OneBoyOneGirl

Gracie Turns 4 Weeks

2011-02-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

Today our little princess turned 4 weeks. What a great time we have had watching her continue to grow and become more active. Here are a few pictures from her 4 week photoshoot.

In honor of tonight's game...

2011-02-23T20:58:00.000-05:00

Weekly Pictures

2011-02-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

Carrie and I have decided to take weekly pictures of Gracie to document her growth. Here are some from her first 3 photo shoots!

1 Week

2 Weeks

3 Weeks

As she continue's to grow, so do my photography skills to capture her! :-)

A whole new world

2011-02-20T22:42:00.000-05:00

Our last blog post was December 5th, and there has been so much change in the Winstead household since then. Our precious little girl finally decided to join us, after much encouragement. The whole labor experience was totally unreal. Grace was due on Thursday January 20th, she joined us on Friday January 28th. We checked into the hospital Thursday January 27th to be induced, and after 30 hours, and Great Grandma walking in with M&Ms, Grace was born at 11:40 am at 7lbs 12oz.

One of Gracie's first pictures

The last 3 weeks has been a complete whirlwind. We have watched our little girl grow into such a sweet baby. We have been so blessed and we can't wait to be apart of her life and love on her!

Here are a couple more pictures.

Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-05T22:40:00.000-05:00

Terence and Aubrie came over Saturday night for dinner, haircuts and to decorate gingerbread houses! The houses always look so good on the box and the directions are so simple, but they never turn out that well! Anyways, while Aubrie cut Carrie's hair, Terence and I played with our cameras. Terence has a Nikon and I have a Canon so we enjoyed sharing what we liked and the different settings of everything. We really did have a great time hanging out and attempting to decorate our wonderful gingerbread houses. They may not have turned out the best but they were fun to do!

Me and Carrie's

Terence and Aubrie had a village, this is one hut

Carrie was very proud of her tree!

Pictures of our Christmas Decorations

2010-12-03T23:40:00.000-05:00

I promised you some pictures of our Christmas decorations so here's just a couple!

World Cup 2022

2010-12-02T11:33:00.000-05:00

Let me start off by saying this will be an extremely poorly written blog with a lot of frustration and disappointment.

With that being said, FIFA announced today the 2022 World Cup will be heading to Qatar. I don't know anything in regards to Qatar, I hadn't even heard of Qatar until yesterday during the Bid presentations. What I do know is it is extremely hot, and they don't have any soccer stadiums. That's right, they DO NOT HAVE SOCCER STADIUMS? Isn't that an issue to host the WORLD CUP? That's like holding the swimming competitions on a dry lake bed, you just can't do it! Have no fear though, they have announced they will build new stadiums, and after the World Cup, they will tear them down and pay for them to be rebuilt in other countries....well isn't that nice, I guess in 2023 we'll know exactly who voted for who today.

Another fun fact about Qatar, the average temperature in the Summer is between 122 and 128 degrees. Have you tried to play a sport in 122 degree weather? I haven't, and no I'm not a world class soccer player by any stretch of the imagination, but that's not something I would want to do. I can't wait to see the FIFA officials wearing suits to the games in that weather, going to be great.

Also, back in October, it was discovered there were some shady talks going around some of FIFA's committee members. Some were basically trading votes with each other, I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine kinda thing. I bet you can't guess who was in the middle of it. That's right QATAR! As in one member of the committee was secretly filmed saying Qatar and Spain-Portugal had come to terms to give each other 7 votes in the voting. (Spain-Portugal was up for the 2018 World Cup)

I guess today we found out that FIFA doesn't really care about the potential growth of the game and the economic growth it could have gained from having the World Cup in the United States. When the US hosted the World Cup in '94 it set attendance records, with a total of 3.6 Million fans attending games and averaging 69,000 per game. Can you imagine what sponsors would have paid to get their name in front of all those people? Not just on tv, but in the stadiums themselves. Stadiums that WE ALREADY HAVE! There wouldn't be any new construction needed for soccer stadiums, we have them, they are already some of the best in the world.

I think I'm done. The only country that I believe would have been worse to give it to would have been North Korea, but that's another post.

Thank you FIFA for confirming all the scandals and rumors, you have done nothing but make the world second guess you once again. Can we Challenge that vote or have it reviewed?

Ps. my mom has pointed out that Qatar will be hosting the 2011 Asian Cup, I would like to point out the Asian Cup and the World Cup require two different types of Stadiums. For the Asian Cup, you only need camel tie-ups, but for the World Cup you will need actual seats.

Photoblog

2010-12-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

Today while I was working extremely hard at work I decided to start a photoblog, C's Pixels. Get it? Anyways, I'm working on trying to upload a picture a day, so we'll see how long that lasts!

So if you get bored check it out http://www.cspixels.blogspot.com

Christmas Decorating

2010-12-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

We spent a good part of Sunday decorating our house for Christmas and what a joy that way! Earlier last week, Carrie said to me, "Don't worry, we won't need to buy any more decorations, we have them all from last year." Can you say Famous Last Words?

First we needed a Christmas Tree, which I didn't argue with that, I love live Christmas Tree's and well you have to buy one of those every year unless you own a farm...hmmmmm, wonder what the neighborhood association would say about me starting a Christmas Tree farm in the big field out front....

We then discovered we must have thrown out the garland because it was no where to be found. Not to mention we have a bigger house now and more area we can hang it. We also have a fake tree in our foyer, and well that needs white lights. Oh, and of course we now have Gracie on the way, and little Tuffy and both of them needed stockings, which meant they both needed stocking holders because last year there was only two of us, and now there's four. Luckily we found stocking holders that matched the ones we bought 2 years ago so that was a big relief!

Last year we couldn't use a wreath with the way our apartment was set up, however this year we have this ideal spot to hang one. And you can't forget the centerpiece for the table either!

Yes, we did spend more money then we thought we were going to have to, but our house looks pretty darn good if you ask me! Just have to finish my State Tree in the State room, and set up the snow village and we'll be all set. I'll try to post some pictures tonight!

Josh and Veronica Part 2

2010-11-29T10:18:00.001-05:00

Carrie and I met up with Josh and Veronica Saturday to take some more pictures. We were only out for about an hour and a half but ended up taking over 300 pictures, and having about 70 "good" shots. Have to say I was pretty pleased with that. Of course when you have 2 great subjects and the best assistant in the world (Thanks Carrie!) it helps out a lot!

We started out downtown at City Market and then went over to Bond Park in Cary. Here's a few shots.

This is an original idea right?

His and Her rings

Probably my favorite from the day.

A nice fall picture

Josh got benched

Another one of my favorites! Somebody get that girl a real phone.

Josh and Veronica

2010-11-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

On Saturday it looks like I'll get to shoot some more pictures of Josh and Veronica! I'm super pumped that we'll get to do some more shooting. I've been doing a lot of reading on how to get some better pictures, and I can't wait to get out and do some shooting.

I've been trying to come up with some ideas on where to take them. I've been thinking about Duke Gardens, WRAL's Gardens, the lake behind our house, downtown, of course I'll check with the couple and see that they had in mind. I got this new filter that turns all lights into stars which I think would look really cool for Christmas lights that are starting to appear everywhere.

Anyone else have any idea's for places in Raleigh?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:40:00.000-05:00

It's been a little busy around here the last couple of days! We are hosting both of our families for Thanksgiving, totaling 11 people in our house. Needless to say, we've been spending the last several nights cleaning and preparing for all of our guests.

Even at 7 month's pregnant, Carrie is a cleaning champ, while the non pregnant man that I am is a cleaning chump. She just keeps going and going and going, and I'm about to pass out on the couch just wanting to sit and relax.

I'll make sure to post pictures later on!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sunday, November 21st

2010-11-21T22:57:00.000-05:00

It's been a long day so no real exciting post tonight, just a brief picture of what Carrie's dad will be like as a granddad....if he's already spoiling the dog, I can't imagine what he's going to do to Grace!

Our First Shower!

2010-11-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

We had our first shower today for our little Grace and what a haul! Of course for these showers, it's a women only thing until it's time to load the car. I enjoy ripping open presents too you know! However, today I was glad to stay back since my Wolfpack were playing against the university of north carolina at chapel hill and what a game that was! I have no fingernails left, but it was worth it!

When Carrie called saying it was time for pick up, I couldn't believe how much stuff we had for our little Gracie! The amount of goodies that Gracie has is incredible. She has stuff for when she's first born to several years old! We are so grateful for all of our friends and family who were able to come to today's shower!

Some of Gracie's loot!

Gracie's over night bag that is just soo cute!

Tuffy some how climbed into a bag

One of my favorites! :-) Thanks grandma!

By the way, did I mention NC State WON today?

In honor of today's game....

2010-11-20T08:59:00.000-05:00

Go Pack!

Friday, November 19th

2010-11-19T22:08:00.001-05:00

Snapfish.com is having a special where if you spend $10 on something you can receive 365 4x6 pictures FREE! Just use the Code: 2010MY365 and if you don't have 365 pictures to print? Well then you can receive either 100 or 50 just with the codes 2010MY100 or 2010MY50 and all purchases must be made by 11:59 PST November 20th!

In the process of looking through and trying to find 365 pictures I have come across some of my favorites, enjoy!

My picture at the NC State Fair!

Loaded this one sideways and can't figure out how to rotate it

Funny Story Time

2010-11-18T14:19:00.002-05:00

So I have this picture that I took, one that I really like, and it has totally been throwing me off. For a while, I could not figure out how the heck I shot this picture. Can you figure it out? I'll post the answer after a while, but tell me if you can figure it out.

Answer: I took it out of the passenger window into the side mirror. You will not believe how long I had to stare at it to remember...well you might actually. But anyways, there's a good laugh for you for the day. Taking pictures I don't even remember how I did it...

Gracie's Room Part 3

2010-11-17T22:59:00.001-05:00

Tonight we finally put Gracie's crib together tonight! It was a lot easier then I expected to be honest, and of course Tuffy thought he could help out as well. The hardest part was getting the crib from the car upstairs by myself. Carrie was a big help in getting Tuffy out of the way so I wouldn't trip over him. He has a tendency to get under our feet, especially on the steps, so her keeping a hold on him was huge!

Are you ready for some pictures? I know you are! We'll start the beginning....

Priming back on Oct. 10th

Starting to paint the room pink on Nov 16th

We have a pink room!

"Daddy let me help!"

"Daddy, Mommy is taking a picture, look up!"

"Daddy, why are you so tired? Let's play!"

Now, we need to get a mattress, so we can put her bed stuff on! We also have her dresser and changing table that is down stairs, tomorrow Carrie's dad is going to help me move them upstairs so we can start decorating and really get ready!

Gracie's Room Part 2

2010-11-16T22:59:00.001-05:00

It's official, Gracie's room has been painted! It is done, the walls are pink, my socks are pink, my pocket knife is pink, and I'm sure there are other things that are pink that weren't suppose to be.

We also bought Gracie's crib! Because of the wet weather, we left it in the car so not to mess it up. Tomorrow we hope to get in and start setting up her room. We have the changing table and dresser already, just have to get it all moved upstairs.

I know you're all still waiting on pictures, but you'll have to wait another night. It's bed time!

Gracie's Room

2010-11-15T23:30:00.000-05:00

So a month and a half a go or so, Carrie and I bought a paint sample to start working on little Gracie's room. We moved the bed, and every out of the room, put down plastic, taped it off and primed. The next day, I painted the sample on it and we decided that we liked it. At the beginning of this project my wife looked at me and said, "I don't want this to become a month long project" and of course I responded with, "Of course not, I'll have plenty of time to get it done"...well, the RailHawks kept winning in the playoffs which meant our weekends were shot, and night's turned into the next night, which turned into next week and you know how the story goes. It didn't end up being a month long process, closer to a month and a half!

Her room now has it's first coat of paint on it! It's a pretty pink, Lucky One to be exact. When I first started painting, it looked like I laid in the middle of the floor, and blew the biggest bubble I could and let it pop all over the walls. Now that it has had some time to dry, it's much better!

During this, I have come to one conclusion, when we decid to move, I'm hiring someone to repaint! I am an awful painter. I have paint everywhere, even after a shower I'm finding paint in places that you can only imagine. Not only is it all over me, but it's a good thing I put down plastic! So if you are interested in painting and wanting someone to help, save yourself the trouble and don't think of me, unless you want to have to redo a lot of it.

Sorry I don't have any pictures to post of the room. Carrie took some, but the camera is upstairs, and I'm downstairs and I'm straight up exhausted! Therefore, I'll post pictures later.

One of my favorite flower pictures I've taken

2010-11-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Sunday, November 14th

2010-11-14T22:07:00.001-05:00

Here's one of my favorite pictures I took recently.

On top of Mount Mitchell

Photography

2010-11-13T21:50:00.012-05:00

Lately I've gotten more and more into photography. I keep finding myself reading more and more about it and trying to get out and take as many pictures as possible. A couple of friends took notice of my new passion and have asked me to take some engagement pictures of them. We haven't had a chance to take too many, but we did take some while we were at the NC State Fair.

Not to fond of all the shadows in the background here.

This is one of my favorites from the day. One of those nice candid shots that turned out.

And a few more...

I can't wait to take more of these two. Josh and I "grew up" together in high school, and it's so much fun to see their love blossom.

Saturday, November 13th

2010-11-13T21:37:00.002-05:00

Isn't she beautiful? Here is Carrie early September, our little Gracie's first NCSU Football game!

Time to Blog Again

2010-02-02T23:14:00.002-05:00

I have decided that I think it is time that we begin blogging again. It has been a VERY long time since we blogged, however, since reading several people's blogs lately, I have decided that I would like to start blogging again. Chris and I have now been married for over 7 months. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by, but how wonderful these last 7 months have been. Chris is such a wonderful husband, and I am very thankful for him each and every day! Like I said, I am going to try to start blogging, but we will see how it goes. Hopefully it won't be another another 10 months until we blog again! :)

RailHawks

2009-04-30T21:26:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I'm going to try to blog more now that the wedding stuff is getting crazier and crazier, but also want to provide more insight into my beloved RailHawks.

I am now not only Swoops, but the equipment manager, and the graphic designer! These new added responsibilities have however given me a more in depth view of the team and the game all together.

Tonight the RailHawks travel to Portland and you can watch the game live on usllive.com for FREE! All you need is to create a username and you get all the games all season long.

Registering!!

2009-01-18T21:20:00.003-05:00

We have finally registered!! Today we spent most of the afternoon in Target and in Bed, Bath and Beyond trying to figure out what we needed to start our lives together.

So thanks to Mark, Carrie would not let me hold onto the registry gun without her direct and I do mean direct supervision! We did have a great time, and we think we are all set. Some of the items on Target have not updated yet, so we are trying to be patient but it is hard! Here is a link to some other pictures from the day!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T22:12:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!! With the temperatures at a blistering cold and a crazy wind we rang in the new year with Dick Clark and had our own little party with hats, leis and horns!

For our first trip of the New Year we went on a scenic route around Whiteface Mountain to get plenty of great snow pictures! The scenery was incredible and I was able to get lots of pictures!!

Once we got back into town, we grabbed lunch at good ole McDonald's and hit the shops for all the best deals! The temperatures never got in the double digits so there was a lot of in and out of stores to stay warm. We did however manage to walk on water since Mirror Lake was frozen over. We walked out there to take some pictures and see what life was like on top of a frozen lake! Check out our pictures for all of the ones we took today of all of the scenery!

This is us on the lake.

Day 4

2008-12-31T21:36:00.005-05:00

Finally some cross country skiing!

We woke up this morning to more snow! We went over to the Olympic Sports Complex where the wind was howling and the snow was falling. I think when we got there the temperature was a whopping 9 degrees Fahrenheit!

My Great Uncle Jim gave Carrie a refresher course on how to ski. As part of the lesson we went to the top of a small hill and then explained how to snow plow to stop. Angela and Carrie completed the small hill with ease, but for whatever reason, I got tripped up and fell for the first time on skis in who knows how long! Yes I admit I fell!

Jim then lead the way on a simple trail through the woods that was only about 1.5km/.93 miles. It was a good trail and long enough to make us hungry! The scenery along the way was great especially with the fresh snow on all of the trees.
After we ate, Angela and Carrie went out around another trail that just went around the Nordic stadium, while Jim and I went out on a longer trail. By the time we got back from our 1.5 mile treck the temperatures had dropped, the sun was starting to go down and the girls just got back from theirs and were ready to go. It didn't take any convincing to get the rest of us on board to just head back.

We decided to go out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Mr. Mikes which has some of the best pizza! While at dinner we decided the weather was not permitting to go to a neighboring town for first night festivities. When we left dinner the temperature was -1 and the windchill was -17!! We figured the New Year would come in just as well from the TV as it would in the freezing temperatures with frost bite.

As a special treat I have a video of Carrie on cross country skis! :)

ps. So Angela and Carrie have been doing this wedding workout the last couple of nights that they found on DVD. Each night I usually sit here on the couch and watch then while I blog and try not to laugh at them. Tonight however I gave it a whirl and tried what they have been complaining about for the last couple of nights, and I must say, I am sore now! These workouts don't include weights, don't include machines, but it was a workout, and good grief I'm ready for bed! Just have to stay up a little bit longer to bring in the New Year, and after midnight, I'll be getting married this year! :)!!!

Day 3

2008-12-30T21:15:00.005-05:00

This morning we woke up to a pleasant surprise, SNOW! We new snow was in the forcast for last night, but we thought it was only suppose to be less than an inch. However as you can see it was closer to 4 or 5 inches!

This picture was taken about 1:30 pm yesterday afternoon.

This picture was taken about 10:00 am today!

After breakfast we headed back over to the ski jumping complex to catch another competition they had going on, however due to high winds the competition was canceled! We were able to head to the top of the 120 Meter jump and go out on the observation deck. The temperatures were much lower today especially with the howling winds that high up, and without gloves because it's harder to work the camera you know with gloves on!

Here is a picture from the top of the 120 M hill.

We then headed back into town and grabbed some lunch before we went to the Olympic Museum and some ice skating! The museum had all kinds of things from both Olympics held in Lake Placid along with other items donated by the athletes from the area. The Lake Placid area has had an Olympian in every winter olympics since they started.

After the trip through the museum we headed to the ice skating rink that was used in the 1932 Olympics. The arena was built in less than 6 months and was the first indoor arena to be used in the Olympics.

Here are me, Carrie and Angela on the ice skating rink.

Day 2

2008-12-29T22:10:00.002-05:00

Today was a bunch of nothing. We spent the morning waiting on the cable guy, no his name wasn't Larry, to come and install the cable so we could watch the State game. Then we watched the game and unfortunately were disappointed in the outcome.

After the game we put on some more layers since the temperature has dropped to below freezing and headed over to the ski jump complex to catch the end of the NY Master's Competition. We only got to catch about 5 jumpers but it was still impressive to see them flying through the air.

For now Carrie and my sister are doing a workout from a wedding workout DVD they bought...and are actually quite sore even though they haven't been using the weights.

Tomorrow I believe we will actually get to do some winter related activities, possibly heading out to another ski jump competition, ice skating, maybe even the Olympic Museum.

Lake Placid!

2008-12-28T17:33:00.003-05:00

We have come back up to Lake Placid, NY once again! We arrived last night about 6:30pm to much warmer temperatures then last year. However the van was still not able to make it up the driveway with the slush still hanging on. The mercury was able to make it after much encouragement!

Today we woke up to temperatures in the 50's and all the snow had melted! We didn't do much today, we went into town to do some shopping however the sideways rain, and 20mph winds turned us around after 1 store and we decided to watch a movie in the comfort of the house.

Snow showers are in the forecast for tonight so maybe we will have some snow tomorrow and get to play in the morning. All activities tomorrow afternoon will be canceled due to the State Bowl Game!! Check out our web album for pictures!

Disclaimer: I received a new camera for Christmas so there are many pictures of me just playing with the settings. I'll try to edit those out, but if there are random pictures of random stuff, I apologize!

Kids!

2008-12-04T23:10:00.003-05:00

Ok, so not exactly what you are thinking. Anyways, we set up a fish tank shortly after I moved into my new apartment. We decided to buy guppies and they quickly began to breed. Needless to say after losing all but one of the first set of fry I went out and bought another 10 gallon tank. We then had another pregnancy and more babies, this time able to save 5. Now we only bought 6 fish to start with. 4 males and 2 females. A couple of weeks into it, one of the males died, so we were down to 3 males and 2 females. However after returning from Thanksgiving we are the proud parents of over 30, yes I said THIRTY, baby guppies! If you are looking for a Christmas present that keeps on giving, let me know, I'm sure we can work out some sort of deal....

Here is a look at some of the newest ones, that are available!!!!

Going to the chapel and we're going to get married...

2008-11-28T22:29:00.012-05:00

I can not even explain the amount of excitement I have been feeling the past few days!! Wednesday, the Love of My Life asked me to be his wife!!! I pretty sure my face is permanently stuck in a huge smile!!! Here is what happened:

We both had to work Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. We were heading that evening to Greenville to spend time with Chris' family for Thanksgiving before we headed to Rocky Mount on Thursday to spend time with my family. Chris had told me if I was able to get off work early to do it. So, when the opportunity arrived for me to get off work at 1:00, I took it. I then spent the next few hours, WAITING for Christopher to get off work! ;) When Chris got off work, I was all ready to leave, but Christopher kept dragging his feet. I was so confused, but I tried to wait patiently. We finally left Raleigh, and headed our way to Greenville. We were finally almost to Chris' house, when Chris said he was going to stop by his church to use the restroom before we got home. Now, mind you, Chris' church is less than two minutes from his house. I started thinking, something must be up. When we got in the church, Chris starting walking past the bathroom, and said he wanted to check out the sanctuary because his mom said they re-did it. By now, I had a very strong suspicion that my life was about to change!! :) :) :) We walked into the Sanctuary, and there sitting on the alter was a dozen red roses!! Before I knew it, Christopher was getting on one knee asking me to be his wife! :) :) :) Of course, as we are hugging and celebrating, Christopher's contact fell out of his eye! haha He claims I knocked it out, but just between me and you, I didn't! ;)

Now, let me just tell you about the ring, it is ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Here is a picture of it!!

My surprises were not over for the evening. After it was official, we left the church, and Chris told me not to call anyone yet! We headed over to his grandmother's house. We walked into the house, and all of the sudden I see the bright flash, it was my mom's camera! Chris had surprised me and invited my parents over, so we all could celebrate together.

It was so special to be able to celebrate with both of our families together! We had a blast, laughing and eating, and celebrating the soon joining of our families. After we ate, we headed back over to the church to try to get some re-enactment photos. We were all so giddy, we couldn't get any serious shots! But we sure had fun trying!

After that, my parents left, and Angela, Chris, and I went out to celebrate at Ham's with some of Chris' high school friends! We had a blast hanging out with everyone and enjoying the night with them!

To say the least, the day was more than i could ever ask for!!! I am so very blessed to be marrying Christopher! We both definitely had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season!!

The wedding planning is already in full gear!! We already have the date set out, June 27, 2009. So, everyone needs to mark their calender and have that day open. Here are a few pictures of the beginning process!

WE ARE ENGAGED!!

2008-11-27T00:34:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to announce we are engaged! :) Don't worry, there will be pictures and a story later to keep you informed! Please continue to pray for us as we continue to trust God in the next step of our journey!

Oh Canada!!

2008-01-05T16:42:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a while since we've written! On Thursday, we drove up to Montreal, Canada!! We should have known the trip was going to be interesting when we left the cabin in -26 degree weather!! To say the least, it was COLD!!! We drove without any problems, that is until we reached the Canadian customs lady! There were only two cars before us, yet it took us more than twenty minutes to get through customs! When we approached the lady, we figured it would all go smoothly, little did we know we were about to be questioned about every little thing. She asked us why we were coming in and we told her we didn't really have a plan, just wanted to visit. Apparently, that is not a good answer!!! She questioned about everything, from were we were from, to how much money we had on us and what was the balance on my credit card. She asked us several times if we were going to spend the night in Canada, even though each time we told her no, we were only visiting for the day. We got the feeling she didn't believe us. Of course, when she asked us what we were bringing into the Canada, Christopher responded two empty soda cans!! I don't thing she liked that very much! haha Eventually, she allowed into Canada, although, she had definitely taken a few notes about us as she talked with us. It was insane! We finally arrived and drove to our destination of Montreal. We went there with no map and no real plan of what we were going to do. It was an adventure to say the least. We drove the streets, realizing just how different things were. For one thing, the roads were not cleaned very well, and of course everything was in French. We learned a few French words while we were there. Another odd thing was that the stop lights were on the side of the road. This causes some confusion for some people!! ;) Once we arrived, we decided to try to find the Olympic Park in Montreal. We saw signs pointing to it that said it was only 4 km away. We drove and drove and could not find it! However, we did find the Montreal Port! We finally decided to turn back. As we were driving along, we started seeing signs for the Olympic Park again and followed them. We finally found it, but by this time we were hungry and in need of the restroom and not interested in paying so much money to even park. Therefore, we took a picture and went on.

Our next mission was to find somewhere to eat. We drove and decided on this little restaurant called Restaurant La Belle Province. It was really good! Christopher got two hot dogs, Canadian style with a side of Poutine. Poutine is basically fries, cheese curd, and gravy. It is very Canadian and very good! We really enjoyed the food!

After we ate, we decided to drive downtown Montreal. We drove through and it amazed me just how similar it looked to any big city such as New York City. Once we drove through, it was time for us to head back.

Our entrance back into the United States went much smoother than our entrance to Canada. The guy was really nice and funny! He let us through without a problem. Ironically, Christopher's great aunt and uncle and Angela and Amy were two cars behind us and actually went to the same customs guy. He remembered us when they went through! We had a great trip to Canada and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, even though we had no real plan!! It was great!

On our way back to Lake Placid, we made a little side stop at the North Pole! Christopher suprised me and took me to the North Pole! I was very excited! This is a real place with even a real US Postal Office!! I was so happy to go there!!

We have finally arrived back in North Carolina. We drove Friday for 17 hours and made it back to Greenville around 2:30 am Saturday morning! We all seemed to have a great time, just a little tired!! It was a great trip and i am so glad that i got to go!! We had a blast!! We are all now just trying to recover from a very long day of driving!

P.S. We are still going to continue to update this page with other interesting things that Christopher and I find ourselves doing! So, stayed tuned for more blogs to come!

COLD!!!!!!!

2008-01-02T22:22:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while since we've written. Let's just say we've been busy in the snow!! We have received lots and lots of snow! Yesterday we were suppose to go Cross Country Skiing, however, when we got out on the roads, we quickly discovered that the roads had not yet been cleared, therefore, we went right back to the cabin. Instead, we spent a the morning working out in the snow. We had lots of fun out in the snow! We knocked down some huge snow mounds and made snow angels in the thick snow! Christopher made a Polar Hut out one of the snow mounds!

That night we had dinner with Chris' great aunt and uncle and had Christmas!

Today, we got up ready to spend another day out on the slopes! As we got ready to leave, we watched the temperature continually drop outside. By the time we made it to the slopes, the temperature was between 6-8 degrees, with a windchill of around -15. To say the least it was cold!! I decided to join Chris in trying down hill skiing. Angela has mastered snowboarding, so she continued snowboarding. We got out on the slopes and immediately realized how cold it really was outside! We were only able to go down a few times before we had to come in a get warm before going back outside again. I've decided I enjoy skiing much better than snowboarding. Unlike the other day, I only fell down twice. When I was snowboarding i fell down twice every 30 seconds. Christopher was very patient in teaching me how to ski. I was able to successfully go down several slopes without ever falling!! Christopher really seems to be enjoying his new skis!! Angela is doing an amazing job on the snowboard!!

On our way home, Chris' dad looked down at the temperature and the thermometer read 1 degree. The temperature is continually dropping!! Right now, the temperature is -9. I'm pretty sure, i will not be complaining quite as much about the temperature in North Carolina anymore!! We are all pretty tired and worn out from a very cold and exciting day!! Tomorrow we plan on driving to Montreal, Canada!! I am very excited, because i've never been to Canada before!! I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!!

P.S. We are still popping Ibuprofen!!!!

SNOW SNOW SNOW!!!

2008-01-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Just a quick comment before we head out for some cross country skiing. When we woke up the forecast has changed drastically. Now the forecast has us getting 3-5 inches of snow before noon and 8-10 inches from noon to midnight! Let's just say it's coming down out there now, and it's only going to double! Looks like it's going to be a short day on the cross country trails, but with how sore this crowd is after yesterday, the rest will be nice!

Now to find the ibuprofen...

Snowboarding!!

2008-01-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

Today we finally made it out to Whiteface for some skiing and snowboarding. It was Carrie's first attempt at snowboarding, so she, Angela and Amy took some lessons and seemed to have a great time! The weather has been cold all day, around 20-25, and constant snow this morning. We woke up to about 5 inches of fresh snow, which of course meant we had to dig the car out so we could go.

The girls did a great job in their lesson, once something clicked with Angela she seemed to be able to do it pretty well and was then able to give Carrie and Amy some pointers that their instructor forgot to point out which seemed to help them a great deal. I have to say, I got quite the entertainment out of going on a run with Carrie and Angela and the interesting rituals snowboarders have, for example, after they would fall, they would each grab a handful of snow and eat it before starting their next 20 yard decent to find more snow to eat. This was the first time I was able to ski on my brand new skis I got for Christmas and they were wonderful!!! Truly a great Christmas present to go along with the boots I got last year.

After we hobbled back from the mountain with all of their sore muscles and took the shuttle back to Lake Placid, we sat around the cabin for a little bit before heading out to some First Night festivities in Saranac Lake. When we got there we discovered to go inside and hear any of the concerts going on you had to purchase a button for 10 bucks and since it was already after 10 we thought it would be pointless so we headed back to Lake Placid to get a pizza from our favorite place, Mr Mike's. Just before midnight we headed back to Saranac Lake and saw them drop the snow flake and enjoyed a fireworks display that seemed to go on forever. Even though they lasted only 20 mins, when the temperatures are in the lower 20's without the windchill, it's long!

Later I'll get Carrie to blog a little about her experience snowboarding, but for now, we are worn out! Happy New Years!

Cross Country Skiing!!

2007-12-30T23:07:00.000-05:00

Well, this morning started off nice and relaxing. We took the morning to sleep in and get some much needed rest. However, we had decided that this afternoon we would go cross country skiing. By the time we all got together and got all our equipment it had started getting later in the afternoon, so we decided to go to a baseball field close by to do our cross country skiing. Our first lesson began at the cabin. We figured it would be a good idea to begin close by, since Amy and I had never cross country skied before. Let's just say it was an experience!! After we all bundled up nice and warm, we went outside to learn how to even put on the skis. Christopher and Angela were very patient with Amy and I as we learned how to put on the skis. Once we got the skis on, the next thing was to learn how to move in the skis. Lets just say that my first move resulted in me falling backwards on my behind! Therefore, the next lesson was on how to get up off the ground after falling. Let's just say it took a while for me to get up, however by the end of the day i was a pro! :) Once i was up on my feet again we tried again, but we quickly learned that the yard was not as flat as we thought, and before i knew it I was on the ground again because i was afraid i was about to go down a small hill into the woods. We then decided maybe it was a good idea to go ahead over to baseball field to do some skiing.

When we got over to the field, i was impressed because i was immediately able to put on my skis. I had passed the first test! :) We began to venture out around the field. Christopher went out and laid tracks for us around the field so it would be easier for us to ski. While he was doing this, his dad gave us more lessons on how to move on the skis.

We made several rounds around the field. It was a lot of fun, but it sure was a workout! Let's just say, i got hot, even though we were in freezing temperatures. We then decided to go down a small hill that Angela had already ventured out on before us. I first watched Angela and Christopher go down the hill, and then decided to join them. Going up the hill was an adventure, and of course, i fell down. But when i got up there, i felt ready to go. However, little did i realize, that i had never asked how to stop when going down the hill. So here i go, flying down this small hill, with no way of knowing how to stop. I yelled to Christopher what should i do, and he responded "STOP!" Too bad, i didn't know how! Therefore, i did the only thing i knew to do, fall on my behind!! It was an adventure, that left me laughing so hard, i had tears falling down my face!! To say the least, cross country skiing was definitely an adventure, but it sure was fun!!

When we got back to the cabin, we were about to go in when Christopher spotted a sled outside our door. We quickly decided to have some more fun in the snow since we were already dressed for it! Angela, Christopher and I did some sledding, while Amy photographed the comedic scene! We had a blast, especially between Christopher sledding into a tree and Angela getting stuck between two trees!! And of course, there was a good old fashion snow fight, which resulted in Christopher throwing FREEZING snow in my face!!! To say the least, it was a great, but tiring day!!

This evening, we were suppose to go to a ski jumping competition, however, when we got there, nobody was there. So, we decided to go to a scrimmage game of women hockey players who are trying out for the Women's USA Olympic hockey team!! We had a lot of fun! The game went into overtime and then ended in a shoot out! It was a great game!!

Today has definitely been a very exciting and fun day!! We had a lot of fun doing a bunch of different things. However, I'm sure tomorrow is going to be even crazier. The girls are going to take snow boarding lessons, while the guys go down hill skiing. I can't wait!

Rain!

2007-12-29T22:42:00.000-05:00

The original plan for the day was to head out and do some cross country skiing, however the weather had other plans. When we woke up this morning there was a mix of rain and sleet which caused for a change of plans. We drove over to Saranac Lake with my sister and Amy and drove around Flower Lake.

Then when we got back we headed over to the Olympic Center for some ice skating. Angela had taken lessons for her senior project so even though we had all skated before, she was able to give us pointers and we all had a great time.

Here is a video of one of Carrie's lessons, skating backwards.

The rink we skated on was the rink the 1932 Olympics was held on. Also in the building was the rink where the 1980 figure skating events were held as well as the rink where the 1980 Miracle on Ice happened. (When the US beat the Soviet Union in the semi-finals and went on to win the gold medal with a bunch of college kids). Here is a picture of Carrie and I in the "Herb Brooks Arena", the arena the US won in, named after their head coach.
So even though the original plans were foiled it turned out to be a great day with a couple of history lessons! Now the cross country skiing has been moved to tomorrow and the weather forecast looks much better!

We Made It!!!

2007-12-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

We finally made it here last night around 9ish. After two days of traveling, we arrived at a winter wonderland!! On Wednesday, we left North Carolina to head up to the D.C. area to visit Chris' great aunt. We had dinner with his great aunt and then went to our hotel to get some rest before the next day's long drive!
We left the hotel around 7 am (we, the girls, were actually ready on time, every one was suprised, but we knew we could do it!). We spotted our first snow right outside of Maryland! At first, it was just random spots on the side of the road. But as we drove into New York we started seeing more and more snow!! I was so excited to finally see some snow! When we got to Albany, you could tell it had snowed there that day! It was so pretty!!

We were all so happy to arrive at the cabin at Lake Placid! This morning we got up and toured around the area. I went with Chris and his Dad around that area a bit and they told me some of the history of the area. This afternoon, we went out with Chris' sister Angela and her friend Amy to do some more touring.

We visited the Olympic Training Center. This is where many Olympic athletics come and train. We think some of them are here now training for the '08 summer olympics. We then drove past the Ski Jump competition. Next we went to the site where they hold the Bobsled and Ski competitions for the Olympics. We walked up to the Bobsled area and watched them give some rides. It was really cool. We also went inside and took some fun pictures with a bobsled.

We drove by the arena where they held the hockey and figure skating competitions for the Olympics. Also, in the front of the High School, there is an oval shaped ice skating rink. This is where the speed skating events were held. We've had a great, relaxing day! It's been nice to just take it easy and learn some stuff about the area. I am definitely loving being up here! It's amazing!