January 2009

I know this image is a little small, but if you have impeccable vision like I do, you can see that our independent local theater is having a Grease Sing-a-long tonight at 10:00 p.m.

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My home- My life said…
Are you going to work after you have your baby? I am not sure what you do now so maybe you should address that first please.

I am the Events Manager for one of the colleges at the University of South Carolina. It’s a really fun job that has really evolved since I’ve been in the position. I was actually the first person to hold this position in our office. I plan about 40 events per year. Because I have a Masters degree, I am qualified to teach at the college level. This semester, in addition to my event planning duties, I am also teaching a professional development seminar for our juniors and seniors. Last semester I taught the freshman seminar class.

I am planning to return to work.

Mrs. Cup said…
What is your favorite part about your job and what is your least favorite?

My favorite part is that I get to use my passion for event planning and organizing every day. I know that events are what I’m supposed to be doing and I love that I’m getting so much experience.

My least favorite part about the job is that it is pretty much the same thing every year; meaning that every January we have this event and every April we have that event. We’re pretty much in a steady rotation. Some creative freedom would be nice somedays. Also, because I work for the state, our event budgets are really small. I would love to see what I could do with a nice big budget!

What is your biggest passion in life?

I’m not going to get deep with this answer. My passion is creativity and the arts. This is broad, I know, but I am completely inspired by music, singing, hearing someone else sing with a beautiful voice, beautiful photography, gorgeous scenery, a well-planned event, musicals, and fine art.

Hollie said…
Will this be your parents’ first grandchild? Your husband’s parents?

Little boy Carroll will be the first grandchild on both sides. Todd doesn’t have any siblings, so until we have another baby there won’t be another baby on Todd’s side. My brother is a ways away from getting to that point, so this child could have siblings before he has a cousin.

Bama Belle in the Big City said…
I know you used to work at a law firm (which is where you met your husband)- what did you do there? And what do you do now?

I managed the conference and event space at the law firm. The best part about that job was the wonderful people (not even including Todd) that I met there. See above for what I do now.

When did you know your husband was the one?

Before we even went on our first date. There was just something there between us and his heart is so kind. I just knew. I know everyone always says that when you know, you know. We had so many wonderful conversations and really got to know each other before we ever went on a date, that I knew before we ever went on our first date.

GrannySmithGreen said…
Did you ever consider NOT finding out if it’s a boy or girl?

No. Not even a consideration. Haha. I plan events for a living and wanted to get started planning a nursery and monograms. My husband will confirm that I don’t like surprises. I beat them out of him, so we just never considered it. I really love the couples that can wait until that big moment to find out!

Mrs. Stilettos said…
What is the most important thing that your parents taught you/showed you growing up that you want to pass to your child?

To love the Lord, Jesus Christ first and above all. They taught me the importance of letting others see Jesus in you. Then to love your spouse second and never put your spouse down in front of the children. They also taught me the importance of loving my sibling like he was my best friend. Unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of that when I was younger and my brother and I argued a lot. But now, he is my favorite person to be around and I think he’s just an incredible man.

CLuthren said…
What are your three most treasured items? Other than Todd and the dogs what would you rush to save if your house was burning down?

I would save Le Mutt (my stuffed dog that my mom received at one of her baby showers when she was pregnant with me), our wedding album or CD, and the video that my mom made for my high school graduation. The video is about 4 hours long and has hours of video of my life and still pictures in a slide show. Really special.

Marden Family said…
I know you said you like to cook- what are your favorite cookbooks/websites to make recipes from?

I like The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel. Any Junior League cookbook is great. The two that I love are The Cotton Country by the Monroe, Louisiana Junior League and Down by the Water from the Columbia, SC Junior League.

The Shabby Princess said…
How is it working while being pregnant? Is your office/workplace supportive?

It has been fine other than when I’m sick. It’s really hard to get out of bed when you’re exhausted and throwing up and have to go put on a happy face and put together a great event. My responsibilities haven’t changed at all.

How do you think your furry kids will react to the new addition to the family?

I think they’ll be a little confused at first, but I think they’re going to love him. I plan to keep their lives pretty much the same and not shut them out of the baby stuff.

Tara Gibson said…
What do your parents and your husband’s parents want their grandchild to call them?

My mom will be K.K. and my dad will be Poppie. I don’t think Todd’s parents have decided yet.

What is the first thing you will go buy for your child if it’s a girl? Or a boy?

I haven’t bought anything yet for him, but I’m sure it will be something special.

Mrs. Jetplane said…
As someone who is still to scared to have kids… What does it feel like to be pregnant, I mean physically feel like? Do you feel different?

There is a lot of heart burn and nausea. That’s more obvious, though. I have some neck and back pain. We saw in the ultrasound that the placenta is pretty thick, so that’s why I’m not feeling him move, but his little movements feel like little bubbles. It isn’t too strange yet since he’s still so small.

Allison said…
If you had to be on a reality TV show, which would you choose? Survivor? American Idol? The Bachelor/Bachelorette (pretend you aren’t married…), So You Think You Can Dance?, Fear Factor, Real World?

I would totally be on American Idol. No question.

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I think Todd was a little surprised at Thanksgiving when my pregnant cousin informed him of the “push present.” I’m sure he was thinking, “I just married her. Now I have to give her a present for having a baby?” Of course he doesn’t have to, but I think it’s a wonderful tradition. Wink wink.

When we purchased my wedding ring that was fitted to my engagement ring, the jeweler had to make a mold. He told us he would hang on to the mold because he was sure that Todd would come back someday to get the ring for the other side. I said, “Oh! Five or ten year anniversary presents!” And the jeweler corrected me and said that he was implying that Todd should come back when our first child is born. Who knew that would come so soon?

And there’s always the option of taking a trip. My mom has offered to keep the baby for a week whenever Todd and I are ready to take a belated anniversary trip. A real babymoon is not an option for us because my work schedule is too hectic this Spring. Our anniversary is May 3 and I’ll be a month from my due date at that point. A beach vacation is out of the question. No one wants to see that! A city vacation is not a great idea because I know my legs and ankles will be enormous and walking around could become miserable.

So it looks like we’ll have to wait on a trip until the baby is a little bit older and we decide that we’re ready to leave him.

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Shorty said….
I’m curious about your baby name choices, too…. what are your faves?

Well now we know it will definitely be a boy name, but no hints yet. Please see this post.

Will you breastfeed?

I plan to try.

What do you think about babies sleeping (aka the family bed) with their parents and will you try this, or keep the baby in its own bed/bedroom?

We will have a nursery with a nice crib for baby boy Carroll. That’s where he will sleep. I don’t have any opinions on the “family bed” because it’s not something I’ve even considered.

Is there something that you absolutely can’t stand that one of your friends or family members is doing to you while you’re pregnant? I ask b/c I had a friend who ALWAYS rubbed my belly without asking when she would walk up to me. I absolutely despised it when she would do this, but she was the hypersensitive type so I just didn’t say anything…

I think the belly rubbing thing would really bother me, too. It hasn’t happened to me yet, but I definitely think I would have to say something if it happened. Todd is also prepared to say something. We would obviously do this in a passive aggressive jokey kind of way.

I’ve also been annoyed with unsolicited advice. It’s different if someone is my good friend because I really want to know what they think or how they did something, but when a coworker just tells me that something won’t work that I’m planning to do I get really irritated. I also get tired of hearing every single birth story. “Well it happened to so and so this way…” and “so and so was only in labor for an hour…” I have my mom and cousins for those kinds of stories.

EJ & Roo said…
What’s your favorite Carolina beach?

The only Carolina beach I’ve ever visited is Pawley’s Island and I liked it fine. I’m used to the Gulf beaches, though, so I’m really partial to Perdido Key, Florida and Gulf Shores, Alabama. That’s where I plan to take all of my beach trips because that’s where we went every summer as kids.

Following Him said…

What are you craving/hating during pregnancy? Any names yet?

No name hints yet. I am craving chocolate ice cream, cheeseburgers, chips and salsa, and Za’s pizza. The things I liked when I wasn’t pregnant.

Mrs. Newlywed said…
If you could go on a date with any superhero who would it be and why? (pretend Todd doesn’t care)

I’d for sure choose Batman. He doesn’t have super powers. He’s all man!

If you had to pick between having pink hair or permanently purple lips, which would you choose?

I’d go for the purple lips. I am kind of obsessed with hair, but think I could find a nice lipstick to camouflage the purple lips.

GIRL FROM THE LAND of 10KL said…
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would you live?

I think I’d hop around some. I love to move, so I’d really enjoy moving everything around. Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C.

Lori said…
What is your favorite thing about being married? And a not so favorite thing?

I love having my best friend at home with me all the time. I love that we don’t have to make plans and that we can just do whatever we want to. I love talking about the future and daydreaming about what we might want to do and then quickly changing our minds and taking it down another road. Having him around all the time is definitely the best part. And it’s great even when we’re not saying anything at all.

My not-so-favorite thing would just have to be our habits. I’m a “do it now” kind of person because I can’t stand clutter or mess and Todd’s fine to leave it alone for a day or so until he can “get around to it.”

From California to Portland said…
Did you have a feeling you were pregnant before you actually found out?

Kind of. I felt really strange and tired. I thought I was just in a funk because we’d just gotten back from a great trip visiting my parents. Then I realized that I was late and that it could be more than just being tired. So I left work and rushed to CVS and my suspicions were confirmed.

What’s your favorite season and holiday?

I love fall because I love fall clothes. And Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. Spring is fun, too, but it doesn’t last long in South Carolina. The hot humid days are here by the beginning of May.

How did you tell your husband you were pregnant?

I called him at work and asked him to please come home because I wasn’t feeling well. He hesitated for a while and I had to convince him without telling him over the phone. I paced for ten minutes until he got there and I told him as soon as he opened the door. He was really excited.

If you could travel anywhere in the world (money’s no object) where would you go?

I would take a Mediterranean cruise and then visit the Greek Isles. I’d try to spend at least a month over there seeing and exploring everything. I’d love to go into antique shops and find treasures and furniture and then find a way to get them home.

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