Summer and Fall..up until now

Well it has been a while since I've been on here. I have been one lazy blogger. Alot has happened since my last post. Gavin had his 2nd birthday. He had a "Bob the Builder" party. It was alot of fun! We went on a big family camping trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. It was so much fun to have everyone there all together. We had my parents and my sisters, my grandparents, 2 of my uncles, my aunt and my 2 cousins and one of my cousin's boyfriends. And of course me, dennis and gavin. My uncles took their campers and the rest of us  stayed in tents...we had a blast! We went to Dollywood, too and it was just such a great trip. My Mom,  Molly, Katie and I got to go to Six Flags in August. We had a ton of fun there, too. Molly was actually brave and rode one the coasters that went upside down..that was a big step for her ;)
Gavin is still not potty trained!!!! We are really having a hard time with it..just pray for us :) Dennis, Me, Katie and my cousin Keith went to Six Flags Fright Fest in October. It was sooooo much fun!! We stayed the night in Douglasville and went shopping the next day. We were exhausted by the time we got home. A couple of weeks later....Mom, Me, Katie, Molly and Gavin headed to PCB for Mom's Mary Kay retreat. It was so nice in the middle of October! The room was really cramped with a ton of other people, but we managed to make the best of it and have a blast anyway. Gavin just loves the beach and it is so fun to watch him play in the sand and be a happy child! Life just doesn't get any better :)

We had a nice Halloween. Gavin was Dracula. We went to Glenwood Terrace in Anniston. I had never been there before so I didn't know what to expect. I was like a kid when we got there..I was so excited! They had the streets blocked off and alot of the houses were decorated up with all kinds of Halloween paraphanelia. It was nice to walk along the sidewalks and actually do safe Trick or Treating. I do enjoy all the Trunk or Treats and Fall Festivals but to me, nothing compares to actually getting to go and trick or treat at a doorstep. Oh well, I guess I am just old fashioned and an old fogey =)

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and seeing alot of family! I love this time of year and just get so overwhelmed with the beautiful Autumn leaves and then Thanksgiving and Black Friday plus Christmas after that!! =) I am thinking of buying a new Christmas tree this year...our current one is a bit skimpy =) Gavin has been seeing all of the Christmas treees at Wal Mart and Hobby Lobby and last night he comes up to me and says "Mommy, I want Christmas trees." It was so cute! So now I have no choice but to decorate very extravagantly! He has been saying the funniest things lately. Instead of saying "I want a sucker or candy, etc" he says "I NEED candy."  LOL =) He is getting better at saying his ABCs and is starting to try to count to 30.  Well I am a little tired of typing and I think I hit the high points of the events over  the last few months. So I guess this is all for now.

More News from Anna Anderson

Ok, so I didn't keep up to date...AGAIN. Sorry-- but here's a few new things that have been happening.
- Gavin's vocabulary is really increasing. He can count to ten with some help, he can say that his daddy works in "P. A" and I've taught him to say "I'm cute!" (I know, maybe not a good thing!) He can say something to the effect of "I love you" and "night night" and some other 2 word combos. It's so great to actually be able to chat with him a little bit =) We are about to start potty training also! Wish me luck!

-I finished my clinical rotation at Jacksonville. It was great, got a lot of independent cases under my belt! I am @ Riverview right now and love it!
I am scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow. I have been having some pain and may have to have a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal). I am super nervous so keep me in your prayers!

-Dennis comes hope 4/12... CANT WAIT! We are going to Destin, FL for 2 nights and 3 days. It will be Gavin's first beach trip. I am so excited to experience that! =) Dennis will stay a week and then shouldn't have more than a month left up there. I am so ready for this to be over!

-We got some GREAT news about our taxes..we are getting a state refund and a federal refund! (we usually have to pay the state) I am so thankful that God is blessing our lives in so many ways financially, emotionally and spiritually. GOD IS GOOD =)

-I have lost 4 pounds and am still going strong!

More news to come when something else happens!!!

News Update--

So I haven't written since 12/06/08..WOW! Well, since I know so many of you read this thing..HAHA- I'll tell you that I didn't abandon you =) I stopped working at the office where I had my computer access. I have a laptop, but unfortunately it's in Pennsylvania with my husband. (Don't know which one I miss more!) ...That was a joke. Anywho, here's a breakdown of what's been going on lately:
-Dennis came home for 16 days @ XMAS..it was amazing! We went to Atlanta only to find out that our favorite restaurant (the whole reason for us going, was closed for renovations! We ended up having a great time though =) )

-I started clinicals!! So far I have been to RMC, Brookwood (B'ham) and I'm now at Jacksonville. It's been tough, but so great to get to actually particpate in surgeries!

-Gavin has been talking so much more lately! He is saying "I don't know" , "Butt & Peepee", and when you ask where "Da-Da" is he says, "work". It's so sweet. He has been through heck teething, but I think it's almost over. He is approaching two and boy can I feel it coming on! Tantrums are his new thing..and CLIMBING!

-Dennis came home in February for 4 days. We went to the Wynfrey Hotel in B'ham for Valentine's and had a fabulous time! We ate at Shula's Steakhouse and shopped a bit, then headed home. It was great to have him here =)

-I have been doing alot of decorating at my home lately. Nothing too fancy, but I have been inspired by HGTV and some magazines from Lowe's. Most of it is simple, but definitely a start for me!

-I went to the Dr. for my hearing to be checked (I have had hearing issues for a LONG time!) The lady was really rude and at one time actually stated "This is not that hard." I think she was mad at me for not hearing the beeps! ...I ended up not really getting anything out of the appointment. I may invest in a hearing aid though. Haven't decided. I have a moderate to severe hearing loss in one ear...so we''ll see what happens.

Anywho, that's about it lately. I will try to stay more up to date with this thing from now on!

Farther Along

I absoloutely LOVE this time of year. The department stores and the mall are a couple of the joys I find in Christmas time. I love the hot apple cider and the smells coming from Starbucks. I love the little kids sitting in Santa's lap..they are always so cute. I have to admit that I love dressing Gavin in cute little Christmas outfits (even though I swore that I would never be one of "those" moms). My mom used to make me wear Christmas turtlenecks with candy canes and gingerbread men and I hated it! Oh well, I'm going to enjoy it while I can!
One thing that has really been on my mind lately is my uncle Steve. Steve was like an M&M. He had a tough shell but a soft and sweet inside. I have been missing him more than ever lately. I think it's true that you never know how much you cared for someone until they have left. Steve earned his angel wings 2 years ago this Christmas. It seems like it was so long ago, but in a way it seems like it was just yesterday. I went by the cemetery today just to visit with him for a while. He had some beautiful flowers. They were in shades of blue with a little dove in a nest. It reminded me of a Winter Wonderland. I have been wondering lately why God takes the ones we love from us. I wonder this because Steve was just 45 years young. He had so much to live for. Sometimes I would just like to know why he had to leave this world so suddenly without warning. I think that when we lose someone we love, we keep a piece of that person in our heart. I also think that that person takes a piece of us with them. Our family feels a little less whole without Steve. I think I've got a small spot missing inside of me. I wasn't that close to Steve the last year or so of his life, but I loved him more than he will ever know. I also think that this did happen for a reason. Our family has changed so much since Steve became an angel. There are things we don't say now, and some things that we do. There are awkward moments and painful times. Christmas is hard. The memory I will always think of at Christmas Eve is sitting at UAB Neuro ICU pleading with the Lord to help Steve and praying relentlessly for our family. There were times among the 23rd, 24th & 25th that I didn't think we were going to make it. Hearing the news right before Christmas dinner is something that replays over and over in my head from time to time. I don't understand why God took him from us on that day, but I know it's nto for me to understand. When I hear that hymn, "Farther Along" it reminds me that we don't understand why, but that we will one day. If there is one thing I have learned from losing him, it is that we truly do not know what the future holds or when the last time we see the ones we care about.

We miss you
1/11/61-12/25/06

Weight Watchers

Ok, I've started it. On Monday, I started Weight Watchers. My mom had great success on it, she started in January 08 and by April or May (not sure which month exactly) she had lost 20 pounds! And she didn't have to eat any kind of yucky foods or anything..she just had to watch her portions and do some LIGHT exercise (walking mainly). Well, Mom kind of got off her program a couple of months ago and gained a couple of pounds. She decided to start back at it. I decided to join her. I really would like to trim down a bit. I am 5'4 and weigh roughly 138-140 lbs. When I graduated high school in 2005, I weighed in at 109 lbs, so this weight I am now makes me feel like a big fatty. I just want to lose about 10 pounds and would LOVE to by the end of this year! My ideal weight is 120 lbs. so I'm hoping to get there by February 2009.

So, anywho--I started Monday. I had a bad experience because I was so gung-ho that I didn't pack enough to eat for that day. I felt so sick by dinner time that I could hardly eat my dinner. So basically I got a fresh start Tuesday. Now, for those of you not familiar with WW..it is based on a points system and I get 21 points for the day. So, I have to be careful about snacking and how much I eat of something. Monday and Tuesday I just about starved but yesterday, I really got the hang of it. I had a WW snack bar for breakfast and a Diet Mountain Dew, then a SmartOne meal for lunch (spaghetti..yum!) and some cantaloupe. I had a light snack @ work then grilled chicken, green beans and broccoli for dinner. I had a WW piece of candy later that night. I felt full all day Wednesday and still stayed within my points! I've done well so far today, too. Let's see how I do this weekend in Pigeon Forge!

Our American President

Well by now everyone knows that Obama was elected as our country's 44th President. He is scheduled to take office on January 20, 2009.


The decision was made and its final(at least until 2012). He was elected, as he won the popular vote and the electoral votes. He is the man that 63,484,527 Americans wanted to see put into office. For the other 56,132,935 of us that voted for McCain, there's nothing we can do now, except pray. I believe that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason for this, even if some of us don't understand what that reason is just yet.

Regardless of what your political status is (R or D), please pray for Obama and for our country. I hope and pray that Obama will lead this country in the direction that it needs to go and that good will come out of his time in office.


I hope there will be positives come out of this and I hope that we, as Americans, will stand up and support our leader, regardless of who we voted for. If we tear our leader down, what does that say for us? And what good does that do for our country?

I encourage everyone to pray for our country, our leaders and for ourselves. Pray that our country will prosper and that things will get better, pray for wisdom for our leaders and pray that we, as citizens, can provide for our families and that we can continue to vote and contribute our opinions to the issues in our country.

Remember, God is in control and he works in mysterious ways. Prayers work wonders.

Voting Rights

Be glad you have the right to vote.

EXERCISE THAT RIGHT!

To me it's not only a right, but an obligation.

If we don't vote, we can't change anything or complain about who's in office.

Here's a few quick facts about the history of voting rights.

-The 15th Amendment was adopted in 1870, five years after the American Civil War ended. It prohibited the states from denying a citizen the right to vote because of race.

-Women were not allowed to vote in most states until the ratification of the19th Amendment in 1920.

-The 23rd Amendment, ratified in 1961, gave citizens living in Washington, D.C., the right to vote in national elections.

-In 1971, the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 for all state and national elections. Before then, only 10 states had allowed citizens under age 21 to vote.

Be grateful of your right, and USE it! GO VOTE!