Got in to Bordighera, Italy yesterday for Chud and Nellie's wedding.
And squeezed a *ton* of stuff in on the first day.

After riding from the airport in a convertible Bentley, we grabbed
sandwiches and cappuccinos, went boating to Monte Carlo, ate some
fantastic Italian and, oh, watermelon for dessert. Yea, my life sucks.

Left the laptop at home and went with only the iPad. Gotta say, the
photo uploading apps leave something to be desired (I'm looking at
you, Flickr.) Here's some more (out of order) photos.

We can finally shout it from the rooftops! (Hold your ears, Reston!) We're expecting!!!!!!!!!! Around December 13th, our house will welcome the sweet, sweet sounds of a compact Kaar!

Today was the 13-week visit, and all went well! We got to hear the heartbeat and even watched the little one take a drink or two! Don't think I'll ever take a sip of anything again without thinking of that moment–so very precious! Who knew drinking could be so magical? Let's just say we're in love already … make that head over heels!

Fun times in Williamsport, Pa., last weekend! It's so good to see friends so happy! And the Hershbergers sure know how to throw a wedding party! I'm still dreaming about all of those gorgeous peonies and all of the phenomenal, home-cooked food--not to mention smiling just thinking of everyone doing the chicken dance with real chickens.

Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Briel!

Sorry we didn't take more pics, guess we were too busy having fun.

This past Sunday, Nat worked a sponsor tent at the DC Walk to Empower. Being the considerate husband that I am {cough, cough}, I drove her downtown and made myself busy. And after living near DC for four years, I'd never been to the top of the Washington Monument.

This year is the 20th anniversary of my grad school department at CMU.  The Information Networking Institute was created to teach telecom employees how to better compete in the face of deregulation.  I'm sure those first students didn't foresee a program that now spans three continents and five different degrees.  Really wishing I'd worked in a trip to Greece while I was there!

Nat didn't have long to enjoy her surprise birthday bash.  We got to work early Sunday morning on our front "yard".  Following in the footsteps of Mom's nice backyard showing, we knew we had a tough act to follow.

We enlisted the help of a few nurseries to find plants that can grow without much sun.  Hopefully we chose wisely …

Before

After

       

Total success with Nat's surprise birthday dinner last night.  She didn't suspect a thing, and the look on her face when she saw friends instead of a table for two, priceless.

Oh, and having the birthday song belted out opera-style was the cherry on top.

Still can't believe it came down to the buzzer for the Butler/Dook game.  So proud to see those guys make a game of it.

About a week ago, Matt and I were able to take a mini-vacay to Florida before a work conference of his down there. From a glorious day of walking around Magic Kingdom, hanging out with our favorite mice and catching our favorite rides, to morning Starbucks strolls along the beach before snagging primo seats for catching all of the Spring Break festivities at the pool and watching Cheerleading Nationals (BRING IT ON!) on a nearby stage, we had a blast! We even got to dine with Saffron and Tony in St. Augustine!

Just what the doctor ordered!

Here's a peek at all the fun: