Our bags are packed....

This weekend, we are heading up to TN for Tanner's cousin's wedding. We've got a weekend full of activities planned as we look forward to seeing our family & friends.

Then, we're off to Boca Raton to visit Bo's mom for a few days. Bo's sister and her family are coming down, too, so we're really looking forward to meeting our new nephew! This will be the only time we'll get to see his family before the baby arrives, so we are really looking forward to visiting, relaxing, and lounging in the pool!

Luckily, riding in the car is one of the few things that makes Tanner feel a little better, so hopefully the road trip will go smoothly. We'll try to update the blog while we're gone, but if not, we'll have tons of photos once we get home!

Memorial Day recap

Memorial Day weekend was a whirlwind of activity this year!

Bob and Randi closed on their new home on Friday, so a large part of the weekend was spent starting the all the projects that they've got in mind. Bo was a speed demon at pulling up all the old linoleum and getting the new tile flooring unpacked. Since Tanner couldn't help much (aww...), she volunteered to do the errands and lunch runs! We also made time for lunch with friends, grilling out, shopping for tons of wedding, baby, and graduation gifts, and of course, photo ops!

On Sunday, we also caught a late afternoon showing of Angels & Demons. The movie was awesome! Of course, Dan Brown's books are great, and this movie really made us look forward to his new book coming out in September.

All in all, it was a fun and productive weekend!

Bob and Randi's new house.

Even the local golf course got into the holiday spirit!

Random Pics

Here are some of the pictures we've been snapping lately........

Some people grow catnip. We grow cats.

Seashells never get boring to photograph or collect.

A bird coasting on the breeze in Mississippi.

The lazy neighborhood Bear Point fox. We snapped him lounging in the road watching a dinner party going on next door.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

We wish everyone a wonderful holiday weekend!

We also say thanks for all that our servicemen & women have done for our country!

Catching Up

Last week, our friends Debbie & Kristin came down to Gulf Shores for a quick mother-daughter getaway. It had been quite awhile since we'd seen them, and it was so good to catch up!

We met them for dinner at The Shrimp Basket, and spent hours talking about everything...including babies, since Kristin and her husband Heath are due only 1 week before us!

It was great to see them and hopefully it won't be as long until we see them again!

Beach Time

Since we're still learning the tricks of Bo's new camera, we headed out to a local beach one afternoon to take some photos.

We were fascinated with how many intact shells there were....you usually don't see that many perfect shells in one place. Once we got to looking, though, we realized they were inhabited. We had stumbled upon a huge group of hermit crabs! There must have been over 100 all over the beach. Combined with pictures of 3 nosy Blue Herons, our quick afternoon trip brought tons of new photos and a lot of fun!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was so unique this year. We think that it's so neat how this Mother's Day and Father's Day will be the only year that we're ever "mom & dad-to-be"!

We had lunch at Olive Garden with Bob & Randi, followed by some errands. It was a very low-key way to celebrate the day, which is just how we like it!

The Results Are In....

Several years ago, Bo submitted a sample of his bone marrow to the National Bone Marrow bank as a potential donor. We never thought of it again, until recently when he was contacted about a potential transplant.

Apparently, Bo was the best match for an 18-year-old girl with leukemia. There were 10 potential matches, but he was the best. All 10 people were being contacted to see if they'd be willing to donate their marrow to this young girl. The matching donor would be required to travel to a distant hospital to have the procedure.

We decided that Bo would undergo further testing, which included several rounds of questioning and a blood test. His blood sample was packed in ice and overnighted to be analyzed for compatibility. We started preparing for the very real possibility of Bo having to undergo this procedure for a stranger, since we were told we'd probably never be told who received Bo's bone marrow.

Last week, we received the answer we'd been waiting for. Bo is NOT going to be the donor! Although his marrow did match, there were some differences between him and the recipient, and a better match had emerged. We were so relieved!! Bo was so generous to be willing to give to someone he'd never met, but it is nice to know that he doesn't undergo this serious procedure.

Please keep this young girl in your thoughts as she will be undergoing a transplant soon. Hopefully, the donor's marrow will match and she'll recover quickly!

The first swim of the summer

Saturday was finally time for one of Tanner's favorite activities....swimming!

The weather was quite warm, and the pool temperature had finally heated up enough to be refreshing. We spent the afternoon hanging out at the pool, followed by lunch and lounging at Bob & Randi's. Bo finally got the opportunity to test out his new camera on all the birds, fish, dogs, and boats that were out on the bay enjoying the breeze.

What a relaxing way to spend the day!

Bo's Birthday

Bo's birthday is on Cinco de Mayo, and we celebrated by cooking our own Mexican feast! We love Mexican food, and it's even better when it's fresh and light. So with thanks to Emeril and all the chefs on The Food Network, we had a wonderful meal of homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, and fajitas. Dinner was delicious and we're already looking forward to our next fiesta!

The real "grill mate"......Corona with Lime!

One of the many fajita components, sliced "chef style"!

Randi tried to pass this delicious cake off as homemade, but we knew better!

Happy Mother's Day!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day spending time with family! We love you, Moms!

Happy Cinco de Mayo & the BIG 3-0!

It takes an awesome person like Bo for their birthday to be considered a holiday!

Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday honoring a battle victory, is widely celebrated with amazing food and festivities. What a wonderful day for Bo's birthday, especially since he's reached the milestone of turning 30! We've come a long way from that first Cinco de Mayo birthday celebration 13 years ago in Franklin, TN!

We hope everyone has a fun & festive day today, and cheers to Bo for reaching the BIG 3-0! We're already looking forward to celebrating the next 30 awesome years!

Reconnaissance Mission

Now that we have a baby on the way, we are navigating the mysterious world of baby stuff. Strollers, car seats, cribs, bedding, and more......all are new to us and all must be investigated!

This weekend, we headed out to Babies R Us to start looking at some of the styles we've been researching on Consumer Reports. Information is power, right? We had fun wandering around & making notes on our favorite styles. Of course, research will make you hungry, so then we headed out to dinner and had a wonderful, relaxing time overlooking Mobile Bay.

The good news is that we've narrowed down some of our choices, which is a huge feat with all the styles available. Hopefully, if we start now, we'll have made up our minds by the time we need these things in November!

Bo checking out one of the many stroller styles available.