Jacqueline's Baptism

So this weekend marked the beginning of Jacqueline's Catholic journey. She was baptised and welcomed into the church on Saturday evening and it was a great baptism. Jacqueline was none to happy about being woken from her slumber by cold water being poured over her head but other than that, she was great. Our friends Allison and Tim are Jacqueline's Godparents and they did a great job at the ceremony! After the service, we headed out to a nice dinner with all of our family and friends. The one downside of the evening was that the eating establishment wanted to charge us $20 for bringing in an outside cake. Laura had called to make the reservations and asked if we could bring the cake and they said sure, no problem, never mentioning the said fee. However, when we got there, the manager cocked an attitude with us about the cake. Keep in mind, we brought in 23 people for dinner who all ate food and the majority had a cocktail or two. So Uncle Bubba had a little heart to heart with the manager and after a few minutes of thinking, he said he would waive the fee, this time... Needless to say, there will be no more dinners at this establishment.
We had a great time this weekend with Allison and Tim and are eagerly awaiting a return visit from Texas!

Sleeping Girls

It must have been a long day...

Happy Birthday Pie!

Today, Delainey and Jacqueline's Pie turned 52 years old! Happy Birthday Mike!

Hello Samuel!

Congrats to Mike, Erica, and Michael on the newest addition to their family. We can't wait to come down and meet the little guy!

Where did June go?

It is hard to believe that June is almost over! Let me begin by saying our thoughts and prayers go out to the Moore family on the loss of their wife, mother, and grandmother. To lose someone is tough, but to lose someone that quickly has to be the worst.

The Columbia Fam has been busy as always. Laura's Grandmother Conway came into town this week for a visit, so Laura and girls headed to Charlotte to pick her up from the airport. Delainey has been enjoying lots of swimming this week as well. She even had Annah come over and swim with her this week! While the "big" kids were swimming, Jacqueline and Liam got to hang out.

Today, Aunt Niki and Uncle Jack took us out on the boat for some riding and swimming, but none of us took a camera. Enjoy the random pictures from this week!

Happy Father's Day

So this is the first Father's Day without my Dad and the week leading up to it has been tough. For almost 29 years I was blessed with a wonderful father who would do anything in the world for his boys and his wife. Words cannot begin to express how much I loved him and how much I miss him. He taught me so much about life and just being a good person. I never saw my Dad talk down to anyone, no matter who they were. He treated everyone equally and with respect from the first time he met them. His work ethic was something you just don't see today and I am proud to call him my Dad.

Dad fought a long and very hard battle with cancer and that just showed how courageous he was. From day one when he was diagnosed, I never heard him complain about hurting or how he had been dealt a bum hand in life. He knew his remaining time was short and he wanted to to enjoy it. No doctor would ever thought he would make it 10 years, but he beat the odds. In those 10 years, he saw both of his boys graduate from college, he welcomed two daughter-in-laws into the family, and he was able to spoil one Ms. Delainey.

Delainey was his pride and joy and I know he would not have made it those last three years when the cancer came back without her. He didn't care how sick he was or how bad he was feeling, nothing was going to get his way of spoiling his little angel. In the three years he was able to spend with her, there were trips to the zoo, her first movie, going to see the circus, riding the train, going to the fair, feeding the ducks across the street, and the list could go on forever. One of the best memories I will have of my Dad and Delainey was the fair last year. Dad's cancer was beginning to spread and he was in a wheel chair whenever we had to go anywhere for a great distance. You could tell he was not feeling well that night, but for the last ride of the night, Delainey wanted to ride the merry-go-round and Dad made sure she was able too and he took all of his energy and rode right there next to her. He just beamed anytime he was around her and that night was no exception. I remember telling Laura, while we sat there watching them, I sure hope Delainey is old enough to remember this, because I know in my heart this will be the last time she will ride a merry-go-round with her Poppie.

He knew that his second grandaughter was going to be named after him and I know they met in Heaven before God sent her to be with us. When we told him that we were expecting again, he told us we were going to have to rent another grandfather, because he couldn't handle two, but I know he was looking forward to spoiling Jacqueline just as much.

Although he his no longer here with us physically, I know he will live on in our hearts forever. He was one special Dad and I am so glad he was mine. I wouldn't have traded him for the world.

We miss you Dad!!!!!!!

Snow White and the Dwarf

The snake is no more...

Well Mr. Snake made a fatal appearance this evening. Laura called me frantically at work to say that the snake was back and slithering on the back porch and went under the house. This was not good. The first thing I did when I got home was grabbed the shovel out of the garage and set it by the back door, just in case he made an appearance this evening. After a little snooping around outside, I saw no evidence of our slippery friend. Then just after dinner on the way out the door to Delainey's dance class, I heard Buddy's familar "snake" bark. I told Laura I would be right back and grabbed the shovel on the way out the back door. Sure enough, he had returned to the familiar azalea bush and the boys had him cornered again! His demise came after several good whacks with the shovel and he is no more. At least I think that was the same snake I saw on Sunday evening...

Could it be any hotter?

So we are in the middle of an early summer heat wave and it sucks! Columbia is bad enough with the humidity, but it has been 100+ for 3 days and it looks like it isn't going to end anytime soon. This past week has been pretty uneventful for the Columbia Fam. Delainey wrapped up her year in school and is looking forward to a busy summer with her Mommy and baby sister. She already has lots of plans for play dates, going to the movies, and SWIMMING!

Laura and I were able to go out Friday night for a nice dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday. We had a good time hanging out with Uncle Bubba and Aunt Niki and various other friends.

The only other big news is that Laura and I have joined a local gym in an effort to get ourselves back into shape. We will keep you posted. STAY COOL!

What are the dogs barking at???

So we had just put the girls to bed on this Sunday evening and I was getting ready to do some work in the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard Buddy the Beagle raising hell in the backyard. So I knocked on the window in an effort to get him to stop barking, but like my wife and oldest daughter, he ignored me. So out the back door I went and saw Buddy the Beagle and Tiger each standing on opposite sides of an azalea bush. So I am thinking great they have cornered a baby rabbit or something. As I approach the bush, I quickly realize that ain't no rabbit, that is a big snake! I quickly ushered the boys into the house and told Laura of the situation outside. I then headed for the garage where I grabbed a shovel and a push broom and headed back for the bush.(My thought was to use the long end of the push broom to move the snake and then whack it with the shovel). As I approached the bush this time, I heard a slight rattle. After a call to my older brother, it was determined the best way to get rid of the snake was to continue with the original plan. As soon as I got closer he darted in a hole in the ground escaping the rash of the shovel. As the snake slipped into the hole, I noticed there was no rattle, so this clever snake figured out if he moved his tail in the dry leaves, he would scare the piss out of me and he was successful. Another conference call and the decision was made to pour gas in the hole and cover it with dirt. As soon as the gas hit the hole, the snake popped back out and determined I was still there and decided the gas was a better place for him. So I covered the hole and hopefully that snake is rotting down there. As my Poppop Oliver used to say, "DAMN A SNAKE!"

The letter J

This blog is dedicated to Baby J. She needs some attention in the blog. Isn't she getting big?

To much partying at the pool!

Baby J and Uncle Patty

Baby J and her Great-Grandmother Gills