The Duncan's

A large pictorial update

2010-09-19T10:24:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it's been awhile like usual.

The girls recently had their 9 month check up and all is well. Sam continues to grow and learn and we're all excited about heading to the OBX for a much needed vacation soon! Anywho, how about some new pictures? :)

Here's the girl's July pictures.

And now Sam's 3 year old pics.

And finally, some pictures from this summer and Labor Day.

The girls June pics

2010-07-24T12:09:00.001-04:00

The girls are getting teeth! Ellie already has two teeth thru the gums and Sarah isn't far behind. I suspect that she will have teeth thru this weekend.

Everyone continues to do well. We are counting down the weeks until we get to go on vacation. 9 weeks from today! It's been a long time coming. Since doing the Dave Ramsey plan (see my previous post), we haven't taken a vacation since May 2009. I know it doesn't seem that long, but we're really looking forward to getting down to the OBX for a week!

FREEDOM!!!!

2010-07-08T17:22:00.000-04:00

I am amazingly happy to report that as of today after a year of scrimping and saving and living "like no one else", Crystal and I are DEBT FREE!

Last July we began to live differently and began budgeting our money thanks to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course and it has taken us 1 year to become debt free (except for the house)! We've paid off alot of debt in the last year and the last thing to go was Crystal's Toyota Highlander payment, which she paid in full today, approximately 2.5 years before it was due!

Now we're on to saving up a fully funded "emergency fund" and we have already paid for our upcoming vacation in September. It's gonna be nice to not have our vacation follow us home and be paying for it for months to come!

And now for the fun part. Click to hear a great FREEDOM scream!

New pics of the twins!

2010-05-29T12:13:00.002-04:00

Crystal was able to find time to make some new pictures of the girls. It's hard to believe the girls are 5 months old! Ellie remains "ahead" of Sarah in certain areas such as rolling over. Ellie can pretty much turn over anytime she wishes. However, Sarah seems to be "ahead" of Ellie in other areas like eating. Sarah seems to have grasped the new concept of food better than her sister. They're both doing well and their big brother simply adores them still. Hopefully someday soon Crystal will be able to find the time to get Sam's 3 year old pics made. Until then......

Birthdays!

2010-05-23T15:15:00.000-04:00

So we celebrated 2 birthdays here yesterday at the Duncan house. May 22nd is a big day for us! Samuel turned 3 and Crystal is now...well I know better than that! :)

It's hard to believe that the baby boy is 3 already! Time surely flies. The rest of the family continues to do well. The girls are growing and they'll be crawling around before we know it. We've started them on "food". Sarah can definitely out eat Ellie. Ellie doesn't seem to like it at all, but hey, it's pureed vegetables. How good can it actually be?

I'll leave you with a picture of Sam's birthday cake that Crystal made. Her talent shows no bounds.....

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T11:54:00.000-04:00

Easter weekend is upon us. Yesterday we enjoyed going up to Mt. Airy to spend some time with Crystal's mom. Unfortunately her dad was away doing some work for a client and we missed him but Sam and the girls got to play with their granny. While we were there Crystal attempted to make some Easter pictures of the kids. I'll just say that trying to take pictures of three kids is much, much harder than it sounds. We haven't reviewed the pics yet but we're hoping that there will be some usable ones.

Sam is currently with his neena and pawpaw. There was an Easter breakfast at their church this morning with games and fun stuff for the kids to do. I'm gonna attempt to load the girls up tomorrow and take them to church for the first time. I'm sure my parents are itching to "show them off". ;)

The holidays really seem to emphasize how different our lives have become since Crystal has started working weekends. It makes it hard to do things as a family, but in the end, it will all be worth it!

On a side note, as we were getting ready for bed a few nights ago, Crystal walked into the bedroom to check on the girls (they had been asleep for a couple of hours) and this is what she found.

They sure do love each other!

Happy Easter everyone!

New pics of the girls

2010-03-14T12:42:00.001-04:00

Well I say new pics. These are almost a month old now and Crystal is gearing up to take this month's Easter pics.

As I sit here this morning drinking coffee and typing this, the girls are contentedly sleeping, Crystal is in the bed, and Sam is no doubt playing and having a ball with his grandparents (they came and got him yesterday). We've pretty well established a routine that seems to work. For those that don't know, Crystal now works the weekend 'graveyard' shift at the hospital. It allows us to not have to send the kids to daycare, but it does make the weekends somewhat tiring. We are however, slowly getting adjusted to this new life. The girls are starting to show their personalities a little more now by laughing and smiling, and crying. They are a joy and a blessing. And Samuel continues to amaze me everyday with the amount of information his little brain seems to be absorbing and his vocabulary expands daily it seems. He likes to tell us that we're "driving him crazy". :) I assume he got that from his mother......

As per my usual way, HERE is a link to more pictures. I'll try to get the Easter pics up when those are completed.

2 month checkup

2010-02-13T14:03:00.000-05:00

The twins had their two month checkup this past week. All goes well and they're growing like little weeds! Sarah is now 23 3/4 inches long (21 at birth) and Ellie is 23 inches long (20.5 at birth). Both girls are over 12 lbs. now with Ellie weighing 12 lbs 5 oz. and Sarah is 12 lbs 1 oz. They are beginning to sleep longer during the night. One night we were even able to sleep for almost 7 hours straight! We are even starting to get some grins and smiles and interactions out of the twins now....what fun! They are very precious.

Samuel continues to adore them. Crystal has went back to work. Her schedule changed where she now works on the weekends which allows her to stay home with the kids and allows us to save on daycare bills!

The girls one month pics!

2010-01-22T14:03:00.000-05:00

Crystal has been able to take some new pictures of the girls. Sarah was typically a little calmer than her sister and we never could get Ellie to look at the camera. This is their 'one month old' pictures. Many more pictures will come in the next year, if we can find the time!

HERE are more pics.

One month in

2010-01-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

So the girls are a little over a month old now and all is still going well. Samuel continues to love them like crazy. All he wants to do is give them kisses! :) Ellie is showing some signs of having colic although we seem to be dealing with that fairly well. Sarah seems to sleep a little better than her sister, however Ellie will tend to sleep longer than Sarah. The girls are still waking up about every 3-4 hours at night so Crystal and I have long forgotten what continuous sleep is like, but Crystal does let me sleep as long as she can through the week so I can go to work without being a total zombie.

Crystal has been able to take a few pictures of the girls. We hope to have time to be able to try to make some more this weekend and if we do, I'll try to post some as soon as I can. However, for now, here's some that she has already done. Enjoy!

Sarah Elizabeth

Ellie Katherine

As usual, there are more pictures of Sarah and Ellie.

December 7, 2009

2009-12-08T01:45:00.008-05:00

To steal a quote from a former president (FDR), December 7, 2009, "a date which will live in infamy" we welcomed into this world our two beautiful daughters. Ellie Katherine weighed 7lbs 4oz. and was 19.5 inches long and Sarah Elizabeth weighed 7lbs 8oz. and was 20 inches long! All three of my girls are doing well.

Ellie (left) and Sarah

As you can imagine, I don't have much time to blog at the moment between feeding and burping and changing and tending to Crystal as she needs it, but HERE is a link to more pictures. Enjoy!

A new ride

2009-10-14T09:48:00.004-04:00

Thanks to help from my dad we have a new vehicle. One that is big enough for us and our growing family. It is a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban! We've had it for about 2 weeks now and it appears that it is going to be a good truck. There are still a few small things to be done to it (I still need to figure out how to operate the DVD player correctly) and I need to strive to keep it clean. Hopefully it will last us for many years to come!

Sam's 1st tent camping trip

2009-09-14T16:46:00.004-04:00

On Friday, September the 11th, Sam and I loaded up after work and "school" to go camping. Crystal's parent's neighbors have a spot on the New River in Virginia that they allow us to use. This happens to be the first time that we have actually went up and stayed for the night. Crystal was going to get up early and travel to Winston to go to some consignment sales to try to find some baby equipment and clothes for our soon to be arriving additions, so Sam and I thought we'd go camping!

We got there Friday evening and I got the tent setup while Sam was riding his "motorcycle". I had no sooner finished setting up camp and it started raining. Our friends David and Brandy and their two kids, Courtlyn and Koda, came up for the evening to have hotdogs around the campfire with us. We had just gotten the fire going when the rain began so the kids and I headed for shelter while Dave and Brandy 'bravely' roasted some hotdogs in the rain. It only lasted about 20 minutes and then the sky began to clear.

With darkness approaching, David and his family loaded up to go home and Sam and I started our nightly routine. Pajamas on, a clean diaper, and brushed our teeth. Then we settled into a chair by the campfire for Sam's nightly milk. I went to put Sam in the bed and he would have nothing of it, so I laid there with him for about 30 minutes and he finally fell asleep. I stayed up for awhile longer reading and eventually turned in myself. I was awoken around 1:30 by Sam calmly saying "daddy, daddy" and he had to get right beside me to sleep the rest of the night. Not too bad for his first time in the tent!

He woke me up about 7:30 as happy as he could be!

His first trip went well, if not a little short, and hopefully there will be many more trips to come.....maybe next time with mom and the girls!

Twins update and the search for a vehicle

2009-08-30T11:47:00.003-04:00

We had another checkup/doctor appointment last week to check on Crystal and the girls. Everything looked great and the girls are right where they are supposed to be at this time. Each of them weighs about one pound a piece now! It amazes me how fast they grow. The babies already have everything! All they are doing now is getting bigger..... :)

We also sold the Jeep last week. Obviously with Samuel still in a car seat and two more coming a Jeep Wrangler is not big enough for three kids all in car seats so we knew we were gonna need a bigger vehicle. I had the Jeep posted on the internet for sale for a few weeks but never did get any emails or calls about it. A couple of weekends ago we went riding and looking for another vehicle and while out we decided to stop by Carmax just to see what they would offer us for the Jeep. They offered us a decent price and we decided to take it. So now we're down to one vehicle but, fortunately, we were able to borrow a vehicle from my father-in-law. Thanks to the help of my father it looks like he may have found us a car that should work nicely for our expanding family, there are just a few kinks that need to be worked out for the deal to close. Hopefully before too much longer we will have our next ride and be able to haul everyone around comfortably in it!

Update on the twins - GIRLS!!!

2009-07-29T21:46:00.003-04:00

Last week Crystal and I traveled to Charlotte to have a "level 2 ultrasound" done on the twins. Everything looked fine and both the twins are doing great. The doctor there also was able to tell us what the twins are. He was certain that one of the babies is a girl and was fairly sure that the second baby was a girl also.

Crystal had another appointment this week at her doctor's office here in Elkin and had another ultrasound done that confirmed what we found out last week. Both the babies are GIRLS! Now we try to prepare ourselves for pink to overtake our house and our lives....

Crystal tells me that this proves it's a girl...I'll take her word for it! :)

Maybe it's because I am their father but I can already tell them apart, in these pictures anyway!

The twins @ 14 weeks

2009-07-14T07:11:00.012-04:00

Here are some pictures from the twins 14 week "checkup". Note that this time the sonographer switched the baby "a" and "b" designation from the last ultrasound. Both babies are growing and developing as they should be. It is certainly amazing how much they have grown in 4 short weeks!

Since they are twins it automatically puts us in a "high risk pregnancy" category. Because of this, we will go next week to Charlotte to have a "level 2" ultrasound done.

"Ultrasound Anatomy Scan Level 2 Ultrasound

Details, details! This special ultrasound gives you a very specific glimpse of your growing baby.

What it screens for: The ultrasound anatomy scan, or level 2 ultrasound, is an amazingly interesting experience for parents-to-be. Your baby will be measured from crown to rump (and what a cute rump it is!), around her middle, around her head — and that's just for starters. The four chambers of the heart will be viewed, as well as the kidneys, bladder, stomach, brain, spine, and sex organs (be sure to tell your sonographer if you don't want to know what he or she sees — or doesn't see!).

Measurements are taken to make sure your baby is growing appropriately (and that his or her gestational age is still on target). A survey of the organs, including the umbilical cord, ensures that they are developing normally (or identifies any potential problems as soon as possible). The sonographer will also be looking at your amniotic fluid levels, the location of the placenta, and the fetal heart rate. Settle in to enjoy the show: The detailed level 2 scan can take 30 to 45 minutes (depending on how cooperative your little one wants to be during the photo shoot).

How it's done: You recline on an exam table with your belly exposed. A sonographer applies gel and then moves the transducer over your abdomen. As sound waves emitted from the transducer bounce off "structures" inside (like your baby's adorable face!), images are formed on a video screen. To get the most comprehensive assessment, the sonographer will be aiming for many different views from lots of different angles in this scan. When the technician gets a clear shot, he or she will freeze-frame the picture (that's the actual sonogram) and then measure the anatomy. You can expect to go home with one or two good sonogram pictures (the perinatologist and your practitioner will review the rest).

When it's done: Most level 2 ultrasounds are performed between 18 and 22 weeks. If you have a condition that needs to be monitored (such as carrying twins), you may have more than one detailed ultrasound."

Preceding information taken from whattoexpect.com

We will most likely find out the sex of the babies next week as well, as long as they cooperate. Check back next week to find out more!

A MAJOR announcement

2009-06-04T10:25:00.015-04:00

First the announcement and I'll let the picture speak for itself.

Crystal decided to take another just in case and the results were the same.

She said she "knew" we were pregnant before she even took the first test. She just had that feeling. We have known that we were pregnant for about 8 weeks now. We decided that we would keep it to ourselves for the first couple weeks and we did not tell anyone. The weekend just after Crystal and Sam's birthday we began telling people, after telling our parents first of course.

This past Tuesday (2 June) was our appointment for the first ultrasound to make sure everything was ok and we were hopeful to even get to hear the heartbeat. As soon as our sonographer began the ultrasound we received some news that we had not anticipated at all. And here comes the MAJOR part of the announcement.And yes, there really are two of them in there!
Baby "B", on the right, is just slightly larger than baby "A". B measured to be 10 weeks and 5 days old and A measured slightly smaller at 10 weeks and 2 days. This was right where they were supposed to be and at the time of this writing they have been in utero for 11 weeks!

Our babies are dizygotic twins, or more commonly known as fraternal twins. DZ twins usually occur when two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterine wall at the same time. When two eggs are independently fertilized by two different sperm cells, DZ twins result. The two eggs, or ova, form two zygotes, hence the terms dizygotic and biovular.

Dizygotic twins, like any other siblings, have an extremely small chance of having the same chromosome profile. Like any other siblings, DZ twins may look similar, particularly given that they are the same age. However, DZ twins may also look very different from each other. They may be of different sexes or the same sex. The same holds true for brothers and sisters from the same parents, meaning that DZ twins are simply brothers and/or sisters who happen to have the same age. (Info taken from Wikipedia)

Needless to say when we found out we were pregnant we knew that our lives were going to change. Little did we know just how much was in store. Looking forward to it. :)

Trying to catch the sunset

2009-05-21T10:20:00.007-04:00

We wanted to try to get some decent sunset pictures. These were all taken near the end of the island at the Bogue Inlet. Of course Crystal is more of a photographer than I am and the shots that follow are ones that I took, mainly of Sam, while Crystal was getting shots with her camera.

Sam had a blast just running around and chasing us while we were shooting. And, not to be outdone, I tried my hand at attempting to get a nice sunset picture.

I will attempt in the near future to upload a post with Crystal's shots from the evening.

Sunday on our Emerald Isle vacation

2009-05-18T12:03:00.013-04:00

We made it down to Emerald Isle on Saturday afternoon for our 2009 beach vacation.
Sam and mommy on the beach!

We got up Sunday morning expecting rain and were pleasantly surprised to find that the rain was still a few hours away. We took advantage of the sunshine and headed out to the beach.
Hiding in the shade.

It wasn't long before the storm clouds began building and the rain was on it's way. After getting back to the condo and having some lunch we headed to the aquarium.
Bikes on the beach.
This is where we were on the beach earlier Sam.
Sam liked the loggerhead turtle display in front of the NC Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores.
Jellyfish!

There was a "live dive" taking place while we were at the aquarium. They were using the white sticks to gently 'steer' the sand tiger sharks away from the diver giving the presentation while in the tank.
A photo opportunity in the gift shop. He DID NOT want to get in here! :)

And Sam and mommy leaving the aquarium.

Currently (Monday noonish) we are waiting on the rain to subside so we can venture out and do more beach things today. Fortunately, after today, the weather is supposed to be more cooperative and we'll get to do more outside activities. Until then.....

Gardening?!

2009-05-06T22:17:00.007-04:00

I took advantage of a brief break in the rain showers this afternoon to do a little "gardening". Crystal got me a couple of "Topsy Turvy" tomato baskets for my birthday last month and I finally got the chance to get them up today.
Both of them out and ready to go up.

I'm going to try to see if they'll grow on this hanger beside the steps. Crystal had a good point that the deer will probably come up and eat them there but I'm at least going to try this first. Maybe the dogs will keep the deer far enough away, and if not, I'll move them somewhere else.
I got the tomato plants into the planters and watered and not 20 minutes after I took this final picture it started raining again so I'm guessing they are sufficiently wet. Hopefully we'll have many delicious "maters" this summer!

And for those that check this blog just to see pictures of Samuel, here ya go (Hey mom!). After eating a cupcake...he sure loves chocolate!

Geez, what a slacker!

2009-04-22T18:34:00.009-04:00

So it's almost been 11 months since I've posted anything on here. I could come up with and type any number of reasons for not posting anything, but at this point, does it really matter now?

Here's what I'll do for now. How's about some various pictures from the past year and I'll try to do much better this year as far as updating this blog?! :)

Pawpaw, Sam, and I at the dam at Kerr Scott.

Samuel doing his best "Bobby Jones" impersonation for Halloween!

Of course my beautiful wife!

Sam and his mommy.

He sticks his tongue out alot while he's "concentrating"...yeah, he got that from me.

Sam's first swim, in the Cowpasture River near Clifton Forge, Virginia.

Crystal continues to take amazing pictures. This is the Bodie Lighthouse on the OBX.

She actually snapped this while on a moving ferry!

This is one of my favorite pictures from our OBX vacation last fall.

Crystal got up before daylight a couple of mornings to take advantage of the early morning light.

Easter at Papa and Granny Combs' house!

Decorating the eggs.

What a face.....

He loves to color!

Hopefully that's enough for now and like I said, I will strive to do better this year! Until then...

The 1st birthday party

2008-05-26T15:59:00.003-04:00

We had Sam's birthday party on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who was able to come even with the high gas prices! It was good to see everyone.

Many more pics are right HERE.

Happy Birthday Sam...(and mommy too)!

2008-05-22T20:22:00.018-04:00

So today is one year. I'm absolutely blown away. Where has the time gone? Here's a look back.....

The news

The first "picture"

Comfy on the inside

3 hours old

First month

Second month

Third month

Fourth month "Go Panthers"!

Fifth month

Sixth month

Seventh month "Merry Christmas"

Eighth month

Ninth month

Tenth month "Happy Easter"

Eleventh month

One year old!

And to my beautiful wife...this was you, we, us one year ago today. Happy Birthday!
One year already...WOW...I can't wait for the rest of the ride. :)

An update (Finally!)

2008-03-27T18:33:00.005-04:00

Yes, it has been a long time since I've put anything on here, but hey, we are trying to raise a 10 month old! :)

We've had a good year so far. Samuel really enjoyed New Year's. He didn't get any of the champagne from the picture!

January came and went and I (and Sam) watched the NFL playoffs. Then came a great Superbowl and congrats to the Giants and their fans (Crystal has pulled for Eli every since he joined the league). Suddenly Valentine's was upon us.Yes, she does take pictures on every holiday.

Samuel also hit the 9 month mark in February and that meant check-up time. He was 30.75 inches tall (97th%), weighed 24 lbs. 7 oz. (92%), and once again was in the 95th% for his head circumference. He truly is a Duncan!

This past weekend was Easter and we hope everyone had a great time sharing time with friends and family. Obviously, she took pictures.And many more pics from Easter can be seen HERE.

Hopefully in the weeks and months to come I will have time to get some posts on here more often and we have a birthday party to prepare for! Until then.....

Christmas...already?

2007-12-12T19:21:00.000-05:00

Apparently it's been well over a month since I have made any posts. Time seems to fly this time of year and this year appears to be the fastest yet! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We were able to spend time with family...Samuel continues to keep his grandparents mesmerized and wrapped around his little finger. OK, maybe they're not so little. He had his 6 month checkup a couple of weeks ago. He weighed in at 19 pounds 9 ounces leaving him just 3 ounces shy of gaining 10 pounds since he was born! That put him in the 75th percentile for his age. He continues to be blessed/cursed with his father's head size, he's in the 95th percentile for that category, and as far as his height, he's off the charts. Over 100 percent at 29 inches long!!! I've gotta feeling we're gonna have fun trying to keep enough food in the house for him when he hits puberty!

In other news, Crystal and I have already received our Christmas present for/from each other. We decided to go ahead and invest in a good camera so that's what we did. It seems like each week Crystal gets more interested and knowledgeable about photography and she's getting pretty darn good at getting good portraits of Samuel. You can go HERE to take a look and even order some if you wish. Now, I need to learn how to take good wildlife, outdoorsy type shots!

I hope the holidays are treating everyone well and you've got all your shopping done. Christmas always seems to me, while being a special time of the year, also a very, very hectic one. I sincerely hope that we're all able to enjoy it! So from us here in Traphill, Merry Christmas! And come see us sometime.....

5 months already?

2007-10-24T18:38:00.001-04:00

Samuel hit the 5 month old mark on Monday. Where has the time gone? Looking back at pictures it simply amazes me how much he has changed in just 5 months.

We returned from our vacation this past Saturday on the Outer Banks. We had alot of fun and as usual when you have lots of fun the time passes much too quickly. I was able to do a little bit of fishing, although I couldn't catch a cold! I probably should've tried the piers but I enjoy surf fishing. Crystal was able to get this picture of me and her first words were "now that's a blog photo if there ever was one".

This was obviously Sam's first trip to the coast and apparently the beach immediately puts him to sleep. Every single time we got him on the beach he fell asleep, even while riding on the beach in the Jeep with the top down! Crystal was able to stand him up in the edge of the surf and when the wave hit his feet, he immediately jerked his feet up to get out of the water. And of course his father had to laugh at him!

Since Crystal has become more interested in photography, she insisted that we have a "family portrait" made on the beach. She chose a spot, setup the tripod and camera, and instructed me on where and how to sit. Then Crystal's best friend Angela began snapping pictures, and I must say that we were happy with the outcome.

I was able to take a couple of cute photos too. Here's a nice one of Sam and his mommy and my favorite, Sam looking utterly bewildered. Is he amazed by the piece of grass in front of him? We're not sure what that expression is.

All in all we had a great time and we look forward to being able to go back down to the OBX and spending some more time. I will try as time allows to get some more pictures up of the rest of our trip (including pictures of all my winning putt putt scorecards)! :)

4 month check up

2007-10-03T15:22:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd give a quick update on Sam and the rest of us. He had his 4 month checkup the other day and had some more shots. He is now 27 inches long, which is in the 95th percentile for his age; weighs 16 lbs. 12 oz., which is 75th percentile for his age; and has a head circumference of 17 inches, which is 97th percentile. Yes, he got his dad's big head!

As for Crystal and I, we continually adjust to being new parents and we both really enjoy it. Crystal is getting more and more into photography and we are now looking into the possibility of procuring her a much better camera. She has already set up a makeshift studio in our basement and thoroughly enjoys taking hundreds of photos of Sam and Maddie. Here's some of her "work"!

October looks to be busy for us. Golf tournaments, Outer Banks beach trips, and I have a weekend fishing/camping trip coming up. Hopefully we'll find time to make some more posts and keep the pictures coming.

Football season

2007-09-12T00:05:00.000-04:00

Brings a new picture...and apparently some good luck. He was all decked out in this outfit for Sunday's game against the Rams and the Panthers had a pretty good showing and won quite nicely!

My 50th post!

2007-08-24T22:04:00.001-04:00

And something I truly believe in. In my opinion, there are those in this country that choose to ignore the problem we face....and they need to be dealt with and gotten OUT OF WASHINGTON!

What follows is an email I received from a a very good friend and a military veteran. Please note that the following text is long and deserves to be read in it's entirety...it is long. Thanks for your interest!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This is the most cogent and powerful essay on the threat of Islamic
terrorism I have seen. Dr. Vernon Chong. It is without a doubt the
most articulate and convincing writing I have read regarding the War
in Iraq. If you have any doubts please open your mind to his essay
and give it a fair evaluation. It's also eerily applicable to other
current issues such as Iran's nuclear program, immigration, NAFTA's
impact on American jobs, trade deficits, etc.. I had no idea who Dr.
Chong is, or the source of these thoughts, so when I received them I
almost deleted them, as well- written as they are. But then I did a
Google search on the Doctor and found him to be a retired Air Force
surgeon and past commander of Wilford Hall Medical Center in San
Antonio.

If you would like to see who this fellow is, go to this Air Force web
site and look him up:
http://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5000
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Muslims, terrorists and the USA : A different spin on Iraq
war.

This WAR is for REAL!

Dr. Vernon Chong, Major General, USAF, Retired

To get out of a difficulty, one usually must go through it. Our
country is now facing the most serious threat to its existence, as we
know it, that we have faced in your lifetime and mine (which includes
WWII).

The deadly seriousness is greatly compounded by the fact that there
are very few of us who think we can possibly lose this war and even
fewer who realize what losing really means.

First, let's examine a few basics:

1. When did the threat to us start?

Many will say September 11, 2001. The answer as far as the United
States is concerned is 1979, 22 years prior to September 2001, with
the following attacks on us:
* Iran Embassy Hostages, 1979;
* Beirut, Lebanon Embassy 1983;
* Beirut, Lebanon Marine Barracks 1983;
* Lockerbie, Scotland Pan-Am flight to New York 1988;
* First New York World Trade Center attack 1993;
* Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers Military complex 1996;
* Nairobi, Kenya US Embassy 1998;
* Dares Salaam, Tanzania US Embassy 1998;
* A! den, Yemen USS Cole 2000;
* New York World Trade Center 2001;* Pentagon 2001.

(Note that during the period from 1981
to 2001 there were 7,581 terrorist attacks worldwide).

2. Why were we attacked?

Envy of our position, our success, and our freedoms. The attacks
happened during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush
1, Clinton and Bush 2. We cannot fault either the Republicans or
Democrats as there were no provocations by any of the presidents or
their immediate predecessor, President Ford.

3. Who were the attackers?

In each case, the attacks on the US were carried out by Muslims.

4. What is the Muslim population of the World?

25%.

5. Isn't the Muslim Religion peaceful?

Hopefully, but that is really not material. There is no doubt that
the predominately Christian population of Germany was peaceful, but
under the dictatorial leadership of Hitler (who was also Christian
(?)), that made no difference. You either went along with the
administration or you were eliminated. There were 5 to 6 million
Christians killed by the Nazis for political reasons (including
7,000 Polish priests).

http://www.Nazis.testimony.co.uk/7-a.htm )

Thus, almost the same number of Christians were killed by the Nazis,
as the six million holocaust Jews who were killed by them, and we
seldom heard of anything other than the Jewish
atrocities. Although Hitler kept the world focused on the Jews, he
had no hesitancy about killing anyone who got in his way of
exterminating the Jews or of taking over the world - German, Christian
or any others.

Same with the Muslim terrorists. They focus the world on the US , but
kill all in the way -- their own people or the Spanish, British,
French or anyone else. The point here is that just like the peaceful
Germans were of no protection to anyone from the Nazis, no matter how
many peaceful Muslims there may be, they are no protection for us from
the terrorist Muslim leaders and what they are fanatically bent on
doing -- by their own pronouncements
-- killing all of us "infidels." I don't blame the peaceful Muslims.
What would you do if the choice was shut up or die?

6. So who are we at war with?

There is no way we can honestly respond that it is anyone other than
the Muslim
terrorists. Trying to be politically correct and avoid verbalizing
this conclusion can well be fatal. There is no way to win if you
don't clearly recognize and articulate who you are fighting.

So with that background, now to the two major questions:

1. Can we lose this war?

2. What does losing really mean?

If we are to win, we must clearly answer these two pivotal questions:

We can definitely lose this war, and as anomalous as it may sound, the
major reason we can lose is that so many of us simply do not fathom
the answer to the second question - What does losing mean?

It would appear that a great many of us think that losing the war
means hanging our heads, bringing the troops home and going on about
our business, like post-Vietnam. This is as far from the truth as one
can get.

What losing really means is:

We
would no longer be the premier country in the world. The attacks will
not subside, but rather will steadily increase. Remember, they want
us dead, not just quiet. If they had just wanted us quiet, they would
not have produced an increasing series of attacks against us, over the
past 18 years. The plan was, clearly, for terrorists to attack us
until we were neutered and submissive to them.

We would, of course, have no future support from other nations, for
fear of reprisals and for the reason that they would see; we are
impotent and cannot help them.

They will pick off the other non-Muslim nations, one at a time. It
will be increasingly easier for them.
They already hold Spain hostage. It doesn't matter whether it was
right or wrong for Spain to withdraw its troops from Iraq Spain did
it because the Muslim terrorists bombed their train and told them to
withdraw the troops. Anything else they want Spain to do will be
done. Spain is finished.

The next will probably be France. Our one hope on France is that they
might see the light and realize that if we don't win, they are
finished too, in that they can't resist the Muslim terrorists without
us. However, it may already be too late for France.
France is already 20% Muslim and fading fast!

Without our support Great Britain will go too. Recently I read that
there are more mosques in England than churches.

If we lose the war, our production, income, exports and way of life
will all vanish as we know it. After losing, who would trade or deal
with us if they were threatened by the Muslims. If we can't stop the
Muslim terrorists, how could anyone else?

The radical Muslims fully know what is riding on this war, and
therefore are completely committed to winning, at any cost. We better
know it too and be likewise committed to winning at any cost.

Why do I go on at such lengths about the results of losing? Simple.
Until we recognize the costs of losing, we cannot unite and really put
100% of our thoughts and efforts into winning. And it is going to
take that 100% effort to win.

So, how can we lose the war?

Again, the answer is simple. We can lose the war by "imploding." That
is, defeating ourselves by refusing to recognize the enemy and their
purpose, and really digging in and lending full support to the war
effort. If we are united, there is no way that we can lose. If we
continue to be divided, there is no way that we can win!

Let me give you a few examples of how we simply don't comprehend the
life and death seriousness of this situation.

President Bush selects Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation.
Although all of the terrorist attacks were committed by Muslim men
between 17 and 40 years of age,
Secretary Mineta refuses to allow profiling. Does that sound like we
are taking this thing seriously? This is war! For the duration, we
are going to have to give up some of the civil rights we have become
accustomed. We had better be prepared to lose some of our civil
rights temporarily or we will most certainly lose all of them
permanently.

Do I blame President Bush or President Clinton before him?

No, I blame us for blithely assuming we can maintain all of our
Political Correctness, and all of our civil rights during this
conflict and have a clean, lawful, honorable war. None of those words
apply to war. Get them out of your head.

Some have gone so far in their criticism of the war and/or the
Administration that it almost seems they would literally like to see
us lose.

I think some actually do, I hasten to add that this isn't because they
are disloyal. It is because they just don't recognize what losing
means. Nevertheless, that conduct gives the impression to the enemy
that we are divided and weakening. It concerns our friends, and it
does great damage to our cause.

Of more recent vintage, the uproar fueled by the politicians and media
regarding the treatment of some prisoners of war, perhaps exemplifies
best what I am saying. We have recently had an issue, involving the
treatment of a few Muslim prisoners of war, by a small group of our
military police. These are the type prisoners who just a few months
ago were throwing their own people off buildings, cutting off their
hands, cutting out their tongues and otherwise murdering their own
people just for disagreeing with Saddam Hussein. !

And just a few years ago these same type prisoners chemically killed
400,000 of their own people for the same reason. They are also the
same type of enemy fighters, who recently were burning Americans, and
dragging their charred corpses through the streets of Iraq. And still
more recently, the same type of enemy that was and is providing videos
to all news sources internationally, of the beheading of American
prisoners they held.

Compare this with some of our press and politicians, who for several
days have thought and talked about nothing else but the "humiliating"
of some Muslim prisoners -- not burning them, not dragging their
charred corpses through the streets, not beheading them, but
"humiliating" them.

Can they be for real?

The politicians and pundits have even talked of impeachment of the
Secretary of Defense. If this doesn't show the complete lack of
comprehension and understanding of the seriousness of the enemy we are
fighting, the life and death struggle we are in and the disastrous
results of losing this war, nothing can.

To bring our country to a virtual political standstill over this
prisoner issue makes us look like Nero playing his fiddle as Rome
burned -- totally oblivious to what is going on in the real world.
Neither we, nor any other country, can survive this internal strife.
Again I say, this does not mean that some of our politicians or media
people are disloyal. It simply means that they are absolutely
oblivious to the magnitude of the situation we are in and into which
the Muslim terrorists have been pushing us, for many years.

These people are a serious and dangerous liability to the war effort.
We must take note of who they are and get them out of office.
Remember, the Muslim terrorists stated goal is to kill all infidels!
That translates into ALL non-Muslims -- not just in the United States,
but throughout the world. We are the last bastion of defense.

We have been criticized for many years as being 'arrogant.' That
charge is valid. We are arrogant in that we believe that we are so
good, powerful and smart, that we can win the hearts and minds of all
those who attack us, and that with both hands tied behind our back, we
can defeat anything bad in the world! We can't!

If we don't recognize this, our nation as we know it will not survive,
and no other free country in the world will survive if we are
defeated.

And finally, name any Muslim countries throughout the world that allow
freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of
the press, equal rights for anyone -- let alone everyone, equal status
or any status for women, or that have been productive in one single
way that contributes to the good of the world.

This has been a long way of saying that we must be united on this war
or we will be equated in the history books to the self- inflicted fall
of the Roman Empire. If, that is, the Muslim leaders will allow
history books to be written or read.

If we don't win this war right now, keep a close eye on how the
Muslims take over France in the next 5 years or less. They will
continue to increase the Muslim population of France and continue to
encroach little by little, on the established French traditions.

The French will be fighting among themselves, over what should or
should not be done, which will continue to weaken them and keep them
from any united resolve. Doesn't that sound eerily familiar?

Democracies don't have their freedoms taken away from them by some
external military force. Instead, they give their freedoms away,
politically correct piece by politically correct piece.

And they are giving those freedoms away to those who have shown,
worldwide that they abhor freedom and will not apply it to you or even
to themselves, once they are in power.

Muslims have universally shown that when they have taken over, they
then start brutally killing each other over whom will be the few who
control the masses.

What is happening in Iraq is a good example. Will we ever stop
hearing from the politically correct, about the "peaceful Muslims"?

I close on a hopeful note, by repeating what I said above. If we are
united, there is no way that we can lose. I hope now, after the
election, the factions in our country will begin to focus on the
critical situation we are in, and will unite to save our country. It
is your future we are talking about! Do whatever you can to preserve
it. I reiterate. A national election is months away.

After reading the above, we all must do this not only for ourselves,
but our children, our grandchildren, our country and the world.
Whether Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal and that
includes the Politicians and media of our country and the free world!

Please forward this to any you feel may want, or NEED to read it. Our
"leaders" in Congress ought to read it, too. There are those that
find fault with our country, but it is obvious to anyone who truly
thinks through this, that we must UNITE!

Lastly, I wish to add: At the risk of offending someone, I sincerely
think that anyone who rejects this as just another political rant, or
doubts the seriousness of this issue or just deletes it without
sending it on, is part of the problem. Let's quit laughing at and
forwarding the jokes and cartoons which denigrate and ridicule our
leaders in this war against terror. They are trying to protect the
interests and well being of the United States and it's citizens. Please help us to support them.

Fishing picture!

2007-08-13T17:22:00.000-04:00

For Sam's 3 month picture, Crystal chose to do a fishing theme. We decided that we would do some sort of fly fishing scenario. I believe it turned out really well!!!

I really love this picture because it has some added "meaning". The creel and fish are Samuel's, the fly box and flies are mine (Sam's dad), the fishing net belongs to my dad (Sam's grandpa), and the fly rod was my grandpa's (Sam's great grandpa)! I hope when he is older that he thinks it is as cool as I do.

In other news, Crystal has returned to work and Sam is now going to "school". So far we really like where he is staying. Apparently he is getting plenty of stimulus because since his first day at school he has slept thru the entire night every night since! We both know how lucky we are. That is quite an accomplishment. We put him to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 and we usually have to physically wake him up in the morning to get the day started! He really is a great baby.

Recently we also got to take a "mini" vacation up in Virginia. We made a quick day trip over to West Va. to see some family. It was good to see them and catch up a little. Sadly, one of our cousins was battling cancer and she lost her battle a few days after we were there. On a lighter note, we were able to spend some time with my parents and our nephews.Here's RB ad Ben in front of a hut in the "indian village". And yes, he does have a mohawk that has since been cut. :)

We also got to have a get together with some of Crystal's mother's side of the family later that same weekend up in Hillsville, VA. It was good to meet family that I hadn't met yet and introduce everyone to Samuel.Here's me and Sam with his pawpaw Combs.

Here are more pictures if any of you are interested.

And, hopefully, this Friday will be Sam's first football game as local high school action starts this week. We're contemplating heading up to Mt. Airy to Crystal's alma mater to watch them take on the local Elkin football team. I love this time of year!

A mini vacation

2007-07-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

Crystal and I took Sam for his 2 month doctor check-up today. Dr. G said everything looked perfect and he was progressing just like he was supposed to be. Sam weighed in at 13 lbs. 9 oz. and was 24.5 inches long! It amazes me to think that in 2 months time he gained almost 4 pounds and got 3.5 inches longer! The time has flown by. With that in mind, Crystal returns to work next week. She has said that she is looking forward to getting back to work and interacting with people again, but she is sure gonna miss the boy.

Tomorrow (wed. the 25th), we are headed up to Clifton Forge, VA for a "mini" vacation. I have been going up there the better part of my life to some family friend's home place. They have a really cool camp site on the Cowpasture River. I know, it sounds weird, but it's just a name. This time we're not camping though. Probably wouldn't be the easiest of tasks with a 2 month old. But, his camping experiences will begin in the next year! We are actually gonna stay in the home place along with my mom and dad and our 2 nephews. It should be a fun trip and hopefully Crystal will be able to relax a little before heading back to work. I'll try to get some photos up when we return!

The 4th

2007-07-16T19:43:00.000-04:00

I hope this finds everyone well and we hope that you had a safe and happy 4th of July. We had a fun, yet busy time, as I am sure most everyone did as well. On Tuesday the 3rd, the boy was officially 6 weeks old and Crystal and I took him for his first haircut! Of course we are new at this parenting stuff, but we were assured that it was absolutely amazing that a 6 week old baby was having their 1st haircut.

We took some pictures of before, during, and after and I even took some video of the haircut. Here's Sam in the parking lot of the salon ready to have his locks 'shortened'.
As you can see, his hair was well down over his ears...and his momma just couldn't take it anymore! He did not seem to like being in the chair as Crystal was holding him, but as soon he got a bottle he was fine.

On Wednesday, we headed down to Baton to my parents house to have a 4th of July cook out. We were joined by David & Lynn Blythe, along with David & Brandy Blythe and Cortlyn and Koda.We all had a good time and were able to catch up with each other.

After the holiday on Wednesday, I was fortunate enough to be able to take off Thursday and Friday and spend time with Crystal and Sam. It amazes me to think that in just a couple of more weeks that Crystal will have to return to work and I'll be taking Samuel to daycare every day!

Friday brought us a visit from Rodney and Erin Phillips since they were in from Knoxville. And it was very good to see them.
We were able to spend some time together and even got to go over to "The Depot" for supper that evening.

Of course all good things must come to an end and very soon the new work week had crept up on us all. It was good to get to see family and friends and we continue to miss those we don't get to see very often.

Now for the grand finale. :) Crystal has taken Sam to have his picture made once a month for the 1st year of his life. Obviously, we are only on month #2, but we did get that picture back today and here it is for all to see. Samuel says "Happy 4th everybody"!

I've uploaded more photos of the past few weeks. Go take a LOOK.

And finally, we're very glad to have our friends Shawn and Shelly Blythe back from China (they had to go over there for work). Check out their BLOG for more details. Welcome home!

1 month

2007-06-21T18:15:00.000-04:00

Well, we are getting accustomed to having another person with us all the time now. Tomorrow (Friday), Sam will be 1 month old. He and Crystal are doing very well. Of course, like all new parents, we have been taking pictures all the time, only some of which I will put on here!

Daddy changing a nasty diaper.

Mommy, Sam, and Maddie.

Sam is growing like a weed. At his 2 week checkup he had gained 8 ounces and grew an additional inch! Most babies only gain back to their original birth weight in the first two weeks and ours gains a half a pound! He went from eating about an ounce at a feeding at the hospital and the following days to eating about 4 ounces at 2 weeks old, and now at 4 weeks old, he's chowing down 6 ounces per feeding! I'm gonna have to get the boy a steak knife soon! :)

Sam likes to sleep on dad.

And Maddie likes to give "high fives".

On Monday, Crystal took Sam to have his "1 month old" pictures made. She is going to take him every month for his first year to have pictures made. She was able to pick up the pictures from Monday's session today. And here it is....

Parenthood is definitely a new experience, but I don't think either one of us would trade it for the world.

The boy is here

2007-05-24T18:25:00.000-04:00

Samuel Merritt Duncan has arrived. He was born early on Tuesday morning at 3:30 am and now shares his birthday with his momma, 22 May.

As stated in the previous post, we were scheduled for an induction on Monday. The hospital gave us 4 call times to expect them to call. The first was 5AM. We both got up early to get ready just in case they called. 5am came and went so we decided to go back to bed and try to get some more rest since the next call time was not until 9am. The phone rang at about 6:30 and we both practically jumped out of bed. It was the hospital and they were ready for us. Needless to say, we quickly and nervously headed out the door.

By the time we reached the hospital, filled out the necessary paperwork, and got settled into our labor and delivery room, it was approximately 8am on Monday morning(we live an hour from the hospital). The nurses came in and got Crystal hooked up to an IV and we waited for the doctor to come check her out. He got to the room around 8:30 and decided to see how far she had dilated. She was still at a 1, which she had been for the past three weeks. He then decided to go ahead and break her water to help the process along. At about 10am the nurse had Crystal get up to walk. We walked for an hour around the 4th floor and came back to our room. She then started receiving "pitocin" by the IV. This causes the contractions to be "harder" than normal. After a few hours it was getting to the point that she was hurting very badly in her back, to the point of not being able to take it. The doctor gave her a shot of 'Stadol' which eased her pain for awhile, then it was back to severe pain. We then decided it was time for the epidural.

Let me say that Crystal is terrified of needles, but at this point, the large needle in her back was a welcomed thought. And what a difference it made! Once they got her epidural started, which in itself was not a pleasant experience, she quickly started feeling much better. I think she even began to realize that she didn't actually hate me!

After hours of contractions she was progressing slowly. Every couple of hours the doctor would come in to check her progress only to say that she had dilated 1 more centimeter. But, he was confident that she was still doing well even though a little slow and was sure that she could have the baby. Finally around 1:30am on Tuesday morning she had reached the 10 centimeter mark. With the help of the nurse on one leg and me on the other, Crystal started pushing. It would take her 2 hours!

The doctor finally came in just as Crystal had gotten very close to actually getting him out. With a few more pushes, she had his head out, and it only took her one more to get the rest of him out!

Of course, after making sure she was ok, I grabbed the camera and started taking pictures while they were cleaning up Crystal and Sam. Our hectic day and most of the night was finally over.

And we had our boy. He was 21 inches long and weighed in at 9 pounds 12 ounces! And has the fullest head of hair that anyone has seen!

This is his newborn picture taken about 3 hours after he was delivered! They actually had to comb his hair!

So, we are home now and trying to adjust to our new life and roles as parents. It is going to be awesome! I would like to thank everyone that came by to see us and for all the calls. It means alot that we have such caring family and friends. And stay tuned...I'm sure there will be much more about this kid on this blog!

*Many more pictures can be seen HERE.

Weekend update

2007-05-20T23:53:00.000-04:00

No...not of the Saturday Night Live variety.

Crystal and I went to the OB/GYN on Friday. The doctor "stripped her membranes" again. For more info on that click HERE.

They also said that if the boy isn't here this weekend that we would schedule an induction for Monday. As it is very late Sunday night, we are assuming that this will happen tomorrow!

The way Forsyth Hospital does this is to put you on a waiting list. We are to stay at home tomorrow awaiting a phone call. If there is room, we will receive a phone call at 5am, 9am, 1pm, or 5pm tomorrow. We have one hour to arrive and induction will begin. Apparently, induction is more painful that "regular" labor. The drug that is administered, "PITOCIN", causes stronger than normal contractions. We we're all hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but, the boy seems adamant that he is not quite ready to see us yet.

I am hoping that all goes well tonight/tomorrow and the next post you will read is about the arrival of Sam!

We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers!

I hope to update soon.....come on Sam!

A quick update

2007-05-09T22:25:00.000-04:00

Lots of you are asking about Crystal and the boy. We are still patiently awaiting the arrival of Samuel.

The doctor said this week, at the last checkup, that he has dropped even lower. Maybe he'll show up this weekend near his due date? Or maybe he'll put off his arrival until a lil later. Anyway, thanks for all the calls and concerns. I'll let ya know when he decides to grace us with his presence!

Another dog

2007-03-31T13:11:00.000-04:00

We are currently "fostering" another dog. To make a long story short, the owners decided that they didn't want the dog anymore and were going to take him to the pound. Crystal couldn't stand the thought of it so we now have an approximately 5 month old full blooded yellow lab puppy! His name is Luke and so far he's actually been a good puppy. No chewing and minimal whining.

Now, some of you maybe wondering what is wrong with Maddie. We wanted to get her professionally "groomed" and told them that we wanted the "summer cut". Well, needless to say, I nor Crystal realized what the "summer cut" was. Obviously the "summer cut" is just shaved. I could've done that! Poor little thing looks pitiful.

Of course I think it's funny and I'm pretty sure she won't be going back to a groomer. But she's still a good dog and her and Sage have accepted Luke into the pack very quickly.

If you know of anyone that's looking for a good dog, or possibly you yourself, get in touch with me and we'll get this puppers a good home!

UPDATE: (3 April) Luke has a new home. Crystal's boss's father recently had to have his long time friend, also a lab, put to sleep. He was more than happy to have Luke come to live with him!

The boy has a name!

2007-03-18T22:56:00.000-04:00

We have finally decided on a name for the boy with only 8 weeks left until his scheduled arrival.

I never knew how hard it was to name a kid! But the name we have finally decided on is...

Samuel Merritt Duncan

Merritt is the name that I have been pulling for all along. Merritt was the name of my great great great (3) grandfather. However, my lovely wife was adamant that it wasn't going to be his first name. After many names and much discussion we decided on Samuel, as it is my middle name, and the name of my great great (2) grandfather that I was named after.

And with the pressure of naming him gone, we look forward, with great anticipation of meeting our Sam.

3d/4d Ultrasound

2007-02-26T17:18:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Crystal and I went and had an elective ultrasound session for the baby. This type of ultrasound allows you to actually "see" features of the baby that a traditional ultrasound does not. We did some research on the web and decided to go with a place in Hickory, NC called "Baby in Me 4d".

The cool thing is that you can take family and friends with you if they so wish. Unfortunately, Crystal's folks weren't able to join us so I called my sister, Jessica, to see if she wanted to see her nephew "early". Needless to say, she was more than happy to go. This past Saturday, Crystal and I met up with my folks and my sister to have the ultrasound. It was an amazing experience and I am so glad we decided to do it.

Also, along with the package we chose there was a one year membership for a website called BabyPeeks. I have uploaded more photos to this site that you can go see and I'm sure I'll be keeping you up-to-date on that site as I will here on blogspot. The link to that site is HERE and I have put a link in the "Links" section as well.

Enough of the talking...here's some pictures!

Hilarious baby video

2007-02-05T17:35:00.000-05:00

Some or all of you may have seen this but I just saw it a few weeks ago for the first time. Very funny stuff. I only hope I'm not gonna be like this!

As always, click play to watch.

The 5th Annual winter camping trip

2007-01-30T16:31:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday night was the annual winter camping trip. As stated in an earlier post, Chad and I started this tradition in 2002. This year only three of us made the trip, Chad, Dave, and I.

Chad was the first to arrive. He brought along his dad and son for the first part of the day. Isaac helped setup the tent and build the fire but had the most fun throwing rocks into the creek.

Dave and I arrived around 3:30 pm and got the tent and beds setup.
Then it was time to set back and enjoy the fire.

The night's menu consisted of cowboy beans prepared by yours truly. Cowboy beans are nothing more than some browned burger (I used venison burger), beans, onions, bacon (although I left it at home), and a few other spices. We got a hole dug to cook in, Chad placed some coals in the hole, I sat the dutch oven in the hole and Chad placed some more coals on top. After a few minutes we stirred and let cook for a few more minutes and it was time to eat. And was it good!!! Dave, who doesn't like beans, even loved it!

We all headed off to bed around 12:30am and crawled into our warm sleeping bags. There was some rain, snow, sleet that fell that night, but nothing major and the three of us decided when we got up that morning that it wasn't as cold this year as it was last year.

We got up Sunday morning and quickly got the fire going again as there were still coals left from the night before.
Once we warmed back up we started the not so pleasant task of taking down camp. That's always my least favorite part of camping. But I am already looking forward to next year's trip!

UPDATE: In response to a comment left about a previous post("It is Time"), I have found a website that has weather data from previous years. As soon as Chad and I can determine the dates from previous year's trips, I will post the temperatures from those camping trips. This year's trip was, as we suspected, not as cold as previous trips. The temperature at midnight was 36 degrees warming to 41 at 3 am and then falling to 31 degrees by the time we rolled out of our bags at 9 am!

The song changes again

2007-01-26T23:46:00.000-05:00

The songs on the blog are probably gonna change more often now...due in part to the fact that no one comments on what is currently playing, therefore, I can play whatever I like!

The new song is "Send me on my way" by Rusted Root. I was introduced to Rusted Root by a friend in Montana. A greart band in my opinion...and a great song! Enjoy.

This should surprise absolutely NO one

2007-01-26T17:42:00.000-05:00

Saw this quiz on another website. I decided to take it for fun. Not a shocker here! :)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The South That's a Southern accent you've got there. You may love it, you may hate it, you may swear you don't have it, but whatever the case, we can hear it.
The Midland
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Inland North
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

It is time

2007-01-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

...for the annual "freeze your butt off" camping trip. A very close friend, Chad Muri, and I began this tradition the year we both returned from living in Montana. Every year we gather at a remote camping spot on a forest service road near Mount Mitchell to hold our "cold weather" camping trip. This year seems to be shaping up to be one of the coldest! Currently the forecast calls for a low of 26 degrees on Saturday night.

For the first few years it was only Chad and I that would brave the cold.This picture was from the 2004 trip. Chad's Marmot tent is in the foreground and you can see my tent a little further back in the snow....obviously cold that year!

Last year we had some company, not only with us, but someone was actually in our traditional camping spot. Many forest service roads are closed during the winter and the one we choose to camp on is no exception. Since another party was where we normally stay, we adapted and moved up the road to the next available spot. That meant hauling all our gear and firewood further than normal.
Here, Dave hauls the firewood Chad has brought from the truck to the camp site.

Last year the trip was in March and Chad and I were joined by David Blythe and Jerry Bartle. This year's team looks like it will only be Chad, Dave, and I. With Chad and Dave already having boys of their own, and my boy on the way, I look forward to the trips that see us all sharing the joy of the winter camping trip together!
"Dave (sitting) and Chad enjoy the warmth of the fire while I (at the tent) only wish I was closer to the fire)"

Anywho, our trip is planned for this weekend, Saturday the 27th of January 2007 and the forecast is quite chilly. Check back next week for this year's pictures and stories...and as always, anyone is welcomed to join us! Just let me know if you want to come!

Until then.....

New song

2007-01-19T22:56:00.000-05:00

As Eddie says... a song about breaking your depression.

Enjoy! Pearl Jam: Down

Hurry home Shelly

2007-01-19T22:29:00.000-05:00

A great friend of ours left yesterday for a month long stint in China. Her job requirements involve training the chinese to run certain machines that she has the MOST experience operating. Hurry home Shelly...we'll miss you.

Her blog can be found here.

A quote from Appalachia

2007-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

The book I have been reading is a comprehensive history of the Appalachian region. While extensive history and lore is recorded in it's pages, one passage stands out to me. And I quote:

'...There is no fundamental agreement even how to pronounce the word "Appalachia." Residents of southern and central Appalchia pronounce the term with a short a in the stressed third syllable; further north, the same a is given a longer pronunciation, as in "Appal-ay-chia." Most of the experts and bureaucrats who came from Washington and elsewhere to fix the region's problems beginning in the 1960's adopted the northern pronunciation, while resident experts favor the southern--which led to a situation, according to one commentator, wherein "people who said "appal-ay-chia" were perceived as outsiders who didn't know what they were talking about but were more than willing to tell people from the mountains what to do and how they should do it."'

And my point of view?.....there is only ONE way to pronounce Appalachia and IT IS NOT "appal-ay-chia"!!!

Weird squatter

2007-01-17T19:24:00.000-05:00

So I came home yesterday from work and went downstairs to get the woodstove going so the house would warm up since it was supposed to be (and was) downright cold last night. I get some wood from the porch, opened the door to the stove to toss it in and get it going, and I see a little fur ball hunkered down in the corner. Being startled, I instinctively slammed the door back shut. Once I regained my composure I reopened the door to take a look. The critter didn't so much as move a muscle so I used the fire poker to give it a little prod. Nothing...

So I nudged it a little harder. Still nothing. This obviously wasn't working so I reached in and picked up the little guy. STILL nothing. Now I'm thinking maybe it's dead.

Turns out it wasn't. What had moved in over night was a Glaucomys volens, commonly known as a southern flying squirrel. It would softly jerk ever so slightly and ever so often in my hand. Turns out, after doing some reading, that these little guys are completely nocturnal and it may take them up to 40 minutes to wake up!

Flying squirrels are "cavity nesters", meaning they find cavities in trees, etc. to make their home. Apparently this one had found the flue that vents outside of the chimney while the stove was cold Monday night (since it wasn't very cold here) and decided to see if this would be a good home. It musta been like heaven. A long dark tunnel into a very spacious and comfy "cavity" being the actual woodstove!

Anyways, after having Crystal take a few pictures
I placed the squirrel securely in a wood pile out of the cold wind and hoped he wake up soon enough and find another nest.

He wasn't back in the stove today so I guess he figured it out!

The 1st snow of 2007

2007-01-09T22:22:00.000-05:00

It's Tuesday the 9th of January 2007 at approximately 10:20 PM and it is snowing. It's been snowing here for about 15 minutes. We got some flurries early today but nothing substantial, not that this is at all substantial, but it is trying to lay. I wonder if the grocery stores have any bread and milk left? LOL...why do people here always freak out when winter weather is here and go buy bread and milk? Always thought that very strange.

From the basement porch overlooking the front yard.

And Sage isn't quite sure what to think...she was barking at the snow earlier.

It occurs to me how much fun I'll have next winter when I can take the boy out and play in the snow for his first time.....

1st weekend of 2007

2007-01-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

Crystal and I were able to sneak out of town on Friday and travel to Knoxville, Tennessee. We got there late, around 10 PM, and were warmly greeted by the Phillips'! We got to chat and catch up before heading to bed later that night. On Saturday morning we all got up and got ready and headed out for a day together.

Breakfast was devoured at the closest Cracker Barrel and then we headed south to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Rodney got us to Chattanooga, but he didn't quite make his "record" time of 45 minutes! Today was more around the average of an hour and a half. We went to Chattanooga to go to the Tennessee Aquarium. What an amazing place! If you enjoy fish, aquariums, wildlife, or simply getting out and seeing all the amazing creatures that we share the Earth with, you owe it to yourself to see this place.

There are two different displays to immerse yourself in. We started with the River Journey. Basically the aquarium is setup to take you from the high mountain streams and creeks on your journey towards the ocean.

So, naturally for Rodney and I, we began where we are most at home, up in the mountains chasing trout. And they sure have an impressive habitat created for our favorite fish.

Here's the gang in front of some more trout minus Rod since he was being the camerman.

And Crystal was able to catch me mesmerized by the school...

Moving further down thru the exhibit, Crystal caught a grey and a green tree frog staring at each other...
and some turtles and an egret overlooking some carp and small alligators!

On the lower levels, an aquarium diver was "hard at work" hand feeding the fish including this enormous catfish!

Ever seen one of these? These fish are some of the oldest species that still exist today around the world and in America. I was able, while living and working in Montana, to actually get to handle one of these amazing fish. They re known as sturgeon and there are many subspecies in existance.

The River Journey exhibit has "Rivers of the World". They showcase river systems of the world and these Mandarin ducks are found in Japan.

After finishing the "River Journey" you still have an entire different exhibit to view. This is known as the "Ocean Journey" and as the name implies, takes you on a journey through the ecosystems of the worlds oceans and creatures. Hyacinth macaws welcomed us into their habitat.
There is also a butterfly exhibit to see many different species and they have their own butterfly "farm".

A crab says hello...

and, while beautiful, I would not want to see this if I were a diver!

After finishing our tour of the Tennessee Aquarium, we headed around the block and took in some local shops, including my crew leader Jim's, long time friend's, Roger Wright, fudge shop, the Fudge Wrights, located adjacent to the aquarium. If you go, stop in and say hello! From here we walked over to the Big River Grille and Brewing Works for lunch. Sadly, at least for Crystal and Erin, their favorite Dookies suffered their first loss of the season to Virginia Tech, while the Tarheel fans of the group tried not to rub it in too bad.

After a nice day in Chattanooga it was time to head back to Knoxville for Crystal and I to check into our B&B for the night, also made possible by our hosts Rodney and Erin (last year they gave us a gift certificate for our wedding to stay here!) The room that we had was the Oak Suite at the Maple Grove Inn. This bed and breakfast was originally built in 1799 and turned into a B&B in 1993. Crystal and I got there, checked in, and learned that we were the only guests to be there that night. Not only that, we were gonna be the only people there that night! It is a little spooky to be somewhere you've never been, in a house that is 206 years old, and be all by yourself. We had a great time and it was a really nice place. We got all cleaned up and met Rodney, Erin, and Dylan once again to go out and get some supper. We chose Calhoun's, partly because it has great food and partly because it has it's own brewery with excellent beer and Rodney and I just happen to go camping and fishing with the head brewmaster!

Sadly we had to say goodnight and goodbye to the Phillips' and head home the next day to head back to Wilkes County, but we had a great trip with great friends and what a way to kick off the new year. Here's to many more!

Until next time...

The New Year

2007-01-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year folks! It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone already.

2006 was an eventful year for us. We were fortunate enough to find and purchase our first home (after searching for the past year), and even purchase the first "brand new" vehicle that either of us had ever had. Crystal completed her "contract" with Baptist for her on the job training requirements. Two great friends were united in marriage and new friends saw their little girl arrive. This year also saw my 30th birthday along with the news that we will be welcoming our first child this year (in May), a boy! And two other friends found out that they are expecting their second child.

While I am certain that the new year will be different than anything I've ever known, I look forward to the joys and challenges it brings. Here's to 2007!

In time for the New Year

2006-12-29T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it's time to change the blog tune and I can't think of any other song I would want to play right now.

This is a tune that I was unaware of until a great friend of mine played it on a fishing/camping trip this past fall. I believe that this was a song that he heard his dad play from time to time and thus it incurred special meaning for him. After hearing the song and the words, it is a very good song and I am proud to include it on this blog. The song consists of 4 great singer/songwriters. The first verse belongs to none other than Willie Nelson, then onto Kris Kristofferson, only to be followed by Waylon Jennings and to round out the quartet, Mr. Johnny Cash!

I was a Highwayman....you sure meant alot to us all 'Quil and you will be missed forever! Thank God for great Fathers....

It's Christmas time...in Traphill!

2006-12-25T16:23:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope this finds you and yours well and full of Christmas time joy.

Wow! What a hectic last week. Christmas parties, doctor appointments, last minute shopping....almost makes you glad it's over.

On Wednesday, Crystal and I went to the doctor for the "half-way" checkup. That's right, we're halfway thru the pregnancy stage already! We were scheduled for the sonogram at 9:30 am. Our particular sonographer has an excellent record going. In the last 15 years, she has been wrong about the sex of a baby TWICE! Anyways, she was taking all the required measurements and she made sure that we wanted to know what we were having. Crystal and I discussed not wanting to know, but in the end we decided that it would be easier for us to find out, plus, it was just about to kill us both to NOT know. After about 25 minutes into the sonogram, the baby was still not wanting to cooperate. The sonographer had Crystal lay this way and that. Finally our stubborn child decided to give us a view and we found out that we are going to have.............(take a look at the video and turn up the volume)

For those that didn't watch the video, you will find out later! HA!

That evening we attended the first annual District 7 Christmas party. This is the district that I work in. We had never had a party and I decided that this year would be a good time to start one. More about the party (along with pictures) can be seen HERE.

On Sunday we traveled to my folks place to to have Christmas with mom and dad, my sister and her husband, and our two nephews. We were also able to spend some time with David and Brandy and kids, as well as Shawn and Shelly and kids, and even got to see David and Lynn Blythe (Dave & Shawn's folks). Then it was back home for "our" Christmas Eve.

On Monday morning we headed up to Mt. Airy (yes, Mayberry) to share a Christmas breakfast with Crystal's folks and her brother Jarrett and his girlfriend Tiffany.

Crystal and her mom and dad ( I apologize for Crystal's poor taste in colleges!)

Then it was back home to finish off Christmas '06 together alone...which will be the last one of our lives "alone", for next year we will have our......... HA HA! must wait a little longer!

Crystal then decided that since Christmas was in fact over, it was time for the tree to come down and it did, but here's a picture when it was up.

Oh yeah.....we're having a SON!

How well do you know me?

2006-12-15T18:08:00.000-05:00

I got the idea for this from a friend on Myspace (Thanks Garron). It is a simple test to answer questions about me to see how much you know about me. Click on the leaderboard below and you will be taken to the test itself. Answer the questions to the best of your ability and let's see how you do!

This will be interesting to watch...

Create your own friendquiz here

State Championship

2006-12-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

The "Buckin' Elks" of Elkin High School won their fifth 1A state championship football game today. The Elks have won 4 of the last 5 state championship games!

The contest was held today at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Elks faced the Manteo Redskins. Manteo fielded a great team, one of the best that the Elks have faced this year. Unfortunately, the Manteo Redskins were a predominately running team. While the run was what catapulted them to the state championship game, it was not enough to overcome an amazingly good Elkin team. By halftime the score was 21-7 in Elkin's favor and the Redskins were forced to go to the air to try to score some points. Their passing game never amounted to much and the Elks prevailed 28-7 to win their fourth title game in the last five years!

Congrats to another great Elkin High School football team.

Elkin High School State Football Champions! 1967, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006

Go Buckin' Elks!

For those that are interested, here are the video highlights.

A new feature!

2006-12-09T19:45:00.000-05:00

As of today, I have added a new feature to the blog.

Tunes

I will be posting a new song hopefully weekly. Most likely it will be something that I am currently listening to or seasonal. Give it a listen if you get a chance.

The first song to start us off is "Merry Christmas from the Family" by Robert Earl Keen. Welcome to the Holidays folks!

Just click on the pink "play" button on the player on the right side of the screen.

If you're interested in having this song for yourself click HERE to download.

Changing

2006-12-01T14:24:00.000-05:00

If you have checked the blog on Friday December 1st, you've obviously noticed some changes. This is still a work in progress and I hope to have it completely changed over and completed this weekend. Keep checking in and thanks for reading!

*Update: It looks like it didn't take me as long as I thought and I got the update done sooner than I expected! Take a look around...it's not really a dramatic change....but let me know what you think. You people can post comments ya know!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-30T18:34:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful time this past holiday weekend. It sure was a busy weekend here at our house.

On Thursday we hosted Crystal's parents Chester and Nancy as well as her brother Jarrett and his girlfriend Tiffany. They were to arrive around 11:30 am to have have Thanksgiving lunch. At approximately 10:30 am Crystal's beeper went off (she was on call). So she had to leave to go to work! Her family and I had a very nice lunch while she was at work and she finally got home about 2:00 pm!

My folks, Gene and Sandy, as well as my sister Jessica and her husband Shannon along with our nephews R.B. (Bubba) and Benjamin arrived at about 4:30 pm for supper. We got all the food prepared and had another nice Thanksgiving feast. Talk about being sleepy from all that turkey!

Friday morning saw the arrival of our good friends Shawn and Shelly Blythe and their two kids Elizabeth and James. The kids had a ball playing with Sage and Maddie while the grown-ups got a little rest. That evening we all loaded up and went to "The Depot at Cody Creek" over in Dobson instead of having more turkey day stuff. And as usual, it was excellent. They have some of the best ribs I've ever had. After supper the girls and the kids headed back here to the house while Shawn and I traveled down to Elkin High School to catch the third round of the 1A state playoffs. The past few seasons have seen Elkin with a tremendous football team and this year is no exception (State 1A Football Champs '02, '03, and '05). It looks like they have a very good chance to bring it back to Elkin this year too!

We said goodbye to Shawn and Shelly on Saturday morning and tried to straighten the house up as best we could. Saturday evening ushered the arrival of David and Brandy Blythe (David and Shawn are brothers) and their two kids Cortlyn and Koda. Dave and I deep fried a turkey that evening, the first time I had ever had one, and boy was it delicious. We spent the night playing games (Taboo, etc.) and had a good time visiting. We all headed off to bed and low and behold at approximately 3:30am Crystal's wonderful beeper went off again! She had to drive to Winston, do a scan, and turn around and come back home only to get right back up again. We went to Cracker Barrel...mmmmmm....for breakfast to round out the Thanksgiving weekend for 2006.

So here's my thanks for a great family and great friends. To those that we didn't get to spend time with, we hope to see you soon.

Finally

2006-11-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

After going the two previous seasons without taking a deer, I have ended the drought.

I was able to take some time off work and hunt this past week. Dave came up on Wednesday to stay the night and hunt with me on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, the weather forecast was not very favorable for the upcoming days. Rain and wind were supposed to be nailing us pretty hard.

I got up at 5 am on Thursday morning to check the weather and radar. It was pouring and the radar reflected what I could hear hitting the roof here at the house. I naturally went back to bed. At approximately 9 am I was awakened by Dave who had woken up and realized that the meteorologists had somewhat missed the forecast. The rain had subsided and the wind was nowhere to be found. We quickly got up and got things together to head to the hunting club.

At approximately 10:45 am we were in our stands. I realized that I had not called Crystal to let her know that we had gone hunting. About 30 minutes later, my phone started vibrating in my shirt. It was Crystal. As quietly as I could, I answered the phone to let her know that we were hunting. Just as I was telling her that, I caught movement. Low and behold a deer was walking down a 4wheeler trail getting close to me. I quickly let her know that a deer was approaching and quietly closed the phone. After closer examination I could see that though the deer had a decent body size (I was hoping it was a doe), I could make out some small spikes on his head. He walked to within about 50 yards of me and I decided to let him walk, wanting to wait on something bigger.

He proceeded on down the 4wheeler trail and out of my sight. After he left, I began to think about my past 2 deer seasons where I did things very similar and allowed deer to "go". I hadn't killed an animal since the '03 season (which was a 6 point with a bow). 30 minutes passed and I began to regret letting this guy go. Wanting to get some meat in the freezer, I decided that IF the deer did return and offer a good shot that I would take him.

I had no more than made that decision that I heard some noise ruffling the leaves coming down the hill in front of me. To my surprise, here he came again. This time, down the hill, across the 4wheeler trail, and down to the creek not 15 yards from my stand. He took a drink and then just stood there. After watching him basically right under me for at least 5 minutes, I finally decided it was time to take him. He turned and gave me a very good clean shot and I pulled the trigger.

Once the smoke from the muzzle loader cleared I could see him lying exactly where I had shot him. He didn't take the first step. A nice clean kill shot and it was all over inside of 30 seconds.

Now that the "drought" is over it's time to return to being picky and selective about what I take. Bring on the big boys!!! Please?! :-)

Geocaching

2006-11-01T17:20:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen the link that I have to the Geocaching website. Geocaching is an activity that Crystal and I enjoy doing together, well most of the time anyway. Right honey?

In a nutshell, using a GPS receiver, you input given coordinates into your GPS unit and then go find the "cache". A cache is usually a small box (tupperware, old ammo can, etc.) that has been placed by someone that has placed small toys, trinkets, etc. into the box to be traded. Mostly this is for the kids so it is mostly kid's type stuff. Think of it as a high-tech treasure hunt. The cache 'owner' then tries to hide the box in a secretive spot so as to make it difficult to find and also so it can't be found accidentally by "muggles" (Harry Potter fans will know what this means...and, yes, that is how the Geocaching community refers to the none cachers). After hiding it, the owner will take the coordinates with their unit and then enter the coordinates into the website and others can then go search for what they hid.

Now, I gave that very simplified explanation to relay this story.

Crystal and I placed a cache of our own in January of 2005. It is located up off the Parkway relatively close to where we live. Anytime another Geocacher finds a cache that you placed and logs their find into the website, an email notification is sent to you. This is suprisingly alot of fun in itself since you kinda get to hear what others think about the spot you chose, how much fun they had, etc.

Man I'm using etc. alot in this post! :p

Well, this is the last notification that I received:

"October 18 by Ted (354 found)
Nice hike in. The container has been broken into umpteen pieces and the contents scattered. The lid and one of the ziploc bags have bite marks. I did my best to gather the contents into the two good ziplocs and then placed them together at my best guess for the right location."

Of course, given the location of the cache and the description that 'Ted' gave, I automatically knew what had destroyed our container. I was able to find some time today and headed up to the cache site to replace the container. My assumption was correct.

Notice the 'bite marks' in the lid. That is most definately a bear!

So, now who wants to go find our cache? LOL

Seriously though, if any of you think you may want to try out some Geocaching, just let me know. We'd be happy to let ya borrow the GPS unit or maybe even go out caching with us sometime. It is alot of fun for the kids as well. Can you imagine if we coulda went out in the woods with a little handheld computer and found 'treasure' when we were kids? And not all the caches are in boxes in the woods. There are 'micros' which are usually sign only logs that are placed very strategically right in the middle of cities. You'd actually be suprised where some of these things are.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2006-10-31T21:06:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween.

I myself am sitting home alone while my wife is at work (not her usual schedule). She agreed to switch shifts with a coworker so she could take her daughter Trick 'r Treating. Isn't she sweet?

About a week ago, Crystal brought home a rather large pumpkin and cleaned it out. For some reason that evening I decided to get a little creative...with the help of the internet of course. So I downloaded some patterns and started carving away. The pumpkin was so big that I put 3 different "scenes" on it.

The first is a witch riding towards the moon.

Then a spooky tree...

And finally, a ghost with a jack-o-lantern. (This pic isn't so great)

For some reason I got the bright idea that it would look better if I tied all the scenes 'together'. So I cut out the two columns of pumpkin that are on either side of the tree. And in my defense, I thought it looked pretty dang good. However.... :)

I failed to take into account the size and therefor weight of the pumpkin itself which, in turn, after one night began collapsing on itself! :(

Which leads me to what I did this evening. Crystal got another pumpkin, although this time, a much smaller one. She cleaned it today and I carved it this evening. This time I was lazy though. Plus I wanted to get it done just in case we had any trick or treaters come by. We haven't! But I really didn't expect any since we live on a 'private road' surrounded by only the Casey family, which has grown by one as of yesterday. Anthony and Brittany welcomed into the world yesterday a healthy baby boy. Congrat's to them.

Again, Happy Halloween, and we'll be seeing ya later!

Happy Birthday

2006-10-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

My oldest nephew celebrated his 11th birthday today. Man, where do the years go? Happy birthday Bubba...love ya buddy.

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. It seems I am at a loss for quality material to relay thoughts about. I have moved the game camera to the "hunting club" that I joined this year. I placed the camera last Wednesday and checked it on Saturday only to find that it had only taken 3 pics! Apparently I'm gonna have to find a better spot to hunt!

Anywho, we're doing fine up here in Traphill. We just passed 11 weeks of pregnancy! Crystal continues to be nauseated at certain foods at all times of the day. Hopefully after passing this first trimester her stomach will settle down some.

Here are some pretty cool baby development stages that were achieved in week 11:

* Nearly all structures and organs are formed and beginning to function.
* Fingers and toes have separated

* Hair and nails begin to grow
* The genitals begin to take on the proper gender characteristics - It will be just a few more weeks before your ultrasound can show if you are having a boy or a girl!

And here a few of the processes happening this week!

Week Twelve

* Vocal cords begin to form
* Those precious eyes begin to move closer together
* Ears shift to their normal place on the side of the head
* Intestines move farther in to your child's body
* His or her liver begins to function
* The pancreas begins to produce insulin
* Your baby's average size is now at a whopping length: 2.13 inch

Simply amazing really.....

That time of year

2006-10-04T16:47:00.000-04:00

It's actually been here for a few weeks now...hunting season. I have been only about 3 times so far. This time of year it is bow season, so you have to be extra good because you have to be so much closer to the animal to get a successful shot. Anywho, my lovely wife allowed me to get a "game camera" this past weekend. For those that are unfamiliar, it is a simple digital camera mounted inside a waterproof casing that has an infared motion sensor and flash that will snap pictures any time something activates the motion sensor.

Just from hunting the few times I've been out this year, I know that the deer are moving thru this area (on our property) because the corn and apples that I have put out are disappearing rather quickly. I have also seen a doe with what looks like a yearling (born last year) with her...as seen here: (mom in the foreground)

I put the camera out on Sunday (1 Oct.), consequently, that was also our first wedding anniversary! I retrieved the camera this afternoon (Wed. 4 Oct.) as soon as I got home from work. It had taken 36 pictures! As with the previous picture, all but one of the photos were taken after dark...just what I had suspected and was afraid of. Deer are very smart creatures and very tough to hunt. I suppose that's alot of the appeal for most people. It wouldn't be very much fun if you could open your window and shoot them huh?

I had already guessed that they were using the area mostly at night and pics like this really confirmed that.

This is the same two does from above with mom being the in the foreground again and only the eyes of the younger doe can be seen.

Most of the pics are very similar to these. However the one exception I mentioned, the only one that was not after dark, captured another deer altogether!

Notice the light starting to filter thru the trees in the background. I haven't been able to determine if this the break of day or just before dusk. I need a camera that has the time and date imprinted on it! Obviously this is a small buck, without a doubt just a lil over a year old (fawns are typically born in June and July). This is what is called a spike because he has two antlers with no points branching off. It is however pretty good length for the antlers. Some would refer to this as a "cow-horn spike".

Now, the camera snapped some pictures of what may be another small buck. From the angles I've seen, I can't determine if the pic of the spike above could possibly this small "4 pointer".

Same deer? Possibly. Could've had his head turned just enough that the other points just didn't show up in the first photo. Who knows? We need more proof! :)

This is already proving to be more fun for me than I had anticipated. Maybe it's a part of the scientist in me that wants to know what's going on...especially when it's right here in our backyard.

Stayed tuned.....I'm sure I'll have more to come!

Our first picture of the baby

2006-09-29T22:07:00.000-04:00

We had our first baby appointment today. Crystal had to have the usual tests (blood work, ultrasound, urine samples, etc.) and everything was, in the doctors words, "Perfect"! The sonographer taking the pictures measured the baby twice and you can see the results on the photo itself (1.43 cm and 1.37 cm) which converts to right at one half of an inch. We were able to see and hear the heartbeat as well! 158 beats per minute...said that was right where it should be. Everything looks good! They gave us a preliminary due date of May 14th.

I think today's visit really helped it all to sink in now. It is still hard to believe that next May I'll have my own lil one here! I'm (we're) REALLY looking forward to it.

And now, here's the baby...

The Crocodiles are Crying

2006-09-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

In Memoriam - STEVE IRWIN.

THE CROCODILES ARE CRYING

Endless visions fill my head – this man – as large as life

And instantly my heart mourns for his angels and his wife

Because the way I see Steve Irwin – just put everything aside

It comes back to his family – it comes back to his pride

His animals inclusive – Crikey – light the place with love!

Shine his star with everything he fought to rise above

The crazy-man of Khaki from the day he left the pouch

Living out his dream and in that classic ‘Stevo’ crouch

Exploding forth with character and redefining cheek

It’s one thing to be honored as a champion unique

It’s one thing to have microphones and spotlight cameras shoved

It’s another to be taken in and genuinely loved

But that was where he had it right – I guess he always knew

From his fathers’ modest reptile park and then Australia Zoo

We cringed at times and shook our heads – but true to natures call

There was something very Irwin in the make up of us all

Yes the more I care to think of it – the more he had it right

If you’re going to make a difference – make it big and make it bright!

Yes - he was a lunatic! Yes - he went head first!

But he made the world feel happy with his energetic burst

A world so large and loyal that it’s hard to comprehend

I doubt we truly count the warmth until life meets an end

To count it now I say a prayer with words of inspiration

May the spotlight shine forever on his dream for conservation

…My daughter broke the news to me – my six year old in tears

It was like she’d just turned old enough to show her honest fears

I tried to make some sense of it but whilst her Dad was trying

His little girl explained it best…she said “The crocodiles are crying”

Their best mate’s up in heaven now – the crocs up there are smiling!

And as sure as flowers, poems and cards and memories are piling

As sure as we’ll continue with the trademarks of his spiel

Of all the tributes worthy – he was rough…but he was real

As sure as ‘Crikey!’ fills the sky

I think we’ll miss ya Steve…goodbye

- RUPERT McCALL 2006.

Sadie Badgett is here

2006-09-14T22:10:00.000-04:00

Crystal and I got a small glimpse into a world that we will be emersed in next May. Erin (and Todd) had baby Sadie today. She is a beautiful lil thing. Mom and dad were both wore out when we saw them, however I'm sure in a couple of days you will be able to check their blog and get lots more info and pictures of Miss Sadie. But for now....

We have some news

2006-09-04T19:19:00.000-04:00

I'm simply going to post a picture because I'm not really sure if it has completely sunk in and I don't have the words to express myself as of yet.

Meet Maddie

2006-08-20T14:04:00.000-04:00

Well, here she is. We picked her up yesterday. She is MUCH smaller than I expected.

As you can prolly tell, Crystal has pretty much done nothing but take pictures since we got her. Maddie had a big day yesterday with lots of traveling. She did great in the car, and luckily for us, the folks that we got her from have been doing this for quite awhile. She is basically already housed trained. All we have to do is take her outside and set her down and she "does her business".

Sage is still somewhat unsure of her new buddy. She basically ignores her for the most part. I'm sure they'll adjust to one another.

The girls in my life are gonna have a fun week this week without me. Crystal will be taking care of both the dogs alone for Maddie's first week with us, but I'm positive she can handle it. I'll be out of town for the better part of the week in meetings and then on to beautiful Graham County for what is being touted as "Troutapalooza 2006" for the weekend. I am also postive that when I return that I will have two very spoiled dogs to deal with!

Hope this finds everyone well and will talk to you soon.

Finally Crystal makes a comment

2006-08-13T19:07:00.000-04:00

I can no longer be quite here in the blogging world. My husband has stepped over the line with the "Deadskins" comment. I am sure he just said it to make me mad. Hello to all the new bloggers. I was glad to hear that both Erins, Todd, Rodney and Sally were on here now. Hope to hear from Sadie soon. Good luck you guys. I will post some pics of the new girl in the family after we pick her up on Sat.

My favorite time of year

2006-08-13T17:23:00.000-04:00

Last night was a very long awaited night! It seems like forever since the first weekend in February when we all last got to watch a football game. But the season is back now and happiness can again be restored!

Ok, that might be a little much, but I am still glad it's here. Football season, cooler weather....this is truly the best time of the year! The Panthers had their first pre-season game last night and they looked unstoppable, the starters anyway. Jake and the boys on offense easily drove down the field and picked up a quick score on their first drive and Julius and the boys on defense forced a "3 and out" with a sack coming from #90 himself.

It was a good start to the young season, although I do know that the Bills are most likely one of the "easiest" teams that the CATS will face this season. Well, with the exception of maybe the 26th of November matchup with the Deadskins (how's about a friendly rivalry TB?). LOL

So I'll leave you with a phrase that should captivate us all...."Are you ready for some football?"

Adding another pack member

2006-08-11T10:42:00.000-04:00

We have been talking about getting another dog and after some discussion and decision making, we have decided to get one. Crystal started by going thru local adoption places and shelters. Most of these places have their own websites with pics of the animals they currently have. After seeing how much some of theses "adopted" dogs were gonna cost (not to mention I hate the thought of giving money to some of these blatant 'anti-hunting' groups), we decided to try to find one from a breeder.

After some searching and cruising around on the World Wide Web, we found one we both agreed on. Crystal contacted the breeder and the one we were interested in was still available so we have sent a "deposit" so they will hold her for us. She isn't quite old enough for us to pick her up yet, but she should have her last vet checkup and be ready to go probably by next weekend. Assuming nothing happens between now and then, our pack will grow by one soon. So without further ado......

I will try to get more pictures up after we get her and of course figure out what we're gonna call her.

New ride!

2006-07-10T18:42:00.000-04:00

After having my 4Runner for a little over 5 years, I (we) decided it was time to trade it in and get something more dependable and fun. So without further ado....here it is!

Oh how FUN.....

Busy

2006-07-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

I've obviously been away from the blogging world for awhile. This time of year is always busy for everyone I suppose.

During the past month, Crystal and I were able to go down to the Outer Banks for a week long vacation. We spent the week with my folks as well as my sister and two nephews. The weather was great with the exception of wednesday when the remnants of the season's first tropical storm moved thru.

The following week I had to take a work trip to Athens, TN. We participated in a workshop on the Mayfield farm. Yes, the Mayfield farm....as in Mayfield Dairies. They are an extremely nice family and Mr. and Mrs. Mayfield themselves provided and cooked bbq ribs and chicken for the 160+ participants! If you like snow cream that we've all had in the winter, at least when we get snow, you've got to try their Snow Cream ice cream. It has the exact same taste and texture as the home made kind. Amazing! And of course, my personal favorite....

I hope all is well with everyone and have a great 4th of July!

The Wedding!

2006-05-15T18:13:00.000-04:00

We are back from the wedding of Rodney and Erin, now "officially" the Phillips!

It was a fun weekend and beautiful wedding. We were able to spend some time with old friends and got to make some new ones. Rodney and Erin are now enjoying their honeymoon in Ireland. Erin Go Bragh! For those that don't know, click the link.

A small collection of pictures that Crystal was able to take at the wedding and reception can be viewed here.

Erin and Rodney, we love you and hope you find every happiness together!

A long hiatus

2006-05-08T18:54:00.000-04:00

Many apologies for the lack of posts. It's been a hectic few weeks. We've been trying to get settled and set up to make this place look like home.

Crystal (after swearing she'd never have plants) has been planting flowers and even some tomato and cucumber plants!

We even have a friendly greeter to "Welcome" you here!

Believe or not, we ordered our furniture for the house at the end of March. Everything with the exception of the dining room chairs were delivered on the day we closed (12 April). Incredibly, as of today (8 May), we still have not received our chairs! I'm really looking forward to eating at the table.

We're slowly but surely able to get photos in frames and get pictures on the wall.

(Can anyone guess what's on TV?)

We look forward to more of you being able to come visit us. And check back soon for pictures of the wedding...no, not ours. Two of our very best friends are FINALLY getting married this weekend. Rodney and Erin are gonna officially become Mr. & Mrs. Phillips!

Hope everyone is doing well. And we hope to see you soon....

A new home

2006-03-23T21:46:00.000-05:00

For those that don't know, we are under contract for a new house. After searching the market for over a year, we have finally found what we've been looking for. It's a beautiful log cabin on just over 3 acres!

We are hoping to close before Easter, and of course, y'all will be invited for the "house warming/my b-day" party!

A link to more pictures of the house can be found here.

To the top.....

2006-03-20T18:31:00.000-05:00

Our good friends David and Brandy Blythe came up to spend some time with us this weekend. We decided since it was such a nice day on Sunday to go for a hike. The top of Stone Mountain here in Wilkes County was our destination. The hike went pretty good for a while until we started to make the last climb for the top. That got us all huffing and puffing but we pushed on and were rewarded with a spectacular view.

After spending a few minutes on top enjoying the view and resting, we headed back down. Even Sage was tired as we neared the vehicle.

Hello blogging world!

2006-03-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

So I've decided to follow the lead of my good friend Brandon Lockwood and join the world of blogging. His family blog can be found here.

With all the new happenings that seem to be taking place and a new chapter of our lives about to start, I thought that this may be a good way to keep everyone up to date.

Stay tuned....