I didn't actually mean to post my last post on here! Opps! It was meant for my photography blog. But, oh well. Most of you have probably seen those pictures before, but there they are again!!

Things are going well here. My nephew Jackson is doing great! He is so adorable and I love his little mohawk! hehe. :)

The past two weeks have been really busy at work. I am part of the Martin Luther King Celebration Committee and all of our events have been going on. Last Thursday was the opening of the art exhibit done by multicultral high school boys. I had some great conversations with the boys afterwards. It was great! Sunday was the spiritual celebration at a local church. It was neat the see the church packed with people! Tomorrow is the big day. We have the poet, Nikki Giovanni speaking. There's both an afternoon and an evening event.

In other news, I was asked by my boss if I would be interested in starting up a local youth group through the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). I am really excited about it, and presented by idea at the NAACP meeting this past Monday. It went really well!

Pictures of the MLK events to come! I have to find my camera cord!

Catching Up

Finally an update!! So much has happened in the past few months, that I decided it was best to just post some of my favorite pics. A few of these were taken in Ashland, WI, some in Northern Michigan and most were taken in my new home; Southern New Hampshire. Enjoy!

I'm an Aunt!!!

Jackson Wayne Williams was born at 4am yesterday. He is 9 lbs. and 15 oz. He is a gorgeous litte chubby thing with black wavy hair. I am so in love with him already!



My dad called Friday afternoon to let me know that Kimi was in labor and that mom was in the hospital with her. I then got a call around 9 that things had stopped progressing due to the fact that Kimi had a fever and they had her packed in ice. My stomach was in knots and I didn't know what to do with myself while I was waiting for more news. A few hours later dad called again to say things were underway again and Kimi was doing better. I attempted to get some sleep and dad called again just before 4 to let me know that Kimi went in for an emergency C-section. Just after 4, mom and Nikki called to let me know I was an Auntie! I could hear Jackson screaming in the background, which of course set me to tears! I was just beside myself with joy!!! It felt like he was never going to get here! I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday checking my email for new pictures and talking to my family on the phone. This morning at 9:30 dad called again to tell me that Jackson was being taken by ambulance to Marquette General Hospital because he had pnuemonia. My mom was able to go and be with him, after convincing the doctors that she should have the right to go, since Kimi can't leave the hospital until Tuesday. Kimi also still has a fever, but is doing a little better. Mom will be staying with Matt in Marquette. Nikki and Sierra (our very close family friend) are taking turns being with Kimi in the hospital. My dad ended up in the urgent-care himself with a bad sinus infection and can't be in the room with Kimi until he is better. It's been a huge emotional rollercoaster. Prayers would be much appreciated and as soon as I hear anything, I will update.

Slow Recovery

Saturday, my parents drove me to Marquette to stay with Matt for the night. My flight for Sunday morning was at 6:45 am, so it was easier to stay with Matt rather than have my parents drive the two hours early Sunday morning. We met up with Nikki, Steve, and Matt at Hudson's for dinner.


Saturday night, my stomach pains grew worse and I barely slept at all that night. I woke up yesterday at 4:45 am to finish packing my things up and head out to the airport. My stomach hurt so bad and my whole body was shaking horribly, that I knew there was no way I could handle 10 hours of travel. After consulting with my parents, I rescheduled my flight for Tuesday and had my brother take me to the walk-in-clinic. I loathe going to the doctors and anything that has to do with medical stuff, but I had been in pain for 6 days, without much sleep or food, and I knew I needed to make sure it wasn't something serious. They took my blood and later on ruled out appendicitis and a gallbladder infection. The doctor said she thinks it is just a severe viral infection. She said to eat the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) and to drink lots of fluids and that it should only last 7-14 days. I wanted to cry! There is no way I can handle another 8 days of this! Matt and I picked up the BRAT foods and some stomach meds and headed back to his apartment. I was able to get some sleep on and off and even took a shower! That night I was feeling worse and felt like this was never going to end. I finally fell asleep and slept straight through the night with little pain. Thank goodness! This morning I got up, drank some Gatorade and have had 4 crackers with no problem. I am keeping my fingers crossed! I am thankful to have such a good brother who lets his sick sister crash at his apartment, takes care of me, and will wake up early to bring me to the airport tomorrow! I owe him big!

So, hopefully, I am on the road to recovery and will have a good flight home tomorrow! I will keep you posted!

The Rest of the Pictures

Kimi's Baby Shower and the Gift I Made for Baby Jackson's Nursery






Beautiful Winter Scenes





A Pajama Christmas Breakfast with the Bishop Family






A Holiday Tradition: Dad Reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve




Baking Cookies at Kimi's Apartment and Decorating Them Back at Home








Visiting Mom and Nikki during there holiday parties and concert






Trip to Carleen's and NYC







At my friend Sherry's Holiday Cocktail Party





The Grant House Admissions Office Holiday Party

Our fireplace and the first snow.

I went to upstate New York with my roomate and her family for Thanksgiving. We drove through the Green Mountains of Vermont to get there.

Here are a few pictures I took while on a walk on the beach on a 70 degree November day!

New Year

I'll be completely honest. I have not updated my blog in over 2 months because I have so much to write, I am not really sure where to begin it. So, once again, I will do it in chunks.

LOSS:
The past month and a half have been really hard. I lost my grandpa the day after thanksgiving. I was in Northern New York with my roomate and her family for Thanksgiving, when I got the call from my family. Even though I knew it was coming, it was still much harder than I thought it would be. The hardest part about the whole thing, was not being able to fly home for the funeral. The day of the funeral, I went home from work early and Nikki put me on speakerphone so I could at least hear the whole thing. It was pretty scratchy and I couldn't make out everything, but I could tell who was speaking, when people were laughing, when there was a prayer, or music, etc. At the end, I heard them do the 21-Gun salute and I heard a solo bugle playing Taps, which, of course, made me bawl. It was a beautiful memory and a wonderful testiment to his amazing life. In May, I will fly to Cassopolis for his spring funeral, which will be just for family. It has been vey difficult, but I know that he is probably running around in heaven right now, using the legs he couldn't for 20 years. That is what makes it a little easier. He was an amazing man. He lived through the Korean War and a hunting accident that left him a quadrapeligic. He was a brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was strong, brave, and faithful. I love you grandpa.

About 2 weeks after Grandpa passed, my mom called to tell me that Gramdma Vi passed away. She was a dear family friend and had adopted my family as hers since I was in 6th grade. She lived for 90 full years. Everyday after school, Nikki and I hung out at G-ma's house for almost an hour, having a snack and watching trash talk t.v. shows. She took care of me when I was sick, listened to the events of my day, told me her amazing life stories, and was truely a great friend. She was one-of-a-kind and will be missed dearly. Two days after she passed away, I was cleaning my room, and there in the middle of my bedroom floor was a picture of Grndma and I from Nikki's bridal shower. It was so random, that I am sure, it means she must be thinking of all of us.

Then, as if we haven't lost enough, my mom told us that my Great-Uncle Jack passed away this morning. He went in to the hospital Christmas Day. We are all so thankful it was quick and that there was no suffering. I think everything finally hit my mom this morning, and we had a good cry together.


LIFE:
Kimi is due any day now. Her baby will be named Jackson Wayne. Jackson, after my uncle Jack, and Wayne was my grandpa's middle name. What is really neat, is that she picked the name before we lost either of them. The circle of life is a funny thing. I am praying she has him before I have to head back to New Hampshire, but that only gives her one day, so, it's looking slim. We had a baby shower for her on Monday, which as really fun! It was great to see all our family friends and to see all the cute things for Jackson and Kimi. I cannot wait for my nephew to be born!!!


A TRIP TO CONNECTICUT:

A few weeks ago, I drove to Connecticut to see my cousin Carleen and her husband Aaron and to meet her two little boys. Her boys are so cute and I had a blast playing with them. They were a little shy at first, but that didn't last long at all. I got to go to Carleen's mid-wife appointment with them, as she is expecting a baby in May. We got a little Christmas shopping in afterward, and then did a quick driving tour of New York City! It was amazing and was everything I dreamed it would be. I even got a little teary-eyed when we drove through the theater district and I saw the sign for Broadway. We drove through Times Square, Harlem, and the Bronx. It was a dream come true. Carleen and I are planning on seeing Wicked on Broadway sometime this spring. That is my lifelong dream and I am so excited!! Saturday night after the boys went to bed, we caught up on life and family stories. Sunday we went to church and caroled around town afterward. The boys were so good and we had a blast! Before I knew it, the weekend was over, but I am planning to visit often. It is so nice to have family only 4 hours away!


THE HOLIDAYS:

After 7 hours of delays in the airports, I flew safely to Marquette on Tuesday, the 22nd. Matt picked me up at 2 am and we stayed at his apartment that night. Wednesday, we drove home. It was so great to see my family! Matt, Kimi, and I went to surprise Nikki and her 2nd graders during there holiday pajama party. It was so much fun! We hung out there for an hour or so before heading to surprise my mom and her kindergartners just before their holiday concert. They were so cute and it definitely gave me a little more Christmas cheer. Thursday, mom, Nikki, Kimi and I went to Kimi's apartment to make Christmas cookies. Our oven broke earlier that day, so we made the best of the situation and did our baking over there. It was also nice to be able to see her apartment. That night, when the whole family was together, we opened our family gift from Santa. It was a game called "Wits and Wagers" and we had a blast playing it. Then dad read us "Twas the Night Before Christmas", like he always does, and we settled in for the night. Christmas day was wonderful. I got a book about blogging, which is what motivated me to write this today, a sewing book, a beautiful copper U.P. necklace, a bag for traveling and more. That day we laid around in the living room by the fire and all read our books. It was perfect. That night we had a great ham dinner, cooked on the grill, since the oven was dead, and I read The Christmas Story from the Bible to everyone.

Sunday, we had our Christmas with the Bishop family. I love seeing their two little kids and we had so much fun playing with them. They are such great family friends!
The rest of the week, we did a little shopping, made some earrings, helped dad take down his hunting blinds in the woods, and relaxed. It has been nice. Today is my last day home, before heading to Marquette tomorrow and flying out on Sunday. It has been a wonderful week and a half.


THE NEW YEAR:
Honestly, the start of the new year hasn't been so great. I have been battling a rotten stomach ache for 3 days now. My mom and I are thinking it may have been caused by the cold medicine I have been taking. It only seems to come on shortly after I take it. I hate being sick, but it was nice to be home and my mom still took care of me. I don't think it matters how old you are, it's always nice to have your mom, when you feel sick. She is a saint of a lady.
Then, we found out about Uncle Jack this morning. Yuck. Just when we thought "Good Riddens 2009, bring on 2010", all of this happened.

But... I am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. Yes, we have had a rough few months, but we also have had so much to be thankful for. We have an amazingly strong family who sticks together through thick and thin, the comfort of a warm home when we need to be nursed back to health, wonderful memories of loved ones, the ability to laugh at lifes hiccups, good jobs that pay for the food on our tables and the clothes on our backs, and a new little nephew on the way. We are blessed in this New Year and have much to be thankful for.

A New England Fall

Since my last post was a little heavy, I decided to add some fun fall pictures to cheer up a bit.

I love the fall here in New England. Fall is my favorite time of year and I have taken full advantage of all the fun fall-y things.

A few weekends ago, Chelsea's sister and her boyfriend came to visit and we had a few other friends over. We hiked to the top of a lookout tower for a great view of all the fall leaves and we could even see the bridge to Maine from there. That night we had hot apple cider, apple crisp, and a fire in our outdoor fireplace. Sunday we ventured out to a nearby farm. They had beautiful horses and a bunch of newborn lambs. Chelsea and I had a blast watching the little lambs try out there new legs by running around and jumping on their mom's backs. It was hilarisous. Then we all headed out to the farm's corn maze. It was shaped like a skunk and throughout the maze there were mailboxes with skunk trivia questions inside. If you got the answer right, you were sent in the right direction, if you got it wrong, you were sent to a dead end. We did pretty well; 7/10 right.





















The next weekend, my friend Tim and I headed to Keene, NH, about an an hour and a half away for their famous Pumpkin Fest. This is the world's largest jack-o-lantern gathering! People bring their pumpkins into town and the main streets are lined up to display them! There were food and craft vendors all over. It was really fun! Nikki had called me the week before to say that Rachel Ray mentioned Pumpkin Fest in her food magazine and that I should definitely go to it. I am super glad I did!











This weekend I had to work at a a visit day on Saturday and then I went home and warmed up by our fire and watched movies with Chelsea, since it was so cold and drizzly. It was the perfect lazy fall day. Sunday, was gorgeous and almost 60, so my friend Tim came and we carved pumpkins out on the back deck in the sunshine!

:(

I have really not been as good at updating this as I want to be. Sometimes I even forget that I have the blog until someone mentions that they read something on here. I wonder how many people read it anyways? I wish there was a way to see how many people view this. I assume it's just my family, until a random friend brings up something I blogged about. Hmmm.... Anyway, I think I will keep it going, just as a way to write about what is going on in my life, even if it's for my own sake.

So, things have been a little rough in the past two weeks. My Grandpa Williams has been in the hospital. My mom called last week and said that it was probably going to be his time. He has been a quadriplegic for over 20 years now and with this has come a myriad of health problems. Last week his was hospitalized for pnuemonia in both lungs. Of course, getting the phone call was really hard to hear, but it's even harder to be this far away from home. I slept with my phone right by my pillow and had it right on my desk at work everyday, just waiting for news. The call still hasn't come. He just keeps pulling through! I am just praying for him and especially for my grandma who is going through so many emotions and struggles. I am sending all my love their way.

Then, just a few days ago, my mom called to tell me that Nikki and Steve lost their baby. My heart is just breaking for them. I wasn't going to blog about it, but since I already wrote that they were expecting, I feel like it's important to post this as well and just ask everyone to keep them in your prayers. As a sister, it is almost unbearable to know that someone you love with all your heart is going through such a hard time. I want to fix everything and make it better and I can't and I hate that. More than anything, I want to physically be there with them. I want to hug my sister and hold her while she cries, and I can't. I absolutely love living out here, but it's at times like these that I wish I was with my family.

Becoming an Auntie!

I am so excited right now, I am about to burst!!

I am going to be an aunt twice!!! Kimi's little boy, Jackson, is due on January 8th. I cannot wait until he arrives, and am secretly hoping he will come a little early, so I can be there to see the birth when I am home for Christmas!!

Then, Nikki and Steve called yesterday and are expecting too!!! I am overjoyed for them! Their little one is due in June. I am so excited to have two babies to spoil!!

God is truly amazing and I cannot believe how blessed our family is!

I am on top of the world with the great news!!

Congrats to my both my beautiful sisters (and of course, Steve too!)

Boston

This weekend was busy! Saturday I had to work at our University Open House for prospective students. It was a long day, but went really well. After work, Chels and I drove to Boston to hang out with friends in celebration of Chelsey and another friend, Tim's, birthdays. It was so much fun! My friend Ally lives in a super cute apartment in South Boston, so we stayed with her. She lives on the top floor and has a really cool roof balcony that overlooks the city. We even had birthday brownies as we overlooked the lights of the city. Yesterday, we all walked down to a cute little breakfast cafe from Ally's place. They had fantastic turkey hash! After that, we headed down to Castle Island on the harbor. We watched people fish, planes, take off at the airport, and got to see the old fort there. It was a great weekend, but it flew by so fast!

Pictures of the Kitchen and Living Room

Here are the pictures of my living room (although now we have a big flat screen t.v.!), kitchen and dining room!

Out on the Town

Here are a few pictures of me and my co-workers!


Sherry and I with Gnarles; our Wildcat mascot during University Days on campus





Me with my co-workers, Jaclyn, and Sherry




Danny, Chels and I went out to a Mexican restaurant after a successful Saturday Visitors Day.

Roomates

I am so lucky to have found such a great roomate! Chelsea was on my interview committee which is how I met her. After my interview I asked her where most people live and what the cost of living is like in New Hampshire. She said a few of the girls there were looking for roomates. So, when I got the job, I asked her if anyone still needed a roomate and she said she did, so a week later I moved it!! We are so alike in so many ways! We have the same car, are the second child of four, and both have a purse and shoe obsession. I think we will get along just great! Here are a few pictures from our roomate photoshoot!

New Market

I live close to the cute little town of New Market right on the river. The other day after work, I stopped to take a few pictures. Here they are!

Exeter

I live in the historic town of Exeter. It is so gorgeous! I love the traditional old New England Buildings and the fact that the town runs along a gorgeous river.

The Ocean

I love living by the ocean! The beaches are less than 15 miles from my house and you better believe I am there every chance I get. The water here is pretty cold, but I am used to Lake Superior, so I get right in and swim! Not to mention that there are a lot of cute surfers here too!! ;)

Mount Major

A few weekends ago my roomate, Chelsea and I along with a few friends drove up North to hike Mount Major. The summit showcases a gorgeous view of Lake Winnipesaukee; New Hampshire's largest lake. I was a little slow getting to the top, but once I got there, it was so worth it!

House Pictures I promised

I am finally putting pictures up of my house!! Enjoy!





My back and side yard. My roomate Chelsey just bought a patio set. That's a picture of her and her friend Mike.







My bathroom






My sunny bedroom with my new bed!







I am not sure why I don't have pictures of my kitchen and living room on my computer. I will add those once I find them!

So Much to Tell

Wow! Once again, time has escaped me and it's 2 months since I last blogged! Well, there has been a big change in my life. No, I am not getting married, 'nor have I had a baby. I moved!! I am now living in Exeter, New Hampshire! It is wonderful and I love it. So, now, the details, although, I will try to be brief.

In early June, I began applying for admissions positions all over. As I think I might have previously mentioned, rumors were flying around Northland that there would be massive layoffs, so I thought it's better to be safe than sorry and started sending out apps. Well, about 6 weeks later, I got a call from the University of New Hampshire for a phone interview. I was super excited and as soon as I got off the phone I begin checking out the college more and it's location. The phone interview was tough, but I made it to the on campus interview portion. I was called on a Tuesday afternoon about the interview. So, Wednesday after work, I drove the 4 hours to the Minneapolis airport to fly out the next morning. I got to Durham, NH at 9 that night and interviewed the next morning. The interview was really intense and lasted almost 4 hours. I somehow felt really at peace though and was more excited than nervous. After the interview, I checked out the area and loved it!! I knew I wanted this position. After 2 weeks of not hearing, I had assumed, I hadn't gotten the job. Well, lo and behold, I was offered the position of Diversity Admissions counselor! I accepted and last week drove with my wonderful parents on the 23 hour drive through Canada to get here! We drove through the Green Mountains of Vermont, which are amazing!!! We arrived on a Friday night, where I was able to see the house I am living in for the first time! I was blessed to have found a place before moving here. The girl who interviewed me, is also an admissions counselor and was looking for a roomate. The house is awesome!! We moved all my stuff in that night. Sat. we bought some things for the house and unpacked. That night I drove my parents up the shore of Maine where we got to see the waves crashing against the coastline in the aftermath of a hurricane. It was really cool. We had a wonderful lobster dinner that night too right near a lighthouse and continued to watch the waves! Sunday I took my parents to campus, where they bought their UNH gear. It was really cute to see how excited they were for me! My mom even asked, "do you think we should get the dogs UNH dog dishes?" haha. Then I drove then along the beach to see all the ritzy houses. That night we went into Portsmouth, which is the happenin' town nearby. It was awesome. My parents left Monday morning after I left for work. It was so wonderful to have them there! I cannot imagine doing all of that alone! They are angels!

Last Monday I started work and I love it! It will definitely push me a lot and I know challenges will arise, but I also know that God put me in this position for a reason and I am excited to see how he uses me here! My co-workers are great and super helpful. One night after work last week, we all went out for appetizers afterwards. It was so nice! This past weekend, Chelsea, my roomate, and I had people over for a backyard fire. We made nachos and smores and my friend Eric, who is a co-worker brought his guitar. It was so much fun! Saturday we did some shopping and Sunday I went down to the beach to watch all the surfers and sea-kayakers. It was so cool! Monday, a group of us went and hiked Mount Major which overlooks NH's biggest lake. It was gorgeous! I know I can definitely get used to all of this!!

Okay, so that was the short version and I have lots more to say. But I am off for now. I will post pics very soon!!

I'm a Quarter of a Century Old!

Yesterday I turned the big 2-5! It was the best birthday ever! I met mom and dad in Crystal Falls, MI for breakfast at a little cafe. We then all drove together to Wallace, MI to the DeYoung Family Zoo. It was more like an animal educational rescue center than a zoo. This guy just started making a zoo in his backyard in the middle of nowhere U.P.! It was so awesome. They take animals that other zoos can't take anymore and give them homes here. When we got there, we got to watch the "Big Cat Feeding". It was cool to watch the zoo keeper chuck huge chickens over the fence and watch the lions and tigets jump in the air to catch them. This zoo has the biggest Wild Cat exhibit in the midwest. There is even a dad tiger who is helping to raise his cubs, which is the first time to ever happen in the world!! Animanl Planet is coming to film it soon! After the cat feeding mom and I got to go into the fawn pen with all the orphan fawns. They were so cute! One sucked on our fingers! Then we went to the Baby Animal Show. Mom and I got to hold baby bobcats, cougars, and a joey (baby kangaroo). We also got to see a baby grizzly wrestle with the zoo keeper and pet a coyote pup. It was amazing!! We ended the day with a picnic of grilled chicken, potatoe salad, and strawberry shortcake! What a wonderful birthday!!

4th of July Weekend in Duluth, MN

Megs and I spent all day Saturday and Sunday laying on the beach. It was wonderful!! It was so relaxing and felt like summer! I jumped in Lake Superior quite a few times. The weather has been pretty chilly this summer, so the lake hasn't warmed up at all (not that it ever gets warm), but it still felt good to cool off quick. Sat. night we went down to Canal Park and watch the fireworks by one of the tall ships in the harbor. Afterwards we went to "Grandma's", which is a popular place to dance. It was so much fun!!! I love dancing!! Megan and I danced until the place closed. It was a perfect weekend!

Rose Garden in Duluth