Best Birthday present ever!!!

Today I turn 26 years old! I also received the best gift I could have ever asked for because Brian and I found out we are having a little boy!!! This will always be a birthday I will remember and have not been able to stop smiling since we left the doctor's office. Our little boy will be named Joseph Thayne Boyle-and he will go by his middle name Thayne. His name comes from two very important men in mine and Brian's family and we are honored to be able to have our son carry on their name sakes.

Christmas Cookies

Sticking with tradition we invited our friends over to decorate Christmas Cookies this year. I always loved doing this as a child and my mom's sugar cookie recipe is the best. Wendy and Jeff came over to help and we all decorated cookies and listened to Christmas music-what better way to get into the holiday spirit!

Christmas Party

This past Friday we held our annual Gaston Rehab Associates, Inc/Boyle Birthday Bash party at our house. I decided to do a fun theme this year and have the party be an Ugly Christmas Sweater party...I highly recommend this to everyone! We had a good time celebrating with family, friends, and co workers and thank you to everyone who was able to drop by. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

UTAH vs BYU

So for those of you who don't live in the state of Utah, and choose not to follow the wonderful world of Utah football let me give you some insight. Every year the weekend before Thanksgiving the Univ of Utah and BYU play in what the locals call "The Holy War". It is a big deal bc like our UNC-Duke rivalry the entire state chooses Red (Utah) or Blue (BYU. Brian and I flew out to see my family that same weekend and was able to meet up with a few of my cousins and fellow UTAH fans for a tailgate (yes even people in Utah tailgate). Thank you to Kelly for camping out and saving us a parking spot!

GO UTAH!!!!

Orlando trip-Sea World, Universal, Animal Kingdom, & DisneyWorld

I am a little behind on posting because my camera broke and I have not been able to get the pictures off from the last few major events! I am lucky enough to have a friend with the same camera and now I am able to clear my SD card (I am in the process of buying a new one)...

Anyway Brian and I went to Orlando in Nov for a work conference (Brian worked, I rested!). We were able to sneak some time in to visit Sea World, Universal, Animal Kingdom and of course Disney World. I had never been to Orlando so this was a really cool experience! I am a huge roller coaster freak but was unable to ride any of the rides being 11 weeks pregnant...so I guess that means we have to return some time soon. Brian and I both had fun exploring all the parks-even though we both agree that no one should attempt to see it all in less then two days-that was painful! Enjoy the pics!

belly pics

Ok so here is an updated belly shot...we are 17 weeks as of today 12/5/08 and this was our 4 month (16 week) belly shot!

Christmas Town USA

Last night Brian surprised me with an impromptu date night to go see Christmas Town USA. For those of you who don't live in the area..McAdenville, NC is a small mill town that has been officially named "Christmas Town USA" and every December they light the whole town with Christmas lights. The show is free and draws thousands of people by car to this little town. Brian and I live 2 exits from the start of the light show, and every year I ask to go-but Brian complains about sitting in traffic. Then last night he came in and said "lets go see the lights...I just drove by and there is no line". We loaded into the car with Tonka and headed to see the lights...they were so amazing and the trees were huge! I suggest every family takes the drive to see Christmas Town USA-you couldn't ask for a better free event for the holidays.

Merry Christmas!

Nature Scripts

Brian's cousin Lisa has started her own business called "Nature Scripts" (check out the website). Lisa has an incredible talent and we were lucky enough to have her share her gift with Brian and I as a wedding gift. Last year Lisa sent us a beautiful frame that had the word "Love" spelled out using pictures from the natural world. We get more compliments on the photo from everyone who comes to visit, and we are glad Lisa has decided to pursue her dream and start her own business. I encourage everyone to check our her website and discover her talent for yourself-they make excellent gifts and you can even customize your frame!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am thankful to have a loving husband who is my best friend, who works hard to provide for our family, and who makes me laugh. I am thankful to be healthy, and to be able to carry our first child with little to no complications! This past year we have been so blessed, and we give thanks everyday that we have a job to work at and a place to call home every night. I am thankful for my wonderful family-even though we are so far apart we still manage to share the moments that matter the most. Brian and I have the best group of friends, and don't know where we would be without any of them-we thank them all for their love and support. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and takes some time out of their holiday schedule to be thankful for what they have in their life.

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

Yes, it is true...Brian and I are expecting our first child in May 2009! We were waiting to post about the great news until all our family knew...and this past weekend we finally made it out to Utah to surprise everyone! I will be posting more pics and a video of our 12 week ultrasound later...but I couldn't wait to share the news now that we are allowed to talk about it! Above is a picture from our 12 week ultrasound, currently I am 15 1/2 weeks.

Me & my Boys!

I just love this picture and wanted to be able to post it...these two are the loves of my life and I am so happy to share such a wonderful home with them both. No matter how hard my day has been they are both there to greet me with a smile (in Tonka's case a slobber) but none the less...I love it!

CAROLINA BALLOONFEST

While my sister was in town visiting we decided to go see the Balloonfest being held at the Statesville Airport. This was by far the coolest thing I had ever seen-there were hot air balloons everywhere and the weather was gorgous. I dont think the pictures do the show justice but I tried my best. Boo and I also tasted for the first time a deep fried Oreo...yes I said deep fried Oreo-not as good as the real thing so we are not sure why anyone would try to mess with an Oreo. I highly recommend everyone looking to see if there is a Balloonfest near where you live...because this was really something to see in person!

Rich N Bennett's 8th Annual Halloween Bar Crawl!!!

So for those of you who do not live in the Charlotte metro area, or more appropriately the Southeast...you probably have never heard of Rich N Bennett! They are two crazy guys from Elon University that got the great idea to start themed bar crawls in order to spice up Down/Up town Charlotte. What started out as a couple hundred friends and a few bars, has now grown into mass chaos! Rich N Bennett hold bar crawls and other various events through out the year-starting off with the NYE bash at Hawthorne's Pizza (best pizza in town), then moving on to St Patrick's Day Bar Crawl (which in 2009 should hold the Guinness Book of World Records for largest bar crawl), then we move on to the Tubing trip down the Dan River, and as fall sets in we keep warm with the Halloween Bar Crawl....and then we do it all over again :)

This past weekend was the 8Th Annual Halloween Bar Crawl-and as usual we had some funny and very interesting costume choices. I was lucky enough to have my little sister, Ashley (aka Boo) come into town for the festivities. Now every year we try to come up with a great costume themes with our friends...last year we all went as super hero's and this year we decided to come as couples from different forms of the entertainment industry!!! Brian by far had the shortest shorts, Bennett had the best chest hair/jump suite, Wendy won for the best real hair that looked most like a wig (it was awesome), Kevin and Whitney share the best message award, I guess I get the "aww your that girl from that one movie" costume award....Either way we had a great time and some good laughs.

Now who is ready for St Patrick's Day!

She's leaving..on a jet plane....dont know when she'll be back again!!!

Well it is true what they say..."You can take the girl outta Texas, but you cant take Texas outta the girl"! In the next few weeks I will say fare well to my good friend, Melissa. Born and bread in Texas she now feels it is necessary to go home...even though she will be missed by all that have grown to love and adore her here in Charlotte...we all wish her the best. I am not looking forward to our final dinner together as girls, but I will put on my best shoes and grab my klenex because I wouldnt miss it for the world. However, before she was allowed to part ways with the Queen City we had to send her out in style....so we through her a PARTAY! Thank you to Tavern on Park & Simplified for making Melissa's night a going away party to remember...you guys put on one hellva show! And for those of you who have not eating at Tavern on Park-what are you waiting for? and if you have not heard of the band Simplified you must check them out right away!!!

Well her is proof of what a great party it was...best of luck Melissa! We love you xoxo

Pumpkin Carving

We got together with friends last night to carve pumpkins and enjoy the holiday season. Thank you all for coming out to Ranlo and joining in on the festivities-it was good to catch up with everyone. Brian wins the prize for thickest pumpkin & for taking the longest ever to carve a design...even the Bennett's beat him and they showed up late! Everyone is invited back to the house next Friday-Halloween! to pass out candy to the neighborhood kids and to admire all our hard work & creativity

Girlfriends!

After reading my husbands heart felt post about the passing of his dog Will, it made me think about all the people who have touched my life...mainly the women in my life. Recently I started searching for long lost friends; those that I consider to be some of my very first friends, and it is interesting how easy it is to connect to one another now with the internet, cell phones, and blogs-yet we have been distant for so long. As I look through Myspace, Facebook, and blog postings of the last few years of their lives it made me really appreciate the friendship we once had. I have many wonderful girl friends and women in my life now-but I cant help think about those first girl friends that showed me what it was like to have sleep overs, to like boys, and to curl my hair!!! I have always been one to say that I am better friends with boys then girls-mostly bc I am a huge tom boy and love football...but when I really think about it it is the women in my life (both past and present) who have helped create the person I am today. Not a day goes by when I think about elem. school and the fun we had in SLC and the times I spent in AZ & I cant help but wonder what those girls are up to know-do they have families? where do they live, work, etc? Part of me wonders if that means the friendship never really ended-it was just put on hold until we grew up and were able to reconnect again as adults. Life is full of changes and time flies by so there is not always time to keep tabs on those we care about the most-a lesson I have learned living so far away from my family. So I guess what I am trying to say is thank you to all the girl-friends I have had and have now in my life. It is very important to have Women in our lives-and I want to just say how grateful I am for those who are a part of mine.

Good Bye Old Friend

Relationships are probably the most important thing we can make whether they are personal or professional in nature. I say we make relationships because they are made. Whether or not we have an instant connection with someone if the relationship is not nutured and taken care of it will presumably fall apart or become cold. Not to say that this is always the case. I have many close friends that no matter how long it has been since we last talked it is like we just spoke 5 min ago. Other friends, well so much time has passed that what do you talk about? Where do you start?

I had to make one of the toughest decisions of my life yesterday. It involved a relationship I had with an unsuspecting friend. Eight years ago I got my first dog. I never wanted a dog prior to that and still think I am allergic to them, but I digress. I was seemingly brow beaten into getting a dog by my ex-wife who just had to have one. We got in touch with the Basset Hound Rescue league and sent in an application. Because we had no children and no other pets they thought we would be the perfect adoptive parents for a Basset that had been abused and found stray. They named him Will, even if he never really answered to it. But it was definitely fitting for the 4 year old that had enough will to live, survive, and love even if in his own way. He had been in a kennel for 8 months by the time we met him. The word on the street was that he had gone home with someone else for one day, but was quickly returned when he was scared by a deer while out walking and went after the woman who had tried to give him a home.

My first impression of the dog that would become a loyal friend was one of pity. The kennel owners brought out a dirty dog, that was on a self imposed starvation diet in protest of being locked up in a kennel for so long with one of the loudest howls I had ever heard. I was so moved by the fact that this little guy (who turned out to be a lot stronger than I ever thought) looked so pitiful that I knew there was no other thing to do, but give him a home. I look back now and think the folks at the kennel were probably sure he would be back in a day or two. Anyone that ever had any contact with Willy new what a strong minded character he was. If it was going to be done, it would be done his way or he would fight tooth and nail to see to it that at least you knew he wasn't happy.

Things were never easy during the 8 years we spent together. Time went on, we both grew older, life happened, homes turned into apartments, apartments to a home. Family changed, work changed, life, friends, but the one constant was Will. The dog that originally didn't want to be looked at because he was scared (he literally would come at you if you dared look at him wrong) was broken of his old habits slowly but surely (well some old habits) and went from the dog that didn't want me to be around, to the dog that couldn't stand it if I wasn't there. His protests by destroying just about any material possession I ever had, when I would leave in the morning, were replaced by his incessant need to be by my side as soon as I got home. There was always guilt of not being able to ever spend enough time with him, although it was always short lived when I realized every waking minute of an entire lifetime would probably not have been enough time for him.

Brittney is an amazing woman to put up with me and the short stack of luggage I brought with me into our relationship. Will was not an easy dog to love. I have been told time and time again that many a dog owner would have taken him back and or had him put down long before they would have let their house get destroyed. I guess it is tough to say who needed who more. I don't know? When times were tough, Will was there. When things were good, Will was there. When I didn't feel like having him around because he destroyed my belongings (the blinds, the dry wall, the remote, my books, my carpet and on and on), guess who was there? Of course, always the side kick ready for a good car ride or a piece of pizza crust or some other treat.

I always hoped and prayed that by the time he got to be 8 years old he would calm down and just get old. At the age of 12 he was still cruising countertops looking for food, still responding to the doorbell with a ferocious bark, taking on Tonka the 3 year old Bulldog that outweighed him by 20 lbs, still trying to claw his way out of the garage, and still just being Will. Unfortunately, with his age also came the ailments that old dogs get. His eyes were going (if not completely gone), his joints were going and even though he wasn't as fast, he still let it be known he was the alpha dog. His sniffer never went and it was probably the only thing that kept him going and in and out of trouble.

Even as old as he was and missing teeth (he wore them down chewing on doorknobs trying to get out of the house) he was still so darn strong and even worse, unafraid. The only two things I ever saw him cower from were thunderstorms and if I raised a hand like I was going to swat him (even though I never did as many buttons as he would push). But other dogs were of no concern to him. If he didn't like another dog, it didn't matter how big the dog was, he would let it be known. He once went after a 150 lb Akita and had a fence fight, where two dogs try to go at it even if there is a cage link fence between them, which I think gave the kennel owner a heart attack, but that was Will.

Then came a phone call last December while at my Dad's house at Christmas. It was from the kennel at our Vet's office. A volunteer had tried to wake Will up and had gotten down into his space. He was most likely frightened and snapped at her. He ended up grabbing her lip and she needed 6 stitches to stop the bleeding. I felt awful and still do, but having lived with Will long enough I know you never got down on his level unless he agreed to it and never if he was sleeping. Now this wasn't the first time he had gotten a hold of someone, but it certainly was the worst. And unfortunately this scared the rest of the nice folks at the kennel and his visits were never the same after that.

Decision time. I brought the pound puppy with the big ears, sad eyes, big heart, and mean streak into the relationship. Unfortunately I couldn't see my friend living a life where he suffered or wasn't loved. Brittney was scared of him and rightfully so, most people were. He was the old man that was grumpy when he wanted to be and loving only when he wanted to be. He could turn on you like a light switch, but through it all I somehow still loved him and always will. Maybe because of my need to see things through. To not give up on a promise I made to him to always take care of him and never let anything bad happen to him. Maybe because I always reassured him, or at least myself, that I wouldn't leave him at the kennel and I would be back for him before he knew I was gone. Maybe because I knew that no matter what he needed me to take care of him and he relied on me for walks, for love, for food, for just about everything. But it couldn't go on. Something needed to be done so that there was no more fear of him hurting someone else. Fear generally wins out over love and the two don't always mix. If I ever met the owners that had abused him I don't know what I would do. I can say it probably would not be pleasant, but I can also say that there were times that I felt like wailing on him myself. I guess the difference is that I could never hurt a dog that only wanted me to love him.

I have had a lot of loss in my life (my Mom, grandparents, great aunts and uncles, friends, Valentine my other Basset Hound) and know I will get over it. Unfortunately I never had to make a decision under such circumstances and hope I never have to do it again. I know it was the right decision and waiting would have only prolonged things, but it doesn't make it any easier. Will, buddy, I love you and miss you! Hopefully now you are cruising countertops, getting all of the pizza crust, chicken scraps, and marshmellows you can eat, and no more pain and only love and belly rubs.

Brian (aka Poppy)

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY WENDY!

A blast from the past! The gang got together to rock it 80's style for Wendy's birthday on September 13th 2008. We started the night at the Bennett's uptown condo and then made our way down to "The Breakfast Club" (an all 80's all the time club)...It was good to see everyone and we thank Wendy for a great night!! I will apologize for my husband-apparently he is not allowed to drink any more purple rain's :)

Open House!!!!

Yeah! We are finally up and running at the Physical Performance Center. The Open House took place on August 16th 2008 from 12-4 and we had roughly 120-130 people from the community come out to wish us well! We also had our ribbon cutting with the chamber last Thursday-which was very neat! Everyone seemed to be impressed with all the new toys, even the DJ from WRFX The Fox radio said he had never seen anything like it before. Brian, Joe, & myself are very excited about what the future holds and look forward to helping our community be more physically fit. Thank you to all the friends and family that came out to support us as well-without you guys it wouldnt be possible. I will post some pictures with this post but you can go see all of them at

BRET IS A JET-now can we please move on

OK-So for those who know me...I am a die hard Packer Fan! With all the news about Brett Favre lately I thought I would address the heckling friends and family who keep bringing it up every chance they get....so....

Yes, I know he has been traded to the NY Jets & YES it infuriates me. I agree that he was a big baby and should have just takent he $20 Million and gone back the farm in Mississippi-However; the Packers organization screwed up royally in their own way. I hope ESPN can find something else to talk about this week (possibly fantasy insights and suggestions since I have two drafts in the next few weeks and I have been given little to no advice) and I will close by saying this_

I AM A PACKER FAN FIRST AND FOR MOST-FAVRE JUST HAPPENED TO BE THE QB......GO CHEESEHEADS!!!

Say CHEESE!

I posted about a years worth of pictures from various events...you are welcome to view them at the following URL

http://picasaweb.google.com/bbboyle270

**DISCLAIMER**
I take no responsibility for the actions in these photos-mainly bc I have not taken the time to edit them...view at your own risk :)

Pardon our dust!

As some of you know we are expanding our Gaston Rehab Associates, Inc office to include the Physical Performance Center! This will add 1700 sq ft to our current location and offer a variety of programs for all ages. The Open House is set for August 16th in our parking lot, where we will also celebrate our 4th year Anniversary! We hope to open our Troutman location at the end of August which will be inside KPAC Gymnastics Gym (owned and operated by Kristy Phillips-former 1987 US Olympic Gymnast). We will keep you posted as construction continues and we get closer to the Open House.



Introducing:

Gaston Rehab Associates, Inc. & Physical Performance Center "Where medical science, technology, and personal desire come together"

Epicentre@5

Charlotte continues to grow everyday! The newest edition to our beautiful skyline is the Epicentre. This is a mixed use development which currently holds three of the newest bars in town (Howl at the Moon, Whiskey River, & Suite) it is also the site for Epicentre@5 which is Charlotte's after work party on Thursday nights. Last week the group got together and...well...had a lot of fun!!!

Portland, Oregon

Our Fourth of July was very eventful! We flew out to Portland, OR for Morgan and Eric's wedding and had the pleasure of visiting with Brian's cousin Greg and his wife Jen. Greg and Jen were kind enough to let us sleep in their room while they camped out back in a tent (Greg-we were serious about coming in December!!!) as well as chauffer us around Portland. Portland is such a beautiful city and we had a great time catching up with old friends and being a part of Morgan and Eric's special day. Besides the wedding the highlight of my trip was Greg & Jen's cat "But-But"-he is the coolest cat!

Here come the brides!!!

Ok...so wedding season has been a year long event for us and we thought it would only be appropriate to highlight all the happy couples. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day-and we wish you all the best in the years to come.

July 6, 2007-Wendy & Jeff Bennett Charlotte, NC
September 15, 2007-Whitney & Kevin Jackson Atlanta, GA
October 13, 2007-Sarah & Mitch Addis Knoxville, TN
February 9, 2008-Lindsey & Avery DeMarr Mesa, AZ
May 31, 2008-Amanda Beth & Jeff Graves Lexington, KY
July 5, 2008-Morgan & Eric Kenny Portland, OR

Country Clubbin!

Another exciting event going on in our lives is our recent membership approval into the Gaston Country Club! Although neither of us golf (Brian says he "hacks") we both feel this will be a good way to network both professionally and personally. We have met some great people while living in Gaston County, and look forward to being part of a social network. Tonight (Friday 7/11) we have our meet and greet with the Board of Directors, and hopefully by the end of the month we will officially be Gaston Country Club members. Friends and family are welcome to come visit anytime-and for you golfers out there the course is amazing-who knows one of these days we may enjoy it our selves!

THE initial blog!

Hello all!

Well I am new to this blogging frenzy, but thought it was a great way to catch everyone up on our lives. So much is going on with the Boyle's now days with the business expanding and our constant travels to weddings and family events-that it is hard to keep track of us! I hope this helps our friends & family keep in touch with our busy lives where ever they may be...and we look forward to updates from everyone else!

Love
Brittney & Brian (and the dogs)