Our New Set of Wheels

We saw it coming. With Matt and I each driving cars that are 10+ years old, we knew that one or both of us would need to get a new(er), more reliable vehicle sometime soon. We did some browsing (but no buying) at a CarMax lot one Saturday in mid-December, and the following Thursday, Matt's Sunfire started spewing white smoke.

So, on December 19th, Matt and I headed to CarMax once more to give a serious look at their inventory and think about buying something. We had our eye on a Chevrolet HHR they had posted to their Web site. Neither of us had heard of the HHR until we had one as a rental car a couple of years ago during a trip to the Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa. It was a great car with enough headroom for Matt, so we filed its name away in our mental rolodex for when we needed to go car shopping.

With the HHR, it was love at first sight...even two years later. The one on the CarMax lot was a 2009 model that had only 16K miles on it. It had previously been used as a rental, had lots of nice features, and was in really great shape. In short, we had a hunch that it was the car for us. The test drive only reinforced that point.

We gave ourselves the night to sleep on it and make sure that we were making the right decision, and we went back on Sunday afternoon to make the purchase. So, we're now the proud owners of a new (to us) Chevrolet HHR.

Below are the photos we took of our new set of wheels. Following the photos, we give you a Taylor family exclusive video series: "The Day We Bought the HHR."





































Documentary Exclusive: The Day We Bought the HHR

Happy 2010!

We know that many of our family and friends experienced a very difficult 2009, whether due to health issues, financial strain, losing loved ones, or other life circumstances.

As we move into 2010, we hope that each and every one of you experience more peace, joy, and blessings. For those that may find this year just as difficult or more difficult than the last, we'll be praying for strength, hope, and change.

The holidays were a busy but joyful time for us, and in the days to come, we'll be sharing some of our highlights. Love to you all!

Chick-fil-A and Marriage

I just discovered Tim Hawkins via YouTube. I'm not sure which video/song I like better:

"Chick-fil-A"



or

"Things You Don't Say to Your Wife."

Catching Up on December

I must apologize for failing to do my part to update this blog. Matt is so much better about it than I am, but in the new year (and before!), I resolve to have that change.

December has flown by for us, as I'm sure it has for many of you. A lot has happened since Thanksgiving, so here's a quick recap:

1. We attended "Light Up Durham" on December 4th. It's the event that kicks off the holidays in Durham, as the iconic Lucky Strike tower is illuminated. It was a great time, complete with performances from Durham-area school choruses and an appearance by Wool E. Claus (a.k.a. Wool E. Bull, the Durham Bulls' mascot).











































2. We bought the Taylor Family Christmas Tree on December 6th. The guys at the TROSA lot were great, providing not only the tree and standard services (cutting, trimming, netting), but they also put the tree stand on! We'll definitely be visiting them again next Christmas.






























3. Matt and I celebrated our 6th dating anniversary on December 7th with a nice dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. What a great 2,190 days it's been!














4. We headed to New York City for an unexpected holiday trip on December 9th and 10th. We were both traveling in the Northeast for work during the same few days (me to Philadelphia and Matt to NYC). So, we made a mini-trip out of it and took in the great holiday atmosphere in Manhattan (after completing our work, of course!). The highlights of the trip were seeing the Kentucky/UConn game at Madison Square Garden, having lunch at the restaurant beside the Rockefeller Center skating rink, and taking a carriage ride through Central Park.


















































































5. Matt and I decorated our house for Christmas on December 12th. Yes, that means the tree stood bare in our living room for 6 days, but hey...we were busy!

Before...


















During...

















And After...




























My most prized piece of Christmas decor this year is something that Matt got me for our most recent wedding anniversary: the Ryman Auditorium Snow Village piece. It's been retired for several years, but Matt was sweet enough to seek it out on eBay for me. I love my growing village, and especially the Ryman!


























We had a busy week from the 13th - 20th as well, but I think this is more than enough for one post. So, we'll be back in a couple of days with another update. Hope everyone is well!

A Taylor Family Thanksgiving

After painting, cleaning, and cooking, we finally had the house ready to host our first family Thanksgiving in North Carolina.

(Last year's Turkey Day was simply a quiet dinner for two.)

Dad, Denise, Pete, Michele, Emily, Lindsay, and Madelyn came to town to help us celebrate the holiday.

The food was phenomenal thanks to Erica's hard work in the kitchen. She must have done something right as Lindsay indicated she was thankful for "Aunt Erica ... and Charlie Brown." That comment came shortly after Madelyn wrapped up Pop-Pop's prayer for him by saying, "Okay, can we eat now?"

The rest of the weekend was spent playing lots of Wii - Erica got everyone addicted to Rock Band; Dad insisted on a boxing re-match, several actually; and Emily whooped us all in bowling with her record-setting efforts.

We also visited Chapel Hill for the Kidzu Children's Museum and the 12 days of Christmas at The Carolina Inn, made a trip to the playground that ended badly when Pete had a hard spill while playing tag (you should've seen his swollen elbow), and took the girls to visit Santa at the Streets at Southpoint.

 

 

Ho Ho Mochas

Caribou Coffee recently introduced its seasonal drinks, including our favorite, the Ho Ho Mocha. We make it a special occasion each year when we have of our first Ho Ho Mocha. Thankfully, the barista to the left, Matt, was happy to play along and celebrated with us.

Talking Health

Erica's passion for health communication inspired her nearly a year ago to start HealthNC: Health in North Carolina, a blog that provides information and insight about local health topics.

After trying out some different formats she decided recently to focus on contextualizing news stories and providing useful information that can inspire action among North Carolina residents.

Her efforts appear to be working.

The following is taken from a Wilmington, N.C., newspaper:

"The HealthNC blog points out that with the newly updated unemployment numbers – at 11 percent statewide – more North Carolinians are in danger of being without health insurance during an already stressful time in their lives.

The blog has put together a good list of resources for people who are unemployed and need health access despite their tight budgets. Those include community health centers, prescription drug assistance programs and a free helpline from the N.C. Institute of Medicine to connect people with free or reduced health care services.

Check out all the suggestions and links for more information by going here."

Now that's news you can use. I'm proud of Erica's efforts to aplly her knowledge and skills to help others.