One more link to enter the HP Touchscreen Giveaway!

http://totallytogetherreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/hp-touchsmart-computer-review-and-give.html

This is too awesome to pass up!

Kelly's Corner HP Contest as well!

http://kellyskornerreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/hey-who-wants-to-win-free-computer.html

Click on the link above to enter to win an HP Touchscreen computer from another blogger Kelly!! So exciting!

Win a new HP Touchscreen Computer

Yet another amazing giveaway over at MckMama's website. Click here to enter!http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/12/be-still-your-beating-hearts.html

Amazing Best Buy Giveaway

Head on over to this blog here and read the review that Jennifer wrote on a Samsung refrigerator and enter to win a $200 gift card to Best Buy. Hurry though, contest won't last forever! :) http://www.mckgiveaways.blogspot.com/

Journey

The past few months my husband and I have been on quite the journey. We recently were given joint custody of his daughter "M" and her residency is now with us. It has been a difficult road the past 3 months, mostly because M doesn't want to be here but because of circumstances in her former home, she is here. There have been a lot of behavioral/attitude issues, but we are working thru them slowly but surely with consistency in our parenting and the help of an awesome Psychotherapist. Even if she won't talk to him that much we do and he is helping us implement strategies that will help her. "M" has adjusted to school and seems to be doing very well. She played soccer this fall and is also in AWANA at a local church and really seems to enjoy that. Her father and I enjoy it too, as a 2hr date night!! We are seeing baby steps in progress but baby steps are good steps toward a future recovery and healing in our hearts and minds. We are on the way to builing a solid family relationship that hopefully we will all carry with us forever.

Update

Wow, neither one of us has posted anything in over a month. A quick update on life here in SC. We have lived here for just over a year, can you believe it? I accepted a new job on January 22. I am selling 3 great products for NQ but I will just say Lilly because that is easier and everyone knows Lilly. It is super challenging and hard but I have almost finished the 3 weeks at home already. Not looking forward to going away for 3 weeks but hopefully I will do well and it will go by fast!! We have had some mild beautiful weather, today it was dreary and rainy but we sure do need it. We have been eating healthier. Lots of veggies and ground turkey and chicken. Pretty tasty food and Mike is a great chef. I finally made a loaf of banana bread tonight with the almost rotten bananas. Not as good as I remember Mom's to be but good just the same. Anyway that's it for now, I am off to bed to get rested up for another day of studying!

Wedding Gown

I got my freshly preserved wedding gown back today and it looks beautiful, well what I can see of it anyway! I will leave it out to enjoy for a while before it gets pushed under a bed! ;)

Disappointed

Disappointed is only one of the words that I can think of right now to describe the Giants loss to the Eagles. Seriously?? They didn't play well at all....but I also feel like the Officials made some downright stupid calls!!!! Argh. :(

Eagles @ Giants

Well the game we didn't want to happen again this season is scheduled to be played on Sunday, yes that would be the Eagles vs the Giants. Thankfully the game is being played at Giants Stadium. Anyway we are obviously hoping for a GIANTS win!!!!!! GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't let the Eagles sing their silly Victory song even once!

Visit

Michelle is on her way to visit me for the weekend! I am really looking forward to seeing her. I have no idea what we will do, it is supposed to rain all weekend but she has been to Greenville before so we may just sit at home and chat! Who knows!! Mike doesn't come home til Saturday night so maybe it will be a chic flick weekend. :)

What a DIFFERENCE a year makes

So Mike and I were talking today, about this time last year. He is currently in Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, and he said to me "Can't you have another emergency like last year so I can leave here early again?" and I thought what emergency did I have last year??? Then I said "Oh yeah it was a whole year ago (tonight) that I had my mental/emotional breakdown because the movers were showing up at my house in T-8 hours and I still had half my house to finish packing and had run out of boxes and my dining room table had been packed wrong and I was so emotionally drained that I called Mike at midnight and 1am and 2 am screaming and crying and wailing on that I couldn't' do it, nothing was going to be done like I had promised the movers etc. Anyway, Mike felt terrible and ended up asking his boss if he could leave early and they said yes and he came home (after of course the whole house was completely emptied!!!) BUT it felt so good knowing that he would ask if he could leave considering this is their biggest show of the year.....it was a lot to ask but once again it was his way of showing me that he loved me (I need to recognize these moments more, I know!!) so anyway after having that conversation today I just can't get over how quickly 365 days FLEW by!!! And then mom reminded me tonight that it was almost this time last year that we were making our weekly trips to Buffalo!!! I hate getting old! Time never went by this fast when I was waiting to turn 13 for ear piercing priveleges, or 16 so I could drive, or 18 so I could vote 21 so I could be an adult, 25 so I could rent a car without a penalty!!! Anyway, come home soon Mike, just when planned though, I don't want any emergencies!!!

Tis the Season

Well I have managed to get my first cold of 2009. What a bummer. I hate the way they make me feel. I thought I was getting better today but right around 5pm I started to get worse. I hope it is done by tomorrow morning because I have an interview and don't really want to be blowing my nose!!! I did realize though that I only had 2 in 2008 which was an improvement from past years when I seemed to be getting them monthly!!

Happy Birthday!

So the other half, the better half of this blog celebrates his 38th birthday on Wednesday, but since he is going to be in Las Vegas for CES we had a birthday dinner last night at Arizona Steakhouse, and today I baked him a cake. I have a cold so hopefully he won't catch it, then again he probably won't because he has an immune system that is like steel! It was just a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and only 34 candles because that is all we had! Anyway Happy Birthday Michael Harvey. I love you and hope this year is a happy, fulfilling, succesful, joyful, giving, wonderful year! I look forward to spending it with you. Your other half, Iris :-)

There's a blog about me

This is Mike Harvey the other half of the Iris and Mike Harvey blog. I recently found out that "somebody" started a blog and I was a part of it. The writing has been fairly one sided, which is understandable when you don't know a blog exists. So...I figured before we have to change the name to the Iris Harvey blog I might want to try and wax poetic for everyone reading this(all 3 of you)!

A blog is defined as: a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer ; also : the contents of such a site(merrium-webster). I'm not sure that I reflect on very many things and I've never had a journal but as my lovely wife(i have photographic proof) will attest, I certainly make my share of comments on things. So that being said i'm not sure that whoever reads my posts will find the meaning of life in them or any meaning at all but, maybe it will be a way that you can kill 10 or 15 miuntes while you are bored at work. Admit it that's where most blogs get read.

So first topic...Coffee. If anyone knows me, and you probably don't yet, remember this is my first post on here, I love Dunkin Donuts coffee. I mean love might not be a stong enough word. Don't get me wrong I'm not addicted, yet, and I won't go into withdrawal if I don't have a cup but in my opionin DD does it right. According to a recent scientific survey Dunkin coffee beat Starbucks, you can read the scientific data here: http://www.dunkinbeatstarbucks.com/default.aspx
Starbucks to me is like motor oil that was set on fire and a coffee bean or 2 fell in, plus $4 for a medium sized cup. McDonlads makes hamburgers and chicken like nuggets, they have no business selling coffee, and don't even get me started on Burger King. If you're a Starbucks or McDonalds coffee person I mean no offense.

I think the thing I like about DD coffee are the choices. The have some cool flavors, not one or two but like 10 choices, from toasted marshmellow to Blueberry, yes Blueberry coffee, don't knock it till you've tried it. It's like coffee and a blueberry donut all rolled into one, without all the calories. I got a friend of mine from Seattle hooked on DD blueberry coffee. Take that Starbucks! For the holidays they introduced a fabulous new flavor...Pumpkin! It's has quickly become our favorite coffee of choice. Ours meaning Iris and mines, hence the reason this is being posted here on the Iris and Mike blog. She is starting to embrace the coffee goodness, and joy a cup of DD can offer. Warning, the syrup they use for the pumpkin is sweet. I usually get my coffee with skim milk and sugar, with the pumpkin I have to omit the sugar.

Why am I writing about Dunkin Donuts coffee, I have no idea, thats what was on my mind when I decided to write something here. Could be the fact that I just polished off an XL Pumpkin coffee. :o) 24 onces of pumpkin deliciousness, with skim milk...maybe I am addicted.
Anyway I think thats enough for my first attempt, considering I am a terrible typer and I have been here for the last 3 hours writing this.(kidding) Next time you're in the mood for a coffee fix try some Dunkin Donuts, Blueberry and Cinnamon are two other favorites.
Now get back to work.
Later.

New Beginnings!

Happy New Year 2009! I haven't thought about any resolutions because I never really do! But I do hope that this year brings much happiness, faith, joy and love! :)

2008 in Review

Wow, where did it go?!?! I can't believe how fast 2008 literally flew by!! I thought I would post my memories from this year as I look forward to 2009!

In January I sold my house 2 years to the day I purchased it!!
I was diagnosed with Melanoma Skin Cancer.
Mike was in Vegas for Consumer Electronics Show
Mike turned 37 :)
18 wheeler picked up and moved our stuff to SC
Madison turned 10!!!
Mike and I purchased our first home together.
Moved in with my mom for the months of Feb and March
I underwent a bunch of tests and xrays etc at Roswell Park in Buffalo, NY leading up to surgery on Feb 26
Had surgery on Feb 26 to remove part of right ear and 30+ lymph nodes from neck
Out of work for 3 weeks healing from surgery (had the best nurse/caretaker imaginable)
I turned 30 and had been looking forward all of 2007 to having a big party but instead I had a different kind of celebration. It involved Thanking GOD for giving me a clean BILL of health that day. It was honestly way better than a 30th birthday party could have given me!
Mike came up from SC to visit me. I will never forget how gentle he was with me even though I was very swollen and all "cut up" He gently touched my wounds with his hands. At that point I knew even more how much I loved him and needed him.
Went back to work on March 17 after having 3 weeks off. It was hard to carry my detail bag, my neck was so stiff!
April 12 officially moved to Greenville
Madison, Theresa and David brought me down and stayed for a week.
Unpacked our home. Tried to get some things decorated.
Carly got married to Jason Colbert in NY. This required us to drive up.
Aprille, Trent and Emily stayed with us on their way up to NY for Carly's wedding
Drove to MS to go wedding dress shopping with Aprille and Emily
Bought a wedding dress in MS :)
Madison came for the summer beginning June 30, we drove up to get her.
Summer came and went quickly but we had a lot of fun, Madison played softball, we went hiking, had lots of food off the grill, got to legally shoot off fireworks! :) went to Falls Park for the 4th of July. Went to TN twice to see Jeff and Jenny. Madison got to go to VBS and we got to see her in the closing program, lots of fun! She seemed to love it. Went swimming A LOT!!! Mike's dad, sister, her bf, and mike's uncle came to visit in July. Did a lot of wedding shopping and planning.
Madison went back to NY in August.
We were married on 9/20/08 at Beautiful MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, NY where we met 12 1/2 years ago.
Had another mole removed on 10/31/08, stitches out 2 weeks later!
Went to see Shauna and Tom and then watched the Giants @the Eagles in Nov
Went to NYC and had the best mac and cheese ever!!!
Was able to drive out and see my mom for a day.
Saw Chicago with Mike and his co-workers in NYC
Saw Jersey Boys with Mike, Craig and Erica in NYC
Thanksgiving in FL with Mike's dad and stepsister
NYC again, except this time it was cold and snowy and rainy and yucky but we did get the best mac and cheese ever again!! however this time we picked the sampler and should have just stuck with what we got before! :) Didn't get to take pics by the tree this year though because of the inclement weather
Christmas in NY with both of our familys
Mike spoiled me and bought me 3 Coach purses and a Coach wallet
And he SURPRISED me with the MacKenzie-Childs winter platter that I have been eyeing for a few years now, it means even more to me now because we are married and got married their!
Looking forward to a healthy 2009! :) I love you Mr. Harvey ;)

Mandisa and Matthew West

Mandisa and Matthew West are coming to Brookwood tomorrow for a Christmas concert and I cannot wait to go. The Brookwood Praise Choir will be singing with them!!! Yay so excited!

SPOILED

So after the wedding Mike and I both decided that we would not be exchanging Christmas presents with each other due to the fact that we just paid for the wedding. Anyway today we went to the outlet mall and I got S-P-O-I-L-E-D, seriously spoiled!!! How generous of my husband!!! I can't wait to tell ya'll what he got me! But you will have to wait 12 more days just like me!!! Thank you baby!!!!

A NY kind of Christmas

Mike and I are going to NY for Christmas this year!!! This makes me very happy. I just don't like the idea of having Christmas without my mom. I did it once and it wasn't the same at all. I don't like that Aprille and Trent won't be with us again :( but it didn't make any sense for us to stay in SC when both of our families for the most part are in NY. Christmas is a lot different for me this year. Maybe it is because I don't have a job so I am spending my money very carefully. I certainly am not spending what I normally do. Mike and I kind of agreed to not buy anything major for each other because we just paid for our wedding 3 months ago. I have been giving to organizations close to my heart though. For some reason I feel the burning desire to donate more this year, I think because I know there are so many people that would love to just open one gift, and there will be many that won't even do that because they just can't afford to. Here are some pictures of Christmas last year. Memories that will last a lifetime! Merry Christmas!!

Anyone know how to get the pictures to post at the end???? AARgh!!!!

Mast General Store

I love this place. It is Mast General Store. There are a few locations in the Carolina's but the one closest to us is in Downtown Greenville. I went there tonight to do some Christmas Shopping. The floors are creaky hardwood. They have bulk candy for sale set up in huge old wooden barrels. They have so many toys from my childhood!! For example, raggedy ann dolls, the metal/tin jack in the box, the "old fashioned" little golden books with the original illustrations, and many other things! It reminds me of my childhood seeing so many of those old new things! The older I get the more nostalgic I get! It also makes me want to have kids so I can pass on to them the traditions that I loved so much as a child! Now do we adopt or have our own!? ;)