Shopping's Never Been So Fun

Grocery shopping has taken on a whole new meaning.

My mother-in-law, Dianne, told me about this awesome grocery store here in Richmond: Ukrop's. I love this store. They emphasize produce and organic foods, but they also have the best smelling bakery I've ever stepped foot in. And the best strawberries I've EVER eaten. But the reason for this post is actually to rave about the customer service at this store. I must say it delivers Southern hospitality at its finest (yes, it still exists.)

But first let me mention that the other day I purchased nearly $40 worth of groceries there for about $20 because of valuable coupons (thanks, Dianne!) and money back for signing up to receive a Valued Customer Card.

Okay, so, as I was checking out, the kind bagger lady told me that she'd take my groceries out to the car for me. Was she for real?? I responded, "Oh, that's okay," since I'm used to doing it myself. She said, "Well, that's what we do here!" Great! So she pushed the grocery cart out to my car, chatting with me and telling me about the coupons I could find inside the store magazine I had picked up. Then she proceeded to unload my groceries into the car for me and wish me a good day. Made for a lovely shopping experience I must say, especially since grocery shopping typically isn't noteworthy.

Ukrop's Web site is really awesome, too. It features recipes, coupons, store sales alerts, and a tool to build your own shopping list.

And to top it all off, Ukrop's is closed on Sundays (so I heard!) :) Hardly ever see that anymore. I think I've found my new shopping mecca.

And by the way, we absolutely love Richmond so far. Ukrop's is just one of its fine selling points. ;)

Welcome, Madelyn!

We want to welcome a gorgeous new niece into the family. Madelyn Necia Blake was born to Nick and Martha (Mike's sister) on March 8. She is so sweet and beautiful, and we're so happy Aaron will have a new little cousin to play with.

So glad you're here, Madelyn, and congrats to both Uncle Nick and Auntie Martha! ;) And a happy birthday to Martha on Saturday. Hope it's a good one!!

Thanks to Wayne & Dianne for providing the picture!

Our Dream Car :)

Yes, it's true. We did the inevitable and bought a mini van. Never really considered myself the mini-van "type", but hey, life surprises you sometimes.

We love the roominess of the vehicle, and Mike especially likes the stow-n-go seats in the back row. I think he has visions of going camping in the van at some later date (have fun!) ;) and of using the extra space to haul his bike.

One might wonder: Why buy a mini van when there are just three people involved? I asked myself this same question. We figured it was a practical purchase, and we hope this car will last us a good long time. Plenty of room to grow! It's a 2003 with low miles -- that's our kinda deal. And with a Honda, you can't go wrong. That's my philosophy on cars, anyway!

Mike sold his car before we left Oregon, so buying a new one was our first order of business here. Glad it's done! Kudos to Mike for finding us a good deal.

Here's to many happy travels in the kid cruiser! Aaron has the entire back of the van to himself ... for now anyway. ;)

Oh, I'm such a mini-van mom now!!

On a side note, both my older brother and sister own white mini vans as well. Just stickin' with Stathis tradition. :) Just kidding. This was not planned. Astonishing, I know. We're going to have quite the fleet now!

Friends for Life

Here are some pictures taken at a party we attended just before leaving Roseburg. This was the third "Baby Fest", this time at Heather and David Littlejohn's house. It was a fun evening, although sad to say goodbye to so many sweet couples and their darling babes.

The top photo is of the six babies; the middle is of the whole gang - parents and babes; the bottom is of Aaron with his buddy, Owen.

By the way, I grabbed these pics from Owen's blog. Thanks Evan & Andrea! :)

Made It!

Just a quick update to let everyone know we arrived safely in Virginia. We're so happy to be here. It's already been so nice to spend time with family. Of course, we miss all of our Roseburg friends!!

We want to thank the many people who helped us move by providing boxes, packing tape, packing paper, babysitting, help packing, and invitations to dinner. Thank you for making it easier and lightening our load. Also, a big THANKS to the Oshita family for allowing us to stay at their home (the beautiful Hotel Oshita) during the interim. We couldn't have done it without the selfless help and kindness of all the WONDERFUL people in Roseburg! Thank you so very much! We love you.

We officially move into our new place on Saturday. Wish us luck! :) Oh, the joys of moving ...

Happy Birthday, Sweet Kathryn!

Kathryn is the go-to, get-it-done sister-in-law. She is totally efficient and reliable. She gave us the beautiful gift of capturing our guests on film at our wedding reception. She went around asking people for marriage advice for us. What a good idea ... who CAN'T use a little marital advice? ;) We love watching the video, remembering who was there, and laughing and smiling at the funny and loving things people said. How thoughtful of Kathryn!! We love that video and will treasure it always.

We hope you have a wonderful birthday, Kathryn! We love you so much and appreciate the wonderful sister-in-law and aunt you are to our family. You are totally sweet with Aaron! I wish we lived closer, but it's so wonderful when we do get together -- as if no time has elapsed.

We love your family, too, and consider it a wonderful honor and joy to be related!

p.s. Here's a picture of Kathryn in action at the reception. You can also get a tiny glimpse of her gorgeous daughter, Emma, our "flower girl" who did an awesome job!

Ode To My Husband (Surprise!)

First comes love


Then comes marriage


Then comes life in scenic Oregon




Then comes my pregnant belly (me with friends Mindy and Laura)


Then comes my homemade, delicious, almond-flavored birthday cake that Mike made me (he tried to re-create the fantastic flavor of our wedding cake, made by former roommate/culinary genius Jen Rybicki.) He was successful! Gotta give him points for creativity (who knew he had mad cake-making and decorating skills?) :)




Then comes Aaron :)


Stay tuned for the rest of our story ...

I love weddings, and I especially loved ours. :) Happy anniversary, Sweet! About a week early, but we'll be packing up our computer soon and en route to Virginia the day of our anniversary, so I'm posting this early.

I've made some of the greatest friends of my life in the past two years, and the greatest of them all is Mike. He is wonderful. He never ceases to amaze me with his helpfulness, kindness, forgiving nature, wisdom, and compassion toward others. I am truly thankful for him.

I love you, Mike! I look forward to many more years with you and our little crew! :)

Happy Birthday, Magnificent Melanie!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Melanie, happy birthday to you!

Happy 30-something birthday to my understanding, faithful, smart, friendly, grateful, loyal, beloved, wisecracking, compassionate sister. You are lovely!!

We love you, Melanie! Thank you for being a sweet sister, a fantastic mom (why do you think I'm constantly calling you for mothering advice?) :), and a wonderful aunt. I love being your sister. Thank you, as well, for raising sweet, beautiful, fun, intelligent girls whom we love and adore so much. We love (brainiac) Uncle Mike, too!

Hope you have a great day! May the sun shine on you in upstate NY today!

Here's a picture of Aaron with Mel's youngest, darling Lucia (love that hair!), and her look-alike Cabbage Patch doll. ;) Taken at our parents' house in Virginia.

Rolly-polly Aaron

He rolls!!! Can you tell we're first-time parents? :) Mike came home for lunch today and filmed a little rolling action. We were pretty excited. Oh, the little things that make us smile!

Twins for a Day (Or a Few Hours, Anyway)

Yesterday I caught a small glimpse of what it'd be like to have twins. I watched Sophie, the daughter of our friends Mia and Carl, while they went bike riding with Mike (I could never keep up with them, so I stayed behind with the babes.) The two little ones were so cute together and, interestingly, appeared happiest just laying by each others' side. That doesn't mean I'd wish for twins EVER, but it was fun for a few hours (they're serious riders.) :) I think it was fun for Aaron, as well, to chill out with someone his own age for a bit.

Then later that evening the Schreiners came back, and we enjoyed Chinese food together. It's so fun having such great friends. Love you guys!

In the second picture, Aaron is about six weeks old and Sophie, two. My how they've grown and changed! (Aaron is five months old today, by the way. Time's a flyin'.)

Mia actually is a twin, so she really could have twins someday :), seeing how it's in her genes and all ... ;)