us a $499 "dealer fee". Most dealers have these fees, but the amount can vary.</li>
<li>Furthermore, if you plan on registering a car in another state in the near future, get to know that state's registration rules, taxes, etc. For our Honda, Florida's fees & taxes added over $1100 to our car budget on top of what we're paying in North Carolina! Ouch. </li>
</ul><b>Although it all happened pretty fast</b> (Matt got an email this a.m. & within 3 hours, the buyer was in our driveway), we were ready. It was a lucky coincidence that Matt had the day off work today, so all I had to do was drive with him to the bank to sign over the title & make a stop at the DMV on the way home to turn in our tags. He even did all the negotiating & stood his ground on our price! I'm so proud.<br />
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So there is the story of our cars. I doubted that anyone would be all that interested, but when we bought our Honda last week, I posted a photo on facebook & had 2 folks ask if I'd blog about it... so this is for you, Andrew & Emily!Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-15159855199063006412011-03-18T08:34:00.002-04:002011-03-18T08:35:01.608-04:00My hubby is 26 years old today!<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Nature/201103-Spring-on-UNC-Campus/16217464_sYSQU#1219732393_L3JkS-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Nature/201103-Spring-on-UNC-Campus/201103204-2/1219732393_L3JkS-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>To celebrate Matt's 26th, we're going <i>dancing</i>.</b> I've <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-honor-of-february-14th.html">raved </a>before on Matt's mad dancing skills, which (among other reasons) made me swoon for him, & this weekend we're headed to one of our favorite dancing venues.... a wedding! Our college friend & former YL leader, John, is getting married to a sweet Southern lady in North Carolina this weekend. So we get to reunite with some of our all-time favorite people, celebrate John & Cara's nuptials & bust a move while we're at it. We also get to test out our new wheels (read my little post script below) en route to the wedding. Saturday can't come soon enough. Tonight, for Matt's actual birthday, we're going to go out for a birthday dinner, skype with Hannah, open presents & then dig into the yummy carrot cake I made, an annual treat for my man. Carrot cake = Matt's love language. Birthdays are fun. So is my husband. I'm a lucky lady. (BTW - doesn't he look handsome in the photo above? Snapped that last weekend on UNC's campus. It was gettting pretty dark so the color file was a tad bit grainy, but I love it in sepia.)<br />
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<b>P.S. The blog has been pretty "light" content-wise recently.</b> Lots of pictures, but not much copy. That's because we're super busy at the McA house. We bought a car this week (we've been shopping for awhile), listed our Jeep the same day & got a ton of bites, celebrated St. Patty's Day in true McAndrew fashion, been sucked in (willingly) to March Madness & will ring in Matt's 26th bday & John & Cara's wedding this weekend! Whew! We're pooped!!!! I'll be back to blog when life slows down. I actually have a darling post up my sleep (pending the subject's permission to post her photos) & a couple of other things to share. Until then.... Happy Spring! <b>and more importantly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!</b> </div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-51287687680147074962011-03-16T07:26:00.000-04:002011-03-16T07:26:48.043-04:00Photo of the Week: Welcome Spring<div style="text-align: center;">Spring has arrived in North Carolina! This makes me a happy girl!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/16206897_gYvKz#1218196136_JLsdv-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="425" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Friends/201103-Belle/201103335/1218196136_JLsdv-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Photo taken in our friends' backyard in Apex, NC. Can't beat that for a backyard view!)</div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-51922072442944152472011-03-10T17:01:00.000-05:002011-03-10T17:01:26.613-05:00Photos of the Week: University of FloridaI'm starting to think I have a "thing" for college towns.... Champaign, Chapel Hill & now Gainesville. I love college campuses & the energy, sense of community & activity they infuse into the town (I will admit, I could live without Gainesville traffic). Here are some snapshots from UF's campus. Go Gators!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/20112/1210565191_4aZT5-X3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/20112/1210565191_4aZT5-X3.jpg" /></a></div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-16178826202542583592011-03-09T21:11:00.001-05:002011-03-09T21:12:20.903-05:00Guess who I got to see???<div style="text-align: left;">(Psst...miss my last post? Here's a <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/03/success.html">sneak peak of our new home</a>. I'll share interiors in June once we move in!).<br />
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Between apartment appointments & getting to know our new hometown, I also had time while in the Sunshine State to visit with my favorite Floridians: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Katie & Hannah! After wrapping up our apartment search in G-ville, Mom & I met the rest of the fam (minus <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-birthday-matt-s.html">the Matts</a> and <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-birthday-little-bro.html">Mark</a>) halfway in Orlando. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/16124262_RDeZH#1210563879_VTSiX-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="480" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/20111/1210563879_VTSiX-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Hannah naturally stole the show (as she should!) by demonstrating all of the new things she's learned to her Aunt Suz. She can now run (or "Go! Go! Go!"), walk backwards, dance (twirl AND dip), play the air violin & conduct the orchestra (taking after DaDa on that one), talk on the phone (though that's been a favorite pasttime of hers for awhile), play hide-and-seek (she gets seeking, still working on hiding) & laugh on command (seriously, that's the cutest). [Sorry for my overuse of parentheses....the details are just too fun to leave out!]<br />
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She's a darn good communicator, as well. Not only does she communicate via sign language (for words like <i>please, thank you, food, more, etc</i>), she also has a whole lotta words & names in her arsenal. We had such a good time playing, reading books & snuggling. She was very confused as to why I was there without Uncle Matt (or as she calls him "Du Du" short for "Dude"). We made a little video to show off her new tricks to him! Maybe the Hannah show will show up here on the blog sometime... It's pretty cute. Brace yourself for a lot more Hannah blogging come June.... she's only going to be 3 hours away! That makes me one happy aunt.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/16124262_RDeZH#1210564812_TaaU8-A-LB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video
Sharing by SmugMug" height="480" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/2011/1210564812_TaaU8-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-32506450499587859772011-03-08T23:30:00.000-05:002011-03-08T23:30:11.867-05:00Success!<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/16124262_RDeZH#1210566197_7ekhW-A-LB" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201003-Gainesville-House-Hunt/201103019/1210566197_7ekhW-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a>Since our travel schedule wasn't nearly hectic enough the past couple of months, I squeezed in a last minute trip to Florida to look for housing last week. On Thursday morning, I flew to Orlando, got picked up by my sweet mom, & then looked at a <i>ton</i> of condos, townhomes & apartments in our soon-to-be new hometown of Gainesville. We saw our fair share of duds, but thankfully, we also spotted a few winners.<br />
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We've settled on this beauty for our new home. A few things that I love about this place: (1) We'll be only the second tenants in our unit (which happens to be the top floor in the photo below); (2) It's completely tiled (yay for no more nasty apartment carpet!); (3) It has a huge office in addition to 2 bedrooms; (4) It has a separate dining room that will fit our big table (almost every other place had a living/dining combo); (5) It's far away enough from campus that we won't be living in undergrad central, but also close enough for Matt to bike or take the bus to the dental school; (6) It occupies the entire top floor, which means we get screened in porches on both ends of our apartment & because it has a really open floor plan for the living/dining/office/kitchen, we can open up & enjoy a nice cross-breeze (when it's not 1000 degrees in Gainesville).<br />
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All-in-all I'm excited to move in (in June), relieved to have a place to live, & most of all thankful for my excellent partner-in-crime (Mom) who willingly chauffeured me around Gainesville & gave me her honest opinion about each place we walked in to. Thanks, Mom!Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-7751193072959106982011-03-06T21:00:00.006-05:002011-03-07T09:37:13.075-05:00Colorado in Pictures: Denver<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Last stop, Denver!</b> I'm back in NC from Fla. & still blogging about Colorado. Can you say <i>busy</i>? I'll keep it brief because I have a suitcase that needs unpacking & laundry that's calling my name. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196351600_ZdgFc-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102440/1196351600_ZdgFc-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a><b> </b></div>On Monday --our last day in Colorado-- we packed our bags & headed north to Denver. Tara & I were both flying out later that afternoon/evening & Liz thought a day in the big city would truly wrap up our whirlwind weekend out west. We enjoyed our President's Day by just walking around downtown & savoring our last few hours together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1208091876_kyLr2-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="480" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Colorado-3/1208091876_kyLr2-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful day in a beautiful city</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1208092877_8mKuo-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="480" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Colorado-1/1208092877_8mKuo-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Denver</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1208089499_RjunE-A-LB" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="384" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Colorado-2/1208089499_RjunE-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our version of a"group shot"</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Although these ladies are truly 2 of my best friends (we were missing our 4th link... <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-birthday-to-my-sweet-dear-friend.html">Lyndsey</a>, who was with us in spirit), we usually just get to catch up in short visits when we happen to be home at the same time in Vero Beach during the holidays or for weddings. It was such a treat to have a <i>long </i>weekend to reconnect, share our lives, enjoy a beautiful part of our country, & simply love on one another. It was good for my soul. <b>Thanks, Liz & Tara!!!</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1208091645_vy6oQ-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="480" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Colorado-4/1208091645_vy6oQ-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-38172840209439960682011-03-02T22:11:00.001-05:002011-03-02T22:12:13.578-05:00Colorado in Pictures: Manitou Springs<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359348_Mf4YY-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102370/1196359348_Mf4YY-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">We decided it was time to warm up after our chilly walk through <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/03/colorado-in-pictures-garden-of-gods.html">Garden of the Gods</a>, so we headed to a little town west of Colorado Springs called <b>Manitou Springs</b>. Liz claimed it was a "hippie town" which seemed right up our touristy alley. It's also the access point to the Manitou Incline, a near vertical hike gaining 2,000 feet in a mile up old rail road ties. Liz does the Incline on a regular basis because she's hard core like that. (She always has been a tough cookie & I love that about her). Check <a href="http://www.google.com/images?q=manitou+incline&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1368&bih=748">this </a>out. Can you say <i>intense</i>? Liz warmed up with some tea at her favorite spice shop & then we window shopped for awhile. Here are some shots from our lazy afternoon in Manitou...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359410_9CZSQ-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102373/1196359410_9CZSQ-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359302_uyWQd-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102368/1196359302_uyWQd-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359266_VPhuh-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102366/1196359266_VPhuh-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359449_us3Ae-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102376/1196359449_us3Ae-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359896_FYmFn-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102396/1196359896_FYmFn-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359619_UeqvR-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102383/1196359619_UeqvR-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359831_GuPGm-A-LB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102393/1196359831_GuPGm-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359505_mGfFx-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102378/1196359505_mGfFx-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359532_A4bbp-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102379/1196359532_A4bbp-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196359634_iJ4Tf-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video
Sharing by SmugMug" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102384/1196359634_iJ4Tf-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm off to Florida in the a.m.! Be back Sunday to wrap up with some photos from Denver (our last day in Colorado)!</div>Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078230084712166960.post-1830000493823390122011-03-01T23:11:00.000-05:002011-03-01T23:11:10.377-05:00Colorado in Pictures: Garden of the Gods<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1196356814_DJpeL-A-LB" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/201102267/1196356814_DJpeL-M.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="265" /></a>After the <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/02/colorado-in-pictures-cripple-creek.html">Cripple Creek</a>, <a href="http://suzmca.blogspot.com/2011/02/colorado-in-pictures-air-force-academy.html">the Airforce Academy</a>, a fun night on the town, church, and a hearty breakfast at "The Omelette Parlor" (yumm-o), Tara, Liz & I hit the tourist circuit again! We decided to wander through <a href="http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm?flash=1">Garden of the Gods</a> on Sunday afternoon. Garden of the Gods is an amazing park in Colorado Springs full of red rock formations.<br />
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I just love this little<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_the_gods"> historical tidbit</a> about the park:<br />
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<i> The name of the park dates back to August 1859 when two surveyors helping to set up nearby Colorado City were exploring the nearby areas. Upon discovering the site, one of the surveyors, M. S. Beach, suggested that it would be a <b>"capital place for a beer garden."</b> His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, "Beer Garden! <b>Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. </b>We will call it the Garden of the Gods." The beer garden never materialized, but the name stuck.</i><br />
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It was wicked windy & pretty darn chilly (& poor Liz didn'g have any socks on), but we managed to suck it up & enjoy ourselves!<i> </i>How could we not? Check out the photos below. The place is 1000 times better than any beer garden I've visited, & that's coming straight for the mouth of a beer-lover.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Remember how I mentioned the wind. Tara's hair is Exhibit A....<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1203238224_e8ohH-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Nikon-Transfer/1203238224_e8ohH-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Can you spot the "kissing camels"?<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1203238898_7AcGd-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Nikon-Transfer1/1203238898_7AcGd-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">I thanked my lucky stars the sun peaked out. The blue sky against the red rocks is lovely...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1203234588_dx284-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="480" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Nikon-Transfer2/1203234588_dx284-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">More kissing rocks...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1203235530_Bk8sd-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Nikon-Transfer3/1203235530_Bk8sd-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Liz is lucky to have this in her back yard...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1203234615_ALeqD-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Nikon-Transfer4/1203234615_ALeqD-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;">My lovely travel companions...<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1203239091_FtPWd-A-LB" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug"><img alt="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Nikon-Transfer6/1203239091_FtPWd-L.jpg" title="Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">More far-away views of the park...<br />
<a href="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/15942115_RFQcq#1203237019_JmfKf-A-LB" title=""><img alt="" height="400" src="http://mcandrew.smugmug.com/Travel/201102-Colorado/Nikon-Transfer5/1203237019_JmfKf-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>So, I still have to share a few photos & tidbits about <b>Manitou Springs </b>& <b>Denver</b>, which may or may not happen before I jet off to the Sunshine State later this week, but we'll just ride it out. Thanks for stopping by!Suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16805325085840848289noreply@blogger.com0