Hooper in the House

Derrick, Glen and Chris at the closing table , then it's" welcome home" for the first time!

As Chris would say, "Word!!!!"

Our very own C. Hooper is an official homeowner! He closed on 1284 St. Andrews Drive today. Yay!!

The house is very nice...it has a large great room with big windows, a bright kitchen with a bay window and lots of cabinets, and a spacious master bath.

Congrats to him, and a big shout-out to Derrick Cozart at SunTrust Mortgage and to Glen, Heather, Sharon and Sheila at Gateway Title. You rock!

Tag-O-Rama

I've been tagged!

My bestest Megan has tagged me with the following questions:

"What were you doing 10 years ago?"
10 years ago I was a junior at ye olde Ooltewah High School, trying my hardest to make it through Ms. Pease's Algebra II class, wishing I could just graduate already, and having a wonderful time with my friends in Leadership and American Studies. My car? A 1988 brown Cutlass Ciera affectionately known as "Polly the Party Barge." Seriously? You could fit, like, 18 people in the car. (Ahem, not that I EVER did that.) I was Junior Class Secretary (nerd!) and had long, brownish-blonde hair. No, I'm not kidding.

"5 (or 15) things on my to do list today":
- Go to office to fax forms, make phone calls for a closing today
- Yell at listing agent for being dumb
- Feed Dawson
- Fax more forms and go to lunch with Michelle
- Yell some more on the phone
- Feed Dawson again
- Go to closing and want to yell but internalize for sake of other people
- Feed Dawson
- Close.
- Yell in car to self about listing agent being dumb
- Give Dawson paci instead of feeding.
- Go to pick up keys instead of dumb agent bringing them to me
- Wait.
-Wait some more.
- Get keys.
- Yay. Day is over. Must feed Dawson. Again.

What I would do if I was a billionaire (in no particular order):
- Save enough for all of Dawson's college, car and all the food he could ever want to eat
- Buy my parents a condo in Maui and my dad a new orange Bug
- Pay for Brandon's college and a brand new car
- Buy Jason out of his Army contract, buy he and Krystal a new house, cars and Zoey's college
- Buy David a vintage Mustang and a boat
- Pay off debts of all immediate family members and my bestest
- Pay Brooke and Bailey's hospital bills
- Buy Papaw's house
- Buy my Grandpa a new truck
- Pay off our houses
- Buy a condo in Maui next to my parents
- Give to our church and March of Dimes, St. Judes and Alzheimer's Research

Bad habits:
- Worrying.
- Internalizing.
- Eating chocolate at 11 at night

Places I have lived:
- Ooltewah, Tennessee
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- Maui, Hawaii (Heh. Kidding.)

Jobs I have had:
- Babysitter extraordinaire starting at age 12
- Nursery worker at the Fit Zone
- Receptionist for Young Electric/dog watcher/house cleaner
- Nursery worker at the YMCA
- Sales person at The Home Place (discount!)
- Interior Decorator assistant (gopher)
- News intern (unpaid. Yeah, I know.)
- Assistant Manager at Phase II (perky!)
- Yearbook staff writer at MTSU (joke)
- News intern again (unpaid. You'd think I'd learn.)
- Associate news producer at Fox (see previous comment.)
- Rental Queen/Executive Assistant to the Prince O' Real Estate (see slave)
- Realtor
- Mommy (my favorite)

I tag:
Judy
Rosie
Amanda

Before and After

After
Before

Before, we would go to my Papaw's house to swim all day long. After, the pool is being emptied and cleaned to tempt would-be home buyers.

Before, we would open Christmas gifts in the huge, mauve-carpeted living room, laughing and talking so loud that you couldn't hear "Santa" calling out the next person to received their gift. After, the living room looks completely different, modernized and bright.

Before, I would have never dreamed that I would be helping host an open house there. After, being there is made easier because it looks so different.

My dad has worked extremely hard to make my Papaw's house newer and ready-to-sell. We had two "lookers" at the open house this rainy weekend, which is better than no one! If you know of anyone wanting a huge ranch-style home on 2.4 acres with an in-ground pool and a creek, let me know!

Picture Perfect

So, I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder (as is perfection), but how can you resist this face??

Dawson had his first photo shoot yesterday in Nashville. We went to Krista Lee Photography, and let me just say, this girl is AWESOME. Her studio is located in an old brick machinery building downtown and it features huge windows, exposed brick and original hardwood. What's more is that Krista is a very sweet person and hugely talented. She did the Nashville Predator's calendar, and has also shot CD covers for various country artists. Needless to say, we love her! Check out her galleries at www.kristaleephotography.com.

We'll post more pictures as we get them!

This is How I Roll

I am so proud of my little munchkin! He rolled over for the first time on Tuesday afternoon, thrilling me and his grandparents to pieces. In all of my shrieking and hand-clapping and new-mommy-excitedness, I proceeded to terrify him, but hey! The development of new motor skills is thrilling, yes?

What's hilarious is that I was actually trying to snap a picture of him holding his head up, and just as I hit the button on the camera, he decided to roll over! So I've got an action shot! The first of many, I am sure.

I Love a Man in Uniform, Part 2

On Tuesday, my brother Jason was honored at MTSU's ROTC awards ceremony. He has been on the Dean's list every semester, and has excelled at everything the Army and MTSU has put in front of him. I am so proud of him. He'll be commissioned next Friday, so be prepared for more bragging. It may sound silly, but I even cried at the video they showed during the ceremony of the training exercises that his group went through. When you think that they're doing that so that they can defend us and take care of us and have to tolerate being away from their own families, it's overwhelming and humbling at the same time. Not everyone can be a soldier (I couldn't), and I'm convinced now, more than ever, that it takes a very special person to fill those boots. My brother is one of them.

It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn

My Uncle Jeff and Brooke

There are two families going through some dark times right now that I know would appreciate your prayers.

My little cousin Brooke is fighting to live. Your prayers for her and my aunt and uncle would be appreciated. Below is an e-mail sent from one my aunt's friend at their church.

"Brooke is very, very sick. (She is 5 months old, but only weighs 7 pounds.) She is working way too hard to breathe. She doesn't pull in enough oxygen, and she can't push out the carbon dioxide. This makes the gases in her blood dangerously out-of-balance. (This can cause her to go into cardiac arrest at any moment.) Surgery has been scheduled for next week to put in a tracheotomy and a permanent feeding tube (unless she makes major improvements). She also has severe high blood pressure in her lungs. The blood vessels are not delivering enough blood to her lungs. Her heart is working twice as hard as it should be. Since it is a muscle, this is causing her heart to harden. This too is dangerous for her heart and could cause it to stop at any moment. Leatha called me this morning specifically asking us to pray."

Second, our very own Chris and his brother, Rob, are at Centennial Hospital waiting to speak to doctors about their father Harris' newly diagnosed brain tumor. Mr. Hooper had what seemed to be a mini-stroke last night when he lost the ability to use his arm. After testing and scans this morning, a brain tumor was discovered. Mr. Hooper is close to both of his sons, and I know that he and his wife and children would appreciate your prayers.

Open House with Dawson Fletcher, Bob Parks Realty

"Wake me up if someone comes in."

"Would you like a brochure? I'll be happy to answer any questions that you have."

On Sunday, we had two open houses to do, so David did one, and Dawson and I did the other. Here is the property....910 Thames Ct. in Regenwood. It's newly decorated! On a cul-de-sac lot! The lowest-priced home for the square footage in the neighborhood! Don't you want to buy it? Our newest little agent will be happy to draw up a contract for you. He's quite the negotiator. Except for when he gets sleepy...

Ballistic for Bananas

That's right, our little monkey loves him some bananas!!

He tried them for the first time on Saturday evening and couldn't get enough. He would start getting mad if he thought there wasn't another spoonful waiting in the wings (Eaves gene!), and had big, sloppy banana smiles for the camera.

Next stop, filet mignon!

(P.S. - Banana diapers? STINK.)

"C" is for Crab...

...and for "cute!!!!" How adorable is our little urchin?!
Dawson Fletcher a.k.a Gomer Pyle

Also, a big shout-out to Uncle Brandon, who scored the only 2 goals for Baylor in the victory over McCallie last night! Despite being knocked-out in head-on collision! Way to go, Uncle B!

The Ladies' Man

Sharing some chips n' salsa with Aunt Heather at La Siesta...
Chillin' with Aunt Michelle and Mrs. Audra at Demos'....

For some strange reason, I thought that having a baby and "staying at home" would somehow make life slow down a little. Heh. Yeah, right.

It's amazing that I am just as busy now as I was when I worked (i.e. The Vicious Landlady, Assitant of the Century, etc.), only it's with different things. Now, there's always somewhere to go, someone to visit, something to clean, wash, organize, change, prepare, clean again, make, do, plan, decorate, finish, think about finishing, clean some more...and what's more...the real estate market is picking up, so I'm also getting lots of business! How to juggle everything is a learning experience.

What I always make time for? Lunch with the ladies. Dawson has gotten his fill of girl talk and constant adoration over the past few weeks when we ventured out for lunch dates with some of my closest gal pals.

I am very thankful for them...they keep me grounded, give me great advice and, most importantly, make me laugh.

Bring-Your-Baby-To-Work Day

Dawson got his first taste of what it's like to be an executive today! It was gorgeous outside, so I packed up Little Man, picked up some Chik-Fil-A and drove to David's office off of Harding Place in Nashville. We ate lunch together and played with Dawson between phone calls, e-mails and damage control. We also took a little time to snap some pictures of our snugglebug's first trip to Dynamic Marketing Solutions / Gemini Production Group. He'll be negotiating sales before you know it! (And yes, that is David changing his diaper on the leather couch in the lobby. No, you're not hallucinating).

A Salad By Any Other Name....

When my mom was here over the weekend, we decided to grab some lunchy at Moe's while we were out picking up last-minute items for the shower. I was first in line to place my order and told the girl behind the counter that I wanted the "Close Talker", i.e., the regular salad.

First of all, let me be clear: I am not a job snob. I've earned money changing the diapers of other people's children, cleaning a house and selling second-hand clothing to people who smell funny. So it's not that I fault the girl for dishing out rice and beans behind a sneeze-guard. I do fault her, however, for NOT HAVING A CLUE how to do it. I mean, really? How hard can it be to put a little list in front of you that says what comes on the salad? When a customer has to tell you what to put in the bowl, there is a problem, people!

And lest you think I'm overreacting, here's the beginning of our conversation:

Me: "Um, yes, I'd like the Close Talker, please."

Girl: "Ok...uh...the Close Talker...ok....the salad. You want lettuce?"

I'll let you guess how the rest of the conversation went.

Showerama

Saturday was a beautiful day for Krystal's baby shower! We celebrated Baby Zoey's impending arrival with a ladybug-themed extravaganza complete with too-cute cupcakes, balloons, gifts, and yes, pickles for the mommy-to-be. Krystal and Jason received lots of thoughtful gifts and I think everyone had a good time (Judy, we missed you!). Thanks to my mom for being the Co-Hostess With the Mostest and to my hubby for the last minute sweeping, candle-lighting and balloon-blowing. Only two months left and we get to meet Zoey!

More Prayers, Please

I wish I had better news on this rainy Friday, but it seems as though God's going to challenge everyone a little more when it comes to Brooke.

She has been re-admitted to NICU at Erlanger in Chattanooga. Upon admittance, her heart rate and oxygen saturation were both in the 40s (normal for heart is 120-150; oxygen should be at 100%). Her PKU levels (carbon-dioxide) were double what they should be. The doctor said that if an adult were to have that much CO2 in their body, they'd be unconcious. Brooke has dealt with it so much that she's just used to it.

My aunt Leatha has barely slept for 3 days, and I know it's taxing on my uncle and the boys as well.

Please pray that Brooke will continue to respond well to sedation and to oxygen. Pray that her little body will continue to fight and be healed. Pray for strength and wisdom for my aunt and uncle, and for understanding for those who are helping take care of them.

I believe God challenges us every day. Some are small, some are bigger than we feel we could ever cope with. But He is with us every step of the way, and challenges us so that we can become even more faithful and more dependent on Him. Brooke is a big challenge in a tiny package.

Dawson is Three Months Old!

Happy Birthday to our little man! Time has absolutely flown by. I feel like we just brought him home from the hospital, and yet he's laughing, cooing, holding his head up and trying to scoot around. He also LOVES to watch the ceiling fans in our great room with his daddy. Dawson smiles all the time and is truly a ray of sunshine. Having him is like Christmas morning every day!

Hail To the Chief!

You're looking at the future President! That's right...my baby brother, Brandon, has been elected the Junior Class President at Baylor School in Chattanooga. He had to write an essay and outline goals and a vision, and then all of the members of his class voted...and he won!! He is quite the little socialite as well as being extremely smart and athletic, so how great is it that he can add "leadership" to his well-stocked resume? He's pictured here, hobnobbing with future constituents. I'm so proud of him!

Buca de Best-O

Does happiness = chicken cannelloni? At Buca de Beppo, it sure does! Our family, Web, Megan and Vance, Julie, Rob, Chris and Meagan all headed down to Cool Springs tonight enjoy some good friendship and some great food.

David and I had never eaten there before, and we were not disappointed. The servings are huge, the food is awesome and the atmosphere is unlike anything we had experienced before. You expect Tony Soprano to round the corner any minute and say "Aaay...you lika da lasagna? You waid 'til you trya da canoli. My cousin Vinny makesa da best." Megan, our resident Italian, informed us that "buca de beppo" means "grandmother's basement," and that's exactly where you feel you are. Low ceilings, exposed lighting, dark colors and tons of cluttered photographs and art make it very homey.

Dawson didn't get to eat any spaghetti, but he inhaled his bottle like no tomorrow. Vance enjoyed his hot dog, peaches and Kix. Both boys were a big hit with all the ladies and the waiters (big surprise, I know. When you're that cute, who can resist?).

Tonight was a great reminder of how fortunate we are to have such good friends, and also a reminder that if you're going to eat your weight in pasta, there's no better group to do it with.

Worker's Comp

It's hard work being a baby. You have to eat all the time...and cry....and grow...and rely on less-than-perfect parents to take care of you. Which leads us to the fact that were he able, I'm sure Dawson would file worker's comp for the injury he sustained today due to his mother's lack of attention as she went to pick him up, and somehow scraped his nose with her wedding ring. Don't ask me how it happened, I don't know. All I do know is that he cried, and then I proceeded to cry while he looked at me like "What? What's wrong with you? I'M the kid with the scraped nose!"

Proof positive that no one is perfect, even mommies.

Ars Gratis Artis

Because I'm a nerd, I know that this is Latin for "Art for the sake of art." (It's also the phrase imprinted on the gold circle around the MGM growling lion that's shown at the beginning of all of their movies...betcha didn't know that, didya? Did I mention I'm a nerd?)

ANYWAY, I'm sharing with you today art for the sake of....CUTENESS!!! These are pictures of Dawson's nursery, which was lovingly designed by my dad (art teacher) and mom (preschool minister), and painted by every member of my immediate family.

See the painting that says "Dawson"? That was designed and painted by arteest extraordinaire, Kim Wheeler, who lives right here in Murfreesboro! She has actually put pictures of it on her website and her blog, too. We're famous! You should visit her site at http://www.shopsmallwords.com/. She designs and paints adorable customized art for kids and grown-ups alike! Check it out!