And Baby Makes 3!

Words cannot express how excited and thankful we are to announce that we are expecting our first little blessing on March 23, 2013!

We have known that we are pregnant for a little over a month and it has been HARD keeping our little secret! I am thankful to be feeling pretty well so far. I've had a little nausea, but nothing too miserable. Our first appointment was last Tuesday and we were able to hear the heartbeat! What a special moment! I could have listened to that sound all day, but the OB was in a hurry to move along with the appointment.

There's no denying that I'm pregnant! I haven't had crazy cravings, just have moments when only one specific thing sounds appetizing. Last night, we were laying in bed around 10:30 and I was hungry (which is a constant state for me). Chris looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I really wanted a salad from a salad bar. Ice cold lettuce, crisp peas, egg, ham, cheese, onions, ranch dressing, sunflower seeds, and croutons. I couldn't get it out of my mind! Earlier in the night it was a blizzard from Dairy Queen. That's all I could think about! Of course, I'm too lazy and practical to give into the cravings. I never understood the hype about pregnant women getting cravings, but I completely understand now! I find myself buying things at the grocery store I would have never considered buying before. Chicken nuggets are on my list for today. I don't know if I've ever bought chicken nuggets, but I'm buying some today!

I hope my lovely readers don't get tired of reading about the baby! If so, you might want to stay away from the blog for a while (or forever)! It's the most exciting thing in our life right now! Much more exciting than reading about the dog! :)

Charleston and Savannah Trip

Chris and I enjoyed a much-needed getaway to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA last week. It was a bit of a spontaneous trip, but I love those the most! Charleston and Savannah have been on both of our lists of "must see" places for quite some time. The trip was a lot of fun and a perfect time together. There was so much to do in both cities. We enjoyed seeing the sites, doing some of the touristy things, eating a lot of good food, but mostly just being together. My favorite part of the trip was the time we spent just strolling through the streets, window shopping, and admiring the beautiful southern homes. 

Our only picture together from the trip.

We arrived in Charleston around 5 pm Tuesday afternoon. After checking into our room, we headed out to start walking the streets of Charleston. We came across this beautiful church cemetery and gardens.

This was my first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful and serene to watch the sailboats and listen to the waves.

 

 

 

Wednesday morning we visited Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. The oak-lined drive was beautiful!

Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. This is still a working plantation, which provides produce and crops for local restaurants and a farmer's market. The outside of the home was used in the movie "The Notebook." It was absolutely beautiful and beautiful grounds!

Slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

A glimpse into the slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

One of the beautiful churches in Charleston

Beautiful Antebellum homes in Charleston

Rainbow Row in Charleston

Drayton Hall Plantation in Charleston

Our room at the Savannah Bed and Breakfast Inn in Savannah for Thursday night.

City Hall (I think?) in Savannah. The dome on top is real gold!

The beautiful, oak-lined drive to the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah.

A colonial establishment on the grounds of Wormsloe,

The ruins at Wormsloe. The drive and the walk to the site was so beautiful, but it was a little disappointing to only see some stone rubble.

We ate supper at Lady and Sons in Savannah on Thursday night. It was yummy!

Karen Kingsbury

As you know, I love to read. I love to read a variety of genres and topics. You can see from the reading list on the sidebar the wide range of books I've read so far this year. Reading is a way for me to explore, learn, escape, and relax.

My very favorite author is Karen Kingsbury. I know I can pick up one of her books and be captivated, inspired, and encouraged. She is a talented Christian fiction author. While I don't completely agree with some doctrinal points she makes in her writing (i.e. Armenianism), I can get past that and enjoy the basic Christian values represented.

I have her newest novel, "Coming Home," sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I've had it for about a month, but I've been hesitant to read it and be done. I've read almost all of her books and I hate waiting for a new one to come out. I just found out that she has another novel being released in October, so if I read "Coming Home" I won't have to wait too long for the new one.

Out of the 46 novels she's written, most of them are part of a series. She has written 10 different series and 12 stand-alone books (not including children's books). If you're interested in reading some of her books but you're not sure you want to be completely sucked in, I would recommend starting with one of her stand-alone books. I was going to suggest one, but I can't pick my favorite. If you want to go at it full force, then start with "Redemption." You can check out her website for the full list of books and the series orders. If you start reading the series out of order, you will be confused.

So what are you waiting for? Check out her website, pick out a book, then go to the library, and start reading. Just make sure you don't have anything to do for several hours (or days) and a box of tissues handy.