Nursery Bedding

I have always considered the week after Christmas my week of true vacation.  No hustle and bustle; just doing what I want to do.  This year brought a much desired trip to Evansville. This year Mom made the trek with me.  Not only did I want to do some maternity shopping (in my days of post-holiday growth, the fashions of J.C. Penney and Motherhood are no longer working for me), I knew I would have a great opportunity to go to Target, Babies R Us, and Baby Depot for baby shopping.  I just "needed" to drive strollers, check out all the pack in plays, and just browse the aisles. 

Nursery bedding was not even on my radar.  I have searched and searched on-line to no avail.  I have found some things I liked, showed them off to Jeff, and still have little prospects for what really feels like something I would like. I have gone from basic to classic to trendy... nothing was working for me.  Of course, bedding is affecting so many other things; wall paint, glider rocker, etc.  Well, searching is no more!!  Mother and I walked into Baby Depot and found it immediately!!!~

This picture certainly does not do it justice.  However, it includes everything I find perfect. I think it is absolutely adorable and so "Jeff and Jennifer"; perfect for little baby Tucker.  The colors include, lime green, brown and turquoise blue; all of my favorites!~  And the best thing; it features TURTLES!!!  I have always loved turtles, but most turtle bedding seems a little cheesy. The bedding also includes such a natural feel to it, including reeds and water bubbles.  While it has animals and such, I do not feel like it has a theme; which was top on my list of things to avoid.  I can't wait to incorporate all my favorite colors into the nursery.  It makes me feel like I have a place to begin... now Jeff has lots of work to do.  

10 Pounds and Growing

There are the people who say, "Just eat, you're pregnant."  

My thought is... "Are you going to push that stroller up and down the hills this summer."

I am trying my hardest to watch what I eat so I don't watch the pounds grow.  I know at my age, the "baby weight" will be more difficult to remove. The first 8 weeks were hard because I ate anything I could think of that would not make me sick.  Unfortunately, starchy, sugary foods settled in me stomach better than nutritious selections.  I survived on biscuits with cheddar cheese, cheese pizza, and Frosties;  not exactly what the nutritionist would suggest as a healthy diet. Needless to say the pounds went on kind of quickly. 

So, I was thrilled last week when I went to the doctor, and the nurse told me I had only gained two and half pounds in a month.  

I innocently asked, "Is that good."  She laughed and reminded me most non-pregnant people gain 2 pounds over Thanksgiving.  I was feeling pretty good about things; until Monday morning. 

I climbed onto the scale, looked down and realized I had hit 10 POUNDS!~ Oh no!! After a pep talk from Hannah, I am on a good track.  I realize a few extra pounds may go on throughout the next two weeks; who can refuse peanut butter balls and chocolate fudge, dishes covered in cheese, and anything baked to a golden brown, but then the hills of Buckner Lane will call come Jauary.  

I will have to post some pics soon.  I am generally amazed how I am changing.... What a blessed process~

Tuck Times Two will Become Three

I know; it has been months since I updated our blog.  I had promised to update with home repairs, but a little surprise prevented me from being proactive in any creative endeavors.  Fall break brought our little surprise.  For two weeks before fall break, I had been SO tired I could not function, then fall break arrived with tiredness and illness... finally after a conversation with Hannah, I knew a pregnancy test was in order.  

Since it was a little unexpected, I was able to surprise Jeff.  While he had had his suspicions, he was definitely surprised and elated with our news.  For the next few weeks, our sweet secret began spilling out to family and friends.  

Now our first trimester is coming to an end and our secret is no more.  I know there will be much to report in the coming weeks.  For now, we are doing well.  ALL DAY sickness was the largest hurdle throughout the month of October.  I never imagined it could be so horrible.  Thank the Lord for the brilliance in pharmaceutical companies. Medicine was a life saver!!!

Our growing baby is just a bit bigger than this now.  I was just 8 weeks along in this photo.  I will post more in the coming weeks; along with clothed versions of belly pics.  I am already amazed how my body is changing.  While I have only gained 7 or 8 pounds, I simply look so different. 

 As we leave this Thanksgiving weekend, Jeff and I are filled with blessings.  We are so Thankful for all we have been given.  We have wonderful families, and one growing on the way.  We are simply Blessed.  As we all enter this holiday season, my hope is I remain focused on the true meaning of it all and keep the blessings of my greatest joy in my mind always. 

The rest of a restful week

I thought I would be able to finish up the vacation posts last week... but I think I got a little behind....

MONDAY- The day of waiting begins

Monday was a pretty relaxing day.  Our day began with a long and relaxing walk around Sandestin for Jeff and me. Then back to the condo to pick up Hannah and Jay for a trip to the the Beach Club.

I love hanging out at the beach club because you can relax on the beach or at the pool, avoiding most of the crowd, and getting drinks and food from the pool side tiki hut. 

We didn't spend long at the pool because 

Jeff & Jay's first day on the golf course was awaiting at 2:00.  Hannah and I were excited about this course, because the fairway and green of #6 were right outside our condo... so Hannah and began to wait. We wanted the  perfect shot of our boys.

While we waited, we were entertained by neighborhood ducks.

They are humorous as you quickly learn who is in charge.  They spend they day hanging out in the water foul and strolling across the fairway, annoying the golfers along the way.

After the golf match between Jeff & Jay we headed out for dinner.  One of Jeff's favorite's is the beach front Pompano Joe's in Destin. Jeff has always eaten lunch straight from the beach there, so we had no idea what the dinner crowd would be like.  When we arrived at 7:00, we were given a two hour wait.  We assumed it would only be an hour or little more... well we were wrong!!!!  

We sat down to dinner at 8:55.  While we waited, we decided to make the best of the situation and have a photo session on the beach. 

A day of waiting had worn on all of us.  After a wonderful dinner, we headed towards the condo, making one more important stop at the Ice Cream Shoppe (a new found favorite!) for a late night treat. 

TUESDAY- Beach, golf and dinner at home. 

Tuesday brought a day of relaxation for all of us.  Early on, Hannah & Jay went to Destin Commons for Eve's PRIZE, and Jeff & I went to the Beach Club for a day in the sun. After a pool side lunch, Hannah joined us by the pool before Jay & Jeff's golf match on the Raven, the best course at Sandestin.

 

  As the boys played golf, we did a little shopping and then went to the grocery for our dinner at home.  The boys chose to play twilight golf because the beautiful Raven is a little less expensive during this time; however, this made for quite a late dinner time.  While the boys were away, we prepared all the veggies, shrimp, and steaks for the grill.  As the evening turned to night, we set on the deck, enjoyed dinner with friends, and watched the Baytowne Wharf fireworks from across the bay.  RELAXING DAY... just what we all needed. 

WEDNESDAY- The last day with friends.  

 Donut Hole is one of my two favorite breakfast joints.  Contrary to the name, The Donut Hole has everything from donut holes to yummy omelets.  We had a great time and enjoyed our yummy breakfast.  We all had a different omelet and left full to the brim.  

A great breakfast is just what we needed to start our day of shopping and golf.  Jay  & Jeff were off to the their last day of golf, and Hannah & I were off to a day of shopping.  We all had a great day, and then came together for our last night out to eat. The Fish Market is close to the property of Sandestin, and came with high recommendation from my dentist, Dr. Greg. It was a place we could not miss... It was delicious!!! Kudos to Dr. Greg!  This is a place we will surely visit on all our future trips.  

 Our time with friends was precious to us.  In our quick paced world, we often find to few opportunities to sit with a friend, enjoy a cup of coffee, and relax over a nice dinner.  We definitely loved our time with Hannah & Jay.  It reminded us the miles between Murray and Paducah are not that great and should be traveled more often so these precious times will continue often at home. 

THURSDAY & FRIDAY... A Couple of Days as a couple.

Jeff and I started our first day together with another yummy breakfast at The Donut Hole. It is 

along the way to Grayton Beach, our little secret place of peace.  

Grayton Beach is a Florida State Park where there is a dune restoration project in place.  How beautiful to enjoy the gorgeous Emerald Coast without the tall facade of condominiums and restaurants.  We love our time there and cherish the solitude it brings.  Even on a sunny 

June day, there were only 10 families on this stretch of coast.  With a packed lunch, we were prepared for our day in the sun. 

It was nearly a perfect day at the beach.  Our only small foul was applying our spray sunblock in the brisk wind of the beach.  We have certainly learned our lesson with spray sun products.  While the wind allowed the sunblock to hit most areas, there were shadows all over our bodies, where the spray did not even touch.... burn city. Even with the burn, we still had a day of peace & quiet.

We decided to finish our day with dinner at Jeff's old favorite, Bayou Bills, for crab cakes.  The Destin location burned down last fall, so we had to go into Panama City Beach.  It was a worthwhile trip though as we drove down the coastal highway through Seaside, Water Color, and Rosemary Beach.  We love our days in the car as we enjoy time with each other, beautiful sites, and solitude from the crowd. 

--- All good things must come to an end....

Since Jeff & I were burned beyond belief, and I was even carrying a fever along with me, we decided we would spend our last day at the beach indoors.  Being our last day, we had to enjoy breakfast at our favorite spot, Another Broken Egg Cafe.  It was delicious as always.  Along the way home from Fort Walton Beach, a crazy storm rolled in from the sea.  So... with nothing else to do, we stop off at Destin Commons for some shopping... 

The rest of our day was spent relaxing, packing and spending time with each other and our books.  It was nice to slow down and transition into our day of traveling.  

We always love our time at the beach.  It is a time to erase the stress from work and begin to recharge.  Other than our honeymoon, it was our first true vacation with one another.  It was certainly a blessed week.  We are truly lucky to have each other and to enjoy so many of the same things. We love simply hanging out with one another, driving along the coast, reading on the beach, or moving along the golf course.

We can't wait for our next trip to the beach... It will be a tradition we will always anxiously await.  As the years go by, the people traveling with us will change, but the fun times and wonderful memories will always have the same thing in common; love.  

VACATION--- A Well-Needed Trip to the Beach

FRIDAY--- We are off to great places we are off and away

I had the best of intentions to post every single day on our vacation.  We all loved Hannah's daily updates on the Stark family vacation; it felt like we were there with her. Sadly our condo is not equipped with wireless service.  While I could have gone to the Starbucks each morning, it would have felt like work to me.

So here I am... trying to catch you up on our week of bliss in Sandestin.  I am going to give you a little bit of a play by play of the week, without boring you too much. 

Our trip started off a little sketchy from the beginning.  Jeff had been jam packed with work all week. By Friday, he was busting everything he had to be ready to leave.  While we were supposed to leave at noon, we didn't pull out of town until a little after 1:00 (after a stop at Momma Sheri's and McDonald's for fry fries.) 

Once we were on the road, we were southern bound and moving along.  We pulled into our destination halfway point, Prattville, Alabama, about 8:00 pm.  Things were still going downhill considerably.  As we pulled off the interstate the car began chugging and missing.  The Maxima is ten years old and working on 170,000 miles... I know she has a lot left to give, and I was hoping she would not let us down at the beginning of our vacation.  As Jeff was trying to solve this mechanical problem, I was handling hotel issues...

first our room was charged for the night before leaving a charge on my credit card and no reservation for Friday night.  Once we this issue was resolve, we found the room wasn't ready... uugghhh..... 

Finally we solved the car issues, were given a room, and were ready for a restful night.  As were slumbered off, the evening news enlightened us to a small traffic issue on I65.  So a bit begrudged, we decided to leave an hour early and make it through Montgomery before the most of the other travelers were heading south.  

So with just 6 hours to sleep... we both closed our eyes, hoping to put the events of the day behind us.  Hopefully the rest of our vacation will continue a bit more smoothly. 

SATURDAY--- Heading south

 to meet good friends.

With our early departure from Prattville, we were heading into Destin about 10:00.  Hannah and Jay were delighted. We would actually be pulling into the area of Sandestin at the same time. (I think they were both a little anxious about trying to find something to do while they waited on us to head south.) I was quite excited too! I had been keeping up with the Stark family vacation through Hannah's blog, and I was ready to have some fun with her myself.  Hannah and Jay decided to make this a Mommy and Daddy only trip.  While they knew they would miss Eve terribly, I think they were excited about the week ahead.

With excitement, we met up with them at my favorite grocery store ever, PUBLIX!!!!  After a quick tour of Sandestin, we pulled into the condo early. Our cleaning lady had been there early and the place was ready when we arrived before lunch... We were thrilled.  After everyone was settled in, we headed off for a great trip to Publix!  

Publix was as exciting as ever... and we were filled to the gills with food for the week... Exhausted and hungry, we started trying to make our first decision for dinner. After a long day and even harder night (our less than perfect sleeping arrangements at the Home Town Suites and Hannah & Jay saying goodbye to Eve for the week), we decided to order pizza from Jordano's and stay in our first night.  We ate until we were sick, but it was the BEST pizza all us had ever eaten!!!!  I don't know if it was the long day, or if Jordano's is really that great, but it was yummy stuff.  At the end of the day, we watched the sun go down from our back deck.  With full bellies and tired eyes, we retired to bed. 

SUNDAY-- Shopping 'til we dropped

Sunday started with a decision to find a church.  With the good ole Church of Christ and Baptist kids in one place, we were truly wanting to find a place to worship.  However, we were all still exhausted and decided we would watch a church service on television.  The service we found happened to be a Christian Church. I guess it was a neutral choice for the two different houses.  

After church, we got cleaned up and headed out for the day.  Jeff and I had planned on Hannah and Jay getting to know the place a little bit; the Baytowne Wharf, the Beach Club and the beautiful Sandestin golf courses.  However, as we pulled away from the condo, the gray clouds began to edge their way towards us.  So, as all vacationers do when the rain comes their way, we headed to the mall.  Sandestin has a great outlet mall and is a place for deals a plenty... Of course, Jeff and Jay were less than thrilled about a day at the mall.  

To our advantage, a Cheeseburger in Paradise is on the property of the Silver Sands Outlet.  After a short trip to the shoe store, Jeff and Jay were off for food and a NASCAR race, leaving Hannah and I to our shopping extravaganza.  I have to say... Hannah and I were quite composed throughout our entire shopping experience.   We brought very little... I more than her, but I was able to find everything I had been hunting for at home. It was mainly things for Jeff, but I was excited to finally find the dark brown trousers in which he had been searching, plus dressy and casual dark brown shoes... Who needs KY Oaks Mall when you have Destin!!

Once our feet were feeling worn and tired, we traversed the parking lot to pick up our boys.  Understanding they had been there for 4 hours, each of them was in considerably good shape and in good humor. Luckily they had the television to watch and had not paid attention to the long time we had left them there.  We waltzed with them to the car and headed home.  After a short rest, we began getting ready for our first dinner on vacation. As Jeff & Jay had enjoyed themselves so much at Cheeseburger in Paradise, they were less inclined to argue with the girls about dinner choices. In common fashion, Hannah & I unknowingly share our favorite beach-side restaurant.  Hannah found The Back Porch as a teenager when her family vacationed in Fort Walton Beach.  I did not find it until our honeymoon last October.  Nevertheless, our shared favorite is a great place to dine, with an ocean front view and a great menu to boot. Hannah and I were thrilled with our dinner choice.  Even though a gigantic summer seaside storm blew up as we were driving to Destin, our soggy wait was well worth it for both of us.  What a way to start our week!!!!

Our week is already quickly going by.  Time with friends is precious and always too short.  

We are half way through our time with Hannah and Jay.  I will post more of our adventures tomorrow... and catch you up to our time alone by Wednesday.  Hope you enjoy our little journal of events.

Our new frontier

BLOGGING!~ My love for the computer and all the entertainment it provides is growing in a positive way. I cannot wait to begin this blogging process, chronicling the remodeling of our home, the possibility of a family, and all the beautiful moments life brings our way. Family and friends are spread too far today, but technology allows us to be closer; if only through a screen.  

While Jeff  often tires of my obsession with the computer, he gives in and allows me my necessary evils.  Perhaps, my time on-line will now allow everyone a little bit more of the two people who can be guilty of retreating into themselves and remaining private from time to time.  

I could type for days on end, but my time must come to an end today.  Today's events should have included ironing clothes for our upcoming trip to San Destin and cleaning the bombed out turtle tank.  However, the MacBook has been magnetic today and has confined me to the sofa.  I sign off for now, as I promise to add so much more in the weeks to come.