Are you being naughty or nice?

Can't wait to see everyone next week! Last weekend we had a nice visit with the Mercks, Waters, and Carol & Joe. Daisy and Rico miss Allie and are excited about visiting Prosperity for Christmas. Here are a few photos that Carol emailed me, and she says more are forthcoming. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Elf Yourself

Hey guys i hope ya'll enjoyed mine and Jared's christmas card. if you watch it until the end you can make you own!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Go to This Website

This is really cool. See everyone at Christmas!\ http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1122283136

Just an update

Apparently I have failed to inform everyone that my start date with my job was changed from Nov. 19 to Dec. 3rd.(Sorry, Charlotte!) Therefore, I'm starting this coming Monday. Pray for us. I'm excited but just getting a little nostalgic about leaving Allie. I know she'll be fine; I just hope I will. I got all my Christmas shopping done, presents wrapped, and house decorated so I'm all set. I got Allie's birthday shopping done too. On that note, we are having a party for Allie on Saturday, December 29th at 3:00 at the church fellowship--just cake and ice cream. You don't have to bring any gifts but if you want to--I'm trying to scale down on toys. Allie has no puzzles--just an idea. Pajamas are always good, too or even just money or gift cards (Target, Walmart, Babies R' Us, Toys R' Us, etc.) I hope you all can come--that's the most important thing--the "presence" of family. Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. I love you all! Happy Holidays!

Today, the fruitcakes made the annual Bedenbaugh fruitcake. I know you all are looking forward to having a piece:). I was the official nutchopper, so if they do not turn out right, I am sure it will be because the nuts were too fine! I took out all my frustrations on the chopper and I did end up with some nut dust. Grandmama worked very hard (on the crossword puzzle) while the action was taking place. She did add her wisdom, though. Taylor and Uncle Johnnie were hard at work with the TV.

Giving Thanks

Scott and I will be staying in Bluffton for Thanksgiving so that he can work as much as possible. We are planning a big turkey dinner, with several friends joining us. We were happy to hear from Scott's mom today that she and Joe will be in Bluffton for the weekend, so we are looking forward to seeing them, too. They have been bitten by the Sun City bug and are returning to look at houses! I know you will be surprised to hear this, but I can get somewhat emotional sometimes. So instead of trying to say an impromptu blessing on Thanksgiving, I decided to prepare ahead of time to ward off any pesky tears. I found this one online and edited it slightly. Maybe you will want to pray it, too.

Lord, today we are truly thankful for so many things.

You have blessed us in so many ways.

We thank You for this wonderful country we live in

and for all its many heroes, past and present.

We thank You for our wonderful families and friends;

they are our greatest blessings.

Thank You for the creatures of the earth, air, and sea;

they teach us so much -

unconditional love, loyalty, and understanding.

We ask you that all who suffer with illness

have this day free from pain.

Thank You for all who have tables filled

with food and someone to share it with.

And for those that have no family or food,

we ask that You comfort them.

We thank You for the time we had with loved ones

who have gone on to be with You;

they will always be loved and greatly missed.

Thank You for allowing us to have love

and understanding in our hearts.

These many blessings make our humble lives happy and fulfilled.

Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Allie

Hello again! Well, the weekend is almost over. They go by so fast. We got our Christmas tree up. Allie loves it! I tried posting some pictures--I hope it works. If you see no pictures, I'll try again later. Happy Thanksgiving!

Nerds, unite!

Tonight my little scholar was inducted into the Technical College of the Lowcountry's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, which is the two-year college version of Phi Beta Kappa. Scott has been very dedicated to his academic career this time around, and I am very proud of him. The plan is to finish his Associate's Degree next summer, then enroll in USC Beaufort in the fall. I would like to to back to school one day, but maybe I will concentrate on my dream of becoming an international ballroom dance competitor instead.

Mountain trip and update

Hey everybody! Hope everyone's doing well. We went to Pigeon Forge last weekend with Brad's parents and Bobby, Leanne, and the kids. We had a great time. Brad, Loren, Brett, and I went horseback riding on a 3-mile mountainous trail. It was great! I had some scary moments considering my horse decided to gallop as fast as he could down a huge hill. I was holding on for dear life and jerking those reins as hard as I could. Everybody was laughing at me. Allie enjoyed her first mountain trip too. She did get her first real boo-boo though. She was holding onto Papa James' fingers and walking around the cabin. He let her lead the way and, of course, she went straight to the hearth, let go of his fingers, slipped and fell on the corner of the hearth and hit her chin. It scared me to death but she's okay. She just had a bad scrape. It could've been so much worse. I've been putting Neosporin on it twice a day and the scab fell off yesterday. It looks much better. I'm just glad it wasn't any worse. Mr. James actually cried when it happened. As if Allie screaming wasn't enough drama! Anyway, we're doing good and getting ready for Thanksgiving. I think we're going to go ahead and put up some Christmas decorations this weekend. Oh, one more thing, our washing machine decided to go berzerk and spray a huge puddle of water in the floor Sunday night. So today I'm waiting on a new washing machine to be delivered. Anyway, that's my life at the moment. Charlotte, have a safe and fun trip to Ohio! Hope to hear from the rest of you soon.

Hill Update

Hello, it's been a while. things have been busy. Yesterday we had flu shots - I got mine last week and the kids had their's yesterday. Glad that's over. Last weekend we traveled to Charleston with Daddy and Lynn. We have been going to the mountains but we did something different. Not being an avid history buff I just walked around the Yorktown and Fort Sumter. The kids had a great time. We will be traveling north for Thanksgiving. It was up in the air but Pete's dad has to start donating blood for his surgery and has a couple of appointments next week. The surgery isn't scheduled yet but will be after Thanksgiving as soon as the doctors can coordinate everything. It will be a quick trip for us but I'm sure the kids will have a great time. It is suppose to snow this weekend. Maybe I'll have a Kodak moment for Christmas cards- who knows. I'll keep everyone updated and have a Happy thanksgiving!

Jared's Senior Pics

This is senior night when he got his jacket. Him playing Him dancing with everybody watching. Playing the snare. Conducting The Horse. Mama takes way too many pictures.

Go FU!

I cannot believe it's been 10 years since I graduated! But, I do prefer being 32 to being 22. It was great to see so many old friends. I have been horrible about staying in touch, but it has been hard with everybody moving all the time. Finally, it seems that most of us have settled in one place for a while, so I am going to make an effort to do better.

It was amazing to see my college buds as parents, surgeons, and world travelers. I am happy that everyone is doing so well. By the way, we have a relative who also graduated with me in 1997. Miles Cliatt is Aunt Inez's grandson. We did not know each other well, but he was always close to my friend Deanna, and they are a couple now, living in Atlanta.

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting my friend Caroline and her husband, Noel, at their new home in Piedmont, just south of Greenville. They are both doctors and have been bounced around for the last ten years with school. residencies, etc., and they are happy to be settling near family. Their house is gorgeous, on a hillside, looking out through the blazing colors of the trees. I wish I had taken pictures, but we hope to go back soon to visit.

On Sunday, Scott and I worshiped at Trinity Lutheran and then had lunch with Pastor Susan Crowell and her husband and daughter. Susan is from Little Mountain, and so we had a special kinship when she was our campus minister at Furman. She has now been at Trinity since graduating from seminary and is still loving it. It was great to see Susan and Mark, and we are also going to make more of an effort to stay in touch with them.

The Furman campus was, as always, breathtaking, but I have always thought it is most glorious in the autumn. We could not have asked for better weather. It was amazing to see the changes on campus. It still looks like FU, only better. The interior renovations in the classroom buildings and library were incredible. Kids these days are spoiled rotten! High tech everything, cushioned seats, beautiful appointments all around. I also enjoyed seeing old professors - and they remembered that I am from Prosperity! Poor Scott hurt his knee last week, and I was dragging him all over creation, but he seems to be doing much better now.

One funny story - my friend Christina and her husband Dave now have a 2-year old, Will. Both being Furman grads, they calculated how much it might cost to send him to Furman one day. As a result, they have decided to degrade Furman in front of Will as much as possible! They said he needs a tshirt that says "Both of my parents went to Furman, and all I get is this lousy tshirt!" Still, we wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. Here's a little peak at my alma mater.

Sarah's Update

Hey y'all. How is everybody doing. I haven't been doing anything interesting. Band has consumed my life since about July and I am grateful that is finally over. We lost the play off game and I don't think I have ever been happier in my life. Everyone asks how I am liking high school so before anyone else does, I am not particularly fond of it. I am taking some pretty hard honors classes with a lot of older people in them. I am doing good in them they are just stressful. I got my very first piece of college mail they other day and I think I am going to frame it. Apparently I am smart enough to qualify for Washington University's (in St. Louis) University Scholars Program. That's about it for me, just band and school. I am really glad we have a blog spot, it was a great idea and now we can all keep up with each other. Well I have to take a shower before I go to Pop's birthday party so I guess I will be talking to you guys later!

Saturday!

Today, I am taking on the tasks of cleaning out the girls rooms. Let us Pray (moment of silence) Oh my goodness - Isabella is a pack rat and won't get rid of her toys from when she was three and four. She keeps complaining she doesn't have time to play but I try and explaining the older you get there is less time to play oh, great she is going to be like he father and never grow up-HAHA After about an hour of just trying to straighten up I politely asked her to leave. Everything I touched was something special, even the cracker wrappers that aren't suppose to even be in her room. Is anybody feeling my pain yet. I am escaping to the blog for Family Support. Don't all rise up at once. Karen - of everybody do you have any advise? i have even used the cold and pitiful story of other children that are parentless and homeless and definitely toyless. Trying to get them to give some of this stuff up. I will say that they don't get a lot of toys for Christmas - thank goodness I started that Santa only brings three things. I try and limit the toys through the family because my kids are happy with Barnes and Noble gift cards. Books are easier to store and clean out. I'll be going back to the torture chambers now and try and vacuum up the village of dust bunnies in Isabella's room. Ya'll have a great day and think of me in my misery of prying stuff out of underprivileged children's hands. HAHAHAHAHA Charlotte

Events in the Life of Jared

Hey All. Well just a little update on my life. Band has started winding down, I'm really excited about that. All of our competitions are over but we still have to go to these lovely play off games. Luckily we don't have to play our show we just play in the stands. I've been really busy applying to colleges. I've applied to Tulane, Clemson, and College of Charleston. If I go to Tulane of College of Charleston I want to major in Biology but if I get into Clemson I want to major in Genetics. I've also been really busy with Beta Club and Student Council. I'm Beta Club president so I have to mail out invitations to be in the Beta Club and then I have to arrange an induction and academic banquet before Thanksgiving, wish me luck. Everyone in the Wicker house is doing well. I miss you all.

-Jared

Some news???

Jared, Sarah????? Don't y'all have some news to share??? I bet you even have some pictures!

What's wrong people?

O.K. Everyone needs to do their part to make this work - Everybody is busy but it doesn't take long and it is quite painless. Get with it people and do your part. This won't work if only a few of us partake. Raise to the occassion my family members.

I got the job!

Just wanted to let everyone know--it's official! I got the job and will start November 19th. They made the salary offer today and it's good! We're excited. Allie was a beautiful flower. I have some precious pictures and I've got to figure how to post pics on here. Karen, Richie, Jared, and Sarah came by last night and there is a precious picture of Allie and Sarah. Anyway, I'll try to figure it out eventually!

Taylor wants y'all to know: I love everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was bound and determined to get a pix on this blog. For our annual Boo at the Zoo trip, Isabella was a groovy girl, Charlton a Carolina Football Player and Victoria a Carolina Cheerleader. I wanted Isabella to be Cocky but of course there was more than a little resistance:) She is 9. Yes, we were among the 10,000 people the weekend of October 20th that attended Boo at the Zoo. We have the perfect way to do it. Just ask if you need to know how not to get caught in the middle of the 10,000 people and be one of the first 15people in 10,000 to be through the gate. It's great and the kids love it. Isabella informed us that this year wasn't as fun as years past. I had to explain that it was the same as the last 5 years it was her that was changing. Well, I've had my blogger fix for know and will try and check before bed so post a comment if you read - I get excited for some reason. Charlotte

Halloween

Hey everybody! Enjoyed seeing everyone yesterday at B's party! I made a comment in reply to Charlotte's comment on my first posting and then I realized that everybody doesn't necessarily read the comments. I wanted to share that Allie is going to be a pink flower for Halloween--her first Halloween. We are just going to take her around to a couple family members' houses just to show her off. I probably let her have a blowpop. Just kidding! Just wanted to freak Aunt Marilyn out for just a minute. She thinks I'm too laidback with Allie! Whatever! Anyway, I want to know what Isabella, Charlton, Victoria, Parker, and Taylor are dressing us as! I need to learn how to do pictures on this thing. I think Charlotte and I are the official blogaholics!

B's Big Bash: the recap

B's Big Bash was a blast! Thanks to all who were able to make it to the party. It was great to see so many people who love grandmama. She had a wonderful time and enjoyed visiting with friends and family.

Late, as usual

Hey y'all! I'm just now viewing the blog. Y'all know I'm slow. Brad, Allie, and I are doing well. I think I finally have a job! I interviewed twice this week with Newberry Mental Health for a position as a school-based counselor at Newberry Middle School. I'm excited! Can y'all imagine--my skinny little white self "counseling" adolescents who are twice my size?! I can do it though. I have faith in myself and hope y'all have faith in me too. I absolutely cannot wait to see everybody tomorrow. This will be the first time in a long time that ALL of us will be under one roof. I love all of you! Allie is 10 months old today. She got her flu shot this morning and did not even flinch. She's a mess--into everything. She points and laughs out loud at people so don't take it personally if she does that to any of you, it means she likes you. She's trying to walk but would prefer to run. She's fast when it comes to crawling! Anyway, I can't wait for everybody to see her. Love you all!

Mountains

What a marvelous time we had - forunately no accidents in the car or out of the car take it as you will. Of course, something had to happen - I lost my keys. Fortunately everything worked out and Margie brought me home and I was able to get my spare pair. Margie and I had a good time - the ride was beautiful home. By the way this is Charlotte creating Marilyn's blog. Hopefully she(mama) will be able to do this on her own in the future. Can't wait to see all Sunday! Marilyn

The Hill's

I am between giving baths and checking e-mail. So these may be short, sweet and stupid, especially during the week. It feels like we run in eat, bath, sleep and start again the next day. Like all famiies with school aged children, we stay busy- times three. Between both girls in dance(different days) and Isabella and Charlton in violin(different days) and in the Spring we will throw in Soccer, hopefully Charlton and Victoria can be on the same team that Pete coaches (advantage of Irish twins and a husband that likes soccer). We stay busy on the weekends preparing for the upcoming week doing laundry and running errands. The children are doing great in school and love it- maybe not Isabella because she's getting to the age where she doesn't like to much. Watch out here comes puberty. GREAT! But she does do well in school. I am blessed that my children have Pete's brains and sometimes my personality. They truly grow up before your eyes. I can't believe Isabella is 9, Charlton 6, and Victoria 5. I know that you all stay busy also but this is a great idea. I hope to try and keep up with my blogs. This weekend we will be partying down. Isabella has three birthday parties in one Saturday. Thank goodness for small classses and togetherness. She has twin boys in her class and they are having their party with another boy in the class. Praise lord, I can knock out 3 in 1. It seems that birthday parties monopolize weekends and seem to get more and more different and elaborate. Victoria had a party last weekend at the Fair. Not being big Fair supporters I was very reluctant to let her go but she did and I stayed with her, of course. I'm not very supportive if the Fair and the fact they pack up and move around and that the rides are really safe. We did see The Refrigerator and he has aged and truly wobbles when he walks. Well I'll stop babbling for know and start washing some more clothes, bodies, floors, toilets and whatever else needs to be done. Thank goodness Pete does homework - whew! Can't wait to see everyone this weekend! The Hill's - Charlotte

B's Big Bash

Just trying to coordinate what we still need for the party. The cake has been ordered, and we have fall colored tablecloths and napkins. Suzanne is making lots of tea. We still need:

• plates
• forks
• cups
• nuts
• mints
• pitchers for serving tea & water

Let us know if you can provide any of these items. We are planning for about 100 people, although we really don't know what to expect. Gina designed and purchased the invitations that were sent to out of town guests, and Mel had it included in the church bulletin. Aren't they pretty?

Hey, y'all!

This morning during church as our pastor was preaching about Brylcream Faith (a little dab'll do ya), my mind wandered. I realized that I get regular - monthly, weekly, or even a couple of times a week - email newsletters and announcements from a lot of entities: American Institute of Architects, USGBC, HHI-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Girl Scouts, book club, Classmates.com, Sunday School, Furman, Lowcountry Young Professionals, Victoria's Secret, Linens 'n Things, Quiznos, LL Bean, and the list goes on!

My point is, I know what's on sale at Victoria's Secret, when the next Girl Scouts meeting is, Furman's football record, and Quiznos' deal of the week, but I know very little about what's going on with all of you. All I know is what gets passed through the grapevine, and I don't always listen well. And sometimes they think they tell us stuff, but they don't remember who they have and haven't told! So, why aren't we using email with our family like we do with everybody else???

I was just interrupted by my lovely husband who suggested a blog instead of emails. I think that's a pretty good idea, so let's give it a try!

I suggest that every family post on this blog once a week or so to fill in everybody about what's going on in your lives - a good grade on a test, rehearsals for a big performance, planning a vacation, growing vocabulary, a new dress at a really good price, anything just to stay connected. If there is nothing "special" going on at the moment, just say hi, or drop a line to say that you're really busy, you've eaten fast food all week, and your grass is knee high.

This should be pretty easy to use. If you received an "invitation" you are invited to be an "author," which means you can create posts. If you are commenting on a something that someone else posted, you should just "comment." New posts should be created for new subjects.

Let's give it a try. I do not have email addresses for the following people, so if you know them, send them to me so that I can add them as authors and send them an invitation.

Lili, Jamie, Charlotte, Pete, Vilai, Jared, Sarah

Looking forward to seeing everyone next weekend!

love, Ree