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!

a weekend with friends.

On Friday evening, Andy, Carmen, and I drove the two short hours to visit our good friends Keith and Dana! We were so very excited to not only see and visit with them both, but to meet their newest addition, baby Samantha, who was born in December. What a beautiful blessing it was to meet Ms. Samantha and watch Keith and Dana interact with their beautiful bundle of joy with both joy and ease. We are so thankful that like Keith and Dana, that Samantha is now in our lives as well!

Keith, Dana, Samantha, and Sadie ~
Thank you so much for your hospitality! We had such a wonderful time visiting with you all and hope to see you again very soon!

After shopping and lunch, we enjoyed the beautiful
Spring weather with a walk at one of Indianapolis'
local parks.


We are so sorry Ms. Sadie that our Carmen was
determined to be the leader of our walk.



Andy and I with
beautiful Ms. Samantha (4 months old)

thunder over louisville.

With beautiful, beautiful weather, Andy and I decided to explore the local phenomenon, Thunder Over Louisville, which kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival, with our friends Matt and Sarah! After a delicious dinner at our favorite Mexican restuarant, we were lucky enough to use Andy's parking garage pass to park downtown, just a few blocks from the action. Nonetheless, after we walked those few blocks and arrived in solid pedestrian gridlock, we decided that the roof of the parking garage would be a perfect place to enjoy Thunder! How right we were! What a beautiful display of fireworks that truly sounded
exactly like thunder!

nashville getaway

To celebrate my Spring Break, Andy and I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday morning! Taking advantage of Louisville's surrounding areas, we couldn't wait to get away for just a bit. What fun we had shopping, eating, and relaxing! In addition, wishing to see Nashville through the eyes of a local, we decided to be true, goofy tourists and were picked up early Friday morning at our hotel by our tour bus! Spending time enjoying the historic beauty of Nashville and my favorite, gawking at celebrity's homes, Andy and I were happy that we decided to pursue the tour, but will definitely pack some Dramamine for our next tour bus adventure! Sad that my Spring Break has almost ended, I know that my Summer Break is right around the corner!

...Opry Mills Mall here we come...


...On our tour bus...
Don't we look like professional tourists?


Nashville U.S. Customs House


Nashville's historic train station, newly renovated into a beautiful hotel


...Let's stay here during our next visit...


Martina McBride's home
(forgive the glare...remember, we are tourists on a bus)


Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman's home


Tim McGraw & Faith Hill's home


Alan Jackson's home


Inside Opryland Resort




Enjoying dinner at EllenDales before
returning to Louisville

birthday boy.

Tonight, Andy and I celebrated his 29th birthday at one of our new finds, Mojitos! Recommended by our friends Creed and Whitney, Mojitos is a delicious Cuban/South American tappas restaurant. What fun we had ordering many different and scrumptious tappas! Yum! After a stop at the Pie Kitchen for a sweet birthday dessert, Andy enjoyed opening the rest of his birthday presents! Happy, happy birthday Andy!