another surprise shower and first trip to the beach

so believe it or not, i had a record fifth baby shower to attend on friday, this one again for my coworker krissy who is due in early june. this one was a surprise shower, and we all gathered for lunch to celebrate marley's upcoming arrival.


i took a video of the "surprise!" moment. i think it's funny and shows that we like to have a good time at work :) katie and i were so ready for krissy to come in!


the cake was so cute--another great creation from "your perfect cake."

and amber did a fabulous job with the diaper cake. good personalized items and little gifts sprinkled through out. (she's thinking of doing these on the side and taking orders for them--if you're looking!)and the happy mom-to-be with her cake.

after work on friday, we headed down to atlantic beach for the night. we hadn't been to the beach yet this year, and we also wanted to get down and visit my grandparents down east. we chose to stay at the carribe inn (one of the pet-friendly hotels at the beach) and though i'd driven by it many times, i had no clue how colorful it was, inside and out! we had an under-water themed mural in our room, bright pink and teal swirls on the ceiling and in the bathroom, and fish printed comforters on the bed. after checking in, we unloaded the car and left pepper in her kennel in the room. she wasn't too thrilled about that, but that was part of the pet rules and we left the TV on for some familiar noise. we ended up at the sanitary for a late dinner, and we both enjoyed some tasty seafood and a nice view of the waterfront.on saturday, we got up and checked out of the hotel (after being told that pepper made too much noise the night before when we left her--we took her with us to breakfast and set her up in the car.) it was biker's weekend, so the diner was plenty busy with regular vacationers and bikers who were down for the festivities. after some great omelettes and french toast, we made our way over to fort macon to enjoy a few hours at the beach.

pepper is not a fan of the water--she was a little spooked by the waves and wouldn't come near them. but she did love the sand and dug happily to find the cool, moist sand underneath. she'd stretch out and wriggle back and forth until she had her own little trench to lay in. we also took plenty of walks to visit the other beach-goers.

for lunch, we drove in to beaufort and walked along the waterfront, admiring the huge yachts and boats that were at the docks. we enjoyed lunch at the beaufort grocery company--the first time either of us had eaten there. i was a little surprised that they didn't have sweet tea (doesn't happen often in the south) but they made up for it with their delicious "apple granny" sandwich--freshly made chicken salad with apple slices and cheddar on a croissant and some AMAZING sweet potato chips. justin ordered the chips without realizing they were sweet potato, so i ended up finishing most of his as well.

at that point, we headed down eat to visit my grandparents, stopping at food lion to pick up a few things for them. it was great to see them and to sit and talk for a while. we hope to be able to get down and visit more often this summer. we had to check out the davis shore provisions as we drove back home, a cute little shop that had opened up in the tiny community of davis. they had lots of local artwork, photography and gifts for all sorts of occasions.
i found some beautiful prints of the area, some handmade jewelry that i was seriously considering, but ended up with just a bag of sweet potato chips (yes, i'm addicted) and a new sticker for my car. we had to stop and take a picture of the "pepper dog" salsa--one of our favorite names for pepper.
we made it home just in time to eat dinner, put aloe on some random spots (my right knee and left ankle got pink--but nothing else!) and crawl into bed. it was a long day, but great to visit my family and relax on the beach. i know we'll be heading back soon before it gets too hot or too crowded down there.