Shawn's Birthday! Happy 32, Hun!

Yeah! This year we had Shawn's best birthday yet! We had friends over on Friday night (12/12) for Pounce (best card game ever!), cake (German chocolate: Shawn's fav), and ice cream. Then, on Saturday, I took Shawn out to Ipanema (a Brazilian steakhouse in Ocala) for a meaty feast. Irene and Walmir babysat so we could enjoy a night out. I even wore a dress! :)

Shawn, with each birthday, I love you more and more - and, you become even more handsome and wonderful. Even though it took you an hour to blow out all of your candles, I hope all of your birthday wishes come true!

Check out Ipanema on the web. So nice - and, worth every dollar...

www.ipanemaocala.com

Two Day Stay in the Hospital...

Riley
Ambulance
Hospital

Three words I never wanted to have to write about together....

Though this is old news for most, I did want to blog about Riley's recent stay in the hospital. After posting over Thanksgiving break, Shawn and I came down with that awful stomach bug. Riley caught it on the way home, and by Monday night we were taking her to the hospital in an ambulance on oxygen because of pneumonia! We ended up staying two nights at Shands Hospital with our little angel. She was such a trooper. She had an IV and nasal cannula and all sorts of tests. Though I hated seeing her so sick, I did enjoy how cuddly she was. Now, she is back up and crawling and smiling and eating like crazy. Thanks to all of our friends for their support while we were taking care of Riley. Caroline, you rock. Thanks for coming to see us and make the long hours in the hospital go by fast. Irene, thanks for loaning me a sweatshirt and helping out with bringing stuff to school for me.

It was a long two days for sure!

What's Been Happening with the Hardings...

The past few weeks have been flying by for us. With Riley, school, sickness, traveling, visitors, coaching, and more - we alternate between surviving and having a blast. Here is a look at what we have been up to recently!

1. My twin sister Alli came to visit! Allison spent the month of October with us while she completed an away elective at UF and Shands. We had an amazing month, running together, hanging out with Riley, and just getting to spend time together. Needless to say, the month went by entirely too fast, and I miss Alli so much. I am so looking forward to living near each other in the future. Thanks for such a great month, Alli. You are an amazing twin sister - and, I cannot tell you how much it meant to me to get to spend a whole month with you. You rock, Maestro!


2. Tower of Terror 13K race! Alli and I ran a 10:00pm race at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The race was a blast, and we had a great time trucking through the park in the dark. It felt so good to be back in shape and racing again. Thanks for getting me motivated, Alli. After the race, we hung out with Mom, Aunt Lynne, and Uncle Jim in the park. We went on the Tower of Terror and a few other rides in the middle of the night. So much fun!!
3. More running fun: My first ever half marathon! I decided that since I was already training for a 13k, I might as well train for a 13 miler. The race, on the Gainesville-Hawthorne trail, was amazing. I finished in 1:56. The course was beautiful, too. Shawn and Riley came to cheer me on. Definitely a fun morning!
4. FCIS Presentation in Orlando about GOLD! Irene and I traveled down to Orlando, stayed at the beautiful Omni Hotel, and presented GOLD (Girls Overnight Leadership Development) to a packed crowd. The presentation was a huge hit! Everyone who came seemed interested and engaged the whole time. We are in the process of planning for GOLD 2009 now, too. Hopefully, our presentation will help other schools start similar programs and help even more eighth grade girls develop their leadership potential in high school.

5. NCTE Conference in San Antonio! From Orlando, Irene and I flew to San Antonio for the annual conference for English teachers where we met up with Lucinda. The three of us had a busy and fun weekend, learning new teaching strategies, picking up free books, and checking out the Riverwalk and the Alamo. As a teacher, the conference is so motivating and inspiring. It is wonderful to be around so many other men and women who teach and to learn the latest in lesson plans, units, and assignments. And, the long weekend was also a nice chance to relax and get away for a bit - recharge before the holiday rush. I had a blast getting to know Lucinda better on the trip. And, I am so fortunate to work and travel with one of my best friends, Irene. It was awesome hanging out, sharing hotel rooms, chatting, watching old school movies on TBS, waiting in line for hours for free books, eating McDonald's french fries, listening to Christmas music, going to see Twilight at Midnight, looking up pictures of the characters from Twilight on the Internet, drooling over Hugh Jackman, discussing pregnancy and kids, sharing memories, and just getting to spend so much time together. Irene, I never could have jammed my bag into the overhead compartments without you! Thanks for being such an awesome friend and travel buddy!

6. Back to Texas for Thanksgiving with Shawn's family! After returning from San Antonio, I spent 26 hours in Gainesville before heading back to Dallas with Shawn and Riley by car. We have had a wonderful Thanksgiving, eating lots of great food, playing two killer games of Monopoly (both of which I won!!), and hanging out with everyone here. Riley has been busy, too, crawling all around, gooing and gaaing, and making all of us laugh. We are so thankful to have such a beautiful, sweet, and happy baby!


Okay, so now that I have covered the major events that I have been up to, Riley has reached a couple of major milestones.


1. She has two teeth!!


2. She is crawling!!


3. She is eating Stage 2 Foods!!


Go, Riley, go!! Wahoo!!


Shawn has been busy, as well. His cross country team just went to the State competition and finished 11th! He is also coaching middle school boys basketball now. His team lost their first game on Tuesday, but I am confident he will lead them to a successful season. I am excited that he has the chance to reach out to even more kids with his amazing coaching ability. He is such a wonderful source of positive energy, fun, and support. Yeah, Coach Harding!


In other family news and events, both Grandma (my mom) and Grandpa (my dad) have come down to visit in the past month. I got to hang out with my Mom and Riley while she was in town, and we had a terrific time shopping, eating at Olive Garden, walking, and spending some quality girl time together. My Dad also came down to hang out with Riley and Shawn while I was in San Antonio. The weekend sounded like it was a lot of fun and full of brownies, dirty diapers, and Kate Beckinsale! Mom and Dad, thanks for taking time to come down to visit us this fall! It means so much to me and all of us!


Great Grandpa also came up to visit from South Florida for a weekend with Anita. We had a great time, went to see an Oak Hall volleyball game, ate at Olive Garden, watched Serendipity, played cards, and had a very nice and relaxing time together. Fun, fun!!

Okay, what a marathon! That's all for now. Time to let the turkey and coconut cake settle! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Another Baby in the Family!

Yesterday, Shawn, Riley, and I welcomed another addition to our family: kitten Jensen. She tiny, sweet, and unfortunately not quite litter-trained yet. Our other cats seem to like her so far, and she seems to really like us, too. Fun times! Welcome to the family, Jensen.

Bath Time!!

Over the weekend, Riley and I had fun with some extreme spa time! I cannot believe how adorable she is - with and without clothes on! Her sixth month birthday is right around the corner, too. Hard to believe she is already so old!

Enjoy!

At Last....Alli's Wedding!

What a glorious occassion! A month ago, I had the honor and priviledge of being Allison's Matron of Honor at her wedding. It was so wonderful to be at Alli's side all day, helping to make sure she felt beautiful, relaxed, and elated. I could not believe how much work it was to be an honor attendant, but it was so worth it to see Alli smiling all day. The day dawned bright and glorious. The ceremony was sweet and special. The reception was fun and full of memories. All too quickly, Allison and CE, my new brother-in-law, left under a curtain of sparklers for their wedding night while the rest of us remained among green flowers, cake crumbs, and memories, in the wake of their love, which still radiated in the room like dozens of glowing candles - soft and strong at once.

Wedding day breakfast at Panera.

Alli and I getting glammed up.
Claire's turn to be beautified.
And...

Then...

The Moment We Have Been Waiting For...

The stunning bride.

Mom and Alli, both dressed to the nines.
Claire and Alli, ready to rock the wedding.
Me and my big sis!

I am so happy for you, Allison! Congratulations!!

The Rehearsal Dinner...

Just wanted to post a few pictures from the night before Alli's wedding, even though the Bechtel's one month anniversary has already come and gone. Such a fun and beautiful night!

Mom, Aunt Josie, Grandma Toni, Aunt Marybeth, and Riley relaxing outside on the patio before dinner.

Brendan and Libby: Such a cute couple!
Aunt Claire and Riley. Adorable!
Riley all partied out!
Me and my baby, happy as can be!
The bride and her sisters, hot as can be.
Friends from the North.
Relatives from the North (and Brendan and Libby!).

Heather's Visit...

So this post goes back to before the Bachelorette Party, but I was in a hurry to get pictures on the blog and so now I am going back in time...

Heather, my best friend from when I lived up in Greenville, PA with Shawn for the first two years we were married, came down to stay with Shawn, Riley, and me the week before I went up for all of Alli's wedding festivities. It was awesome getting to spend some time together, to talk in person rather than over the phone, to go shopping again together, to play cards, to play with Riley, and to just chill. While Heather was in town, we hit the mall, Devil's Millhopper, our pool, The Mill, the couch (for afternoon naps), and the dining room table (literally!). Heather introduced us to one of the greatest card games ever: Pounce. And, she beat us pretty handily at it, too! All in all, we had a great week that went by way too fast.

I am so thankful to have a friend like Heather, and I cannot express how much her visit meant to me. I was so touched that she traveled all the way down to Florida to meet Riley and hang out with me! Even though we no longer live nearby each other, I am thrilled that we are still so close. Heather, you are amazing, and I am so glad we are friends!

Girls' Day!

On the Wednesday before the wedding, Riley, Claire, Alli, Mom, and I enjoyed a wonderful Girls' Day Out. We started off the day perfectly, with breakfast at Panera.

Then, Mom held a sleeping Riley while Alli, Claire, and I had spa pedicures done. Claire and I opted for a bright green to fit the wedding colors. Alli opted for a shade to complement her dress. All of our toes looked fantastic and our feet felt great! Thanks, Mom!
In the afternoon, Mom and I went to have our hair done before we joined Alli and Claire for afternoon tea. Going to tea is one of our favorite things to do! The meal and tea was simply lovely, and the company could not have been better. It was so nice to relax and spend time with with the girls before guests started coming into town.

What a great day! Riley, Claire, Mom, and Alli - thanks for making it so special!

The Week Before the Wedding...

The week before Allison's wedding was a flurry of activity. On Sunday, after the bachelorette party, we attended our Grandma Toni's Surprise Seventy-Fifth Birthday Party. Then, on Monday we headed back to Virginia. Along the way, we stopped at Roadside America. Alli, Claire, Dad, and I had a blast stopping to explore the mini-world.

On Monday night, Riley got a chance to meet Uncle Rob, Aunt Judy, and Paul. They journeyed down from PA for vacation the week before the wedding, and we all enjoyed a relaxing dinner together at home.

Sunrise pictures taken by Dad during the week.

Alli's amazing updo trial run.

Alli's Last Night of Freedom!

Two Saturdays ago, we celebrated Allison's Bachelorette Party in the Big Apple. What a party! The night was filled with games, food (in fun, appropriate shapes...), drinking, dancing, and more. After starting the festivities in Alli's Park Avenue Penthouse Apartment, we journeyed down to Alphabet Lounge for some hard-core eighties music and dancing. It was a great night thanks to everyone who came to share in the special night out on the town!

Here are some pictures from the evening...