Home Sweet Home...

So I know that I already posted something today but I had to add these photos.  As some of you know my parents' black lab Chole died on July 23rd after 12 years of being a member of the Nelson family, she was a great dog and we have so many great memories with her.  My favorite memory of Chole was when we lived in Park City. We lived over a Golf Course and she would get out and run down the hill and harrass the golfers on the green.  After several attempts of calling her from the back deck we would give up and pretend she was not ours (horrible I know).  I also remember that after I moved away from Utah and would come home for a visit, she would always be so happy to see me.  We will miss our Clo-bo!  

Max and Maddie love this little puppy.  So sweet. 

My parents other dog Zeus had been so sad at Chole's passing that my parents rushed to get a new dog as a companion to Zeus.  They got a Cheasapeake Bay Retriever and we named him Brownie III.  My great granfather had a Cheasapeake Bay Retriever named Brownie and so did my father and they have always been great dogs.  Brownie is soooo cute (as all puppies are) and we are all pretty much smitten with him.

My parents purchased a playhouse for Maddie and placed it near the apple orchard. It is not all completed just yet but will soon be fully decorated and be every little girl's dream playhouse.  In this picture we were ordering ice-cream from "Mimi's ice-cream house".   She is too cute.

And lastly, I have posted pictures of Sunday dinner made by my mom.   Anybody who knows her knows that she is a five star cook and that her food is pretty much awesome.   The salad is a comprise salad with fresh Mozarella and for the main course we had Pork Tenderloin with Chevre lavender and a lavendar apple jelly sauce.   For dessert we had homemade ice cream with homemade sauteed cherry lavender sauce.  It was to die for and I have big shoes to fill and hope one day to be the kind of cook she is.  

We Welcomed Henry into the world on July 19th

Our baby Henry has arrived and we have never been so excited (except for when Max and Maddie were born).  Brooke went into labor earlier than expected and I was able to hop on a plane and get there three days earlier than planned.  I missed him being born but was able to get there soon after.

Henry is beautiful and as expected looks like a Bartholomew.  I have always told Brooke and Steve that one thing they are good at is making beautiful babies and they have done it yet again. He is so chill and honestly just precious.  I took the kids up to my parents home in Millville for the weekend so Brooke can rest and Maddie keeps telling us that she misses her baby and tells anyone who will listen that her baby is out and his name is Henry......so cute!

Welcome baby Henry, we are so thrilled you are here!

Seersucker is so southern........

When I first moved to the South I would see Seersucker suits on the Southern gentlemen and was not sure how I felt about them. Then over time I began to like them. Garrett, who attends our church would always wear his seersucker suit with a tie that just popped and I grew to really love the look.

So one day Thad and Mark were in Belk and saw some seersucker blazers on sale for $30 plus a tie that they loved. Thad was being good and said that although he wanted them he did not need them. I made a point the next day after work to go over and get the tie and blazer for him because he is always getting me things and putting my needs and wants above his, so it was fun to actually get him something. We took a picture of my hansome Thad in his seersucker blazer and new tie after church. So sharp, so Southern and I love it!

Forester Reunion

This past weekend Thad and I were able to go to Haleyville and see Patsy and the kids who were in town for a few weeks. We had a great time swimming and playing categories (a fun pool game), eating Pat's home cookin' and just chillaxin. Here is a picture of Thad and myself and some of our neices and nephews. We love those kids to death and miss each of them already. We were missing Katie, Claire, Max, Drake and Ada that weekend who would have made that picture complete.

Also Thad, Randy, Nick and Blake were able to fly these cool little airplanes. It was a good time!

July 4th Weekend

So it has been too long since I have updated our blog but here we are and Thad and I hope you all had a great July 4th weekend because we sure did. We left on Friday night to head up to Haleyville for the night and then spent the 4th just relaxing at the Forester's pool. There are specific things that both Thad and I need to make a July 4th complete, Thad's is homemade ice cream and mine is fireworks. So we gathered up the ingredients for homemade ice cream and got it going as we swam and played. The ice cream turned out creamy and delicious. We then headed home to Tuscaloosa that night to catch the fireworks. We opted out of dealing with the crowds and watched fireworks from the back of Thad's truck in the Publix parking lot close by.

I honestly love fireworks. Growing up in Walnut Creek, CA we would have a picnic/bbq with friends and then about 3-4 families would load up in several cars and head over to the fireworks where we would munch on homemades treats and lie underneath a blanket of fireworks. Such great memories. Thad and I being newly married are trying to create our own memories and traditions and are off to a good start........ice cream and fireworks, you can't go wrong.

Glen-Ella Springs Inn

Thad and I were able to travel to Georgia for a wedding this weekend. The wedding took place at the Glen-Ella Springs Inn in Clarkesville, Georgia. It was nice to get out of Tuscaloosa and roadtrip a little. I had never been to Atlanta so Thad showed me the sights and we were able to make a stop in Buckhead at Nordstroms which I miss and love. We had lunch and continued on to the wedding.

The Inn itself had so much character. The festivities were held outdoors and the area had such a serene moutain feel. The ceremony was in the garden and the dinner was on the candlelit terrace. I loved the location as a destination wedding and it had a small country-chic feel. I was so taken by the scenery and the area, it was truly a delight for us to be there.......loved it. Sadly Thad and I could not stay over night due to church obligations but it was a quick little adventure for us!

Here is the website to Glen-Ella Inn Springs: http://www.glenella.com/

Happy 3rd Birthday Mimi

Happy Birthday Maddie Belle. Sorry this is a little belated but we love and miss you Mimi. Here are the top 3 reasons we love you......

1. You are a princess and wear pretty princess dresses

2. You are a good sister to Mighty Max

3. You have the cutest little chipmunk voice ever and are a good girl (ok so maybe 4 reasons)

Uncle Thad and Aunt Dew Dew love you!

Off to the Balloon Races

Saturday was a perfect day. I had to work that morning so Thad and Michael played some tennis followed by us meeting up at Michael's pool. We enjoyed the sun and worked on ours tans or pre-mature aging, whatever you want to call it. There were several guys in the pool who talked Thad and Michael into playing some pool volleyball with them. After about 45 minutes, Thad realized that his wedding band had fallen off. Upon announcing this discovery about twelve people, some with goggles, were in the pool searching the bottom, searching the drains, searching the grassy area but to no avail.......it was no where to be found.

The good news is, the day perked back up. We went in our swimsuits to Mexican food which is always a joyous occasion because Thad knows I am always in the mood for la comida mexicana. That evening we had planned to go to the Balloon Races that Neighbor Becky had invited us to. So Becky, Michael, Thad and I went out to the Tuscaloosa Airport to the Air Balloon Races. We were unsure as to what to expect but once there we were awestruck by the sights of these huge air balloons all being blown up at the same time and all taking off one right after the other. I kept snapping picture after picture, loving the colors and the designs of the balloons. And to add to the beauty it was a gorgeous day with clear blue skies. So thanks Becky for inviting us, we loved it!

3 Day Weekend

This past weekend Thad and I road tripped to the Beach to see Mark. We left early Sunday morning and instead of the 4.5 hours it takes to get to Navarre, FL it took us seven. We decided to stop where ever we wanted which ended up being a stop at a fruit stand, lunch in Prattville, a visit to a Market in Montgomery and even stopped off at Priesters Pecans.

We finally arrived at Mark's house that evening and fell in love with his nice place. Mark took us around town and then took us to Pensacola for dinner. All week the weatherman had predicted that we would have a rainy Memorial Day, instead it was perfect weather and we were able to spend Monday at the Beach. It was a great little getaway minus Thad's (and Mark's) horrible sunburns. We will miss Mark when he leaves for North Carolina but he still will not be too far away!

Sister Sister Face to Face

It is a Firday night and Thad is at a Stake Youngmen's Campout and I am bored. I told Thad that him being gone meant I was going out clubbing and he seemed to be just fine with it. However we all I know I wouldn't ever do such a thing and am all talk and so instead I was looking at my sister's blog and for anyone who doesn't know she is my BFF in the whole world and probably knows me better than anybody on this planet. I saw this pic, taken in the Grand Caymen, pre-mission for me and post mission for Brooke. Man those Nelson sistas are smokin' hot. I wish Brookie and I could hang out tonight while having Max and Maddie climbing all over us, eating Mike-N- Ikes. Love ya sis.

"Cheese Wit"

Last week Thad traveled to Pennsylvania for business and one of his stops was Philadelphia. I was so jealous that he got to go and experience Philly. Living in DC for several years, I had always wanted to make it to Philly and never was able to but I knew that if I ever got there I needed to have a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich at Pat's King of Steaks. Much to my delight, Thad was able to make it to Pat's and partake of some Steak and Cheese Whiz.

Just a little background, Pat's is located in South Philadelphia, has been around since 1930 and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is home to the Steak and Cheesesteak Sandwiches. Also when ordering a Cheesesteak you say "I want a cheese wit", meaning a Philly Cheesesteak.......just some urban lingo Thad taught me.

http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/index.html

Jumping on the Family Blog band wagon.....Yee ha!

Welcome to the Forester blog. My sister always complains that I do not blog enough and so I have set out to become a better blogger, so here I go sister. I often feel like because we do not have kids that I have nothing to report but I have concluded that this simply is not true.

Last week, we were blessed to have some dear friends from DC visit (love you ladies)us, Katie, Destiny and new residence to the South, Nikki and David . It was so great to have them see our home and where we live. They had never been to the South so we made sure to give them a true southern experience. They received the one of a kind tour of the University Campus from Thad (which I have heard over eight times) and then we tried to take them to our fav place, the old abandoned Bryce Hospital, Thad and I love going out there which is so funny. I also, took the ladies to one of my favorite streets in Northport, full of adorable shops. One of the shops I took them to in downtown Northport, where I tell Thad I want one of everything is called Gracefully Done if you are ever in town. We had the lunch special at Cafe Venice and ate at the famous and my favorite......Dreamland. I think I even saw Katie Lund eat the BBQ nachos.

It was a great visit and I was so happy to have my officemate and spouse come visit us. We love you guys!