6-20-14 officially hitched! 20 week checkup & Chattanooga TN getaway...

Friday June 20th, was a busy and exciting day! We took off work and headed to our little intimate marriage ceremony in downtown Lawrenceville after getting our license at the courthouse & sealed our nuptials with a kiss! Hooray. I'm offically a Mann now :) Then immediately after we had a doctors appointment right up the street at 2pm. We quickly rushed over there in time for our sonogram and checkup. This was the anatomy evaluation to make sure he was growing properly and no visual deformities to worry about. We had already been to Storkvision so we knew that it was a boy and nothing seemed to look unusual or out of place but he had grown 3 more weeks since then and anything was possible so we were anxious to take another peek. We were blessed that all looked good on the screen and measurments matched up to the current expected due date Nov 3rd-5th. He is about 13 oz (almost a pound) and still uses his arm to cover his eyes when he's being looked at on the ultrasound as well as a wiggle worm in there. He flipped completely over in the middle of the session and we learned he is breech. Come on baby turn around in the coming months!! We have another quick home video of it on our Youtube channel. He looks like he already has big feet and long legs so no wonder I have been feeling those flutter kicks in my lower abdomen. Then after all the "everything looks a-okay" from the doctors, we headed downtown Atlanta for an evening at the Sundial as well as an overnight visit at the Westin to celebrate our new union and good news! The next morning we got up early and headed to Chattanooga for a small out of town getaway for more celebrating together. We stayed downtown on Chestnut Street with walking distance to local places. Since we just missed the Blue Moon cruise when we got up there right after 11am, we decided to have an early lunch at the Boathouse on the Tennessee River. With a full belly, we headed up to the infamous Ruby Falls. An indoor cavern with a waterfall located 1100 feet underneath the surface of Lookout Mountain discovered many years ago. They added a light show to music once you reach it after a 1/2 mile of walking through many unusual rock formations on the way. You get paired up with a large group of other visitors and all take the tour together. After waiting in line, you all take an elevator down to the very bottom and have a tour guide throughout the way. Once finished we headed back downtown and eventually to dinner at Bluewater for some seafood. Joe was so upset they completely ran out of dessert that night. Luckily I bought some rock candy, jawbreaker lollipop and sour jelly beans at Ruby Falls to hold over our sweet tooth. HA! While looking up coupons of more touristy things to do around town, we came across an ad for ghost tour that offered a ghost hunt. Oh my goodness, we both took one minute of laughing together and decided, "we need to do this" I mean how many other newlywed couples do you know go on a hunt for ghosts "ummm none" Exactly! We show up at the Read House down from our hotel at 9:30pm to meet up with our group. We are too shy to admit that's what we are there for so we wait around the corner until we are sure that is what everyone else is there for. I mean we didn't want to embarrass ourselves and ask strangers "Sooo you here for a ghost hunt too" and look ridiculous. Luckily they were all there for the same thing. The guide gave us some ghost monitor contraptions and told us about an app that was the most entertaining of them all called, Ghost Radar Classic" to download. It will tell you if a ghost is in the area and will shoot out one word at a time. Those words are supposed to be clues to what ghost is around you. We didn't realize til the next day driving 70 mph down I-75 that it might be false when we had a hit on our radar except it did say "Columbus" which is a city in GA. Either way, it seemed hilarious. I was only slightly weirded out by the fact we kept using the app for entertainment when we got home and I jokingly said "how weird would it be if it said the name of a dead relative" It wasn't a few minutes later that it said "Alice" and that was the name of my great aunt who my mom took care of until she passed away. She lived with my grandma Helen when my Papa Joe passed away. So we were close to her growing up and visited her often. It was the first time it said a real name. Oooooo!!! It was almost as ironic as the couple we ran into at Lenox mall, on our way back from Chattanooga. We had to stop downtown Atlanta and pick up a rug at Pottery Barn Kids for the nursery. As we were lugging it out and headed back towards the valet, we stopped in Sperry right by the exit. Joe wanted to look at dress shoes real quick for work. I turn around after a few minutes of shopping in there and a Spanish lady looks at us and says "hi" with a shy timid "I think we know each other" greeting. I kept wondering how I knew her. Then Joe and I at the same time realized it was her and her husband from Ruby Falls, they were in our group from the day before. We even had to tell the sales associate "oh my gosh, speaking of what we did this weekend, they were there too!!" So of all the people in a location 2 hours away at a mall, at the same store, and same time of day...for them to be there flipped us out. Just another one of the wacky coincidences we have encountered again. Also, I am sure it won't be the last in our lifetime together!! To be continued....lol. So the only other thing I left out from the busy weekend before I got sidetracked on the other stories was the stop at the annual Chattanooga Market Festival. So right before we headed back to Atlanta, they have a food festival mixed in with arts and crafts plus produce stands all in one downtown. We got there when it first opened at 11am. We enjoyed a little taste of everything from cinnamon peanuts, BBQ, hotdog, sweet tea, frozen lemonade, samples of pimento cheese and chicken salad to purchases of frozen dinners and homemade keylime and Italian creme cake slices. A few rows over we came across a lady who hand sews on character appliques to onesies. We got 3 of them for Baby Mann in sizes 3-6 and 6-12 months of Superman, Yoda, and Captain America (our soon to be lil superhero!)And before leaving, kept eyeing a pop up wooden store. It was a Rustic Country hand crafter who makes pictures, frames, bird houses and other nicknacks for a southern or western theme decor. We found the perfect wedding present to ship to Texas for Coy and Sandi's upcoming wedding in Blanco over the 4th of July!! Can't wait for that too...excited to see everyone again soon!!

Father's Day Championship Present !

June 15th , 2014....this may be a day that Daddy Joe remembers vividly and not just because it was his first unofficial father's day. It was the evening the Spurs won the NBA championship title. They triumphiantly beat the overglorified Miami Heat (LeBron and others) who knocked them out last year in the end. The Spurs came back strong and hard with a vengence and score to settle this year. We had been actively following the Spurs basketball finals each week, late games that kept us (ok I would fall asleep early on the couch or in bed) but Joe and now even Nana Fagan up and awake til the final midnight end to each game. In a 3 to 1 game winning lead , they pulled through with their 4th and almost 20 point final win to end the series last night. The San Antonio GA boys, Garrett and Joe celebrated in our living room with high fives and excited grins from their hometown team championship!! Even I fought the sandman to stay awake for this one. This was the most basketball I had watched in my life but now the only one I cared about...so congrats Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Ginobaldi....now that I know your names :) Now time to shop for Nana Fagan's flat brimmed white 2014 championship hat for her to flaunt sideways to Publix and the nail salon, lol

First weekend in June - Office Shenanigans, Registering, Laser Show & Golf

We had an "Is it 5'o clock on Friday yet" moment in the office around 4pm and decided to get into the sample room and see what we could entertain ourselves with. Joe had been dying to put on this Lakeland fire protective suit that resembled a space moon walker. So, don't be surprised if you also see this in October for a Halloween costume. This is just a funny, had to share post because it looks so ridiculous. Then on Saturday, Joe wanted to go grab some Father's Day presents since his buddy Garrett gave him a PGA card coupon. He grabbed some golf balls and a cigar holder (clamp) for the golf cart for "you know who" Pops Fagan, I even included a timeless stogie pic of the man with his vice. Joe was also kind enough to get some not just for my dad and himself but for Phil in our office who will be covering for us at work while we have our next doctor appointment and upcoming nuptials. Such a thoughtful guy!! Then right up the street from the PGA Superstore was Babies R Us. Most guys would complain or say "do I have to" but he didn't even bat an eyelash when I asked him if we could stop in to quick register for some items while we were in the area. It was his time to play "cashier" He took his laser beam scanner and wiped out the store with buzzes. Ok, I'm overexaggerating a bit but I think we have about 4 strollers, a few car seats and clothes on there that I'm not even sure will fit. About 91 items in all and I'm not exactly sure we got all we were supposed to?? Thanks to friends who have had babies recently to help us get it all straightened out soon. I was just thankful he toted along and was such an amazing dad for participating with me. Lil baby Joe will be appreciative to have such a hands on dad too! Then later that evening after dinner, it ended up not raining like it was supposed to so I thought it might be a nice night out to go see the infamous Stone Mountain Laser Show that only occurs on weekend nights during the summer. It is a state ritual to attend at least once. You sit out on the lawn, under the stars, there is a giant stone rock mountain carved with confederate historic men, Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, & Jefferson Davis. It is the highest relief sculture in the world. Then there are lasers on the mountain with music playing in the background. It is mostly about GA history and state teams as well as cartoon graphics for the kids. It ends with a fireworks show. And as far as attire, don't forget your glow sticks,bracelets and necklaces, don't worry, I made sure I was decked out! The following Sunday afternoon it continued to stay sunny out so we went golfing near the house at Collins Hill golf course. I say "we" but I was just the photographer / cart girl to keep Joe company. He wanted me to tag along and entertain him as well as help hunt balls that went outside the main course.haha. The one ball I found was a Titlest that someone had put a heart and arrow on in pen. I had to keepsake it, of course, it's bad luck not to. Only I would find a LOVE ball out there in the bushes. (especially since it was also the one day we accidentally dressed alike in navy blue shirts) Hey the family that dresses together, stays together. lol Anyways, it's a tough little course but Joe hit some great drives. The greens were still recovering from a rough winter (ice and snow storms) so putting wasn't his "A" game but all in all it was a nice and fun outing. Joe enjoyed practicing for future championship tournaments on another amateur course and I liked assisting, lol.

Pop goes the Weasel....

Wow, what a difference a month or so makes. Today is officially week 18 but exactly 5 more months to go til this little guy is born. The doctors expected due date is Nov 5th (which is ironic since Joe and I met exactly on Nov 5th of last year) You can't plan these things even if you tried as well as many other coincidences we have had along the way, too funny. Anyways, here is a 13 week pic and a current 18 week pic to show the difference. All my mom said was "just wait". I'm sure by early fall it will look like I swallowed a basketball.

Circa 1980 something...lil Joe and Bridge

Looks like the only thing that has changed is our hair color...haha. Mr Devious and lil miss Sassy

SURPRISE!!! It's a .....

Well the time has finally come for the big reveal!! Now everyone will be in on our big news. The gender cards have come in and the mail is going out tomorrow. We look forward to hearing from everyone as they open their letters. Then anyone who decides to stop by and leave messages to add to our Mann blog is welcome to!! We are excited to share this moment with you all :) Thanks for waiting and playing our little scratch off game and spend your coin wisely, haha Here is the 2D and 3D video from Storkvision when we found out it was a boy. They gave us a DVD to take home and we uploaded it to Youtube to share. We now have a channel called GA Mann's for future uploads as well. Feel free to watch and see Baby Mann squirm around as they show us it is indeed a boy during the 12 minutes of taping. He also frowns, even swallows while he's in there as well as tap his foot up against me. Watch closely https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL37_Ccw6Ds&feature=youtu.be

Georgia's Annual Renaissance Festival & Nursery Shopping