Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look foreword to, when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is once again the dawn of another weekend and a Big Ole Hairy Friday!!!!

yesterday was the first day of school in Monongalia County, Erica Jean attended her first day of school and Alex Ostien attended his first day of Kindergarten. The sad part about it all, they have to do it all again today.

In case you haven't noticed, they're back. New Jersey has invaded my beloved city for the next nine or so months with a a new batch of college students have invaded my City. Traffic will be a pain in the rear end until May of next year now. (Sigh)

Chicken Wing Cookoff is tomorrow at Mylan Park if anyone is interested in going. I usually attend and I usually go early to avoid the larger crowds.

Hi ho hi ho

Married Edition of Photo Flashback Thursday

Since I was in Ocean City at this time last week, this will be my first Photo Flashback Thursday since the wedding and I thought I would start it off right.

I've stolen this picture from my niece Amy, it was one that she did that Michelle and I absolutely love, so that is this weeks Photo Flashback. Thank you Amy for your great Photographer's eye and your ability to edit. Michelle and I both love this picture.

Hi ho hi ho

Hump Day

Well we got a little something in the mail yesterday that I was anticipating, the Flag that flew over our nations Capital on the day Michelle and I got married is now in my possession. I ordered it a number of weeks ago in honor of our wedding through our Congressman David McKinley through the Flag Program that the House of Representatives offer. I have to say Thank You to him, even though I fully supported and voted for the better candidate in Mike Oliverio. I would have loved to have ordered it from Mike, however I am very thankful to have a precious piece of our Nations history on a day very special to me and Michelle.

On to today and this being hump day, which means we are well on our way to another weekend. The first two days of this week have kept me hopping, things should slow down now as I am caught up and preparing for things to be done at the end of the month.

Other than that, Hi ho hi ho

Tuesdays Tidbits

* Well vacation is over with and we are back to work, Monday is now over with and we are looking at the dawn of a Tuesday. I can't think of a better reason to do a tidbits than that.

* 1,250 Days ago I took Michelle out on our first date.

* 473 days ago I asked her to marry me.

* 10 days ago shew did.

* There are only 131 more shopping days left until Christmas.

* 34 years ago today, Elvis Presley the man known as the King of Rock and Roll, passed away at his Graceland home.

* We are back to a two car family now, so I don't have to spend as much time at work as I had been. I can actually work the time periods I am just supposed to be there and not have to worry about Michelle's schedule.

* Hi ho hi ho

Yuck, Monday

I guess all good things must come to an end, and that includes vacations. After having the past ten days off it's time for me to stick my nose back to the grindstone and get back to the thing that I do to earn a living. It's time to return to work.

I'm going to hate to see how many e-mails I may have to address, I did receive two calls last week while I was on vacation, but I think both things were taken care of by other co-workers.

Anyways, I am going to work my first day as a married man.

Hi ho hi ho

It's Been a Busy Vacation

It's my last day of my first week plus long vacation from work in a number of years, and I have to say it has been eventful to say the least.

I married the woman of my Dreams last week and we went on our Honeymoon to Ocean City Maryland, you can view all of those pictures are available HERE. I have gathered a few pictures from random people from our wedding, hopefully this list of pictures will grow as time goes on. We still have not seen the images from P and P Portraits yet.

Yesterday I did something a little early and managed to buy a new Subaru Forester from John Howard on the Mileground. We have been looking and doing our research for a few months on what kind of a car we wanted, initially it was a Jeep Patriot (ironically John Howard had a 2011 Patriot sitting on the lot that the lasy lost $10,000 on the tradein of it.), but after reviews and research we decided what we wanted.

We wanted a mini-SUV type with great gas mileage and a little power. This is a 4 Cylinder, but it has a 2.5 Liter Engine and 170 HP so it has some get up and go. It's All-Wheel Drive with the option of turning that off with the push of a button. It has all the things that used to be options (AC, Power Windows, AM-FM CD Player, Anti-Lock Brakes), we wanted a 5-speed and actually were looking for one. I wanted Sirrus Satelite Radio and it is bought and paid for as well as a few options we chose this week. I did purchase an extended warranty and our salesman was the best you could ask for, Jamie Trippett and if anyone is looking to buy a new car from John Howard, trust me this is the man you want to deal with.

That was my week of vacation. We return to work tomorrow after a final day of relaxing.

New Car?

The the payments from the Rodeo that I have had sitting for a few years almost out from under me, Michelle and I are considering buying a new car. We test drove one yesterday that we both felt comfortable with and liked, but there are a few things we wanted that that one did not have. I saw where the dealership had a new one in transit and noted that I preferred a five speed instead of an automatic. Low and behold, the one we wanted arrived on the truck yesterday afternoon.

We may very well be owners of a new Subaru Forester today if all goes well.

Friday

It's Friday Morning, we have returned from vacation and Michelle is still asleep from yesterday afternoon after we arrived home. She drank two large red bulls on the way home and still managed to fall asleep on the trip home. Ocean City has obviously taken a toll on her, only this morning I will not be getting her up at the butt crack of dawn to watch the sun rise over the ocean.

Today will probably be filled with the rest of the unpacking and organizing of everything we took down with us. It's also the last day of of our vacation workweek as we enter into a new weekend.

I have to say that the past seven days have been eventful, fun filled and exciting. Getting married and the honeymoon we were on "Go Mode" the entire time to get everything done and to be able to do what we wanted to do. I'll put my camera vacation pictures up sometime today.

Have a Great day.

EDIT, my pictures are all HERE

Back to West Virginia

After the last three nights on our honeymoon in Ocean City, we are Planning on watching one last sunrise this morning and then eating breakfast and hitting the road back home.

I have to say we lived this honeymoon to the fullest that we could. Two boat tours, the beach, the Ripley's Museum and the boardwalk to just name a few things that we have done. I know Michelle and I are both worn out from having souch fun.

We have both enjoyed ourselves.

Worn Out

Ever since we arrived in Ocean City we have been living and sharing life to the fullest. Last night it, that and the heat finally caught up with us as we took a breather and made it a n early night after dinners at Embers and Michelle kicking my ass at minerature golf after dinner.

Today we are taking a speed boat out into the Ocean for our second tour, we went to assiteaque Island yesterday and saw the wild omits. Michelle did manage to catch a large hermit crab.

Check my Facebook for images and a really nice time lapse I did of the sun coming up this morning. I have other pictures with my other camera, but the ones on my iPhone I can share instantly.

Ocean City

Well Michelle and I have made it to our honeymoon destination, Ocean City, Maryland. The trip was a pleasant one, not too much trouble and she was fascinated with the Bay Bridge.

As soon as we got here we went to the ocean to stick our feet in it and enjoy a nice kiss before getting on the tram to ride all the way down to the beginning of the boardwalk. Today will either be a beach day or an on the Ocean site seeing day.

I think location wise, we found a hotel on the right place. A few of the places we had recommended are right by the hotel. We've already had a bucket of Thrasher Boardwalk Fries.

Ocean City Bound

Michelle and I are going to be traveling today to Ocean City, Maryland to start our Honeymoon. She has never been there, and has never even see the Bay Bridge, so early this morning we are heading east until we find the Atlantic Ocean.

We'll have her laptop plus our iPhones, so I will be in contact.

Happy Birthday Randy Lee Hamrick

If you happen to see my nephew Randy Lee Hamrick today, make sure that you wish him the very Happiest of Birthdays.

Not sure what his plans are today, but both me and Michelle would like to extend our Birthday wishes to him on this his Birthday.

Happy Birthday Randy.

Marriage Day One

First off I want to thank everyone that helped us make yesterday happen, it just made the day that much more special. I wish I could say I grabbed a lot of pictures, my camera was with me but I did not have the opportunity to take the first picture other than the few I managed to gran with my iPhone. I understand now why couples hire professional photographers and we were no different. If anyone has any pictures from yesterday, Me and Mrs Hall would greatly appreciate the chance to be able to see them.

Michelle and I will be doing a little shopping today before packing up tonight and heading to Ocean City, Maryland tomorrow morning. She's never seen Ocean City or even the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, so I think she is going to be in for a treat. It's not too often that I just pick up and take a vacation someplace, so I am ready for a honeymoon too.

I do have to confess that every time I looked at Michelle during the ceremony I started to bawl, I kept thinking to myself there are 100+ people here and people are running cameras and I do not want to be material for a viral Youtube video of me bawling at our wedding.

I hope everyone had a good time, left with their bellies full and managed to leave with enough food to have another meal. Jean, Pam and the women at the church made all of the food for the feast and allowed everyone to enjoy a fabulous feast. I owe everyone a huge debt of gratitude.

I'm still running on nervous energy and very little sleep (I'm an early riser, so once again on behalf of me and my wife Michelle, thank you to everyone that helped us make yesterday a special day for us and the fellowship we were able to have. It was my once in a lifetime. Thank You.

Wedding Day

I'm sure there are a lot of people out there possibly reading this that wondered if they would ever see this day, heck at age 47 1/2 I was even wondering sometimes if I would ever see a day that I was going to get married. However with a lot of help and encouragement from friends and family on both sides, we have somehow managed to get to this day. This is the day I have been waiting my entire life for, the day I finally cross over from my long time bachelorhood to marital bliss with the woman I love and by the time I write my next BLOG my wife Michelle.

Yesterday evening we went into the Marilla Center and with the help of some very special people we were able transform the place into a place that Mr and Mrs George and Michelle Hall can spend a fun day with many special people our lives. I know Michelle has family that have traveled from as far as South Carolina and East Liverpool, Ohio and that her family and my family will share a special fellowship with us on this day, our day that we enter Marital bliss.

I think the question people may be wondering about me is am I nervous, the answer is not yet, but I have about 9 hours from the time I am writing this to get to the nervous or butterfly stage.

I want to thank everyone who have so selflessly helped us get even start to pull this wedding off and help make it a reality. Michelle and I appreciate anyone who has helped with the planning, to the bridal shower, to the cooking and setting up and for the assistance we will need to clean it up tonight, the baking the the running around and just the many things that people did to help us live our dream. A big heart felt Thank You from both of us, without you our stress levels would have been much higher.

Casual dress today, festive party to follow. Bring your grass skirts, your Hawaiiam shirts, put on your sandals and shorts and lets get everyone lei'd and have a great day.

Big Ole Hairy Ten Day Vacation

My nose is off the grindstone this week and I am preparing for my wedding tomorrow, for those of you who have to work I feel for you. I'm off today and all of next week as Michelle and I exchange our vows and head out of town for our Honeymoon.

Last night Michelle baked a number of cookies for our cookie table at the wedding. I never heard of a cookie table before two years ago, but as soon as I heard of it I wanted one.

If and that is a big IF the Marilla Center is available tonight (someone else may have it rented) we are going to go down and decorate for tomorrow. We can use all of the help we can get.

Just to avoid any confusion, our wedding is going to be very casual, as in Caribbean type dress, we just want everyone to be comfortable. We're both wearing flowered shirts.

It'll be a busy day for sure.

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I get a chance to look back through all of my old pictures to come up with one to tell a little story about. This week is no different.

The picture that you see, even though it was not the first picture taken of the woman I am going to marry in a couple of days, this was actually the second picture taken of the both of us. Why is it so special, it was the first one that I took of the two of us.

I picked up Michelle and Hayley and we attended a WVU baseball game that day, something that we have done a number of times since then. We both like taking our "ass cushions" and go to Hawley Field to cheer on the Mountaineers. I always have to get my traditional Hot Dog, because it's not a baseball game without a good old American Hot Dog in your belly.

Hi ho hi ho, it's the last day of work as a single man I go

Hump Day

My week is halfway over, or just beginning depending on how you look at it. I'm off Friday and all next week for the wedding and Honeymoon, so I'm already on the backside of my work week even before I get my day started. Michelle on the other hand, this might be her last day this week as she is probably taking Thursday off as well.

Michelle went over tot Jes's last night to do a little more more on the wedding programs, I was trying to find a good deal for the honeymoon but not so good that it's an unpleasant experience. Nothing is finalized yet, but we have a pretty good idea and I would like some kind of a backup plan in place just in case.

I'm sure the obvious question everyone has for me is "are you nervous"? I have to honestly say not in the slightest yet. We've had helping hands and planned well financially, everything is falling into place so far. I just hope it stays like that.

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Well once again Monday is behind us and we are looking down the barrel of another Tuesday. I can't think of a better reason than that to do a tidbits.

* It has been 1,236 wonderful days since my first date with Michelle when we went and saw that god awful movie 10,000 BC.

* It was 459 days ago when I got down on one knee at 4:00 in the morning and proposed marriage.

* And this will be the last entry you will see on my Tuesday's Tidbits concerning this, next week I'll debut a new line but we have only 4 more days until our wedding this Saturday. I'll reintroduce the Christmas Countdown next week.

* We're still trying to decide where we want to go for our honeymoon. We're about 95% sure of where we are going, but we're still waiting to see before we finalize anything. I'll have the GPS ready =)

* My niece Amy has got a new phone, a smart phone at that but I don;t think she is very happy with it. She got a Samsumg mesmerize, but she doesn't appear to happy with the battery life of the phone.

* Hi ho hi ho

*

And the Countdown starts

Well, this is my last week of work as a single man, I'll be working until Thursday and I'll be off Friday getting ready for our wedding Saturday. So, I guess this will be 4 on, and then 10 days off!!!!!!!

We did get a lot done this weekend, and things look like they are going to be running smooth up until the wedding date. We're getting help from all over the family and I have to say it is much appreciated. Michelle was over at Jes's yesterday making the programs to be given out, our "Wishing Well" as I have heard it referred to has been completed, we made it at home yesterday.

Mike has a keg of beer sitting ready for me at the bar and Pam and George are off Thursday and Friday to help us out.

The clock is ticking, wedding day is getting closer.