It's Monday...what are you doing?

Having a "case of the Mondays"? Most of us usually do. No one wants to go back to the work week, especially after a great weekend. But I have found my cure for my "case of the Mondays". Camden Community Concert Band. HAHAHAHAHA! That's right you read it right! On Monday nights I have band!

Last year, I joined the CCCB and was pleasantly surprised by just how many people are in the band. And we're actually pretty decent. Of course when I joined I was(am still am) the youngest member. However, I don't mind it. It's actually kinda fun! As crazy as it might sound, band has turned out to be a huge stress reliever for me. For 2 hours every week I do not have to worry about what is going on in the outside world. People are actually excited when you walk in the door and are quick to give you a hug or a smile! And trust me if you miss a week they do want a signed excuse from a spouse/parent/guardian.

So, I encourage each of you to find what can solve your case of the Mondays. Get involved in your community! You'll be surprised just how much it can change your outlook on life and you're able to see the bigger picture on life and what is surrounding you.

*Those are my thoughts of wisdom for the day*

P.S. Our final concert for the year is on April 19th @ 3pm in Rectory Square. Check us out at http://www.camdencommunityband.org/

TTFN!
~Emily

Bahamas or Las Vegas

That's right ladies and gentlemen...that was the question last night at the Catoe Cabana. Bryan and I officially decided that we are going to take some of our tax refund money and go on a vacation. The only problem was which one to choose.

Trip A: A three day cruise to the Bahamas. Wonderful accommodations on Norwegian Cruise Lines complete with all you can eat food and drink (except the alcohol). We would enjoy our stay with a water view from our room on the ship.

Trip B: A four day stay to Las Vegas. This includes airfare and four night stay in a hotel "near" the strip. Of course a rental car would be needed and only a convertible will do!

So which trip did the Catoes decided??????????????????

Trip C: Which has yet to be determined. We realized very quickly that we had gotten a wee bit big for our britches and that our money would be better spent of things such as credit cards and things for the house (stupid grown up things). Yard man perhaps????? Trash pick up???? Being a grown up sucks at times! However, one day the Catoes will make it to either the Bahamas or Las Vegas. Maybe even BOTH!!!!! Watch out world here we come!!!! Of course that will only happen if we win the lottery and since neither of us play odds or winning are slim to none.

Anyways, you tell me where a place B and I could go to for a long weekend......... Leave a comment as to where we should go!

Lent and the Library

It has been a long time coming, probably a couple of months now but I'm doing it!!!!!! I'm going to pay my library fine today. The whole $4.20. UGH! Who would've thought that just because you were a little late (okay maybe a month late) on returning a book that they would fine you. Not only do I have a fine but then also have blocked me from checking out any more books until I pay the fine. I do realize that this categorizes me into a whole new realm of dorkiness because I go to the library on a regular basis (or should I say USED to go on a regular basis). Yes, I am a bit bitter but you would be to if it happened to you. If you would like to hear about my library debacle read on....

About a month ago......okay maybe three months ago, I started reading a book. Long story short I did not like the book and never finished it. It sat on my desk at work (probably another reason why I did not read it) and I forgot about it. One day I received a kind note in the mail from the library asking for their book back. Bryan being the ever so loving husband would kindly remind me that I needed to return the book. I would reply that I would return it but that no one is missing out by not reading the book. I remember thinking that I was actually doing them a favor as to not waste their time on this book.

So, a month goes by and I realize that I want to read books again. I take the library book back and try again on another book. This time I picked a winner. Read the book in a couple of days and went right back to the library to pick out another one. I quickly picked out a new book and headed to checkout. As I was checking out they reminded me of my late fee of $4.20..WHAT????? I politely asked the woman if I could pay the fine next time since my purse was in the car. Well good 'ole Wilhemina at the library said NO!!!!!!!! And that there was a block on my account and I could not check out any books until the fine was paid. Plus to make matters even worse there was a line behind me so half of the town of Camden now knows that I have a fine and a block on my library account(news travels fast in this town). I quickly left the library heavy hearted and trying not to let anyone see the embarrassment on my face.

So needless to say I went on strike from the library. I made no signs or protests but whenever I would drive by I would think to myself $4.20???? I filled my time with reading books that my friends would let me borrow and so on. It was fast lived!

Well it is now the season of Lent. During this time I have been doing some reflecting and have decided it is time to make amends with the library. I will at 5pm this day pay my library fines and hope to check out a book. I hope that my money will go towards empowering children and adult to read and to return their books timely. For all those adults out there: Harry Potter can change your life! (shout out to Emmylou).

Peace and good readings,
~E

I spend my money on baby shower gifts

Due to my age (*cough cough*) I have found myself being invited to quite a few baby showers. I am happy happy for all of my friends and family who are "with child" however, baby showers are quite a quandary to me. I guess that this is a major topic in my mind because I have two baby showers within the next week to attend.

First of all let me explain that within the first 4 months of Bryan and I being married I started to received invitations to several baby showers for my sister in law. As many of you have experienced being a newly wed the last place you want to be is at a baby shower. It almost feels like just being beside someone who is p......i mean "with child"(i prefer to use this terminology because the p word sounds funny coming out of my mouth) will rub off on you. So, at my sister in law's baby showers I had the wonderful job of writing down the gifts. YAY! Well this is all wonderful and everything until she starts getting butt paste, burp clothes and layettes.....what the hell is a layette????? How do you even spell that? Why is someone giving my sister in law a dress for her son to be??? Where is the opening in the dress for his feet?

Needless to say I had a lot to learn and had to learn it FAST!!!! But my nephew is now 3 and I feel confident that even if he was in a dress with no opening at the bottom he is all boy! B and I actually have a new niece or nephew on the way and I can assure you that we will love him/her even if she/he does need butt paste everyday.
Moving on.....
I attended a friend's baby shower a while ago and it took baby showers to a whole new level. I must however admit that when I went I was a little under the weather (Bryan and I stayed out too late the night before...YAY no more Friday nights playing monopoly!!!). Once I arrived at the shower I realized that we got to play games!?!?!?!?! I can honestly say I do not care to taste baby food or anything else that you think it funny to put in a diaper. I also feel very uncomfortable trying to guess how big a woman with child's belly is. But I will say that I was the only one in attendance that was childless. Does having a child make these games fun???? Again I digress.....

We start to open gifts and guess what I'm in charge of writing down the gifts! WHAT?!?!?!?! I don't even know anyone here AND I don't feel good!!!! As we are sitting around the ladies start talking about breastfeeding. I wanted so badly to put my fingers in my ears and start singing LALALALALA....I can't hear you and go to my happy place! However, once she starts opening gifts everyone quiets down and I think I'm home free. Well, wouldn't you know that her mother in law's gift was her husband's silver baby spoon. Then my friend (who i love near and dear) started crying but at first I thought she was laughing. I immiedately start laughing as well because her laugh makes me laugh. WRONG! She is crying and I mean full blown waterworks. Then I look around and everyone else is crying too boo hooinhg even (the ugly cry). So everyone around me is crying and I'm laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. I think (actually yell) to myself.."get it together, Emily". People start passing around tissues (still crying) and I think oh no! Should I start crying too?! I try to conjure up some tears but then I think of how ridiculous I sound in my head and start laughing again (once I get the giggles it is hard to stop). Thankfully I somehow gather enough strength put on a straight face and get back to my job, writing the gifts down and believe it or not I enjoyed myself the rest of the time.

All this being said, I'm excited about these upcoming showers and I am prepared to participate in any game that is brought forward (even if it is smelling stuff in a diaper, drinking stuff out of a bottle, ect.). Congrats my friends for being "with child" and I pray that each of you will have a wonderful healthy child that will call me Aunt Emma! LOVE YOU!

TTFN!

Residents of the Catoe Cabana

I figured it is only fitting to write a little "getting to know you" post about me. Here goes.....

Bryan and I got married 4 years ago (craziness I know). After we got married Bryan and I lived in Georgia for almost a year and then came back to South Carolina. YAY! We refer to our house affectionately as the "Catoe Cabana." We love our little Cabana and have been known to throw quite a party there whether it be the "Catoe Cup" (that just happened to be held on the same day as the Carolina Cup), Summer BBQ (equipped full of games of boccie ball and badminton) or porch talks/meetings (to be held year round). Enough about the Cabana let's get to the residents of the house.

Right before we moved back to South Carolina, Bryan and I added the first addition to the Catoe family, Moses the Cat. I know some of you are wondering how on earth I came up with the name Moses for my cat BUT it happens to be a very traumatic story which includes Moses going through gender issues. I cannot help it that the sales clerk at PetsMart told me the cat was a girl!!!!

His name has also put me in an embarrassing situations such as one at a work related training where I was participating in a "Introduce your Neighbor" to the class exercise. As I was telling her about my cat named Moses she blurted out "My husband's name is Moses!!!" Wow. Talk about awkward moments which could have been avoided if she has not went into 20 questions about how I named my cat Moses. Oh well, leave it to a preacher's kid to name their cat after a biblical character.

Then one friday night Bryan and I decided to have a game night with just the two of us (we were new to town so don't judge). Anyways, while we were playing monopoly (again we didn't know many people in town) Bryan stated that he wanted a Great Dane (what?!?!). So, the next day we go to PetsMart to get cat food and come back with our dog Lucy. Let me be sure to add that Lucy it about the furthest thing you can get from a Great Dane but Bryan fell in love with her and we "had" to have her. She is supposedly a Boykin Spaniel Mix (I think someone lied to us).

Rounding out this category of pets is our new kitty, Zipporah. I felt that it was only appropriate to name her after Moses's wife in the Bible. She just showed up on our front porch this past November and I fell in love with her! I would like to state for the record that I did all in my power to try and find out if she had a previous owner by contacting all the vets and animal shelters in town. No one had lost this precious kitty so she became a Catoe! She has fit in nicely with the bunch and I must say that she rules the roost.

Pictures to come once I get the hang of this thing!

TTFN!!!

Hello, My name is Emily and I'm addicted to blogs!

That's right I said it! I love to read a blog. I can read people's blogs that I don't even know and somehow find myself engulfed into their life and have to read their blogs almost daily. I actually have a list of several people's blogs that I do read daily. Most of them I do not know and have found them through friend's blogs. I do recognize it as a sickness however I am not willing to stop.

So, I figured that I might as well start my own. I'm a little slow going to please bare with me while I get the hang of all this stuff. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated! So here we go................