HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

This year Brad and I decided to bring a little "Wizard of Oz" to Greenville, SC for Halloween and dress up as Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of The West! We first volunteered to help out at the Kidz Karnival at our church, where Brad was definitely a site for all the kids. Most of the kids would see me and come up to say hello and then Brad would appear - most didn't know whether to be scared and run or come talk to the guy in drag! There were a few kids that were just fascinated with Brad and really thought he was the Wicked Witch - they spent most of the carnival following him around. Anyhow, it was really fun to spend time with the kids and help out our church. We spent the rest of the evening at another Halloween party that was thrown by one of the resident's that Brad works with at the hospital. All together - it was a pretty "spooktacular" day (sorry, I couldn't resist)!!

Colorful Fall in South Carolina

Just wanted to post some pictures of the beautiful fall colors from South Carolina. Brad and I took a drive this afternoon just outside of Greenville to capture some of the fall colors before all the leaves fell!

Atlanta & U2

We recently headed down to Atlanta, GA to see U2 in concert at the Georgia Dome. It was a great show - fantastic opening band (MUSE), awesome stage set-up and classic U2 music! We spent most of the show in front of the stage watching Bono and The Edge and the rest of the band put on an unbelievable concert.

12 Week Update

First, we want to say THANK YOU to all our family and friends for their well wishes and prayers since the announcement of Mariam's pregnancy - we LOVE you all! Today was our second doctor's appointment to check on the status of our little one. A brief ultrasound was done to check out the baby's heartbeat - which was good and strong (162 bpm)! We are amazed to see how much of a change has occurred from our first ultrasound 4 weeks ago to now - although Mariam is not much bigger...we are still waiting for a decent bump to show up!! In the meantime, here is the latest picture of Baby Clark and a snapshot of Mariam's belly!

SURPRISE!!!

Some of you may have already heard, but WE ARE EXPECTING!!! The video above is something we put together to share the news with our families and friends (turn up sound).

Today was our first ultrasound and below is the first picture of Baby Clark (8wks). It is truly amazing to see and hear your baby for the first time - we feel truly blessed with this new addition to our lives and cannot wait for April 15, 2010. We ask for all your prayers and blessings over the coming months and we promise to keep you all updated on our progress.

Midnight Beatdown

Anyone who has ever shared a bed with someone knows that having a large bed does not translate into having your own space.  Lets face it, you're sleeping and not really thinking about how you toss or turn.  Sometimes, though, things can get a little out of hand.

Last night I came to bed after watching Conan O'Brian, Mariam was already asleep.  I crawled into bed trying not to awake my peaceful bride and settled in for a good sleep.  After some minor jostling on my part, I found a comfortable position on my back and fell asleep.  In the middle of a dream about eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from a tree . . . WHAM!  I was struck in the face with a devastating right hook.  I awoke immediately thinking I was under attack only to find a comatose right arm pinning me to the mattress.  This might not sound all that bad, Mariam is very petite and hey. . . she's cuddling me.  Well let me assure you that when this black-haired sprite has you in something resembling a sleeper hold, you're not going anywhere until she decides you are.  After moving her arm ever so slightly to regain my airway I decided to not test my luck and wait for her to move on her own.  Now, I think I figured something out in this whole event, you ladies correct me if I'm wrong.  This seems like a perfectly good way to take out your frustrations on us guys for the multitude of idiot things we say and do, all while maintaining your innocence.  You also throw that cuddle in after the crime was committed so we can't get mad. . . tricky.  Well I'm onto your game and I will be sleeping with one eye open

Ciao Italia!

Well, Brad and I just returned from an awesome vacation in Italy!  We decided to visit three different areas of Southern Italy: we flew into Rome, where we rented a car and drove to Cortona which is in the middle of Tuscany (you may remember Cortona, Italy as the main city in the movie "Under The Tuscan Sun").  While in Cortona, we took several day trips: one to Montalcino in the heart of the Brunello wine country and the other to Siena, Italy.  After some time in Cortona, we headed back south to the Amalfi coast where we stayed in Sorrento.  The highlight of being in Sorrento was our spur of the moment decision to rent a speed boat and travel around the island of Capri (just beautiful)!!  Finally, we ended our trip by driving back to Rome and spending the final leg of our time in Italy where we saw the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, The Vatican (Sistine Chapel and all), Pantheon and just about every Piazza in the city.  We feel truly blessed to have been able to take this trip and have posted all our pics in our photo gallery (see link to the right).