Honey….. I’m PREGNANT!

September 30, 2012

The morning I tested and the glorious little blue stick was positive, I had a great feeling in my heart this was it – I was going to be pregnant. The night before, I spent the night in Leesburg with Mike and Mindy. They attended a wedding and needed me to take care of Riley, Avery and Bella. I left early Sunday morning to drive back to Winter Springs and felt like something was different – I just felt like maybe, after almost a year of trying to get pregnant, this maybe the time! As I drove home, I thought about my life with Chad and how much this would mean to us. I also thought a lot about my father and how important his legacy of love would be in my child’s life – even though my son/daughter would never meet him, I remember thinking how important it was to me to that I incorporate his story into my child’s life. I cranked up the country music (a la Willie Nelson channel on Pandora) and prayed in my heart this was it. I wanted to be pregnant, I wanted to grow a family with my wonderful husband, I was clearly aware that having a baby for Chad and me was exactly what we were ready to do – my conviction about it was crystal clear. This child would enter life with a safe home, a loving family, and unconditional support – what a life to start!

I got home, dropped my bags, and said hello to Chad. He was cleaning the bathrooms (of all things) when I got home. I stole away to the guest bathroom and a few moments later, the wonderful little words appeared on the stick, “PREGNANT!” Relief, excitement, joy, overwhelming “oh my goodness!” came over me! I raced out of the guest bathroom and found Chad (of all things!) cleaning the master bathroom! I said, “I’m pregnant!” He was so excited and I think a little caught off guard. We both walked into the kitchen and stared at each other – both just overwhelmed with excitement. We hugged and kissed – a beautiful moment for us – we are officially going to be PARENTS!

Birthdays in Sanibel 2012

Marci and I decided on Sanibel Island for our birthdays this year. We rented a private condo (L-6) at the Sanibel Arms which was a great condo only a couple of hundred feet from the beach and easy access to beach launch the kayaks. On Thursday the 20th (Marci’s Birthday) we made the 3.5 hour trip down to Sanibel through the middle of the state. We would opt to stay on 75 on the way home as even though it is about 40 miles longer that way, it is quicker because you can cruise at mph. After getting checked in, we decided to grab a late lunch at the Lazy Flamingo where I enjoyed the Oysters on the half shell and Marci enjoyed a fish sandwich. We then proceeded to make a shopping spree to stock our fridge at the condo with plenty of food and booze for the weekend. We made it back to the condo just before the rain, which was brief and cooled the temperature about 10 degrees. We made a round of cocktails and hit the beach for a walk and some shell collecting. I think we made it about half way to the lighthouse before turning around. For dinner, Marci chose Prosciutto and Tortellini ala vodka, which we enjoyed at around 9:00pm.

Friday (my birthday) we started the day at 8:00am and after a tasty breakfast of bagels, peanut butter and bananas, along with some delicious Kona coffee, we hit the beach with the kayaks and were on the water by 9:00. We were quickly greeted by a pod of dolphins includin a baby. The weather was a bit overcast so the fishing was off but, we made the paddle to the lighthouse and stopped for pictures. Check out some video…

After playing on the beach around the lighthouse for a bit, we made our way back to the condo by yak, stopping about half way for a “drift-nic” comprised of ham and cheese po-boys and a couple of beers. Since we were in no hurry we really just let the current do most of the work and slowly drifted the majority of the way back, just relaxing and taking in the rays. After beaching the yaks in front of the condo, I soon saw a huge flock of birds attacking the water, I made my way out to the mayham and landed 5 ladyfish in about as many casts. After a nap during the afternoon rain storm, it was soon time for cocktails, a walk on the beach, and a steak and potato dinner. We’re just easy like that. 🙂
On Saturday we were up even earlier (7:00am) and after a breakfast, we made our way to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. This is a great place to do some kayaking and fishing back in the secluded mangroves. I got a grandslam today (4 species of fish landed!) Three trout, one catfish, a ladyfish, and two Jack Crevalle… no a bad day if I do say so myself. Marci fished some but, gave up after getting stabbed in the hand with a Mirodine and opted to finish reading her book Life of Pi. She was also entertained by a friendly manatee, dolphins, and she even saw a shark.

Were off the water by around noon and stopped at Island Cow for lunch and to watch some of the Gators game. I had the reuban, she had the bang bang tacos. The sandwich was good, but Marci made the winning choice. After lunch we decided to stop in to Norm Zeigler’s Fly Shop where we met Norm himself. Norm literally wrote the book on fly fishing for snook and invented a fly which I have been tying for a while called the Schminnow. He was a friendly guy with an interesting story and we were happy to support him by grabbing a couple of t-shirts and a fly that he tied. Unfortunately I was not able to put any of his tips for fishing for snook from the beach to use as the overcast weather continued to make spotting Mr Snookie difficult. We decided on Doc’s for dinner, which was AWESOME, and we highly recommend it to anyonw visiting Sanibel.

Marci and I always have a good time for a birthdays, it has become a tradition. While we generally try some place new every year, we are always on the hunt for something so good, we just can’t resist going back every year. I think Sanibel may have my vote!

Check out more pics HERE.

Here is a video of me landing a HUGE jack crevalle at Ding Darling…

Labor Day 2012 in Vero Beach

Chad and I were lovingly invited by Aunt Donna and Uncle Mark to stay with them in Vero Beach for Labor Day. We packed up the kayaks, fishing gear, various beverages, and headed south for the long weekend. We got an early start on Friday, as my office closed early and Chad took a half day. After a quick stop for lunch and an important stop at ABC, we arrived at the beautiful condo on Vero Beach. Donna, Mark and Reagan arrived as well, and we headed up to the 13th floor of the building, we had the top story facing the ocean (amazing). We quickly dropped our stuff and headed out to check out the city and get directions to the home of Mark’s parents. They live on the river in Hell’s Pocket, a perfect launch for our kayaks from their dock.

We got back to the condo later that afternoon and cocktail hour was upon us. We spent hours on the wrap-around balcony talking about our lives, our family, and how amazing it was to be together in this special place. Reagan interacted with us so wonderfully, she is a really good girl and I am really impressed by her manners and ability to talk with adults. Eventually, we ordered pizza and then proceeded to talk into the night. What great family time together. At one point, the moon was perfectly positioned in the night sky and we took a million pictures of it. Reagan took the best one with her learning pad device, despite the fact I had a really nice Canon camera! What a great start to a great weekend.

EARLY Saturday morning, we headed out with kayaks in tow to the river. Sometimes, we are so impressed with our stealthy ability to get the kayaks off the car, loaded, and into the water. This morning, stealthy we were not! It probably took us an hour to get the yaks assembled and off the dock, a funny thing happened that the sprinklers were on full blast in Mark’s parents backyard, so we were soaked by the time we launched! Also, my spinning rod snapped in half as we rounded a corner, leaving us with only 2 rods. What a morning and it was barely 8:30!!!! We finally got it together and set out on the beautiful river – we decided that I would use Chad’s spinning rod and he would cast on his fly rod. You make due!

We spent hours within a mile of the river house, the fishing was so good, we didn’t want to leave! I caught a fiesty Jack Crevalle and Chad caught 4 trout. We took a break off the kayaks on a beautiful spoil island preserve called Indian River 36 for a few hours. Chad shore fished and I read. I am part of a book club at work and we are reading _Life of Pi_. Chad and I are a great pair, we are so comfortable together, we both like to be outside, we just go with the flow of the day and relax.

The heat of day set in and it was time to cool off and rejoin the Baileys. We headed back to the condo and settled in for an afternoon of Gator football. Donna’s two sons, Parker and Peyton also joined us that afternoon. The evening was really nice, we decided to stay in and cook spaghetti. We all stood in the kitchen and talked shop, it was really enjoyable to just spend time with the Baileys.

Sunday morning, we launched super early again to an epic day of fishing. The bite was on! Chad caught 9 trout, 2 Jack Crevalle, 1 mangrove snapper, and (drum roll, please), his first snook on the fly! This earned him a grand slam for the day! He was really happy! I didn’t have a shabby day myself, 6 trout, 1 of which was the biggest fish I have ever caught! I made a great stride in my fishing career this morning, I am now un hooking the fish ALL BY MYSELF! Yes, you would think, really Marci, this is a big deal??!?! It is, I am now comfortable enough to grab the line, unhook the fish, and do it alone.As we rounded the corner back to the dock, the whole Bailey family was fishing away. Donna and Parker caught fiesty Jacks, Peyton caught a small Bonnethead shark, and Reagan caught a honker-sized sheep’s head. The morning couldn’t have been more fun, we are a world-class fishing family!

After some lunch back at the condo, we headed out to the surf. Chad and the kids eagerly swam out to the waves and started body surfing. Mark, Donna, and I hung back on the shore to watch. After a while though, we decided they were having WAY to much fun, so we all decided to get in the surf. SO MUCH FUN! I haven’t laughed so hard, or drank so much salt water, in a long time! We finally tired and headed to the pool for a dip, then headed back to the dock for some evening fishing. Finally, after an awesome day, we retired back at the condo for a quiet night of take out pizza and conversation.

Monday morning, Labor Day, we decided to get an early start out of town in order to beat the crowds on the roads. We got out by noon, leaving the Baileys with the rest of the day to play. Unfortunately, Mark later that afternoon was bodysurfing and tore his Achille’s tendon – poor Mark, his MS 150 was in a few weeks and he was trained and ready to ride. As of this posting, his surgeon successfully repaired his tendon and he is recovering well.

Labor Day weekend 2012 will go down in the books as a great weekend with family. It is wonderful to know that we are surrounded by loving people – we are blessed!

For more pics check CLICK HERE!