Picture of the Week *803 Day*

Friday was One of my favorite days of the year!

August 3rd, AKA 8/03!

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803 was the house number of my grandparents for over 60 years!!  Their little house on Sullivan Street was the location of some of my favorite childhood memories.  To this day I still miss the magic of 803 and I often think about how much I would love to go back for just one more visit with Grandma and Grandpa.

So in honor of 8.03 day, some fun Quilty pictures to walk down memory lane...





Q Family Reunion (1985 I think)
Melissa and I were the kiddos in the front wearing sandals with socks



This picture was taken in front of the tree in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard (they are seated in the middle).  They both got very dressed up for these occasions.  Grandma always looked so pretty and Grandpa always looked very handsome. 

This was the original 803 number on the light pole in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house! 
This did not make it to the new owners when we sold the house (sorry new owners).  The numbers are currently spending some time with the Q's in PA.

Just a few phrases of memories that took place at 803!  The stories behind these phrases would fill at least 10 blogs, but each mean so much to our family.

It's an understatement to say that Melissa and I had a great childhood.  And being a few blocks from Grandma and Grandpa had a huge part of this.  They were so special to us! 

One of my favorite memories with Grandma and Grandpa was eating popcorn along with a huge glass of Country Time lemonade.   Such a small thing  at the time but looking back we had so many great conversations over this late-night snack.  I haven't had a chance to enjoy my lemonade and popcorn yet in honor of 803 day but I have big plans to have some this week. 

Hope you all have a great week, and maybe even take a few minutes and enjoy a stroll down memory lane. 

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Picture of the Week ~Happy Birthday Lex~

(Editor's note:  It's technically my Sunday so this post is not a day late, but I'm sorry for being a bloggie slacker.  More posts to come this week including updates about Beanette's amazing shower)

Now onto a very important picture of the week...

The little kitty cat that turned Denny and I into Crazy Cat People turned 6 today!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXI GIRL!!

She is growing up so fast!  Seems like just yesterday we were enrolling her at kittygarten!

Birthday Girl when she was just a few weeks old!

When we thought about getting a pet in the fall of 2006 we took a trip to the SPCA with no intention to bring anything home... then we saw a sweet little kitty struggling to even jump 3 inches from the upper shelf to the lower shelf of her cage.  She was so cute and tiny we could not leave her.  The next thing we knew, we were new kitty parents to Lexi!!

During her first few months, she was so tiny that she would fit inside my heels, and we were constantly worrying about losing her.  She once spent a few minutes in the fridge after sneaking in while we unloaded groceries.  Luckily we realized it in no time, and found her on the beer shelf, chilled but unharmed.

Little Lex has been quite the little entertainer over the past few years!  She is always there to greet us when we get home and is an excellent cuddler.  

For her Big Birthday today she celebrated with a Fancy Feast breakfast buffet.  She rocked out to her favorite songs, Bringin Lexi Back (the other kitties don't know how to act) and I'm Lexi and I Know It!  She had a nap and then watched out the window for her boyfriend kitty, Bazooka Joe.  It was a pretty good day for her! 

Happy Birthday Lexi!  Six years ago today I would never imagine that I would spend my night blogging about a cat, but your cute little 7-lb self sure has worked your Lexi magic and turned us into your #1 Fans!!    XOXO

Lex meeting Santa Claws for her 1st Christmas

Naptime in her tent

Lex is a great secret keeper... not letting the cat out of the bag

Happy Birthday Sara!!

It's crazy to think that it has been more than 15 years since Sara & I become friends! 
We got to know eachother through soccer practice and got closer through years of shared interests.  Here is a snapshot of things we have have done together... danceline in the drama club, driver's ed classmates, bandmates (even though neither of us could play our instruments), band camp roomies, majorettes (the real reason we were even in the band to begin with), Bobcats, college roomies, sorority sisters, bridesmaids and now new Moms (Sara to Crosby puppy and me to Beanette). 

    

Senior year Prom - the OU countdown had begun!
(No hair comments please - photo is over 10 years old  :)  )

 


Being "Prom dates" while in college

We've now had a longer time as knowing eachother than not knowing eachother.  It's a good feeling to know that someone understands where you came from and where you hope to go someday! 
Sara has become another sister to me during the many good and bad times (and bad fashion) we have endured together. 




 

Bridesmaids!



My favorite picture - two friends, too many drinks, too funny!

So as we enter another decade together, I wish you the happiest of Birthdays Sara!!  

Picture of the Week ~Happy Birthday Aunt Joy!~

Today, July 1st, would have been our Aunt Joy's Birthday.  We lost her this December after a courageous battle with cancer so it seemed like a great time to remember what an amazing Aunt, Mom, Sister, Great Aunt, Grandma, Wife and Friend she was to all of us!

Aunt Joy, I'm sure you are having quite the Birthday celebration in Heaven tonight with the other Q's that are up there with you. 

Happy Birthday!  We love you and miss you lots!  LLKK

Aunt Joy and Uncle Bill meeting Ryan - Sept 2011

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Q fun in Cali! - Fall 2004

Tourist-y Q's in front of the Hollywood sign



Q Reunion in the Buff, such a special weekend! - September 2010



PIcture of the Week ~Happy Birthday Connor!~

In honor of our nephew Connor's Big 6th Birthday this week, this picture (taken at his 1st Birthday) seemed like the perfect Picture of the Week!  I have never seen a baby get so excited about the cake.  It was adorable!!

Yum!!

Happy Birthday Connor!! 

We still can't believe it has been 6 years since you were born! 

We love watching you grow up!

Love you lots, Uncle Denny, Aunt Erin & Baby Girl McGee

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Some other Cute Pictures

~Then and Now~

Connor and Deegan (but Connor could not take his eyes off the cake for the photo)!

Fast forward to now... they are getting to be so grown up!

One cool kiddo

I have already mentioned about a hundred times how lucky I have been to grow up with great parents, but it is the truth!  One thing that was super cool about my Dad is that he was a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters in his twenties .  Dad kept in touch with Bobby, his Little Brother, during his 30's, 40's, 50's and even today! 

It motivated me from a young age to be involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters once I was in a stable job and city.  This came about six years ago when I landed in Buffalo.  So I gave the Buffalo Big Brothers Big Sisters organization a call, and a few interviews later I was matched with cutie-pie, Erma!  She was 6 going on 7 at the time and was sweet as could be! 

Fast forward five years we are still matched and see each other regularly.  We have gone putt-putting, baked cookies, watched movies, visited trampoline parks, and just hung out over pizza.  (I'm pretty sure that I have more fun when we are together than she does) 

She is turning 12 in eleven days and I can't believe what an amazing, sweet and thoughtful young lady she is becoming.  Despite some tough circumstances in her life she is an awesome little girl.  One thing I love about her is her outlook on life.  When we are together I'm always reminded of the real important things in life. 

Some of my favorite conversations with Erma have kept me laughing for days.  Here is my favorite example of her view on life:
  
   (While playing the Guess How Old We Are game)
     Denny:  Erma, guess what year I was born...
     Erma:  Hmm, I'm not sure Denny.  When?
     Denny:  Erma I was born in the 70's!
     Erma:  No way, did you know Jesus?!?

Too funny, and a great reminder to me of how lucky I am to be matched with such a cool kiddo!

Picture of the Week ~Happy Father's Day!~

A day late but just as important is this week's Picture of the Week.  In honor of Father's Day and my amazing Dad, here it is!

Dad, Melissa and I would have not made it half as far in life without you!  You supported us through all we have done.  Thank you for everything.  We Love you so much!

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Wishing all the amazing Dads out there a wonderful week.  May your golf scores by low, your days be long and your life be full of love and happiness!

Picture(s) of the Week ~Love OU!~

I can't believe that seven years ago this weekend, my OU roomies and I walked across the stage at the Convocation Center and received our diplomas!  It was bittersweet to say good-bye to OU and spend our last night as students in the town of Bricks and Beer.



GorgeOUs College Green!



Sara & me-- prOUd Dragon and Bobcat alum!

Graduation night rOUnd of drinks!

I'm still not sure how those four years flew by so quickly and I am clueless as to where the next seven went, but it has been a really fun ride!  



OU Roomie Reunion 2011 - HilariOUsness at Kristin's Wedding

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So in honor of my wonderful roommates and for all those Bobcats who still carry a little bit of Athens in their hearts, this picture of the week is actually Pictures (plural) of the Week!

(These pictures might not mean too much to you unless you spent a few nights at good ol' 15NC, but they describe a lot of the fun we had during out final three quarters in A-Town. )

The Official 15 NC Beer Pong Table!  This was TrOUble!



AND last but certainly not least... the OU deer!  

Spotted for the first time on a walk home from COUrt Street during fall quarter.  The deer reappeared many more nights that quarter.  During the colder nights, he kept his antlers warm with gloves.  He was incredibly entertaining especially to a few seniors after a few rounds of fishbowls.


So for all you grads moving your tassel from one side to the other this weekend, Congrats!  Be proud of your achievements, but more importantly Stand Up & Cheer for the awesome people you met along they way. 

Happy Birthday Melissa!!

I came into this world with one of the best advantages in life ever (no, not just my stunning good looks)... an awesome big sister, Melissa! 

Awesome Where's the Beef matching jammies!

As sisters we had our share of fights but more often than not, we were best friends.  Melissa was my interpreter until she went to kindergarten (why talk when someone could do it for you?).  We shared clothes, Barbies, a room and a childhood. 

Growing up a Q wasn't always easy.  Melissa threw magnets at me when I wore headgear, and I laughed at her when she did science fair projects.  But together we survived perms, embarrassing cars, family car trips and tons of other crazy happenings... and I wouldn't change one thing about it.

The Quilty version of Barker's Beauties showing off Clicker Car

When we went to OU, we got even closer!  My freshman dorm room was about 100 yards from her senior apartment (ideal for when she was kind enough to buy me beer). 
And we've been by each others side ever since.  Together we cheered for each other and supported each other as we earned diplomas, hunted for houses, said I Do and became Moms. 


OU Class of 2002 graduation!



 I'm so lucky to you as a best friend and big sister Melissa! 

Wishing you a wonderful day and your best year yet!!    LLKK

Picture of the Week ~My Cousin Leslie~

My sister Melissa has a great blog (click here if you haven't visited lately) and started a Picture of the Week.  I love the idea and thought I would try it too (sorry to copycat Melissa). 

In honor of my awesome cousin Leslie's Birthday I think this picture should be the first McGee McBlog Picture of the week! 

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A little background... In 2010 Leslie ran the Cleveland half-marathon (awesome job cuz!), and wore a waterbelt with water jugs to stay dehydrated. 

When Melissa and I saw it we immediately felt that it was cause for a new nickname.  So when the Quilty reunion rolled around a few months later we knew exactly what "Q" award would be perfect for Leslie.  Take a look...

Most of the other Q Awards were very G-rated: Smiley Q, Courageous Q, Funny Q so this award certainly woke up the crowd (as you can see by her dad's shocked reaction behind Leslie). 

I still look at this picture and laugh every time I see Leslie's reaction.  Have an AMAZING Birthday Les and thanks for all the laughs!!    xoxo

Little Kicks & Big Steps

Memorial Day weekend is here, hooray!!  Summer is arriving and so is the McGee Staycation.  Denny and I both have the next week off of work to relax, work on the Beanette's room and enjoy this beautiful weather.  We are SO excited and ready to relax!!

But before I chat too much about 10 days of no alarm clocks, I should acknowledge some big events this past week.  For the first time, I felt the Baby Girl move!!  I'm 21 weeks and and I was starting to worry since all the books say you should feel it between weeks 16 and 20, but she is officially fluttering around and I can feel it!  Denny kept telling me not to worry because it was possible that she is lazy like us, and his dad instincts one again prove to be correct (about not worrying, not about her being lazy).  Plus according to our nurse practitioner the Beanette is a bit lower, which can make it harder to feel her moves.  Apparently she decided on seats directly behind the dugout versus sitting in the nosebleed section.  Smart girl!

Feeling our little girl kick inside me has inspired me to get my legs moving, so next year I'm officially committing to running either a half marathon or be part of a 4-person marathon team (if anyone is interested in being part of a marathon team, let me know!).  Running a half marathon was my goal this spring (if we didn't first get good news), so now I've decided to hit the Reset button on my goal.  I realize this is a big committment to announce it on a blog because all my readers will now be able to hold me accountable... so if both of you could do your best to get me moving once Beanette arrives I would greatly appreciate it.  It might be a long journey to get to the finish line, but I'm glad to have a little pink bundle of joy (and her cute Dad) to give me some extra motivation. 

Speaking of getting moving, I better head across the streets.  Our awesome neighbors are hosting their Annual Memorial Day bash and the party is in full-swing.  Wishing everyone a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day!

The Power of Pronouns

I'm very much an English geek.  It has always been my favorite subject in school and my someday dream job is to be a professional blogger.  But this weekend made me realize how much I LOVE pronouns.

She ~~ Her ~~ Shes ~~ Hers

What beautiful words!!  These are music to our ears! 

Let me take you back to Saturday morning...

Denny and I had the long-awaited ITSA party to find out if It's A Boy or It's a Girl!  It was hands down one of the most amazing weekends we have had in years. 

I was wide awake by 6 AM!  I could barely sleep because I was so excited to find out about the little person joining our family.  I was 99% certain it was a boy but I wanted to see the blue balloons to be sure.  I thought Denny was 99% certain it was a boy too, but at the last minute he came downstairs in a PINK shirt with a blue vest.  Pink shirt?!? I was shocked, but he said he had a last-minute feeling it could be a girl. 

Denny and I were so fortunate to have a lot of friends and family join us for the big reveal.  By 11 AM, the excitement was out of control, and our neighbor Theresa brought over the box (she was kind enough to pick it up from the florist). 

Here it is, YAY!!!

Our friends and family were really anxious and almost everyone dressed in either pink or blue.  It was so great to see that everyone was excited as us.  Check out this spirit!

By noon we were ready for the reveal.  Our hearts were racing as we realized it was time to find out if we were having a boy or girl!  I'll let the pictures tell this part of it...



"Ready to do this?"
"Hold my hand, I'm nervous"

 

PINK!?!?!?



So Shocked, So Happy...



So Emotional!

 

We're having a Little Girl!



Everyone was beyond thrilled!  The rest of the day was a blur filled with phone calls, texts, and a trip to Babies R Us. 

It is still sinking in for Denny and me, but on a walk tonight we discussed what this means to our friends and family.  It's fun to see where she fits in our little world.

• Baby Girl McGee will be the first grand-daughter to both sets of our parents  (Denny's Mom never thought she would have a granddaughter, and already promised to buy her diamond studs when we get her ears pierced)
• She will be the first girl to be born to a Quilty cousin in about 10 years (this ends the streak of about 9 boys).  She will be the first girl to be born on the Synk side since me (but in fairness, my cousin PJ was the only other birth)
• When it comes to my college roomies, she will be girl #4 out of 4 babies total.  Apparently none of us will ever have a boy.
• On our half of the street, there has not been a new baby boy in about 16 years (the few boys that live near us moved here later in life)

So there you have it... One AMAZING weekend! 

Now it's time to Think Pink!