He's Here!!!

That's right, last night at 7:10pm, a little 7lb. 7oz. Charles Elliot was born!

So proud Aunt Mary is beaming over her new nephew.

I'll just go ahead and say it, I think Lindley and Chad just need to keep re-producing, because little Charlie (just like Luke!) is a beautiful beautiful baby! (Not what Lindley wanted to hear today when I told her, haha)

We got to the hospital last night, probably RIGHT as baby Charlie was being born! So my parents and I made phone calls, texts, etc. to family and friends. And then we waited with Luke to meet his little brother. (Luke was keeping us all entertained in the waiting room and in the courtyard...of course!)

Oh so worth the wait. Mimi got to hold him first, and then Grandpa and then OF COURSE Aunt Mary was itching to get her hands on that little bundle of adorable-ness!

Luke was very curious about his little brother, so he and Buddy (his stuffed giraffe) checked him out a few times. "Baby Charlie is crying!" Luke announced. So we asked "What do you say to him when he's crying?" He smiled "It's okay baby Charlie" so he came over and gazed him a little more, still not quite comprehending the whole situation, but it was cute anyways!

Lindley was trying to hang in there...took some anti-nausea meds so I think we were just giant blurs to her. But happy to see her looking full of color today holding her precious new baby.

So proud Aunt Mary now has two AMAZING nephews who I am in love with! I'm sure I will have more cute stories to come, just wanted to share the excitement with everybody!

I love you baby Charlie and can't wait to see you grow up! And of course, Luker Pooker, I can't wait to see you continue to grow up and become a wonderful big brother!

Letter to Me...

Here was my inspiration for this blog...a song by Brad Paisley called "Letter to Me"

If I could write a letter to me
And send it back in time to myself at 17
First I'd prove it's me by saying look under your bedT
here's a Skoal can and a Playboy no one else would know you hid
And then I'd say I know its tough
When you break up after seven months
And yeah I know you really liked her and it just don't seem fair
All I can say is pain like that is fast and it's rare...

_____________________________________________________________________________

Dear Mary,

This may seem odd, but this is a letter from you, 8 years from now. I will prove that it’s really you/me…look under your bed for the brown journal. Yeah, that’s the one-where you have pictures about all of your friends and you write about them, who they like, what they do that annoys you and your favorite things about them.

You are going to have a lot of things to deal with in your future years. Don’t be so shy, approach guys with confidence…actually, just approach them! Speak up more in class, especially in English. You have a talent, you just need to fine-tune it, even if Henderson is hard to deal with…

Try some new things! You will love doing a musical if you try, trust me. You will make friends, spend more time with your current friends and open yourself up a little…I know, you being on stage is scary!

Work extra hard for Mrs. McKinney, she has always seen the best in you and your friends, and believe it or not you WILL need Spanish. Plus, she’s older now and her husband might not be around for much longer.

When it’s raining, be careful driving and don’t slam on your brakes-especially if Sarah is following you! Take better care of your car-especially when you get to college! (Watch out for red paint-make sure it’s closed!)

Don’t stress about small things. They will work out. Also, don’t worry about what people think so much-have fun and enjoy your time in high school. Open your mind and don’t be too judgmental-you have good instincts about people and situations, so just let that be your guide. Your friends will meet a group of older guys-don’t be afraid to talk to Brook, he actually turns out to be one of your good friends!

When you go to Europe with the class, don’t let anybody ruin your good time. Take pictures, have fun, be goofy. And speaking of Europe, keep in touch with Eva for years to come…you have a wonderful friendship with her.

When you go on your first date with Matt, relax, his ex-girlfriend will NOT beat the crap out of you no matter what you heard in homeroom and in the girls bathroom.

Don’t chug straight from the bottle of champagne at Christmas formal-your head will hurt the next day…

You and Matt will date for a few months. On your 18th birthday, make sure Patrick doesn’t have that beer in the car when you get in. Actually, that made for a pretty good story-although at the time it was terrifying. That relationship will open you up to other people in school-you have probably misjudged them as they have you. They will finally get to see the real you.

Value your relationships. I hate to tell you, but a lot of your friendships that you thought would last forever barely withstand college. And when you get to college, don’t hold back. It’s a new start for you.

Don’t laugh at the possibility of keeping in touch with Jason when you meet him on your senior trip. I can tell you that even now, you still keep in touch and have had some wonderful memories with him, his sister and their friends.

You will end up at Penn State and love it! Soak it all in, experience everything. But don’t fall so hard for one of the first guys you meet. He’ll only mess with your head the entire time you are there...

Go to your classes—yes, even the early ones!

You will be in for a very tough day your first semester-a world changing event will take place in September. Your loved ones will be safe, but never lose sight of the events of that day. It will make you incredibly homesick, not having anybody close to you there, but you will find friends quickly.

Freshman year-do yourself a favor-the week before finals, either skip the rugby party or don’t let your friends leave you. This decision could affect the rest of your life and your outlook on it. If you make the same decisions-your family and friends are there for you, so utilize them for advice and consoling.

You will end up leaving Penn State and it will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. But you are successful at Memphis and meet some new friends, even though it takes you a while. You will lose a very close friend due to an argument, and it will have a major impact on not only your relationship with her, but will stretch far beyond that. Hold your ground and be thankful that you parents love and trust you. It’s a rough transition when you move home-but don’t be discouraged-you persevere and come back into your own during your senior year.

Spend more time with Mimi, Daddy Hully and Uncle Robert any chance you can. Learn from them, learn about them. You don’t have much longer to seize the opportunity to do so.

Also, love on Taffy whenever you can…because she leaves you much too early…

You will live a great life, so don’t let the bad days throw you off. I can tell you now, 8 years ahead of you, that you have a degree, a job, and an amazing family that now includes 2 nephews (well, #2 is coming any day now!). Your friends are getting married, having babies and managing to lead their own lives. Take the chance to spend time with them whenever you can. You have some amazing friends who support you in all you do-they even come to celebrate with you when you graduate.

People might not know it,
But you pretty much kick ass…

Love,
Mary (the quarter century edition)

T-I-G-E-R-S TIGERS!!!!

Soooo, as many of you know, my sports loyalties normally are with Penn State-especially if you know me or read my blogs from the football season...

Well, when basketball season rolls around, it's quite a different story! My Memphis Tigers have had a great past few seasons-and a wonderful history, but there was just something different about this season-and the city has felt it all year long. After an almost perfect season (the loss to Tennessee...my hatred for Tennessee does not stop with football people...heck, it even carries to women's fencing!) the Memphis Tigers are playing in the 2008 Championship game tonight in San Antonio, TX! I mean, hello-we have the best record in a single season, 38 wins!!

This is the first time the Tigers have been to the Championship game since 1973! I was negative 10 years old people! This is a huge deal, and while there has been a lot of "bandwagon" behavior around the city recently, the entire city of Memphis is full of energy. One of the best articles I have read on the team deals with the reputation that the Memphis players have...when they really are good kids, who sometimes make mistakes...it's a MUST read: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/apr/04/cal-look-deep-when-considering-my-team/

Sooo Saturday was the Final Four game vs. UCLA...and I headed to my parents to watch the game. So I had to stop and pick up a few things at the grocery store for my sausage plate (mmmm, I'm hungry!). Well I figured it would be crowded...but it was jam packed! I was on the phone with my friend Jen and I was just like, "This is absolutely amazing! There must be over a hundred people in here right now and I'd say at least every 4 out of 5 people are wearing a Tigers shirt!" There were Tiger and basketball balloons, everybody was getting beer and chips and just general party food! I'm grabbing beer out of the cooler and I get "Go Tigers!" from some guy passing by. If there was anything to get me pumped about the game, my trip to Kroger certainly did it! Every worker in Kroger even had on their Tiger blue.

Well, lots of food and Tiger spirit...and an AMAZING game that Memphis won 78-63! Lots of excitement at my parents house! The best was when I said "How about a Memphis alumni picture?" My mom says "Well that's just Nick and Shelly!" Really Mom? Cause PRETTY sure I graduated from there in May!! Hahaha

So Andy and I headed to the Sports Pub for the second game, to see who Memphis would be facing. Talk about a great environment-the best part was Kyle playing "Eye of the Tiger" and "Walkin in Memphis" back to back every few minutes-it really couldn't get much better! But maybe it will...

Tonight is the night. Tip-off at 8:20 CT, I will be heading to the bar immediately after work to secure a seat! Memphis vs. Kansas!

Jayhawks beware, we're comin for ya...

GOOOOOOO TIGERS!!!