New Smyrna

Beach Party! Saturday was our ward beach party at New Smyrna beach. We drove over Friday evening with the Whites and spent the night at their condo. They even let us bring Sting'em, which was really fun because we are not allowed to take him to our condo in Cocoa Beach. He had fun chasing Grace and Gavin around that night. The next day we drove over to the beach, making a stop at some beach shops and at a french deli to pick up some pretty amazing subs for lunch (Yum! They were so good!!!). We got to the beach and met up with the rest of the ward. The sand was blazing, so we spent most of the time by the water. I was little too chicken to wander too far out into the waves. As we were wading out into the water, Greg reminded me that New Smyrna was one of top the hot spots for shark attacks. Yeah, I stayed close to the shore at that point. (Thanks husband.) Afterwards we all headed back to the White's condo to hit the pool. It was an amazingly fun weekend. That was actually our first time at New Smyrna Beach. Thanks Gail for the fun ward party! And thanks so much to Randy, Ashlea, Grace, and Gavin for letting us tag along and stay at your condo! We had a blast! We had fun playing with Grace in the waves. She is so cute!

Ashlea and Grace.

Cute Gavin playing in the sand. All our beautiful YW that came. I love these girsl! Bishop Berge was worn out by the end of the day.

Bizarro Baseball and Ice Cream Hats

Yes, that's right! Amazingly, the Tampa Bay Rays are #1! Greg and I have been going to games since we were engaged. Greg, of course, has been a devout fan much longer than I have (seeing how I never used to watch sports before there was Greg). The first game I ever went to was four years ago, opening day, against the Yankees, the day after we officially got engaged. They won that night but had a disappointing season, not unlike every other season they have had. Now, four years later they are playing amazingly well. Ahead of the Red Sox and the Overpaid Yankees. How great is that? They even graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, the first ever comic book cover. Very cool. The most enjoyable part of this season is seeing how excited Greg is. He, like I said, has been a truly committed fan since day one. Cheering every season even though they didn't stand a chance against the big powerhouses they go up against in their division-The Yankees and the Red Sox.
Greg and I don't get to go to every game (Greg wishes), but we get to St Pete as often as we can. Saturday, we met the Lugo family over there for Rays vs Orioles. The Lugos spent the entire day in St Pete. Unfortunately we couldn't, I have been easily exhausted these past few weeks and I thought it would be too hard go all day and stay awake for the evening game. So we met them at Tropicana Field. It was a packed game. The Rays pulled ahead at the beginning of the game, and it was pretty much over. It was still a lot of fun. I love hanging out with the Lugos. They are such a great family. We got ice cream towards the end of the game. Mmmmm...chocolate with hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles. Don't judge, I had a craving (that's my excuse and will be until December)! Nashua and I got our ice cream in the little souvenir Rays hats. I promised her and Nellie that I would post a picture of Lil Sting'em wearing the ice cream hat in honor of the Rays kickin' booty this year. (It is only fair that I live up to my promise since they have kept their end of the bargain and posted pictures of their Choco wearing one too.) So here is Sting'em, in tribute to the Rays who are surprising everyone except their constant and dedicated fans-we've know they would be great for awhile!

(It is a good thing this dog absolutely adores us and lets us dress him up. Well, let's me dress him up.)

David vs David

We just finished watching the American Idol showdown-I love this show (I "forced" Greg to watch it...sure). It hasn't been the most exciting season for me, with the Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, and Neil Diamond weeks (sorry Melody, I know you love Neil). But this final two has been amazing. Finally, the two most deserving made it to the finals. That usually doesn't happen, there's usually an upset. I am a huge Archie fan, and have been since day one! Even when he forgot his words, he was still adorable. I have been worried about him these past few weeks, but tonight, he totally brought it. I know that Cook fans would argue with me. But listen to Simon, the man. He knows what he is talking about! So, I am sitting here now voting, for the first time this season, with house phone in one hand and cell phone in the other. It's going to be a close one! I can admit that David C has gotten much better since day one, but I still wouldn't label myself as a fan. He seems nice and all, and less cocky than before...but I just don't think he as "original" as people praise him to be. Sorry Cook fans. "Hello" and "Billie Jean" were not his arrangements, and those were by far the best songs of the season. Plus, I really don't get all the Archie haters. He seems like a really young, nice kid, and people don't like him for being nice and innocent? I don't get it. I think he has a phenomenal voice and I love listening to him every time he sings. We'll see what happens. No matter what the turn out, I think they'll both do great. (Although, I would totally buy David A's CD, and not so much David C, Sorry.)

Happy Birthday to Me!!! (...and Mother's Day!!!)

So Sunday, yesterday, I turned 27! Crazy, huh? To be perfectly honest, I was not looking forward to this birthday. I have been dreading it since Jan 1st. The older I got the more depressing it was becoming that we were not able to have children yet. And for this birthday, falling right on Mother's day...it was not a day I was looking forward to. For those who don't know, we have been struggling to get pregnant for quite sometime now. I think getting pregnant is something that many people take for granted. Some don't realize just what struggle it can truly be. I know I didn't until I was placed in that situation. Greg and I have been married for almost four years and many people have continually asked us when we were going to start trying. Little did they realize, we had...for awhile. I don't blame them. But it was still hard to hear. Well...after seeing a few different doctors, one finally decided to help us. On the evening of April 3rd, we found out that I am PREGNANT!!!! Exciting, huh? I don't think it has fully hit us yet. It has been something that we have wanted for so long now, and it almost seems unreal that it is finally happening. We decided to keep it quiet for awhile, just in case. But yesterday, on my birthday and Mother's day, we finally announced it to our very close friends, the Bergers, who are like family to me. Some other people have already guessed because I have been a little sick and tired. But since the Bergers know now and I am further along, we think it is time to tell everyone else. So that is our announcement, I am pregnant and should be due around 12/17! Greg and I are very excited and nervous to be parents. So it was a great Birthday/Mother's day this year. I am so happy that our prayers and the prayers of our families have been answered. You almost forget all the heartache and pain that you felt for so long because it really doesn't matter anymore. It hasn't been easy, but completely worth the wait. I know that Greg will be a wonderful father. I hope I will be a good Mom!

Saturday at Epcot

Since my birthday fell on Sunday this year, we wanted to do something fun on Saturday. So we decided to go to Epcot. I haven't been there since I was in 7th grade and Greg had never been there at all. We went with my mom, Heather, Mattie, and Matt met us there in the afternoon. It was a fun, long, very hot day. I was so tired by the end of the day, so much walking from country to country. Epcot is not like other Disney parks, where you walk a short distance to the next ride or show and get to sit down for a bit. There is so much to see before the day is over. My favorite part was the gardens. For springtime, they have beautiful gardens everywhere. There was even an amazing butterfly garden. Mattie was so fun to watch as she chased the butterflies around trying to get them to land on her finger. I kept thinking of our friend Dieter, who is not a huge fan of buterflies. He would have hated it in there. We had a lot of fun. It was a good day.
(This pic was taken at the end of the day-not my best...like I said very tired and hot!)

WICKED

Thursday night my mom, my sister-Heather, Theresa-Heather's mother-in-law, and I went to see Wicked in Orlando! (Greg wouldn't go see it with me unless I forced him to.) We got the tickets back in December and have been waiting patiently to finally see it. It was absolutely phenomenal. I tried reading the book beforehand, but had to stop. It was a little dark. The musical was so much better than the book. The singers/actors were amazing! I can't wait until it comes back to town so I can see it again. We all had a blast. It was totally worth getting home at midnight for.