Well, as of 12:51AM Tuesday morning, my family has welcomed the newest addition to their family. She is a beautiful healthy baby girl named Ava Elizabeth Grady. Ava weighed in at 8lbs and 13oz. She has dark hair and dark eyes, very pretty. This is the second child for my cousin Kelly. Her and her husband, James, already have a 2 and a half year old little handful or I mean little boy. I spoke with Aden this morning and he was VERY excited to be a big brother, or at least that's what he told me on the phone. I have included a few pictures courteous of my mother. I can't wait to meet Ava in person in a few weeks!
Last week Michael and I went to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. First, no we are not sick with the swine flu. Second, we had a blast.
We left Tuesday morning and arrived at the Cancun International airport by lunchtime. We got off the plane expecting to see lots of people in customs and it was empty. Michael and I were the only people in customs. We walked straight through. We were stopped to have our temperature taken before we could leave. Our ride was easy to spot with bright orange shirts. It took about 40 minutes to arrive at our hotel.
We expected that everyone else would already be at the resort, so as soon as we arrived, we got changed into our swimsuits and headed for the beach. The beach was beautiful, cool white sand and clear aqua blue waters. The first thing Michael and I did was jump into the ocean. It was a perfect lukewarm temperature. After laying outside for a little while without seeing anyone from our group, we decided to go and find out the rooms of all the other guests. Well after calling everyone, Michael called back to the front desk and found out that no one else had arrived to the resort yet. Everyone finally arrived at the resort later that evening. Flight problems and huge delays due to fog apparently kept the planes on the ground.
Michael and I got up early the next morning and took a walk along the beach. Our beach was a private beach, so no locals were allowed. In one direction down the beach were tons of other resorts and in the other direction was absolutely nothing. We chose to take a walk towards nothing. It was a perfect morning to wander. We took the new camera and got tons of great pictures.
The resort had tons of fun activities planned everyday, for instance; beach volleyball, kayaking, water polo, trampoline, etc. We definitely did as many activities as we could. One day we went on a catamaran boat to the reef where we got to swim for a little while. Our guide was very nice and very good at steering the boat. The resort also had a fantastic spa. I personally went there twice. Michael and I went once together and had a couples massage. It was so relaxing and enjoyable I went back later in the week and had a chocolate wrap done.
Michael, his brother Brad, Floyd, and I decided one day to be very adventurous and try scuba diving. Yes, yes as hard as that is to believe...I went scuba diving. I will admit, I was in a panic the entire time we were in the ocean. First we had training in the swimming pool. That was scary and I could stand up in the swimming pool, but they trained us for everything that could go wrong underwater. Then they took us about a 10 minute boat ride out into the ocean and threw all the equipment on us and said jump into the water. I know that it does not sound scary but it was a little rough in the water and when you are are wearing equipment that weighs as much as you do then it becomes scary. It got better once I started down the line. The only problem I had once we were at the bottom was that I was like a rock. I had to swim up then if I stopped kicking my feet I would sink straight down. We saw lots of colorful fish and the coral was beautiful.
The whole reason everyone was in Mexico was to see Brad and Jaren get married. They had a Oceanside beach ceremony. The waves breaking and the sunset were a perfect scene for the wedding. The ceremony was short and sweet and the party started as soon as they kissed. Jaren was a beautiful bride and Brad was smiling ear to ear. To see the ceremony from beginning to end including the after party, see the links at the bottom of the page.
We ate lots of wonderful food. The last day Michael and Brad went deep sea fishing. I did not go due to the high winds and rough water, but the boys caught 21 fish including a sailfish, Mahi Mahi, a shark and yellow tailed jack. Even though I did not go I still got to enjoy the fish. Michael was allowed to bring the Mahi Mahi back to the hotel where they prepared it for us to have for dinner Saturday night. It was the best tasting Mahi Mahi I have ever eaten. The hotel cooked it to perfection.
We left Sunday afternoon, which was very sad. I could have stayed on the beach for another week. I have included two links to the photos I have uploaded to Google photos. There were 945 photos, so I did not want to have to pick only a few to show on the blog.
Over the last few weeks, I have started to do some planning. Michael and I have officially decided on a date, which is June 5, 2010. We will be getting married (that is still weird to say) in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It is my hometown. We are going to get married at my church, Goddard United Methodist Church. I am very excited about the church, it is so beautiful and wonderful. The reception hall is being booked today, and it will be at Golden Living/Venture or as everyone in Fort Smith knows it, Beverly Enterprises. I think I have decided the colors will be Navy Blue and Carolina Blue (baby blue).
Michael and I picked our wedding party the other night they are as followed: Bridesmaids: Megan Wright-Maid of Honor Veronica Slack-Matron of Honor Laura Lyons Bryant Kelly Allen Grady Peggy Cosgrove
Groomsmen: Zack Taylor-Best Man Chris Skrocki Steven Sperry Steve MacDonnell James Olander
Ushers: Brad Reagan Brian Penton Eric Mallard Brad Sperry
The decision was difficult, mainly because we didn't want to have everyone standing at the front of the church with us. Keeping the numbers down on bridesmaids and groomsmen were especially difficult for Michael. He wanted everyone. I kept joking that I didn't know enough ladies to keep up with everyone he wanted.
Michael had a nice Easter surprise for me today. When I got back from taking Megan to the airport, Michael told me I could go on a Easter Egg Hunt or as I will call it, The Treasure Hunt. He did not give me any clues except that it was jewelry. I proceeded to the Master Bedroom and starting hunting, through a box, the dresser, and finally the night stand. In the bottom drawer of the night stand I found a little square box with a really big surprise inside. Michael then asked me if I would marry him, which of course my answer was yes. Here are a few pictures of my new ring, but trust me the pictures don't do it justice.
Last weekend, Michael and I drove town to good ole Arkansas. We left after work on Thursday and drove until we got to his mother's house. Both of us had separate plans for the weekend. Michael had his friend Mark's wedding in Rogers and I had my cousin's baby shower.
Friday I went to Rick's Bakery in Fayetteville and picked this wonderful cake. I love their cakes. They always do a great job with the decorations, plus they never disappoint in taste. I was a little concerned about driving all the way to Fort Smith without hurting the cake and was successful. When I got home I spent the next several hours driving around town taking care of business.
The shower was on Saturday. My cousin's best friend Linsey and I hosted the party at Linsey's new house. It was an adorable house and a perfect location for the party. We had lots of food and decorations. The amount of people that showed up was perfect, not too many or too few. Kelly got tons of wonderful presents or I should say baby girl got tons of presents. This new little baby is going to be very spoiled. I am sad that I will not be around when she is born. Here are some photos from the party.
Saturday night I went back up to Fayetteville to hang out with some friends, that I had not seen in quite awhile. Megan and I stayed the night at the Inn at Carnall Hall. It was very nice. It reminded me of living in the dorms, but in a good way. First we all went to dinner at Common Grounds, then went back to the hotel to get dressed up. Thanks to Kim my hair was curly. After being all girlie we went to Dickson, and of course to OTR. Dickson had changed so much since the last time I was down there. They have added three or four new bars, and of course we tried to check out each and every one. The girls and I had a lot of fun and it was really good to hang out with Meg.
My birthday is coming up soon. I have been thinking a lot about different ideas. I have, for a long time, wanted to work on my photography skills. I would love to do portraits, but mostly I would love to do more scenic photos.
Michael and I have been shopping around for different camera choices and I have finally made my decision. We went to this small shop, it reminded me a lot of Bedford's in Arkansas. The camera below is the one I am going to get. One good thing about buying from a smaller store is that they offered other bonuses. We get to attend photography classes and we will get a new printer.
Nikon D90
I am excited about getting to start using my new camera. Look ahead to see new photos taken with the new camera.
We have also decided to go to Riviera Maya for Michael's brother's wedding. We will be going at the beginning of May. I am very excited about going to the beach and plus I really could use a vacation. We will be staying at Secrets Maroma Beach Resorts. Maybe I will get to use my new camera and get some good beach shots.
I went to Arkansas on Friday. The main purpose for my weekend trip was to see my cousin get married in Little Rock. I got in Friday night too late to enjoy anything. Saturday was the day of the wedding. The wedding was my oldest cousin on my Dad's side of the family. My parents, brother and I drove to Little Rock in the afternoon. Apparently the snow decided it wanted to follow me where ever I went this weekend. The wedding was very nice and small. They had the ceremony in a little Bed and Breakfast near the capitol. The reception was held in the old train station. It was nice to see everyone on my Dad's side of the family. We got some great family photos. My great-aunt Helen, who is 85 years old, even made it up from Gould. I haven't seen her in several years.
Michael and I have been together since 2006. We met in college at the University of Arkansas and began our life together. We bought a house and moved to Fayetteville from the Chicagoland area in November 2009. We were married in 2010 and had our first child, a boy, in 2013. Our favorite thing to do together is travel and we have gotten the opportunity to go to lots of fun places. We are working, breathing, playful parents. Our fur baby and child are the center of our crazy life, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Well, as of 12:51AM Tuesday morning, my family has welcomed the newest addition to their family. She is a beautiful healthy baby girl named Ava Elizabeth Grady. Ava weighed in at 8lbs and 13oz. She has dark hair and dark eyes, very pretty. This is the second child for my cousin Kelly. Her and her husband, James, already have a 2 and a half year old little handful or I mean little boy. I spoke with Aden this morning and he was VERY excited to be a big brother, or at least that's what he told me on the phone. I have included a few pictures courteous of my mother. I can't wait to meet Ava in person in a few weeks! 
