Happy Birthday to ... her?

I guess if my blog had a sex, it would be a girl. Anyway, Ellis Island is 1 year old today! I met my goal, keeping up with this blog for an entire year. I'm not done, and hopefully, I will celebrate several more blog birthdays!

2009 has been full of it's ups and downs, and let's face it, what year isn't? I have big plans for 2010, though. I plan to make my first pot of black eyed peas (for good luck, of course!) and I have very nearly completed my Mighty Life List as well, so there will be lots of things to write about from that too. (and I will be posting it soon!) I have a photo project in mind, and several New Year's Resolutions that I intend to stick to- with help from the gracious internet. You see, if I post it here, the thought of you judging me is simply terrifying, so, that should cure any feelings of angst when I really don't want to go to the gym!

To my baby, Ellis Island, you have helped me to grow in so many ways. I'm greatful we hooked up. : )

Here are a few of my favorite posts from the past year:

Mark, The Oscars, Ryan turns 1, Estrogen, 9, jewel

To those of you who have read and/or kept up with my blog, thank you for caring!

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010!

Love,

Heather

a man and his jewel

This Christmas Eve will mark 67 years that my grandfather proposed to my grandmother. He told me the story today, and it's something I wanted to both share and remember:

As told by my grandfather; his fierce, blue eyes alight with joy:

" I was 21, and stationed in Edmonton, South Carolina. Our chief basically told us to get lost for the weekend. He didn't care what we did, or where we went, we were just told to be back on Sunday night, and to check in. I wanted to see your Grandmother. I took a bus from South Carolina. It was so crowded on the bus, I had to stand the whole way home. My brother picked me up at the bus station, and drove me home. I took the car down to Harriman, and parked it slanted across there from the municipal building. I was going to suprise your grandmother, so I parked a little way down the road. I had no intention of proposing to her, I just missed her, and thought about her often. As I headed down the road, I passed a little shop with jewelry in it. I had some time to kill, waiting on Grandmother to get off work, so I popped in, mostly just to get out of the cold. I started looking around and I saw a ring, I automatically thought of her, my sweet jewel, Irene. I asked the shopkeeper how much that ring was. He told me 50 dollars, which was a lot of money back then, you know. I looked in my wallet and found that I had exactly that amount. I bought the ring, and headed down to the five and dime, where grandmother worked. I watched her through the window, cleaning and straightening up. So sweet and happy, my jewel. When she got off work, I suprised her- she was both happy and shocked to see me! When we got in the car, I took her hand and slipped that ring on. The next day, my dad and my brother drove me back to South Carolina. They had to pool their gas stamps to get me there and get back home, but we all made it. I was late getting back, but I slipped in and went straight to bed. No one ever said anything to me!"

My heart is melting. This may be the sweetest story I've ever heard, and the fact that it happend to two people I love so dearly, is simply magical. I love you both...

Love,
Heather

the illusive snow day

In our neck of the woods, snow doesn't fall very often. In fact, when it does, we usually get a pretty dusting and we're all happy estatic. Last Friday, Courtney came down to stay the night. The next morning we were headed to Crossville to stay the night at her parents house. That night, as we watched the weather, Todd Howell told us there was a good chance we might see snow the next morning. There were a few choruses of "yeah, right" and "please! they'll salt the roads and we won't get anything!" Courtney and I stayed up late chatting and even looked outside before we headed to bed. No nothing.

The next morning I woke up before anyone else in the house. I mention this, because it's RARE. I'm always the last in bed and the last to rise, but for some reason, I woke up. I laid there in the quiet that is so rare in our house these days, just soaking it in. After a few minutes, I decided I was going to roll over and drift back to sleep. When I rolled over, the light coming in through the window looked funny. Wrong. Muffled. Thinking I was going to out of my mind for even checking, I slid quietly out of bed and peeked out the window.  Here is what I saw:

Smiling to myself, and taking it in quietly, I stood there a few minutes. Truly feeling like a kid who didn't have to go to school because it had snowed!

I crawled back in bed and woke Mark up. "Honey, it SNOWED!" I whispered excitedly. "What?" Mark asked me sleepily, rolling over and looking at me like I was insane. (Told you, it's rare for me to be up that early- especially before he is!) "It Snowed! Look!" I peeled back the curtains for him to see. He checked it out and with one of those sleepy smiles, He said, "MMmmm. I'm so glad I don't have to get out of bed yet."

I laughed a little, and we talked for a few minutes. Then we snuggled back in and went back to sleep. A little while later, Courtney runs in like a kid on Christmas morning, "Get up! Get Up!! It snowed!!!"

Laughing, we all ended up getting out and seeing the snow. The dogs got a chance to play, Ryan held some for the first time ever and by the time the excitement wore off, it was starting to melt.

The view from our back porch was spectacular, even if it was just a dusting.

I'm thankful for the snow, because it made me feel like a kid again.

the plague

Technically, we all had something different, but SERIOUSLY. How can we all be sick at the same time? Happenstance?  Maybe. Convienient? Prehaps. Fun? Not really. It started with Jackson feeling (and sounding) extremely snotty and very croupy. Then, I had some sort of sinus infection. Mark laid out of work because of a nasty cough and a snotty nose. Then, Holly had some sort of stomach bug. We decided to send Ryan to Grammy's house as a precaution, because who wants a baby with ALL OF THAT NONSENSE?

We're all feeling better now, so it's time to break out the lysol and bleach.

Hopefully, this will be the end of the plague at Casa de Ellis.

Cousins.... the 2009 Edition

Thanksgiving 2009

It's probably been 10 years or more that we've all sat down together and had a picture made. Mark's never even met Aaron, I don't think. My cousins on my mom's side. (L to R):  Mallory, Me, Bill, Holly, Ryan, Mark and Aaron. I feel so blessed this year, and was so happy to see all of you. Can't wait until our Big Ed's meet and greet.

Love,
Heather

Thankful

It's not everyday we're all together like this. My family. My Heart.

Thanksgiving: November 26, 2009.

and then there were 9

OK, that's really only true if you count the dogs. And I do. I'm officially a freaky dog person.

And no, I'm not having multiples, so chill out.

Once upon a time, there was a guy. We'll call him Sam. Sam lived with his parents and went to college and had a normal life. His best friend was a girl, we'll call her Pam. Pam got tired of living with her moocher friends in a van down by the river, so she promptly decided to move into Sam's parents basement and share the room with him. In the time theylived there, they bought a dog. A beautiful dog they loved very much. They accidentally fell in love and after 5 years od living in Sam's parents basement, they moved out and got their own place.

At their new place, their beautiful dog was involved in a scandal and had a cute litter of mutt puppies. The first was born when they were moving to their new diggs. The couple kept one sweet puppy from this litter. A short while after moving to their new diggs, Pam's father passed away. After this, Sam and Pam got married and they and their two beautiful, sweet dogs bought a home.

After living in this home for a year, the neighbors' dog got the sweet new puppy pregnant. Sam and Pam once again, kept a puppy from this litter. He was adorable and Pam couldn't help herself. After a while, Sam's friend Carl told Pam and Sam he needed a place to live. With all the spare room in their big new house, they gladly made room for Carl. Carl was an excellent room mate. They loved him very much. After a while, Carl got on his feet and moved out. Another friend of Sam's, Miller,  approached them about homestead, and again, they happily complied. After about 6 months, Miller asked if he could rescue a dog to bring into the family. As long as he got along with the beautiful dog, the sweet dog, and the adorable dog, they had no problems with it. The new loyal dog fit in well.

Pam's sister Polly was having a rough time though. It made Pam very sad. After sometime of hard thinking and soul searching, Polly told Pam that she and her husband Wally were getting divorced. For a while, Polly worked on her own to support herself and her son, Cole, but things were just hard. Pam knew Polly needed a support system, but didn't know how to approach her about it. Finally, Polly approached Pam about moving in as well. Sam and Pam discussed it, and decided that it was the right thing to do. They loved Polly and Cole very much.

Polly and Cole moved in at the end of October.

And then there were 9. 

it's not always easy, but we are one happy blended family.  : )