Destin!

We're back!

Not that most of you knew we left in the first place! :)

But we took a family vacation down to Destin, FL this past week. It was truly a relaxing time spent laying on the beach, taking naps, watching tv, shopping, and eating. I told Braden that we can't let 3 years go by without going to the ocean ever. again. Last time we went was back in 2008 to Hilton Head, SC to celebrate our 2 year anniversary...that was pre-Callie and pre-baby #2 on the way!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip. Just had to share :)

22 weeks along (here's a post from when I was 22 weeks with Callie):

Nashville Trip

For a fun, little family weekend getaway, we took a short trip to Nashville, TN to check out the sites and sounds of the city.Nashville was alot of fun and we will definitely have to go back again. We had a great time exploring, shopping, eating, and relaxing in our hotel room.

Callie enjoyed spending her time taking naps in odd places: controlling the heat in our hotel room: and being pushed around in her stroller:I think she had a good time:

On our way back to Louisville, we checked out the National Corvette Museum:I think it's a toss up as to who is more happy about being in the front seat of this Corvette:

Cincy/Columbus trip

Our anniversary trip was a success! We had a great time exploring both Cincinnati (which we have visited several times previously) and Columbus, OH. Callie is (thankfully!) a really good traveler...otherwise we would probably not have been able to do as much as we did. I think she's used to it by now though with the number of times she's been to St. Louis, MO and back. Here's the breakdown:

Day 1: Drove from Louisville, KY to Cincinnati, OH. Checked into the hotel then had dinner at Brother's Bar & Grill. It was located right on the riverfront and we both had some great burgers. After that we walked around Newport on the Levee and across the pedestrian bridge called People Purple Bridge. The bridge was pretty neat and had a couple of bars set up on it with seating and live music. After that we went back to the hotel and took Callie for a swim in the pool.

Day 2: After breakfast and checkout we drove from Cincinnati, OH to Columbus, OH.
Went to IKEA!!! Later we had burgers (we love burgers!) at 5 Guys Burgers & Fries and walked around outdoor Easton Town Center. This place was pretty awesome...lots of shopping, food, drinks, movie theater, etc. Here's a picture to give you an idea of how nice this place was:Day 3: We had lunch at Z Pizza...Braden totally didn't want to eat here because all of the ingredients were "organic" and vegan/gluten free options...he thought "healthy" pizza would be gross...we tried it anyways and the verdict was two thumbs up! Next we took a walk and explored North High Street which had lots of restaurants and shopping and also Goodale Park:

Dinner at Northstar Cafe, and off to the hotel pool again! :)
Day 4: Drove from Columbus, OH to Louisville, KY.

The End. :)

25th B-day

Yesterday was my Birthday and that usually means that Braden has a secret day-trip planned. This year was no different. Braden took us to Bernheim Forest in Bardstown, Kentucky...well, I like to call it Bernheim "Forest"...emphasis on the quotation marks. I know what a forest is...like in Colorado or in the Smokies...it was more like a Busch's Wildlife (for my family and friends in MO)...too much open space to be a forest. Regardless of the discrepancy I have with the name, it was a beautiful park and there was plenty to see and do.

We "hiked" (is it really considered hiking if you can take a stroller with you?) several trails:...and checked out the "Tree Canopy" overlook...pretty fun stuff.
Bonus = working out on my Birthday...and being able to do it with two of my favorite people! :) Side note: If I would have known about this surprise trip in advance, I would totally have borrowed a baby carrier! haha! We had a great time regardless and I definitely want to go back this fall when the trees start to change color :)

On our way back to Louisville, we stopped by the Zappos outlet! What girl doesn't love a good shoe store...especially if the shoes are discounted!?! I (finally) found some heels to wear to my brother's wedding that is coming up in a few short weeks...and only spent $18.00!

The day ended with a late dinner of pizza (it's tradition to have pizza!) and a piece of cheesecake, Brownie Sundae, from Cheesecake Factory! Yum!

Side-story...my mom had given me a $75.00 giftcard to Cheesecake Factory last year and instead of using it to get a couple of nice meals out, we used every cent to go there at least a dozen times to get cheesecake! Mind you, I was pregnant and we would only get one piece at a time and split it...haha, yeah, that still doesn't make up for the fact that I ended up gaining 40 pounds during my pregnancy!

Overall, my 25th Birthday was splendid! Oh, and I didn't die from just typing 2 5! Ugh, yes I know it's not "old", but it's one year closer to 30...and 30 is old in my book.