2 Year Anniversary :)

2 years ago today I was walking down the isle to marry my best friend in the world. I was excited and couldn't WAIT to start our lives together. Now, 2 years later, I am even more in love with this man and I had no idea that was even possible. He makes me want to be a better person, he is hilarious and makes me laugh all the time, he is my best friend, he knows how to make me feel better, he is amazing and supportive, and I cannot WAIT to see him with our child because I know that he will be the best father.
Even though we have had our ups and downs the past 2 years I wouldn't trade a day of it and I cannot imagine my life without him anymore. I cherish each and every moment we spend together and I cannot wait for the next 60, 70, 80 years of our life together.

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Hm, definitely PREbaby

16 weeks!

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender. (we ARE interested but have to wait!!)

Your baby is planning on a huge growth spurt in the upcoming weeks. During pregnancy week 16 your baby has grown strong enough to hold his head straighter. Your baby's eyes and ears are moving into their final position and your baby is focusing much of her energy on her circulation system. By 16 weeks pregnant your baby's heart is pumping roughly 25 quarts of blood each day!

At 16 weeks pregnant your baby starts growing fine hair on the tope of his head, though some babies will be born very bald despite their best efforts. The color of your baby's hair and even your baby's eyes may change shortly after birth. Many babies are born with blonde hair for example that falls out and turns brown a short time after birth. Still others are born with brown eyes that turn blue within a month or two after birth! Your baby will continue to amaze you in the weeks following pregnancy.

How Far Along: 16.5 Weeks!
Total Weight Lost/ Gained: 130. One time I weighed and it said 132...but the next day was 130 so who knows haha
Maternity Clothes: One of my wonderful friends Leah brought a HUGE bag of her old maternity clothes for me to borrow. I am SO thankful for her! And they were cute too! :)
Gender: We will know AUGUST 12TH!!!
Movement: I felt Baby B! It was a couple nights ago- We had gone to bed and Chad had already fallen asleep and I was trying to (the usual) and all of a sudden I felt little baby b. It was the flutter just like everyone had told me it would feel. It was so nice of Baby B to tell me "hey!"
What I miss: sleep. i hope this gets better eventually...
Sleep: Still not great.
Symptoms: I'm starting to feel like my belly is tight. I FEEL like I have a belly haha
Cravings: Food in general. Yep. I love it still
Best Moment this week: Baby B showed me he/she is still there!! That was so exciting!
What I'm looking forward to: ONE WEEK FROM TODAY WE WILL KNOW THE SEX!

Walking in Memphis

**I'm going to go ahead and post this but I'll put pictures up in a little bit, I just can't right now!***

A couple weekends ago we headed up to Memphis for the weekend! Chad and I drove separately because he had to stay for a job interview Monday and I had to work. I must admit it was weird. Usually I enjoy the drive and the company, this time I just sang at the top of my lungs. About an hour and a half away from Memphis it started raining Really hard. My windshield wipers were at their max and I looked like a grandma trying to sit as close as I could to the wheel to see outside. I picked up my phone to call Chad because I could feel my tires slipping a little and I was going to let him know that’s why I was slowing down...no answer...hung up and put the phone down....

that's when my car spun.
talk about scary.
It slipped and slid and then did a 360 and I just KNEW I was going to see a car coming right at me from across the median. Thankfully I landed IN the median and stopped there. I immediately picked up the phone and called Chad. Apparently I forgot to mention I was in the MEDIAN and that I didn't just hydroplane, I danced circles with my car in the rain. He found me and then got out and ran over to me. I was part in shock, part in tears, and part just wanting to get out of that car.
Chad came and talked to me and then said we needed to get my car out of the ditch (yes, ditch. the median went \_/ like that). Chad went behind my car and proceeded to PUSH while I stepped on the gas. I spun and spun but thanks to my wonderful husband and his rush of adrenaline strength he literally pushed me out of the grass. He was amazing.
SO we got out of the ditch and then continued on our way. The next hour I would calm myself down, and the randomly burst into tears. I just kept thinking of everything that could have happened. Especially since I have a little baby with me now. Whew. Thank-you-God.
We arrived and of course it wasn't raining anymore. There was grass and mud all over my car but believe it or not, there was nothing wrong with it besides my muffler being a little unattached.

The REST of the weekend was great. Like I've said before, I always love it so much when we can go up there. Chad's grandparents (Mema and Papa) got to come too so it was almost the whole family together. We played hand and foot a lot- a game Chad and I have grown to love. I want to play it every chance we get now!
We played croquet in the backyard which I am just horrible at. I started off strong and ended up so far behind I had to squint to see who was winning way off in the distance ha!
Saturday night we went to a Japanese steakhouse. Those are always so much fun. Our chef was decent, not the most talkative one I've ever had but hey, I couldn't do half that stuff he does let alone talk and entertain while I did it.
Sunday it was so good to see old people at church. --I was going to correct that sentence and say old friends, but I thought it was rather amusing how 'old people' was what came out so, I'm leaving it -- Several people didn't know I was pregnant so that was fun too to be able to break that news!
We are going back to Memphis sometime in September for the awesome people with birthdays then whoever that is :) and possibly a trip in August too!
Sunday I had to drive back and thank goodness there wasn't any rain.

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Side story: Monday I was going with my Mom to target in 2 separate cars so we could each drive home. As I'm driving there my car kinda started shaking, but nothing bad. I just knew it was my muffler hanging down and maybe hitting the road. THEN I started seeing little pieces of tire fly by my window. Only then did I put it together. Great - my tire blew.
Now apparently when this happens you pull over immediately no matter where you are. I know that now. However, this has NEVER happened to me before and in my mind I was literally on the road that turns into Target so I kept going off the main highway and onto the very much less busy side road. That made perfect sense to me.
Mom and I then sat and waited on Dad and Kevin to come to our rescue. We sat and laughed and looked at the tire that didn't blow - it exploded. The entire middle section had come undone. Whew. Dad and Kevin arrive and proceeded to change the tire. I love being a girl :) AND pregnant :)
Finally finished my spare was nice and tight on there. Thanks Dad and K! Yall are heroes.

15 weeks!

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

Although many women don't start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), your baby has been having his own party in the amniotic sac he calls home. If you feel a little flutter in your belly this week, don't discount it as gas or hunger. It could be your babe banging around. Here's more to look forward to:


Baby's head is now resting on his well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor. He's beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give you that "Mom, you're crazy" look when he's a teenager.) The hair on the head also begins to grow and, with some creative styling, you'll be able to turn those locks into a Maddox Jolie-Pitt faux-hawk some day.
Although baby's eyes are sealed shut, he's now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. As your baby practices sucking and swallowing actions, he may actually hiccup. You'll know he's had one too many shots of amniotic fluid by the steady thump-thump you feel.
Over the next month, baby will grow faster than ever, so make sure you load up on enough nutritious food and fluids to support his growth. Your baby now measures nearly 4 inches, about the size of a Kit Kat "finger" (regular-size, not the Big one you get at the movies), and weighs almost 2 ounces.

How Far Along: 15.5 Weeks!

Total Weight Lost/ Gained: you guessed it again, 130 still.
Maternity Clothes: Last night I tried on a dress with high hopes - no such luck. Let me point out, however, it was not due to me thinking I looked awful or anything like that. The dress was just made very oddly (oddly? is that a word. it is now). SO its still the trusted bella band and my normal clothes which are getting cuter the bigger my belly gets I think.
Gender: We will know AUGUST 12TH!!!
Movement: Umm there is a slight possibility? Last week I thought I MIGHT have felt it? But have felt nothing since so who knows, probably just gas :)
What I miss: SLEEP. See next question.
Sleep: Awful. I went for about a week where I tossed and turned maybe every 30-45 minutes all night long. Since then I am now sleeping with a pillow between my legs, one at my head, and one underneath my stomach/hips and that seems to be better, but still not great. I thought sleep was suppose to be this bad at like 30 weeks, not 15...haha
Symptoms: Ok...still waiting on this 'energy boost' everyone raves about. Mine definitely has not hit yet. At all.
Cravings: Food in general. Yep. I love it.
Best Moment this week: We got our free ultrasound and it was the coolest experience I have had so far. WOW.
What I'm looking forward to: 2 weeks until Baby B is he or she!
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OUR ULTRASOUND:
So last Thursday we decided to check out this 'free' ultrasound place. Turns out its legit and I am SO glad we did it We walked in and signed a list and waited. I decided to pay for pictures because there is no way I could walk out of there without them ha.
We were called in and they did the cold jelly and there I layed. They then continued to mess with the ultrasound machine like something was wrong/ the couldn't figure something out. Meanwhile the ultrasound knob (yes, i know this isn't the technical term) was on my belly- but you could see NOTHING moving. This is when I got kind of worried and tried to calm myself but it was a little weird.
Finally they said oh theres the button, and the machine came to life. They told us it was an older US machine because the other one had broken.
They searched around and then there was little Baby B! except this time it was not a little blob, it was a little baby. Face, arms, legs, and a pooched little belly :) It was the sweetest thing and we just sat in awe and watched as the moved around. Baby b was jumping and kicking around and even pulled its arm up and waved at us several times! Perfect looking fingers, toes, face. That feeling was the best one in the world.
We moved US machines because the girls wanted to try the newer one. I told them I was COMPLETELY fine with that haha.
We got to that one which was much more clear. They were looking at EVERYTHING because they are students and this is how they learn about everything. She even looked at my gallbladder ha!
We left there with the biggest smiles on our faces. I cannot WAIT for our next one in August.

14 Weeks

Your Baby: Week 14

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.
Your baby is continuing to grow and mature at this point. Your baby’s arms are going to begin to lengthen and be more proportioned to the rest of the body. The liver is beginning to produce bile, while the spleen is beginning to produce red blood cells.
The development of your baby’s brain enables him/her to use his/her facial muscles to grimace, frown, and squint. He/she may even be sucking his/her thumb. Because you have begun the second trimester and most of the critical development has been completed, the chance of miscarriage decreases.*

How Far Along: 14.5 Weeks!
Total Weight Lost/ Gained: you guessed it, 130 still.

Maternity Clothes: My wonderful mother bought me my first Maternity items :) She surprised me with a very cute jean skirt! It has one of those enormous panels on it that stretches with you which I think is hilarious to look at right now, but surprisingly VERY comfy! We went into Target that night to try to find a shirt for our Family Reunion picture...no luck. Everything is HUGE or weird haha. ONE shirt worked, but it was black (we must wear white or navy) but she bought it for me anyways!
Gender: We will know AUGUST 12TH!!!
Movement: Nope. My cousin has felt some though and she's just 3 weeks ahead of me so it'll be soon!
What I miss: Coffee, brain, and my head feeling normal and not having headaches.
Sleep: Eh, its up and down.
Symptoms: Ok...still waiting on this 'energy boost' everyone raves about. Mine definitely has not hit yet. At all.
Cravings: Really no specific cravings lately- just a lot of foods that sound REALLY good.
Best Moment this week: Found out Tuesday that there is a place who does FREE ultrasounds- and we got in for an appointment THURSDAY!
What I'm looking forward to: The ultrasound of course and next month when we know boy or girl!

13 weeks and counting

13 weeks pregnant!
Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)
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Up until this point, your baby’s head has been the largest part of his/her body, but that is beginning to change. Your baby’s head is now only about 1/3 of his/her total body. Unique fingerprints are now located on the tips of your baby’s fingers. The kidney and urinary tract are completely functional which allows the amniotic fluid he/she has been swallowing to be excreted. Covering your baby’s skin is a fine, soft hair called lanugo.
How Far Along: 13.5 Weeks!

Total Weight Lost/ Gained: 130 still.
Maternity Clothes: The trusted BellaBand. I did wear an empire waist shirt that I thought would hide the semi-bloated-belly I have but instead it made it much more noticeable -- to me anyways.
Gender: 4.5weeks until we know! :)
Movement: Nope
What I miss: My coffee. Really, there is not too much else I am missing...besides my brain I guess. I am so crazy. Yesterday I asked Chad the exact same question back to back. I asked - he answered... I asked again.
Sleep: I still haven't slept like 'normal' but I have had a few really good nights sleep which has been great!
Symptoms: Yay for no more morning sickness! I am so ready for this second trimester. Everyone talks about how much energy you have...I'm still tired and the headaches have gotten worse so bring on the energy boost!
Cravings: Really no specific cravings lately- just a lot of foods that sound REALLY good.
Best Moment this week: I had about 2 nights of GOOD sleep! and we go to the doctor Thursday so I can't wait to hear the heartbeat!
What I'm looking forward to: The doctors visit Thursday and this weekend when I enter the Second Trimester!
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Last weekend was a little tough but it was really good to see a lot of family members. Grandma's funeral was started off by lots and lots of old friends coming in and sharing stories and laughing with each other. I watched everyone smiling and it really hit me that this was a Celebration of her life rather than a heartbreaking funeral. Of course everyone was sad but overall it was nice seeing all these friends of hers come to remember her.
It was good seeing our family and we head back up there in a couple weeks for a family reunion.
THIS weekend we are headed to Memphis! YAY! It has been too long. Chad and I are driving seperate which means I get Starbucks before the trip so I don't fall asleep haha.
On a random note - Winston is getting HUGE. I'm sure we will take some pictures soon!

12 weeks! and other stuff going on

Baby's now the size of a plum!

As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

Your uterus is continuing to grow, and your healthcare provider can now actually feel it in your lower abdomen. You may not need maternity clothes at this point, but you may have noticed that things are not fitting as well. If this is a subsequent pregnancy, you will most likely need maternity clothes sooner than a woman who has never been pregnant before.


You may have also noticed that your skin is changing, such as the darkening of the areola. Other changes you may have noticed include irregular dark patches on your face and neck. These are called chloasma or mask of pregnancy. These patches normally disappear or become lighter shortly after delivery.
This week your baby will begin to take on more of a normal appearance as the eyes move closer together and the ears move closer to their final position. The intestines have grown so fast that they actually extend into the umbilical cord, but they will begin to move back into the abdomen. The kidneys can now secrete urine, and the nervous system is continuing to mature. Your baby may have developed more complicated reflexes such as sucking
First trimester: Check! The nausea, fatigue, mood swings, and bathroom dashes should soon fade, but (sorry!) headaches and dizziness will probably get more intense. The good news: You're about to embark on the second trimester, when mood and energy levels generally peak.

(I know the above is kind of jumbled but I just took paragraphs from all my emails that I get updates from - thats why it doesn't flow so easily ha)

How Far Along: 12.5 weeks!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 130. Up 2 pounds. I'm going to speak on this a moment. It's not like I am WANTING to gain weight, but I kind of get excited when I see I've gained a little. However, the fact that it has only been 2 pounds is amazing. My belly looks like i've gained more like 6 and it's cool that its just everything stretching out instead of fat just collecting on my gut :)
Maternity Clothes: BellaBand! I did try on a pair of maternity shorts...didn't work out so well. I thik I need to give it more time haha.
Gender: 5.5weeks until we know! :)
Movement: nothin yet
What I miss: Wanna guess? Coffee. However, the other day I did give in and get a Starbucks and IT-WAS-AMAZING. That caffeine kept me going well into the afternoon!
Sleep: I have now put a pillow in between my legs. The difference isn't huge but it does help. I've slept a little better the past few nights.
Symptoms: I believe my 'morning' sickness phase is over. Woo hoo! For now symptoms are just uncomfortableness (...just go with it), and yes, this is TMI but I cannot go to the bathroom to save my life.
Cravings: Taco Bell :)  My sweet tooth is slowly coming back. Last night I saw a commercial for a foot long chili cheese coney at Sonic and I felt like I could have eaten 4 of them. MAN those look good.
Best Moment this week: 'morning' sickness gone!
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On other notes Cheslie came to visit last weekend! We watched Valentine's Day Friday night...bust. Saturday though we went to one of our friends farms where they have a lake that he stocks with fish. We (my family and us) headed out and there was MAJOR construction going on so we were stuck on the road forever. Someone mentioned she thought we should stay on the road we were on but instead the boys decided to take a detour and then later on mentioned that someone ended up being right :) Ok, i'll get off my pedistal now.
We got there around lunch time (meaning to get there around 10) and went ahead and ate our lunches. We packed lunch meats, bread, cheeses, etc. I don't know about anyone else but my sandwich was REALLY good. Just turkey, gouda cheese, lettuce, and mustard on a hoagie!
After that we baited up and went out to fish. Oh, I did forget to mention that Winston came along on this voyage. He LOVED every moment exploring EVERYTHING. He would only get paw deep (ha) in the water though so later Chad decided to throw, no not toss, not gently push, but throw him in to get him used to the water. I looked up right as I saw Winston several feet above the water wriggling around looking like "HOLY COOOOOWWWW! NOOOOOO". I'm just giving my opinion. Who knows what he was really thinking. Don't worry, this is NOT how we are going to teach our kid to swim...
Anyways we started fishing. Everyone caught one, and Chad caught two. Chelsie and I then went up and sat in the shade with Mom and Dad. Chad continued to fish all around the  lake. Ending number = still 2. Chad had made it halfway around the lake with Winston and we were sitting across on the other side watching. I then started to call Winston's name just to see what he would do. I was calling him, saying 'good boy' and I walked out on a little dirt peninsula to get as close as I could. (funny side note - right now when I tried to type 'could' what came out initially was 'cood'. C'mon pregnant brain, hang in there!)
Winston, bless his heart, jumped right in with joy and started swimming. Now this lake isn't HUGE but its not tiny either. He got about halfway and then realized what he was in for. Poor thing gave me the look of failure and then turned around. It was the cutest thing.
After we were done fishing we headed out to Old Navy and bought the famous $5 flag shirts. Red - White - and Blue. That's right. We are THAT cool.

(this is the zoomed in version of where Winston swam from and where I was standing!)

Sunday we went to church and then lunch at Logans with the fam. That night we went to our small group and ate with them and then headed to our second anual 'Thunder on the Mountain' show on top of Brookwood hospital. Well, the parking deck at least. Brought some snacks and watched the 25 minute show. They cut their budget by $20,000 this year but it was still decent. After that we went home and watched Bounty Hunter. It was ok. I wouldn't watch it again but it was OK.

(Its IBC people, don't freak)

Monday Chad went and played golf and Chelsie and I went shopping and had a nice lunch at Olive Garden! She left that afternoon :(
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My grandma:
This weekend my grandmother passed away. Saturday night she went to bed and couldn't breath and then ended up passing out. They rushed her by ambulance to the hospital but she never woke back up. She had some brain damage and then she went into kidney failure. Sunday my Mom ended up driving up to Indiana right after lunch and got there around 12:30 AM. She was the only one able to be there with my Grandfather and that morning at 10:40 my grandma passed away. This weekend we are heading up to Indiana for the funeral on Saturday at 2:30.

Mr. and Mrs. Watson!

**So yes, I did start this a while back and I'm going to blame this on the pregnant brain - I thought I had already posted this, and apparently I did not...so Sorry about the month late random post haha**

This past weekend we headed out to Colorado to witness some of our very good friends get married! We went to school with Shay and Barrett and Chad roomed with Barrett at Harding. We played a pretty big part in pushing them together, so Shay and Bear, you are welcome.

Thursday we headed out to drive to Atlanta (because flights were about $300-400 cheaper there). We arrived, parked, and headed in to our flight. It was delayed, naturally since every trip we take has to have SOMETHING go wrong. We just hung out in the airport and waited. We boarded the plane and Chad and I had seats one behind the other. Yep, apparently EVERYONE was going to Denver Thursday afternoon and it was booked. A couple minutes after we boarded I turned around and asked the guys sitting on either side of Chad if they would mind switching. One guy gave me a look of death and rolled his eyes and turned the other way without saying a word. The other guy looked at me, slowly shook his head and said "nooooo". I really was shocked. I thought surely one of the would be nice enough - apparently my faith in human kind is too much. I said "well ok then" and sat back down beside a guy who silently laughed, which sounds nice, but instead of making noises he violently shook his shoulders up and down (he was watching some tv show). The other guy kept to himself until I started reading my pregnancy book and then started in and wouldn't be quiet about his wife who is pregnant with their third and how excited he is and how having 3 is a big hassle and what I needed to be prepared for and so on and so forth. I politely nodded and kept on reading to give him the hint which took about 30 minutes to sink it.
Anyways we got close and then the captain informed us that there was a huge lightning storm going on and we couldn't land...AND if we had to stay in the air for more than an hour we would have to go fuel up in Colorado Springs and then go back up in the air and wait for clearance. Talk about our luck with airplanes, huh? It ended up being only about 45 minutes that we were up there and then got to land. Thank goodness though.
We got there, got our luggage, met another guy who flew in about the same time, and then climbed in Shays truck to drive to Castle Rock where they lived (about an hour away). It started raining about 10 minutes into the trip so we had to get our bags all crammed in there with us haha.
That night the guys were headed back to the airport to pick up one last guy and then they were going to do their bachelor party (Dave and Busters night) but the last guy didn't end up landing until about 11:30 so they ended up just driving home. At the house I had a very exciting night of heading straight to bed :)
Friday: we went and got the guys fitted for their tuxes. They were a brown tux with a champagne colored shirt and pocket square. It looked REALLY nice! Everyones fit fine except the groom's brother. He got his fixed right on the spot though. We THEN found out why these tuxes looked so nice...they were $200...which we found out that morning. Talk about a shock when you are poor haha but it ended up being fine and it was worth it with how good everyone looked that day :)
Rehersal dinner was that night. I got to see some more old friends from Harding which was fun. Good BBQ dinner at night and hilarious conversation naturally.
That night the guys went out and did their bachelor party at Dave and Busters and I hung back at the house with the girls. I ended up not saying much and just listening to some hilarious stories that got passed around and it was a really fun night :)
Saturday: The guys had to wake up early and leave the house so they wouldn't see Shay getting ready. I woke up and went ahead and got my shower and got ready so I wouldn't be in the way of any of the girls who were actually IN the wedding. Turns out I woke up a little too early and ended up sitting in my dress and make up for a couple hours while everyone else took their time haha. We headed to the church and they put their dresses on, took pictures getting ready, etc. I ended up wandering around and when the guys got there, someone was put in charge (how? no idea) of pinning on everyones boutonnieres. Surpisingly by the 7th guy I could do it to where you couldn't even see the pin...so then I had to go back and fix the first couple guys i did ha.
There was one other guy in the wedding party who was married so his wife and I hung out- I was very thankful she was there and that we got along because otherwise it would have been quite boring waiting around. We ended up going to McDonalds to pick up some cheeseburgers for the guys because they were originally told not to eat anything but couldn't stand it haha
The wedding was beautiful, I cried at the very beginning and the very end. It was so exciting to see them married :) The reception was cool - it was in a lodge-like place and they had white lights hung all over the rafters. The wedding party all sat at one table so again, very thankful to have someone to hang out with. They also had a photo-booth that was SO much fun and got used a TON that night.
Let me just say, I have never been to a reception that lasted longer, and that was more fun with all the dancing and craziness that took place. It - was - awesome. Pregnant lady still got her groove on.
Sunday: We had to wake up at 3:30 in order to leave and catch our plane that morning. The airport is an hour away so that was exciting. Shays parents drove us (poor things). We got seats together on the flight home thank goodness. We landed, found our luggage, and headed back to the ham. It was weird that it had flown by so fast!

                                           PICTURES

Here are some of the pictures, and then below I'll post a link to all of the pictures from the weekend

(Chad got bored and created this guy ^)

here is a link to ALL the pictures I took: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=71000400&k=35E3YZW2665G6BEBUBZTQQUUYTADXU3C3PA&oid=1371014881474