Ahh...the weekend!

This past weekend I ran my 3rd 5K of the year. Will & I ran the 3rd annual Dawg Trot at UGA which benefited the alumni association. This was, BY FAR, the hardest 5K I've done, yet. I see why they chose the course -- it started at the Coliseum, went past the football field, through campus, and then ended right past the baseball field. Obviously they are trying to take runners past these "landmarks" on campus to gain alumni support. I get it! But seriously -- the hills were a killer! We had to walk in two spots of the course but still finished just a few minutes past my best time. I just knew we would finish somewhere in the "40s" so I was happy with our time. There were some serious champs running it, though! Before we even got to mile marker 1, there were some guys SPRINTING around the first loop and up the first hill (which was about half a mile ahead of us). They were ridiculous!

That same night we went to Gainesville to meet Anna and Emily Buffington to eat for Danielle's 26th birthday. Of course we went to El Sombrero -- Danielle's absolute favorite place! We were there for almost TWO HOURS! I was in Phi Mu with Anna & Danielle & we were inseparable at North Georgia. Now that I live in Athens & they both work full-time, I don't get to see them as much as I'd like. I see Danielle occasionally for an El Som dinner date when I'm in Gainesville, but Anna lives and works in Kennesaw so I don't get to see her very often at all. It was so good to see them both & catch up!

The cat is mighty dignified until the dog comes by...

Little Miss Bella is fitting into our family so perfectly...

She's getting more comfortable with the dogs, being more social, & isn't nocturnal anymore!

Who Do You Think You Are?

So this new show on NBC, Who Do You Think You Are?, has really gotten Will & me into researching our family history. The show partnered with Ancestry.com and each week takes different celebrities through their family history and tracks their genealogy all over the world. The first episode looked at Sarah Jessica Parker's family. One of her ancestors was traced back to the 1849 gold rush in California. Another ancestor of hers (I think her 10th great-grandmother) was traced all the way back to the Salem witch trials! Fascinating! Tonight's episode traces Lisa Kudrow's family back to the Holocaust.

So like I said, it has really fueled a curiosity in where we came from so I registered for a month on Ancestry.com. After gathering all the known family history from our parents & grandparents, so far we have traced our families back to England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Wales, and France. We have found ancestors who fought in the American Revolution, Civil War, both World Wars, the French & Indian War, the Irish War of Independence, and even different religious battles. We have also found ancestors who were Captains, Judges, Farmers, and Ministers. The website even allows you to connect with other people who are searching for your ancestors, many of which, post pictures and stories! This is just a small portion of what I have found so far...

This is my mother's paternal grandfather. I had never seen this picture before, but when I checked with my grandmother, she said that was definitely my grandfather's father, Carl Alvin Cosper.

This is the headstone of Mary & John Roquemore. The name Roquemore comes from my dad's maternal great-grandmother, Mary Jane Roquemore. My grandmother always told him that the Roquemore's were French Huguenots. Sure enough, I traced them all the way back to France and found several stories & pictures on the Roquemores. Mary & John Roquemore are my fourth great-grandparents and as pictured, were born in the 1700s!

This is a picture of Jesse Washington Souther, Will's third great-grandfather, at his home with his brothers (I think). The Southers come from Will's maternal grandmother's family line. Jesse Washington Souther was a farmer and brought all of his produce from the mountains down to Gainesville in a covered wagon to sell.

Like I said, this is just a TINY bit of everything I've found and I'm sure there is so much more for us to uncover...

Meet Bella...

This weekend, we welcomed a new member into our little zoo.

Mary Susan came to the decision that she could no longer keep her beautiful, little, white kitty anymore. She didn't have the time to take care of her & was getting tired of all her shedding. Will & I immediately fell in love with her about a year ago when we met her for the 1st time at Mary's apartment. Mary had adopted her from the Lumpkin County Humane Society (same place Missy & Tini came from) last January. She was a one-year old kitty & the SWEETEST little thing on this earth! So loving, so social, so sweet, & a definite lap kitty! We, of course, said yes! So on Sunday, we made the long trek home from Gainesville with Missy & Tini in the back seat & Bella in a box in my lap in the front. =)

Poor little Bells didn't quite know what to do with two new doggies curiously following her around. Especially with Tini stalking her every move. For about the 1st two hours or so, Bella just hid on our bookshelf.

She eventually came around, though, & before the end of the night I had all three of my girls snuggling on the couch together! =)

Tini is OBSESSED with little Bella!

She already loves her and started licking her little ears!

Being in a new place she was being very curious. For some reason we just couldn't keep her out of the fire place! Before we could stop her, she came out with a black face & paws!

She definitely hasn't fully adjusted to her new home, yet. She didn't sleep most of the night & has been crying a lot. She cried a lot throughout the night, tried to knock my cup of water off the bedside table -- twice, & then started crying again this morning at 6:30. She's used to waking up with Mary around that time to eat her breakfast, but when we tried to feed her she wouldn't eat. So my other two girls & I just woke up SUPER early this morning to try to make Bella comfortable.

I think she was just lonely & wanted to play...yes, at about 7:00 this morning! This is Bella's little house that Mary's mom gave her. She LOVES her house!

Tini doesn't quite understand what that thing is hanging from the ceiling. She's scared of Bella's house!

She sure does love her new little kitty friend, though. More than anything, she just wants Bella to chase her & play with her. I'm sure they'll be running around together pretty soon...

So around 9:00, I went back to bed with my two dogs (seriously I'm not used to waking up so early...& I'm embarrassed to say I've taken three naps today) She cried a couple of times, but I finally heard her eating -- finally! And for the rest of the day she has slept under our guest bed. I mean she has been sleeping HARD! Poor little thing must not have slept at all last night (& neither did I!)

"Marriage...is what brings us together today"

Saturday night Will & I went with Erin & Daniel to Natalie Lester's wedding at Chateau Elan. Erin & I were in Phi Mu with Natalie at North Georgia. It was such a beautiful day, a beautiful wedding, & good to see some of my old friends from college!

Before dinner with Mary & Erin

The Williams

The Caldwells

With my sister!

With Molly -- one of my absolute favs from Phi Mu!

Guilty pleasure

Really wish I wouldn't have come across this:

http://www.jessicasimpsoncollection.com/

Randomly came across the website for the Jessica Simpson Collection (aka - my obsession!) She now not only has shoes, jackets, & purses but luggage, too...

I'm going to have to practice some SERIOUS restraint!

On this snowy day...

I can't get the girls out of their new beds!

In the mornings, the first thing I do when I get up is get on the computer for about 20 minutes. The girls usually either sit on the bed in the office with me or go & cry by the door to go outside. This morning, when I finished on the computer, I went into the living room to look for them & couldn't find them anywhere. (I am almost always FORCED off the computer in the mornings by their whining to either let them out or feed them their breakfast!) So anyway, I went back into our bedroom to look & there they were...both all snuggled up in their cages!

Of course with it snowing they aren't too thrilled about having to go outside for anything! Especially Missy...

As much as Missy loves to be outside & sun bathe she WILL NOT go out in the rain or cold. She's such a baby about getting her paws wet. She won't go off the patio to use the bathroom in the rain & when it's cold she convulses until I let her back in. Big baby!

So anyway, last night Will & I went to the pet store to get the girls new beds. They have desperately needed new ones considering Missy was sleeping on old blankets cause she ruined her cage mattress & Tini was using Missy's old bed from when we first got her back in 2006. We found these adorable little beds (that even match our bedding) for 50% off PLUS they were buy one get one free! So we bought one bed for half off & got the other one free -- MAJOR deal! Last night when we got home, they both got baths before going to bed in their brand new beds. Haven't been able to get them out of their cages since...