emerson lane everhart

it's official, jesse and i are an uncle and aunt again. my big brother, chad, and my sister-in-law, april, brought sweet emerson lane everhart into this world on january 29th. this beautiful baby girl came in weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces with a full head of hair! my mom, dad, and april's mother got to be at the hospital in boone, nc for the big day! i've heard many reports of emerson being the cutest, most dainty and feminine lil baby girl ever! we can't wait to finally meet our precious little niece.

congrats chad and april!!

"the arctic blast"

"the arctic blast"... that's what good ole jimmy cantore of the weather channel called it. normally they really exaggerate some things, but this time i hate to admit, they were right. this cold weather really stinks. what happened to global warming? i'm so tired of being inside. today did get warm though... like 45 degrees, so i threw some pottery! here's some photos of the sound frozen up in duck. i thought about ice skating, but then i remembered i only own roller skates.

it's been so cold that even my dad is willing to play video games. below is noah and "rod the father" engaging in a boxing match at the smith's house. it's great when matt comes in town because all the boys get together. so cute...

better late than never...

i love Christmas.

i love Christmas trees.

me and mom love our scarves.

jesse and his mom love led zepplin.

me and my niece and nephew love to distribute presents.

lynn, roman, jesse, and brad love each other.

i love decorating for Christmas. and eating.

obbc loves bowling.

me and jesse love to look ridiculous.

jesse and winfield love a "tender tennessee Chrismas".

the hines family loves kitty hawk... and you.


**also, we REALLY missed rick and jennie, chad and april, and my dad this Christmas. if only we could ALL be together during such a wonderful time of year. although there may not have been enough collards or granny's chocolate cake to go around...

is it 2010 already?

i hate when Christmas is gone. i can't believe Christmas is gone. my house is just a house now. not a home full of sweet treats, savory scents, a joyful tree, and the heartwarming sound of bing crosby singing as i sit on the couch and admire the millions of Christmas lights i have hung all over the place (it was close to the fine line of tackiness).

wow, time flies. seems like just yesterday was october 2009, when jesse snapped his lil chicken leg in half. and today, well today is the 11th of january, meaning we are only five months away from summer, warm air, and really slow drivers. it has been about 35 degrees for the last month. the canal that follows our dirt road is frozen, the sound is frozen, when i drive to work in my cold car with a cold steering wheel my hands are frozen, our water pipe one morning was frozen, and i haven't worn a short-sleeve tee shirt or gone sock-less in ages because my feet are always frozen. however, cold weather allows me to not feel guilty about staying indoors and reading, watching a movie, or just sitting around the house sipping coffee with my husband. i would love nothing more than to surf, ride a bike, or throw some pottery in my mud room, but it's just too dang cold. the outer banks is utterly and completely frozen.

2010 has been pretty good so far; it's been a whole 11 days. jesse is almost fully healed. we are hoping that in two weeks he will be in the water shredding again. what a great great GREAT day that will be! work is good. church is good. pets are good. life is good.

some excitingly good news is that jesse and i will be an uncle and aunt again very soon... my brother and april (or "chapril") will be enlarging the everhart family in only a few more weeks. we can't wait to come to the mountains and see the new addition!!

more good news is my dad has been on the outer banks with us for a bit. it has been so fun and such a blessing to have him here. i'm very proud to say that i have finally beaten him in a card game. now that is good. "rod the father" (as me and my brother call him) is quite the card shark; but these days there is a new card sharkess in town. "nertz" is the game. haven't played it before? we'll show you next time you're in town. but be prepared, this gal does not show mercy when it comes to card competition.

my new year's resolution is to stop being so nosey. just being honest. so that is why there is no more facebook for me, only blogging (unless i can figure out an easy way to only be friends with family and dear friends who live far away). also, i would like to become more of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth... i think that one will be a tad bit harder though.

that is all the news we have for you on this 11th day of 2010. i am signing off. be not afraid, i shall return soon with more stories from our dirt road in kitty hawk.

goodbye my sweet sebi

a really long blog in memory of SEBASTIAN ~ march 11th, 1997- september 21st, 2009




as most people know by now, jesse and i lost our dear sebastian a few weeks ago. obviously it was a sad time, but the love and joy over the last 12 years outweighs the sorrow. some of you may think, "it's just a dog", but i beg to differ. sebi was part human... i mean what kind of golden retriever would rather be inside on our laps snuggling than outside playing with a tennis ball and swimming? how many dogs do you know that prefer carrots, bananas, and rice cakes to traditional, delicious dog food? he was a very sensitive little man who desired nothing more than attention consisting of hugs and giant kisses on the lips. with only one working eye, he would stare at me all day long and once i would get over to him, he would smile... literally. sure, he had some dog-like tendencies like hot garbage breath, or extreme fur balls rolling through the house. and he wasn't the most pleasant smelling fellow (ask my college roommates), but man i'm telling you what, everyone knew he was special.

at 17 years of age, my mom blessed me with the best high school graduation gift of all, a golden retriever. most teenagers wanted a new car, a trip to europe, lots of money... not me. all i wanted since i was a young little girl was my own golden retriever. over the years i had wallpapered my room with photos of goldens, hung calendars, subscribed to dog magazines, and decorated with golden retriever pillows and blankets. i wasn't ashamed to show my fondness of the most beautiful, loving, loyal dog breed that ever roamed the earth. stop laughing, i'm serious. high school was finally over, and in 1997 i was rewarded with one little precious, perfect 12 pound puppy whom i chose to call SEBASTIAN.

only a few hours into his new life at our home did sebastian find himself blind in one eye, and a little deformed (due to our confused chocolate lab). the day started off horrific, scary, sad... yet because of the "accident" sebi grew to be the most unique, special, handsome, and lovable dog of all time. from that day on, sebi went with me everywhere. he rode in my lap in the car at all times (until he got to be about 50 pounds), he traveled all over the country with me, and even to the bahamas twice. he loved to sleep in the bed, on the couch, or anywhere right next to me. he was my very best friend. then jesse came along, and took to "mr. sebi" as if he was his own dog. of course that made me happy! we were a little family. hank-freeman joined the family, then sugar... who brought him back to life and gave him a reason to play, wrestle, growl, and bark. they shared the next 3 1/2 years tugging on pillows and stinkin' up the house together.

over 12 years later, i find myself here. to be honest, i kinda didn't think sebi would ever really die. and i don't think he wanted to because he loved me so much; we had a special bond. i'm not boasting, i'm being honest. but this little old man started to hurt and feel uncomfortable... and we prayed and prayed, and knew it was time to let him go. it's been three weeks and the house still feels too quiet, too clean, a little empty, even with sugar and hank still cruising around. i miss that little guy. but we know he is running without pain, able see with both eyes, hear with both ears, chew his food a little better, and actually smell the flowers he always stuck his cute black nose in. in sadness, i constantly remind myself what the Bible says, "every GOOD and PERFECT gift is from above, coming down from the Father" -james 1:16 ...my dear, sweet sebi was such a perfect gift from God that i will always be thankful for!

it's been a while...

blogging... who has the time? in the summer i know i don't have a spare minute. from work to weddings, with some house guests here and there, and trying to get some surfing in... it's been hard to sit down and update what's been going on down the little dirt road in kitty hawk. today marks the first day of a house without company in two weeks. it's cloudy and windy outside and i'm off work, so what better way to relax than to review photos and memories of the last 12 weeks: obbc has been great. church is always incredible. courtney, simon, chad, and april all came for a visit. some georgia friends, brent and mary beth, kicked off summer with us. jesse did a surf camp and completed his first CD. me and some friends threw a bridal shower. we helped with brittany and adam's wedding this weekend. and we had california folks, wilmington friends, and a floridian all staying in the house... it was great fun as there was surf, lots of dancing, a little scrabble and mafia, and tons of eating.

to end the summer and begin the fall we got some hurricanes and we got scott aichner. scott a.k.a. "the world's best surf photographer" (from hawaii/california... you may also recognize his cover shot of jesse on SURFER mag) comes to the outer banks each year to shoot photos of the guys shredding the waves during hurricane season. he flew in at the tail of "anna", worked hard during "bill", and scored some more shots through "danny". this guy is tough... i mean he swims with sharks (we all know they're there), puts himself in the line of extreme danger (pointy surfboards coming at his face), wrestles with rip currents, or stands on the beach in excruciating heat while biting flies swarm. not only does he power through all of that, he stays at our house with two FURRY dogs, two cats, lots of mosquitos and spiders, weird smells from the swamp, and lots of junk food. he reminded me while he was here that i haven't blogged in a while... so here it is. a brief overview of our summer. work, best friend's wedding, wonderful people, and our world of animals.
scott and hank are like bffs. hank always remembers him when he comes back in town.

seriously... even if you don't like animals, you have to admit these creatures are cute!

sebi... yes, he's still alive! although he's starting to slow down, has some hearing and vision problems, and smells like hot garbage, he still loves to get attention and eat some food.

our buddy scott getting ready to head back to ventura.... where there's no real sweet tea.

the groom, adam, and his friends getting one last group shot before he's a married man.

mr. and mrs. jesse hines... 8 years and counting.

obbc spaghetti dinner. we ate, played games, played the flute, and drank coffee. what a great summer at the shop! notice lynn in the background :)

it's a special birthday!

12 years ago one of my very best friends was born. his name... sebastian. words can't explain my love for such a sweet, stinky, goofy-lookin, hairy, golden retriever. i remember picking him out of a group of puppies when i was a mere 17 years old, still a senior in high school. 12 years later he remains to be one heck of a buddy, supplying me with plenty of kisses to last a lifetime. you may think it's silly, but i don't care. he's been there for me when jesse lived in california, when i was sad, when i just wanted to snuggle with someone, or when i was scared while jesse was on a surf trip. a friend, a protector, a pet, and an entertainer he is. he's appeared in several surf magazines and warms the hearts of all those who come to stay with us. he's travelled with us to florida, the bahamas, arkansas, kansas, every state on the way to california, myrtle beach, and beyond.... Happy Birthday to my Mr. Sebi!