(the rest of) 2010 in pictures

We went to the zoo and decided to never have children. At least none of the 20,000 who where there that day.

We went to a Phillies game.

The girls amused ourselves with ice cream.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Jeremy graduated from Georgia Tech in May.

Next stop, Montgomery. The twins love Minnie and PawPaw.

A little fishin' fun with Uncle Corey.

College friends

Laura got married and had a georgeous Southern summer wedding!

Corey swinging me around the dance floor.

The newlyweds, Laura and Charlie Holt.

A mini vacation to Amish country in July. We stayed at a farmhouse dating back to the 1700s. It also had an amazing clawfoot whirlpool tub that I plan to have in my next bathroom, if I win the lottery.

4th of July in front of Independence Hall. This is where it all began, folks!

Beautiful Lake George in September.

We rented a boat and spent all day on the lake. We now want a boat.

I drove about 30 seconds for the photo opp. I had much more fun as a passenger.

In a little gazebo at a house near Fort Ticonderoga in New York. Presidents used to stay at this house or something. At least that is what the plaque said.

The entrance to a beautiful garden on the grounds of Fort Ticonderoga. The picture does not capture how magical this place was.

A canon at Fort Ticonderoga, looking out on Lake Champlain.

NYC with the sibblings in October.

One year of marriage on October 24th. I don't look very happy about it, but I am!

Camping with Ben and Toni in October. This is a pic of the boys, Corey, Ben and Berlin.

I made Ben stop the car. I felt like "that person" but it was too beautiful to pass up.

Toni and I by the non-existant fire.

We went off-trail to find this spot, but it was beautiful. All we had to do was climb on my hands and knees up a mountain. No big deal.

A dinner in December.

The table is set...

Daddy does the honors on his first trip to our new home!

Kinda an akward picture, but I like it.

CALIFORNIA in December-- WHO WILL MOVE THERE WITH ME?

The Pacific, it was beautiful. The guy who took this picture was throwing a ball way out in the ocean and his dog, who was a retired rescure dog, was amazing and finding the ball every time. Just a day in the life of a CA resident. "Hey, I'm going to run down the street and play fetch with the dog...in the Pacific ocean."

The first mission in San Deigo, where JJ and Jess got married.

At the reception with our buddies for the weekend, Brandon and Brittney.

Decorating the tree with Amanda and Ray on Christmas Eve!

Dudly, Jeremy and Ami's dog.

I got to see my best friends after Christmas, Lindsey, Laura and Jenah. Lindsey and Jenah both had new baby boys for me to meet. All of the kids were adorable. I also got to see Laura, but don't have a picture. I do wish I had a picture of her and Charlie playing a Wii dance game, it was hilarious!

2010 family beach trip.

Lily and I rode the carosuel in Panama City.

Goodbye 2010, it was a great year!

I'll leave you with a little video from Lake George.

A New Year

Hi my name is Jackie and I have a neglected blog.

But, not to worry! A new year is here and I am henceforth committed to updating this baby regularly. And I mean like once a week. Really.

And to start....a view from the Loewe's Hotel where our National Sales Conference was held. I never thought I would find myself prancing around a high rise building of a big city in a business suit and actually belong there. I guess there are occasional perks to the most annoying of jobs.

Goodnight all, and come back soon. Up next, a pictorial tour of the last 9 months of my blog hiatus!

Gardening brings life to Philadelphia row home

Plants don't really like me that much. Before Corey left for a few weeks in March, he said his little goodbyes to our current house plants, knowing that it may be the last time he saw them alive and healthy.

But when spring burst into Philadelphia in early April, I had the itch to really conquer my feeling of gardening inadequacy. With the masterful (and hilarious) help of Lindsay Reilly, I actually planted a plant. Did have have to ask her a million questions? Yes. Could my gardening instincts be any less natural? Probably not. But at the end of the day I had beautiful window boxes, herbs, vegetables and flowers and a good many laughs under my sleeve. Good weather, good friends, a little dirt, a pitcher of pink lemonade -- a perfect gardening day.

The Process










The Result

Snowy Day

It's the second biggest snowfall in Philly history, during the second snowiest winter in Philly history. And it took something this big to slow me down? That says a lot about our lives recently. We have been running at break neck speed. It's a wonder our necks did not actually break. Between closing on our house, moving, working, starting new jobs, traveling, keeping up a social life, and trying to be the perfect twenty-something...we got lost in the shuffle.

If I wasn't filling my time with something, I was behind. So rush to Target, you know, you can't have an empty living room even during your first week in a house. And, I need to cook. I haven't cooked anything new in so long; does that make me a bad person? Wait, I've got to print our wedding picture and can't forget that I need to make that vision and dental appointment. Uh oh, my nails look horrible and I don't have anything new to wear to work but what about those friends I haven't called in weeks?

And then it snowed.

And it kept snowing.

And I couldn't go anywhere.

And I had the best day I've had in a while.

You know you are on the wrong course when it takes a snow drift blocking you doorway to keep from rushing out of it. So yesterday I slowed down. I disengaged from turbo mode and just took my time. I did a little cooking, and a little reading. I took a long shower and shaved my legs like a woman who has some time on her hands. Not like usual where my main concern is that I won't look like a cave woman in a work skirt. I recharged my battery an vowed to slow down in the future. Ahhh, deep breath.

I loaded some pictures from our attempt to dig out today. I would like to make a formal apology to Southern car. She doesn't deserve this, but is handling the situation well.

Enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's me again from my kitchen table. This time it's Thanksgiving Day, our first Thanksgiving together, ever. It is also the first time, ever, that I have not been with my family on this day. Thanksgiving is my mom's favorite holiday and although we didn't do exactly the same thing every year, it was always filled with happiness. One of my favorite Thanksgiving memories is how for probably about 5 years running, we would all congregate from wherever we happened to be at a Mexican Restaurant on the night before Thanksgiving. Each year was a little different because we were coming home from different places, bringing significant others, then wives, then babies. But each time there was a reunion, there was laughter and there was most certainly cheese dip. Nothing brought our family together like a 3 dollar burrito.

I remember Thanksgivings in Oklahoma, Thanksgivings when we worked outside, Thanksgivings when we painted the kitchen, when we picked up pecans, when we went on a cruise and ones where we just sat around the fire enjoying eachother's company. Although every year brought some new change, I came away with the same memory of the way I felt.

And I just realized today what made that feeling possible. My mom knew how to celebrate and make every holiday a party no matter what we were doing. You see, I'm not with my family, I'm in a small apartment and I even have to go to work tomorrow. But somehow I have the same Thanksgiving feeling in my heart. Why? I think it is because my mom taught me how to celebrate too. She taught me how to have a holiday. I didn't realize it until now, but I have been acting out the exact same things my mother would do but just in different ways.

This is a page I took from my mom:

First,

You have to be around people you truly love and enjoy. Now, you can love someone and not enjoy them. But thankfully, Corey and I really enjoy each other's company and just have fun spending time together.

Second,

You have to do something that maybe you have never done before or just something that brings back sentimental memories. Whatever you do, the key is to make it a party. Even it isn't something that is inherently special, make it fun! Now, we didn't go eat Mexican last night. But I did make my first attempt at homemade pizza. The smell was good enough to knock your socks off and the pizza was pretty scrumptious for a first attempt. Add a caesar salad, a diet coke and snuggling up to watch a movie, and there you have our own Wednesday before Thanksgiving party.

Third,

You have to have a good smell. A smell that takes you back to good memories or just makes you feel good. Mine came in the form of cinnamon-smelling pine cones that I picked up at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Pile them up in a bowl in the middle of the table, and Voila, Thanksgiving for you nose. Sitting here, I feel like I'm 8 and smelling Jojo's cinnamon broom.

And finally,

Food. I just checked on my Apple Pie in the oven and felt a wash of joy. And the joy isn't just in the eating, it's in the making too. And making people happy by what you cook. Nothing feels more like a holiday than making special meals that fill your belly, maybe a little too much. I still can't think about eating from biscuits and gravy for breakfast.Throw in some good music to dance to while you're cooking and you can have a really good time!

I don't desire to spend every holiday away from the Greer Farm fireplace, but is sure feels good to know that I can and have a darn good time at that. Thank you, Mama.

Editor's Note: Exactly one day after the writing of this article, the author did shed a few tears because she missed her family. They dried quickly and she went on to enjoy the rest of her Thanksgiving weekend.