Whitney's Happy Ever After

Peyton's First 72 Hours

2012-01-18T15:50:00.015-05:00

Peyton's first few hours of life flew by. We waited so long for her to get here that we just loved on her and watched her. For the most part, she looked like me. Same head shape, no hair, little ears, same nose, and eyes. But she seemed to have Bill's petite lips. She was so small, which I would have never imagined! Here are some pictures of visitors and the day we came home.

Neighbors Beth and Camden came to welcome "Baby Peyton"

Aunt Erin, Cousin Braeden and Reece, and Aunt Kelley

Cousin Braeden loved holding Peyton

Breanna and Aubrey meeting Peyton. Aubrey wanted to touch and play so bad!
What is that?
Papaw Tim with Peyton

Peyton and Kellen-only 4 weeks apart

Peyton, Kellen, Reece, and Braeden, grandkids of my mom and dad

Great Papaw Carl and Peyton

Where's my paci?

Look at my long legs!

Beautiful baby

A little yellow

My paci is as big as my head!

Prissy already!

Enough of the pictures! Let's go home!

We are home!

Getting some sun to help get rid of my yellow color!

We love our precious baby girl. Let the adventure begin!

Whitney

The Birth of Peyton Layne Dyer

2012-01-02T21:12:00.018-05:00

I woke up on Monday, August 1st not feeling well. I had a headache and stomach ache, but knew I still needed to get some things done at work so I began to get ready. Well, I just didn't feel right so I layed back down for a little bit. My mind continued to think of work, so I just went back to getting ready. I still didn't feel right, so Bill convienced me to lay back down for a little bit and go into work a little later. So I tried this, but wasn't successful and went back to getting ready. I let the dogs out and moved around when I started getting pelvic pain and pressure, which was something I never experienced before. I decided to push through it, but it got worse and worse. I told Bill and we decided to go for a walk. By this time, I was beginning to think I was in early labor and wanted to push things along. We went for a 20-30 minute walk. I was hoping my water would break, but it didn't. I continued to have pain and pressure. So we talked back and forth about going to the hospital or not. I was at 2-3 cms at my appointment on the Friday before and wasn't really having an contractions and didn't want to go to the hospital if I wasn't in labor. So we called Bill's mom and she said they would do an assessment and decide what to do from there. We tossed it back and forth and decided to just go and see what they woud say. We called my mom and told her and after getting ready and finishing our packing, we headed to the hospital around 9:00. After being admitted and checked, I was still only at 2-3cm, but I was having contractions. The nurses called my doctor and said I could go home and let labor continue or go ahead and have my water broken, since I was going to be induced on that Friday (if she hadn't come before then). We decided we were ready to meet our baby girl! My doctor came around noon to break my water. We hoped she would arrive sometime before the night was over.

As the afternoon went on, I progressed slowly. My doctor came after his office closed and checked me and I was only at a 4-5cm. He said it would probably be in the morning, but I was hoping he was wrong. August 2nd is Bill's birthday and that is the only date I didn't want to have her so that they both could have their own days. They uped my pitocin and I was hoping that would make the labor go quickly.

Bill was testing the camera-the warm carrier where baby will be shortly after birth

Filling in the baby book while waiting and letting time pass

We had visitors come that evening, hoping to be there to meet our baby. Well, she had other plans. I started getting some major back pain around 6. All along I was trying to NOT get the epidural and wanted to see how far I could make it and go as natural as possible. My labor wasn't bad, but I was getting more and more back pain. Around 8:00 that night, I decided to get the epidural. The pain wasn't too bad, but I thought it might get worse and I thought that maybe if I got the epidural, I would dialate sooner and faster. My dad, Bill's mom, my sister and brother-in-law, and Bill's best friend and daughter all came and stayed until about 10:00 and then went home. My doctor came back about that time and said everything was fine, but that it would be morning before she would be here. I turned and looked at Bill and said," Well, I'll never have to get you anything for your birthday again!" We knew Peyton was going to be born on his birthday!

Around 2:00 am on August 2nd, the nurse checked me and I was still at 5-6cm. She seemed a little concerned, which scared me. She said she was going to call the doctor and let him know of my progress. It was then that I prayed that I wouldnt' have a c-section. This was something I didn't want all along and I was afraid it was going to happen. She came back and said the doctor just wanted to up my pitocin some more and move me to my side to keep checking the babies heart rate (I had to keep doing this throughout my labor). I believe that was the trick because I then went from 5-6cm to 7-8 in about an hour.

I had finally reached 10cm at 5:40 am and was ready to push. Since I had an epidural, I wasn't sure how well I would be able to push or for how long, which was something else I feared. Once I started pushing, my doctor told me that the baby had the cord wrapped around her neck. At this point, my husband, who had been so calm, began to freak out, even though the doctor had reassured us everything was fine. I only pushed for a little over 30 minutes. At 6:23 am, Peyton Layne Dyer was born! The doctor immediately untangled the cord from her neck, which was actually wrapped TWICE! Bill and my mom were both in tears, while I was making sure she was still a girl!!! When the doctor held her up for me to see, I began to have tears run down my face as we were granted our miracle and our prayers were answered. The nurses began cleaning her off, while Bill and my mom went to tell Bill's mom and my dad. She didn't cry much and I just sat there and adored her.

Absolutely beautiful

Not too happy, but we sure were!

Finally, Bill came back after telling everyone that she was here safety and what her name was, since we kept the name a secret. I always wanted him to hold her first and it sure brought tears to me eyes to see my love holding our new love!

Bill holding his daughter for the first time

My Loves

After Bill held her, I was able to hold her. It was so special and is something I can't describe. It was so special and I was filled with so much joy to finally be a mommy and so blessed to be given such a gift. Peyton was then taken to the nursery to be weighed, run tests, and given her bath. My family went and got some breakfast while I ordered mine from the cafeteria. I hadn't ate anything, besides jello and popsicle, since Sunday night so I was ready for a meal. Biscuits and Gravy sounded wonderful at the time, but about 5 minutes after I ate it, my stomach didn't agree and it came back up. I still think I had some of the epidural medicine in me and that is why I got nausated.

Once we got into our regular room, I was curious to know how much Peyton weighed. I only gained 9 pounds throughout my pregnancy, so I wanted to see how much of that was Peyton. I figured she was 7 or 8 something, since she had such long arms and legs. My mom came and told me that she weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce! I was shocked! She was so much smaller than I had ever thought! They finally brought her down to my room when they were done. I was so excited to see who she looked like, since I only saw and held her for a few minutes. I also wanted to see how long her toes were, etc. She definitely looked like me, had such long arms and legs like my dad, and had very little hair.

Still in the fetal position

My mom checking her hair out

So peaceful

Already sticking her tongue out at people!

The board in our room

After feeding her and when my parents left, Bill and I were exhausted and ready for some rest! We were so happy to be parents, but needing our rest before our rollercoaster began.

More pictures of Peyton to come!

Whitney

July-New Nephew, Garden Treasure, and Baby Room

2012-01-02T19:21:00.017-05:00

July was a pretty busy month as we were preparing for the arrival of our baby girl at any point. Here are some other things that were happening as well.

My sister Laurie began having contractions at the end of June, but the baby hadn't dropped far enough for her to be induced. But on the 4th of July, she headed to the hospital anyway because she thought she was in labor. My mom and sister went to stay with my nephews Braeden and Reece while they went to the hospital. She was sent home around midnight, but had a doctor's appointment the next day. By 1:30 that afternoon, she had gone from 0cm to 3cm. Her doctor told her to go home and relax because she would more than likely have the baby within a couple of days. My mom and sister took my nephews home with them and it was a good thing. My sister began having hard contractions and by the time my brother-in-law got home from work that night (around 6 or after), she was ready to head to the hospital. She was only there an hour and didn't even have time to get an epidural before sweet baby Kellen Reilly Petty was born at 8:01 on July 5th. He weighed 7lbs even and was 20 inches long. Bill and I went to the hospital to visit the next night. Big brother Braeden with Kellen.

The Petty boys: Braeden, Kellen, and Reece
Reece had no interest in pictures or the baby!

Yeah, he's a handful!

Tiny Kellen

Looks just like brother Reece

So precious!

I LOVE zucchini from the garden. This big guy grew this big in about a day!

My Lucy girl!

I wanted to share some pictures of our baby girl's nursery! I love how it turned out!

Baby's crib

Super cute bedding

My roommate Allison got baby girl these super cute cupcakes that her sister makes. They were so adorable I wanted to take a picture of them before I used them. Her sister's boutique is Harper and Grace Boutique. They have a Facebook page. Check them out!

Love & Blessings,

Whitney

My Baby Shower

2012-01-02T17:12:00.022-05:00

My sister's put together a baby shower for me on Sunday, June 12th. It was a great time and I was very blessed by everyone that came and all of the sweet things that our baby girl will get to enjoy. Below are some pictures of the great day!

Prego sisters! Me and my sister Laurie. Our due dates are 3 1/2 weeks apart!
Sisters!
Kelley, Laurie, me, Michael, and Erin

Flower socks as centerpieces on the tables

Closer look at the little signs

Table decorations

Diaper cake my sister made me

Food table

Cake and cupcakes my dear friend Makayla made

More cupcakes!

Trying to guess the candy bar in the diaper

Toilet paper game. As you can see, I gained all 9 pounds in the behind!

Grady helped me open my gifts! Tub from the best jewelry lady Jenny!

Blanket from Great Aunt Phyllis

Cute outfits from Aunt Laurie

Cardinal onesies from Aunt Kelley, Erin, and Michael

My best friend Amy, sister Laurie, and I. We were all due within 6 weeks.

College roommate Tara and I. So glad she could make it down!

Bill got a shower present from his mom

Ready for delivery!

Love & Blessings,

Whitney

30 Week Ultrasound

2012-01-02T16:54:00.005-05:00

Bill and I went on May 30th to try and have another 3D ultrasound of Little Miss. As usual, she was being difficult! She had her hand and foot in front of her face, so we weren't able to do the 3D. But the ultrasound tech did take some good regular ultrasound shots. We finally got a good profile picture of her and as you can see from the last picture, she is sucking her big toe!

Whitney

May Bringings

2011-12-31T14:09:00.006-05:00

The month of May came and went. Bill began painting our baby girl's room the first week of May. He had been dieing to paint, but it took so long to find out what the baby was and then I wasn't sure which bedding I wanted. We looked and looked and kept coming back to the Tropical Punch by Cocalo. Once it came in, Bill took it to work and matched the paint and he began painting. He started it, but a friend of his finished it and put the white chair rail between the shebert and pink colors. Here are some of the beginning pictures of the room.

A closer look at the colors: shebert and pink

Almost finished!

A few days later, May 6th, I had another doctor's appointment. It was the lovely glucose test. I didn't think the drink was that bad, but it wasn't good either. So we went and had blood drawn. We also decided to try for the 3D ultrasound that day. Bill went with to see his baby girl for the first time. Well, she had other plans. She was laying face down and didn't want us to see her. So we rescheduled for 2 weeks later. After the doctor, we headed to Evansville to get my baby registry set up. Boy, that takes forever!!! But it was fun. We also did some shopping. Before we left, we were able to pick up Bill's mom from Deaconess Gateway and bring her home! From my last post, she was in the hospital for a week at Washington, but then decided to be transfered to Deaconess to try and find out what was wrong with her leg. She saw many doctors, including specialists. Unfortunately, nothing was ruled the cause, but she was on medicine and had improved enough to go home.

Later that next week, I found out I PASSED my glucose test! YAH! I was worried since both my mom and sister had had gestational diabetes while pregnant.

At the end of May, my best friend Amy had her baby shower in Odon. She is having TWIN girls and is due at the end of August, but more than likely have them a month early, which is around the time little miss is due. It has been so fun to share pregnancy talks and info with her. I loved sharing our first pregnancies together.

My mom eating the dirty diaper! It was a game where you had to try and guess the candy bar in the diaper.

High School friends at Amy's shower

Whitney

April Things

2011-12-31T13:13:00.017-05:00

On Friday, April 8th, I had a doctor's appointment. I also was hoping to find out if Baby Dyer was a boy or girl. We had already tried 2 times and the baby had it's legs cross both times. The ultrasound tech thought she knew on the second time what it was, but didn't want to say for sure. Bill and I decided that we would try 1 more time and if we didn't find out, we were just going to wait until the baby arrived. As the time before, I drank a HUGE glass of OJ to try and get this baby moving around. Bill didn't go with my because I had another way of telling him in mind. After seeing the doctor, I went to the ultrasound room and it didn't take but 5 minutes and she told me what the gender was. Third times the charm! So I called my friend who was making a cake that had icing in the middle to reveal the baby's gender. Didn't she do an awesome job?

When Bill got home that night, I got the cake out and let him cut into it to see what color the icing was in the middle. To our surprise.....it's a GIRL!!!! We thought/wanted a boy, but are very excited to have a girl! Here is little MISS's ultrasound pic!

Baby GIRL Dyer!

Already have some swelling!

In the middle of April, we had some horrible storms rip through our area. Since I go to sleep so early, we were awoken to the sound of high winds. My husband is scared of storms, so he rushed the dogs and I to the basement. I'm not scared of storms, but I must say, this was probably the most scared I have been. The wind was so strong it was shaken our basement door. Here are some pictures of our damage.

Around this same time, Bill's mom was put in the hospital. She had a spot on her foot that kept bothering her and made it tough to walk. One night, she got sick, had the chills, and was somewhat out of it. They took her to the ER and kept her at the hospital in Washington for a week. They never could figure out what it was exactly. They thought it was celluites, a spider bite, etc. Her leg turned all sorts of colors and was just awful.

The last weekend in April, my nephew Braeden had his 7th birthday party. Still doens't seem possible. It was a park in Bloomington and it was a really nice day, even though it was a bit chilly. Here are some pictures from the big party.

Braeden's treasure chest cake

Nephew Reece with my mom and dad

Bill playing tennis with Reece. This was when Reece told me, "I'm not very good." So cute!

My prego sis and her "Pirate Booty"

Braeden trying to bust the pinata

All the kids getting the candy

Getting ready to blow out the candles! Happy 7th Birthday Braeden!

Much more to come!

Whitney

Yes, I'm back....More updating!

2011-12-31T13:07:00.003-05:00

I apologize for the leave of absence!!! As you can imagine, life has been crazy and when I actually have time to get on the computer, blogging just never seems to be apealing or I just never get the chance. One of my New Year's Resolutions to blog as much as possible! I want to remember all the things we have done over the year, especially with Peyton as she grows so fast. So hopefully I can get the chance to blog everyday or every other. So enjoy my updating...

Whitney

Sandy's GIVING THANKS GIVEaway!

2011-11-13T20:31:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! I know I have a lot of updating to do...all things baby, but I wanted to give you all a chance at an amazing giveaway! Our amazing photographer, Sandy Clarke, is having a GIVING THANKS GIVEaway and you all can join!!! Just head on over to Sandy's blog, www.sandyclarkephotgraphy.com, like all of the Facebook pages, make a status on Facebook, make a post on your blog, and leave a comment on her blog! It's that simple! So many awesome prizes to win, as well as vendors for future reference! But you have to hurry! GIVEaway ends tomorrow at midnight! Good luck!!!

Whitney

March Happenings

2011-07-04T15:53:00.008-04:00

The month of March brought nicer, warmer days, as well as some busy weekends. My childhood friend Audrey had a baby shower the first weekend in March. She was expecting her first child in April, a girl whose name would be Annabelle Marilyn. Her middle name Marilyn is after Audrey's sweet grandma Marilyn who passed away from cancer. It was so nice catching up with her and our other friends. It was also the first time seeing my best friend Amy pregnant. She is expecting twins and it was so nice to see her smile and happy after the long awaiting to get pregnant. Here are some pictures from that day.

The three pregos: Audrey, me and Amy

Friends at the shower

Our weekends during the month of March were spent watching the North Daviess Cougars basketball team. They were fortunate to win Sectional at home, win Regional at Loogootee, but just come up short at the Southport Regional against the eventual State Champion. Our team wasn't expected to win the sectional, so it was great to see them work as a team and go all the way to Semi-State. Great season Cougars!

Even though we would have loved to go to State to cheer on the Cougars, the next weekend I went with my parents and sisters (Bill had to work :( ) to my nephew Braeden's basketball game. He is in a league for 6-7 year olds and he has improved so much over the year. We ate lunch at Texas Roadhouse on the way up, watched his game, and stopped at Sam's on the way home. Here are some pictures of my growing nephew.

Pre-game warm-ups

Braeden

Shooting some hoops before the second half

My dad and nephew Reece

Braeden at the end of the game

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Valentine's Surprise

2011-07-04T14:24:00.013-04:00

Trying to catch up on blogging is easier said then done! There is so much going on in life and pregnancy tiredness has taken over. Here's to updating this blog and getting is as close to up-to-date as possible!

Valentine's Day was nothing special for Bill and I this year. The day was during the week, so we went to Evansville the Saturday before and went to Outback and ate. On the actual day, we just exchanged cards. I did get Bill a massage and he got me some roses. We did decide to go out to eat at Pizza Hut! Romantic I know, but it actually sounded good to this pregnant woman! But before we went to town, we stopped by his mom's to see our great niece in her Valentine outfit that we had got her before she was born. Miss Aubrey looked adorable!

Miss Aubrey Marie

A little blurry, but cute as ever!

We got a little smile out of her!

Not sure why this picture didn't turn, but we put the headband on her head that I got her too! She is such a happy baby!

That night Bill took our Lucy out to potty before bedtime and she wanted to go one way and he went the other and broke the plastic part on her collar. So the next day he had to go to the pet store and get her a new one. Well, while he was there, he say they had a boxer pup for sale. If anyone knows Bill, they know he has always wanted a boxer. So he sent me a text and some pictures and we discussed it. I really couldn't resist not giving this sweet little guy a home, especially with all of my pregnancy hormones. So we went from not having any dogs to 2 dogs and a baby within a year and a half! Bill brought home Max that night and here are some pictures of Max's first bath and Lucy trying to figure out who is taking up her space!

Bill and Max after his bath

Sweet little face!

Lucy wasn't sure what was going on!

Lucy investigating Max, while Max tries to dry off

Our two sweet fur babies!!!

Tiny Max

More pictures to come of our growing Max!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

~Baby Dyer~

2011-04-05T21:15:00.008-04:00

As many of you already know (as I'm behind on blogging again), Bill and I are expecting a little bundle of joy at the end of July! We are so excited and feel blessed that God has given us this child that we have so eagerly prayed for. For those that don't know, I had a molar pregnancy last year that was very devastating and demanding. I had to have blood work every month for six months to make sure that my HCG levels were at a certain number. For these six months, we were not allowed to try for another baby. But God has shown how faithful and loving he is after a year of heartache. Here are some details so far! Due Date: July 29th, which is special because it will be 6 years to the day that Bill and I went on our first date! When we found out: I am never late, so I had an idea that I was pregnant. We waited until the end of November/beginning of December before I took a test. I had one left over, but also bought a 2-pack. Test #1-positive, Test#2-positive, Test #3 (yes, I wanted to be sure)-positive! I was simply overjoyed, but from our previous experience, I wouldn't rule anything out until I had gone to the doctor and see "Herbie" in the ultrasound. I went to the doctor on December 22nd and I was extremely nervous, especially for the ultrasound. I couldn't look at the screen at all, until the doctor said "ok, there it is." I looked at the screen and there was my little baby. I will never forget that moment as the anxiety and weight were lifted as I saw my precious gift from God in my belly. I was speechless and so overjoyed. I couldn't wait for Bill to get home and share the news. We both cried and laughed and just couldn't believe we were going to be parents. Here are Herbie's 8 week ultrasound pictures.

Bill and I wanted to wait until I was around 12 weeks, near the end of the first trimester, before we told anyone. I went to the doctor for the 12 week appointment on January 17th. Everything looked good, which I was so thankful for. For me, it is such a relief to hear the heartbeat and see the movement.

Since everything was going good, we decided to share the news with our family first, close friends, and finally anyone else who wanted to know! HA! My mom's birthday is January 19th, so we thought it would be perfect to tell my parents and sisters that day, as well as Bill's mom. After supper at Bobe's, we all went to my parents' house for cake. We made mom open her presents first. I had ordered her a pair of Lia Sophia earrings for her birthday, but I didn't receive them by her birthday. So I took a couple of Lia Sophia boxes that I had and wrote the note, "These earrings will arrive in a week or two." And in the other box I put the ultrasound pictures that I had with a note saying, "And I will arrive around July 29th." Everyone was thrilled and excited. After leaving my parents, we went to Bill's mom's. I had printed off a house plan that I was hoping she would think was our house. We have talked abour remodeling, but that is years down the road. At the bottom of the house plan, I wrote, "Here are the plans for our new 'addition'. We are adding on by two feet." She didn't get it at first and Breanna had to help her! They were excited and glad Aubrey will have someone to play with in the future.

2 days later we went to supper with Bill's dad and stepmom. I hadn't given Tim his birthday card yet, so we decided to write "Happy Birthday Papaw. See you in July" in the card. They were both very excited and can't wait to have another grandchild.

After telling grandparents and family, we shared the news with close friends and it seemed the whole world knew within a few days.

Herbie at 12 weeks

I have been extremely blessed and have NOT been sick! PTL!!! In the beginning, I woke up with a stomach ache, but never had morning sickness. I have only thrown up when I had a headache and when I forgot to eat with my prenatal vitamin. Stupid me! At the beginning of the 2nd trimester, there were 2 weeks were I had a headache everyday, but I read that that was normal. I was extremely tired for about 10 weeks. I wanted to do absolutely nothing but lay down or sleep. I would come home from work and lay in bed, eat supper, and go back to bed. Thank goodness that is gone, even though Bill was great throughout and helped with so much around the house. Other than that, I have been perfectly fine. I feel bad for women who have really bad sickness for long periods of time because everything has been so smooth for me.

Baby Dyer at 20 weeks-look at that spine!

I only have a short list of cravings that have taken over. Breadsticks with cheese, especially pepperoni are always at the top of my list!!! Cottage cheese is in my daily menu!!! I have drank more milk since becoming pregnant than I have my entire life. There is just something about that cold drink that satisfies me! And for some reason Big Macs from McDonald's! I know most of you are thinking that is disgusting and I'm sure I will once this baby is born! But there was a McDonald's commercial on one day with a Big Mac and it sounded good. Once I ate it, my body wants one weekly!!! Other than that, I still eat the same things. Nothing that I liked before sounds awful either. My eating habits have pretty much stayed the same, beside the few cravings listed above.

Another shot at 20 weeks.

I just can't express how happy and excited we are to become parents and raise this child. It is a huge blessing that we know can easily be taken for granted. I pray for those that desperately want a child, but for some reason have not. God has a plan for each of us and even though we may not understand it, he knows what is best for us in HIS timing. I'm so thankful that we were granted this miracle in HIS timing.

More updates on "Herbie" soon. (Yes, this is a silly name, but it seemed to fit!)

Whitney

Look Out for Lucy!!!

2011-03-21T20:09:00.012-04:00

Someone is wanting to play! Our fur baby is growing and growing. Here are her latest pictures with dad and after having a fun afternoon digging in the yard.

Tackling dad while he was doing his back exercises

Resting on dad

She brings so much joy to our lives!!!

Dirty girl after digging in the yard all afternoon

She definately needed a bath after this!

She had sand from head to toe!

But she sure had fun!

We sure can't imagine our lives without our Lucy girl! She is definately our spoiled, baby girl!

Remember me.....

2011-03-21T19:37:00.009-04:00

If not, I don't blame you. As you will find out, things have been very busy and exciting at the Dyer household. It seems as soon as I get caught up on my blog, then something comes along and I get behind again! Anyway, here are some pictures of our last Christmas (I know this was so long ago, right) on New Year's Day at Bill's mom's.

Bill opening a present at his mom's

Christmas Story drinking glasses

Sweet Willie

Nephew Joe, bro-in-law Brian holding Aubrey, sis-in-law Angie, and niece Sadie

Niece Breanna opening her North Face jacket

Uncle Joe holding Aubrey

I will do my best to get up-to-date on my blogging. It is definately something I need to do and want to document during this precious time and until a big day in July. Stay tuned ya'll!

Whitney

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T15:22:00.036-05:00

I love Christmas and I was so excited for it come, but boy did it come and go so quickly! I felt I barely got my shopping done, wrapped the gifts, and gave them in such little time! Our Christmas started on Saturday, December 18th with Christmas at my parent's house. We ate yummy lasagna and desserts. We played a word search, which announced that my older sister and brother-in-law were expecting their 3rd child in July. Congrats to them. We then opened presents and enjoyed fun and laughs.

My sister Kelley with nephew Reece

Reece opening his microphone from Bill and I.

My nephew Braeden opening his gifts.

Bill got a magic kit from Terry, the magician in Gatlinburg!

Braeden got some books.

Reece loves Yo Gabba Gabba!

He got a hold of a DVD

Reece with Kelley's glasses and his favorite toy, basketball!

The next Christmas Bill and I attended was at his dad and stepmom's on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera, but we enjoyed yummy broccoli cheese noodle soup, conversations with family, laughing, and the start of the Christmas Story, Bill's favorite Christmas movie.

The next morning we awoke to a beautiful white Christmas. It has been so long since we have had a white Christmas and I was so happy to see the calm and peace of the outdoors on such a meaningful morning.

Beautiful White Christmas

Lucy loved the White Christmas too!

She likes to eat the snow

Our little fur baby!

After letting Lucy enjoy the morning snow, Bill and I ate our annual Christmas breakfast of coffee and cinnamon rolls, while we watched the Christmas Story. Then, we let Lucy downstairs so she could play with her toys and treats from Santa. She loved them and didn't know which one to play with.

Lucy and Bill with her gifts

Lucy sitting so she can get a treat

She loved her new toys!

After Lucy opened her gifts, Bill and I opened our gifts. One of Bill's Christmas gifts was his 1964 Impala that he plans to restore, which he got in November, so he didn't get as many gifts this year, but he didn't mind. He did spoil me too much though. I got lots of goodies, including a diamond necklace. We then got ready and headed my grandparents in Bloomfield. We ate lunch and opened gifts.

Addy opening her baby doll

Taegan opening her Belle doll

The present madness at my grandparents!

Reece opening one of my presents

Reece and his fohawk!

Miss Taegan

Reece, Taegan, and I

After Christmas at my grandparents, we had one more Christmas for the day. We headed over to Bill's aunt Sandy and Uncle Dick's house. We opened presents, ate yummy food, and played cards.

Aubrey's First Christmas

Bill and I got Tony and Sheila matching underwear!

Waiting for their turn to open presents

More waiting

Bill got the Notre Dame Leprechan!

The day after Christmas we headed over to my aunt Becky's for the Sprinkle Christmas. We watched the Colts game, enjoyed the little kids opening their gifts, yummy soups, and laughed while Lanie gave Erin a makeover with her makeup!

The great grandkids opening their gifts

Kilee, Lexi, and Caleb

Kilee with her pom poms

Reece opening his Elefun game

Grandma with her new mowing hat

We still have one more Christmas tomorrow at Bill's mom. I will post on that soon. We had a great Christmas and hope everyone else did too!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Aubrey Marie

2010-12-31T15:04:00.006-05:00

On Monday, December 20th, my niece Breanna gave birth to a baby girl, Aubrey Marie at 12:29 p.m. She was 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 19 1/2 inches long. After work, Bill and I went to the hospital to see the beautiful baby and her mom.

Not sure why this picture didn't rotate, but here is baby Aubrey
Tiny little girl

She finally opened her eyes!

My sister Erin holding Aubrey

Great Uncle Bill holding Aubrey. This picture is special because I have a picture exactly like it of Bill holding Breanna just 18 years ago.

Welcome to the World Aubrey!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

First Snow of the Year!

2010-12-31T14:58:00.003-05:00

The first snow of the year arrived early in December and to me, the first snow is always exciting! This was Lucy's first experience with snow and she absolutely loved it!

Lucy playing in her first snow

Lucy girl

She loved the snow!

Even though it wasn't a lot of snow, she had fun!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

November Happenings

2010-12-31T13:33:00.011-05:00

After the crazy, busy month of October, November slowed down and wasn't as eventful. The first weekend in November I helped with Passion for Purity, a high school girls retreat on living a pure life for God. This is definately one of my passions in life and I want to help young women make the best choices in their lives. This year we discussed the book "Kissed the Girls and Made Them Cry" and our theme was making the girls realize they can have a Happy Ever After with their Prince, our Savior! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

My neighbor Sarah Smith and I.

My small group with their princess crowns

Olivia, Tori, me, Sarah, Tori, and Lorrissa-love these girls!

Here are some pictures of Lucy during November. She loves being outside and I got some good shots of her for once. She seems to always move when I snap a picture!

Lucy with her favorite outside toy!

She is getting so big! Not much of a puppy anymore!

I had Bill get me a bail of hay for my Halloween/fall decor outside with mums and pumpkins. Well, Lucy had other plans and one night when I came home, she had destroyed it! But, as it got colder, she loved to lay on it because it kept her warm.

Lucy laying in the hay and playing with her toys

Love my fur baby!

Running back toward me

Proof she is a digger

Someone loves playing outside!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Notre Dame game

2010-12-31T12:30:00.021-05:00

As long as I've known my husband Bill, he has been crazy about Notre Dame football. He has been a fan his whole life, so for his birthday in 2008, I got him tickets to his first ND football game. He was so excited about it. He has gone every year with his cousin Tony, but this year, the wives got to go. So on the Friday before the game, we ordered pizza and watched Ruby, which is their tradition. Then the next day, we left bright and early at 5 AM! We drove to Kokomo before we stoppped to eat breakfast at IHop. Then traveled the rest of the way to South Bend. We parked and headed to the stadium and gift shops. I love tailgating, but I had never seen tailgating like they do up there. We went into the Joyce Center to look around and use the restroom and found Tony Rice and Allen Pickett were signing autographs. So we got in line and the guys got their picture with them.
We then continued to walk around and take in the atmosphere. It was fun. We then headed to the stadium for the game.

Sign outside of the stadiums

Inside the football stadium

Another view of the stadium

Touchdown Jesus behind the scoreboard

The Notre Dame band playing before the game

HERE COME THE IRISH!!!

Notre Dame Touchdown

The Leprechan

Singing with the band after the game

Unfortunately, Notre Dame lost in the final minutes of the game to Tulsa. It was a good game, but the guys have been to three games and have seen ND lose all three! Hopefully, the next time they will win! After the game, we walked around the stadium, looked around the campus, and bought some gifts.

Bill and I after the game

Bill's cousin Tony and wife Sheila

Full view of Touchdown Jesus

The outside of the stadium

Bill with Touchdown Jesus-I can't believe how much he smiles when he gets his picture taken with something he actually wants to!

Bill with the Ara Parseghian statue

Touchdown Jesus at night

Statue outside of the library

It's blurry, but it's the Golden Dome

The Gratto (spelling)

It was so peaceful and beautiful

After leaving South Bend, we stopped to eat and then traveled to Kokomo to stay the night. We got up the next day, ate breakfast, then made our way home. It was a long couple of days, but we all had a great time and I'm glad the guys got to enjoy one of their favorite past times!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Birthday Celebration in Gatlinburg

2010-12-05T18:07:00.013-05:00

I've started this post about 10 times, but have never finished! My husband had teased me for about 2 months about my birthday surprise. He would only tell me we were getting away, but he can't keep a secret very well and I would ask questions every so often that caught him off guard and got him to admit we were going to Gatlinburg for the weekend. My birthday was on Friday, October 22nd, which was my Friday off. So we left around 2 p.m. on Thursday the 21st for Gatlinburg. We ate a late lunch/early dinner and made it to Gatlinburg around 8 or so. We stayed in a cabin and unloaded the car and had pizza delivered, when I realized I had forgotten all my toilettries at home! I was so mad! So we went out around 10 at night to a local grocery store to get everything that I needed. When we got back, there was a a Chevy Suburban parked at our cabin! Bill looked at me and said SURPRISE!!! The vechile belongs to my older sister and brother-in-law, who Bill had invited down to spend the weekend with us! I was definately surprised! So we sat and talked that night, but went to bed to prepare for the next day.

On Friday, my birthday, Bill and Ryan, my brother-in-law made breakfast for us. We then got ready and headed to Gatlinburg. We did some shopping, went to the Ripley's haunted house, which was funny, ate a Bubba Gump Shrimp for lunch, and went on the Sky Lift. Here are some pictures.

Ryan as Forrest Gump

My brother-in-law Ryan and sister Laurie

The view from the top of the Sky Lift

So beautiful!

Bill and I

Ryan and Laurie

After being in Gatlinburg that day, we went back to the cabin to get ready for the night. We ate supper at Calhoun's, which was so good, then we headed to the Titanic Museum. This was one of my birthday presents, as I wanted to visit the museum since last summer, but it was not open yet. The museum was definately my favorite part of the trip. As soon as you enter, you are given cards of people that were on the ship and you have to find their artifacts. There are so many items and interesting things to learn about. They have a room that is the exact temperature the night the ship sank and water that was the temperature it sank, which was EXTREMELY COLD! They wouldn't let you take any pictures, but I did take the picture below. As you can see, my husband died on the Titanic!

The view from the outside! I definately recommend this to anyone!

After we left the Titanic Museum, it was late, but we decided to get some ice cream and then head back to the cabin. We played pool and then headed to bed.

The next day we went to Pigeon Forge for the day. We went shopping, played putt putt, rode go-carts, and ate yummy food. We went to the Ripley's Aquarium, which is always fun. Bill and I went there last summer and enjoyed it again. This year they added the penguin exhibit and it was really neat.

Pengiuns are my favorite!

Baby pengiuns that were very young!

Sting rays

My yummy birthday cake!

After the aquarium, we went back to the cabin and watched football and played cards. The next day we left early to head home. It was such a fun weekend, but we had to go back to reality. I was really glad I got to spend it was family and my amazing husband. I had such a great birthday!

More updates to come

Whitney

Colts vs. Chiefs Game

2010-11-15T17:43:00.024-05:00

WOW! Was October a crazy month for Bill and I! We were gone every weekend and there was just no time to catch up on my blog. So (hopefully) in the next few days, I can get get caught up on what has been going on.

A guy I work with has season tickets to the Colts games. He doesn't go to all of them, so I had the chance to pick a game and buy some tickets. These tickets weren't cheap, but I knew they would probably be the best seats that I would ever have. We left around 9 on Sunday morning and got to Indy around 11:30. Once we got inside the stadium, we looked at shirts, got something to eat and drink, and checked out our seats. We were lucky enough to go to the first home game in October for the Colts, as they celebrated Breast Cancer month. It was such a great atmosphere, especially since my favorite color is pink :)! Although the Colts didn't play well that day, they did win and we had a great time. I really enjoyed being so close to the players, especially my man, PEYTON MANNING!!!! Here are some pictures from our Colts day.

View from our seats

Colts players warming up

My wonderful hubby and I

The Colts running out on the field!

The Pink Ribbon to support Breast Cancer with all of the survivors!

Some of the players and coaches during the National Anthem

The Championship banners

Captains at center field for the coin toss

The first play of the game was right in front of us!

Offense trying to score a touchdown

The Colts Cheerleaders had pink warmups and Pom Poms. Blue was renamed Pink for the day!

Some of the defense players resting

Offense making plays down field

Peyton during a timeout

The Colts Bench

Offense hoping to move the ball down the field

Running Back Joseph Addai, who was injured during the game

COLTS WIN!!!!

Celebrating with Pink Ribbons

Peyton giving post game interview.

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Never Say Never

2010-10-11T19:39:00.006-04:00

I always said I never wanted to have my hair color anything but blonde, but my amazing hair stylist, who has been a life long friend, convienced me to change things up a little bit and get low lights this time instead of highlights. I was very nervous, but I get bored with my hair easily, so I decided to go for it. I knew that if I didn't like it she would change it or that it would grow out. As it turned out, it wasn't much of a change at all and I like it! Here are some pictures...

Before

After

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Tara and Brian's Wedding

2010-09-30T20:05:00.015-04:00

One of my roommates from college Tara married her college sweetheart Brian on Saturday, September 18th. Tara and Brian make a great couple and have waited for their special day for a long time. It was a sweet ceremony and the reception was at the Fountain Sqaure Theatre in Indianapolis. Here are some pictures from the celebration of Mr. and Mrs. Holcomb!

Here comes the bride and her father

Saying their vows

Brian kissing his beautiful bride

Mr. and Mrs. Holcomb

The beautiful cake

Mr. and Mrs. Dyer

First dance

The beautiful bride and I!

Congrats to Tara and Brian! Wishing you many years of wedding bliss!!!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday!

2010-09-30T18:14:00.012-04:00

On Saturday, September 4th, we celebrated my nephew Reece's 2nd Birthday. His actual birthday is on the 5th, but Saturday was a great day to celebrate and get together as a family! We ate lunch, had "Gabba" cake, played games, danced, opened presents, and enjoyed socializing with others. Here are some pictures from Reece's Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday Party!

Party bags and bubbles with characters for all of the kids

Reece's awesome Yo Gabba Gabba cake

Birthday Boy with his Cake!

Reece and his mommy

Reece during the Dance Party

Big kids and little kids dancing!

Playing games

Pineta time!

All of the kids getting their candy

Reece opening his presents

Happy Birthday Reecer! Uncle Bill and Aunt Whitney love you very much!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

August Adventures

2010-09-19T16:59:00.013-04:00

Once again, I'm behind on my blogging!!! August was a slow, quiet month for us, which wasn't a bad thing at all! Don't get me wrong, I love being with friends and family and being busy, but I also love relaxing and spending time at home! Here are some of the things we did during the month of August!

My husband Bill's birthday is August 2nd, and since it was on a Monday this year, we celebrated with my mom, dad and sisters, Bill's mom and niece, and Bill's friend Andy and his daughter Marissa on the Sunday before. We had BBQ ribs, cheesy potatoes, green beans, chips, and more. Everything was really good. We also had cake and homemade ice cream! All of these were Bill's request!

Bill's chocolate birthday cake with the whipped icing!

Birthday Boy!

Bill and I decided to get an Invisible Fence for Lucy. We hate that if she is outside that she has to be on a leash or tied up, so we thought it was the best thing for her. She has done really good with it and knows not to get very close to it! Although it was a little late in the summer, Lucy got a pool the second week of August! Bill brought it home and filled it up and she didn't know what to think! She thought it was a big bowl to drink out of! I had to get my feet in the pool so she would get the idea of what it was for! But now she loves it and will get in and out and roll around in the dirt! She loves being outside!

Bill filling the pool up, while Lucy gets a drink!

Waiting on the pool to fill up!

She loved it!

Lucy all wet in her pool!

Here are some other pictures of Lucy. She was laying in our bed one day and was chewing on her chewy and had some on her nose and didn't even know it!

On August 29th, Bill and I went on a bus trip with one of the radio stations in Washington to Cincinnati to see the Cubs and Reds play. Bill has been a Cubs fan his entire life and even though I'm a Cardinals fan, I decided to go and enjoy the day with my husband. There was a bus full of people that went, which included Bill's brother Brian and wife Angie, Bill's dad Tim and stepmom Rita, and Bill's uncle David and girlfriend Jeanie. We left around 7:30 from Washington and got to Cincinnati around 11:30. The game started @ 12:30 and ended around 5. We didn't get home until 9:30. It was a really HOT and long day, but we had fun with family, even though the Reds won and Bill had a few choice words with the drunk idiots behind us! Here are some pictures from that day!

Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati

Bill and I

(notice my Cardinals shirt!)

The ballpark sits right on the river!

The view from our seats!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

July Review

2010-09-06T15:00:00.015-04:00

I am behind on my blogging, so I should start with the rest of July, after we got back from our Disney vacation. On Saturday July, 10th, we went to Annalie Scudder and Stephen Brooks' wedding. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera, but it was a beautiful ceremony. Congrats to the happy couple!

The next day I went to a baby shower for Tiffany Shake. Tiffany and I went to high school together and she is expecting her first child, a girl in September. It was fun seeing her and some of my other friends from high school. Here is a picture of us all!

Ashley Knepp, me, Tiffany Shake, Audrey Bullock, DeAnne Wittmer, and D'Andrea Stoll

The next weekend, Bill and I went to Michigan with my dad, mom, and sisters Kelley, Erin, and Michael to for Emilee Harp and Lucas Campbell's wedding. My dad and Emilee's dad Steve have been best friends since high school and our families have stayed close over the years. Here are some pictures from Emilee and Lucas's big day!

Emilee and Lucas during the cermony

The wedding cake and the Groom's John Deere cake

Emilee's older sister Jen and twin sister Natalee giving their speeches.

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell

Bill and I at the reception

On Monday, July 19th, Bill and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We both had to work that day, so we just went out to dinner that night. It wasn't anything special, but we were together and that was all that mattered. I can't believe we have been married for 2 years, but I'm so glad I'm married to my best friend!

On Saturday, July 24th, my roommate from college Tara had her bridal shower in Indy. Tara and I lived on the same floor our freshman and sophomore years and lived in an apartment together the next 2 years. She is getting married in September and it was great to see her.

Kelley, Sarah, me, and Tara.

Kelley and Sarah lived in the apartment across from us.

Old roomies!

The next day, Sunday, July 25th, was the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was suppose to be really hot that day, but actually turned out to be a nice day. I got really sunburned because I forgot to put on sunscreen! Stupid me! The race was pretty good and had a different winner than usual. Here are some pictures from the day!

Dallas Clark of the Indianapolis Colts waving the green flag!

The field under a caution

Brickyard 400 winner Jamie McMurray

My favorite driver Jeff Gordon!

Jamie's victory lap!

Sorry this is so late, but July was a very busy month for us. I promise August wasn't as busy as July, so hopefully I'll get that post done soon.

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Disney Vacation-Day 4

2010-08-21T12:05:00.023-04:00

The 4th and final day of our Disney Vacation was spent at the Magic Kingdom again. We went to all of the rides or places that we hadn't gone to the day before. This day was the only sunny day we had, but it was also the HOTTEST! It was definately nice to have overcast days, which meant it wouldn't be as humid. Here are some pictures from the last day.

Erin and I with Drusella, step-mother, and Anastasia from Cinderella, my favorite Disney movie!

Me and Bill riding the racecars!

Michael meeting her favorite Disney princess, Aurora

Kelley meeting her favorite princess, Ariel!

On my 4th trip to Disney, I finally met my favorite princess, Cinderella! I was excited! She wasn't as pretty as some of the others, but I can finally say I met her.

Even though Bill didn't get to meet Pooh, who is his favorite, he was really excited to meet Mickey and Minnie!

Minnie, Bill, me and Mickey

Mickey's house

Minnie's house, right by Mickey's of course!

My camera did terrible throughout this ride, but this is from the Buzz Lightyear ride

Mickey during one of the parades

Minnie and Goofy

Sebastian from the Little Mermaid

Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast and Jesse and Woody from Toy Story

We also saw a show in front of Cinderella's Castle

Cinderella and Prince Charming

Yes, they are my favorite :)

At the end of the show with all of the characters

One last picture before leaving the Happiest Place on Earth!

After leaving the Magic Kingdom that afternoon, a few of us headed to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. It was hot and I was tired, so we didn't stay long. The next morning, we all got up around 5:30 and left our resort at 6:30 to head home. We only stopped for breakfast, 2 stops for gas and bathrooms breaks, and supper in Evansville and were home by 10:30.

As you can see we had a great time on our vacation and I definately didn't want it to end! There are so many things to see and do that you just can't fit them all in the days and I'm wishing that I would have done this or that. Oh well! I guess there is always next time! I'm so glad I got to experience Bill's first trip to Disney with him. He had such a good time and I can't wait to take our kids there some day! Hope everyone enjoyed my pictures!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Disney Vacation-Day 3

2010-08-15T20:27:00.029-04:00

On Tuesday, we headed to the Magic Kingdom, my favorite! We decided that since there was so much to see and do at this park, we would divide it up in 2 days so we wouldn't be rushed around. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures from the first day at Magic Kingdom!

Bill and Erin got Mickey ears!

Pinochio

Cinderella's Castle

Bill and I in front of Cinderella's Casle on Main St. USA!

Aladdin and Jasmine rode Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride!

Me, Erin, and Bill on Aladdin's ride

Michael and Kelley were on the carpets in front of us!

Michael, Kelley, and Erin meeting Jasmine and Aladdin!

Woody and Jesse from Toy Story. This was right before we rode Splash Mountain!

Splash Mountain-such a fun ride for all!

The Hall of Presidents-this was one of the things my husband was looking forward too!

Michael, Erin, Kelley, and Bill at the Hall of Presidents. My dad is in the background too!

The Haunted Mansion Ride

It's a Small World!

Hippo!

Definately got tired of hearing the song, but something you have to do at Disney!

Someone was excited about their Mickey ears and their first trip to Disney!

Magic Kingdom is definately my favorite park at Disney, but I never would have guessed what would happen on our 4th and final day!!! Stay tuned to find out!!!

Love and Blessings,
Whitney

Disney Vacation-Day 2

2010-08-07T17:32:00.023-04:00

Day 2 of Disney Vacation was Monday, July 5th and it was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Here are some pictures from the day!

Bill and I at Hollywood Studios! :)

The view as soon as you walk into the park

Old time scenery at Hollywood Studios

Another picture of scenery

The Tower of Terror ride! I rode this with my sister's Kelley and Erin!

Pixar Studios was neat, especially since Toy Story 3 had just came out.

Toy Story stuff

This area was so neat!

This is a movie re-enactment and tour.

Mickey Mouse ears on the tour

Herbie got cut in half!

The "real" Mickey Mouse ears water tower!

The tour included a real life scene enactment and yes, we got wet!

Indiana Jones aka my dad!

The Muppet Fountain

The Muppet Vision 3D is one of my favorite shows at Disney...

...and it is now one of Bill's! He loved it!

We had a late lunch at Pizza Planet, which is from Toy Story!

And my favorite thing about Hollywood Studios-the Aerosmith Rockin' Roller Coaster!!!

As you can see, there were a lot of fun things to do at Hollywood Studios. We saw lots of shows and rode a few fun rides. The best story of the day was Bill riding the Rocking Roller Coaster. Bill hates rollercoasters, but said since he went all the way to Disney, he was willing to try them. He did really good the day before on the Mt. Everest rollercoaster at Animal Planet, so he was feeling pretty good about riding the Rockin' Roller Coaster. So we get on the ride and he is starting to think differently, but I on the other hand LOVE rollercoasters and was really excited! Some rollercoasters go up a big hill and start out slow...not this one. It takes off fast and is that way the entire time! As soon as it takes off, Bill grabs my hand and squeezes so hard that I thought he ripped my fingernail off! He is screaming like a girl, as I scream at excitement! As soon as it is done, I tell Bill the ride is over and he just sits there because he doesn't believe me! Then I thought he was going to get sick because he jumped off the ride, but he didn't and just wanted to get away from the ride! I asked him if he saw all of the cool things (the ride is inside and it is dark and has neon lights and roadsigns) and he says he didn't see anything because his eyes were closed the entire time! Oh he is too funny! God bless him for trying, but after that ride, he was done with rides for the day! I love that he tries to do things that I like, but he didn't like that at all! My sister Erin and I enjoyed it so much that before we left the park, we rode it one more time. I highly recommend it!

When we got back to the hotel, Bill and I decided to go swimming, but shortly after getting in the pool, it started to rain. So we went and ate some supper and cooled out for the night and went to bed early. We had a big day the next day because we were going to the Magic Kingdom!!!!

More Disney Vacation to come in the next blog!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Disney Vacation-Day 1

2010-07-27T19:36:00.026-04:00

Bill and I got the chance to go to Disney with my mom, dad, and sisters Kelley, Erin, and Michael. We left on Friday, July 2nd around 11, stopped in Evansville for lunch, made a few pit stops, and stopped for the night just south of Atlanta. The next day we got up and ate breakfast and traveled the rest of the way to Disney. We got there around 4, checked in our hotel, ate supper, and just relaxed for the night before our very busy days that were coming up. On July 4th, we went to Animal Kingdom and Epcot. We thought that since it was a holiday and there were a lot of people off, we should do the least exciting parks first. We started the day off at Animal Kingdom. It was cloudy, but not humid. Here are some pictures from Animal Kingdom.

Erin was trying to catch the ducks!

The Tree of Life from the Lion King

Someone was excited for their FIRST trip to Disney!

Kelley, Pluto, and Michael

Erin and Meeko-She wanted him to braid her hair like he did Pocahontas in the movie!

Minnie and Michael

Bill and Mickey-he said this wasn't the REAL Mickey!

Erin and her favorite-Pocahontas!

Alligators

These are pictures from the Safari ride

Look closely at the Baby elephant!

Rhino

Rafecki (sp) from the Lion King

This is all of us on the Dino ride-My mom hated it and this picture shows just how much!

Me, Erin, and Michael at the Bug's Life 3D show

When we were finished at Animal Kingdom that afternoon, we decided to go to Epcot. We rode some rides, looked at the gift shops, and had some good laughs. We went back to the hotel to eat supper and freshen up, but went back to Epcot that night for fireworks. The fireworks were the best that I had ever seen!!!

Bill and I with the golf ball!

Sisters: Kelley, me, Erin, and Michael

Kelley, Erin, Bill, and I going on the Mission: Space ride

We saw an astronant!

The golf ball at night!

Amazing fireworks!

A great way to celebrate America!

Day 2 of Disney Vacation to come!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

2 year Anniversary!

2010-07-18T20:40:00.009-04:00

Two years ago today, July 19th, 2008, Bill and I were finally married. It seemed as if we had waited years for this day to arrive, and now we can 't believe that it has been 2 years! These 2 years have definately been challenging and testing, but we have drawn closer and love each other more and more every day! I don't know what I would do without him and I thank God for giving me the perfect man to share my life with. Thank you Bill for being my best friend, my soul mate, and the love of my life!!! We look forward to many more years together! Here are some pictures from our special day!

Getting married!

So happy to finally be Mr. and Mrs.

Our first dance...I had waited so long for that moment!

Dancing the night away!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

May and June Rewind

2010-07-14T18:59:00.019-04:00

Yes, I know it has been awhile since I have updated, but I thought I would let you know the events that Bill and I took part in during the months of May and June.

May 1st-My nephew Braeden had his 6th birthday party. It was held at a bowling alley in Bloomington and was the first party that he got to invited his friends to, now that he is in school.

Blowing out the candles on his cake

He didn't want to have his picture taken!

My cousin Ryan's daughter, Taegan.

May 15th-We attended Amanda and Rob's wedding. Amanda is Bill's cousin Tony's daughter. It rained some that day, but the wedding and reception were wonderful. Here are some pictures from their special day.

Bill and I at the reception

Mr. and Mrs. Bechtel

Cutting the cake

First dance

Amanda sang "Mine" by Martina McBride to Rob

May 22 and 23-This weekend was full of Graduation parties. Our niece Breanna had her party with our neighbor Matthew Smith and Bill's cousin's son, Clayton Shake. My sister Erin had her graduation party the next day with some of her friends. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera at either party, but here are some pictures from their graduation, which was on May 28th.

Seniors celebrating their graduation

Bill, Breanna, and I

My mom and dad with my sister Erin

Sisters: Michael, Erin, me, Laurie, and Kelley

Erin with Papaw Carl and Mamaw Beverly

June wasn't as busy of a month for us, but I didn't take any pictures. Sorry!

June 12-A girl in my sorority, who was also my lil sis, got married in Terre Haute. Bill and I made the trip up and enjoyed watching them get married. It started to pour during the ceremony, but luckily we were inside! Congrats to Jamie and Zack!

June 19 and 20-On Saturday night, Bill and I went with his dad's family to eat in Jasper for Father's Day. We had a good time and enjoyed the family time we had! The food was good as well. The next day we went to church and then to my dad's sister's for lunch. Then that evening we went to Bill's aunt's. It was a busy day, but it was great getting togther with family.

June 26-I enjoyed attending a luncheon bridal shower for Annalie Scudder. It was a cute bridal shower for a girl I've gone to church with my whole life.

Well that about does it for the rewind! Sorry for the delay! I hope/plan to post soon on our recent trip to Disney!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Prayers

2010-06-10T19:06:00.002-04:00

If anyone gets a chance and doesn't mind, I would appreciate if you could pray for a special someone over the next couple of months. I don't want to go into details, but my friend needs some prayers and uplifting. Thanks so much!

Love and Blessings,
Whitney

Prom and Jr. High Dance

2010-06-06T20:21:00.021-04:00

I know that these are really old and that I've been bad at updating, but I thought that if I ever wanted to print my blog into a book, I better blog about some of these things. Here are some pictures from prom and jr. high dance.

My sister Erin and her boyfriend Brad on Prom Day

A closer picture of Erin and Brad. She looked beautiful, even though her dress had to grow on me!

Erin and Brad again. He was thrilled over all of the pictures!

My niece Breanna and her boyfriend Jake

Neighbor Matthew Smith and his date Stacey Beard

Erin and Brad during Grand March

Erin and I. Please excuse my face as I had a case of Impetigo :(

Bill and I with our "kids" Sarah and Matthew Smith

Sisters!

Bill and Breanna

My baby sister Michael before her last Jr. High Dance!

She looked beautiful and has grown up too fast!

Erin and her favorite cat, Matthew!

Sorry that I haven't posted earlier! Hopefully I will update more within the next few days!

Whitney

2 Years Ago!

2010-05-03T19:25:00.003-04:00

This was 2 years ago today! May 3rd, 2008 I finally graduated from Ball State University. What began as a 3 hour drive, away from home for the first time, Telecommunications major turned into 5 years, 2 different majors later, sorority girl, and most of all, life changing experience that was my college experience. I learned so much about life and other people and these things will live with me for the rest of my life. I sit now and think back to move-in day Freshman year and it seems like yesterday. And it only seems like hours ago that I was walking across the stage to receive my diploma holder!!! There are so many times that I want to go back to the years-maybe I would have done something different, maybe I would have just relaxed and took it all in, but no matter what happened, I wouldn't have changed one single thing. Those 5 years have helped make me who I am today. I know I can't go back, even though I try so hard to. I cherish most of my college memories, and if you were at all a part of them, I just want to say thanks! When I look back at that day, I didn't think things would be the way they are, but that is all part of God's plan. I can't believe it has been 2 years after all of that hard work and dedication, but it was definately 5 years that I will never forget. I'm so proud that I accomplished one of my life goals-becoming a college graduate!!!

Lucy, the new addition to our family!

2010-03-13T15:02:00.024-05:00

I know I've waited way to long to post on this! It just seems I never have enough time in a day to get everything that I want done! I received my Valentine's present a couple of days early this year. Bill and I had talked about getting a puppy around Christmas. So he researched and found a couple in Madison that would have some Golden Retriever puppies born in January 2010. This was suppose to be a surprise, but my husband isn't good about keeping a secret and I found out the date the puppies were born, added 6 weeks, and pretty much knew when our puppy would arrive, Valentine's Day. But Bill thought he would still surprise me by going and getting her early, but he isn't very good at sneaking around and I figured out that he went on Wednesday, February 10th to get our girl puppy. Here are some pictures of Lucy's first night with us.

Giving her a treat
Little puppy face!
So sleepy
This is how she slept the entire first night! Poor Bill!

People have asked why we got a Golden Retriever. When I was younger, that is what my mom got my dad one year and he was such a good dog and never harmed anyone. I loved that dog and have always wanted another Golden Retriever some day. So since this is technically my dog, I got to pick what I wanted. Bill and I both decided on the name Lucy too. It was one of the first names that came to both of our minds and just kept coming back, even though we had looked and thought of other names. It definately fits her too.

First bath!

Posing for the camera

My Valentine's Day presents

Too cute!

This picture is too funny-putting her paws up while sleeping!

Lucy has been a pretty good dog so far. She almost has the potty thing down, but has a few accidents every once in a while, and that is usually when we aren't paying attention to her or when Bill leaves the room! She loves Bill and if he leaves her alone, she will whimper or run after him. As you can see from the picture below, there is a different comforter on our bed, so she has some accidents before we get up or can get her outside. The only thing she needs to learn is to sleep in her own bed!!!! Just like a child, once they go in your bed, they don't leave! She thinks she has to sleep with us, usually at our heads or on our pillows. She has improved her sleeping by sleeping more during the night, but I would love for her to sleep in her crate! We definately need to work on that! But overall, she has been fun and the perfect addition to our family!!!!

Love this picture!

Getting so big!

Loves to get in the dishwasher and the shower!

We love our Lucy!!!

Hopefully, I'll continue to take pictures and show just how big she gets over the summer. She has been out the past couple of days and loves to run around. We've all enjoyed the weather and the sunshine and hope ya'll have too!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

COLTS GAME!!!

2010-01-24T13:21:00.014-05:00

My husband got the Colts fever last week and decided to check out ticket prices for the Colts vs. Ravens game last Saturday. Luckily, we won them on Ebay and payed a really decent price for them. So Bill and I left early Saturday morning and headed to Indy for an exciting day!!! We had to go to Greenwood and pick up the tickets. We then met my sister Kelley, who goes to school at the University of Indianapolis, for lunch and then to her apartment to hang out for a little while. It was great to see and hang out with my sister for a while. After we left my sister's apartment, we headed downtown to park and take in the Colts Nation! We parked and walked around the city and just took in all of the fun! We headed to the gift shop and stayed there for a while and watched some of the Cardinals/Saints game. Once we were allowed in Lucas Oil Stadium, we got something to eat, drink, and walked around the stadium since it was our first time there, which is absolutely amazing! Although our seats were up in the top section, they were still good seats and we could see pretty well. But the best part was seeing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts put a beating on the Baltimore Ravens!!!! It was a great game and we had so much fun!!!! Here are some pictures from our great Colts day!!!

Diehard Colts fans that they show on TV sometimes

LOVE me some Peyton Manning!!!!

Lucas Oil Stadium

The view from our seats

Bill and I ready for the game!

Here come the COLTS!!!

Huge American flag during the National Anthem

Peyton Manning and the Colts Offense

Another picture of the Colts Offense

Near the end of the game!

COLTS WIN!!!!

Peyton talking to CBS after the big win!

Hopefully we get another big win today and go to the Super Bowl!!! GO COLTS!!!!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

New Year, New Look

2010-01-10T13:49:00.003-05:00

Just thought I would share some pictures of my new do! I went to get a highlight and trim last Monday, but found this cute style and thought I would give it a try! I have been wanting to grow my hair out, but went for this! It will always grow out, right? Still haven't mastered how to get it perfectly styled and have enough volume in the back, but I'm getting better at it! Let me know what you think!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Christmas and New Year's and Sickies

2010-01-03T15:29:00.017-05:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone. I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday I just got that dang tree up! I don't know why, but Christmas seemed to have gone by extrememly fast this year. It might have been from all of the long work hours that I put in before Christmas, but I just think it was really fast this year! There are a lot of photos in this blog, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking! Christmas began for Bill and I on December 20th with Christmas at my parents and at my cousin Beanie and Al's for the Sprinkle side, December 23rd with Bill's mom and niece, Christmas Eve at Bill's dad and stepmom's, and Christmas day with each other in the morning, my grandparent's in Bloomfield for the afternoon, and last but not least, Bill's aunt's house for his mom's side that evening! Yes, it was a tiring week! Unfortunately, Bill was working Christmas weekend, and was called out around 3:30 on Christmas Eve and missed going to his dad and stepmom's. I went ahead down without him. He didn't get home until 12:30 Christmas morning, and was back out around 4 or so to do the work he had to do that day, but was able to get home around 8! I was so relieved that nothing happened Christmas day and we were able to spend our 2nd Christmas as a married couple together! Here are some pictures I took during all of our Christmas Celebrations!

Christmas at my mom and dad's

Smiling Cutie Reece

Reece loves Elmo!

Braeden opening his big present from Mamaw and Papaw

Mom got a Snuggie from Bill!

Bill loved his Notre Dame zip-up hoodie from the Petty's

Christmas with the Sprinkle Side

Erin drew Bill's name and got him another wrestling DVD!

Some of my family after opening presents!

Christmas at my grandparents

All of the great grandkids and my cousin Ryan!

Mamaw and Papaw's great grandkids-Braeden, Taegan, Reece, and Addyson

Aunt Kelley and Reece

Christmas at Bill's aunt Sandy and uncle Dick's

Amanda got such a pretty garter!

Tony opening his gift in his Scott Farcus hat!

Uncle Dick got Batman underware from his grandson Lane!

Angie got a pig's ear from Matthew after she won a round of Bingo!

After Christmas, I only had to work 3 days that week because my Friday off fell on New Year's day, but I had to get so many hours in for the month of December before I could for sure get Thursday off. So I worked an average of 10 hours each day to get those in. They were really long and by Wednesday, I was feeling it. I had a stuffy nose, sore throat, and just felt awful. I came home Wednesday and went straight to bed. I was just going to lay down for a little while, but I ended up sleeping the whole night! I slept for 12 hours, which is something I haven't done in a really long time! I felt a little better when I got up Thursday, but still had a stuffy nose. Bill made breakfast for me that morning and we just layed around most of the day. During the afternoon, I began to get a stomach ache and really wondered if I was getting the flu. But I toughed it up and we went to Bill's aunt and uncle, Sandy and Dick's, for New Year's, which is something we do every year. They had all kinds of food, but I couldn't eat anything. I tried to eat a coney and some chip dip, but only had a few bites. But as the evening went on, my stomach began to feel better, but I still had a stuffed up nose! Bill started feeling bad that night as well. We slept in on New Year's day, which I'm sure we needed. We really just layed around again all day. I really felt about the same. My sisters' Kelley, Erin, and Michael came over and we had a sister sleepover. We made homemade pizzas, which is what we always do when they stay the night. They ate almost all of their pizzas, while Bill and I could only eat one piece of ours! Pepto was being passed back and forth between Bill and I that night! He got pretty sick, but I was still about the same. January 2nd, we felt about the same. Bill had been up all night, but he still made the girls some breakfast. We layed around in our pj's all day. The girls left around 6 and Bill and I started to feel better right before we went to bed. Today we are feeling better, but just hoping that it is really gone. It has been a miserable 4 days! So hopefully the sick bug is gone!!!

Hope everyone had a great New Year's! Bill and I had a good year, but it was rough the last two months. We are hoping for a great 2010 and I'm hoping that for you as well!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Tis the Season to Catch Up on Life!

2009-12-24T13:45:00.014-05:00

So, it has been over 2 months since I posted last! I'm an awful blogger, but life has been crazy around the Dyer house! Since there is so much, I'll just fill you in on the major events!

A few hours after I last posted over 2 months ago, I received a call from a private investigator to schedule my interview for my Top Secret Security Clearance. I was very nervous for a couple of days until the interview, which was on Wednesday, October 21st. Although I was nervous, I knew that everything was in God's hands, and that whatever happened, it was according to his will and that everything would turn out ok.

The very next day was my 25th birthday. I was very relieved to have that interview over, so I enjoyed it as much as I could. I worked that morning, went to a Longaberger open house, and then went to my parent's house for cake and presents. Even though I'm half way to 50, I'm blessed to have lived another year. Here is a picture of the ice cream cake that Bill got me for my birthday-it is a Girl Scout Tagalong cake and it was so yummy!

On Saturday the 24th, a good friend of mine Amy got married in Bloomington. It was such a beautiful, fall day for a wedding and everything was wonderful! Amy was beautiful! Although I didn't get any pictures of the bride and groom, here are a couple pictures of Bill and I all dressed up, which doesn't happen very often!

On November 6-8th, I worked at a Passion for Purity retreat for high school girls. It was such a blast and blessing to be a part of. I was a small group leader and enjoyed every minute of it. It is always a joy be with others who share the same passion for Christ. Here are some pictures I took from the weekend!

Some of my small group and Brooke, another small group leader

Patty and Patricia Purity getting beautiful!

Lorissa playing a game

Group picture on Sunday! Such beautiful girls!

I found out on Thursday, November 12, that I was granted my security clearance! I was so excited and very relieved!!! Thanks to anyone who prayed or had to be interviewed!!

Thanksgiving was a great and busy time for Bill and I. We started the day off at Bill's dad's and step mom's in Washington. We enjoyed seeing new and old family members. Then, we went to my aunt's in Plainville for a few hours. We always draw names for Christmas at Thanksgiving so we definately had to stop by! We ended our night at Bill's aunt's in Plainville. We enjoyed good food all day, even if it was only a little here and there! We played Bingo with gag gifts and that was a lot of fun. I'm sure there will be even more gag gifts for Bingo at Christmas. My nephews Braeden and Reece stay with my parents every year on Thanksgiving and the following Friday, while my sister and brother-in-law go shopping. Braeden decided he wanted to spend the night with Bill and I on Thanksgiving. It was fun to have him stay with us. He played bowling on the Wii and beat Bill and I!! I think he enjoyed it as well!

Well that is about it! We have had a couple of Christmas', but I will, hopefully, have a blog about Christmas in a couple of days.

I want to wish everyone a safe, happy, and blessed Merry Christmas. May you be blessed with the joys of family and friends, but remember the real reason we celebrate, the birth of Jesus!

Love and Blessings,
Whitney

Busy Times

2009-10-18T17:10:00.006-04:00

I really feel like life is passing by so quickly! The days and nights seem so short and I'm wondering where my life is going. This week went by pretty fast. I had Monday off and Tuesday-Friday were pretty slow days at work for me. When I say slow, I mean that nothing is pressed to get done because I have been busy, but just nothing that needs to be done immediately. I had a Passion for Purity meeting on Tuesday night. I'm so excited for this event because it is something that I'm very passionate about. I really feel like this is something that God has called me to do and help young girls make the right choices and be a role model for them. This event is going to be on November 6-8 this year, so if any high school girl is interesting in going, let me know ASAP! I'm really excited about the retreat this year and we have some great things planned for the girls this year.

Wednesday after work, I went to Knepp's Restaurant in Montgomery to eat dinner with an old college roommate, Ginny. She was my roommate freshman, sophomore, and junior years of college. She works for Ball State in admissions and tries to recruit students to go to Ball State. Last week she was in the area and it is always great to get together and see what is going on in each others lives.

Nothing real exciting happened Thursday or Friday. We watched Survivor Thursday night and were in bed by 9 on each night! Saturday, Bill worked in the morning and I got up around 7 and began my day of cleaning. I went on a cleaning rampage! I cleaned my entire kitchen-tops and fronts of cabinets, countertops, sink, stove, did dishes, and the floors. I did laundry and cleaned the rest of our house, as well. It is such a big job, but once it is done, it feels, looks, and smells so nice! That night, I spent the evening with some friends, Chelsi, Casie, Amy, and Meagan. We went to Bobe's for supper and just talked and caught up on each others lives. We enjoyed good food and company. It was so much fun getting together, but is hard to do with our lives being so full. I hope we get the chance to do that again soon! Here are some pictures!

Amy and Chelsi

Meagan and Casie

The Whole Gang

Hope everyone has a great upcoming week. It is suppose to get warmer, which is great to hear! I'm ready for fall-like weather, not winter! Enjoy the sunshine!

Love and Blessing,

Whitney

Life Change and Surprise!

2009-10-12T19:48:00.010-04:00

I learned a valuable life lesson a couple of weeks ago. I was planning on going to Muncie on October 3rd for Homecoming. I was so excited for many reason-seeing friends, having a great time, and just getting away. I left early that morning and headed up to Ball State. The city had changed a little bit, but for the most part it was the same. There was this feeling of being at home, since I lived in Muncie for 5 years while I was going to school. I had missed this place. I went to a friends and waited while she got ready and for some friends to arrive. We talked about things-how married life was, school because they are all still in school, and other things. While in school, I got to the tailgating lot early and got ready for the game. But we didn't leave until after 11 and gametime was 12. This didn't bother me because Ball State is terrible this year and I knew what the outcome would be. The girls that I was with wanted to hang out with some of the guys they hang with in Muncie. I saw some girls I was in sorority with and talked to them some. But the feeling wasn't the same. I was back in Muncie, but something was missing. My closest friends weren't there, the football atmosphere was missing, and I was no longer in school. As the day went on, I realized that I had moved on. This place, Muncie and Ball State, was apart of my life for 5 years and those years were great, but I had moved on and it was never going to go back to the way it was. I learned that this was the way life is. As much as you try to go back and make things the way they were, it just isn't going to happen. This makes me cherish the times that I had at Ball State even more-all the memories that I had with friends, all the games I went to, and the good and bad things about school. I had wanted so bad to go to homecoming and relive my time at Ball State, but I learned that can't happen-only new memories are made. This made me also appreciate where I am in my life. Although Plainville doesn't have much, it is my home and I'm very thankful for it. I love my husband with all that I am, and even though we go through rough times every once in a while, we always make it through and wouldn't change anything. I'm also thankful that my family is close, I have a home, and I have a job that helps provide for my husband and I. I had a great time seeing friends and places again while I was in Muncie, but my time there is over, and visits are the only thing that will happen in the future. Here are a few pictures from that day!

My friend Jamie and I

Sorority Sisters-me, Chelsea, Laurie, and Cristy

This past week has been pretty typical. Bill and I both worked, but it was our short week, so Bill only worked Sunday-Wednesday and I worked Monday-Thursday. Friday was the first day of the Covered Bridge Festival. My mom's side of the family always has the tradition of going on the first day. Well, mother nature wanted us to change our plans, but we didn't. Although my mamaw, papaw, and great aunt Phyllis didn't go, my mom, aunt Jennifer, and sisters Laurie and Kelley went. It did rain the whole time, but it wasn't a heavy or down pour rain. We got some good deals and bought some cute stuff. We got home after 8, but had a really good day spending time with each other.

Saturday I went to Indianapolis to spend the day with my college roommate Tara. I hadn't seen Tara since my wedding, so it was long overdue for us to spend some time together. We met at O'Charley's around noon and ate lunch and then did some shopping. It was great to see Tara and chat about what was going on in our lives. I spend more money at the mall, so I think I'm done spending money for awhile! I got home that night around 6:30 and Bill had supper waiting for me-such a great husband. We just watched tv the rest of the night and I fell asleep a little after 8. I was exhausted.

Sunday was church and then getting ready for the big surprise party. A few months back, Bill and I decided that we should throw a surprise 60th birthday party for his mom, Marsha. We told Hap about it and he agreed. So we decided to have it before her birthday, October 17th, so we shouldn't suspect anything. Bill told her that he had to work on my birthday, October 22, and I was upset with him, so he wanted her help to throw a surprise birthday party for me. So she thought that the party was for me, when it was actually for her! So Bill and I did a lot of the planning and Breanna, our neice, helped with invitations. I'm really suprised that no one spilled the beans and told her. But she was suprised and it was a nice little party for her. Here are a few pictures from her surprise birthday party!

Surprise Marsha!

The lovely picture gifts from her brother David

Camden liked her new walker!

Blowing out the candles

I had today off, since it is a government holiday. It isn't a holiday with my contractor, but I had a floating holiday I got to use. I'm so glad I did because I'm so tired after such a busy weekend. I did laundry, put winter clothes up, picked up around the house, got my hair highlighted, got my fall decorations out, went to my moms to put up my sisters uppercase living sign, did the dishes, and now finally relaxing. My husband is gone for the night, he took my sister Erin to WWE RAW wrestling in Indy. That is what we got her for her bday, and I'm glad Bill was willing to take her, since he use to watch it a long time ago. So it was been a nice, but busy day. Hope everyone had a great day and that the week will be nice!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Boring couple of weeks

2009-10-01T20:04:00.008-04:00

Well, not much has gone on here at the Dyer house. We're pretty boring! We've just been going to work and doing our normal things! I did finally get some of my Uppercase Living things up on the walls. I've had them for a while, but I wasn't sure where I wanted to put them. I finally decided to get them up. I put one up in my kitchen and another above our bed in our bedroom. Here are some pictures of them.

This is the one in my kitchen. The burgundy matches the counter tops.

This is the one in our bedroom. All the words but "loves" are in brown to match the bedspread.

I love this saying!

Last Friday, the 25th, I went to the Indulgence Day Spa in Washington. I got a gift certificate for my birthday last year and I had just never used it. Friday was my day off, and it was nasty, so it was a perfect day to use it. I got a facial, hand waxing treatment, back massage/treatment, and a pedicure. I was there for about 3 1/2 hours, but it was an amazing and relaxing time! I had to hurry home because Bill and I took my sister Michael to the ND/Linton football game. It was a good game, ND won 34-6, and it didn't rain! We stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home, which I was excited about because I LOVE the Tagalong blizzard! It is AMAZING!

The next day, I got to sleep in a little, which was nice. I cleaned the house and did laundry, while Bill mowed and washed my car. That afternoon, we went to Evansville with Bill's mom and Hap. We ate at Bonefish Grill, which was really good! We then went to the mall and Target. It was a fun night. Sunday, after church, Bill and I went to eat with my family and then went to the grocery store. We were in desperate need of food items! We also took a nap and got ready for the Colts game!

Work this week has been really busy. I'm coming to the end of getting my first project done. Hopefully I will get that done next week. Tomorrow I have to work, but I'm looking forward to the weekend! It is Ball State's homecoming and I'm looking forward to going back to Muncie and seeing a bunch of my friends that I haven't seen in a while! Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love and Blessing,

Whitney

Getting Caught Up!

2009-09-12T16:05:00.017-04:00

I don't think I will ever get caught up on here!!! We'll see how far I can get! On Friday, August 14, I went to shopping at Edinburgh with my mom, sisters Laurie and Michael, and nephews Braeden and Reece. We had a really good day of shopping and spending time with each other. I got some shirts for work and few things for this fall. But the fun wasn't ending that day. A few of my friends from sorority had decided to get together because we hadn't really seen each other since we graduated. We rented a cabin in Brown County. My friends Allison, Amy, Chrissy, Candi, and I enjoyed catching up and seeing what was going on in each others lives the first night. The next morning we got up and got ready and headed to Oliver Winery for some wine tasting. I'm not much a wine drinker, but I had a really good time, and actually wound a wine that I like. We took a tour of the winery and a group picture before we left. Rachelle, Liz, Chrissy, Candi, Allison, Amy, and myself at Oliver Winery

That afternoon we headed to Nashville to do a little shopping. That had a scrapbook store and a few of us spent some money there. We walked around and just enjoyed the small town. We then headed back to the cabin. Candi and Chrissy decided they were going to get in the paddle boat and go onto the pond, while the rest of us watched and took a small nap. We then got ready and went out to eat Mexican that night. The next morning we got up and left because we had to be out of the cabin by 11. It was such a great weekend to spend with friends who I miss dearly!

Candi and Chrissy in the boat on the pond

Nothing much happened during the next week, besides work, of course. Bill had to work that weekend, so I spend Saturday doing laundry and that afternoon, I went to Vincennes with Sarah, the neighbor girl. We went to Maurices, where got some great deals, Jo Ann Fabrics, where I got some scrapbooking paper on sale, and Kohl's. We had a good time.

More work the next week, but we both had Friday off. I got my haircut in the morning, and then we headed to Terre Haute. We needed to get our wedding rings inspected and we did some shopping. I think I did some shopping for a few weekends in a row! We then went to the North Daviess football game that night at North Central, which is just down the road from Terre Haute. The Cougars dominated the game and when it was 51-0 in the 3rd quarter, Bill and I decided that it was over and headed home early. We also celebrated my sister Kelley's 22nd birthday that weekend with a cookout and cake and HOMEMADE ice cream-YUM!

The next weekend was a very busy one for Bill and I. We had 2 nephews who were celebrating their first birthday. On Saturday the 5th, our nephew Reece celebrated his 1st birthday. Bill had to work that day and was done by the time we left, but he was on call, so I went with my parents and sisters Erin and Michael. We had lunch, made cupcakes (the party theme), had cake, played games, and just had fun being with each other. Here are some pictures from Reece's 1st birthday!

Decorating cupcakes with icing and sprinkles!

Reece going after his cake

Braeden and Reece

Getting the candy from the pinata!

The Super Cute Birthday Boy!!!

Some kids never grow up! My cousin Ryan, his daughter Taegan, and Reece

The next day, September 6th, was our nephew Dayton's 1st birthday. Bill was within the working area so he got to come to this birthday party! We ate, talked with family, watched Dayton get into his cake, had some cake, and watched him open his presents. It is so fun to watch these boys not know how to handle things we love-cake and presents!!! It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed spending time with them.

My neice Sadie holding my nephew Dayton

Dayton LOVED this cake! So cute!

Dayton with his mom Michelle and dad Jordan

Love this little Dyer boy!!!

He loved his 4-wheeler from Uncle Brian and Aunt Angie and kids!!!!

After such a busy weekend, I was more than thrilled to have Monday off for Labor Day. I finished laundry and worked on some scrapbooking, but I really just relaxed. My poor husband didn't get to though. He worked in the morning, but planned on having the rest of the day off. Well, the plant that he works at thought different and decided to cause problems all day! So Bill was busy working all day. I only got to see him when he came home from 5-6. He came home again around 10, got called out, came home for a 3rd time @ 12, got called out again, but finally stayed home around 1:30. I hate when he has days like that. I not only miss him, but they are long days for him and are tiring and irritable.

We both worked the rest of the week. This Firday came and I was scheduled to go to the dentist @3. Bill has been having problems with swallowing for a while, but has persistently gotten worse, so I made him go to the doctor on Friday morning. The doctor decided that he wanted him to have a Barium Study done at the hospital that afternoon to check things out. Well, this made him very nervous. He hates going to the doctor because he thinks he is going to find something wrong. So we went that afternoon and they told us we would know something between 24-48 hours. So we were on edge, but praying that everything would turn out well and according to God's plan. I went to the dentist and then we went to the North Daviess football game that night.

Saturday, Bill helped his friend Jason and his family move into their new house. I had scrapbooking day that morning and afternoon. I also did some laundry. We took a nap that afternoon, got ice cream, and visited with my parents, sisters, and nephews Braeden and Reece, who were staying with my parents for the weekend.

Yesterday we went to church, enjoyed some delicious chicken wings that my husband made, watched the COLTS win (barely), took a nap, and relaxed for the night. Bill had men's small group at church, so I finished laundry and did some scrapbooking.

Today was another start to the work week. Bill finally got called about his results, but they wanted to get some blood work done to make sure that is exactly what it is. They believe he has a hiatal hernia and gastric reflux. This is what we thought it might be, but weren't for sure. It is an answered prayer that it isn't something serious, but know that it can/could get worse. Hopefully the medicine will help and will be the only treatment that he needs. I hope that this is all that it is! Please just keep him in your prayers-he has been a nervous wreck!

I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys this weather-it is suppose to be perfect!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

More Updates!

2009-09-01T18:38:00.002-04:00

So I guess I better pick up where I last left off. After Bill and I got back from Gatlingburg for our anniversary, we both had a full week of work. It was definately a long week after being gone for a few weeks. On Saturday, Bill's friend Andy and daughter Marissa came up and stayed the whole day and night. We just hung around the house. That night, Bill fixed a big supper for all of us plus my mom, dad, and sisters. After supper we all watched the Nationwide race, which was in Indy. Then we all went to bed-we had a big day the next day. Sunday was the Brickyard and we go every year. We left around 7, dropped Marissa off at her grandma's, and headed to Indy. My dad, mom, sisters Kelley, Erin, and Michael, Andy, Bill, and I stopped to eat breakfast then headed to the track. We went into the infield to get our shirts and then hung out in the shade until driver introductions. It was warm, but it definately wasn't near as hot as it has been in the past. The race was pretty good overall. There wasn't a caution every 10 laps like last year, but Jimmie Johnson won, who I can't stand. I hadn't been out in the sun and hot for a long time, and so I got a headache pretty easily. But as the day went on, it got worse and worse, and by the time the race was over and we were walking back to our car, it became a migraine. I was miserable the rest of the way home. Thank goodness my mom had an Imitrex-it knocked me out and I was felling a million times better by the time we picked Marissa up. We got home around 9 and went straight to bed.

The next day I didn't have to go to work because I was leaving for the week to go to Virginia. The company I work for, Booz Allen Hamilton, is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. They like for all of their new employees to come out for 4 days to learn about the company and about their positions. So Monday morning I got up and got ready and packed . Bill had to work so my mom took me to the airport. We left home around 10 and got to the airport around noon. Once I got my luggage checked in, we checked out the new airport and ate lunch. Then, we just looked around and then I had to get through security. My plane left @ 2:30 and was at Dulles Airport @ 4. After getting my luggage, finding the shuttle to the hotel, I got some supper and just chilled out. I so wasn't feeling well-I started feeling like I had a UTI the day before and it had gotten worse that day, which eventually would be EXTREMELY painfully the rest of the week!!!! Tuesday through Friday were filled with training at the Booz Allen building. Some of it was fun, but some of it wasn't necessary. I felt it could have been done in about 2 days instead of 4. Oh well. I was missing Bill so much and since I had a UTI, I wanted to be home more than anything. So Friday finally came and our training was done @ 2. So I went to the airport, got checked in, went through security, and looked forward to going home. Bill was on call that night, so my sister Kelley came and picked me up. We ate at Steak and Shake on the way home and I got home around 10. I was so excited to be back and see my husband! I was over traveling at this point!

It was pretty low key around here that weekend. We did celebrate Bill's birthday on Sunday, August 2nd with family. I bought a cake and my mom made homemade ice cream, his favorite. I think he enjoyed his birthday, especially the ice cream. Poor guy is getting older, but never acts his age!

The rest of the week was filled with work. Bill used his birthday money and bought a Wii Fit. He got the Wii from his mom for his birthday and wanted the Fit. So we have been working out on that ever since. We both know that we need to get in better shape and eat better, and ever since we have gotten it, we have done pretty good. We've both lost around 10 pounds. Bill might be closer to 11 or so, since guys lose weight faster than girls, which makes me sick!!!

Well this blog is getting long, so I'll quit rambling! Hope everyone is enjoying this great weather!

Love and Blessings,

Whitney

Month Update!

2009-08-09T20:26:00.032-04:00

So I realize that it has been over a month since my last post. Things have been extremely busy, especially during the month of July. As you will see from this post, traveling took up almost the entire month of July. So here is what happened during July-it will be long!!!!

Bill and I left for a huge family vacation on Friday, July 3rd @ 5 am. There were 20 family members that left, which means we took 5 vechiles. We stopped in Jasper to eat breakfast @ Shoney's. After that, it was the open road! We drove all the to Richmond, VA, which is where we were staying that night. We got there around 6, went to eat at Max and Erma's and called it a night.

On Saturday the 4th, we got up and were on the road by 7 am. We drove about 3 hours and reached the Outer Banks, NC around 10:30. I was the only one in our vechile that had never been there before so we just drove around and saw most of the places that I have heard about from previous stories. We went to Art's, which is a bar and grill that is right across the street from our beach house, for a light lunch. Everyone else arrived and came to Art's as well. We thought we wouldn't be able to get into our beach houses until that afternoon, but because no one stayed in it the week before, we got in earlier. Bill and I went with my mother-in-law, sister Erin, and neice Breanna to Wings to get some beach items before we got into our house. Once we got back, most of the kids put their suits on and got in the ocean. Bill decided to get into the water, but I decided to wait until the next day. We ordered pizza that night, which is one of the best pizzas that I have ever had!!! We ended the night by sitting on the beach and watching fireworks.

Clayton, Bill, and Matthew
Fireworks on the beach

The next day was a cloudy, rainy day. Bill and I went to play putt-putt with Bill's cousin's wife, Leslie and son Lane. It was fun, especially since I won!!! After playing putt-putt, we ran to KMart, Wings, and Brew Thru. It rained the rest of the day, which was a bummer. We made roast that night for supper and Bill and I took a bunch of the kids to get ice cream.

It was another cloudy day on Monday the 6th. I decided that I was going to let that ruin my vacation and layed out anyway. I actually got in the ocean quite and bit and it was fun! Bill and the kids made it fun. We did that most of the afternoon and then took a little nap before showering and getting ready. We all ate supper at the Jolly Roger that night and most of the women headed to Wings for a little shopping-I think I went to Wings almost everyday!

Bill and some of the kids in the ocean

The Twins! This wasn't planned!

The Fab Four: Erin, Matthew, Breanna, and Clayton

We finally got a beautiful day on Tuesday the 7th. It was a great day to lay out and get some rays. I definately got to relax and enjoy the beach and ocean, which is what I had been wanting to do for so long!!! Bill and I went to lunch with his cousin Tony and wife Sheila. We then returned to the beach before taking a short nap (naps are a part of relaxing on vacation!), eating supper, and going to play putt-putt with everyone. It took quite a while for all of us to play, but it was fun, even thought I lost this time!

Sisters: Erin and I playing putt-putt

Love my husband!

Another beautiful day appeared on the next day. More laying out and enjoying the ocean. Most of the guys went to a minor league baseball game, so the women went out to eat at the South Beach Grill. After eating, we went shopping, of course.

It was a cloudy day on Thursday the 9th. Marsha, Hap, Erin, and Breanna decided to go around town and visit some places, so Bill and I decided to go with them, since there wasn't any beach weather! We went to quite a few places, Wings of course, and ate lunch at the Black Pelican, where I had the best french fries that I have ever had! When we got back, Bill and I decided to take a short nap, since it was a perfect day for it. We had spaghetti for supper and played cards most of the night. I won again!

Friday the 10th was our last day there. We thought it was going to be an awful day because it started out cold and really windy. We just hung around the house and finally that afternoon, the skies cleared and the sun came out. I layed out for a little while, but not as much as I wanted too! After taking showers and getting ready, Bill and I did most of our packing so we wouldn't have to do it late that night. We all went out on the last night to Port O Call. We came back and helped clean up and then it was early to bed.

Bill and I on our last night at the beach

We left @ 7 on Saturday the 11th. I was sad to leave, but I was ready to go home too. I love vacations, but I'm always ready to go home near the end-there is just nothing like home. We made a couple of stops and finally got home around 10. I did some unpacking, but then crashed. I was exhausted!

The next day was church and just relaxing. I started the mounds of laundry, which took forever. The next week was filled with work. I got to help do some work for some other people, but that only took a couple of hours and I was pretty bored the other hours. At Crane, your CAC badge is everything and it sucks not to have one. But after work Thursday, Bill and I left again and headed to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for our first anniversary. I have every other Friday off, so it worked out great. We got to our cabin around midnight and crashed. I had been up for almost 24 hours and couldn't stay awake anymore!!!

We slept in the next until 9:30-man I hadn't done that in a long time. We got ready and went to Gatlingburg to explore things that we could do. We decided to do things in Gatlingburg the next day and headed back to Pigeon Forge. Once we got back, we ate lunch and headed to the outlets. We got a few things while we were there. We then headed to Walmart to pick up a few things for supper that night. Bill thought it woule be a smart thing to fix supper one night and not spend so much money on food. Although we had to pack all of the food, it was a good idea. Once we got back, we started on supper. We grilled hamburgers, made fried zucchini (my favorite), corn on the cob, green beans, and fried potatoes. Most of the food was from the garden, so Bill was very proud! It was such a good meal, but very filling! After supper, we went to play putt-putt. Bill and I are so competitive so we always try to beat each other, but somehow we tied! It was crazy! It was appropriate since we were celebrating our marriage and marriage is all about being fair and equal to each other. We also did a few other things while we were out. We got back to the cabin and decided to get in the hot tub. I had never been a fan of hot tubs, but this one was amazing. It was so relaxing and relived tension in my back and shoulders. We might be getting one someday!

On Saturday the 18th, we got up early and got ready. We wanted to get to Gatlinburg early to beat some of the crowd. We had a blast there. We visited Cooter's Garage (from Dukes of Hazard), Ripley's Aquarium, rode on the Sky Life (our favorite), Wax Museum, ate lunch @ Bubba Gump's, and Car Museum. We went back to the cabin and got ready. We ate supper @ Calhoun's and went to a magic show. Yes, I said magic show. My husband is such a kid at heart and wanted to go to a magic show so bad. I wasn't thrilled about it, but decided we could since he wanted to go so bad. Once we got there I didn't want to be there, but Bill was so excited. I couldn't help but laugh and just smile. After the magic show, we went back to our cabin and got in the hot tub again, since we loved it so much! Here are some pictures!

Shark at the Ripley's Aquarium

Stingrays

Bill and I on the Sky Lift

Bill with Forrest Gump, right after eating @ Bubba Gumps

Loving on my Jeffie

Bill with a car from the Dukes of Hazard

View from the balcony at our cabin

Our amazing cabin

On Sunday the 19th, our anniversary, we got up, got ready, packed, and left for home. We got home around 5 and I finished some forms for work. We ate some leftover from Friday night and enjoyed the top part of our cake from our wedding. Although it wasn't as fresh, it was still pretty good and definately brought back memories from our special day. We had a great time in Gatlingburg and plan on going back sometime.

The next week was full of work. It is hard getting back into a routine when you have been gone, especially for the length of time that we were. I know that I still have more to update on, but I don't want this post to be too long. So hope you enjoy this one and I'll be back to update on the rest of the month!!!

Blessings and Love,

Whitney

New Job and Travel Mercies!

2009-07-02T21:27:00.002-04:00

I haven't had the chance to blog this week because I have been so busy! I started my new job @ Crane on Monday. Boy, was it an overwhelming day! There is a lot to learn and understand and I had a headache at the end of the day! It is going to be training and orientation for a couple of weeks while getting to know the company, people, and job that I'm going to be doing. Tuesday was much better day. I was in a meeting with one of the managers and she helped make things clear as to what I was going to be doing! Much of the same the past two days and everyday things are getting better and I'm understanding more. I know it is still a lot to learn and a long road ahead, but I'm excited to see what it holds! I think I will like it in the long run! I was hired with another guy and he seems fun. We both get to come in and leave whenever we want, as long as we get our hours of course!!! So I've been getting up @ 5 and getting to work around 7:15. Boy is it early, but I would rather get to work early and get home early in the afternoon. Also, I get to have every other Friday off, but work 9 hour days Monday-Thursday. To me, that is nothing bad and I consider having every other Friday off great and would rather work those longer days! So everything is going good. Thanks for all of the prayers and well wishes, and if you could continue to pray for me I would appreciate it!

I'm also asking for pray of travel mercies. Bill and I are leaving bright and early in the morning to go on vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina with all of his mom's side of the family. There is around 20 of us going and we will be gone until the 11th. I'm soooo ready for a vacation!!! I can't wait to go to the beach!!! So if you have a few mintues, please pray for safe travel there and back, to be safe the time we are there, and that nobody kills each other! HA HA!!! Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!!!

God Bless,

Whitney

Typical Week at the Dyer House!

2009-06-22T15:58:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone has enjoyed their week. Nothing really going on here in the Dyer household. I was off last Monday and enjoyed a day of laundry and taking a day for myself. I just picked up the house, took a nap, and that's about it! Tuesday was a day of work, which it was a very busy day. But that day I got a call and found out that I got the job that I had applied for at Crane. I really didn't tell anyone about it because I didn't want to jinx myself. I came across this job from a friend's mom and just went for it. I interviewed for it on the 4th and last Tuesday they called and let me know that I had got it. Although it will be sad to leave all the people that I have made friends with from working at the clinics, this is a great opportunity for me. I will be full time, have benefits (FINALLY), and make twice as much as I do now. So for those that knew and prayed, thank you, and if you would continue to pray for me as I begin my new job next week, I would really appreciate it. I'm nervous, but I know that I was hired for a reason and can get the job done.

Wednesday was another work day for me and I found out late that day that I would have to come in on Thursday, which I usually have off, for a couple of hours. It didn't really bother me that I had to come in, but Bill was off and it would have been nice to sleep in with him. So I worked Thursday morning, the day that the storms came. After work, I came home and enjoyed the afternoon with my husband. My dad and sisters Erin and Michael came over that night and ate supper with us. It was nice to get together with them. Erin stayed while the others left and watched wrestling with Bill. I'm about to go wrestling crazy because that is all they seem to watch! I usually fall asleep!!!!

Friday was a long day as I worked. The doctors that I work for don't see patients on Friday so there really isn't a whole lot going on. This past Friday seem to last FOREVER!!!! I was sooo glad to see 5 o'clock!!! I think not doing a whole lot made me tired because I went to bed aroun 8:30 that night and slept until 8:30 the next day! It was so nice to get some sleep! Saturday I cleaned house and went through some things in the closet in the computer room. Bill had to work and he didn't get home until around 2. Then we got ready and went down to his dad's for a Father's Day cookout. It was nice to catch up with my inlaws. We ate brats and ribs for supper. They were really good! It was a great day, but ended sadly. My step mother-in-law Rita's father passed away from cancer around 9 that night. Although the family knew that this was probably going to happen soon, it is still hard for them. Bill and I spent the rest of the evening with the family. If you could keep Rita and her family in your prayers during this hard time, I would really appreciate it.

Bill and I headed home around 11 and stopped at the neighbors, who put together the program for church to let them know the sad news. We stayed and talked to them for about an hour and their daughter Sarah ended up spending the night with us. Bill was pretty tired and went to bed around 12, but Sarah and I stayed up and watched tv until 2. It was definately a late night for me, but it was so fun! Sunday Bill had to work again, so Sarah and I got up and got ready for church. They had a Father's Day breakfast for all of the fathers and their families at church. It was good food! After church, Bill got home and we went with my parents and sisters to Mi Pueblo. I felt miserable after eating and came home and took a nap!!!! When we got up, we got ready and went to my parents for another cookout. My grandparents, great aunt, and aunt came down from Bloomfield and it was nice to celebrate with them. We stayed until the NASCAR race was over and then we came home and went to bed. When Bill works on weekends, he usually is worn out by the time we go to bed. Poor guy!!

I had today off and went to Walmart this morning. I hadn't been for a long time and spent way too much money. I think they raised the prices one everything since I've been there last! But I also had to get lots of travel sized items for our upcoming vacation! I'm so excited! We are going with my husband's side of the family to the Outer Banks. We leave on the 3rd of July and will be gone for a week. So I guess that is a reason why everything cost so much! Other than that, I've just done laundry and put pictures away or in frames that are all over the floor in the computer room. I've gone through some frames that I had in high school and college and either put them up or put the pictures away. Some of the frames I've grown out of and don't go with my house so I'm either going to give them to my sisters are put them in our yard sale.

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully we'll get to the fair this week to get a fish sandwich, funnel cake, cinnamon roll.....the list goes on! Gotta love fair food! Hope everyone has a great week and stays cool and hydrated!

God Bless,

Whitney

Crazy Couple of Weeks!

2009-06-15T09:27:00.009-04:00

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I've updated. Sorry about that, but there really hasn't been that much going on, at least the first week of June. I worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of that week, which is typical. On Saturday the 6th, I got to together with some of the women at my church for a Scrapbooking day. It is just a day that we get together to work on things that we want to scrapbook. We do alot of talking, but we get things done as well. I stayed til 2 and then came home and took a nap with Bill. After our short nap, I ran to Vincennes to get a few things at Maurices and Kohls.

Sunday was another busy day. Bill had to work, so when he left, I got up and got ready for church. Bill got home just in time to go to church. After church, one of my best friends Amy came down from Indianapolis to go to a bridal shower for Audrey Stoll. We went to eat and then went to the shower @ 2. We had a good time catching up with friends and celebrating with Audrey. After the shower, I came home and found that Bill had washed his work truck, his truck, and my Malibu. Such a sweet husband! Then we took a nap (we love taking naps in this family!) and then just enjoyed our night. Here are some pictures from the shower!

Me and Amy

Ashley Knepp, Amy Wilkie, Audrey Stoll, me, D'Andrea Stoll and daughter Kirra, and Tiffany Shake

Monday was a busy day for me. I woke up around 8, because it was my day off, but I got a call around 8:15 asking if I could work. So I got ready and to work around 9:30. Even though I had to work, it was a smooth, slow day. I got home that night just in time to change and go to the church for our niece Breanna's suprise birthday party. Her birthday was on the 6th, but she plays softball and they played in the regional that day. I think she was suprised and all of her family and friends were there. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, fruit, and cake. It was a fun night. Here are some pictures from the party.

Surprise Breanna!

Breanna and all of her friends!

Opening presents

Tuesday and Wednesday were regular work days for me. I was scheduled to be off Thursday, but a girl at work called in and I was called to see if I would work because they are painting in our office and we needed to move charts. So I got ready and got to work @9 and left around 2 after we had moved some of the charts. Friday I went to work @ Washington, but around 9 the clinic @ North Daviess called and needed another receptionist. So I got sent to North Daviess for the rest of the day! It was a good day, but, boy, what a crazy week!!! I was exahausted from a crazy week when I got home, but my parents and sisters arrived and asked us to go to Mason's and eat with them. It was good and I hadn't been there yet this year! When we got home, Bill picked some green beans and peas in the garden. I watched tv, but we ended up going to bed around 9 or 10 that night!

Saturday was a long day for us. My friend Allie Shafer was getting married in Evansville that afternoon. I got up around 8:30 and started getting ready. We left around 11:45 because we had to stop by the bank, which we thought closed @12. We arrived at the church in Evansville early, but we didn't mind since our directions weren't right. The wedding started @3 our time. It was a really nice wedding. After the wedding, we went to the reception. We ate and just had a good time with family and friends. We didn't get home until 12:30. We missed church yesterday, but Bill and I enjoyed catching up on our sleep. We watched tv and canned green beans that night with Bill's mom, Hap, and Breanna. Here are a couple pictures from the wedding.

Sarah and her buddy Camden

The hubby and I-not the best picture!

Hope everyone has a great week! God Bless,

Whitney

One Year Ago

2009-06-01T18:33:00.007-04:00

Wow-I can't believe that it is June already! This year is just flying by! I'm loving this weather, but before we know it, the temp is going to be in the 90s! I'm ready for summer, but I'm sure I'm ready for it to be that hot just yet!

This past year has just flown by. I can't really grasp why that is, except for the fact that I'm getting older and that is just the way things go when you get older! And I really hate that. I remember being in grade school and thinking that the years went by so slowly, but just today I was thinking that college went way to fast and that I still be living in the dorms with all my Brayton girls! At times, I wish I could go back to those days!

But what has gotten my thinking of time flying by was that one year ago today was my bridal shower. As a bride, this is one of the most exciting times! You get to relax and not stress about what you haven't got done yet, spend time with the female members of your family and friends, and enjoy good food. I remember this day like it was just a few hours ago! My sisters and bridesmaids did a wonderful job at planning my shower and everything went well, except my mamaw and aunt were 15 minutes late! But overall, I had so much fun. It just blows my mind that it was a year ago today! I remember the first game we played, what card I opened first, who it was from and what they got me, and my husband coming to help bring all the things home with a nasty cut off on, showing all of his sexiness!! HA HA!!! I had waited so long for that day and it came and went and now has been gone for a year. I'm not trying to sound depressed, but it just shows that time is not really anything that we have. It is not in our hands to deal with. We are given the days as a gift and we are suppose to find something to do within the time God gives us. I'm guilty of wishing days would go by, waiting the arrival of a day that has something exciting or a day off work. I should really just be thankful for each day and take each day in as a gift from God. Although there are better days than some, I need to work on enjoying and being the best that I can during each and every day. I loved my shower and here are some pictures from that day, one year ago!

All of my bridesmaids and me

On a side note, I know it has been a while since I last posted-sorry! I just really haven't had anything to post!! Everything is pretty much the same here. Bill and I have both been working, although I haven't been working as much-just 3 days a week. The 2 days that I'm off I'm usually doing laundry, cleaning the house, or running errands of some sort. I don't know how I will get things done if I ever get full time!!! We've gone to some graduation parties and birthday parties, along with Memorial Day. This past Saturday, Bill's friend Jason, his wife Krystal, and daughter Morgan came up. Jason helped Bill hang some drywall in one of the closets downstairs. Bill's other friend Andy and his daughter Marissa stopped by as well. We had fun just talking, playing with the kids, and having a cookout. Once everyone left, we were warned about the robberies here in Plainville, which lead to a long night. My husband, God bless him, is the biggest worry wart!!!! Although I agreed that we needed to lock everything, doors and vehicles, he went to the extreme-we had to have the scanner on ALL NIGHT!!! I agreed to it because I knew it would make me feel better, but I shouldn't have! Everytime someone came on there, it was loud and it woke me up everytime!!! So I was sort of a grump Sunday morning! But after church and lunch, we took a nap-3 hours!!!!! It was great and I slept so good! I was off today and went to the bank and walmart! Back to work tomorrow and Wednesday, while Bill and I are both off on Thursday, which I'm really excited about!

Hope everyone has been enjoying the weather-hopefully the rain will hold off and let the farmers get in the field!

God Bless,

Whitney

Weekend where did you go?

2009-05-11T17:55:00.002-04:00

I really hate when the weekends go by as fast as they do! This past weekend seemed to go by in a blink! I can just feel my life passing me by so quickly! I hate it, but there is nothing I can do about it but just enjoy every moment and do as much as I can! Ok, I'm getting off subject!

Last week was filled with working Tuesday, Wednesday, and a half day Friday. On my days off, Monday and Thursday, I have been walking in the morning and evening, which I am very proud of! On the days that I worked, I walked just in the evening. It has been so nice out that I really need to enjoy it, as well as get in shape! Friday after work I took a nap and then Bill and I went with my parents and sisters and my dad's mother to Knepps to take her out for Mother's Day! It was so good! I hadn't ate supper @ Knepps for a while, and it was just as good as I can remember! When we got home, my sister Kelley came over and watched the Nationwide race and Friday the 13th part 3! We love those movies! They aren't scary, but funny! I didn't go to bed until 12:30! It has been a long time since I have been up that late-man, I'm getting old!

Saturday, Bill, our neighbor Matthew Smith, and I went to Vincennes. We first stopped @ Perk A Lawn to spend our gift certificate that we got for our wedding on flowers. I hadn't gotten any flowers yet and my yard was looking bad-it was perfect timing! We got a lot of nice things! We then went to Rural King, ate lunch @ Bdubs, and I stopped by Walmart to get my ingredients for cherry delight for Mother's Day. We had a good time with Matthew! After a nap, I took a shower and got ready for the Mother/Daughter Banquet at church. It was a great time. My friend Lauren Biggs was the speaker and she was great. She really spoke to me and I felt like God was pulling at me and wanting me to make changes! Thanks so much Lauren for your wonder message! Bill and I then went to my parents to watch the Cup series race. I feel asleep yet again!

Sunday was a long day! I got up early and made my dessert for Mother's Day. We went to church and then to my Aunt Becky's on my dad's side of the family. We ate and enjoyed family. Bill and I came home and took a short nap, then got outside and planted all of our flowers, put down new mulch, and mowed. We then rewarded ourselves with Scoops ice cream and watched 27 Dresses with Sarah, our neighbor.

Today I was off and have been really busy. I've done laundry and finally put all of my winter clothes up and got my summer ones out! Now we are going to enjoy supper @ my mom's ! Hope everyone had a great weekend and loves this weather!

Blessings,

Whitney

Eventful Weekend

2009-05-07T19:42:00.012-04:00

Nothing really exciting has happened over the past week, but I just thought I would let everyone know some of the things I did. Last week I worked a couple of days, which has been less lately than what I'm use to. Friday after work, Bill and I went over to my parent's house and ate Pizza Hut pizza, my favorite!!! We didn't stay over there very long because Bill had a headache and I had things that I wanted to get done and Saturday was going to be a busy day. The weekend that we went to Talladega was really Bill's weekend to work, so he just switched weekends with one of the guys. So when he left for work Saturday morning, I decided to wake up, but didn't get out of bed until 7. I tanned and went scrapbooking. My neighbors Lee and Sarah Smith, Beth Yake, and Shaya Smith got together around 9 that morning to do some scrapbooking. I haven't had time to work on any scrapbooking throughout college, so this was a much needed get together! I have so much that I need to get done, so our group has decided to meet once or twice a month! I'm excited to get my scrapbooking done so that my family can remember all the memories we share.

After scrapbooking, I came home and did some much needed cleaning. Bill came home a few minutes later and it was great to spend the afternoon with him. After doing some cleaning, we watched a movie, but we both fell asleep. It was a much needed nap! We woke up about 3 and had to get ready. We went to Bill's cousin's daughter, Emilee Shake's graduation party @ Bill's aunts. It was fun getting together with family and the cake was so good! We then went to his niece, Sadie's, birthday party. She turned 13 on April 27. It was good spending time with Bill's brothers, dad, and stepmom, whom we don't get to spend as much time with. Our nephew, Dayton is growing so fast and had gotten so big since the last time I had seen him. He looks just like his dad, Jordan, and was just a good baby the whole time we were there. After that, we came home and my sister Kelley came over and watched the NASCAR race with us. It was a pretty good race, but I feel asleep during the last half of the race!

The next day was a pretty busy day as well. I got up and got ready for church. Bill had to work that morning, but he stopped in the middle to come home, shower, and go to church. I love that I have a man who puts everything aside to be with God. It just makes me feel so blessed! After church, I went with my parents and sisters to my nephew Braeden's 5th birthday party. Even though Bill was almost done with work for the day, he was on call and needed to be close by incase something would happen. Braeden's party theme this year was a carnival. There were fun games for the kids to play, carnival food, and fun for all. I'll leave ya'll with some pictures from the party!

My aunt Jennifer and mom

Laurie, Erin, and Kelley helping Bailee play

Birthday boy playing games

My cousin Ryan, his wife Alnee, and daughter Taegan

My mamaw feeding my nephew Reece

Braeden ready to blow out the candles

My sister Laurie wanted to play too!

Braeden opening his presents!

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

God Bless, Whitney

A Dream Come True!!!

2009-05-01T19:53:00.014-04:00

Last weekend I got to live out a dream that I have had for a long time! I know that some of you probably think I'm stupid or crazy, but NASCAR is one of my passions and I've wanted to go to Talladega for years. Well, my amazing husband got me tickets to Talladega for Christmas and I've been excited ever since. It really hit me Thursday that I was actually going there!

Bill and I left around 9 on Friday morning. We stopped for breakfast in Evansville, stopped right outside of Hopkinsville, KY for a break, and were in Birmingham, Alabama around 4:30 p.m. The track is out in the middle of nowhere, which means there aren't any hotels and Bill and I don't camp, so we stayed in Birmingham, which is only about 45 minutes away from the track. I was so glad to get to Birmingham, because, as much as I love my husband, he isn't the best driver! Once we got to our hotel, we went and ate @ Jim and Nick's BBQ. It is one of the best BBQ's that I have ever eaten, as well as pretty cheap. Bill was very satisfied because he was dying to eat BBQ while we were in the south. We stopped @ Target after eating to get a few snacks to take to the track, since food is so expensive there! We then went to the hotel and called it a night-the next day was going to be a full day!

Of all Saturday's, I woke up around 6 something and couldn't sleep. I was too excited I guess! Bill and I got up and ready, eat breakfast, and headed to the track. As we got closer and closer, I was getting really excited and butterflies were in my stomach. Once I saw the track, I couldn't stop smiling! I know I'm a dork! After we parked, we headed to look around the track at all of the vendors. Bill immediately went to the Dale Jr. vendor and had to have a new hat, since he doesn't like the way his other one fit. I looked at Jeff's vendor, but I couldn't decide on what shirt I wanted to I decided to wait until the next day. We then made our way to the track and it was just amazing. The track is so big and the banks of the corners are so high! We watched the rest of Cup qualifying and waited for the Nationwide race to start. It was a really good race, which was won by David Ragan, his first win! Here are some pics from the Nationwide race!

We finally made it!!!!
A view of the track!

Green flag @ the Nationwide race
Kelley's fav Steven Wallace!
Last lap!!!

The next day was a little earlier, but I didn't care. We went to the track and I finally decided on a Jeff shirt. He was running a retro Pepsi car, one like Darrell Waltrip drove in the 80's. I thought since I was there for that race, I would get that shirt. After that, we went by the NASCAR Race Day show and saw some of the guys on that show. We decided to sit under the shade until driver introductions started because we would be in the sun the rest of the day. After driver introductions, the race began and it was so awesome. The sound of the engines going around 200 mph was amazing, something that I have waited to hear for such a long time! Although the race started off well, on lap 7, stupid Matt Kenseth thought he was clear and he hit Jeff and a huge wreck happened! 7 or 8 cars were taken out in the wreck, and my day was over! Just kidding! Although I was pretty bummed, I wouldn't let that bother me since I had waited so long to go to a race there! The race turned out to be pretty good, except the end. Brad Keselowski (?) spun Carl Edwards out on the last lap and won! He doesn't even drive regularly in the Cup series. I was disappointed in the end, but it was a great day-one I will never forget!

Once the race was over, we sat in the parking lot for 2 HOURS!! We didn't move about 30 yards! It was awful! We didn't leave Birmingham until 10:30, and we had to drive all the way home. Bill drove first, while I slept and then we switched! We got home around 4:35 on Monday morning. I was suppose to work Monday, but there was no way that was going to happen. Bill even slept in a while that morning and didn't go to work until 10. It was a great weekend! Thanks to my wonderfull hubby for making yet another one of my dreams come true. I love you! Here are some more pics!

The banking at the track
My hubby and I

My man, Jeff Gordon!!!!

Green, Green, Green!!!
Jeff's poor car!
Last Lap!

Until next time,

Whitney

Ready for the Weekend!

2009-04-23T15:05:00.002-04:00

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm extremely excited for the weekend. This past week (and the week before that) have seen to DRAG ON!!!! Of course the weekend flew by, but the week takes forever! Since my last post, nothing much has changed in the Dyer household.

Bill and I worked and then enjoyed Easter weekend. On Saturday the 11th, I cleaned the house while Bill worked outside. Although we weren't right beside each other, we were together for most of the day, which was really nice. That night we took my youngest sister Michael and neighbor Sarah, who is 2 years older than Michael, to Mr. Gatti's to eat. Bill won the trivia question on the radio and got a couple of coupons, so we decided to take them out. We also stopped at the store and ended the night @ Scoops-I LOVE that place! I'm always in the mood for Cake Batter ice cream. The girls stayed to watch a movie, Mrs. Doubtfire, which I only made it about half way through it before I was asleep! It was a good thing because the next morning we decided to go to Sunrise Service. Bill has always wanted to go in the past, so we decided that the first year we were married we would go. I must say that @ 5:30 in the morning I was wondering what the heck I got myself into, but once I got up I was ok and glad that we went to celebrate the resurrection of Christ our Savior! After the service and the breakfast, we came back home and got ready for church. The sermon was great. We then headed down to my aunt's house in Washington for my dad's side of the family and we were there for a couple of hours. Then we headed up to Bloomfield for my mom's side of Easter and we were there for a couple of hours as well. I really hate that I forgot my camera because my family is continuing to grow and the kids are so much fun! My nephews are getting bigger and I always try to take pictures, but I didn't have my mind that day! We finished the night by stoping by Bill's aunts for his side, but were only there for a few minutes. We were exhausted and were ready to get home!

I could feel the affects of such a long Easter day the next day at work. I was exhausted. I think next year we won't go as many places! I worked everyday last week, which was a long week for me, since I'm not use to that. But overall, it was a good week. We got our taxes done and turned in on time, which was a good thing! Last weekend, I slept in! I was pretty tired, but Bill wasn't. As much as I would like for him to just relax with me, he can't sit still!!! He was up at 6:30 and was working in the garden by 7! He did his "gardening," mowed, and helped his dad and uncle who worked on our air conditioner. I did some laundry and picked up the house some. We did take a nap, but it was just a short one. Sunday we went to church. We also went to Vincennes with Bill's mom to eat and run by JCPenney's. The day was nasty and rainy, so we decided on another nap when we got home. I love sleeping with the windows open and light rain. It just relaxes me!

This week has been a lot slower for us. I had Monday off, but did some errands and more laundry. I worked Tuesday and Wednesday, but have the rest of the week off, which is very exciting. I haven't done much today-I've just taken a day to do nothing! The rest of the day will be packing and getting ready for the rest of the weekend! Tomorrow, Bill and I are leaving for Alabama. We are going to the NASCAR races @ Talladega this weekend. I'm soooo excited. This was on of my Christmas presents from Bill. I've always wanted to go to Talladega and watch a race. This race track is one of two that has big banks, packs of cars, and almost always, a BIG wreck. I can't wait! Bill and I need to get away!!! So if you don't mind, please keep us in your prayers as we are traveling! I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to post when I get back!

Hope everyone else has a great weekend! Enjoy the warm weather!

God Bless,

Whitney

A Month Long Update!

2009-04-05T21:52:00.008-04:00

So I've turned into a terrible blogger! Sorry that I haven't updated in over a month! I know that I say I'm busy, but things are just crazy here. So there are a lot of things I need to update on!

Bill and I spent a whole Saturday at the beginning of the month to clean our house and have our Sunday School class from church over to see our new, finished basement that we had talked so much about! We had 3 couples come over for food, fellowship, and games. It was a great time had by all and we enjoyed spending time with them.

The month of March was a very exciting time for North Daviess basketball fans. Bill and I enjoy going to basketball games, but really didn't have the chance to go to many during the regular season. We did make it the Barr-Reeve and Vincennes Rivet game during Sectional. They were both really good games. So we decided to go to the Regional games as well. Bill had to work that weekend, but went in extra early so he could go. The more we went to the games, the more he would get into the games, You would think he was a coach or something-he is so funny, which makes me love him even more! My mom even made it out to the game-she never goes to the games! ND won the Regional by playing 2 amazing games. I don't think I have ever seen a North Daviess team play any better! It was very exciting and a great time for the school, players, and community. Bill and I went to the Semi-State @ Seymour with my dad, mom, sisters Michael and Kelley, and Bill's best friend Andy and his daughter Marissa. Even though ND didn't win, it was great and the guys played good. There were so many fans there to support the game and it was just a great atmosphere. Congrats Cougars on such a great season! Even though we lost, the girls still had time go shopping at Edinburgh! Here are some pictures from the Regional!

My sister Erin (blue) and her friends

My sister Michael and I on the way home

Erin dancing with the cheerleaders

Celebrating a Regional Championship!

The week after Regional, I had to play nurse to a sick husband. Bill started with a stuffy nose on Sunday and came home early from work on Monday. By that time, he had a terrible cough, fever, headache, and sore throat. He had the cold for a couple of days after taking Nyquil and other sorts of medicine. Well of course, by the end of the week, I was starting to have the same symptoms. I started getting a sore throat on Thursday and had the terrible cough and fever by Friday. I felt the worse on Saturday, but I still went to the game. I started feeling better on Sunday, but the sore throat and cough continued until Wednesday. I'm just glad that the cold is gone from this house!

Bill and I before the sickness hit us!

Other than that, there really hasn't been much going on. Work continues to take all of our time! After work, Bill and I eat supper and catch up on the Young & the Restless. Yes, Bill watches it with me! I think he wants to watch it more than I do! But we are about a month and a half behind, so if you watch it, please don't tell us what is going on! We are trying to catch up, but there is always something going on that we can't watch it to catch up. We will get there eventually! Bill also has been working in the garden! He is obsessed with it! He has planted green beans, peas, potatoes, and zucchini already, and plans to plant more. Hopefully we will have a good turn out this year.

Bill preparing his garden!

This past weekend we really didn't do much. Bill had to work Saturday and Sunday. So I went to Vincennes early Saturday and did some shopping. When I go home, I cleaned my car and when Bill got home he cleaned out the garage and washed my car. Today, I went to church, napped with Bill, and just took it easy. It was nice to nap during the storm and rain-it was very relaxing! Tonight Bill and my sister Erin ordered Wrestle Mania. I think it is stupid, but they are having fun and enjoying it, so I'm catching up on some reading and updating this blog! Hopefully we don't get the bad, cold weather they say we are going to get and can get a move on with Spring. I'm ready to plant flowers and be outside! Hope everyone has a great start to their week!

God Bless,

Whitney

Finished Basement, Sleepover, and Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-03-01T18:28:00.014-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been really busy for us. Bill and I both worked during the past couple of weeks, as well as last weekend. I worked Saturday at Quick Care, while Bill worked both Saturday and Sunday. It seems work just fills up a lot of our time. I hate how we only get to spend so little time together. We get up and work all day, come home and eat supper, watch tv for a couple of hours, and then go to bed to wake up and do it all over again! I know that is just part of life, but I would love to spend more time with my husband.

I am officially writing this blog from the luxury of a finished basement! YAH!!!! I'm soo glad it is finished! Although I was against bringing our living room downstairs in the beginning, it has turned out really well and better than I ever thought it would be. The carpet was finished on Friday the 20th, and all of the furniture was moved downstairs the next day. Bill and I are loving how big it is! Even though it was a long process, I love it and want to thank everyone who helped make it so nice! I'll share some pictures of the finished product!

On the night that the furniture was moved downstairs, Bill and I went to my parent's house for supper. My sister Kelley was home from college for the weekend and I thought it would be great to have a sister sleepover. Although I see a couple of my sisters often, we don't get the chance to do things or be together for a long time that often. I thought that by having a sleepover we would get the chance to be with each other, have fun, and just bond. We played Apples to Apples, which I won both times (ha), video games, and just watched tv. We all slept on the floor in the basement like girls in grade school do when they have a sleep over! Although we didn't do much, we had a great time and had fun spending time together.

Kelley and Erin playing video games while Michael watches

Sister Sleepover!

This weekend has been really nice. Bill and I didn't do much at all, which was great. We've been really busy with the basement and work that it was just nice to do nothing. My mom watched my nephews Braeden and Reece this past weekend and we went over and spent some time with them, but other than that we just took it easy. It is nice to relax, especially with a busy week ahead. Tomorrow I'm off from work, but I need to go to the store and get some things, as well as pick up the house and laundry! Work will take up the rest of the week and the weekend is super busy. A party on Saturday, a party on Sunday, which means it will be nothing like this past weekend! Oh well!

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and that the week ahead will be good! God Bless!

Whitney

Much Needed Update-Almost finished basement and Celebrating Life and Andon

2009-02-16T13:53:00.006-05:00

Although there hasn't been a lot going on, I know that I need to update since it has almost been 2 weeks! First, I just want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for my husband and his family as they lost a love one, Larry. It was a very difficult time for the whole family and seeing and hearing from family and friends made this an easier situation. The Lord has definately blessed us! The rest of the week was filled with work for both Bill and I. We would come home from our regular jobs, eat supper, and work in the basement until we were both tired. This basement seems to be taking over our lives and I will be so glad when this project is over, which I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! Bill believes that by the middle of next week, we should be able enjoy our family room COMPLETED! All of the baseboard is down, except around the poles, all of the doors are painted, and all of the ceiling tile is in! All that is left is to finish painting a couple of doors, putting in the carpet, and moving all of the furniture downstairs. I haven't been this excited to have something done in a long time! I will be glad to have my house clean with no dusty foot prints! Here are some updated pictures!

As many of you have already done, I would like to dedicate and celebrate the life of Andon Knepp. I know I am a couple of days late, but I feel that I'd rather be late than never! I don't know Chelsa, Ryan, or Brycen personally, but I feel that God has asked me to pray and do all that I can to help this family as they heal. On Saturday, Valentine's Day, my husband and I did a couple of things to celebrate each other, which I feel is how we remembered and celebrated Andon. Bill and I decided to sleep in on Saturday, as that is one of my favorite things to do-not only because I love to sleep, but also because that is how I relax with my husband. We don't get to sleep in or relax as much as we would like to, so waking up beside him a couple of hours later than what we usually do was really nice and I enjoyed every minute of it. Another thing that we did on Saturday was that we took time for each other. There are so many times in life when we are rushed around and are always in a hurry and that is when we usually forget the things that mean the most to us or just take the time to enjoy the small things. Bill and I went to Evansville for Valentine's Day, but we decided that we didn't want to be on a schedule or hurry or not let the other one do something that they wanted to do. We didn't leave home until 12:30 or 1 and just enjoyed the day. I let Bill eat at Outback, his favorite, and he let me do some shopping at the mall. We really enjoyed the day and each other's company without being on a schedule. Although these may not seem like things that celebrated life or Andon, they mean something special to me, and I know Andon meant something special to so many people. So to Chelsa, Ryan, Brycen, and the rest of their family, I hope you celebrate his life and that my little gift of remembrance was just a small piece of celebration and living life!

Well I better get back to the laundry and other cleaning items! This week will continue to be busy with work and finishing the basement! Hopefully the next post will be about enjoying the new family room!

Blessings,

Whitney

Prayer Request

2009-02-04T21:16:00.002-05:00

I just have a small prayer request for those reading this. My husband's uncle, Larry Dyer, passed away unexpectedly tonight. It was accidential and a huge shock to the whole family. So if you would just please keep my husband, as well as his whole family, in your thoughts and prayers, we would really appreciate it. God has His way of reminding us that He is in control and can change our plans at any time. Also, please keep Ryan, Chelsa, and Brycen Knepp in your prayers as they are grieving their loss.

Thanks and God Bless,

Whitney

Snow, snow, and more snow!

2009-01-28T14:52:00.009-05:00

Just thought I would post some pictures from my house with all of the snow. I'd say we got around 11 or 12 inches of snow plus a layer of ice in between. Hope everyone is enjoying their snow day off and that ya'll stay safe!!!

Flu Bug, Interim Mom, and Paint

2009-01-26T18:55:00.005-05:00

Well, the past week has been one crazy and busy week! Tuesday and Wednesday were working days for me. Wednesday evening Bill and I went to Vincennes to eat and go some supplies to finish the basement at Lowe's. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings and we both got the boneless wings. Well as soon as I got done eating, my stomach was hurting, but I just thought I was full. Then, we went to Lowe's and spent what seemed like hours there! I was sooo bored while in there, but at least I was spending time with my husband. The longer we were in there, though, the more my stomach hurt. When we got home, I went straight to bed. I woke up the next day feeling ok, so I took my shower and started getting ready for work. But as I was blowdrying my hair, my stomach began to hurt and the next thing I knew I was running to the toilet and I vomitted. I did it again later on and decided to call in from work. My stomach hurt all day and then I got the diahrrea as well. I was in bed all day Thursday and most of Friday. I finally started feeling better Friday evening, but Bill and I just watched TV.

I was much better by Saturday and took my niece, who is staying with us for the week, sister, and mom to Vincennes to look at prom dresses and take some things back to a couple of stores. Bill's mom and her friend Hap went to Mexico for a week and half and so Breanna, our niece, is staying with us. It has been fun to have her around and relive all the things teenagers try to do to their parents. Although it is fun to have her here, Bill and I both know that we aren't ready for kids just yet!!! Breanna is a cheerleader and since she is staying with us, Bill and I went to the ND/BR game that night. Even though it was packed, it was a good game and we are glad we went.

While us girls were going doing girl things on Saturday, Bill and my dad painted our basement. Painting can take a long time and be tiring for one person, but the whole process went a lot faster and easier because there were 2 people. They had the basement painted, which included 2 coats, by the time we got home that afternoon. Bill even got a first coat of stain on the baseboards that afternoon. Here are the latest set of pictures!

Sunday, we all went to church and then ate with my family, took a nap, ate supper, and went to small group at church. I was off work today and cleaned the house, did laundry, and went through things in the computer room. The rest of the week is work! Hopefully, there will be enough snow to keep everyone home! Stay warm and safe everyone!

Whitney

Remodeling the Basement

2009-01-18T17:25:00.007-05:00

I'm about to go crazy in this house! It seems like as soon as I get it cleaned, the mess from downstairs comes upstairs and gets dirty again. Welcome to my life of remodeling our basement!

Bill decided at the end of last year that he wanted to go ahead and remodel our basement and move our living room downstairs. Our living room is extremely small and whenever we have friends or family over, there isn't enough room for everyone, even though we have a reclining couch and recliner chair. Since I'm working now, Bill decided that we had enough money to go ahead and finish the basement and move everything downstairs and make the living room upstairs a dining room. So the construction began the weekend after Christmas-8 am at that! Here are some pictures after the first week!

Once all of the boards were up, they began to hang the drywall. This was probably the worst Saturday because it was the LOUDEST!!! Although it was loud, I know the end result will be great and will allow us to have a big living space. Hanging the drywall took a couple of work days, but they got all of it done.

Once the drywall was all hung, Bill's cousin's husband, Kevin, came over and helped with the "mud" part. He came over the days I was gone to Alabama and the beginning of this week. Bill tried to help him, but Kevin is very particular and just went over the parts that Bill did! Now the mudding is all done, as well as the sanding on the mud, which is EXTREMELY dusty!!! Bill had gray hair when he came back upstairs!! So we are finally ready to paint! I believe we are half way done! I will post more pictures soon!

As for anything else this week, I just worked all week. I worked at Loogootee on Monday, Dr. Lohano's Tuesday-Thursday, and Quickcare on Friday. It was a bit of a crazy week, so I'm pretty excited about my day off tomorrow! Bill and I took it easy on Saturday and just layed around on watched tv. He was working a lot last week and got called out quite a bit because the pipes were freezing up at work so I didn't get to see him much. We decided we just needed a day to do nothing and just be with each other! Today was just church, lunch with my family, nap, and tonight is small groups. Tomorrow I'm going to the store and preparing supper for my mom's birthday! Hope she has a great day!!! Sorry to ramble so much, but since I haven't posted in a while, I figured I better write a lot!

Whitney

Blog and life updates

2009-01-10T17:34:00.005-05:00

I think I finally got this blog figured out or atleast looking good. I took this whole afternoon to do laundry, but also to work on adding things to the site. I must say that it looks a lot better! I'm sure I will add more things to it later on. Let me know what you think!

As for life, it has been pretty busy this week. On Monday, my mom, sister Kelley, and I left for Mobile, Alabama for the GMAC Bowl. Ball State had a great football season this year and got to go to another bowl game. I'm so glad that we went somewhere warm this year instead of cold Canada, which is where they played last year. It took all of Monday to get there-10 hour drive! On Tuesday, we went shopping during the day and went to the game that night. It was 75 degrees during the day, but we all knew that a storm was coming! During halftime, it started pouring and it only let up a little throughout the rest of the game. We played as bad as the rain-Ball State lost 45-13. Although it was bad, Kelley and I stayed in our seats and watched the rest of the game in the rain! Wednesday was another travel day and we finally got home around 7. Here are some pictures from the trip!

Kelley, my mom, and me before the game

The BSU Cardinals taking the field!

I went back to work on Thursday and Friday. Bill was off on Thursday, but had to go to CPR classes for work that afternoon and Friday afternoon. We enjoyed a very relaxing night in Friday evening, and we were in bed by 8. We both had headaches and were tired. As for today, Bill worked this morning and got home around 11. Then helped Norm Stoll work in our basement, which now has all of the drywall up. I will post pictures of that soon. I have not done a whole lot today-just laundry, dishes, and working on this blog! Tonight should be relaxing too. We just plan on watching tv and I might work on scrapbooking! Hopefully the upcoming week will be a lot more calm than this past one!

Blessings and Love,

Whitney

Happy New Year and New Year's Resolutions!

2009-01-03T14:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog!!! This is a brand new thing to me so please be patient as I try to make this as great as all of the other blogs that I have been reading! I started this blog so that my friends and family can read about what is going on in Dyer household. I have quite a few friends from Ball State and other areas that I don't keep in touch with as much as I should so hopefully this will help them know what is going on. I've been reading other blogs for months and have always thought that it would be fun, but I just never had the time. So this year, one of my resolutions was to create this blog-along with losing weight and a few other things! I hope everyone had a great New Year's and that this upcoming year is your best yet! 2008 was a great year for Bill and I and we were sad to see it go, but know that God has amazing things planned for the upcoming 2009 year! I'll be sure to post and arrange my background soon so that it looks like a professional blog and not a boring one!

In Christ love and blessings,

Whitney