the good 'ol indiana state fair

Last Thursday night we made a trip to the State Fair. It was a perfect night...not too crowded, a cool breeze, and the wonderful aroma of fair food!! While Maryn loved the animals and hated the fair food, Jeremy and I quite enjoyed our fair entrees. You just can't resist a cold lemonade shake-up and an ear of hot buttered corn!! Not to mention a pork sandwich, corndog, and funnel cake. A no trip to the fair would be complete without a milkshake from the Dairy Barn. On our way out we stopped to do a little dancing and clapping to MC Hammer on the free stage. Should we count that as Maryn's first concert? Ahhh, what a fun Indiana evening!!

checking out the goats and sheep

feeding the goats

dancing with Daddy to a live performance by MC Hammer :)
(who knew he would end up at the fair?!?)

sharing some funnel cake with Mommy...yum yum!

oh how we love the zoo!!

This summer we have LOVED going to the zoo!! Each time we go Maryn finds a new animal to watch intently and declare a loud "yea!!" when they do something fun. We have a great love for giraffes and also for the elephants and penguins. The ocean building is one of our favorites and I think we could stay in there for an hour easily. Here are few snapshots of our favorite animals and some special people that shared in our fun zoo adventures this summer!

LOVE this picture!!!

Maryn looks so small with a big polar bear swimming above her :)

not willing to feed the giraffes, but okay with getting close

fun day with Grandpa and Grandma!

what a cute baby elephant!

checking things out with my cousin Stone

oh my goodness...my little baby looks like a big girl in this picture!!

her little pose cracks me up :)

fun day with Stone and Mamaw!

a taste of summer

best buddies....Maryn and Duke

she has now learned how to say "cheese" :)

peek-a-boo!

feeding baby...after I put the camera away she tried to sample the bottle as well :)

Maryn loves to paint!

staying cool in the little pool!

just relaxing...thanks Nolan's for my rocking chair !

4th of july at the lake

Jeremy trying out his new kayak for the first time

Big morning smiles on the 4th of July!

Very patriotic :)

Quincy and Maryn

Turner and Maryn

Look Daddy, I can kayak too!!

eight years of love

Eight years ago on June 23, 2001, we stood before God and our family and friends and become one. While at the time I knew I was taking a big step in life, it is only as the years go by that I have realized how big that step was. Marriage has been full of adventures, challenges, new opportunities, and joy, but most of all love. I can't imagine my life without Jeremy in it. Can you believe we have been together for 13 years?! In that time we have learned to rely on one another in different ways, but most importantly we have learned to rely on God as the foundation of our marriage. As we have encountered various trials that in some cases would have damaged a marriage, ours has grown deeper. We have learned to love each other better with each passing year. Our family and friends have been instrumental in guiding us along the way and supporting us. Marriage is not easy and is somewhat always evolving into something new. I love the love we share with each other and the love that we share with Maryn.

I pray that we would continue to keep God as the center of our marriage, that He would continue to be glorified by our love for one another and for others, and that our love would remain strong in the days to come.

I love you Jeremy!

always daddy's little girl...

happy father's day daddy!!

nothing better than an afternoon nap in daddy's arms and a nice ocean breeze...zzz

you will never outgrow my heart...always daddy's little girl

beach family photos

Of course you can't go to the beach without taking the traditional white and khaki photos :)