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!

a very special blessing

With joy in our hearts, Andy and I lovingly share that we are expecting a baby in Novemeber! We are so excited for our little one's arrival and truly thank God for His very special blessing. Please keep us in your prayers as we await November!

Below, I have posted some pictures of our "big secret" that we have snapped during the 13 weeks thus far. We are so excited to finally share our news!

A celebration dinner! We are so very excited!

A special gift to share our big news with my mother!

After some decisive measurements during our first
ultrasound, they have since changed our due date to...
November 29th!


To celebrate our special blessing, Andy and I
visited Nashville, Tennessee during my Spring Break.
We had had so much fun exploring, eating, and shopping.
Because of our big news our trip turned out to be a....

"Blue Box Occasion"!

...Following my 8 week doctor's appointment...

On Mother's Day, Andy surprised me with a
"Mother-to-be" bead for my Pandora bracelet!
What a thoughtful and sweet husband I have!

...12 weeks and growing...
Oh, my!

a weekend with family

For the Memorial Day weekend, Andy, Carmen, and I traveled to both Philippi and Moorefield, West Virginia to spend some relaxing time with our families! While there, we visited with close family friends, enjoyed delicious picnics, and shared our special baby news with those that mean so much to us! While our visits are never long enough, I can't wait to return to the mountains in just a short week and a half, following the summer dismissal of school! Summer vacation is right around the corner!

Sharing a smile with my mother and father-in-law

My brother-in-law, Rick, hard at work.
Thanks Rick! Everything was delicious!

My sister-in-law, Danyl #1.
I will soon get another sister-in-law, Danielle #2,
on August 8th. Wedding bells will be ringing soon!

freeman's garden center

With a "spring" in our step following church today, Andy and I tackled the remaining landscape work. After trimming the rest of our shrubs, Andy mulched, I planted our yearly begonias, and Ms. Carmen kept an eye on our cul-de-sac neighbors! What a beautiful day it was to be outside as a family! Whew! While I'm always glad that the hard part is behind us, it's always a gift to see our final outcome! We can't wait to watch our flowers grow!

it's official...CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS, kent!

After many years of dedication, Mountaineer football games, and hard work, my brother, Kent, is graduating from West Virginia University! We are so, so very proud of you, Kent, and are thrilled to call you "alumni"! We knew you could do it!

Congratulations! We love you!

tgif pizza.

Thank goodness it's Friday! With 12 days of school and only 2 "Friday's" remaining, what better way to welcome the weekend than with a visit to our favorite pizza joint, Borromeo's?!? Andy and I shared delicious breadsticks and pizza with our good friends Jim and Jessica, while also getting to visit with Jess's parents, LeeAnn and Kenny in the booth behind us! It was so nice to welcome the weekend with great pizza and good friends...especially at our "fancy" Borromeo's!