Camping at Jordan Lake

Last week Bradley and I decided to spend a 3 day weekend camping. He loves to camp at the beach so that he can go fishing too...so we decided to go to Topsail and take his parents' pop-up camper. We love it b/c we can regulate the temperature better in there, you have more space and right now...since I'm halfway through my pregnancy, we thought it'd be much easier for me than getting in and out of a tent. Well, we drove down on Friday night and began the process of setting the camper up. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far. Some cables or a pulley or something on the pop-up broke and we were unable to crank it all the way up. So, after an hour and a half of trying to get the thing put back together again (oh, what an ordeal since Bradley's collar bone is still healing and he hasn't fully regained all of his strength), we packed everything up and headed home...very disappointed. Well, on Saturday we decided that we still wanted to go camping, so we regrouped, got all of our tent camping gear (including the trusty air mattress!) and headed for Jordan Lake State Park which is only about an hour away. We found a beautiful campsite right on the lake and stayed there for 2 nights. Chad and Jamie came and camped with us one night and on Saturday, since we were so close to Raleigh, Ashley came and had dinner with us all. It was such a relaxing time for us. Bradley may not have been able to fish at the beach, but he still was able to fish and we still had our relaxing weekend...after a few bumps in the road. :)


The view from our campsite was amazing. The lake was on 2 sides and we could just walk right down to the water.

Bradley's setting up all of our gear.

Bradley was able to get many hours of fishing in. I'm glad that he was still able to fish, despite the fact that we weren't at the beach!

Chad and Bradley sitting on the shore fishing.

Well...finally!

Okay, okay...it's been June since I last updated our blog. I know...it's ridiculous...but I'm gonna try to get better at it. A lot has happened in our lives since then.

First, Steven, Tara and Adaya came for a visit. We finally got to meet our precious little niece. They were in NC for 10 days and we just wanted to spend every waking moment with them! Some of our most treasured moments during that 10 days were just spent hanging out with family at home. Tara and I were able to spend an afternoon shopping and the entire family took some really great family pics that we will treasure for years to come. I loved spending my lunch break with Tara a few days...just talking and catching up...sharing our hearts and loving on each other. We miss you guys terribly and can't wait till we see you again.

Next to visit were my mom and Jake. We were only with them for a short weekend, but boy did we have SO much fun! We ate great food, played games, watched movies and more. Since we only have one extra bed, we made a fun little pallet with a sleeping bag in the floor of my mom's room for Jake. But, since it was a new place, he got a little scared both Saturday and Sunday mornings. And since I told him that if he got scared to come into our room...we had a little visitor both morns. But we SO didn't care. We let him crawl up into bed with us, flipped on some morning cartoons and just savored the moments that we had with him. The pic below is after a looong day of activity. We decided to watch a movie at the house, but had to turn it off early because we were all so tired and ready to go to sleep! :)

We've also done some traveling since June too. We went to Boone (which has amazing weather in the summer...just perfect!), New York City and Nashville. Just loved all three and were able to see family and friends that we hadn't seen in quite a while.

Well, 2 significant things have happened though since June. Two things that have changed both of our lives. First, we found out that we are having a baby. (Yay!). The baby's due date is at the end of March. We've finally gotten used to the idea of being pregnant...but now are starting to have to think about buying baby furniture, preparing the nursery etc. We've had a blast and are so thrilled to have been blessed with a child. The Lord says in Psalm 127:3(a), "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord" and we really and truly believe that they are. I am excited to meet our little baby in March and am curious about so many things...will it be a boy or a girl? Will it look like me or Bradley? Will he/she be stubborn? sweet? tender-hearted? funny? tall? So many things that I'm curious about. I look forward to sharing the journey with you in the days, months and years to come.

The second significant thing that we experienced was actually really scary. On September 19, Bradley was driving to work on his motorcycle and had an accident. He was taken to a local hospital and was there for about 2 hours before he was air-lifted to a trauma center in Raleigh. He was awake and was able to move his hands and feet the entire time. However, he suffered from short-term memory loss. Basically, he couldn't remember anything that had happened the previous week of his life, nor could he remember things that you had just told him 30 seconds prior. I was actually at the dentist that morning and had my cell phone turned off...so no one could get a hold of me. Luckily my good friend and co-worker, Kristin, knew where I was and came and picked me up at the dentist and took me to the first hospital. By the time I got there though, Bradley was already in the helicopter about to be moved to Raleigh. I never got to see him. Thankfully, his parents had been able to see him and speak to him and were able to assure me that he was awake and able to move and that he was even asking for me. (Praise God, he still knew who I was). It was a difficult morning for me not knowing if my husband was seriously injured or not. But, I prayed what I could...for the Lord to protect him. And the Lord answered my prayer. By the time I was able to see Bradley in Raleigh it was noon. He'd had the accident over 3 hours prior to that. We spent all afternoon in the ER waiting for test results etc. While we were waiting, Bradley continued to ask me questions. What happened? Was anyone else hurt? Where was he? What day, month, year was it? Where was his family and were they upset? He asked and I answered the same questions over and over again for 3-4 hours. He started to calm down around 4:00. We found out that he had a grade 3 concussion and a broken collar bone. The hospital kept him overnight for observation. By 7 that night, Bradley's memory was beginning to return. All visitors left the hospital (except for me) around 9 that night and Bradley and I spent the night in the hospital room. I always thought that the first time that we'd spend the night in the hospital was when I'd have a baby. :) I was just so thankful that I could be with him. I shed many tears that night and over the next few days as the reality of the situation hit me. That night, Bradley asked me some of the same questions that he'd asked that afternoon, except this time, he could remember...He knew what hospital he was at. He knew what day it was and that we'd celebrated his mom's birthday 2 days prior. As we were talking, and I could tell that his memory was coming back to him, I just cried tears of joy and relief. Neither of us slept much that night. For one, we had tons of nurses checking in on him...but also we stayed up and just talked about the days events. The next day he was released from the hospital and the healing process began. Over the next few days Bradley and I would have many conversations about the events of the day that Friday (btw...he still doesn't remember anything about Friday until about 7 that night...he cannot remember what caused the accident). And as we spoke about that day, we just couldn't help but be so thankful to the Lord for saving Bradley. The Lord could have chosen to take Bradley that day, but He didn't. As Bradley put it...the Lord wants him here to do more of His work. And I'm grateful for that. Another thing that really amazed Bradley and I during this time was just how amazing the Lord's family (the Church) is. We had people all over the country and the world praying for Bradley within a few hours of the accident. Word spread like wild fire. We had telephone calls and emails from people in Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and East Asia. We had so many visitors in the hospital as well. We are SO thankful for the love that was showered on us during that time. It really helped to pull us through. And we know that the Lord answered all of those prayers. If there is one thing that we want other people to realize out of this near tragedy in our lives...it's that the Lord answers prayers, the Lord Saves, and the Lord works miracles. We love the Lord. And we want others to know that He is our comforter, healer, friend and Savior. Thank you all for praying for Bradley.

Well, I will keep on trying to update our blog when possible. We have been slack on taking pictures, but will try to update as often as possible...as we have many changes ahead.

The Great Escape

Everything is back to normal now, but several hours ago Baxter had a Great Escape. I gave him an inch and he took a mile...well, about half a mile! He slipped right out of the dog run and ran right into the woods. Thankfully Everett and Julia live just a few miles away, so they came over and helped me look for him. Everett and I ran into the woods down the same path that Baxter took and Julia took the car and drove around to the other side. Eventually Everett and I came up on a horse farm and a man there said that he saw Baxter. It's over 90 degrees here and I guess he just got too hot. Plus, we wonder if he got into one of the electric fences and it might have stopped him from running any further. But, nevertheless, when we found him, he was laying in the middle of a field, surrounded by an electric fence. Thankfully the farmer had turned the fence off, but Baxter didn't know it...and when I called him, he came right up to me and I slipped the leash right back on him. Oh, I was frantic when he ran away. I couldn't believe that I was traipsing through the woods either! All I could think about was the possiblity of snakes crossing my path! The whole escapade only took about 40 minutes, but that is definitely something that I never want to do again! Julia met us at the farm and we all jumped in the car and drove back to our house. You better believe that I won't be taking the leash off of Baxter again unless I've got that gate closed! I learned my lesson today!

Baxter moves in...finally!!

Bradley built a dog run in a corner of our backyard for Baxter.


Well, it may be 4 months after we moved in, but today, Baxter finally moved in to our new house.



He looks so happy to be here...thanks Bradley for building him a dog run!!

Weekend Activities

Papa thinks that the new rug that I purchased this weekend is just for him. He loves to lay on it.


Bradley and Everett took the first opportunity they could to use Bradley's new chainsaw. Bradley got it from my parents for his birthday and he loves it! Thanks mom and dad!



Bradley's checking out his work with the chainsaw in hand.

Outer Banks Fishing

Over the Memorial Day weekend Bradley and I went to the Outer Banks with Chad and Jamie to camp and fish. We had beautiful weather, and quite a bit of good luck when it came to fishing. Both Chad and Jamie caught a big one and Bradley and I were able to reel in a ton of small bait fish. It was the first time for me to go out to Davis Island and I think I'll definitely go back.


Here is Jamie holding up the big fish that she caught.


Unfortunately there are a lot of stingray-like creatures called skates and poor Bradley hooked two really large ones. Here is Bradley fighting the first of the two that he hooked. These creatures were huge. Chad and Bradley said that the second one that Bradley hooked was as big as a car's hood! Crazy!

Chad and Jamie are looking on as Bradley fights the skate.

Here is Chad reeling in the large fish that he caught. It ended up being a Red Drum, which is the kind of fish that most people try to catch at the Outer Banks. Bradley had to get in the surf to help once the fish was close to the shore. It's amazing how much strength these creatures have, especially when they fight as hard as they do to stay in the water!

Chad, Bradley and Chad's cousin, Cory, are weighing Chad's fish. It was appoximately 25 pounds.

Chad proudly displaying his catch. It was 43.5 inches long and 25 inches in girth. Bradley and Chad have been fishing together at the Outer Banks for over 15 years, and this was by far the biggest that Chad has ever caught there! I was really excited to be there for the big catch!

Building a Fence

We are putting up a fence around our backyard but it's been quite a task! Bradley has enlisted some help in Everett and Chad. Thanks for helping you guys! Baxter will love the backyard!


I've never seen a better looking fence than this one! :)

Our 2 Little Visitors

Whoever said that living in the country was boring never lived in Coats. Last weekend Bradley and I had 2 little visitors walk up to our house. These 2 baby goats hung around for about 30 minutes before wandering off again. They decided to explore what was up on our back deck and eat a lot of the underbrush in our backyard before moving on to explore elsewhere.


They were so cute...but I'd never want any as a pet! They eat everything!! I am still laughing that this even happened. I never thought that I'd live in a place where goats wander up to my backyard.

The Latest Camping Experience

Oh, this picture makes me laugh. But, in all reality...we had SO much fun. Bradley's parents have this pop up camper (which hasn't been used in YEARS). We decided to try it out on our latest camping trip. And it was really fun...especially when there was a 2 hour thunderstorm on the 2nd night that we were there. If we'd been in our tent, we would not have been nearly as comfortable!! This may be the future of camping for us...I'll bet in 50 years we'll have another picture that looks just like this...:)


Bradley was not very amused that I was taking pictures of him setting up the pop up camper at 9:30 at night. But I was just so excited to be there and wanted to capture the moment forever. Thanks for being a good sport Bradley! :)

Tomlinson Family Vacation

In April, Bradley and I went to the Caribbean for a vacation with my family. We all had a blast! This picture was taken at the pier in San Juan, Puerto Rico on our first night together.


Bradley and I in San Juan, Puerto Rico.



The next morning we had several hours to kill before we got on board the cruise ship. So we went to a really cool fort and on the way we passed by a park where people were flying kites. The weather was really windy, so we bought a couple of kites too and decided to sit back and have some fun. Here is Bradley helping Jake (and Charlie is looking on) fly a kite.



This is a picture of our cruise ship from a bridge in a city that we visited. It was enormous! It held almost 4000 passengers and another 1200 crew members. That's over twice the population of Coats!! :)


One of the cities that we visited was on the island of Curacao. Curacao is about 40 miles north of Venezuala. We decided to rent a dune buggy while on the island. We drove around for a few hours looking at some beautiful beaches and historical sites before going back on board the ship.


This is one of the forts that we visited on Curacao. It's so neat to be in a place with that kind of history.


The cruise ship had many kinds of activities that we could do. We were never bored!! There was a small ice skating rink on board ship and one day Bradley and Angy took Jake ice skating. They all had a blast!


One morning Angy and I were hanging out with Jake and Charlie while everyone else went to explore activities on the ship. As soon as we stepped foot in my stateroom, the boys wanted to play with our masks and snorkels. Before we knew it they had the masks on their faces and snorkels in their mouths. Oh well...what are you gonna do?


Charlie, of course, did everything that Jake did. It must be so fun having an older brother that can show you all kinds of trouble to get into. :)


I had to include the next few pictures...Bradley and I had a BLAST hanging out with Jake and Charlie. Every night we all dressed up for dinner in the dining room. We had amazing food and they'd really serve us anything that we wanted! Here is Charlie one night at dinner. He looked so precious in his little sweater vest.


And here is Jake that same night at dinner. Doesn't he look SO handsome in his shirt and tie??!!


Unfortunately, it took me about 10 minutes to get this picture. As soon as Angy raised the camera to take the photo, Bradley stuffed food in his mouth, hoping to avoid having his picture taken. Little did he know that Angy and I would wait until he was finished so that we could get this pic.


Several years ago, Bradley enrolled me in a SCUBA class to get certified. This, by far, was something that I never in a million years thought that I'd be doing in my life...breathing underwater where there are all kinds of crazy animal life swimming around you. Well, it's now something that I've come to LOVE. Bradley and I can never go to a tropical place, without diving at least once. This week of vacation, we were fortunate enough to be able to go twice. Once in Aruba and once in St. Maarten. It is such an amazing thing to do!! This is a picture of a barracuda that we saw.



In St. Maarten, one of the dive sites that we went to was a place called Shark Hotel. It is a place where some of the dive shops go to feed the sharks while doing a dive. Well, we certainly were not feeding the sharks (I doubt I'll ever be brave enough to do that) but we dove at this site and while we were there, we saw this amazing reef shark.


Bradley in all his SCUBA gear.


Well, this certainly is not one of my favorite pictures (my hair is caught in my mask and my mouth seems to be bigger than my head), but it's the only one that I have of us diving together.


When we were diving in Aruba, they took us to a place where there was a sunken airplane. A lot of times different groups will purposely sink an object so that underwater plantlife and animals will grow and live around it. It ends up being a really cool place to dive and look around too.


Bradley happened to capture this picture of me. I think he was probably about 10 feet above me at the time. The water clarity is so amazing in the Caribbean!!


This is the harbor in St. Thomas. This picture was taken from our balconey. Everyday I was more and more amazed at the beauty of the Caribbean.

When we were in St. Thomas, the entire fam went to Coral World and to the beach. Here, the boys are playing together at the beach.

Here's a picture that my sister captured of us at the beach.