Connected again

Oh my, it feels so good to be online again. And not homeless. Not necessarily in that order.

We moved to Fayetteville, NC, last Saturday, but the cable/internet guy just came today, so we've been totally clueless as to what has been going on in the world. Apparantly, death and divorce has taken over the news in our absence. Sad.

In a nutshell, our life these past few months have been a blessing. We were able to spend a lot of time with our families and see some friends. Silas made the rounds and was a big hit. We'll be updating this much more often and posting pics as we get to know this area. We've already discovered a great little downtown area with some quaint shops and restaurants (reminiscent of our time spent in Charlottesville, VA). And Fayetteville is a plethora of my kind of shopping (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Target, etc...) We also have a great place to live with the most room we've ever had. Plenty of room for air mattresses for those craving a visit to this area.

So, please come again soon. We'll be posting here. Promise!

and we will be living in...

We found out tonight that my next project will be in Fayetteville, North Carolina. That's right, we are headed back to our favorite state and will be living in a new and very beautiful townhome. We can't wait to get there and set up shop and home again. So tonight, and through out the next few days, we will be singing James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind."

Parents anniversary

Last year we went to Louie's on the Lake, so this year on their 41st, we wanted to try another good restaurant that we hadn't been to before. The Dillard House is a big tourist destination for folks all over the country coming through north Georgia. They serve the food "family style": big bowls of country-cooked food were brought to our table, and then constantly replenished until we were all STUFFED. It was SO good. And it was so nice to be able to celebrate with Daddy and Mother on another wonderful year together. I'm so thankful for their heritage of love.

travelers traveling

I wanted to reassure everyone that we haven't fallen off the face of the earth, no matter how lax our blogging skills have gotten as of late. We concluded our time with Sean's family in Virginia yesterday and headed back to Georgia to be with mine for a while. While we've been enjoying our extended vacation from work (and our families have really loved being able to spend some quality time with Silas), it looks like we may know soon where our next home will be. Sean went on a presentation to a church last week, so we should literally be hearing something any day.

Happy Mother's Day

My son has already given me my first Mother's Day card today (with his Daddy's help), but we wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Mothers that have been such a source of love, wisdom, and security to us.



To my (Shannon's) Mother, I have learned so much from you just by watching your selflessness to your family. I pray that Silas can be as fortunate as your daughters are in being reared by such a Godly, serene, wise, lovely Mother as you are.

To Gram, my second Mother, your influence on my life is far-reaching. I consider myself truly blessed to have such wonderful memories of spending time with you and Papa. I couldn't have had a more blessed childhood, and you two are a big part of that.

To my (Sean's) Mom, you are a treasure in my life, and without you in the special place you are I would not know as much goodness as I do. I love you always and am so honored to put my son in your loving arms.

To Nana, the Queen Mitchell, I am so thankful for the time you have spent caring for me. Thanks for the candy, fun times in Florida, for letting me drive the golf cart when I was only 12, and for being present on every special day of my life.

We both love you all! Happy Mother's Day!

deep thoughts

I was sitting on the couch earlier, gazing out at the morning light. Sean was holding Silas across the room. My intuitive husband asked me, "Shannon, what are you thinking about? You look deep in thought." I looked at him and realized what it was I had been pondering.

"Laundry", I answered.

I'm trying to figure out now when it was that my quiet moments in thought turned from pondering the philosophies of life to...laundry.

-sigh-

hot

It's a wonderful 90 + degrees in Virginia today, and I'm LOVING it! I'm so over the chilly temps and am welcoming the arrival of shorts, short-sleeved shirts, and flip flops. Here's to summer!

windy

We are still in-between projects and waiting to hear where our next move will take us. Also, still thankful. This time that we have been on sabbatical has been extremely rewarding, in that I have been able to spend all day--four months to be exact--with my wife and baby boy. On top of that, I have used my bountiful free time to make revisions to my book and do some great networking with friends and previous mentors I have not connected with in a while. Especially nice has been the oppotunity to spend wonderful time with our first class families. (Oh, that's right, we both were able to catch up with the dentist yesterday too -)

Shannon and I are certain we are right where we need to be, and that my off-time is for more reasons than our constructive intellects can give shape. All I can say is, we are sensing there is some new wind under our sails. Hopefully, our sails are ready for it and prepared to absorb the momentum it is trying to give.

Happy Easter, belated

Since our move out of Memphis, we made a trek down to Georgia to visit with my family here. It's been wonderful having Silas meet the Howard side of the family, and he's been lapping up all the attention and snuggling he's been getting. We were also able to visit with my uncle, aunt, cousin, and second cousin last week as well, so it's been a great family reunion these last couple of weeks.

My sister and her family and we went up to campus and the falls to take some Easter pictures. It was a typically gorgeous Easter Sunday in the mountains of northeast Georgia.

story from the road

If interested in hearing about Sean's recent road trip to VA, visit his thoughts at http://seankmitchell.wordpress.com/

Goodbye Memphis

We're packing up this weekend from our 7 month adventure in Memphis. We've got to admit, moving is just a BIT more complicated with a newborn, but we're figuring it out. We should find out soon where we're headed next...

second trip to the zoo

We made it back to the local zoo. Shannon's sister and family are in town this weekend and had said that a visit to the zoo was at the top of their wish list. So yesterday, we went back to the zoo, amidst abundant sunshine and the perfect temperature. We had a blast. We re-visited some of our favorite animals and I got to visit the reptile center, which was closed on our previous trip. After our fun experience with the animal world, we came back to our spot and walked out to the Mississippi River for pictures, and then had dinner at our favorite local pizza place. Silas was a big hit with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. He handled all the attention gracefully.

2 more weeks

We can't believe that our time in Memphis is almost over. It just seems like yesterday that we were pulling in to our home here and were amazed at how lovely our surroundings were. We have loved living next to the Mississippi River and taking many walks, exploring the city and the history it holds, and just becoming a "Memphian" . I know Memphis will always hold a special place in our hearts because of how our lives changed while we were here. Not only did my body grow enormously and then shrink back while here, but we welcomed the most beautiful, precious little boy to share our lives with us. He's a Memphis baby and that means this city will always be special.

last minute finds and some heaven on earth

For the last two days, we have been exposing Silas to the life of a shopaholic. He has been to two local outdoor malls, shopping that is so functional to two parents pushing a stroller. These two spots were off our radar until a few nights ago, when Shannon spontaneously discovered them online. They abound with some of our favorite stores and we are excited to have found them, even if their discovery is within a few weeks of our exit of Memphis. We found great deals on some cute gear for Silas, and daddy bought him a baseball cap that he will be sporting this spring and summer. Mommy bought him a new stuffed bear, which, since his colors match the trademark colors of Virginia Tech, we have nicknamed "hokie".

Too bad Silas can't enjoy something else we invested in yesterday: the ever-appetizing and magical Krispy Kreme Donuts. We pulled through the drive-through, ordered two dozen just for ourselves, and each of us immediately downed one glazed. The magic continues. Eating those donuts can be compared to watching the sun rise over the Atlantic. Shannon's favorite Krispy Kreme experience comes when she gets to eat one hot off the conveyer belt. Mine came this morning, when I enjoyed a cruller and chocolate iced in between sips of coffee and paragraphs of a good read. I told Shannon, I am experiencing something that can not be of this world. Right now, I think part of me is in Heaven!

yesterday and today

Yesterday was quite the day. We had a quick trip planned to another part of town, and within minutes of being on the road our plans were shattered. One of the ramps adjoining major interstates here in Memphis was closed and traffic was being re-routed. I have never seen so many police cars, ambulances, and firetrucks at one scene. All in all, a drive that normally takes 20 minutes, took over an hour. This morning, I got online and found out that the mess was caused when a tractor trailer carrying 6,000 pounds of fuel overturned. The clean-up took 15 hours, and sadly, the driver of the truck was killed.

Today is a little more quiet. We are planning an in-house family photo shoot for today, and with the temperature supposedly topping off around 70, we will probably also take a walk by the river. And to think that only 4 days ago there was 4 inches of snow on the ground. Welcome, springtime!