Showered with Love

I don't believe a child has ever been so "showered" in his life! While I should be catching up on all the thank-yous for the six showers, the carpel tunnel in my hand will not allow me to write with my right hand. So, on (possibly, hopefully) my last day of being home alone, I have been thinking of the last few months and the arrival of our little boy. Here's 3 of the 6 baby showers...

My 8th Grade Cheerleaders

On the last day of March during the week of SAT testing, Jana suggested we eat dinner together to relax and take our mind off school and babies and testing. She suggested Jackson's in Homewood and I was in! But once we walked in the door, I realized I had been set up! In the upper balcony stood 17 squealing cheerleaders who had decorated the balcony for a baby shower for our little boy! (Who this group has named "Logan") We spent the next few hours giggling, eating, opening gifts, and guessing what the little guy would look and act like. As we opened gifts, we got to "ooo" and "ahhh" at all the little baby things. I even got to hear stories of how THEY chose each gift in the store - and see pictures of one cheerleader (who shall remain nameless) that actually crawled in one of the cribs at Buy Buy Baby! The girls were the perfect little hostesses! An afternoon of laughter was just what I needed during that stressful week!

His precious gifts!

My girls

Opening gifts

More gifts!

At dinner with his sweet cake

The girls at dinner

My 6th Graders

On the day of our 1950s party at school, my 6th graders wanted to throw a shower for our little boy. (Who this group named "Cameron") Some of my sweet parents came in and decorated my room while the kids were at pe and we had so much fun once they got back! We got to eat a few snacks, play a name game for the baby, and even guess our classmates from THEIR baby pictures. A few were easy and obvious, but none of the kids guessed mine! When it was time to open gifts, the kids had gone in together and got Baby Tanner an exersaucer - which all the kids quickly named the animals on the toy after each of them! These kids have been such a big part of my pregnancy, as I was innundated with questions EVERY day about his name, what he will look like, what I think he will be like, how I was feeling. I think some of my kids were just as excited as I am! Even on some of the days I didn't feel so good, their excitement made me excited and joyful. Mrs. Brown and I had set up to skype with the kids from the hospital so they could meet him, but I guess Baby Tanner is on a different schedule. I already miss my kids since I have been gone and they will truly be a group I will never forget!

His gifts in his nursery once we got them home

Checking their answers in the name game

4 of my sweet girls - Hannah, Simone, Lucy, and Millie Grace

3 of my memorable boys - Sam, Ben, and Faulkner

4 more of my sweet girls - Mariana, Hannah, Lizzie, and Sara

Eating our yummy snack once they got back

The precious decorations - including the wreath we are taking to the hospital to put on the door

My 8th Grade Cheerleaders (my new squad)

In late April my newest 8th grade cheer squad wanted to host a shower one day after school for our little boy. (Who this group has named "Austin") We met at Dorothy Pate's house, where all the girls were dressed up and ready to giggle! After eating a few snacks, the girls were eager to open gifts! We had a fun afternoon laughing and getting to know each other! I cannot wait for a new year with these amazing girls! I think they are all just as excited about meeting Baby Tanner as I am!

Half of the girls

The other half

We all wanted to feel him jump and move!

His gifts in his nursery when we got home

COUSINS!

While I cannot wait to be a mom VERY soon, I have something new to countdown to - I am also going to be an aunt! Lauren and Hunter announced they are expecting in November! Since they shared with Matt and me as soon as they found out, we were able to schedule one of our doctor's appointments together - Lauren for her 12 week appointment and me for my 38 week appointment. She and Hunter got to hear our little man's heartbeat and then I got to hear my neice/nephew's heartbeat!! It was a lot of fun and probably the only doc appointment we will get to go to together!

Right before leaving the hospital - Lauren at 12 weeks 4 days and Leslie at 38 weeks 6 days

Out to eat with the family one last time before Baby T comes

An update: I am now going into my third day past our due date of May 25. Being uncomfortable has definitely become an understatement and has just moved into funny now. To get up and out of the bed in under a minute has become a thing of the past - as well as rolling over during the night. There is still a fair amount of indigestion that keeps me up at night. The new symptom that popped up in the past two weeks has been carpal tunnel. While it has affected both hands, it has really affected my right hand the most. A lot of easy tasks have become impossible - especially holding a pen to write. It is a challenge to hold a hair brush, hold my toothbrush, stir a pot, hold a glass, or grip anything, so I drop things constantly! (So much for all the thank-you writing for his 6 baby showers I was planning to do on my time off!) It has been quite annoying to say the least!

The doctor this week did not share encouraging news. While he is dropping a good bit, there is still not much dialation. We are scheduled for an ultrasound on Tuesday before our doctor's appointment because he keeps measuring inconsistenly every week - either ahead of schedule or behind. Hopefully the ultrasound will reveal how big he really is. If all goes well at the ultrasound and doc appointment (meaning he is not too big and a c-section is necessary), we are scheduled for an induction first thing on Wednesday morning. We have joked that he can either choose his own birthday or we have decided it for him! Hopefully by this time next week, we will be parents!

Here is an updated photo. With the pain in my lower back this week, we decided to go to the pool after Matt got home from work. This is Baby Tanner on his due date - May 25 - before we went swimming.

Beach Bum with a Bump

Baby Shower

First, an update on our first baby shower! The week before spring break several teachers at the school hosted a wonderful shower for Baby Tanner. I always love the showers at the school because it is one of the few times we get to see the teachers from the other grades. It was quite an overwhelming experience! First, I am not one that likes to be the center of attention in a large crowd and opening all the presents in front of everyone was interesting. It was unbelievable to look down the table and see so many gifts lined up for our little man - almost every teacher in the school sent a gift! The shower certainly made it much more real! Bringing everything home and going back through it all helped Matt and me to realize just how truly blessed we are. It was amazing to see such an outpouring of love for our little guy!

My sweet hostesses and coworkers - Elizabeth, Casey, Jana, Pam, Kim, April, Darby, Landon, and Donna

I was lucky enough to have my mom and both my grandmothers come to the shower! 4 generations in one picture (if you count the one in the tummy!)

Aunt Lauren even came to join the fun!

The baby bump and our class pet - the bear (long story)

As many of his gifts as I could get in one picture, not counting the items packed up in the boxes. LOTS of precious clothes, his bouncy seat, diaper pail, activity mat, bottles, bath tub, video monitor, noise machine, toys, bottle warmer, and lots and lots of accessories!

Beach Bum(p)

Since last week was spring break, I had a decision to make. Should I be a responsible, soon-to-be mom and stay home to prepare for our upcoming arrival OR be impulsive (and possibly a little selfish) and go to the beach. Well, realizing it will probably be the last time I relax, I chose the later. :)

It was such an amazing trip! I went with 4 friends from school - Jana, Casey, and April. We could not have asked for a better trip! We went on a long walk every day, ate out every night, did some shopping, and in 4 days spent the days on the beach in 75 degree weather without seeing a single cloud! One of the highlights of the trip was digging a big hole in the sand and laying on my tummy for the first time in months! It felt SO good to stretch out my back and I even took a pretty good nap. You should have seen the faces of the group that settled in next to our sandy spot. Boy, were they surprised when I stood up from my belly-down nap! It was such a great trip and I was excited to think about the next time I put my toes in the sand I would have a baby in my arms and not in the tummy!

The view from the beach - if you look closely the black fin just below the horizon is the best picture I had of the pod of dolphins that swam by right past the sandbar!

The tummy-sized hole! Casey dropped her phone into the bottom for a better shot :)

Me and Baby Tanner. I don't think anyone is ever a fan of a bathing suit pic, but if you can't get away with it when you're pregnant, when can you get away with it?

Final Update

We had our 30 week doctor's appointment yesterday and all went well. Matt even had an unexpected good day at work (Mondays are usually rough for him) and was able to leave early to go with us! My blood pressure was good and his heart beat was nice and strong. I teased the doctor that I thought about making a sunscreen smiley face on my tummy when getting a bit of sun and she laughed. She said all is well and looking on schedule (little does she know I am giving him nightly pep talks to come a week or two early!) :)

PAST DUE

My apologies to our friends and family on how late this blog post is! (Especially my sweet out-of-town sister-in-law who can't be here as much as she would like) It has been something I have put off and the longer I put it off, the more overwhelming it became. Hopefully this can fill you in on the last few months of our life in the Tanner house...

It's A Boy!

Thanks to a friend of Matt's, we were able to find out we were having a little boy a few weeks before our scheduled appointment so we would know before Christmas. On December 11 we went up to Huntsville to stay with my grandmother and uncle and visit Meghan at the hospital for the ultrasound. She was able to take a few pictures and tell us we were having a little boy! Matt and I were SHOCKED! We were both convinced it was a girl! The night before we took several online gender predictor tests - all said girl. Chinese calendar - girl. I was SO sick (still was at that point), and so many told me that meant one thing - a girl. We were so surprised and went out that night to buy a baby name book, since the only names we had been considering were for girls! The visit was SO much fun and since we grabbed a chocolate milkshake for mom on the way to the hospital, our little man was quite active! He was kicking and moving and stretching - Meghan had no trouble getting a good shot to determine the gender. The hard part was getting him to hold still for a picture!

Our actual ultrasound appointment with our doctor was on December 27 and she confirmed it was a boy! I was so excited because she let us bring Aunt Lauren and Aunt Meredith, who was in town for the holidays. It was so fun to have them along to see the baby and get to hear his heartbeat. However, I don't think we did a very convincing job of acting surprised at the news that it was a boy :)

Here are a few pictures from those ultrasounds, probably the last time we will get to see the little guy until he arrives:

Head, Tummy, and Arm

Head and Hand - sorry, we can't tell if he has daddy's dimples yet :)

Looks who found his thumb! Our video shows him sucking it and swallowing!

Tiny foot

Since then...

I first felt him kick on December 31 while Matt and I were out running errands. I am not sure if I felt him before this and just never realized what it was, but while we were in the car I was sure of it! Well, as the month of January went by, Matt became frustrated that he couldn't feel him too. I would try, especially at night laying in bed, but the kicks were so far apart or Matt's hand wasn't in the right spot and we would give up. At our doctor's appointment on January 26, he asked our doctor how much longer. She promised it would not be long - and she was right. That Saturday morning while we were laying in bed, Matt got to feel him kick and kick and kick! While Matt is able to feel him more often, there are still times where we laugh and say the little guy isn't a performer. He can be so active, but when Matt puts his hand on my tummy, all goes quiet. I told him it's because he's scared of daddy already. :)

February 23 was my glucose test, which I grew very nervous about. I knew several friends who struggled with their tests and was worried about making it through the test and then the results. This would also be my first doctor's visit without Matt and I was nervous without the support. However, the test went ok and the results were great - sugar levels were good, iron levels were good, weight gain was good, and heartbeat was strong - all good news to mommy's ears!

Baby Bumpdates...

Tanner is currently my alarm clock. (Our little man still doesn't have a name yet, so we just call him Tanner. All of us except my cheerleaders, who have become impatient with our decision and just call him Logan - not sure why) Tanner wakes me up pretty consistently between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. with his kicking. Matt and I laid in the bed this morning for over half an hour and laughed at the movement of my tummy! This morning was beyond just kicking - Matt said he looked like he was trying to stand up and pop right through my tummy! We could not believe how active he was!

Pregnancy Symptoms: I am glad to say the nausea and vomitting has subsided, but been replaced by heartburn and reflux. The biggest adjustment has been having to sleep sitting up, which took some time to get used to. I am also struggling with a lot of back pain. By 8:00 at night my back is DONE and I can't even sit up. I am trying to make an effort to stay off my feet as much as possible while I am teaching. I have also seen a little bit of swelling, especially with my feet. I am hoping flip flop weather will be here before my feet quickly grow out of my shoes! I can't say I have had a craving yet, but there are still several aversions: Chinese food, anything tomato - pizza, marinana sauce, etc. Mexican has made a slow comeback, though, so Matt is happy.

Our first baby shower was this week, hosted by the teachers at the school. While I was so excited, it was all very overwhelming! It certainly made things seem SO real! Almost every teacher in the school gave our little man a gift and the amount of baby stuff still sitting in our den (until the nursery is painted) is unbelievable. Matt is convinced this little boy will not wear the same outfit twice for the first few months (but I don't think that Matt realizes this little guy will require his clothes to be changed on several days). Along with clothes, bottles, toys, blankets, we also got a diaper pail, activity mat, bouncy chair, bathtub, baby monitor, and a friend of ours made a wooden elephant that was the centerpiece on the table that matches Tanner's nursery. (pictures to come later - my mom had the camera) Some days the word "blessed" is the only word that comes to mind.

As we start our 30th week, our main goal is to get the nursery painted now that we (think we) have picked a color. I am heading off to the beach, but Matt has taken a few days off work to paint while I am away. Pics to come when I get back.

ThankFULL

I am now in my 15th week, and while I can't say things are great, they are better! Pregnancy has certainly been a roller coaster! Along with the extreme morning sickness (I have seen the inside of a bathroom more than the inside of our new house), there have been a whirlwind of other pregnancy signs. The last few weeks have brought the worst acne of my life (my blunt, pre-teen 12 year-olds are asking ME what all the red bumps on my face are), extreme exhaustion (I feel like a toddler from all the naps I take), sudden bouts of nausea that require me to eat immediately (I carry around a small convenience store in my purse), excessive burping (my husband is now calling ME gross), 2 a.m. trips to the restroom (I am convinced my body thinks it is preparing me for 2 a.m. feedings), and several other symptoms that would just be too much information.

With all that said (sometimes it is good just to get it out!), these things have not been my focus, just challenges to overcome. A few weeks ago I was able to get up early and felt good enough to go to Frist Priority (thank you Zofran!). In reflecting to prepare the devo that week, I did a lesson with the kids on being thankful in honor of Thanksgiving. Our target verse for the week was:

"Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

After a VERY emotional week, I thought what better for a blog post than a list of the top 10 things I am thankful for?

1. a patient and understanding Heavenly Father who has given me so many unexpected blessings in my life
2. a quirky, patient, fun husband who began embracing his new father-to-be responsibilities with a smile several weeks ago - from holding back my hair to getting our new home ready for a family of three
3. a new little baby bump that has popped out in the last week for me to rub and poke at and talk to that shows the healthy little one snuggled up inside
4. a mom who has cooked for us every day and helped me in so many other ways at a time I needed the help the most
5. a dad who has "played it cool" about becoming a granddad, but deep down I know he is so excited because he has put his new "James Bond" car outside in the cold and frost at night so his preggo daughter can have his warm spot in the garage
6. an excited sister who, I am convinced, has already bought more stuff for the baby than I have
7. an amazing support system of women at work who have helped me get through the last few weeks in every way imaginable
8. a great group of excited kids at school who ask me EVERY day OVER and OVER if it's a boy or a girl, when it's due, (yes, they forget their homework too), if I am feeling ok, and what we are going to name it
9. one of my sweet little girls who gives me a hug at least once a day, although she has no idea how much I look foward to it (6th graders don't dish out many voluntary hugs to their teachers) and every time she does it makes me excited for May and the chance to hug our little one
10. amazing friends that I don't get to spend as much time with as I would like to, but are always there for me to celebrate new adventures

A Tiny Tanner!

Well, it is official! In May we will become a family of three! This post is long overdue, since Wednesday will begin my 14th week. Matt and I found out we were pregnant at 5 weeks, much to our surprise. I actually took the pregnancy test with little expectations, brought on from the months of negative results before. In fact, I took the test and left it for some time before even remembering to come back to check it. When I did, Matt was confronted with a teary, speechless wife and couldn't understand why!

Matt and I decided to wait to tell anyone until our scheduled ultrasound in the 7th week. (Well, other than the few teachers at school who figured it out!) With this being the first grandbaby on both sides, we wanted to be VERY sure of all the details and hear the heartbeat before getting the grandmothers too excited. So at 7 1/2 weeks we were off to the doctor for the first time and got to see...

So I admit that it looks a little more like a worm than anything, but the heartbeat was music to our ears! It is also not a very good picture, but that is a long story involving unclear directions, a clueless first-time mommy, and an incompetent ultrasound receptionist. We were able to share the good news with the soon-to-be grandparents (who were more than elated) and even the soon-to-be GREAT grandmothers!

Matt and I initially agreed that we would wait until the safe 14 week marker to share the news with anyone else, especially my kids at school. However, things don't always go as planned. The week before this ultrasound morning sickness kicked in. The week after this ultrasound, things took a turn for the worst. At this point, Matt and I had just moved in with Mom and Dad, which is a true testament to God's timing. Morning sickness was in full swing, holding true to its name. I was sick often, especially at 7:00 a.m. Eating became a daunting task, despite many possible remedies - small meals, snacking, hot foods, cold foods, setting an alarm to eat in the middle of the night, crackers, bland foods - everything. In a time where each day was a struggle of nausea and exhaustion, my sweet mom was there to cook and help me out, especially while my poor husband was trying to manage the move to a new home (and the temporary home).

Another saving grace in the toughest weeks was my friend Jana. Being sick at promptly 7 a.m. didn't allow me to get out the door until around 7:45 and some days 8:00, making me late for work for several weeks. Jana and I were able to come up with a system where I could leave the work for my kids at school to get started and Jana gave up part of her prep period everyday for weeks to get my kids started in the morning. For a while I was able to get away with various excuses to my 11 year-olds: traffic, car trouble, a meeting, sick, etc. As I have told Matt often on our cheer sleepovers, it's when the kids are quiet that you have to start to worry. After a few weeks, the kids stopped asking why I was late and even asking me if I was feeling ok when I came in. I should have known then that they knew. The kids who can't figure out what to do if they forget to get a fork when they go through the lunch line had put the pieces together to figure out their teacher was expecting.

So at around 11 weeks and a series of a long, bad night that led into a bad morning that sent me home from work barely able to walk, my doctor finally switched me to a new, stronger medication. Since then, there has been a complete turn-around! While I have still lost close to 10 pounds since the ultrasound visit, I have been able to eat better and keep the meal down. I am sure the weight will come back (and much faster than I expect), especially since the little guy decided to pop out last weekend!

My favorite part of being pregnant has been telling family and friends. Telling our parents was certainly fun. Then there was nothing like sitting around a table at Yogurt Mountain with some of my favorite girl friends explaining the layout of our new house - the bedrooms upstairs, including the one that will be the nursery in May - and seeing their faces and the shocked, "nursery?" "May?"

Then there was the day I got to tell my kids at school. Matt and I painted letters the night before that would be hidden in the library. In pairs, the kids had to find a letter, bring it back to the table, and unscramble the message. In the end, here is what they came up with...

Then there was telling the cheerleaders. After school Jana and I met with our 8th grade girls and Jana did such a great job telling them after their "disappointing practice yesterday" and how their behavior "didn't show the positive role models they could be," they would be completing a brief team-building exercise before going home that afternoon. The girls solemnly began unscrambling the letters, which had been dumped out on a table. The mood completely changed when Amanda was the first to unscramble a word and shout out "BABY!" and Savannah unscrambled "Tanner!"

My high school girls have been the most excited about the possibilities of a baby, asking every time I see them "WHEN?" and leading me to make something up. In scheming with my favorite high school senior cheerleader, Shea and I decided to tell the cheerleaders the same way I was telling my kids. Alison, a pledge sister from college, is the new college counselor at the high school and helped us in getting one letter to each cheerleader through the day. At practice, Shea instructed the girls in putting the letters together and solving the message. Here was the pic and text message I got shortly after 3:00... (note the use of "Furlong" rather than "Tanner" since most of the girls had me as a teacher/coach before I was married)

Overall, pregnancy has been quite an emotional, exciting, unexpected journey with more twists and turns sure to come. At latest, we will find out if it is a boy or a girl the week after New Years. If things go well, maybe we will be able to find out a bit sooner than that!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

There comes a point when a haircut is necessary. Sometimes beyond necessary. I had a woman stop me about 2 weeks ago in a restaraunt and ask me, "Is that your real hair or do you have extensions?" That is a clear sign that a haircut is necessary. Long hair can be a pain - a long time to wash, to dry, to brush, to fix. When a haircut would be the easy way out, I have to remind myself what I am doing it for.

Last week Lauren and I went for our haircuts. It was time to cut off our hair that would be donated to an organization called Locks of Love, which uses the hair to create wigs for children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition. This haircut was my fourth (maybe fifth?) donation. I am weirdly attached to my hair. When it is curly I am happy, no matter how bad the day. I can't imagine being without my hair, much less losing it at such a young age. I am too big of a wimp to donate blood, so when I heard about this organization years ago, I knew this was a project I could get on board with.

Any time I cut my hair I am reminded of my first (or was it my second?) time to donate. I went to Hunstville to visit my grandmother. We thought it would be fun to donate my hair while there and then surprise my family when I returned to Bham with my new haircut. We went to the salon and the hairdresser took her time measuring the hair, putting it in a ponytail, and beginning to cut. As she cut off the ponytail, she began to cry. As she began to even out the remaining hair, she continued to cry. Not out loud, just calm, silent tears. My grandmother an I could only look at each other and wonder what was going on. My grandmother finally asked, "Are you ok?" The hairdresser explained that her daughter lost her hair to a medical condition and received wigs from Locks For Love. She told us she would be thrilled if her daughter received my hair one day. That was it - I was hooked. I knew that this was one way that I could help others by sacrificing a part of myself.

Ok...the part you have been waiting for - the pics. The gold star for bravery goes to Lauren, who didn't have the 10 inches to keep her hair long enough to stay at her shoulders. She definitely made a sacrifice with this donation!

me before

me after (with my donation)

Lauren before

Lauren after (with her donation)

Sisters with new haircuts!

Party Like It's 1999

The year I graduated things were different. We wore flared leg jeans, iPods didn't exist, Britney Spears was a rising star, Michael Jackson was the King of Pop, I could only dream of the day I would have a cell phone, Saved by the Bell was as cool as it got, and there was only one high school - Hoover High. Things are different now. Skinny jeans are in, all of my 11 year-olds have a cell phone that plays music, makes calls, texts, and checks facebook, and rap music tops the charts. Ten years ago things were different.

For the most part high school was the worst 4 years of my life. Caught in the midst of teenage angst, I was perceived as a hellion and rebel by my parents, while everyone at school saw me differently - almost a goody-goody. I couldn't understand why my parents thought I was such a heathen while everyone at school couldn't understand why I was such a rule-follower. The division made for some of the toughest years of my life. Early curfews, strict rules, and long punishments were a common part of life for me. Sure, there were high points. I would go back and be on the dance team all over again - band camp, pep rallies, dance camp, football games, morning workouts, and all. I didn't know it then, but there was a passion in my heart for dance that I didn't know existed. I think it was dance team that saved my life and got me through those 4 years. Naturally, when I heard about the ten year reunion, I was not jumping at the chance to go back and relive some of the memories.

As the time got closer and I began to give it more thought and had to decide if I was going to spend the obscene amount of money to stand around and visit with many people I had not talked to in 10 years, a thought hit me. My happiest times in high school were AT school. I looked forward to going to school and hated to come home and I started to wonder why. It wasn't my teachers; sadly I can only name about 5 through my high school career. It wasn't lunch; I remember the food, but not where I sat or who I sat with. It wasn't my classes; while I am sure I learned a lot, I don't remember sitting in a single class. I realized it was my friends. It was the group of girls that I depended on throughout those 4 years to get me through. While they couldn't understand me or what was going on at home, they just loved me unconditionally. They understood when I had to leave at 9:45 to make (or usually miss) my 10:00 curfew all the way through graduation, didn't give me a hard time when I didn't drink, listened to my fuss when I needed someone to talk to, and basically put up with me. I have been fortunate enough to have one of the girls - my solid rock and best friend - with me in Birmingham all these years, but after finding out ALL the other girls were flying/driving in from Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, and Mississippi, going to the reunion was an indisputable must.

I said it all week and it became true. I told Matt I was not glad I was going, but I would be glad I went. I can't say I enjoyed the dress shopping or getting ready, but the weekend turned out to be one of the best ones in months - despite that my feet have not hurt so badly since the day of my wedding.

The best part of the weekend (for me) was lunch. Getting all the girls at the same lunch table chatting, gossiping, giggling, and remembering made me feel like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. There was a moment where I sat back as the girls talked and had to remind myself that it really had been 10 years since the last time we were all together at the same table and my heart started to ache when I realized it would probably be another 10 before it happened again. The reunion was a great time as well, but I knew it could not top lunch. It really was great to catch up and see so many people that I had not talked with in years. I was amused at how tough reunions must have been before facebook. I already had a pretty good idea of which classmates already had kids, where they were living, and their career from status updates and posts on facebook. I even won an award for "least surprising career path." I must admit that I smiled as I looked at the certificate on the way home, since one of the few things I have never doubted in my life is that I was meant to be a teacher. I found it fascinating that others must have seen that in me 10 years ago. I spent time catching up with good friends, former prom dates, elementary school friends, and of course - the girls. We had a great time dancing and reminiscing and joking about the fact that I didn't have a curfew!

Here are a few shots from the night. I was disappointed when I got home and saw there were only about ten pictures on the camera.

Me and Christin

Me and JR

Jackie and me

Jenn and me

The girls (missing Meredith)

Me and Sarah Beth

Me and Whitney

Whitney, me, and Audrey

Me and Derek, a childhood friend and senior prom date :)

Furlong Family Florida Vacation

It was that time again - family vacation time! These trips are always unique in their own way, and this one was no different. For the first time ever there was a 3-way tie for Dad's Dessert Dinner Quiz - Lauren, Hunter, and me. (A huge disappointment for me considering I actually studied this year!) Last year was the first vacation of an official family of 6, but this year Dad's "third daughter," Whitney, and her husband, JJ, were able to join us for a a day or two. We also had one very UNinvited guest - the oil.

We were fortunate. We arrived late Friday night and had beautiful weather until Wednesday. Once the oil arrived, so did all the other inconveniences that come with it - helicopter fly-bys every half hour, fencing closing the beach, tractors filtering the sand, workers to clean the sand, and many other things. I think pictures can sometimes explain things better than words...

Trying to keep the beach clean

The tractor brought in to filter the oil from the sand (seen in the back)

The view down the beach - notice the black fence brought in to close the water from the public

The view from the umbrella - the black silt fence and the coast guard helicopter

Again, we had beautiful weather, great food, and of course a lot of fun. The oil didn't stay for too long. We couldn't help but think about how bad it could get or what would happen if more oil washed up or the worst - what will happen if they can't stop it? We talked about how long it would stay and how the beach would change and I couldn't help but wonder if my own kids will one day be able to play on the white sandy beaches and build sand animals the way I was able to as a kid. On the last day, Lauren and I were fortunate enough to spend about an hour on the beach. Here is what we had to leave behind and the image I will remember of the beach...