A Day in the Life of the Moore's...

Last Day in DC

2011-07-17T07:29:00.002-05:00

So Saturday was it. The last day. Trying to cram in all of that stuff that we hadn't done yet. This is impossible to see with just two people, much less 6 and 3 of those being kids. But...we had to try. We will call this Memorial Day. We went first to the Washington Monument. We didn't get to go up in it because tickets were sold out until sometime in August unless you get there early in the morning to get tickets for the day and that just wasn't going to happen.

We then headed to the World War II Memorial. This was cool because there were several veterans there and most were in wheelchairs and we took the kids up to their group and shook their hands and thanked them for their service to our country. I think it was special for them and us both.

Then we headed to the Korean War Memorial. This was special because both of our Dad's fought in this war. Pretty special indeed and a neat memorial to go to.

Next up was the Wall at the Vietnam War Memorial. Kind of surreal seeing all of the names of those that gave their lives up for our country in that war. Goose bump kind of thing...

We kind of ended the Memorial swoop with the Lincoln Memorial. This is a neat monument and one that is special to Riley since he has done a project in school on Abraham Lincoln. It has a great view back towards the US Capitol but the only bummer was that the reflecting pool was drained and being worked on so that kind of took a bit of the beauty of the view away but it was still pretty amazing. We were going to have April run out thru the water shouting "Forrest, Forrest" and I was going to be standing on the steps going "Jenny...". But it just wasn't meant to be. Sigh. The good thing was that I was able to represent my family and all of Tennessee by being in as many random family photos that I could sneak into. Now I didn't pose with them but I just "happened" to be in the background of anyone I could find that was taking a picture. A "Where's Waldo?" event if you will.

So at this point we were monumented out so we headed to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. What was our first stop once we got there? Yep. McDonald's. Had to feed the beast. Or as we like to call him...Riley. We then meandered around and saw a Moon rock and a Space Monkey and lots and lots of planes and then saw a 3D IMax movie about planes.

So at this point we had all pretty much given all we had to give and headed home. All the stuff we didn't get to will just have to wait till the next time we come here. Just between you and me, I don't think Josie is going to remember any of this....

Today's pics:

Day 7 - Baltimore

2011-07-16T08:35:00.002-05:00

So we had a slow start to the day and finally kicked our tails into gear around lunch time. We've been going pretty hard every day so it was nice to kind of recharge our batteries. We headed off to Baltimore and let me just say that the traffic up here is HORRIBLE! I'm not gonna complain about Nashville traffic any after this. It took us a couple of hours to get up there when it should have taken an hour. We'd be be-bopping along and traffic would come to a stop. We'd go slow for a while expecting to finally get up to where the wreck was only to never get to the any such wreck. Traffic would simply pick back up. I hate that. If I have to sit in traffic like that I want to see something that justifiably caused it. But I digress...

We get to Camden Yards and park and head off to get our tickets at Will Call. We get the tickets and head off in search of the Inner Harbor. We asked a Police Officer and a family with kids and both sent us in one direction. This direction led to the Hood. Let's just say that we were not in a very safe place to put it lightly. Finally we turned around and eventually made it to the Inner Harbor. The sucky part about that was if we had been directed correctly initially then we would have been there in like 20 minutes. But we can say that we have seen parts of Baltimore that your average bear hasn't :-)

We go to the game and had a big time. The Orioles are the worst team in the American League and they were playing the Indians. It didn't turn out well for the home team. It was close and only got beat 6-5. We had tickets in the lower level in left field but after the 2nd inning we were able to move to better seats that were still in left field but lower. Josie was a big hit. She was wearing a real cute little outfit and people were oohing and aahing over the lass. She has gotten that same reaction all week. I was glad the game was over though because I was tired of hearing Riley ask for a hot dog and nachos and cokes and a souvenir. Sigh. The boy just doesn't stop, nor does his sister. At any rate, we watched fireworks after the game and I will say that they were no where close to being as good as fireworks at the Sounds games. Kind of sad that a minor league team puts on a better show than a major league team. After the fireworks we meandered back to the car and headed home. We got home around midnight and pretty much collapsed into bed and so ended our Baltimore journey.

Enjoy the pics:

Day 6 - Mt. Vernon

2011-07-15T12:28:00.004-05:00

So Thursday. We went to Mt. Vernon. One of Cathy's friends met up with us and spent the day with us. Her name is Sara. She is a DS Special Agent. DS stands for Diplomatic Security and they handle the security for the Department of State, which includes protecting the Secretary of State as well as foreign diplomats in the states. They are also at each American Embassy around the world.

Anywho..... we headed off to Mt. Vernon and spent most of the day there. We had a good time. The actual Museum and Education Center is better than the Mansion tour. We just got shuttled thru like cattle and frankly didn't get to learn a whole heck of a lot but it was neat anyways. A lot of of the pics of the water I post are from the back porch of Mt. Vernon overlooking the Potomac. Pretty incredible view and I can only imagine what it would have been like to live there in the late 1700's. So we left there and headed to Tysons Corner Center. This is a Mall that is ridiculously big. The reason we went was because they have an American Girl store that Laura had been jonesing to get to. She had saved her allowance and birthday money for this day. It was a huge event. After about an hour of shopping it to death she had made her acquisition. Today, Friday, she is wearing the same outfit as Julie is wearing. It is very cute. I will put the pictures up on tomorrow's version of the blog. Let me just say that Josie got an American Girl doll as well. Her name is Felicity. Yes my 5 month old has a very expensive doll. Part of me died at this place. I am admittedly weak when it comes to these girls. I just hope that they don't kill me with it over our lifetime.

So then we went to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington. Apparently President Obama went there to eat recently so it was placed on our agenda as well. The burgers were good but honestly 5 Guys makes a much better burger but it was for the experience, right?? Riley loved to say where he was eating and what he was eating...just because he got to say the word "hell" and not get into trouble.

So this pretty much ended our day. Tomorrow we go to Baltimore and go to an Orioles game. They've lost 8 in a row. We may be the only ones there. Enjoy our pics...especially the ones of Cathy eating a Hell Burger and the one of me at Mt. Vernon...

DC Day 5

2011-07-13T21:26:00.005-05:00

Today we slept in. Today is Wednesday. I think. Ya know how you lose track of days on vacation. Nonetheless (I love that word), we went swimming first thing this morning for a while and then headed out about lunch time and went and got on the Metro and rode into DC.

First stop. Library of Congress. Wow. If you like incredible architecture then this place is a must see. I must say as an avid reader I would have liked to have spent hours here and most likely by myself. It isn't real conducive for hanging out with kids but Riles and La had fun for the few hours we were there. They are having a big time though. It rained while we were in there so that was nice because it cooled things off big time.

Next stop was the National Archives. This is where the original copy of the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are on display. Pretty surreal to be viewing such important documents in our nations history. We stumbled out of there and were all hungry and walked a ways and found a Ruby Tuesday's. Praise the Lord. We were all starving. After that we headed home and got in about 9.

So let me tell this little nugget of info. First thing when we got off of the Metro at Capitol South we were waiting at a traffic signal for the Walk sign. There was a taxi that pulled up and picked someone up and kinda blocked the lane. Well the next guy in line was waiting and got stuck by the red light. This apparently irked the guy behind him and so he jerked around into the next lane and ran the red light. This flew all over me because I, along with my precious cargo, was about to cross into the crosswalk and would have had I not been paying attention. So...I yell at him "Really???" real loud. I looked to my immediate right and who is sitting there but a Washington Police car. He promptly looked at me and did a U-Turn and went and pulled the jerk over there. To say that satisfied me immensely would be an understatement. I take credit for aiding in the maintenance of public safety. There is a very good reason that I graduated from the University of Awesomeness.

So I guess that is it. No wait. Today is my Mom's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! I know you are reading this and likely the only one but alas... Tomorrow we visit Mt. Vernon and then go to the American Girl doll store. These girls are gonna be the death of me....

DC Day 3 and 4

2011-07-13T10:09:00.004-05:00

So here we go. On Day 3, Monday, we went on a US Capitol tour and then to the Senate and House Galleries. Security is pretty tight. We lost an expensive bottle of Baby sunscreen to the security policy. April is still a little bitter.... We got to see a whole bunch of famous Senators (McCain, Kerry, Franken, Lieberman, etc..,) as they got ready to "discuss" the debt ceiling / budget deal.

On Day 4, Tuesday, we went back to DC and went to "Tennessee Tuesday" with Senator Corker and Alexander. We got there in the nick of time and got to hear them speak and get our pictures taken with them. We then took a Trolley tour around the city and got off at the Smithsonian of American History and stayed in there a while. Just as a side note we were gonna eat at their cafeteria but a drink was $3 and a BBQ sandwich was $9.05. I would have gnawed off my arm and ate that before I paid those prices...so we left. By this time it was late and so we got back on the trolley and went back to Union Station and finally got back to our condo. Oh and let me say that it is hot here too...as is much of the nation. Me thinks it is supposed to be cooler the rest of the week but we shall see. Last night we went to eat and came home and C.R.A.S.H.E.D. And all was well.

For all that are wondering, Josie and the rest of the kids are doing great. I definitely suggest that you never let age of your kids get in the way of making trips and memories. They all are loving it and learning away. The next time we come back they will remember some of these things and hopefully will help develop their love and appreciation of our nation and our nations history.

Day 3:

Day 4:

I'm back!....and Day 1 and Day 2 of our D.C. Trip

2011-07-10T19:53:00.004-05:00

So I'm thinking there is no better way to get back into adding to this blog than to document our vacation to D.C. So here is what we have done so far.

Saturday we finally got on the road after leaving my girl, Bella (our Goldendoodle), at my sisters house and then hit the road. We headed east and made it to Knoxville before we had to stop for lunch. Now this won't seem as impressive to most people but then again most people aren't traveling with 3 kids, and one being 4 months old. So I was happy with how far we got. We hit the road again and headed up thru Virginia. We stopped in Somewhereville, VA at a Cracker Barrel and fed Josie and racked up on some VA Tech clearance items and hit the road. I pushed the limits with Riley and April on supper because by the time we stopped at an Arby's they were both delirious and singing weird songs that all ended in some sort of food (ok...so I'm being a little facetious here but Riley really had ramped up the whining but not April). So we ate at Arby's and finally made it to Charlottesville about 10:30 EST. Pretty much at this point we all crashed.

Day 2 we slept in. H.O.O.R.A.Y.! We finally got up about 8:30. Yes. This is sleeping in for us. If "college age Bryan" had ever thought that I would make that statement he would be very disappointed but I digress. We got up and Cathy and David (April's sister and brother-in-law) met up with us and we all headed to Monticello. I will interject here that Cathy is going on the D.C. trip with us but not David. We went to Monticello and toured there for about 3, rather warm, hours. About 3 o'clock we went to eat at a cool place called Michie Tavern. It has been in business since the late 1700's and they all serve you in Colonial attire. It was good food but to be honest we were so hungry that we would have probably eaten Michelin tires at this point. So we ate well and then got on the road and headed into D.C., specifically National Harbor, MD. We are staying at the Wyndham Resort and it is a rather swanky place and we will be spoiled for future trips. We are now heading out to eat and I am uploading some pics that I will put on here for all to see the fun we are having....

The newest Moore

2011-03-13T17:53:00.002-05:00

Mobile Blogging

2011-03-12T23:45:00.002-06:00

So this is nice. Mobile blogging. Have I found my solution to lazy blogging? We shall see....

End of the work week...

2009-03-06T18:22:00.002-06:00

So it is finally Friday. I posted on my Facebook status on Thursday that it had been a long week today. Glad its over. Of course I have to work this weekend but at least I'll be home. It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend here in Tennessee and I am definitely ready for it. Tomorrow we have a baseball practice (number 3) and our first softball practice of Laura's career... a defining moment I'm sure! At any rate we are looking forward to a nice calm weekend with Riley's sickness going away. Lord if he gets sick again anytime soon I'm afraid April will slip over the edge. I hope everyone has a groovy weekend and I will try to post some pics of the practices tomorrow.

I know... It's been a while...

2009-03-01T20:33:00.007-06:00

So I know. I'm not very good at keeping up with this blog. I am trying to get April to take it over because she is a bit more diligent but we shall see. I'm not going into a whole lot of detail in this post. I'm gonna ease back into it. Riley has completed year number two of Upward basketball and baseball/softball season is starting. Riley will be on the Storm and Laura will be a Lady Bug! I'm gonna post some of our most recent pictures and most of them are from Laura's 5th birthday party but there are a few others as well. And just so you will know, the party is a "Tinker Bell" party and all of the girls dressed up like princesses. It was a blast. I know I'm biased but Laura is just beautiful and I'm gonna be hatin' me some 15 year old boys in about 10 years...

Fall is here....

2008-09-27T11:03:00.002-05:00

It was official this past week. Fall slipped in and now the temperatures are starting to reflect it. High temperatures have been in the low 80's the past couple of days and by the end of next week I think they are supposed to be in the low 70's. I love the fall. April loves fall too but her allergies are horrible until the first frost, ergo she will be happy when that moment arrives.

Life is starting to get back to normal following my mission trip. I am enjoying every second of time I spend with the family. That is one thing that going over 5,000 miles away will make you appreciate.

April has been given the opportunity to enjoy either food poisoning or a stomach virus. We are hoping the former and not the latter because we sure don't want the whole house to be able to enjoy what she went through. She seems better today but she had to cancel her Pampered Chef show she was having here at the house.

Today we have a soccer game for Laura at 12. Go Blue Dawgs! Then I am going with my mom to TPAC to see Bill Cosby. This is a repeat of a memory we created when I was a kid. We went to see him at Starwood and so here we are going again years later. Neato!

Well we are off to the soccer game. Hope all is well wherever you are!

Mission Trip to Donetsk...

2008-09-27T11:02:00.000-05:00

The week of September 13-20, I was gone to Donetsk, Ukraine on a mission trip through my church. We left on Saturday and came back the following Saturday. We got a lot of things accomplished while we were there, including putting floors down in a couple of hospitals and putting together new beds for rooms in some hospitals and orphanages. We also did some painting at one of the hospitals and also purchased new playground equipment for one of the orphanages. You can go get the complete day by day account here . We were all glad to get back home to our families but we know we had a trip that we will always remember!

The weekend is over...

2008-09-07T21:19:00.003-05:00

It is Sunday night and things are winding down. Didn't do a whole lot this weekend but that was a good thing. Laura had her first soccer game (she missed the team's first when we were at the VA Tech game) and they lost but she had a big time. We spent the rest of the day organizing our office and filing bills. We seem to let it pile up and then it gets out of control. Can anyone relate?

We went to church this morning and I did communion at the towers for our shut-ins. I really enjoy doing this because I really enjoy spending time with older people. I love to hear their life stories and I know they love to tell them. I broke a personal record too. I spent over an hour with one sweet lady and she even talked MY ear off. We then came home and I watched the Titans win and then mowed the grass. Next we were off to Care Group and enjoyed some fellowship with our friends. Now we are preparing for bed.

We have a big week coming up. Riley has 3 ball games. Laura has 2 soccer practices. Plus we have to deliver the Browser Monday night. And...... I am leaving on Saturday to go to Ukraine for a week on a mission trip. Keep me in your prayers but even more so, keep April in your prayers. She will be a single mom for a week and it is no easy task doing that. I am very blessed with a wife who allows me to go off for a week and leave her back at home while I travel the world. She's a good girl!

Well I have been summoned by my precious daughter to come and love on her and that is impossible to turn down so I shall go for now. Have a great week!

Quick Hit...

2008-09-02T21:57:00.004-05:00

Well we got home from South Carolina all safe and sound. Life is getting back to normal. Tonight Riley had a baseball game and they won pretty big. They are now 3-1 and he plays for the Braves, which I love. Riley got up twice and got two hits and played well in the field. I think he will do fine next spring when he officially starts the 7-8 league.

Laura had soccer practice as well tonight. They had their first game on Saturday and won but we weren't there since we were in Charlotte watching Virginia Tech. Her team is called the Blue Dogs and she is very excited. We are barely into the season and already have a new coach, which in our opinion is a good thing.

I am getting ready to go to the Ukraine in a couple of weeks. I will miss my family but look forward to doing God's work and spending time with my dad, which is something I know I will treasure all of my life. I will be blogging at this site: www.donetskmission.blogspot.com throughout the trip so check me out there. I have put together a pretty cool site if I do say so myself.

Well that is all for tonight. Must help April get the kiddos to bed. God bless and I hope all who read this is doing well.

And remember...we need more cow bell!

Also, I have added a favorite video from You Tube at the bottom of our page. Check it out. And for all you computer nerds out there, you need to download Google's new browser, Chrome. It is pretty sweet. Go to www.google.com/chrome.

Trip to South Carolina!

2008-08-31T19:17:00.002-05:00

So it's Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. We(Bryan, April, Riley, Laura, Lisa (A's sis) and Bump (Lisa's husband) left on Friday afternoon to head to Spartanburg, SC where my sister Cathy lives. Her youngest son plays football for Virginia Tech. Their season opener was on Saturday in Charlotte, NC. We attended the game against East Carolina. It was a great game with VT leading until the final 5 minutes. It was soooo hot and with 2 small kids, it was a struggle to stay cool....did I mention that the game was at high noon? UGH. However, I did experience several firsts...first VT game, first time seeing Andrew in his uniform, first time ever I (or the kids) tailgated, first time ever in Charlotte, NC. Oh, and our tickets were on the 2nd row. Awesome seats. Laura and I were on the Jumbo Tron and she looked too cute! We were lucky enough to visit with Cathy's oldest son and wife from Columbia, SC. Both are pre-med students and work very hard. We have not seen them since their wedding last year. On Sunday, my future niece in law (I call her that!) Jesalyn took pictures of the kids. I can't wait to see how they turn out. Riley jumped off the diving board and was swimming in the deep end in Cathy's pool. That is big deal for the Rilenator! My sisters, Laura and I went to see Mama Mia while everyone else swam. We sang and danced in our seats to all the music of my sister's era. I love ABBA and this was my 2nd time seeing the movie. They both agreed that Pierce Brosnan should not be singing but does look good! haha We have grilled out and eaten till we are sick. Just packing up now as my dear sis and bro-in-law wish to leave at the crack of dawn! :) So that wraps up our end of the summer trip. Back to the grindstone on Tuesday!

Getting back on track...

2008-08-26T22:19:00.002-05:00

So I obviously haven't been very good at updating this blog. Let's see, what is going on with the Moore's? I shall forego things that have transpired since our last blog and just pick up on what is going on now.

Riley is playing fall baseball and has made the move up to the 7-8 league. He is no longer the big man on campus but he is doing really well. His team is 2-1 and it is a good opportunity for him to get his feet wet when he gets into spring ball. The fall is much less intense and so it is a good training ground. Riley started school and is doing good....except for the whole getting out of the car and going inside part. It is like pushing a rope but once he gets inside he does well.

Laura has started to play soccer. She is doing well and loves running around. I have a feeling she is going to be one of the better ones but we'll see. She is back at Mother's Day Out on Tues/Thurs and is loving that. Same ole Laura. Four years old going on 24. It's going to be a fun ride with her.

This weekend is Labor Day weekend and we are going with Bump and Lisa to Charlotte, NC to see April's nephew, Andrew, play football. It is Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina and we are now huge Hokie fans.

April and I are doing well. I got a promotion and moved to another company within AIM and it seems to be going very well. April is staying busy running from pillar to post, cleaning houses and delivering kids all over God's creation.

Well that is it for now. It is late and I am just trying to get myself caught back up and into the groove with this.

Later!

Bryan

10 Years of Wedded Bliss

2008-04-20T21:09:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary Baby, got you on my mind...... Yeah that was me singing. On Friday, April 18th, we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. Can you believe it? We celebrated by attending Riley's game! Then on Saturday night, we stayed at the Opryland Hotel in a room with a garden view. We ate at Tony Roma's. We had a really great time just hanging out and talking and not worrying about who was doing what to each other! It is nice to have some grown up time now and again and we plan on making time for dates this year!

Home Run!

2008-04-20T21:00:00.002-05:00

Riley made his first home run on Friday night. He plays for the Muckdogs in White House. This is his 3rd year playing for the team. He made his first ever home run and I (April) was screaming like a tee-total NUT, jumping up and down, banging on the fence. He has come a far cry from the first season when he was 4 and refused to bat!

Loss in Riley's Life...

2008-03-27T06:34:00.006-05:00

His tooth...It was laid to rest this past evening by the tooth fairy. It was a good tooth. Spent all of its life with Riley. Change is in the air. A new tooth...a bigger tooth will soon be coming to town. Godspeed baby tooth...Godspeed.

I am pleased to report that the Tooth Fairy performed as expected. She delivered the tooth's soul to its maker and left money in return. Bravo Tooth Fairy!

It's been a while...

2008-03-22T19:23:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a while since I blogged. Laziness rules. I could come up with some grandiose story as to why but I won't. I'm just lazy. I don't have a whole lot to report on but here goes. Today is Easter Eve. We had an Easter Egg hunt at our church camp, Valley View. Nanny and Grandmama went with us and a fun time was had by all. I am adding some pictures of the event in the slide show. For those of you that don't know, the little bunny in the big bunnies lap is my great niece Kaitlyn. Spoiled...spoiled... and all at the hands of my sister. Kaitlyn is not old enough to know just how spoiled she is but she'll soon learn.

Riley had baseball practice this evening. It was about 52 degrees most of the day right up until his practice started at 5. Then came the clouds and the wind. Great. Many frozen kids who were not happy to be there. Our first game is next weekend. Lord help us.

Well that is all I have right now. I will do better. Promise.

A New Year....

2008-01-05T15:41:00.001-06:00

Well 2008 is here in all its glory. Feeling a little philosophical today. It's January 5th and I'm starting to look down the pike at what may or may not be coming. I know there will be some sunshine and also some storms in our life.

We were at the hospital the other night visiting April's grandmother, who is 99 years old. April spent about 30 minutes reading from the Bible to her. It was a neat moment just to sit back and watch and listen. Mama Sadie is so ready to claim her reward from God and hopefully for her sake it will be sooner than later. Couple that with watching Riley and Laura grow up on a daily basis and it is just a cool thing to see the circle of life before your very eyes.

I'm reading the book '90 minutes in Heaven' and it is really putting heaven in my fore thoughts right now. It is a neat story and I would encourage everyone to read it. It is a good book for me to be reading right now since Liz Henderson from our church just died. It has helped put life and death in perspective. We want to stay here so much but we don't understand just how good it is going to be when we get to be with the Lord for eternity. I wish I could live my life with thoughts of heaven everyday...but unfortunately I fall ever so short.

Well I am going to end this for today but will leave you with some cool lyrics from the group Lifehouse. The song is called Everything and you need to go see this video from a skit performed at Winterfest a couple of years ago. Here is the link and the lyrics:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

Finally here once speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything and how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fold
You still my heart when you take my breath away
Would you take me in take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by it
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by it

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
Cause you're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything.. everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything.. everything

Christmas Letter 2007!

2007-12-25T20:28:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! It is time for our annual Christmas letter. Let see if I can find anything exciting to tell you…..

Well as it would turn out January 2007 will go down as the worst month in our lives so far. Approximately 5 days into the New Year, Bryan got laid off from his job of only 6 months. We were in shock and devastated. Over half the company was let go with no hope of return. The Lord blessed him with a new job later that month. Bryan started work for AIM Healthcare on 1/29, Laura’s 3^rd birthday. Also in January, we lost our first child and beloved pet, Levi. Now I know if you are not a dog person or owner, you might find this odd of being newsletter worthy. However I cannot begin to tell you the sorrow that Bryan and I felt that day. He had begun to act a little odd around Christmas and we took him to the Doctor only to get the news that he had Renal Failure. We did not know if we had months or years left with him. As it turned out, we only had a matter of weeks. We were truly heartbroken and I still tear up thinking about it. I never knew how much I could love an animal. He was truly a family member. Riley was deeply affected as well, which surprised me. He was just discovering the joy of having a pet, although we knew Levi would always be “our (mine and Bryan’s)” dog! Laura told everyone Levi died on the cross. She is at least learning something at church! To anyone who has lost a pet, my heart goes out to you.

Bryan is enjoying learning and trying to get all the experience he can at AIM Healthcare. He works as a Quality Analyst and loves it. It suits his personality to a tee. He is a computer geek basically. Bryan is still an avid hockey fan and LOVES the Predators. There was unspoken panic at our house when we thought Nashville might lose the team. He goes to the games with his sister, aunt, and good friend.

Riley turned 6 this year celebrating his birthday with a Hockey party. Santa brought him Roller blades last year, which he has gotten quite good at. Of course Bryan says he has a mean left shot. Stay tuned; hockey may be in his future. My mom says Riley is too pretty to be a hockey player…all those knocked out teeth and bruises. He would not look much different than he does now. He has lost 2 teeth this year and currently has one hanging on by a thread. He did attend a month long hockey camp this summer. He got out on the ice with full hockey equipment and tried to score a goal. Luckily there was a lot of padding because he and ice became one on several occasions. He had a great time and looked awesome in his equipment. He played baseball again this spring with the 5/6 Muckdogs in White House. His team came in second at the end of the season. He had a good time playing and improves each year. If we could only get him to run faster!! Riley is in the 1^st grade and is doing fine. He is not overly excited about school but he is making it. I have become true baseball mom and am trying to learn the game. I am so excited when Riley plays and his biggest fan!

Laura turned 3 in January and never ceases to amaze me. She is hilarious although she better not catch you laughing at her. She loves loves loves her baby dolls, her purses, and her high heel shoes. She pretends she is teaching her babies all the time. All babies (pretty much) are named Haley. Haley also seems to be a lot like an imaginary friend because Haley does all these things that Laura does….sometimes Haley gets a spanking…according to Laura. She wants to do and thinks she can do everything that Riley does. She wants to play softball when she gets bigger and play hockey. Now Nanny definitely thinks she is too pretty to play hockey. This summer Laura loved riding Riley’s battery powered Harley better than her brother. So, what I am getting at: She is a tough girl who appreciates her softer side as well. My kind of chick! She is a great shopper and I’ll have to tell you that I fall more in love with her everyday!

The wedding: My oldest nephew Wesley got married in Columbia, SC on July 14, 2007. This was my grandparents’ wedding day as well. I hope it brings them good luck. I waited for what seemed like an eternity to a 13 year old for one of my siblings to have a baby. Wesley was the first and oh how I loved that baby…still love him today. So I’ll admit that I cried when he got married. It is not that I was unhappy, but it was like giving up a child and turning him over to a new family of his own. Riley and Laura were in the wedding. Laura and Riley did all they were supposed to do…be cute, throw rose petals, and carry the pillow. Laura loved the whole thing. Riley survived; let’s just say that. Afterwards, Laura danced with everyone at the wedding reception…dad, mom, aunts, cousins, and various bridesmaids. I am serious she was a Dancing Queen! Riley looked like a little man in his tux.

The vacation: We went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina this year. We were blessed to be able to stay in my sister in law’s family home. Bryan’s sister and brother in law braved the waters and joined us for a family vacation. We had great weather and a great time. The picture on our card is from our trip this year. Riley loved boogie-boarding….in the 1 inch deep water that would wash ashore.

Now it is time to talk about me. What have I been doing? Surviving! I have about 4 houses I clean on a regular basis while the kids are at school. I am starting my 6^th year of selling Pampered Chef, which I still love. I am blessed with a great group of friends who make me laugh, give me advice, and love to hang out. I couldn’t live without them. Bryan and I will celebrate our 10^th wedding anniversary in 2008. I can’t believe it. We have been together for 17 years. Gracious! I am becoming more like him everyday. His sister tells him that he was ruined me. He is a good man and I know I am blessed to have him as my partner. Sometimes it is US against the short ones in the house! Other times it is all of them against me! Ha!

Family updates: My dad is in the early stages of what we think is Alzheimer’s. For the last 3 years, we have seen the signs. This year though we have seen him declining. He did begin taking meds for this in August. We pray that this slows the process. He still knows who we are and still has his independence; however there is obvious boughts of confusion and paranoia. We would covet your prayers for him and my mom during this time. On a lighter note, my nephew Andrew Lanier is attending Virginia Tech where he has been a “red shirt” freshman this year. Look for him to be playing football next year. We are now HUGE Hokie fans!

Oh and I almost forgot…our new additions! We adopted 2 brand new puppies. Cute as can be, small, fluffy little babies. They have grown and aren’t so small. Callie and Luke came into our lives at 6 weeks of age in May. They enjoy chewing on everything including crayons, licking licking licking, and dragging in every leaf God put in our backyard. But they are cute. The kids love them. It is like adding 2 more children to our household.

So I must end this addition of the Moore’s World. However let me tell you that our family has a blog. It is not always updated but does have some great pictures of the kids on there. I know you can’t wait to check that out. The address is www.themooreslife.com . We wish you all a very happy, healthy 2008. We pray that you all will take time to enjoy all the gifts God has given you.

Love,

Bryan, April, Riley, Laura, Callie & Luke

Crummy Saturday in Tennessee

2007-12-15T15:17:00.000-06:00

Well, it is a cold, rainy day here in God's country. It is 39 degrees and raining. Some of you are probably out Christmas shopping, while others may be curled up reading a book in your pajamas. What am I doing? Teaching myself SQL. Yes...I am a nerd. No, check that. I am a NERD. For the non-technical folks, SQL is Structured Query Language. It is used to query databases and write stored procedures for relational databases. April has gone to work for a little while tonight so me and the kids will snuggle in for the evening. I have every intention of cleaning up the house since my wife has to do it all the time. Please notice that I have every intention. Big difference. Let's hope for both of our sakes that I follow through. Not a whole lot has happened since I last blogged. We had a big Thanksgiving and are on pins and needles waiting for jolly ole Saint Nick to visit. Riley and Laura are really jazzed up for Christmas. It is such a blessing to watch your babies experience the joy of Christmas. Ahh to be a kid again.

Tonight the Preds are in Colorado, so I will be watching religiously. I have discovered that I don't really care about any other sport/team besides the Predators. I could care less about the Titans quite frankly. I don't know why. I'm blaming it on the whole Pacman epidsode(s). I lost a lot of respect for them with the way they handled it. I'm sure they are bothered by that :)

Well, I hope everyone reading this finds themselves in good spirits and good health. Until next time.....

Well...it's been a while

2007-11-03T16:06:00.000-05:00

Haven't posted in a while. I guess I don't make a very good blogger. April has gone to Lexington this weekend for Lana's birthday party so I'm a single dad this weekend. This is the time of the year that she is gone on weekends more than she is at home. I'm glad she gets to get away though...it's healthier for all of us :) Not much is going on at the Moore home right now. All the kids are down for a nap. Riley is on our bed and both of the dogs are up there with him asleep. Too cute.

Speaking of the dogs....my gosh they are a ..........handful. When one gets muddy so does the other one which means two baths, etc.... I really hope they get out of the puppy stage pretty quick or else we may lose our minds. They are thick as thieves. We had Callie fixed a couple of weeks ago and it broke both of their hearts to be separated. They got new haircuts a few weeks ago and Callie looks a whole lot like Levi, which was really hard to take. I don't think we will ever completely get over Levi. He is still sorely missed. I so hope that we will know our dogs in heaven because there are now two that I really want to see.

Let's see. What else? Work for me is good. I am approaching my one year anniversary at AIM in January and after the last couple of years that I have had, this is a big deal. I really love QA work and I have become a bit of a geek, or at least more than I already was. I am moving to a new project, which is a company that AIM bought last year and is finally being fully brought into the fold. So I get to learn a whole new application, which I am excited about. Good visibility for me too. This will mean that I will be lead on two Products and part of the team for 2 others. Lack of work is not an issue.

I am in the process of uploading all of our pictures onto various photo storage sites for a couple of purposes. Number one, I have a fear of a hard drive crash and losing all of our pics. Number 2, it will be easy to share our memorable moments with everyone online. So I say that to say that we will now be able to share our photos. I know...you are waiting on pins and needles. We are just that popular. :)

Well all the short people and furry animals have awoken from their naps so I better go do crowd control. God Bless and stay safe!

B

Sunday in Music City

2007-09-16T19:13:00.000-05:00

Did anybody smell the air today? That was the smell of the start of Predators hockey. Nashville went to Colombus and won 3-1. It's nice to have hockey back and I sure hope we get this sale to the local ownership group done in quick fashion. I don't like to mix hockey and business talk. Anyone and everyone need to buy tickets this year. If you've never gone to a game.....go. You will be hooked.

I took Riley to the Titans game today. We played the Colts and it was an exciting game but we came up a bit short at the end, 22-20. I actually think the Titans may be a playoff team this year. And Vince Young is the real deal. I heard this moron on the radio the other day talking about how VY was lucky last year with his wins. Sure, luck helps but in the NFL games are won and lost by the little things going your way and he has a knack for making that happen. I think we will see him for many years to come.

Well I'm gonna go now. We are going to get a fire going outside and cook some hot dogs. The kids really love doing that. Blessings from the Moore's. Oh and by the way, check out my sisters blog at www.thebeatysworld.blogspot.com . They are on a mission trip to Brazil and it is neat to follow their trip.