boy or girl?

Andy and I are excitedly anticipating our upcoming July 14th doctor's appointment. This will hopefully be, with a special someone's cooperation, the BIG appointment that we will have our ultrasound to discover if we are having a boy or a girl. What do you predict?

Make your vote on the left!

danielle's yellow & orange day

With an abundance of yellow and orange, we held Danielle's bridal shower yesterday afternoon! With tremendous help from my mother, everything turned out as planned. With 70 guests, all whom were family and friends, we enjoyed time visiting, eating, and sharing the afternoon with Danielle! Kent and Danielle are so blessed to have so many special people in their lives that love them so, so very much!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

anna kay, the swimmer

Although my tiny hometown of Philippi only has two stoplights, it never ceases to amaze me how busy I stay when I visit! My mother and I are simply on the go from the time that I arrive in our driveway until my return to Louisville. We are always on the go visiting friends, running errands, shopping in Clarksburg, and especially this weekend...planning Danielle's beautiful bridal shower! On Thursday evening, following my visit and dinner with my good friend Denise and her sweet baby Nathan, I went to the Philippi Public Pool to support our good friend, Anna Kay, in her swim meet. It reminded me of when I swam on the swim team for twelve years in the same pool, starting when I was four. What a super swimmer Anna Kay was! She easily won all of her races, even beating many boys! Way to go Anna Kay!

My very special Aunt Kay

Anna Kay, Sharon, & Aunt Kay

welcoming baby nathan

While in West Virginia to host Danielle's wedding shower, I was able to visit with my wonderful friend, Denise, and meet her adorable and sweet-natured baby, Nathan last night! I am so blessed to have Denise and now Baby Nathan in my life! What a beautiful baby boy to have been born into such a sweet, sweet family!

After our visit of "oohs and awws" over precious Nathan, Denise and I feasted on some of Philippi's finest chicken wings, cheese sticks, chef salad, and fries at our local favorite, Lil' Moes. How nice it was to see Denise, Nathan, and her family!

"father-to-be day"

On Sunday, Andy and I celebrated not just Father's Day, but also "Father-to-Be Day"! While we do not yet know of the many joys of daily life with a precious baby or have even yet to experience night after night of sleeplessness, we are both so very excited to become parents together to our sweet baby, who know doubt will be simply adored by a most loving father!

Happy "Father-to-Be Day," Andy!

5 happy years

Today, Andy and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary! What a wonderful and blessed five years of marriage we have had! While we would have been quite happy to celebrate at our home in Louisville, how great it was to relax together on the hot beach in Destin and to enjoy our last seafood dinner and slice of key lime pie of the week! What a happy week we have had on vacation that ended on such a sweet note!

wednesday breaks

Needing a break from the beautiful, but very strong sunshine on Wednesday, Andy and I decided to take advantage of Destin's Silversands Outlet. Although shopping at the outlets was quite fun, it was also a bit "eye-opening" to the fact that items I would have normally scopped up in a second would soon not fit my growing belly. However; not to be deterred, I was successful at two of my favorites - J.Crew and Gap, buying items that would hopefully "grow with me".

***
It appeared as though Wednesday was a day of "breaks" for us. Not only was it a break from the sun, but also a break from the delicious seafood that we love, love, love. Wanting just a good 'ole dinner, we decided to try McGuire's Irish Pub. A little skeptical at first, even though this particular restaurant received the best reviews in all of Destin, my mind was quickly changed. Not only was the atmosphere fun (more than $750,000 in single dollar bills hanging from the ceiling) the food was delicious, while the portions were HUGE! Needless to say, we were not disappointed in our good 'ole dinner!

sweet and crabby

Yesterday morning began with a most delicious stop - The Doughnut Hole! While Andy and I do not usually indulge in these sweet morning treats, you simply cannot pass up a chance to eat a hot and yummy glazed piece of fried dough - and that we did!

It's always a good sign when there's a line out the door!

No, not a loaf of bread, but a cinnamon twist!
What a delicious treat to share!

*****

After our sweet stop at the Doughnut Hole, we headed to Sexton's Fresh Seafood. As you know, Andy and I appreciate and can't get enough of fresh shrimp, lobster, scallops, and crab. We decided on a dinner of 12-15 count shrimp per pound to steam on our own Tuesday night. What a great morning we had to begin another sunny day in Florida!

sunshine & sand

Andy and I had another gorgeous, sunny, and hot day in Destin on Monday! Because we are an hour behind Louisville / West Virginia time, the sun rises so early here that it's difficult to simply stay in bed while the beautiful sun is shining. After time spent at the beach and the pool yesterday, Andy and I decided to have our own agenda for dinner last night. Following a drive to Sandestin on Sunday evening, we decided on some possible places to shop and eat - the two most important parts of any vacation, in my opinion. We decided on a delicious seafood restaurant called Pompano Joe's. Located directly on the beach, overlooking the Gulf, and without one single window, Pompano Joe's not only provided the great view that Andy and I are suckers for, but also a dinner of yum-a-licous, fresh seafood!

Our beach chair view


A delicious dinner at Pompano Joe's

Although Kent & Danielle are not with us on this vacation, Andy had to pay tribute to Kent's love of any Bass Pro Shop at the Destin Commons shopping center.

awww...florida!

To celebrate the beginning of summer, Andy and I are enjoying the sun, sand, and blue waters of Destin, Florida! I simply love, love vacations and the time that it allows Andy and I to relax and spend together! Although we have only been in Destin for one full day, the weather has been gorgeous and the seafood delicious! We are certainly looking forward to
many, many more sunny days!

Awww...relaxation...

Taking a recommendation from our friend Dena, we decided to eat at one of her family's favorites, A.J. 's Seafood & Oyster Bar. Yum! My crablegs were great!

*** 16 weeks ***

Andy and I are so thrilled to be vacationing together as a family of two this year, but know that next July, we will have a special "someone" to enjoy the early morning and late afternoon sun and sand with on our annual family vacation to South Carolina with my mother, Uncle Kent, and Auntie Danielle!

becky's two on the way.

While I was at home visiting with our family and friends, I was so excited to drive to Pittsburgh for my close friend Becky's baby shower. Becky and her husband Mike are expecting twin boys in September! Becky and I became fast friends while living in Boreman North at West Virginia University and soon became Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters! I love, love Becky and miss seeing her so much! What a cute, cute mama she was at her shower!

While celebrating Becky's soon to arrive "twin boys", I was also excited to spend time with my other friends and sorority sisters, Heather and Jamie. It was so special to meet Heather's sweet little girl, Kylie, who was born in December! What a beautiful shower Becky had. I only wish Louisville wasn't so far away!
Thanks girls for such a fun afternoon!




Hmmmm...I wonder if our baby will have
red hair like Ms. Kylie?

a visit to "puppy camp"

For our upcoming vacation to Florida, Ms. Carmen will be spending time at "Puppy Camp", otherwise known as the homes of my mother, grandparents, and Andy's parents! She will surely be in heaven with all of the attention, special food, and nightly visits to Dairy Queen for vanilla "pup cups". When we arrived in Philippi, Carmen was so excited to have her cousin Oden spending the night at my mother's home as well. With much persuasion (annoyance) Carmen and Oden played and played. What happy pups!