Paradise

Did you know that if you book a cruise at the very last minute, you can get an amazing deal on it?? Well, since we are at that very, very rare point in our life where we can actually pick up and go on a trip last minute, we decided to make the most of it. So, during Michael's Spring Break a couple weeks ago, we went on our first ever cruise... to the Bahamas and Key West! We took off from Jacksonville, FL (about an 8 hour drive from Nashville) on a Monday and got back early Saturday morning. We were home that night, just in time to watch BYU make it to the Sweet 16. (Too bad the Cougs didn't make it any farther than that....) :-(

It was amazing.... and oh so relaxing. No work, no school, no cold.... just the sun, sand, ocean, and lots of good food. The only bad thing that happened was that one of us got really, really seasick the first night. Guess who it was? :-) We really should have been more prepared considering Michael gets sick on pretty much anything that moves. Haha. We learned our lesson, bought him some seasick pills, and by the next day, he was MUCH better.

I think our favorite part of the trip was the Bahamas. I wish we could have stayed there longer. One day, we want to go back. Other highlights of the trip include: the yummy dinners, the fun shows, (especially the dancing ones!) the amazing sunsets, kayaking and snorkeling, and getting to lay out in the sun all the time.

Key West was cool too, but unfortunately we were there on St. Patrick's Day during Spring Break and the place was crazy full of drunk people. Still, the weather was beautiful and we had fun.

Here are some pictures:

Playing miniature golf on the top of the cruise

Right before dinner

Dinners were delicious! Michael didn't think that the 'fine dining' portions were big enough, so he usually ordered two entrees. :-)

He was brave and got snails as an appetizer one night.... he made me try them... not my favorite.

Bahamas!

Isn't the water so pretty? (Bahamas)

Clear kayaks- awesome! Since Michael felt a little queasy when he looked down, ;-) he did most of the paddling while I enjoyed watching the fish.

Snorkeling

Drinking from a coconut seemed so tropical and fun, but it was pretty gross.

Getting back on the cruise after a fun half day in the Bahamas

Key West!

Also Key West... I thought I saw a turtle in there but then Michael put the idea of it being a baby saltwater crocodile in my head and I got freaked out. :-) You can see my 16 1/2 week baby bump here.

Key Lime Pie in Key West. YUM!

One of many pretty sunsets we watched from the cruise

The slide on the cruise

The trip was awesome and I'm so glad we went. Now we're back to real life which means lots of studying (for Michael) and getting ready for the baby!! We'll know for SURE whether it's a girl or a boy in about a week (the doctor told us at my last ultrasound that he was 70% sure it was a boy but I was only 14 weeks along and it was still a little too early to know for sure) so I'm excited for this next ultrasound.

Tennessee Tourist

I know that being a tourist is usually considered kind of nerdy. They whip out a camera every two minutes, get excited over everything, and wear fanny packs in all sorts of crazy colors. But you know what? I LOVE being a tourist- even in my own city. I may not own a fanny pack, but I definitely love exploring the places that I usually take for granted and taking lots of pictures.

One of the best things about having people come visit us is that I get a great excuse to act all touristy. :-) A few weeks ago Michael's mom, Kathy, came to visit us and I think we took her to almost every tourist attraction in the state of Tennessee. And of course, I had a blast.

We first took her to downtown Nashville. It's nothing special, but there's always lots of live music going on and it's fun to walk by and listen.

We then paid a visit to Memphis. It's a solid three hours away, so it was an all-day excursion. This was actually the first time that me and Michael spent time in Memphis. The only other time we've been there was when we stopped at a Taco Bell for lunch on our way to Nashville right after our wedding. We were antsy to finish our road trip so we didn't spend any extra time there. Well, if you are a big Elvis or Grizzlies fan, go to Memphis at least once. If you're not, stay away. One word: ghetto!!!! Luckily, we went to Memphis for Graceland, which was really cool, so our trip was super fun and very much worth it. I was never a huge Elvis fan, but he sure was interesting.

Touring Elvis' mansion

Outside the mansion
Blue suede shoes!
Don't ask me why we didn't take a picture with the sign that was actually in front of Graceland as opposed to with the sign in front of a parking lot under construction.

After we were done at Graceland, we decided to check out the city a little more. Like I mentioned, nothing impressive, except some good BBQ, and the Grizzlies arena.

During the rest of the week we also went to the parthenon, Opryland, and the Belmont mansion. And of course, we showed her around Lipscomb.

While me and Michael have been to the parthenon a few times, this was our first time actually going inside. Pretty cool.

Just outside of Opryland

Inside the Opryland Resort :)

Belmont Mansion- this belonged to a woman who had ridiculous amounts of money. It's now in the middle of Belmont University.

We had a great time touring Tennessee and spending time with Kathy. I'm excited for the next time we have visitors so we can do it again! :)

A Short Letter

Dear Baby Byram,

From the first day that I found out about you, I knew that you were meant to come to our family, and I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I am going to be a mom!! YOUR mom! You should have seen how excited your dad was when he heard the news- I'm pretty sure that he literally jumped for joy. Needless to say, we are both beyond excited for you to get here, and I am only 14 weeks along!

I don't know much about you yet, but I do know that you're very active. Recently, every time I have had an ultrasound, you won't sit still for even a second. It's sure fun to watch! I heard your heartbeat for a total of about 2 seconds because that was as much as the nurse could get with you squirming all over the place. I can't wait until I can actually feel you moving.

I also know that you are very special. I am surprised by how much I already love you, and love carrying you. Sure, I have had my sick days, and I tend to constantly crave meat that I can't afford to eat very often, like steak (yum!) but I have had a relatively easy pregnancy compared to many. Plus, I absolutely love learning about how you're growing and developing.

I have suspected that you are a boy, (as have many others!) but nothing is sure yet. I am SO ready to start shopping for you, so I hope we find out soon! And since you won't be here until the end of August, (your due date is August 30th) I am going to prepare myself the best I can to be your mother. I can't wait to meet you!

Love,
Mom