Four Years Later

 Four years ago today, I watched my friends and family file into First Christian Church to the soft saltry music being played in my father's honor on a beautiful crisp fall evening. 

I knew I was marrying the love of my life but little did I know how complete he would make me so quickly. 

I, Doc, take you, Matilda, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward til death do us part.

Happiest of Anniversaries, my love.  What a wonderful life we've made together. 

I love you.

They fit!!

I buttoned my BC (before children) pants today and although I resemble a 6ft tall woman stuffed threw a sausage maker, they are buttoned.  I even sat down, still breathing, and they didn't split or pop open. Bonus.

How did I do it, you may ask?  I have a two-component strategy.

One: Give as much of my fat away through my breastmilk to my daughter's chins:




Two: A very scientific workout of daily bench press to strengthen muscles:



(Notice Caroline is also working on her strength by kicking off her sock.  She even looks to be sure Daddy got it on film...)

Seven Weeks

Thank goodness for digital photos that come with an automatic date stamp...otherwise, I might forget which is which in 20 years....

Zen and the art of trickery

So apparently we have hoodwinked at least one friend who thinks we have achieved a "Zen family life" by the photos and videos we post here on our digital scrapbook.  In her honor, here is our totally-not-staged photo from our hike through the woods around the lake this morning. Note, that's 40lbs of children that we humped for two miles through surprisingly uneven terrain. Ohmmmmmmm......

The Trouble With Three

Getting two of us to look at the camera is relatively easy:

Three or more at the same time is exponentially harder:

We'll get this right eventually.

Anna's Wedding!

Congratulations, Anna and Drew Harmon! Enjoy Guatemala!

The rest of my pics are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/stephen.forest.shaw/AnnaSWedding#, and hopefully the photog will get her stuff done soon so we can add Drew to this picture! We had a great time, and it is always so fun to get all of the family together, especially since it keeps expanding (congrats, Robin!).

Playing on the Floor

Sometimes the best things come in the smallest packages

Eating my words

I was delighted to post back in January that I had sat through my last first day of school. I thought to myself that day, "surely if I can only get through the 19th Grade unscathed, I will finally be smart enough to be unleashed on the world!" Now, only 9 short months later, I regret to inform you that I am at it again. Like eating boiled crow, indeed.

I had my first day of work at Elon University today, bolstering the already talented Advancement Office's bench strength by filling the post of Assistant Director of Gift Planning. Just so youse know, any of youse out there want to be giving away money, you come and talk to me first. So long as you are giving to Elon!

Not only that, but I am blogging right now because I am halfway through my assigned reading for my first class at NYU Law's famed Tax LL.M. program, which I am pleased to be taking via teh internets. Ah technology. Actually, it may not be too different from actually attending class - half of that felt like I was just watching a videotape of the professor, anyhow.

Seriously, this is exciting to be doing, even if tonight's reading is all about cash and accrual accounting methods and how they are treated under the Internal Revenue Code.

Oh well. Wish me luck.