Fripp Island, SC

Ahh, Fripp Island, SC, my favorite place of summertime memories! After a long flight into Charleston from Hawaii, we drove another 1.5 hours to get to Fripp. This place is so special to my family, as we vacationed here to visit my grandparents every summer when I was a kid. I have 4 aunts and 5 cousins on this side of my family, and they also vacationed there, which is why my cousin Erin chose to get married at Fripp. She knew that her wedding weekend would also make for a great family reunion! We had to miss the rehearsal dinner so that we could get to bed early and try to make up for some of the jet lag. By Saturday morning, we were ready to hit the beach and visit family! Harrison, David, Nate, and I enjoyed relaxing in our chairs with our toes in the water a few hours before the wedding: Another shot:The ceremony was held at a Presbyterian church in Beaufort, just 20 minutes down the road. Erin looked BEAUTIFUL in her strapless ivory gown. Here's a shot of the new Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Passow: We stuck around the church to take family photos. Harrison wore his summery seersucker pants that I love! I also love my former bridesmaid's dress that I wore for Celeste's wedding: Family shot, unfortunately missing Kellye and Paige: We headed back to the Beach Club on Fripp for the reception. The centerpieces were lovely: View of the beach from the reception's balcony: The married couple hits the dance floor:There was a lot of great dancing! The bride and groom's first dance was AWESOME! They'd been rehearsing for months to do a disco routine to "More Than A Woman!" It was so good and so funny! The men, or Blues Brothers, also put on a great performance! My cousin, Travis, stole the show (in front): Cutting the cake:

We partied into the wee hours of the morning before eventually crashing. On Sunday we spent the day at the beach and then had dinner at the Bonita Boathouse, which overlooks the marina and marshes, with Aileen, Andrew, Blake, and Ryan. They always have the best She-Crab soup!

I love the coastal marshes! This is the marina:

My nephew is one cute pirate; argh!

On Monday, we spent a little time at the beach and then had lunch at the Ocean Pointe Grille with the Aileen, Drew, Ryan and Blake. We did a little shopping and touring the island. Fripp is small, only about 3 miles long, but has so much beauty to offer.

We spotted this alligator in one of the ponds on a golf course. Scary!

We can't wait for our next trip back to Fripp. I think we're going to start doing family reunions there at least every 3 years!

Vacation: Ahh, Hawaii

So, our vacation in Hawaii was AMAZING! We went with my in-law family and had a blast. The trip was a bit of a whirlwind, so I'll break it down by the day:

Saturday: We arrived late in the evening, had dinner a a cute restaurant (I had some yummy Blue Crab chowder), checked into our lovely resort (Wyndham Bali Hai Villas), and CRASHED.

Sunday: Drove around the north part of the island, exploring.

Kayakers in the river (above)...

View of the northern coast of Kaui (below)...

We had lunch at Bouchon's in Hanalei and I sipped my first Mai Tai of the vacay (too strong for my taste)...

Here's the view from the cafe across the street from Bouchon's:

Monday: A day at the beach! We spent the majority of the day being beach bums at this fantastic location. In 2009 this beach (Hanalei Bay Beach) was ranked #1 in some poll for best beach!

That evening we drove to the Kalauea Lighthouse. By the time we got there (4:30ish), is was already closed. We were able to enjoy the fantastic view from a distance.

We hit up a cute little roadside fruit market called Banana Joe’s. Harrison, Perry, and I enjoyed fruit smoothies (pineapple, papaya, mango, etc). We headed to the southern portion of the island and drove up a very curvy road to see the Wailua Falls. Again, the views were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

For dinner, we grilled chicken and spent a couple of hours eating and drinking on the lanai.

Tuesday - We got up early to drive all the way around the island. It took about 2.5 hours to reach our final destination: 'The Grand Canyon of Kauai. I can't describe it's beauty, and neither can pictures, but I'll show you so that you can get somewhat of an idea:

We stopped for lunch at the Kauai Coffee Plantation. We got to sample all sorts of great Hawaiian coffees.

Next, we headed to Port Allen, where our dinner cruise (Captain Andy's) was scheduled to head out around 2:30. Fifty tourists were boarded on a large catamaran. One of the crew happened to be an Auburn grad! After exchanging 'War Eagle' greetings, we found out that he graduated in marketing from Auburn in '09. After graduating, he worked in Atlanta in a cubicle for 6 months before he took a vacation to Kauai. On that vacation, he made a choice not to return to the mainland! The view from his new 'desk' is a little bit prettier now. The sights were amazing: waterfalls, caves, tall mountain peaks, dolphins etc.

We enjoyed Mai Tais, or Sneaky Tikis as the crew likes to call them! They're made with dark rum, gin, and POG (passion fruit, orange, and guava juices). We feasted on a buffet of teriyaki chicken, roast beef, rice, salad, and pineapple-upside down cake. After dinner, the captain announced that anyone that felt 'daring' and didn't mind getting a little wet was welcome to 'play superman.' This is where the guests can lay on the trampoline of the catamaran and 'catch air' as the ship hits big waves. I wanted so badly to do it, but my dress was too short. Beth did it and said it was one of the coolest things she's ever done! She was soaked!

Wednesday - Harrison and Perry enjoyed a day of golf at a beautiful course at the south end of the island while the girls lounged by the pool. I got into my book: Water for Elephants. That evening we all went to see the community theater's production of South Pacific. It was a dinner theater and we feasted on a ton of good food. I'd never seen the movie, but I knew all of the great show tunes (i.e. "Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair," "Bloody Mary," "Bali Hai").

Thursday - Unfortunately this was our last day (we cut the trip short to get back to SC for my cousin's wedding), but our flight wasn't to leave until 8ish. We maxed out our day by hitting up Tunnels Beach. The scenery is to die for and the snorkeling was incredible! There were such gorgeous fish in every direction! Thankfully Harrison didn't tell me (until after we had left) that this was the beach where the surfer girl (movie: Soul Surfer) got her arm chomped off by a tiger shark!

That evening we had dinner at a seaside restaurant with the family before heading to the airport. We had a GREAT vacation! If we ever do Hawaii again though, we'll stay a minimum of 8-10 days because that long flight is ROUGH!

Home Sweet Home for Paige, Kellye, & Nate!

Paige was released from the hospital today after a month and 3 days of ups and downs! The excitement in Nate's voice over the phone was unmistakable. He is really appreciating the simple things. Tonight, he ran out to grab food from their favorite Mexican restaurant and told me how great it was to be in a familiar place. He was excited to head back home and share dinner with Kellye.


They've got her all set up with her continuous tube feedings at home, and they've propped up pillows underneath her mattress to ensure proper digestion. They'll be heading back to the doctor's office on Friday to make sure there's been no drastic changes in her labs, weight, and overall condition. They still face a long road ahead, and transplant is still 'on the radar,' but for now the goal is to gain weight and remain stable. Thanks for all of your prayers; I know they've all felt them. I now ask for your prayers for Paige's stability so they can continue to remain at home and try to reestablish their usual day-to-day routines.

Here's the latest photo I've received of sweet baby Paige. It's from her little hospital bed, soon after waking up yesterday. She looks wide awake, huh?

Spring weekend

We had such a nice weekend! We started it early on Thursday by celebrating Harrison's graduation. We had dinner at one of our favorite Asheville restaurants, Bouchon's Street Fair (casual French food). I had Le Croque Monsieur Frites with our favorite beer, Kronenbourg 1664. Afterward, we met up with some of our friends in West Asheville at the Wedge Brewery, http://www.wedgebrewing.com/, and later ended up at The Bywater http://www.bywaterbar.com/. The Bywater is a great new bar located next to the French Broad River. It has a huge outdoor space with grills, picnic tables, and all kinds of outdoor games. We had a great time celebrating with everybody, especially since Sylvia had just completed her thesis and James and Andy had just finished their finals!
After work on Friday, Harrison and I took a nice long walk through some lovely Asheville neighborhoods. It was so great to see Spring in full bloom! As we walked back to our car, we noticed a Little League Baseball game going on in the park. We decided to grab a hot dog and watch a bit of the game. It brought me back to all of the times I watched my brothers play ball as a kid.

Later, we met up with our friends at The Champagne Bar and Book Exchange (see earlier post about this great bar). We love that place! As I was leaving, I got the weirdest compliment I've ever received. A drunk 70-something man told me that I looked like Liza Minnelli. He also told me I had a nice nose. Weird.

Later we had some late night snacks at The Southern, http://www.southernkitchenandbar.com/, and played Foosball at Dirty South.

Saturday afternoon, several of us headed to Ben & Ashley's house to watch The Kentucky Derby. Ashley and Adam are both from Kentucky and have been to several derbies. We sipped on mint juleps as we watched the fastest 2 minutes pass us by. We spent the rest of the evening outside playing ladder golf and corn hole.
Sunday was another beautiful Spring day. After mass, Harrison and I spent a few hours hiking in the gardens at Biltmore Estate.

I cooked him a special dinner to celebrate the completion of his master's degree and then we watched a very strange Coppola film: Youth Without Youth.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you very special women out there! A special thanks to my dear mother and grandmother. This year my thoughts especially go out to my sister-in-law who is having her first mother's day. Kellye, you are so strong and nuturing; Paige is so lucky to have you as her mommy. Another very special mom is my sister. She is expecting her 3rd child on 11.11.11! For all of you pregnant mothers out there, I'm sending up special prayers today for God to protect and watch over you and your babies throughout your pregnancy.

Paige's heart cath results

Paige had a heart cath done yesterday. This procedure involves inserting a catheter into her femoral artery (groin) and threading it up into the heart. It allows for the MD to measure the pressures within the heart, look for any anatomic abnormalities, and check for blockages that might not allow blood to pass easily through the heart. I nervously awaited the results via phone, all day. I don't think I stopped praying or thinking about her until the call came. Nate told me that she tolerated the procedure and anesthesia very well. The good news was that the pressures that reflect how her lungs are doing looked good (the MDs weren't expecting this). The other news is that the pressures on the other side of her heart showed that her heart was having to work very hard to exchange oxygen. The doctors still feel like there's a grey area right now, as to what the next step is (a heart transplant is on the back burner). They're going to continue trying to increase Paige's weight with continuous tube feedings. If she can steadily gain weight, she may be able to go home. If she cannot maintain her weight, the transplant option will be explored further. PLEASE PRAY FOR PAIGE TO STEADILY GAIN WEIGHT!

This photo was taken by Nate as she was leaving for the heart cath procedure.

5.1.11 Osama Bin Killed!

Where I was when I found out about 9/11: a senior at Gadsden High, sitting in Mrs. Hawkins' English class. It was the first class of the day and we were going to watch "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead." As we turned on the TV, about to pop in the video, we saw smoke pouring out of the World Trade Center. The days thereafter felt ominous.

Where I was upon hearing news of the death of Osama bin Laden, mastermind of 9/11: sitting in bed, watching reality TV. My husband came in and switched the channel to news. I couldn't believe the headline. After texting like crazy, we broke out a bottle of wine and watched the news for the next 2 hours. It is so nice to know that jerk is finally gone!

Proud to be an American!

The Royal Wedding

Yes, I did wake up at 5 am to watch the wedding. I got bored and snoozed until 6am. I watched the full wedding, live, as I got ready for work. I adored Princess Katherine's wedding gown! It was classy, traditional yet modern enough, and modest but figure-flattering. I did not enjoy the couple's mostly stoic expressions, but I guess it's not very regal to hold hands and wink at each other. All girls imagine to someday feel like a princess with their own Prince Charming on their wedding day. I guess the billions of viewers that tuned in were excited to see the real fairytale come true for commoner, Kate Middleton.

The sweet (but short) kiss brought me back to our wedding day. I honestly felt like a princess and even more so as I walked down the aisle towards my Prince Charming (sorry to be cheesy). Our first kiss as a married couple was so special. Not a day goes by without a kiss, unless we're apart of course!

On a side note, I'm getting very excited that Paige may come home soon! Thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers for her, Nate and Kellye. Here's the latest from the carepage...

Paige's good news continues: her BNP is still in the low 500s! She gained weight again tonight and she kept all her feeds down today. She was in good spirits today but chewing on everything in sight. I'm convinced a tooth will appear very soon! In preparation for our departure on Sunday, they removed her PICC line today. Paige was so brave! She sat very still, kept her eyes on Mommy and Daddy, and only cried out one time. Things are looking good! They've even scheduled our follow-up appointment for Tuesday. We continue to pray for Paige's healing.
Have a fabulous weekend!

Tornado

April 27, 2011 - Tornado wrecks the Southeast.

The massive storm has taken over 300 lives in the Southeast US. My Sweet Home Alabama was hit very hard and the destruction was tremendous. I am so thankful that my family and friends are okay. As of yet, no one close to me has suffered much damage to their property either. Dadeville & Alex City, just 35 minutes from Auburn was hit badly. Many of my friends have beautiful lake houses there, and I believe they got lucky. Down the road in Tuscaloosa, our arch rival university really suffered a large loss. Students lost their lives, there has been no water/power, and finals were cancelled. I can't imagine how I'd feel if Auburn were hit in the same way. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the disaster.

Easter Feaster

This weekend, Harrison and I were in Atlanta to visit my family, especially our niece, Paige. If you don't already know from my earlier post, she's been in the hospital for the past 2 weeks with an enlarged heart that has trouble pumping out enough blood. She's been such a little fighter! For the past 4 days, she's been off the IV meds that have been helping her heart contract stronger to more efficiently eject blood. The doctors were hoping that if she could tolerate being off the IV medication, they could transition her to oral meds, and perhaps skip the need of a heart transplant. These 4 days have been a bit of a roller coaster ride with highs and lows. Easter Sunday was definitely a day to celebrate! Things are looking better and there's even talk from the doctors about her possibly going home next weekend!
Here's the latest post from her mommy on her care page:

More positive news today: that enzyme level (also known as the BNP) has continued to decrease! The doctors even brought up the possibility of going home -- maybe by the end of this week. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, though. (Remember that roller coaster ride?) I am extremely thankful that Paige's status has continued to improve and we did not have to go back on the milrinone (IV medication for her heart) or to the CICU. There are a few factors that have to occur before we can leave the hospital. Right now Paige is receiving her diuretics through an IV so she must transition to oral diuretics and remain stable.
Things are looking up for Miss Paige. We are certainly rejoicing this Easter Sunday and enjoying Paige's 1st Easter (even if it is in the hospital)! Stay tuned for pictures with her bunny ears. :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the prayers and Easter blessings. We know that none of this would be possible without God's help and mercy.

After visiting Paige, Nate, and Kellye all weekend, we headed to Newnan to go to Easter Sunday Mass and visit my sister's family for EASTER FEASTER. Easter Feaster has been a Cunningham family get-together for the past several years. At last year's Feaster, Nate and Kellye announced that they were pregnant. Unfortunately, they weren't able to join us this year.

I love my nephews, Blake and Ryan!

We had a great spread of food included Boston Butt smoked on Drew's Green Egg Grill (fabulous, since we haven't eaten meat in 40 days), potato salad, baked beans, garden green salad, chips/dip, grape salad dessert, and mint chocolate chip ice cream cake! The food was fantastic and we got to spend Easter Feaster in The Swartz's beautiful new home! Blake stole my watermelon! Blake loved having Uncle David push him around the yard in his car!