What a year!!!! My blogging has been minimal to say the least, this being the 2nd post of the year. It's been an amazing year to say the least.

We moved to our new house this summer. It was quite an adventure, from the remodel (plumbing....) to the movi1103 South 52nd Street Rogers, AR 72758ng experience. We have been here for about 6 months now. We absolutely love it!!! It's such a peaceful place. It feels like home.

I finished grad school in August from UMASS Boston, with my masters degree (Management of Aging Services Track, Gerontology Program). I enjoyed my learning experience so much! Jeremy gave me a surprise celebration bash at Wiederkehr Wine Cellar. I was shocked, all my family and friends there to enjoy my special moment. They all kept the secret very well, I didn't have a clue. I look forward to using my education and training in a few years, which leads us to our next piece of exciting news......

We are expecting our first child, a baby boy due in April 2013!!! We are so very excited! After almost 15 years of marriage, we can't wait to be parents. I think our family and friends are as excited as we are. I know this is going to be an incredible journey!!!

We traveled to other places throughout the year Mexico, Yellowstone, and Philadelphia. Enjoyed birthdays, holidays, and special events with family and friends.

I'm looking forward to all the exciting adventures 2013 has in store!!!!

A New Year!!!

2012! Wow that sounds crazy. It's definitely been a while since I've posted a blog. The last few weeks have been exciting and busy. The holidays, starting my next to last semester of grad school, new adventures in our real estate investment and development company.

I'm looking forward to all the year has to offer. I have new resolutions, hopefully, I will meet them. I didn't quite meet all of my 2011 resolutions. I guess it's good to at least try to improve.

So may 2012 be a year full of new adventures. Celebrations with family and friends. A year of growth and discovery for myself and our family!

It's A Girl!!!!!!

My newest niece Ryleigh Belle Stevens was born on November 7th!!! I was able to be in the delivery room, what an experience. Lots of tears and smiles. It's crazy to see your baby sister having a baby.

She is the sweetest baby, we all love her so much already. She definitely has all of us wrapped around her finger. It's truly been a joy watching my sister and her husband become amazing parents. Ryleigh Belle is already growing so fast and we're all enjoying every moment of it!!!!!

I'm looking forward to the years ahead, birthday parties, school plays, holidays, etc. I look forward to being there for the important events and everyday life!!!!

Discovering a New Kind of Fall

We traveled to New England in October. It was our first time in the area, absolutely beautiful. We landed in Boston, rented a car, drove to New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and back to Boston. We saw amazing sights on our adventure.

A few of my favorite things:

Salem in October

Bed and Breakfast in Vermont

Autumn Foilage

Bar Harbor Maine

Lobster and Calm Chowder (yummy)

The trip was a nice break and very relaxing. We did a bunch of stuff and spending time as a couple was so nice. We would like to make this an annual trip!

Enjoying: Journey

It has been a while since a post, this has been a busy year! So I'm catching up now. We went to see Journey in concert in September. WOW!!!! It was fantastic. We definitely enjoyed one of our favorite songs and sining along: "Don't Stop Believing".... The crowd was energized and it was truly a great time.

We enjoyed spending some time in Memphis while there. We discovered neighborhoods that we seemed to miss on past visits. There are some great architectural structures in the city. We enjoyed a stay in a beautiful hotel and terrific food.

It's so nice to be able to escape from the ordinary routine and enjoy couple time!

Oh...Baby....

My sister-in-law Amber and I hosted a baby shower for my little sis Jessica. Jessica's due in November with my newest little niece Ryleigh Belle Stevens. I am so excited!!!!!! As are my parents and Mark's family.

The shower was a lot of fun!!! Amber provided a beautiful cake from Nana's Bakery in Benton. We provided breakfast quiches, pita chips/spinach dip, and a fruit tray, coffee, juice, and bottled water.

Several ladies attended the shower and gave beautiful gifts for the new baby. She received baby clothes, a stroller/carrier, baby bath, and many other baby items. We played the "Don't Say Baby Game". It's always fun and difficult at a baby shower. We also decorated onesies for Ryleigh. It was so fun and everyone was really creative.

I can't believe my little sis is having a baby. She is still the baby to me. I look forward to experiencing this journey with my sister!!!!

I Love NY!!!!!

We recently took a trip to Manhattan. It's been a while since we've been there, so it was great to be back. I love our hometown (small town life), but I also love spending time in NY.

Our last visit consisted of all the tourist stuff, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Coney Island, etc... It was a blast seeing all that the Big Apple had to offer. It seems like you need many trips to take everything in (shopping, theaters, museums).

This trip we didn't make any definite plans before arrival. We booked our hotel (Stay Hotel---Amazing!!!!) and that was about it. We decided to take one day at a time. We spent most of our time taking in the city atmosphere. We spent time in Central Park, walking and watching the row boats. We went to the American Museum of Natural History, again, I love it!!!! We took in some great shows on and off Broadway (Arcadia, H4, Any Night, and Fuerza Bruta). The shows were all very different, but we truly enjoyed each of them!!!!

Every time we go to New York, I want to find a way to spend several weeks every year there. There is really no other place like it in the world. It's definitely enough to impress this small town girl!!!!