can't help but share

when i picked bella up from suite paws (for the wedding), i also picked up this super cute bandana. it's pink (so she won't be mistaken for a boy!) with hearts and skulls (for the pirate in her!) & so cute. isn't she pretty?!

my parents just e-mailed me photos from our christmas card photo shoot from thanksgiving weekend (my batteries are dead, so i have yet to pull the ones off my camera). i'm not sure which one will win, since i haven't seen them all, but here are a few that i think are particularly cute (of bella..). :)

getting set up...she really only poses if no one is in the picture with her.
her grandma (my mom) bought her the harlequin collar at ps. :)

Really, Mom? Another picture? I just want to play!

I love when she smiles. :)
This one might be the winner...

I have decided, however, that I won't be making my cards this year. My parents are coming this weekend (Sat-Sun), I'm in Raleigh/Greenville the following weekend (Thurs-Sun), and then it's Christmas. Poof! Just like that! The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas just seems to get shorter and shorter every year!

YAY PIRATES!
YAY PIRATES!
YAY PIRATES!

Back-to-back Conference Champs!

Skip & the boys are heading back to Memphis & the Liberty Bowl
to take on Arkansas, January 2 @ 5:30 on ESPN.

GO PIRATES!
GO PIRATES!
GO PIRATES!

100

this is my 100th post. yay.

some may think i'm wasting it, but i got this e-mail yesterday on the ncplan list serv and it made me smile. because someday, if i stay in the public sector, i may want to hold this position or something like it:

Regional Planner needed to assist with implementation of the Military Growth Task Force (MGTF) Regional Growth Management Plan in eastern North Carolina. See www.nceastmgtf.org. This is a 2-year grant funded position with further employment potential. Reports to the MGTF Executive Director and is located at the Eastern Carolina Council offices in New Bern, NC.
Regional Planner will perform advanced planning work and provide coordinated guidance in the principles and practices of regional planning, land use planning, and community development. Skill in the collection, analysis, and presentation of technical data. Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing. Proficiency with ESRI ArcGIS software. Ability to build positive working relationships with local governments and key stakeholders. Ability to organize and coordinate public participation.
Requires graduation from a college or university with a degree in a related field and considerable planning experience in public sector planning, AICP preferred. Salary negotiable up to $110,000.

(ECC is a quasi-governmental planning organization serving Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Onslow, Pamlico and Wayne Counties.)

I particularly like that negotiable salary. ;) happy 100th post to me. :D

one more to go

this is my 99th post! next stop, 100. wow.

thanksgiving has come and gone (and boy, was it tasty!). soon, christmas will be here and after that, a new year! aside from the summertime (my birthday, the college world series), this is my favorite time of year. there's just something about a brisk chill and being able to see your breath with the glimmer of hope that snow will come east of the appalachias to brighten one's spirit.

and even though it's december & i haven't watched an ounce of basketball, i'm already looking forward to february and the start of baseball. i'm contemplating getting season tickets for the uncc games. season tickets are $49 total. that's ~35 home games. i think it's a good deal..plus it's tickets for the uncc/clemson and uncc/unc match-ups. could be good. ecu comes this way only twice, and only to high point and elon. i will be asking to leave work early for those. but before i jump the gun completely, i just wanted to say, you better bring out your megaphones and root for the pirates this saturday as they take on houston(?) in the conference usa championship game, 12pm, in greenville. woo hoo! gooooo pirates!

ECU Snuggie

i kinda always wanted a snuggie and knowing that ^THIS^ is out there!?!
it may have to be a christmas wish list item! :)

review & preview

i stayed in friday night. i really wanted to get a lot done saturday/sunday so i snuggled up with my blanket & watched tv. my favorite friday night show (besides "numb3rs") is "say yes to the dress." i'm not sure why since a wedding is in no way eminent but the dresses are gorgeous & watching the families is interesting, to say the least. (oh, and i took a late lunch friday and wound up with an impromptu date..he had the day off so he met me downtown at ellie's.)

saturday, i woke up around 9. i didn't want to sleep too late because i had a lunch date. so, i got up and took bella out and made pancakes (my first time ever!! they were okay..). i had just gotten out of the shower & the guy had texted me to tell me he had to bail. his dad had fallen so he had to go. i understood..he's lucky to be so close (he's in concord/harrisburg & his parents are in salisbury/rockwell). but, now that i think about it..i'm a little..unnerved. why couldn't he call? dating & today's technologies can be annoying sometimes. because he & i don't know each other well enough to be texting to bail. he will remain a "he" until further notice.. ;)

so, instead of going to lunch saturday..i decided i'd watch some football before the REAL game (ECU v. Alabama-Birmingham of course!). so, i spent the afternoon watching football. i actually haven't done that in awhile. and, since they don't talk about ECU that often during the sports reports, the Pirates beat the Blazers 37-21! Whoopie!).

sunday was REALLY productive. i woke up about noon, made breakfast (poached eggs & bacon), watched friday's "numb3rs" and then went to work. bella was being good, so i let her hang out (usually i put her in her crate so she doesn't get in the way). i finally unpacked from 2 weeks ago, fixed my closet, put away all my clean clothes, put fresh sheets on and remade my bed, redid the spare closet (again) because i was moving my white chest of drawers back in, packed up the last of my warm-weather clothes to take back to raleigh on thursday & vacuumed. whew! i didn't quit until 9. before i went to bed, i cleaned up the kitchen and got organized for work this morning. i didn't wind up crawling in bed until about 12:30 but somehow, i didn't have much difficulty getting up for work this morning (and was up on time!). must've been the fresh sheets & the clean room/house! yay for a 33% productive weekend!

3 days of work and then home for thanksgiving. bella and i are gonna drive up thursday morning. paige & paul are coming (they'll go to the various stops for his family the rest of the weekend). i hope they bring pictures from their honeymoon in aruba!! mom & i are going to prime my old room in order to repaint over christmas. i'm excited. it's something i've wanted to do for a few years but was always working at zg instead. oh the joy of not working retail! maybe b and i will take another round of christmas photos this year?!

hope everyone has a great week & a wonderful thanksgiving. we have so much to be thankful for!