First Baby Shower

will be heading home to Columbus tomorrow for first official baby shower ... very excited!! Annie is, too ... or Annie Catherine ... haven't decided yet! will report back soon ...

Movin' On Up

ok, after several very busy days have returned to Gulf Coast ... house-hunting in Nashville was very intense, but we did buy a house :) very, very excited about house as is perfect for us!! will close on new house on February 15, so must close prior to that on Gulfport house. still working out all details but should be pretty quick next two or three weeks ... oh, new home is actually in Spring Hill, which is just southwest of Nashville. I think. must double-check self's geographical details ...

House Search Commences

have re-negotiated date we must be out of house to February 15, which gives us a little more breathing room ... will be leaving this afternoon to head toward Nashville ... will spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday with realtors there and return to Gulfport Sunday ... will return to blogging then ...

Going Going Gone

well, has been very busy few days ... after realtors showed the house three times yesterday, we received two offers, one of which was full asking price in cash. met with our realtor this morning and accepted the full-price offer, so for all intents and purposes house is sold ... only point we are trying to negotiate is the date we must be out of the house ... the purchaser wants to move in Feb. 2; we're trying to push that to Feb. 15. however, with such an amazingly good offer, if Feb. 2 is the only date that works for her, then we'll make it work for us, too ... goes without saying that our trip to Nashville next week will involve some serious house-looking ... in actuality the earlier we're in Nashville the better so I have plenty of time to get in to see an OB, etc. we continue to feel incredible blessed ...

Big News

And now for promised big news ... just before Christmas Anthony interviewed for a position with Vanderbilt University, a rather intense 2-day interview that he really enjoyed ... he liked the campus, the people, etc. and more importantly, the job would involve significantly less travel since Annie will be born within a few months. He was officially offered the job last week and accepted it on Friday. We are both very excited and have now shifted into we'll-be-moving-soon mode ... we met with our realtor two nights ago, so the house is officially on the market, and we go to Nashville for three days next week to meet with a realtor and start looking at houses there. From all we have heard, Nashville is a great town, and we can't wait to get up there and look around. Lots of changes are happening, but what a great adventure!! Since the hurricane, Anthony's traveling has greatly increased, so we feel very blessed that he was able to find a job that will allow him to be home with Annie (and, of course, with me as I am currently growing Annie.) Plus Nashville is a GREAT place to meet celebrities ... hello, Dixie Chicks!!!

Body Snatcher

is becoming more and more apparent that self's body is no longer self's body but instead belongs to Annie ... miracle though it may be is still strange ... belly button now looks like bit of balloon that you knot after blowing up said balloon ... as for amazing cleavage, well, actually that's still just amazing! but rest of body may as well be that of a stranger ... wonder if body returns at some point after Annie is through with it??
continue checking blog regularly as big news will be forthcoming within a few days ...

Annie the Boxer

am officially 25 weeks pregnant today ... time has really flown by, but Annie has definitely been growing during those 25 weeks ... her "little" punches of earlier weeks have become much stronger now, as though she has perhaps created some sort of boxing gloves in my uterus. still a miraculous feeling but not so much at 4 in the morning ... oh, well, feeling is reassuring nonetheless.
will be absent from blogging tomorrow as will be in Fairhope taking care of niece until Thursday ...

Happy 2006

(happy to report that computer has returned from computer hospital so normal blogging can resume ...)
happy 2006 to all faithful readers ... attended mass on New Year's Eve and really liked what our priest said: we are not bound to the past, and we have every right to hope for the future ... particularly applicable to current life here on the Gulf Coast ... however, whilst sitting in church pondering that thought (and being oddly concerned about what appeared to be a knee burn on the statue of Jesus) saw little girl several pews up stick her finger into her dad's ear, pull out I-don't-know-what and put the finger in her mouth. I love when something like that happens at church ... to me, it's just a reminder from God that we need to come to church and learn, but then we need to go out into the real world (with all its comedy and human failings) and practice what we learned ... must keep that in mind as 2006 unfolds...