On Iraq

Spring 2003
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

This is a picture of me and my college roommates watching the invasion of Iraq. My roommate Erin remembers me taking this picture and saying, "We are going to regret this."

I desperately wish I had been wrong.

Over 4,000 Americans and 100,000 Iraqis have lost their lives in the war. There were no weapons of mass destruction and, while Saddam Hussein being gone is a very good thing, Iran and Afghanistan are bigger threats then if we had never stepped foot in Iraq.

The official combat mission is over but there is no victory to celebrate. No ticker tape parades or banner headlines. Only another geopolitical hotspot where an American presence will remain long after we are all gone.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!!!!

This happens a lot. Griffin comes crawling out of his room with a book. Well, crawling isn't quite accurate. He pushes/slides on the book he wants you to read the whole time yelling "boooooooook!"

It's pretty much the best thing ever.

Mrs. Braboy's Shower

My dear friend Marie Braboy is welcoming a little girl into her family this October. Now, this is the first baby girl in our group in several years. We were all itching to get our hands on lots of frilly, pink presents and Marie gave us the excuse we needed!

Marie teaches kindergarten so I thought a school house "g is for girl" theme would be just perfect for the baby shower!

My crafty cohost Amy Chesnut made the amazing cupcake topiaries AND little minicupcakes that looked like apples!

For favors, Amy and I painted coffee mugs with chalkboard paint then personalized them with everyone's names. Amy also ordered "g is for girl" pink pencils!

For our craft time, we all made several pages for a special scrapbook for Baby Addison.

Brunch

My dear friend Elizabeth and her family stopped off for brunch on their way home from the beach. Griffin and I got to visit and they got to stretch their legs. A good arrangement all around.

How To Be Alone

As an only child, alone has always been a comfortable place for me. However, this enchanting portrait makes even the only child inside of me see alone in a beautiful new light.

Our First Family Vacation

Our first family vacation to Fripp Island, South Carolina, was a roaring success. We can't thank the Staffords enough for welcoming us into their gorgeous island home. We frolicked, relaxed, read, played, swam, ate, laughed, and had a completely wonderful time. There are so many memories I want to remember here is but a small selection.

I want to remember the glee on Griffin's face when he crawled into the waves for the first time.

I want to remember how good it feels to laugh with old friends.

I want to remember lazy mornings spent reading and talking (with a bit of Just Dance for good measure) while the babies napped.

I want to remember the intense awe and gratitude I felt riding my bike across the marsh in the morning sunlight.

I want to remember the mussels so good I wanted to go swimming in the left over sauce.

I want to remember how much fun we had playing Monopoly Deal.

I want to remember how special it was to watch Kathleen and Griffin play together.

I want to remember all the beautiful wildlife on the island.

I want to remember Griffin's face when he took his first three steps in a row!

I want to remember everything.

Genius!