The Good Life

I'm almost through pregnancy week 26 and I've noticed some changes as this week has progressed. My hair has been growing a lot quicker (not to mention it feels so different) and I finally went for a - much needed - trim yesterday My belly has made significant changes over the past week as it makes even more room for this baby to grow! I've also noticed that my skin is overly sensitive, and break outs are a normal for me these days. I haven't had this much acne since high school (and I'm not sure I even had as much then). I am waiting to see the "glow" everybody says I have - I feel it on the inside, but I sure don't see the effects of it on my skin. I know my hormones are crazy and I'm just waiting patiently for my body to return to "normal". I guess if acne is the worst I have to deal with during pregnancy at this point, I'll gladly take it. I have also noticed the baby moving a lot more this week. Maybe he's not moving more, he

I never thought about how important a name is - until Matt and I started trying to name our baby boy. You hear cute names, unique names, and the "top 100" names but when you start to place a name to your own child, it becomes very personal. When thinking about names for our kid, we think about everything from what the initials will be to what kind of nicknames people will come up with. Do we name him after a family member or do we pick something unique to only him? It's a hard decision - giving a person a name that will be with them for the rest of their life. Of course, being a female, I have had a list of baby names since I can remember. Looking back at that list now, I can laugh at a lot of the names I had written down, but some of those names are on my current list. I always thought that naming a baby was going to be so easy, I would just narrow down the list to my top 5 and then match it with a middle name - and boom, the baby has a name. I forgot one little piece

The dictionary’s definition of Mother is “a woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has given birth”. My definition of a Mother is a woman who puts her heart and soul into providing and caring for a child or children, without asking anything in return – whether it’s children born unto her or children that she accepts under her care.   A Mother is selfless, loving, loyal, protective, supportive, patient, wise and observant. I understand that not all Mothers fit this definition, but mine most certainly does. My Mom is a beautiful woman – inside and out. She and my Dad married early (when they were 19 years young) and they have a relationship that inspires me every day. Mom not only married at a young age, she became a Mom at the age of 20. I didn’t realize until, talking with her a few weeks ago, that Mom skipped the “normal 20s” that most young adults experience. I guess I knew that she went straight from being a high school “kid” to a Mom, but never really stopped

When I decided to marry Matt, I knew that I was marrying into his family too. I knew that it would take time for relationships and bonds to grow and I knew, with time, I would love them. What I didn't know is how much love they would offer me and how quickly I would become just another one of the "family members". I come from a very large, very close, very loving family myself, and to be honest, I didn't think I would feel as comfortable with anybody's family as much as my own. Over the past several years, I have grown to care for Matt's family as my own and I cherish each relationship that's been built between us. I have an older sister, but since I'm the "baby", I had no idea what it was like to be an older sibling. When I met Matt's little sister, Danielle, I had an instant connection with her. I immediately took on the "older sister" role and I felt like I adopted her as my younger sibling. I don't know why, I just h

All four of my grandparents are still alive, and at age 30, I consider myself blessed. Not only are my grandparents alive - they are very well and active. Both sets still own their own homes, live by themselves and are (still) very involved in my life. I really can't imagine my life without them and I dread the day when I feel their absence. I am thankful for each day that I'm given to spend with them and try very hard not to take any of those precious moments for granted. My Papaw S. will be 87 this month, and on the same day, my Papaw B. turns 78. These men have been strong, loving role models for me. My Mamaw S. turned 81 in August of this year and in January, my Mamaw B. will be 74. I can't even begin to explain the love I have for these amazing, beautiful women. They are so strong and have been a huge part of my life (I can only pray that I age as gracefully as they have). Throughout the years, my grandparents have been to dancing events, basketball games, track meets

My new clogging team, the Tennessee Thunder Cloggers ( www.facebook.com/CloggingWithRenee ) will be performing at the first annual "Buggin' for a Cure". This event is hosted by The Northeast Tennessee Volkswagen Association, the Tourism Department of Greene County Partnership and the Greene County Fair Association and will be held at the Greene County Fairgrounds in Greeneville, Tennessee. The event is on September 22 from 8am to 8pm and on September 23 from 8am to 2pm. The event is an all Volkswagen car show with Volkswagen vendors, local food and live entertainment. The cloggers, along with Winter & Co Dance Studio ( www.winterandcompanydancestudio.com ) will be performing on Sunday, September 23 at 11:30am . All proceeds for this event will benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. One-day admission is only $5 and two-day admission is $7 - kids 12 and under are admitted FREE. Facebook friends can find the event at  www.facebook.com/buggin4acure

This week has been exciting for me - not for major reasons, but just for simple little reasons. For one, it's beginning to feel like fall here in East Tennessee. The mornings are crisp and there's no more humidity (which my hair is very thankful for)! I love the sun coming up late over the foggy mountains - it gives the feeling that everything can have a fresh start and the gorgeous view makes my drive into work even more enjoyable. This week also marks my 25th week of pregnancy. There's nothing really "special" about the 25th week in pregnancy except for the fact that I still feel him moving around and I'm still blessed to carry the little angel!! We also have a doctor visit today, which is exciting because I get to hear his little heartbeat (I am still in awe at that sound). This week I have been able to sort through the mounds of clothes we've been given for our baby boy. We are so thankful for the generosity of family and friends - this kiddo is set

Dancing has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I have always enjoyed watching dancers perform and even more, I have loved having the ability to dance myself. There are individuals out there who will say "I can't dance" but (not just because I am a dancer) I believe everybody CAN dance. Some people may be better dancers than others, but everyone has an inner dancer, waiting to surface. Dance is a way of expressing a feeling - whether it's a happy, sad, sexy, scary or stressful feeling - those feelings can be expressed through dancing. Growing up, I was blessed with the opportunity to take lessons in dance. With these lessons comes the opportunity to perform at recitals, competitions, parades, local fairs and other events. Performing in front of an audience can be a little scary and very intimidating but I think I was born with a natural ability to perform in front of a crowd because I never had those moments of being scared or feeling intimidated. I

Today starts week 25 of my pregnancy and I can't believe how fast the weeks have gone!!! I've been so blessed with a fairly "easy" pregnancy so far and I'm extremely thankful that the time has just flown by. When reading my weekly pregnancy update this morning (via www.parents.com ), I was totally amazed. If our baby boy was born today, he would survive (with the help of ICU) because his lungs (though very tiny) CAN actually breathe. I'm already in awe of the fact that in 14 short weeks (give or take), I'll be able to hold our little guy but knowing that he's already developed enough to survive the outside world today makes it all so much more amazing. I did practice putting the car seat in and out of the car this past weekend - I figured if I start now, I MIGHT have it figured out by the time he arrives. I'm more than ready for this little angel to make his appearance in the world - but I'll be happy for him to finish "cooking" until

Some people absolutely love to shop - it's therapy. Some people hate shopping more than anything - it's torture. Then you have me. For me, shopping is fun if I have gift cards to cash in or if I'm shopping for Christmas gifts or if I'm shopping for a particular item for a special event. I'm not one of those people who can just go by the mall 2 or 3 times a week to browse - I have to have a purpose to shop!  Shopping at Christmas is so fun - Christmas music is playing, Christmas trees are everywhere, people are (usually) in a fun/happy spirit and I'm shopping for the people I love. I also like to shop for fall clothes - I love the feeling of trying on new jeans after a hot summer and knowing that cool air is on the way. Now don't get me wrong, shopping can also be very frustrating for me - for several reasons. Reason #1 is because I feel like I have the most common shoe size in the world. I can find a great pair of shoes and they will have every size - excep

On 09/11/01, the world as I knew it was changed forever. I was a sophomore at Mars Hill College and I was on my way to my first class of the day, but I walked through the Bailey Mountain Clogging studio to pick up a book I had left there. As I walked into the breezeway of the studio, I heard a radio on and they were talking about a plane that had just hit one of the towers in New York. I thought to myself, that can't be here in "our" New York and kept racking my brain on where they could be talking about. As I continued to listen, a plane hit the second tower and I froze at the realization that this was "our " New York that they were talking about. I couldn't really understand what was going on - it was so confusing and happening so fast. Like many Americans, I had so many questions like who is this?, why are they doing it?, what's going to happen next?. I reluctantly left the studio with fear for what was going to continue to happen and headed for class

Cantaloupe - it was the only food that sounded good to me during my first couple of months of pregnancy. I just couldn't eat enough of it. I wouldn't call it a "craving" but it was just the most delicious thing I could think of to eat :-) Throughout my entire pregnancy, the one common has been fruit, and at 24 weeks - I'm still not tired of it. I signed up at  http://www.parents.com/  for weekly updates on my pregnancy. The website automatically sends emails each week about warning signs, pregnancy symptoms that I might be feeling that particular week and how the baby is growing and developing. With each update, "they" compare the baby's size to a particular fruit. I love these updates because it gives me something to compare our growing boy against - and allows me to visualize a size in my mind. Ironic enough - this week our baby is the size of a cantaloupe :-)

I’ve been on stage to perform in front of thousands of people and I’ve been on championship sports teams. I’ve flown halfway around the world and been on boats and trains and rollercoasters. I’ve had some amazing friendships and fallen in love but none of those amazing feelings compare to the feeling of my baby exploring his little world.   The first time I felt him move I didn’t even know he was a “he”.   I was about 18 weeks along and I was sitting at work when I had a spasm in my lower abdomen. I thought to myself “that was weird” and waited a few more minutes - then another spasm. I quickly realized, though it was only two little blips of a feeling, that it was my baby moving. I’m now 23 weeks into my pregnancy and I feel the baby on a daily basis. Sometimes he moves around first thing in the morning but usually he waits until I’m lying down to go to sleep before he starts rockin’ and rollin’. I can picture him in there stretching out his little arms and legs and flipping over

Today I turn the big 30!!! It doesn't seem real that I'm actually old enough to be 30. I mean, I remember my Mom and Dad being 30. It's hard to wrap my mind around. I have to admit, I wasn't excited about this birthday - at all. I guess it's not that I feel like 30 is so old, it's just that I LOVED my 20's. I felt like nothing could be as good as the last 10 years of my life. During my 20's I did the college thing, I traveled across (and out of) the country, lived it up, moved, learned, grew, found life-long friendships, went through heartbreaks, made mistakes, loved deeply and became a woman... Once I got pregnant, the idea of nothing being better than my 20's changed somewhat. I will be bringing our sweet baby boy into this world in my 30's -- and I don't think anything can top that :-) I'm 23 weeks along on my 30th birthday and I honestly couldn't feel better. I'm blessed to have a healthy baby growing, a loving husband,

Today I happened upon a list of things we, as humans, need to “give up” in order to find true happiness (I would credit the author, but there was no documentation on where this list came from). I found the list pretty thought provoking and wanted to share it. Instead of just posting the list – I researched Bible verses and matched them with each listed item. This (in my opinion) gives a more detailed look as to why giving up these “things” would bring happiness to our lives. I love when I find something as simple as this list that can help me to take time to reflect on what I can do to be a more positive person. Give up your need to always be right 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 (NIV) “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” Give up your need for control Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” Give up on blame 1 Cori

When Matt and I decided to move back to Tennessee, it was for several reasons. The main reason was because we both wanted to live in the south but for me it was because my family would be close by, the weather is nice and the mountains are home for me. Matt's business was doing pretty well for us in Indiana and I had a great job at the hospital in Richmond. We were doing okay -- but we were living "outside our means". We spent too much money going out to eat, buying a new TV, traveling to visit family and friends out of state, taking vacations, spending too much on Christmas gifts, etc... It wasn't that we couldn't afford those things by themselves, but we sure weren't saving any money. Like many Americans, we also own a house that we can't sell. Lucky for us, we have GREAT renters, but we still own the property which makes it hard to purchase another home. With all of this weighing on our minds, we never felt like it was the "right" time to move

  Matt and I took a trip to Jacksonville, FL over Labor Day weekend. I have been wanting a beach get-away for several months and knowing that this might be one of our last chances to go before out little bundle of joy arrives - we took advantage of the long weekend. We stayed about 5 miles from Neptune Beach (approx 16 miles from downtown Jacksonville). The City of Neptune Beach is a small community and it's on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean (East) and the Intracoastal Waterway (West). We spent both days relaxing on the beach --the weather was in the upper 80s to low 90s with a breeze coming off the ocean - it was perfect :) On Sunday evening, we took advantage of the dining in Neptune Beach and ate at Ragtime Tavern, Seafood and Grill but honestly, it was a little overpriced for the quality of food -- but a neat place to visit for sure. We spent Saturday evening at The Jacksonville Landing. The Landing sits on the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville and