A Busy Weekend in Charlotte

Well on Friday night we packed our bags and headed to Charlotte to stay with our friends Molly and Marshal! Kyle and Marshal (we all joke and say they are brothers from another mother since they are so alike in everything) both competed in the Lake Norman Triathlon on Saturday morning, and Molly & I were the cheerleaders! We always have a blast hanging out with them, so that was a treat. Marshal and Kyle both did wonderful in the triathlon, as well as the other guys from Irwin that participated. Kyle did the best he's ever done swimming, but then running his legs started cramping up and he had to "pull over" a couple times to stretch. We are working on getting him better hydrated for the next race he has to see if that will make a difference. Kyle's mom, and both sisters came to watch the race as well and cheer Kyle on. It meant a lot to him to have so many family members there to support him!

Molly & Marshal

Kyle's 2 sisters & mom (Kerry, Rachel, & Mrs. G)

After the race on Saturday I headed over to Tiffins house to catch up and go see the townhouse that she is building... it is BEAUTIFUL and should be completely done in a month! Kyle & the rest of the Guenther clan were over at Rachel's building a fence for their new puppy, Lu Lu. After working all day on Saturday, and half the day on Sunday the Cliftons now have a beautiful fence in their backyard! We celebrated with a cake Saturday night that Mrs. G has gone 8 years being cancer free! I also got the chance go see Ashley for a little bit on Sunday and wish her a happy birthday. It's always great to visit with family and friends when we get back to North Carolina!

Grandpa Stout

I am only sharing the following on our blog because we need your prayers. The following was my grandma's email out to everyone yesterday informing them of the test results from grandpas biopsy...

Dear Friends and Family,
Unfortunately we did not hear the news we had hoped for at our visit to the oncologist today. The cancer has metastasized to David's spine and pelvis. His doctor discontinued the clinical trial for the chemotherapy he had been on for his lungs, and wasted no time in beginning aggressive new chemotherapy,using two different drugs, Taxotere and Aredia. He had his first treatment today, and will go once a week. Please pray for minimal side effects, his strength to tolerate the treatments and that the chemotherapy will work quickly and completely to stop the spread of cancer and eradicate what is there. It is a battle he is willing to fight, but it won't be easy and we covet your prayers for the process. Thank you for standing by us all these years ~ your love, prayers and support are precious to us!

Love in Him,

Ginny

This is a really hard time for our whole family right now as everyone knows how close we all are, but grandpa is so strong and he WILL make it through this. Joshua 1:9 "...Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Lauren is engaged!

On such a happy note, my best friend Lauren is engaged!!! She called me this afternoon with the wonderful news, and it actually happened yesterday around noon! My phone had been dead for a couple days, so she was frantically trying to get in touch with me. She called numerous people and finally got Kyle's cell number to call. Matt and Lauren took their new puppy, Chaco, to the UNC campus to take some photos of him while he's still a puppy. Matt had attached the ring to a carabiner, and then attached the carabiner to Chaco's collar. Matt asked Lauren to take some pictures of him and Chaco, so Matt got down on one knee and Lauren started snapping away. She had no idea she was taking pictures of her entire engagement! She finally got close enough to see what was hanging on Chaco's collar, dropped the camera and immediately started crying! Her ring sounds absolutely beautiful, and I can't wait to help her start planning the wedding! We've known for a while her and Matt would be married, just didn't know when the day would come! They are thinking sometime in May 2008! Here is a picture of Lauren and Matt, and cute Chaco that helped with their engagement!

Sexy sexy spandex and Braves Game!

This weekend was filled with fun events, starting with Kyle's first triathlon! Kyle's close friend from Irwin, Cory, came down from Charlotte to participate in the triathlon with Kyle and his best friend Chris. I made the trip as well, so the three boys and I woke up at 4:45 am and started driving to Jackson, GA where the race was located. It was a sprint triathlon, meaning you swim 600 meters, bike 13.7 miles, and then run 3.1 miles. I was so proud of all of the guys for training so hard for this, and accomplishing it in wonderful times. Chris was 3rd in his age group (he's a machine!), and then Kyle and Cory finished within a minute of each other in the Novice division (9th & 11th). Kyle has signed up with his friends for a couple more triathlons in the next couple months so I will keep you informed how he does!

Rachel (one of Kyle's sisters) and her husband Mike came down for the weekend as well and had a great time exploring Atlanta, seeing the new aquarium and visiting with us. We all went to a Braves game Saturday night, in which 9 home runs happened! They just adopted the sweetest little puppy, Lu-Lu from a family that couldn't take care of her anymore. Her and Tyson love each other, and play 24-7 together. Fun weekend!

John Mayer Craziness!!

Last week we had the chance to go to see John Mayer with our new friends, Thomas and Lacey. I met Lacey through City Publications (my old job), she is a graphic designer as well from Alabama! Her and Thomas went to Troy University together, and the four of us always have a great time when we hang out. Thomas' brother is in the music industry in Atlanta, and was able to get us awesome tickets so close to the stage. Ben Folds and James Morrison opened up for John Mayer, and they all put on great shows. We also went to the see the Fray with them a couple weeks before, and had a blast! Here are some pictures from the concert!

Baker, Dew, Stout weekend!

Last weekend, Kyle and I were able to get off work here in Atlanta by 1:00, so we could head home to surprise the Baker/Dew/Stout families for Grandpa's 78th birthday! Everyone was so shocked and surprised (Tara screamed and jumped around, grandma & mom cried, and gpa wore his ASU shirt the next day!), and it was well worth the drive. We ended up going to see the new Bourne Ultimatum movie on Friday night with mom and dad, which was just non stop action and a really good movie! Saturday morning Kyle was able to go spend some time with his family, while I helped babysit the twins with Nick, Grandma and Grandpa. That night we celebrated grandpa's 78th birthday, having a wonderful home cooked meal, mud pie, and great presents. Uncle David, David M, and Shannon drove in from Charlotte for his birthday too! He was thrilled by his new presents (FSU crocks, and a digital picture frame) and was in a great mood. Sunday my dad was voted in as a deacon for Stony Hill Church, which was a real celebration! We had a wonderful weekend and really enjoy our time with family!

We have officially been blogged!

Kyle and I decided to finally join the 21st century and start our own blog. Our time is very limited, and this seems to be the perfect way to let our friends and family know what is going on in our lives. We will write more soon!