HomeSweetHome

It's absolutely amazing how much can change in a months time! I always knew the initial 'home sickness' would eventually pass...but I was hoping sooner than later. And my prayers have been answered, Austin is definitely feeling like home sweet home these days! We are so pleased that we have chosen Austin as a place to start planting our roots, advance/start our careers and grow our little family! Ironically, one of my besties Leslie forwarded an article she came across in Parenting Magazine that had Austin ranked as the second best city to live and raise a family...I guess we really did pick a great place :)

It was quite a process for me to receive my ATT (activation to test) from the state of Texas Board of Nursing. Like most government run organizations/agencies, if it's not one thing it's another! But nonetheless I was able to sit for the NCLEX on January 13 and passed!!!! I FINALLY felt that all my hard work and dedication had paid off and I am officially Corri Fennell Lewis BSN, RN! Now that I had the credentials to practice as a licensed RN in the state of Texas, I did not want to waste anytime getting straight to work. I spent what seemed like weeks filling out applications and sending out my resume to various hospitals, clinics, and long-term care centers. I was extremely fortunate to have had several interviews lined up within just as a weeks time!! And needless to say, in less than two weeks of passing boards, I was blessed with an offer for a daytime charge nurse position at healthcare facility approximately 25 minutes from our house. I couldn't be more excited and satisfied with the direction my nursing career has started...the best is yet to come!

Nelson has been busy working and playing. He has recently taken an interest in shooting skeet and our neighbor Dwain invited him to go dove hunting a couple of weekends back. They made the truck down towards San Antonio one early Saturday morning and to my surprise, came home with dinner! We grilled up the dove breasts they boys brought back when our friends Drew and Christi came over for a visit on a beautiful Sunday here in Texas. Although dove hunting season is now over, he's already talking about opening day in September. And Baby Lou Lou and I will have no complaints as long as he brings something home to eat :)     

Speaking of Baby Lou, I had another appointment this past week. All is well, she is growing and moving like crazy!! I experienced 'quickening' some many weeks ago, but Nelson was able to feel her little kicks the other day for the first time! And it was a strong one...I think she'll take after her mum, and play soccer!We are soooo excited to start piecing together her nursery over these next couple of months. We've decided that we're going to stay away from the traditional 'pink' theme for our little one and incorporate more neutral colors. I was never a big pink lover, and Nelson has no complaints about that! I've spent so much time  browsing every baby store, website, ect. looking for a adorable ideas for her nursery and was getting a little frustrated with the generic bedding/decoration options. Baby Lou is so lucky to have such an amazingly creative Gma because she is going to get a one of a kind bedding spread! I've always admired the sewing projects my mom has done for all her children (+ Nelson) and grand children, and now our baby girl will have her own lifetime keepsake to always remember her special Gma!! And I have just fallen in love with little girl clothes...I cannot wait to dress my little sweet pea up! Thanks to her Aunt Lauren, she already has her outfit for a Gamecock football game this fall :)

This upcoming month is going to be super hectic...Nelson is going to his sister Allison's wedding in New Jersey. Although his visit will be short, he is really looking forward to spending some time with our nephew Jeffrey and with the rest of our family from Ohio. I am super excited for the month of March for many reasons, one of which is South by South West (SXSW). It is a huge interactive, film and music festival that takes place every year here in Austin for almost 2 weeks and brings some of the 'greats' to the area. My cousin Leigh and her boyfriend Dean will be visiting us for almost a week while it is going on and we are oh sooo excited!!! 

On a somber note, Nelson and I have kept the Hale family in our thoughts and prayers for sometime now. Mr. James Hale ascended to heaven February 2, 2012 after a long and hard fought battle with cancer. Our hearts go out to the entire family for his untimely passing. James (the eldest son) is Nelson's best friend and we pray that him and his family continue to find solace from their friends and family during this difficult  time.

We love and miss you all dearly! Take Care.



Love,
The Lewis's

Anchorage, AK...exactly a year ago :)

  

  

Boy? or Girl?

Nelson and I have been dreaming about this day for what seemed like an eternity!! We had our 20 week check-up and ultrasound today and couldn't be any more thrilled with the results. Although we eventually would like to blessed with both a boy and a girl, it was of no importance which came first. And with that being said, we are overjoyed and honored to announce that Baby Lewis is.....

 a beautiful healthy baby girl!!!! I (of course) had suspected this all along, I suppose it is my developing maternal instinct. Nelson is definitely going to have his hands full with a house full of women and he wouldn't want it any other way! Thanks so much for all your prayers and well wishes! We've enjoyed hearing from many of you via cards, emails, ect. and we look forward to seeing many of you in the months to come!

Love,
The Lewis's

Bring on 2012!

Our past year was filled with so many exciting accomplishments and the start of new endeavors. We cannot complain, we've been blessed beyond belief!!We already have so many exciting adventures to look forward to in 2012...weddings, family and friend visits, and the arrival of our precious Baby Lewis!!  

Gesabelle's 4th Birthday on Christmas!! 

 Speaking of Baby Lewis, I have been feeling MUCH better and finally enjoying cooking again (especially desserts). My appetite is still pretty sporadic, changing day to day, so grocery shopping is now a weekly task. I'm not craving anything outrageous however  kiwi's, lemons, and fresh cooked spinach are tasting mighty delicious these days :)  I've been able to feel little Baby Lewis now and every time it brings a smile to both our faces! I especially cannot wait for the day Nelson and I can feel these little movements on the outside together!

18 weeks! 

 We had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and we were absolutely amazed by all the changes that have already occurred in our little mini.  My 20 week ultrasound is quickly approaching and we are praying our little one will reveal itself just a little bit more :) Neither of us have a preference per say, just hoping that our baby is happy and healthy! It is our prayer that the new year brings you all much love and peace! 

Love, 

The Lewis's 

December...the month of giving!

 December is such a special month as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and say goodbye to yet another year! So we thought now would be the most appropriate time to share a special gift of ours. We have been wanting to share this miraculous gift for sometime, but wanted our family to be the first to know. So now that they've all been informed, Gesabelle wants to show you a picture....

Yes, Nelson and I are expecting our first child, Baby Lewis (for now) on June 4, 2012!!!!!!!

We could not be more excited about this amazing blessing from God and this new chapter in our lives!!!

We have been blessed with a four and half year relationship and six months of marital bliss, and felt that the time was right. It has always been a dream of ours to parent a child or two and God has answered yet another one of our prayers! But there is no denying that these past two months have been ROUGH, and that's an understatement. My first trimester was less than spectacular and I was starting to wonder if I would be able to make it through this pregnancy. I experienced   every   single   symptom one can in the first trimester!! And to make matters worse, I found out after my first appointment that I am anemic. So needless to say, I felt like a worthless walking zombie! But thankfully, Nelson came to the rescue (of course) in more ways than one and helped me get through a day at a time! God willing, I  made it through and I'm coasting in my 14th week of pregnancy!! I would like to especially thank those of you (you know who you are :) for keeping my spirits high and always offering encouraging words! I will be forever grateful for all that you did or say to help me get through!!! We ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue on this journey, and we promise to keep you updated along the way!!

Love, 

The Lewis's 

October & November updates

Can you believe there is only 25 more days left in 2011?! I know what your thinking, where has the year gone?? That's the million dollar question...Nelson and I are trying to figure out where just last two months have gone!!! A LOT has transpired and I will do my best to give you a thorough update!! This post is a recap of October and November and I'll do a separate one for the beginning of December!

First we started off the month of October back in Columbia and Bluffton, South Carolina and we were fortunate enough to visit with some friends and our family . Plane tickets were significantly cheaper in Charlotte and my parents were kind enough to provide transportation to and from the airport! We spent our first Saturday in Columbia tailgating and hoping to see a Carolina Gamecock win...unfortunately the later of the two did not occur. But nonetheless we had a blast with great friends on a beautiful Carolina Saturday!

Gamecock tailgate :)

Patrick, Nelson, and James

The Hales + Nelson

My best friend Lauren

The following day, we visited with one of the sweetest individuals I know, Grandma Smith! I love and miss her so much and can always count on a good laugh while in her presence. 

Grandma Smith :)

We spent the following couple of days shuffling from Bluffton and Estill visiting with our local friends and family. 

Nelson and Randy (Father-in-Law) playing corn-hole in the backyard

 The Shaw family :) (Kelly, Leslie with Baby Caroline, and Ella Rae) 

Our nieces Lekari(L) and Jalena(R) ( she was not happy with me, ha!) 

We got our nephew Byron out of school early so he could hang out with us :)

(Above: Aunt Deloris and Granddaddy Fennell) 

After going through these, I've realized there were many more friends we visited with that we didn't get any pictures of! I sincerely apologize but know that we love and miss you all dearly, and it will be an area we will work on in 2012!!! In the previous years when our nephew Byron played soccer or any sport for that matter, we were always able to attend most of his games. And I must admit that Nelson and I always found it as a great source of entertainment! Fortunately, he happened to have a soccer game the last Saturday we were in town and we scooted over to Hampton in time to see him in action. He has improved so much from the previous year and we were very proud of his hard work and effort!                                                                                            
                                

We wrapped up our visit with a feast provided by only the best, Grandma Smith! My Uncle George, soon to be Aunt Melissia and cousin Bayleigh from Atlanta joined us as well! They are so fun and we always enjoy their company!

Before we left for the airport

 All in all it was a great visit 'home' and we look forward to seeing everyone again this Spring!



On to November....Nelson's parents were kind enough to spend some quality time and the Thanksgiving holiday with us here in Austin! They made the 19 hour trek out West via automobile so that Gesabelle's best friend Redmond could keep her company! ( The sacrifices we make for our pets...insane!) We had been priming her the previous weeks before his grand arrival and needless to say she was ecstatic to see him! It was the first time since we've been here that she didn't sleep in the bed all day, finally they were reunited.

Randy and JoEllen spoiled us rotten during their visit by preparing or providing basically all of our meals. And boy did we feast!!! Now I know exactly what Nelson means when he says everything tastes better when someone else cooks it! This was my first Thanksgiving that I was responsible for preparing the meal, although JoEllen deserves most the credit since she did most of the work anyways :) But we had lots to be thankful for especially the leftovers we ate on for days!

While they were here we tried our best to show them a little bit of Austin here and there. But we left a lot more to the imagination hoping they'll come back and see us sooner, ha! We did manage one day to venture out to what's considered 'Hill Country' (30 minutes west) and visited the Flat Creek Estate Winery in Marble Falls, TX. The grapes that managed to survive this summer's extreme heat wave had already been harvested but we did enjoy a tasting session. Of course Randy bought us two bottles as souvenirs and I cannot wait to enjoy them...although it will be awhile!  

JoEllen wanted to see a Texas Longhorn up close and personal so Nelson took us to the perfect spot! Of course we went on the coldest and windiest day they were here, but nonetheless she can now at least say she saw a real longhorn!!!

We were so thankful for their visit and always enjoy their company! We look forward to their next visit when it will be a little warmer and we'll be able to get outside and venture a little bit more!

Love,
 The Lewis's

Finally Fall...

Wow, September has flown by! It's been quite an exciting month for many of reasons. My parents came to visit during the Labor Day holiday while my sister Clari and my niece Vanessa were down. Vanessa is on a competitive club soccer team and her team played in a tournament here in Austin! It was such a pleasure being able to spend time with family especially now that we live out here! Both Mom and Dad bought us a few housewarming gifts that we so thankful for and will get lots of use out of them! Nelson and I did our best to show our parents a little part of Austin while they were here. Sadly enough, a week for a vacation is never enough...but  I think we gave them a good sneak preview! All in all it was a great visit and I cannot wait for their return in December!

We are also thankful for mother natures relief from the heat finally! The Bastrop, TX fires were terrible and it is refreshing to see how much the community has rallied around to help support those in need. The high for today is 91, may not sound very cool but that's already a twelve degree drop for us from yesterday!!!

Nelson and I having been loving some college football these days because our Carolina Gamecocks are on a roll! And we are especially looking forward to watching them tomorrow from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia! We hope and pray that life is treating you all well and hope to see many of you in the coming days!!! 

Love,

 The Lewis's

Summertime...when livin's easy

Summer seems to have flown by and we couldn't be happier!!! We've endured a rough heat wave basically since late May, and we are starting to see some relief in the near future. But we haven't completely let the tortourous heat ruin the remainder of our summer adventures and have been trying to make the best of it! We recently (July 30) celebrated my 26th birthday over a delicious seafood dinner and drinks at Pappadeaux. If you have never been, it is a must, excellent food and service!!!

 I've been managing to keep myself busy while Nelson is at work by dog sitting. Our next door neighbors bought a 7 week old chocolate lab named Jack who has become Gesabelle's new bestfriend. It took a little bit of time for her to get used to the munchkin, but now she can't get enough of him!

Nelson's bestfriend James Hale visited us this past week! He is working for a company in Huntsville, AL that has some worked contracted out in Corpus Christi, and he was nice enough to make a short drive up to Austin!! We tried our best to show him various attractions and what all Austin offers its residents. We enjoyed an amazing fine dining dinner at Austin Land and Cattle Company where I think I ate the best pair of pork chops in my life!!! We mananged to venture down to the infamous Sixth Street for some after dinner drinks and entertainment....you cannot visit Austin and not take a stroll or two down Sixth Street! I found cheap       tickets for a Trevor Hall concert at Stubb's BBQ downtown that we all thoroughly enjoyed! It is a really neat intimate venue and Trevor Hall put on an awesome show! If you find him playing somewhere near you, you have to go see him!!!Nelson and James spent almost an entire day venturing around the U. Texas campus, Loop 360 bridge, Round Rock bat bridge (there is twice as many as there was two months ago), and in the west downtown area. James even managed to find a couple of cool spots that Nelson and I didn't even know exist...go figure! It was much too short of a visit but we are looking forward to his next trip to Corpus Christi in a month or two so we can go there! 

We are anxiously looking forward to Labor Day weekend for many of reasons....

1. My mom is visiting for an entire week!!!

2. My sister and niece will be here for 4 days for her soccer tournament!!!

3. And of course, Carolina football kicksoff!!!

38 more days until we get to see all our family, friends, and enjoy some Carolina football at Williams-Brice Stadium!!!

Love,

The Lewis's