oh, he's gonna either love me or hate me for this one!

Today we are linking this post to another blogger, Kelly's Korner: Show Us Your Singles! http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2011/01/show-us-your-life-show-us-your-singles.html When I saw this opportunity, immediately my mind went to Mark, one of our favorite friends. Girls, this is your lucky day. This tall, dark, and handsome bachelor is a keeper. Just look at him! So let's back up a decade or so. You see, I REALLY owe Mark because HE was the guy that brought Curt to dinner on the night he and I met. So now I would love to be able to proudly boast that I was somewhat instrumental in helping him meet his girl!

So let's meet this guy Mark! This handsome bachelor has never been married, of course has no children, and will make THE best husband to some extremely lucky girl. (My sister-in-law is married but jokingly tells us all that Mark is her back-up plan if her husband ever passes.)

His wit is his most charming characteristic, but I'm sure you already picked up on that from this hysterical crocodile picture. This is a really active guy that lives in Jackson, MS and loves to travel all over the world. Mark is just a really adventurous type of guy that somehow always becomes the life of the party. Makes you want to pack grab your carry-on and join the fun, doesn't it?

Mark is a proud graduate and supporter of Mississippi State University, and has been a long-time season ticket holder for both the football and basketball teams. However, he has been known to yell and throw couch pillows at the television during the rough seasons.

This all sounds like a blast of a life, but Mark would absolutely, hands-down, choose being a devoted husband and father over anything else. Mark has a very stable career as an engineer for the State of Mississippi, and is a very hard-working guy. He has also been an active member of First Baptist Church for many years and enjoys teaching his young adult Sunday School class.

Another great thing about our friend Mark is that he has a very strong family unit. Ladies, we all know this is a very important predictor in marriage, and this guy HAS it. His parents are retired Baptist pastors that are the ideal in-laws. They are alot of fun too, and are guest chaplains on cruises all over the world. How's that for a fun retirement gig? Also, Mark's brother and family are missionaries in Southeast Asia. They're just a really great bunch to be around. (Side note to you girls that are into birth order: Mark is the oldest brother, so he's a strong leader, but also very nurturing and caring. Come on, you know it's very important to know how you would relate to your potential spouse.) Mark has been in long-term relationships before, but obviously has just not been introduced to the one he is meant to marry yet.

So ladies, if you would like to learn a little more about Mark, just either leave a comment on this post, link me to your Facebook/my space/blog, etc... or email me at marytbuchanan@gmail.com.

shaking the egg

So here's the thing about going to Gulf Shores in the off-season. You're able to walk right on in to Lulu's and get your choice of tables. You're not sunburned and grumpy during your standard summer two-hour wait. And your child gets invited to come up on stage with the band and shake the eggs. in both hands. How fun!

Mollie didn't know quite what to think about being an egg-shaker on stage, so she pretty much just did what they told her to do, and shook those eggs for the entire song. And you know our table was SO proud! We really should have gotten a picture of the huge grins on our faces. So, here's a shot of Mollie's egg-shaking debut...

Winter Tot Beach Party

It's always fun to go to the beach. But there's something extra special about playing on the beach with your kids. Everything is so new and exciting to them, and you can't help but get all caught up in their enthusiasm. We were so glad to spend a few days with Curtis and Kaye in Gulf Shores, and were super excited to drive in and realize that it was sunny and 60 degrees outside. We went straight to the beach to run off all our wiggles from the long car ride, and the kids were ready to play and run wild! This was one of our favorite afternoons ever.
Tripp is attempting to subtly inch his way closer and closer to the all-tempting Gulf of Mexico. (BTW: In case you wondered about this word, I googled the spelling and meaning of "subtly" because it just didn't look right to me either.)

What a happy little boy! Are we all thinking we should take trips to the beach more often? Only because it's good for Tripp, right? haha.

You knew it was coming. Yes, the predictable sand-in-the-eyes rubbing. But we were prepared, baby powder took the sand right off his little hands, and he ran back off to shovel some more sand.

Mollie stepped on a sea shell, and then wanted her daddy to walk with her from that point on. :)

Pure happiness.

As we loaded up all our beach gear to go inside, we realized Mollie had buried all her animals and insects in the sand. It took a little while of hand-raking a lot of piles of sand, but we were able to recover most of her animals and toys, as she stood beside us having a minor panic attack.

Mollie is posing with "puppy-puppy", her new best friend. Tripp is trying to figure out how to get down there to that swimming pool.

And of course, the predictable "mollie choking tripp" picture. Unfortunately, the day will come when he gets her back. But for now it's a really cute dynamic between the two of them. She loves to (s)mother her "little" brother. And a great big shout-out to Kaye-Kaye and Sashee for inviting a few little ones (and a few big ones) to crash their romantic get-a-way for a few days! :)

Riding on the Ferris Wheel!

We stopped at the Wharf in Orange Beach on our way to see Curtis and Kaye and took a ride on the Ferris Wheel! The kids loved it so much, and so did the parents. :)

"Eat Mor Chikin"

Don't forget to reserve your free Spicy Chicken Biscuit tasting this week at your local Chick-fil-A. You need to have a reservation for your "exclusive premier tasting"! I'm sure it is delicious.

http://http//chick-fil-a.com/#home