The Garden

mr. lincoln is the name of this rose...
here he is again...

poppies
don't know what this one's called, but it's purdy
our first hydrangea bloom of the year
the rose bed next to Erich's corner
I had to throw this picture of Tipi in with her new springtime hat

Before
After
more of Erich's corner
Erich's corner
The garden gnomes, keepers of the fireplace

Fall in Front Yard, lots of trees=lots of leaves
Early Spring in Front Yard
The Mailbox Bed
Azaleas(?) in Side yard
Spring Time in Backyard

As the first year of home ownership has progressed, we've gotten more and more ambitious in our "garden". We have a pretty big yard for our first yard, so at first it was very intimidating, but little by little, we're starting to put our stamp on it. Here are some pictures.

More Tipi pictures

Tipi in her Christmas Cheer.
Tipi fitting in with the rest of the herd.
The teeth that are usually showing.
Another toy that bit the dust.
Tipi in the Fall time.
Excited Tipi.
Tipi's first Frosty

Tipi pondering the canal.

Tipitina. Lady of the Night

How could we have a blog and not mention the newest addition to the Mattei flock, Tipitina. in October of 2007, Mom and Dad coerced us to go to the Jefferson Parish Humane Society to look at dogs, never imagining we'd find anything as cute as Tipi. She was scared at first, but very soon she turned into her normal bust of energy self. They gave us her, the cat collar she had on, and not much else (oh, besides the worms, mange, and who knows what else!). They even let us take her unspayed! But don't worry, she got her nip tuck quickly. Actually the week before our anniversary. We thought it would be a good idea then to take her that week, so she'd be under their supervision for our 1st Anniversary weekend. Well, long story short, we ended up taking a drugged up dog with us to Lake Hartwell for the weekend. But, with all the vet bills and terrorizing of the cats, we still love her. Who wouldn't love that face?

The first ever picture of Tipitina, Lady of the night.
The ride home from New Orleans, notice the Saints dogtag!
Tipi's fist visit to work with me. Tiny!
I brought her bed, and her very first toy, wiener (R.I.Pieces on the floor)
Tipi in one of her rarely captured calm moments.

The front of the House. Miss Della liked birds ALOT. She ahd that birdfeeder's pole hooked up to an electrical wire that would shock the squirrels if they tried to jump on it.
They used this room as the den.
We use it as the dining room.
It took forever to paint over the wood paneling, but it brightened up the room alot.
Here's Erich, His Dad, and Roger Lee, after their successful duck hunting. Whatever happened to all those birds?

Home and Office

Erich and I have become home bodies and "working on the house" has become our labor of love. Here are some pictures of the house during our inspection day and a few of after. Expect many more to come, as I have discovered gardening...

Erich at Pali Point (lots of bees)

Erich and I at Benihana's

The Beautiful view from our hotel balcony!

First Blog!

Here is our first "Mattei Family" Blog! (Way overdue!) Please forgive the flashback pictures and info if you've seen them before! Long Story Short: Erich and I were married October 28th of 2006 in the beautiful city of New Orleans. It was a blast, and we wish we could do it all over again! We enjoyed our honeymoon in heaven on earth that is the islands of Hawaii. One day we'll go back. It was beautiful! The best part was our bike ride tour down the dormant Mount Haleakala volcano at sunrise. They have huge space telescopes ontop of the mountain because it peaks above the cloud line, and it's crystal clear views of the sky are breathtaking. Soon after, I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Interior Design, and got a job with D.O.C. Unlimited in Athens. Erich opened his own Financial Planning office in the Michael Bros. Building in downtown Athens. I helped with the design ;) Erich's office has grown exponentially since it's opening. He currently has two agents...and growing! Erich was apart of L.E.A.D. Athens class of 2007/2008 (Leadership Education Awareness Development). It proved to be a great opportunity for him to get involved in the local community and his group helped develop a Junior Achievement program in Athens! Whew! maybe that's enough for one blog. More to come!