to ilona

The memory of a good person is a blessing.
Proverb 10:7

It has been two months since you have been gone. I still feel like you are in Lexington and I just haven’t seen you for several months. I saw you in February and it would be normal for me to not see you again until this summer. But I can’t. And I can’t believe that you aren’t here.

I think of you when the sun shines.

I think of you every time I play with my puppy.

When I hear the Beatles, of course you are who comes to mind.

I hear your laugh when I watch your favorite television shows.

I feel as though you are sitting next to me as I watch ‘Little House on the Prairie.’

When I see any dogs, I think of your love for all animals.

I think of you every time I see the hair band on my wrist as it is meant as a remembrance of you.

Your paintings around my room bring a smile to my face.

The smile in your pictures is still contagious.

I have nothing but good memories of you.

You will not be forgotten by me. I have thought of you everyday since you have been gone. You have impacted me and my life a great deal. I had a dream of you walking along the beach with your long hair on a sunny day. Pangi, Meko and Pheonix were running by your side. I think that is how you are spending your days and it makes my heart smile.

laugh often and much;
to win the respect of the intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
to know that one life has breathed easier
because you lived here.
This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I miss you and I love you.

cook out

I had a very fun weekend!! I didn't really do anything on Friday. On Saturday my sweet friend Heather and I laid out by the pool and then I went over to the Joyners. We had a cook out with Ashley, David and Camden! It was the perfect weather for a cook out and the kids play so well together! Above is Claire, Camden and Ava. They practically entertained themselves all night! What a good picture! On Sunday I spent the afternoon by the pool again but it was a little cloudy. I had a very nice and relaxing weekend!

Great Grapes

This weekend I went to the Great Grapes Wine Festival at Regency Park! It is a huge wine tasting event with live music, yummy food and TONS of booths with wine, jewelry, crafts, etc. (Jessica, you and your mom would have loved it!) It was so much fun! This is me and my good friend Heather in the picture. It was definitely hot but cooled down when we got a little shower! A lot of people cleared out. I had THE BEST BBQ sandwich there. I definitely want to go back next time!

Oh yeah, I got my hair cut too. You can't really tell what it looks like in this picture though because this was after the shower and it wasn't styled anymore. But I have it shorter in the back and it is angled down around my face. I will try to get a better picture of it soon!

John Boy

Things have been going great at work. As always, I love my job!!!! I think John is going to start walking anytime! He is pulling up and will even stand for a couple of seconds without holding onto anything. He had his 9 month check up today and everything looks great!! Here are a few pictures for you:

pulling himself up on a kitchen stool

bella got to tag along to work one day because my apartment was being fumigated for cockroaches. yuck! but she love peanut!!! Nicholas and I totally staged this picture and this was the only one that turned out!

John and Eva (Chelsea's baby)

Tennessee

a few weeks ago i went to tennessee. i didn't take very many pictures there and i just now received some from my mom. they didn't turn out very big but you can kick on them to make them larger!

my cousins - jordan is in the green, alison and eli

my aunt bianca and bella

all of us minus bianca. from the left: shannon (my aun't husband), my mom, eli, jordan, me, alison

hopefully i will get to go back soon!

bella has a side job.....

as a pirate!

pearls

Yes, bella cinderella has pearls! They are still a little big for her. She will just wear these for special occasions that require her to look nice, like visits from friends, photo shoots, hollywood parties, etc. And look at those adorable puppy eyes in the second picture!

Bella loves the Joyners

Last week I took Bella over to play with Claire and Ava! They LOVED her. I stole this picture from their blog (thanks Jen)! The girls were both very good with her and I just love this picture of them all together! My favorite part of the visit is when Jason played his mandolin for her and she fell asleep! Check out their blog to see more pictures of the visit.

Thanks again Joyners for having Bella and I over! We want to play again soon!

bella boo

my sleeping baby!

Here are some pictures of Bella over the past few weeks! She has grown so much and I am sad that she isn't that super small puppy anymore. She is definitely still cute and has very many puppy like qualities. She can now jump onto my bed and all the other furniture. But I have already trained her to sit and lay down! We are working on 'off' and 'shake.' She has her wild times but she is a very good puppy! I also get stopped everywhere I go! Last night Ashley, Camden and I went on a walk around the block and we got stopped at 4 times with her! I am very thankful that so many people thinks she is the 'cutest puppy ever.' I agree!!! Enjoy the pictures! There are only a few of the very many I have taken in the last month.

This is her in my car. One day I was coming home from my dad's and I had my car full of stuff. She crawled on the floor in the back and laid there like this the whole way home. Too cute!

This is my friend Heather. Yes, Bella is in her purse and YES, we did take her into Harris Teeter. She is way too big for this now!

I was not very happy when she woke me up at 3am doing laps around my room but I couldn't stay mad when she was walking around with her tongue hanging out like this!

Not a very good picture but I think it looks like she is a hard core cowboy or something. It makes me laugh.

So pretty with the sun on her face!

This is how she sleeps most nights.... I have lots of pillows on my bed and where my head it, she is directly behind it on the stack of pillows.... probably very comfortable. I love it.

"Pecan Pie" - If my aunt Ilona would have met her, she definitely would have said the words 'pecan pie' to her. My aunt always said this with her dogs and they would tilt their heads. Bella does it too!!!!!

This is Oliver...... an overwight dachshund that lives below us. He is Bella's best friend and maybe boyfriend. SHE LOVES HIM SO MUCH! She gets so excited when she sees him and they play so well together.

I feel like she is saying 'HeeeEEEEEyyyyy" or 'uh OHHHH' in this picture.

One of my very favorite pictures of my pup!