Ah, some downtime

So once again, I have neglected to update this site in over a month. As usual, things have just been so busy that I couldn't get around to it until now! I finally, FINALLY have some downtime.

Some of you might know that my event at work, the Go Red for Women Luncheon, was on February 7th. This is the event that I am in charge of at the American Heart Association, and the goal was to raise $200,000 in funds to support research & education related to women and heart disease. I am so proud to say that the luncheon met and will probably exceed that goal this year! It was a lot of hard work - the funds raised mostly come from corporate sponsors here in the Richmond community, and it's my job to secure those sponsorships. We also put on a small silent auction, which consists of about 100 items that are donated from businesses and individuals. Even though I was exhausted and definitely ready for it to be over, the event was incredibly rewarding - and the awesome 75% increase over last year's event is definitely something we are proud of! Here are a few pictures from the Luncheon:

This is Daphne Maxwell-Ried, our Luncheon Hostess - she is a local entrepreneur and celebrity, best-known for her role as Aunt Viv on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

A sampling of our 410 guests enjoying their heart-healthy lunch

Our guests during the networking reception/silent auction

So on to some baby news. As most people know by now, we found out in February that we are having a little girl! I have to admit that Adam & I were both pretty shocked - for whatever reason, we felt very strongly that it was a boy. Ironically, we both had dreams before the ultrasound that we were having a girl, it should have been a clue! We are very excited about Emery Elizabeth - Adam can't wait to have a "daddy's girl" and I am trying not to worry too much yet about her teenage years.

We had to go back this past Tuesday for a follow-up ultrasound because during the one three weeks ago, she was not cooperating at all! They needed to check her spine and also get a good look at her heart - thankfully everything looks great and we're right on track for our delivery date of July 2nd. Tuesday's ultrasound was a lot more enjoyable than the last one - she was much bigger and we got a few good pictures, and we could see much more of her! And most importantly, she looks 100% healthy! A few pics:

Overall, things are going well for us - work has calmed down for me and Adam's class is in full swing. It's pretty time-consuming but he seems to really enjoy it and is learning a lot! We still haven't found time to work on the nursery, but we have the paint color picked & ideas all planned out. We've still got a little time! Our families are great - Debbie is still loving her job at Food Lion, she is so much happier now that she has a job that gets her out of the house, and friends at work. She's working a lot of hours but will cut back a little when Emery is born so she can spend lots of time with her!

Hope all is well with our friends & family - much love to all of you! I'll try to update this more often (ah, empty promises). Take care!

Love, Michelle