Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Chris and I are finally back together after a long 3 weeks apart! Though I missed him terribly, the time did seem to go by rather quickly. It has been so wonderful being back together and catching up on all we did over the 3 weeks apart. I love him so much and am glad we are together again! Thanks everyone for your prayers!

Amanda's 21st Birthday!

On Saturday April 25th, my little sister, Amanda, turned the big 2-1! My parents and I drove to Tuscaloosa to help her celebrate. We started the evening by having dinner with Amanda, her boyfriend Justin, and his parents. Amanda and Justin were really excited because this was the first time any of us met his parents. We enjoyed a nice dinner at Kozy's for both Amanda's and Justin's birthdays. (Justin turned 22 on April 23rd.) We all really liked Mr. and Mrs. Byrd. After dinner, we went back to Justin's house where he had a group of Amanda's friends waiting there to surprise her.. and surprised she was! The night was full of fun and games, family and friends, alcohol and of course... Presents and Cake!!! Amanda seemed to really enjoy her 21st birthday and couldn't believe how fast the day flew by! Happy Birthday sis!

Amanda and her first drink at dinner!

Justin and Amanda at Kozy's.

Happy Birthday, Amanda!!!!!

Amanda with Mr. and Mrs. Byrd


The family, minus Christopher. :(

A long 3 weeks

I have been in Destin for a week now and miss my sweet husband so much! We left Birmingham on March 27th and drove up to DC on March 28th. Chris is doing his FINAL clinic at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. His first two weeks at WRAMC he worked in the amputations department and today he started his last two weeks in the prosthetics department. He is loving every minute of his rotation and though he is not hands on (he is only able to observe) he has learned quite a bit. Last week the Secretary of Homeland Security stopped by to visit some of the patients. She stopped to talk with some of Chris' patients so he was excited to be so close to someone with such an important job in our country! She had all sorts of security with her and Chris found it fascinating. Cheryl, Chris' mom, and I spent a week in DC touring the city. We walked miles and miles and miles. There is really so much to do in that city that I honestly believe you could be there for months and still not see it all. One exciting thing we did was sit in the senate gallery during one of there sessions. We saw John McCain, John Kerry, and some other big names. On Wednesday, Cheryl and I drove up to Baltimore (45 min drive) and had lunch with Chris' grandparents. Friday night the three of us met Preston and Denby Heard for dinner in China Town. It was so great catching up with them! Denby is pregnant with a little boy, Paul, and is due at the end of May. She is absolutely adorable!

Last Monday I came to Destin and let me tell you, saying good-bye to my husband for 3 weeks was NOT fun. I cried and cried. Our first week apart went by really fast. I came to Destin and had family in town. Aunt Sheri, Uncle Andy, Erin and Morgan were here for the girls spring break and Mike and Ness came down on Thursday. Having a full house made the week fly by. Now, it's Monday and everyone is gone. The Bowers/Rueda's are back in Miami and both of my parents are working. It's storming here so I can't go to the beach. It's rather lonely around here. I miss Chris a lot and can't wait to see him in 2 weeks!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!!! Oh! Congratulations to Davey and Sarah Akin for the birth of their beautiful little girl, Lailey!