Eureka!

We have found it! As I have mentioned before, Trev and I have been looking for a place to roller blade ever since we left San Diego. We never found anyplace in Arizona, other than the parking lot of the credit union where I used to work. We tried skating on our street but the asphalt was so rough it made our eyeballs vibrate. We hoped Asheville would be different since the city is touted as one of the best places to live for outdoor activities. And guess what? We have found it! This is the Mellowdrome:

It used to belong to NASCAR's Petty racing family and now is part of the city's park system. The track is 1/3 mile around with four banked turns. In the center, there is a hockey rink, a HUGE wooden jungle gym for the kiddies, and tons of grass. To get into the track, you have to use the stairs or ramp visible on the left of this picture. FYI don't attempt the ramp while actually wearing the roller blades!

Trev and I skated on the track for a while and then we tackled the path that winds all around the rest of the park. It felt great to be back on the roller blades again. As the weather continues to get better and the days longer, we will be spending much more time wheeling around Carrier Park and the Mellowdrome!

(This was the first real sun we have had in months, so please excuse the
ridiculously white legs!)

It's a Beautiful Day!

Today was a GORGEOUS day... probably the prettiest we have seen since moving here six month ago (yep, it has already been six months!). The sky was clear, the temperature was nearly 70 degrees, there was a slight breeze and the birds were singing in the first official days of spring. We decided that despite our pile homework the day was too pretty to spend inside. So, we headed to North Asheville. This is Beaver Lake:

It's a small man-made lake in the middle of a beautiful, older community north of the downtown area. For some reason, the lake was just recently drained, so it wasn't as scenic as usual. We parked the car and walked all the way around. We were hoping to find a paved trail - we are desperate to find a place to roller blade - but found a nice dirt trail instead. We can't wait to go back a little later in the year to see all the trees full and the water back up, and to rent a canoe to take out on the lake.

After we left the lake, we drove to a mountain top community. What a view!

Hippity Hoppity

In our home, coloring eggs will always be an Easter tradition. Friday night we set up our dyeing station and set to work on 18 eggs.

I usually go for the solid colors, but Trev likes to get creative.
Here's a picture of what we call his Pepsi egg.

And here they are. A basket, or in this case a bowl, of colorful Easter eggs is sure a happy sight, isn't it? Of course, the fun doesn't end once the eggs are all dyed. Over the weekend we will have several egg hunts. We love to do it (sometimes Trev just tolerates it - he thinks I hide the eggs too hard). It's hippity hoppity fun!!

We wish you all a wonderfully blessed Easter!

Circuit Tennis

As the weather is getting nicer and nicer, Trev and I are wanting to spend more time outside. We have a great tennis court here in the complex that no one ever uses. We have spent some time on the courts, but it hasn't turned out to be much of a workout. It goes a little something like this... Trev hits the ball, I miss it, I go get the ball. I hit the ball (way out of bounds), Trev can't return it, he goes and gets it. Not much in the way of exercise! So, we have created something we call circuit tennis. Here's how it works:

• Whiff: If you miss the ball (I do this a lot), you RUN to pick it up.

• Net: If you hit the ball, but the ball hits the net (I do this a lot), you RUN and touch the back fence, then RUN to pick up the ball. Note - you are granted a reprieve if it is your serve that hits the net.

• Out of bounds: If you return a ball and it goes out of bounds (I do this a lot), you have to RUN a lap around the court.

Needless to say, I do a lot of running. But let me tell you, our game has improved drastically! Lots of running has a way of helping you focus!

Here's Trev delivering his power serve:
After an hour of hitting, swinging, and lots of running, we headed to the deck at the pool for a little rest. We basked in the sun and soaked up its warmth. We are aiming to tackle circuit tennis at least twice a week. We are going to either get into great shape or become fantastic players!

Spring is in the air!

Well, the weather is still doing some see-sawing, but the nice days are absolutely beautiful... big, clear, blue skies, clean air, and warm sunshine! We have been looking at bare tree limbs and empty flower beds for several months now, so it's great to slowly start seeing the emergence of spring. Daffodils are my favorite flower and I am happy to see them blooming all over the place both in the complex and around town. Look at this beauty!

Flowers of all kinds are blooming in the flower beds around the apartment... I don't know what this plant is, but they have such great color. They start out looking like a dark green head of cabbage. As they open up, they become bright purple.I love the pansies... they make me think of my dear friend Amanda!All the trees are getting these little buds. I can't wait for them to bust open!As the flowers and trees continue to flower and bloom, we will keep you all posted. I hope you are all starting to see and feel and little bit of spring!

5 Years and Counting

Saturday, March 1st was our 5th wedding anniversary! Sometimes, after thinking about all that has happened in the last five years, we feel like it must be closer to 10... on the other hand, we can't believe five years has come and gone so quickly. To celebrate the occasion, all we cared about was being together and being surrounded by love. So, we went to Alabama and the spent the weekend with my parents and our boys. It was wonderful! We relaxed and went out for a nice dinner, basked in the sun (it was in the 70's and it felt SO good), and had a glorious weekend. Over the last few days we have been making a little list. It includes some random facts, things that have happened, things we've learned, and things we love. I wrote some, Trev wrote some, and some we wrote together. Here it is:

1. We are both fortunate to have joined wonderful, loving families.
2. Trevor has written me 2 songs - one as a Christmas present and one for our 5th anniversary.
3. Tam is better at handling the TIVO remote (fast forwarding and rewinding) than Trev.
4. Laughter has amazing healing powers.
5. Trevor proposed after spending the night in the emergency room with Tam.
6. Trevor planned to propose on the beach after a romantic dinner at Jake's (our favorite restaurant in San Diego).
7. Our first "meeting" was at the Edward's Cinema in Mira Mesa where we stood and talked in the parking lot for 2 hours.
8. We have had 6 addresses since we met.
9. Josh Groban can make both of us cry.
10. The best New Year's Eve celebrations are spent in flannel PJs.
11. Do not remodel your kitchen anytime near the holidays.
12. We say, "I love you" many times a day.
13. We have become an uncle and aunt twice.
14. 30 year old men love toys.
15. Trevor can fall sound asleep in less than 45 seconds after crawling into bed.
16. The best Valentine's Day dinner we ever had was at Bubba Burger in Kauai.
17. 90% of the time Trevor will order (or at least seriously consider ordering) a club sandwich at a restaurant.
18. We met online.
19. Trevor makes me feel brave.
20. Hanging pictures in our house is not a fun event - Tam is particular, Trev eye balls it.
21. We could watch the movie High Fidelity every day.
22. We have lived in 4 states in 5 years.
23. Our first official date was at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
24. Any mechanical or technical equipment Tam touches will malfunction.
25. Trev can fix any malfunctioning mechanical or technical equipment.
26. Tam's favorite part of a tray of brownies is the crusty edge.
27. Trev's favorite part of a tray of brownies in the gooey middle.
28. Putting down your own wood floors can literally bring you to tears.
29. My heart still skips a beat when Trev calls or walks in the door.
30. It is possible to plan a wedding in 6 weeks.
31. Trevor does all the vacuuming.
32. I walked down the aisle to Jim Brickman's "Angel Eyes".
33. Trevor loves to sing karaoke.
34. We used to rollerblade 8 miles at least twice a week around Lake Miramar.
35. Rough housing and wrestling can lead to broken toes.
36. When a semi-truck runs over your purse on Highway 10, pretty much everything inside it turns to dust.
37. Tam is a good singer when she doesn't think anyone is listening.
38. We were nearly killed by a train on our way to the Marriott on our wedding night.
39. Tammy doesn't know how to be mean.
40. Spying on loud neighbors in the middle of the night can be very entertaining.
41. Trevor supports me in all that I do and all that I am (the good and the bad).
42. Kidney stones and all night emergency room visits STINK!
43. I love to put my finger in Trev's belly button.
44. Trev's hair can literally stand STRAIGHT UP at any length.
45. At our wedding, we danced to Sting's "One and Only Love".
46. People aren't rude to guys who are 6'3" - for 5'6" girls, it's a different story.
47. Trevor is my computer god.
48. Although we have argued, we have never had a fight or raised our voice to one another.
49. We have been trying (on and off) for 3 years to have a baby.
50. If a baby doesn't happen for us in a few more years, we will try to adopt.
51. Our wedding ceremony was interrupted by a plane fly-by.
52. We take turns sharing our day with one another every evening.
53. Tammy has over 20 ticklish spots on her body.
54. We hate carpet and have vowed to only have hard surface floors in our next house (do you know what it looks like under YOUR carpet??).
55. Trev loves to hear Tam read Dr. Seuss - especially "The Sleep Book".
56. My revenge for tickling is to stick a wet finger in Trev's ear.
57. People have asked us if we are brother and sister.
58. We love to hold hands.
59. The airport does not deliver your lost luggage to your door - you must pick it up yourself in the middle of the night.
60. For our first anniversary, Tam made a poster story about us and our love from candy bar wrappers.
61. Touching Tam's nose will make her sneeze.
62. When I come home to Tam, the rest of the world melts away.
63. Our beautiful boys give us endless unconditional love.
64. When we walked into the hotel on our wedding night (in our suit and gown), the whole lobby applauded.
65. No one changes their mind more times (or quicker) than Trev.
66. Tam has the softest skin.
67. Tam hates annoying, repetitious noises.
68. Nothing makes me happier than Tam's smile.
69. It doesn't get much better than hot chocolate in Telluride, CO.
70. Never take a golden retriever puppy home for a "trial day" unless you plan to permanently adopt him.
71. You can never have too many pictures.
72. It is not humid in North Carolina.
73. Tammy has tricked me into eating mushrooms.
74. Trevor eats mushrooms more often than he knows.
75. We experienced the 2003 San Diego Fire Storm.
76. I lost a diamond out of wedding band.
77. Tammy's an excellent cook.
78. We consider ourselves movie experts and quote them frequently.
79. Trev was electrocuted by a horse-strength hot wire while we were in Idaho - and he looked like a zombie afterward.
80. At Disneyland, we turn into 10 year olds.
81. My job is to make Tammy happy.
82. We love to take baths.
83. One day, we want to travel to Italy and Greece.
84. I jumped off a cliff on our trip to Hawaii and Trev failed to record it for prosperity.
85. Large spiders will charge after you if you try to spray them with bug killer.
86. Christmas makes us giddy.
87. One Thanksgiving, we splurged ($80 per person) and went to dinner at the Hotel del Coronado. Trev's first bite of food got stuck in his throat and he spent the rest of the time in the bathroom.
88. We love to take long walks.
89. You don't need money to be rich.
90. We are thrill ride junkies.
91. We watch Ellen DeGeneres' talk show every day.
92. We have both read all of the Harry Potter books.
93. Flicking Tam on the forehead is the quickest way to make her mad.
94. I am so proud of Trev for going back to school.
95. Sometimes, you've just gotta have Dairy Queen.
96. Eric Clapton's "You Look Wonderful Tonight" was the first song Trev ever played for me on his guitar.
97. When times are tough, you have to make your own joy.
98. Trevor is the love of my life.
99. Tammy is the love of my life.
100. We cannot wait to see what the next five years has in store!