Before / After

1). Before/After: The office

Not a great "before" photo, but all I could find. The new office was formerly our back porch. The pic above is a view from the dining area/kitchen to the backporch. We installed windows (where there were screens before), painted the walls, and laid laminate wood flooring (generously donated by one of Jimmy's customers!)

2). Before/After: The nursery

Blah! This was our messy office before the transformation. Now it is a beautiful baby girl nursery!

3). Before/After: The belly

No explanation needed here! I may have to update this one more time depending...

The List

Bucket lists, grocery lists, to-do lists... some people are just "into" list-making. I am one of them. I have a list of short term and long term goals, grocery shopping lists, lists of things I know how to cook, a list of all the home improvements I'd like to see done on our house (Jimmy hates that list), and weekly and daily to-do lists. And if any of you come over to the house after Baby Girl is born you will see a list posted to the front door- "Things you can do while you're here besides hold the baby" list. (Seriously). Now, I've got a new list. "Things to do before the baby gets here" list.

I shared my list with my doula and midwife earlier in the week and they both responded with a few sarcastic remarks like "yeah, baby girl will be so upset if all her books aren't arranged on her bookshelf when you bring her home". I know, I know. If all these things on my list aren't accomplished by the time she arrives, the world won't end- and baby girl won't insist on being returned to the birthing center until I have it all together. BUT... if I could get all these things done, that would be AWESOME! And if she decides to come after her due date, I'll have plenty of things to keep me busy while I'm waiting.

Matter of factly, one of the items on my list was to post pics of the Gator game to my blog... CHECK! See how fun that is?! If there were no list, there would be no opportunity for such a sense of accomplishment. I received great advice to delegate some of the items on my list- so now I have a list for myself, a list for Jimmy, and a list for my mom. (I think my mom likes the challenge of the list. Jimmy?...not so much, although he is being a good sport).

One of the most important items on my list is to enjoy the last few weeks of pregnancy I have left. I'm making time for things like napping, reading, and enjoying a Starbucks coffee and really trying to be present in the moment instead of wishing this time away. I've resolved to work at the things on my list diligently, but slowly, and to be content with wherever I am. I realized yesterday that I'm probably going to really miss being pregnant. After all, this has been such a special journey for me and once Baby Girl is here, I'll have to share her with everyone else!

Until next time... I'll be crossing off a few things from my list. Coming up soon: pics of the nursery and office remodel!!!

Baby Girl's first Gator game!

Here we are at the Florida/Tennessee game last weekend, enjoying our one and only trip to Gville for the season. I bugged Jimmy all year about getting us tickets to this game and boy did he come through (with the help of my awesome father-in-law!) We had a great time watching the boys of ole' Florida kick some volunteer booty! Baby Girl was awake and moving the whole time! How can one sleep with so much excitement all around?!?!

I'm no longer able to say that I haven't experienced any swelling during this pregnancy. By the time we sat for 3 hours driving up there and then walked up the bleachers to our seats, my ankles were so ....hmmm...odd looking that I even took a picture to document the occasion. It was well worth it!

Sporting our blue... didn't want to be mistaken for Rocky Toppers.

The marching band did a number with orange and blue recycling bins. As you can imagine, I thought that was pretty dang cool!

Great seats on the 50 yard line- and in the shade the whole game!

You might be pregnant lady if...

-You have to change toilet paper brands as to not overflow your septic tank. Number of times gone to the bathroom each day goes from 5 to 25 like THAT!

-You see the profile of your shadow cast against the side of the house from the street light, take a double (or triple) take and wonder, “Me? Surely that’s not me? No, that can’t be me?”

-Getting up out of the bed has now turned into a 3 part process: roll over, brace, push up.

-Painting your toenails, too, has become a process: take a deep breath, hold it in, bring toes close to face, paint, paint, paint, release foot, breath… repeat nine times.

-Your sneeze is now occasionally followed by “Uhhhh!” and a change of undergarments.

-Sleeping through the night has become a thing of the past, not because of a crying baby, but because nature calls… a lot!

-You find yourself wanting to organize and clean every nook and cranny of your house, which drives your husband completely crazy!!!

-You become extremely frustrated at yourself because you can’t make up your mind about paint colors, your haircut, what you want to eat- (Italian ice or ice cream?). You basically want someone to just go ahead and make all the decisions for you… that is until it comes to your baby!

-Strangers feel completely comfortable coming up and talking to you about all things baby related, followed by uninvited rubbing of your abdomen.

-You secretely don't mind the belly rubbing and obnoxious amount of attention that you know will end in a few short months!

-You are keeping a photo-journal growth chart of yourself, like your mother did back when you were in grade school. And like when you were a kid, you are tickled to death to show everyone how much you’ve grown!!!

(and last, but not least, you might be a pregnant lady if you end your list with something sappy like this…)

-You constantly thank God for this miracle of life inside of you, which you cannot even begin to comprehend, and spend hours of the day wondering what she will look like, what it will be like to finally hold her, what kind of parent you will be, and how in the world you can love someone so much whom you’ve never even laid eyes on.

Thankful Wednesday

Wednesday nights in the Hurst home, for the past couple of months, have been quiet, peaceful, restful, and reflective. Jimmy and I have been satisfying our need for autonomy vs. togetherness by planning separate activities on Wednesdays. (Give ya one guess of who’s idea that one was!) I have been spending my Wednesday nights here at the house going for walks, painting my toenails, blogging, catching up with old friends, reading- pretty much anything I want to do! Jimmy has been getting together with some guys, doing, you know, guy stuff. I was a bit reluctant at first, but after having such a great time with myself the first week, I decided this wasn’t such a bad idea- and I’m not such bad company!

While I was on my walk this evening, desperate to connect with God after a trying day, I listened to a Point of Grace song called “You Are Good”. I have to admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of the girls, but this song is really beautiful and the words just melted my heart. Here are a few lyrics from the song… (It’s also the first song on my playlist).

With every breath I take in

I'll tell You I'm grateful again

'Cause it's more than enough just to know I am loved

And you are good

So how can I thank You

And what can I bring

What can a poor man lay at the feet of a king

So I'll sing you a love song, It's all that I have

To tell You I'm grateful, For holding my life in Your hands

I got away from doing my Thankful Thursday posts (remember those?) because it was becoming too routine and methodical. I was inspired, however, tonight as I listened to this song and have decided to invest some time thanking God for His goodness. A few things on my list…

-I’m thankful that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! And that He is good!
-That He sustains us in our weakness and believes in us when we don’t believe in ourselves.
-I’m thankful that God has replaced my heart of stone with a heart of flesh and that He desires after me!
-That all of my needs have been provided. He is sufficient. He is my portion. I have need of nothing. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
-That I can boldly approach the throne of grace because of Jesus!
-I’m grateful for a healthy pregnancy and the thrill of eager expectation.
-For getting to feel this little miracle inside of me moving (almost constantly!)

If you have a minute, I encourage you to take the time to listen to the lyrics of this song and allow it to become the prayer of your heart before God.

Back to school...

For the past few weeks, Jimmy and I have been attending our Labor and Delivery classes at the Birthing Center where Baby Girl will be born! This has been pretty exciting... joining other first time parents to learn about timing contractions, natural childbirth pain management techniques, and in general what to expect from the experience. Everyone seems a little excited, a little nervous, maybe even a little scared, but most of all, eager to learn and feel (somewhat) prepared for the "big day".

I feel as prepared as I possibly can be without actually having gone through the experience. I have been reading about natural (undisturbed) childbirth for years and always knew that I wanted that kind of experience. I've watched just about every waterbirth or natural birth video on the internet and am convinced that this is the best way for me and my baby. No artificial hormones, no inductions, no scary tools or impatient doctors... just my body doing what it was created to do and the rest of us getting out of the way to allow that to happen! Often times when people hear that I am not delivering at a hospital or that I'm planning to deliver my baby in a big bathtub (!!!) their first reaction is "You are crazy!!!" and then, of course, "What if something goes wrong?" Many people fail to realize, however, that midwives are not just a bunch of hairy-legged hippy, anti-doctor, tree huggin', herbal tea drinking, yoga practicing, Birkenstock wearing, gray headed women who think modern medicine is the anti-christ. (Although, I'm sure there are a few out there). These are medically trained individuals who have more training and experience in natural childbirth than any obstetrician you can find! Should a true emergency arise, (going 5 days past your due date or having a labor that is inconveniently long does not necessarily constitute a true emergency) the hospital is only a few blocks away and has a seamless transfer agreement with the birthing center. Now all of you worry warts can breath a sigh of relief!


Believe it or not, I am really looking forward to this experience of birthing my child. Though I know it won't be easy and may not go exactly as I have imagined, it will truly be a labor of love, during which I will be coherent and involved in the decisions regarding my own body and baby. Here is a link to an educational video on waterbirth for those of you who may still be wondering, "What in the world?..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G09sMP8DqQA

"Baby Girl" update

An update on all things baby...

The song that is accompanying this post on my playlist is all Jimmy's idea. His contribution to the blog. He insisted that this would be the perfect song for the blog after hearing it playing on the loud speaker at Home Depot. I do believe that we were two silly, delirious nuts that night... on one of our home improvement shopping trips. I guess we needed the humor while waiting to get our blinds for the office custom cut at 9 o'clock at night!


We have finished the office (slash man-cave, according to Jimmy). It looks great! Mom sewed the valances for the windows and we made do with furniture that we already had other places in the house or stored in the garage. (You should try furniture shopping in your own house... you'd be amazed at what you can find!) Now we are cleaning out the old office, what will eventually be Baby Girl's nursery. Time for painting and decorating, putting nusery furniture together, and making a sweet oasis for our bundle of joy :) I will post before/after pics of our remodel when we are finished.


Only 7 more weeks left! Baby Girl is basically just growing like a weed now. She's fattening up, gaining about 1/2 lb a week, and working on getting those lungs ready! It is an amazing sensation to experience her moving now. I can literally feel her head, butt, and knees (or maybe those are elbows) all at the same time. She is running out of room! She has been in head down position for a few weeks now and lays on her right side with her legs curled up on the left side of my uterus. My midwife assesses her position at every visit, which is now every two weeks. All is good health-wise with me. No swelling or other issues... only some backache here and there. I have felt absolutely wonderful during this pregnancy and full of energy. I've still been exercising several times a week. Things are starting to slow down a bit though. I'm starting to feel like I'm back in the first trimester and find myself getting tired for a nap in the afternoons and reluctant to get up as early in the mornings! Could this be my body storing up energy for the marathon ahead?!?!

We opted against the 3D ultrasound photo, so no more pics of the little one until she arrives in all her glory!

The popular tailgating game that is sweeping the nation by storm!

Jimmy has recently inspired a bean bag tossing frenzy in the family! At our last few family get-togethers we've all enjoyed a friendly game or two of cornhole. It really is the perfect game for anyone- young and old alike (as you can see in the pics below)! Jimmy, the becoming carpenter and handyman, built a set of boards and after an instructional lesson from my mom, sewed (yes, sewed) his own cornhole bags. You see, cornhole is a very serious game for some folks. There is even an American Cornhole Association (http://www.playcornhole.org/). (Sounds like an old country song I know). Jimmy was very particular about the weight and size of his cornhole bags, and the dimensions and angles of his boards...and I have to say that watching him build and prepare his cornhole paraphernalia was quite entertaining (earning him the nickname "Martha Stewart").

Stay tuned for more cornhole updates, as Jimmy and I will be entering a cornhole league at the Lake Wales YMCA. $20/team for a 6 week tournament beginning September 6th. Come on out y'all, for some corn-holey fun! ;) ;)

I think my mom's ballerina-esque pose wins the prize!

Papa trying to feed me some of his birthday cake at our last family dinner.
(Cornhole was involved).

A Family Portrait!

A few extra pics from our maternity photo shoot that were on the CD that Lexi brought over this evening. I was so excited to see more of me and Jimmy (and Baby Girl). This was all I had the patience to upload. (Apparently my computer doesn't "do" high res photos).

Encouraged

This weekend I attended the Women of Faith Conference in Tampa with one of my dear friends, Heather. I used to be a Christian conference junkie, relying so much on the hype and emotion of the event to affirm the quality of the experience. I am thankful to now have a good grasp on God's neverchanging love for me and his constant presence in my life. Don't get me wrong... the conference weekend was wonderful and oh, so encouraging to my spirit! The group of ladies (and men) who spoke touched my heart in many ways. As I reflect on their stories (usually VERY funny stories) and the Biblical truths they taught, there were a few key take-away points that were particularly impactful to me that I wanted to share...

Lisa Harper

• The women in the lineage of Jesus were not perfect...and God uses imperfect, messed up people! Take a look at Tamar (manipulative prostitute), Rahab (prostitute), Bethsheba (adulteress), and even the ever-revered Ruth (who, by the way, comes from a family who put the funk in dysfunctional!) God works despite us!

Sheila Walsh

• "Be still and know that I am God"- Psalm 46:10


• The words Be still literally mean "let go". So often when we hear this scripture, we think of sitting in a dark, quiet corner trying to be super spiritual. Let go of all the worries, anxieties, and troubles of our day and trust in God's promises and sovereignty. Let go...He will deliver you!

Steven Curtis Chapman

• As most of you know, Steven and his family lost their youngest, adopted daughter in a tragic accident last year. Hearing him share honestly about his personal struggle and how this experience has made him question everything he has ever believed, was heart-gripping. Through it all, his family has been upheld by faith in the Lord and to quote his wife, Mary Beth, "we have hit the bottom and found that it was solid". What a testament to God's unwavering committment to never leave us nor forsake us! God is on the throne!

Merilyn Meberg

• Before Christ, we are bound by the weight of lovelessness. The question of every human heart is "Am I loveable?" In our journey of knowing God, He wants to answer that question and for us to truly believe and know the depths of His love for us. Oh, if we could only grasp a measure!

Maternity Pictures!!!

For all of you "non-facebookers" out there, here is the link to our maternity pics on the photographer's website. I'm meeting with Lexi in a few days and will post more pics of me and Jimmy together when I get them. Enjoy!

http://www.greenprintphotography.com/

Cute baby clothes and "super breasts"

Boy have things been crazy around here the past few weeks! We are trying not be overwelmed with the remodeling projects (which have only just begun, by the way)! This was supposed to be my "week off", but has resembled nothing of the sort. Errands to run, A BUSINESS to run, A HOUSE to run...but, hey, who's complaining, right! We're gonna have a baby!!! Yay!


Baby Girl's first Gator outfit. (Thanks Cathy and Rachel!!!) She'll have to wait until next football season to wear this sporty dress! The matching pacifiers, on the other hand, may come in handy sooner :)

Having a new office means one step closer to having a nursery for our little one! Here is a pic of the progress we have made. Door, window, a/c unit, paint, and a wood floor. We've got some molding/trimming work to do before moving in. Maybe we'll tackle all that next week. For now, we need a break!!! (Plus, Jimmy's birthday is Friday...and we can't be having the birthday boy working on his birthday weekend, can we?!)

Oh yeah, did I mention summer visiting as part of my busyness? I have really enjoyed catching up with old friends and visiting family this summer. The pic above is me and my friend Christen after a great lunch at Lavender and Lace in Lake Alfred. We are only 2 weeks apart. Maybe little Charlie and Baby Girl will get married some day!

Me, Rachel, and Zac after Zac's acting premier in Tampa last Saturday. Fabulous, he was! (Excuse this bad picture of me- I look like I have super-breasts and a really fat arm!)

It's a southern thang!

The most popular questions I get these days:

1. "When are you due?"
2. "Boy or girl?"
3. "Have you thought of name for her?"

The first two are easy. (I hope). The last one is the curve ball. My answer always starts with a dragged out "welllllll..." and a smile. And if my mom is with me, she does this predictable eye roll and head-shaking maneuver as if to say "My daughter is torturing me; don't you agree!" Jimmy and I have decided not to share the name of our little one until she gets here. SURPRISE! This decision was partly out of necessity- we haven't been able to decide or agree on a name- and partly out of the sheer fun of making our parents and family suffer in anticipation! We haven't even shared our brainstorming ideas- Aren't we cruel!?!?!

Now that Jimmy and I have pretty much decided on her name, I have decided to post the following article. I found this months ago on the Internet and could identify COMPLETELY with this woman's explanation of choosing baby names in the south. Here's a perfect example: the first place I looked for baby names was my family tree, followed by a trip to the family cemetery. (no joke). It's kind of long, but enjoy the read...

Any true southerner has trouble understanding why Yankees get such a laugh out of some Southern baby names. People not in the loop think double or even triple names are slapped together for no other reason than locally pleasing meter or syntax. It may be unreasonable of me, but the idea of anybody poking fun at a tradition they don't understand just makes me mad. Southerners choose their babies' names for excellent reasons. Never mind that the names that they select are most likely different than those on the list of most popular baby names for any given year!

Southern moms don't just flip through the latest books and pick names because they are cute or trendy. These ladies go through more pains in naming their kids than they did in giving birth to them! That statement may be taking it a bit too far, but folks in the south do literally agonize over what to name their baby. This is because choosing southern baby names involves much more than reading the few words in some generic baby book that lists the copycat definitions of various baby names. Definitions are all fine and good, they have worked for the people who publish Webster's Dictionary for years! But when you start talking about naming southern boys and girls you're looking at meanings of names within families, not what they might mean to a person who speaks Latin or Hebrew!

Don't be mistaken to think that only the names of a southern child's parents or even grandparents are passed forward. There may have been a brave great great uncle who fought bravely in the war and deemed worthy of remembrance...

As we all know southerners are famous for double names. Some are forced to resort to triple names so that their little Mary or Michael stands apart from the rest. Why this is a tradition credited to the south I'm not really sure. I would like to think that southerners have so many famous kin that they want to claim. This fact makes it necessary to give each child several names so that each illustrious departed family member is sufficiently honored.

I can't count the many theories where credit can be given for the reasoning of traditional southern baby naming patterns and the traditions behind them. There seems to be no definitive answer on why family names and history appear to be more important to new parents below the Mason Dixon Line than in other parts of the nation. There is however, no argument that the results are some of the most elegant and romantic names you will find printed on a birth certificate anywhere. The next time you feel tempted to giggle at a child named Billy Bob consider that the first person that bore the same name may not have perished defending a southern belle's honor but that he may have died defending our freedom and our country.

Article by: Jan Bay

Celebrating 5 Years Together!

Jimmy and I celebrated 5 years together this past weekend! We were married July 17, 2004. We always dreamed of doing something extravagant for our 5 year anniversary (or maybe we just used that as an excuse to plan a big deer hunt in Texas... either way). But life happened and here we are, five years later with no anniversary savings account and a Texas trip is out of reach. A weekend getaway would have to do...

And it did! We spent the weekend simply enjoying each other, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And isn't that what its all about? We took a trip down to Ft. Lauderdale and stayed in a beach-front apartment.

The view from our room... I would call this ocean-front property. Wouldn't you?! Not bad for a $50/night travelocity deal!

Enjoying the beach and warm ocean water together on Friday evening. This time together meant so much to me. Jimmy is not a big fan of ocean swimming and is not usually easily coaxed into the water. He says that pirates prefer to be on the water, not in it. I appreciated that he braved the trecherous waters of the east coast shoreline for me. So sweet!

The sun-bathing beauty... both of us :)

Jimmy insisted on taking a shot of the view from our dinner table. Romantic, isn't it? We ate at a restaurant on the fishing pier. Mahi, shrimp, crab cakes, scallops, calamari- Yummo!

The highlight of our trip was visiting the International Game Fish Association museum, where all the world record fish mounts are displayed. In the pics above, Jimmy is standing in front of the world record Black Marlin, which weighed over 1500 lbs!!! The pics of us "fishing" are from the simulator at the museum. There were 5 fishing simulators allowing you to experience the fight of a big fish- very cool! We were like a couple of kids in there!

After visiting the museum, we ate at the Islamorada Fish Company and toured with desire our favorite store- Bass Pro.

Before coming home we enjoyed Tranformers II at the IMAX theatre (clang, clang, clash... but other than the extremely loud sound of metal crashing... a great cinema experience!) Overall, it was a fun and relaxing get-away, and I wouldn't have rather spent it with any other person in the world :-)

In honor of marriage and my wonderful husband: my newest playlist addition- "our song". When this song first came out, years ago, Jimmy and I could hardly pull ourselves away from each other, dreading the goodbyes of a long distance relationship. "If only we had one more day with each other"... as you can see, this song said it perfectly! Well, its been five years, and though I'm sure we haven't consistently wished for more days with each other (probably even wished for a few apart ;) the underlying message is undoubtedly true.

I love you, Honey! (He reads my blog too!)

Updates

I figured it was time for a blog update on the happenings of the Hurst family... I have picked up a few more classes with the University of Phoenix to earn a little extra money before the baby gets here. This is my first busy work week, so this will be short and sweet....

Jimmy playing his new favorite game- corn hole. 4th of July cookout at Joe and Deana's. I caught Jimmy google searching Gator branding irons last night... I think he's got an itching to make his own corn hole boards. Oh brother...

Angie's baby shower was this past weekend. She got so many cute things for her baby girl who will be here July 30th!!!

Angie with the hostesses with the mostestes (??)

Mike Fisher came over on Saturday to help Jimmy get started on the porch remodeling project. They got 7 of the 8 windows installed...one was broken and has to be returned. Grrrr... Jimmy is going to install the door tomorrow. Things are coming along!

And last, but not least, the growing belly. "Objects in picture may appear larger than they really are." I don't think my belly is really this big... must be the camera. Or maybe I'm a bit sway back, compensating for the extra weight.

Jimmy and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary this weekend. Not sure what we are going to do yet, but hopefully something fun...and sweet...and memorable...

Craigslist Find!

I've been scouring Craigslist lately for great deals on different things we need for the nursery. My first purchase was the BOB Revolution Stroller...THE mac-daddy of all jogging strollers. Retails for over $400... I found a nearly brand new one on Craigslist for $200. My one splurge. No worries...it will certainly get used as much as I am on the go!

My most recent find was an amish-made rocking chair/glider from this incredibly sweet family in Lakeland. I've been bracing myself for the over $150 price tag of a (half-way) decent glider from WalMart, so I feel like I've found a treasure for a mere $75. Belinda and I picked it up today. Isn't it just the sweetest thing you've ever seen?? I look forward to cuddling, snuggling, and rocking some nights (and early mornings) away!



Jimmy and I were just talking about how expensive all of these baby "things" are- or can be! I don't see how parents buy new without breaking the bank. We are committed to getting everything our child needs debt free. I've been given so much already from others, including a crib, dresser, toys, pack and play, carseat, clothes, and am soooooo thankful! Bring it on! I'm all about recycling!

Coming along...

She is growing!!! (Her, not me...well maybe, both of us!) Today marks 23 weeks and 5 days preggo! I went to a prenatal appointment yesterday and all checked out well. I'm measuring normal and Baby Girl's heartbeat was 156. Blood pressure and all was good. Next appointment in four weeks will be my Glucose test. (Not looking forward to the icky orange drink).

Jimmy and I placed the Home Depot order for our windows and door for the back porch yesterday. I'm definitely in a nesting phase right now! I can think of a million things I would like to do to our home before she arrives. Good thing she won't mind if it all doesn't get done! We expect to have Jimmy's office moved out to the porch by the second week of August or so. Then....nursery time! Mom has been ordering the crib bedding piece by piece (Brooke by Pottery Barn...sooo cute!- check it out http://www.potterybarnkids.com/room/rom/romnur/romnurbrk/index.cfm).

As far as fetal development goes... Baby Girl is gaining about 3 ounces a week (then why am I gaining, 1 lb a week, right??) Her tastes buds are forming, which means she can actually experience the yummy foods I am eating through the amniotic fluid. While I'm spinning, swimming, and yoga-ing to stay in shape, she is sucking her thumb to increase muscular coordination of her hands. Believe me, she gets quite a work out running the walls of my uterus (or whatever she is doing in there!). She is a whopping foot long and is now covered in fine, downy hair and waxy vernix to protect her skin. I thought it was very interesting to read that babies born at this age have 36% chance of survival...hard to imagine, as they are still so tiny and fragile. Stay in there little one, just as long as you can!

Hurst Girls Fishing Trip (with Guide Jimmy)

Saturday, Jimmy took his wife, mom, and sister fishing!!! What was he thinking, right?? Aside from a motor malfunction and a hard time catching bait, we had a great (but hot!) day out on the water. We drove over to Stuart (East Coast) and actually went off shore for a bit, before coming back and fishing the beach and inlet. We didn't catch a ton of fish, but the fish we caught put up a good fight! Belinda and I caught Bonita offshore and Jimmy and Lindsey caught a couple of HUGE Jack up by the beach. We piddled around and reeled in a few small snook before calling it a day.

You can tell the difference in the color of water offshore. It is absolutely clear, blue and beautiful! We don't go offshore much, so when we do, I just love it! Excuse my protruding abdomen... I wasn't prepared for pictures. We caught these Bonita just as soon as our line hit the water. They must have seen us coming!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

My wonderful hubby took me to one of my favorite restaurants for my 25th Birthday last night...The Melting Pot in Orlando. Such a fun place to celebrate something special.

Jimmy...stuffed!


Did I mention you have to cook your own food?! We had duck, shrimp, steak, marinated pork, potstickers, and veggies! Yummy!

Lots of delicious treats to dip in our "Flaming Turtle" chocolate fondue for dessert. (Free with coupon...yay!)

Here we are on our way out the door after a wonderful evening together.

Thanks, Baby, for an awesome birthday night!