Congrats!!

I am officially Auntie Erin. For those of you who may not know, my brother and his wife Heidi have brought their new son Brakston Lawrence Taylor home from Guatemala. I am sure it will be a crazy but rewarding experience for all of them, and I look forward to hearing all of the stories and sending the craziest loudest toys I can find (since I live several hundred miles away!)

Can't wait to meet him and see everyone in 5 weeks!!

Moving right along

Sorry it has been a while since the last post, but progress is being made on all fronts here at the homestead.

In sports:

Apparently professional photographers at the Shamrock Marathon decided I was a good subject (or they thought "look at that poor beached whale trying ot make it to the water")...either way they sent and published some pics of me in action.

Hmm, tried to add another in this space but it didnt work, oh well

On the Wedding Front:

We are under the 2 months mark and finally feel like we might actually pull this circus off! My dress came back from the seamstress on Monday and fits very well. While I was at my final fitting my wedding band came to the door. Gordon thinks it was a good omen. Still debating on whether to have my rings fused togeher before or after the wedding...I am routing for after so I dont have to go without my ring from VA all the way till the wedding, but I can see the benefits fo doing it that way I suppose (any thoughts, ideas?)

In Health:

A nasty cold has been going around the area. Yours truly was one of the victims, but it looks like I am on the rebound (a box of Sudafed, a few tissues, some Ibuprofen, and a role of toilet paper later that is.)

In Entertainment News:

I read that Tyra Banks has a stalker and is afraid to go out now...If I were here I would be afraid of going out because of the awful hairweaves and wigs her stylists give her, but that's just me. Also I was forced to take a client to see Titanic the Musical at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach...my thoughts Stay far far away from this train wreck!! It was based on factual events but from someone with at least a minor in theater...Peter Griffin's version of the "King and I" would win an award before this thing would...There was a murder yesterday afternoon and the vicitm was theater... :P

Now over to Cooke in weather...

The skies are clear the temperature is near 80 degrees (sorry IN folks) and I just got back from the dog park! After being chased and chasing a Jack-ass, I mean Russell,Terrier and a couple Shelties and a Scottie I am pooped!! Here is a live satellite image of the current situation:

That sums up this episode of Nawfolk Livin', tune in next time

SUCCESS!!

I finished the race. I beat my best time even though I had to stop and take a quick breathing walk...There were supposedly 7000 runners this morning for the 8k. It was fun, but I don't think the half-marathon or marathon is in my future!!

Here are my posted official results:

RESULTS - SHAMROCK FESTIVAL 8K - 2008

Place Bib# Name Gen Age City St Coun Chiptime Pace Guntime Div /Tot

1051 17020 Erin Taylor F 28 Norfolk VA USA 43:36.00 8:47 45:35.80 71/571

Div Gend/Tot G

F25-29 313/2865 F

Basically I came in 1051st overall and 313th for women...woo hoo...The winner was a male from Kenya that ran at a pace of 4:30 second miles...FREAK!!! or maybe just a masochist. Gordon was at the finish line cheering me on as I quickly crossed and found my way to the beer tent...ahh the sweet taste of success.

Sorry it is sideways, I forgot to edit it...but this was about 1 hour after "the greenest race in the country" and downing 2 yeungling (gotta support the sponsors)

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Other than the fact that since childhood, Annie Lennox has eerily reminded me of my mom (I think it's the hair cut), I have been having some strange dreams. There are different schools of thought on the whole nocturnal brain processes...some cultures believe that they are symbols, or archetypes if you will, from ancestors trying to send messages. However a recent theory as discussed on the Discovery Channel...yes I do watch Discovery channel (but only when Family Guy is not on) that hypothesizes that our brains are the brains filing system and it sorts through all of the information from the day and saves or discards it based on need or interest...I fall more into the camp of the latter but there are still some areas left fuzzy in my mind...

But anyhow...since the nearing of the wedding I have been having those (what I hope are typical...please back me up ladies) dreams that we get to the wedding but realize that we have forgotten to book a minister/officiant, or we never sent out invitations, or an assortment of other deleterious of wedding faux pas.

This has been happening for the last month or so, and have never disturbed me enough to inhibit my daytime life.

For the past several years a majority of my dreams (if I can remember them) have been pretty mundane...like everyday life events. But the other night I had one of those dreams that I immediately had to tell Gordon when he was on his way out the door for work. He still thinks I am insane and wants to have me checked to make sure I should be the counselor and not the client at work...but I thought it was amusing!

I don't remember how it started but a good portion of it was me with metal finger tips (from the middle knuckle on). At first I was like "whoa what in the world is wrong with me" but then others found out and were intrigued. The next thing I remember well enough to comment on was that I was on an info-mercial type program boasting the use and need for these metal fingers along with 1950s style demonstrations. The rest of the details are a little fuzzy but I do recall some of the uses as:

• Never have to file your nails again, gals!



• (apparently they were magnetized too) Never lose valuable jewelry down the drain ever again



• Scale a building with the greatest of ease (I guess a metal building)



• Become the World's best back scratcher!



• AND



• Never have to buy garden tools again!

I'm sure there were some more obscure not actual uses for my metal fingers, but I'm sure they made since to me in my dream.

I would have to say that the reaction I got from Gordon has to rival the reaction I got when I was dreaming of ordering Burritos at Qdobas and I was pointing at the overhead menu board and placing my order with Gordon in my sleep!!

Just thought I would share that with you all. I am laying low tonight in preparation for the Shamrock Race in the morning...wish me luck (I need it 50 degrees and 16mph winds).

The stork needs a jet

I forgot to mention in my last post all of the new arrivals and baby updates.



Born February 13 to our friends Mark and Jennifer is little Phineas Francis



Also, the casually late appearance of Lincoln Jesse to my cousin Emily's family



Next in the baby order is the long awaited introduction to Brakston Lawrence Taylor. My brother and Heidi made their journey to Guatemala last week to introduce themselves to their new son. They seem to have made quite an impression on him...but I think he will get over it (j/k). It seems that they are moving along in the legal process of the adoption so hopefully the rest of the family will be able to meet him by the time the wedding comes around. See pic Below



And finally is our friend Jill who works at a local hangout who is pushing 6 months pregnant but looks like about 3 years pregnant! She is very excited to be a mother to Little Miss Elliot Bruiser in a couple months...



So as you can see maybe the stork doesn't need a jet but possibly a Cessna Caravan for all of his deliveries...maybe a career move for Gordon :P

Will Spring Spring or has it Sprung?

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted, just been up to the same 'ol same 'ol for the most part. Work is going pretty well I survived my first annual review and annual physicals. The review was really laid back, I simply had to run through all the significant events my client had in the last year and make sure he knows his rights..."I can get married, who to call if I feel neglected, violated, etc." This isn't bad, but the annual physicals are not my cup of tea. As many of you probably know, I personally avoid the doctors like a child (or most people) avoids brussel sprouts. On one hand it's not so bad when it is not me being poked and prodded and inspected, but on the hand I don't want to have to hear about the personal ailments of cognitively delayed folks...let's just say plantar fasci-itus (no clue how to spell that) was the mildest health issue I encountered last week! OK now that I am turning me off of my chinese food I will switch subjects...

10 days until the Shamrock Marathon! I still don't feel 100% confident, but I did buy new running shoes last week that I have been breaking in if that counts for anything. The weather has been a little warmer so I am hoping we will luck out.

Other than that I have been getting a lot of questions on what to wear to the wedding in 10 weeks or so...My answer...I don't care! I don't mean that rudely either. Tradition in the Keys is for women to throw their pantyhose over the 7 mile bridge when they cross...so the law of the land is no pantyhose for women (and men in case you were tempted to wrangle your getaway sticks into the modern day torture devices)! It will be warm bordering on hot for a lot of you, it will be outside in a garden, and it is THE KEYS!! Gordon and I are going all out in garb (kinda), but in no way shape or form do we expect any of you to.

Hope this answers any questions that may still be lingering out there...

2 couples walk into a karaoke bar...

Just thought I would drop a line for any faithful fans out there (cricket noises heard). February has been off to a mixed start...having an impromptu pre-birthday weekend for me followed by an actual birthday with 2 clients that are about as exciting as watching deer hunting on television. We went to the grocery store and ate at Subway...but Gordon did make me a red velvet cake when I got home.

Gordon has been working on the scooter to repair the battle scars of the scooter rally...and as a result we were introduced to a German guy in town who also owns and does a lot of custom work on his old vespa.

Other than that I have been itching to play soccer, but the timing never seems to be right...either people have other obligations when the weather is conducive or Hampton Roads has 40 mph winds and is on fire when people are at home...soon enough I suppose, soon enough. In the mean time I have tried to do more running outside, with a little progress...but still prefer the comforts of the treadmill. A little over a month to go and about 2.5 miles to consistently add to my run but "Goonies never say die!"

I've been busy with work since my co-worker is on her honeymoon and yet again there are two of us running the show...but my time will come. We are T-minus 3 1/2 months and counting...(but on the plus side, the lottery is up to $150 million).

Funny story and then I will quit typing...So there is a Philipino karaoke bar here in Norfolk that I have heard all about but never experienced...so Saturday night a couple friends talked Gordon and I into going to check it out for a change of pace. I had heard that a client of mine, who the terms modest and subdued are completely foreign to her, likes to frequent this place with her friends in the community...wouldn't you know I walk in the door and there she is, my outgoing mild mentally retarded client, singing and dancing in the middle of the floor (both mics in her hand) to "you're beautiful, you're beautiful, it's true". And who does she spot out of the crowd immediately? (thumbs pointing in) "This girl!" It turned out to be an amusing evening, where the entire bar was rocking out to horrible renditions of Livin' on a Prayer, Black Velvet, and the Cranberries, it was just not what I expected. I would probably go back to the karaoke bar...I will just check my clients agendas first!