Welcome to the world, little girl!!

On Tuesday October 26, I got up and went to work just like usual. Kevin texted me that he was having a tough day that day and so I went home on my lunch break and made some soup for us and when I came home from work for the evening, I made us dinner, even though I was supposed to be resting due to slightly elevated blood pressure (and ridiculously swollen tree trunk-like legs and feet).

After dinner we just hung out together and ended up watching Saturday Night Live that I had DVRed. Emma Stone was hosting and there were some really funny skits - during Weekend Update I ended up laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face. While we were watching, I was bouncing on my exercise ball, which had been a blessing.

We went up to bed by 9:30 and settled in for the night. Around 11:45, I got up for my first trip to the bathroom. As I tried to climb back into bed, I felt another gush of fluid. I thought I might have peed my pants, but then decided that was how most women say it starts so I went to the bathroom to assess the situation and decided to grab a towel and head downstairs to see if it continued.

Downstairs, I started watching another show I had DVRed - Glee. When I stood up again, I felt another gush and decided this was the real deal. It was now around 12:30 am. I figured I wouldn't be going into work the next day, so it would be ok for me to stay up late. And because the nurses at birthing class said you should eat something because once you go to the hospital you get nothing, I made myself a bowl of oatmeal.

I went upstairs to let Kevin know that my water broke but nothing was happening yet so he could stay up there and sleep. I figured that he would come downstairs and keep my company (I thought he would be excited and nervous, much like the reaction of dads on tv shows - think Ricky Ricardo) but he rolled over and went back to sleep.

I just hung out on the ball and relaxed, but I couldn't sleep - I was too riled up! I didn't want to call anyone yet, Kevin was sleeping and finally around 2am I was so bored I went back and woke Kevin up. I said "Get up! I am bored and nothing in happening - let's go for a walk." So he got dressed and we walked around the block a few times in the night, just chatting about how things would be and names and things.

We came back in because I had to go to the bathroom and Kevin went back to bed. I took a shower and shaved my legs (I don't know why this is something women care about, but it just seemed like something I've heard women say that they do, so I did it - it is NOT an easy task with a giant belly!). Around 3 am, I got into bed and fell asleep for a bit. A little after 4 am, I woke up because I was uncomfortable and I realized I was beginning to have contractions. I slipped back downstairs and spent some time hunched over my exercise ball. Kevin came down shortly after and offered to make me something to eat, so he made me some scrambled eggs and toast, but I was only able to eat about half of it (and it is not like me to turn away breakfast).

After I had been having contractions for a while, I decided it was time to call my family and let them know. They live about an hour away from us, so I wanted to make sure they would be able to get there, as my mom was planning on coming to the hospital and being with us in the delivery room. I called my mom at 5:30am and said "Good morning, I think we are having a baby today" and explained that my water had broke. So she woke up my dad and little sister and they set off for our house. Kevin called his parents to let them know the situation also - he wasn't supposed to call them until we were already at the hospital but he wanted to make sure they knew and they are difficult to contact once they are at work.

Once my family arrived, we watched my favorite movie - "Meet Me in St. Louis" and just visited. My mom started to write down when I was having contractions so we could keep track of how often they were coming. We played Rummy 500 and my mom kicked both Kevin's and my butt (Kevin insisted we were cheating, but we just have different rules than he normally plays with and it was 2 against 1).

At 11, my mother in law showed up at our house because she decided to call into work and was pacing around the house and decided to come up. Every once in a while, someone (my mother or mother in law) would announce "I think you should call the doctor." I had been putting it off for as long as I could because I didn't want to have to sit all day in the hospital I was going to the bathroom with every contraction and beginning to feel like I would throw up, so I finally caved.

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We waited until a little after 1 pm (the office closes for lunch from 12-1) and Kevin called the doctor and described how things were going. He told them my water broke a little before midnight, I was having contractions but they were not coming at regular times - sometimes it was 4 minutes, then 12, then 7 between contractions. I spoke with the nurse and she told us to come in to the office so I went and changed and off we went.

We arrived at the office around 1:45. As soon as we got into the car, something changed. My contractions got more frequent and I made a comment about this but Kevin replied "Well, YOU said if the ride to the hospital isn't torture then we didn't wait long enough" so I just kept quiet. We checked in at the doctors and I was having contractions every 1 or 2 minutes it seemed like. Finally a nurse came to get me - she had to wait until I was through my contraction until I could get up and follow her. Kevin came back with me. The nurse asked if I could "leave a sample" but I wasn't able to and then I had to wait until a break to get out of the bathroom.

Once I was put in a room, I took my bottoms off and waited for a doctor to come in. She had to wait for my contraction to break so I could get on the table, and then again for me to relax my legs so she could check me. She made an offhanded comment about how I was definitely in active labor, she could tell without inserting the speculum. Once she did, however, she looked at me and said "You are 10 cm and I can see hair - we need an ambulance!" and then ran out of the room.

Normally this is where I would panic, but I was so busy concentrating on the contractions that I couldn't worry about anything else. The doctor came back and apologized about running out of the room and explained that an ambulance would be coming right away to take me to the hospital. She brought back a nurse named Amy who was so amazing. She helped me breathe through the contractions and held my hands to help me focus.

All modesty flies out the window when you are having a baby - I was lying on the doctor's table with no bottoms on with 2 doctors and at least 3 nurses in the room and then came the 4 male EMTs who helped me get onto the gurney (while flashing them my giant ass) and wheeled me out of the office. Kevin rode in the front seat while a EMT, a doctor and the nurse Amy rode in the back with me. Amy held my hands and coached me with my breathing. The doctor asked the EMT "Have you ever delivered a baby en route to the hospital?" and when he answered that he had, the doctor replied, "Great, if she needs to push you come back here." Thanks a lot for instilling the confidence, dude.

We drove to the hospital with the lights and sirens on, while my mom came behind us and took my car. The driver asked "Are we taking her to L&D?" and the other EMT replied "No - right to the trauma bay, the team is waiting for us."

We made it right into the first room of the hospital ER and the L&D team was there. I moved off the gurney and onto the hospital bed I was sad that Amy the nurse left me because she had helped me SO much but the staff there was great - the room was PACKED with people but I didn't much care at the time. One nurse offered me some water and gave me an ice pack on my neck to cool me down - had I been able to, I would have hugged her. She held one leg and Kevin held the other and told me to push when I felt I needed to. Another nurse said my mom was there and was I intended for her to be in the room when I delivered and when I said yes, they brought her in. Someone else asked if I was planning on giving the baby the Hep B vaccine right away or if I wanted to wait until the dr visit (um, hello? I'm a little busy right now).

I pushed and pushed while the doctor, nurses, Kevin and my mom cheered me on - I didn't yell or swear or say "Get this thing out of me!" but I was feeling like I couldn't do that for much longer and I wasn't sure I was capable. I was having big doubts but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want anyone to yell at me so I just kept up the pushing. Finally out came the head - this was so hard because the doctor then tells you to stop pushing or to give little pushes and it is hard to control at that point but I did my best and gave another push when I was told and finally the biggest relief - IT WAS OUT and the doctor said "It's a girl!!"

I was so surprised because I really was so sure she would be a boy. One of the first things I said was how I could get her the cute little pink penguin outfits I saw at Old Navy now. She was so beautiful and pink and amazing. We didn't have a name right away because Kevin and I hadn't agreed, but in the end I let Kevin have his name (if it had been a boy, I would have insisted on mine) - Charlotte. Charlotte Evelyn, which is for my grandmother. She was born at 3:18 pm after less than 40 minutes of pushing. 7 lbs 14 oz and 20.5 inches long.

All in all, the birth was the best possible outcome for me because it didn't give me any time to worry or get anxious about how things would play out - it was a "do or die" situation of sorts. Nothing felt like I expected it to feel. I found the repair work the doctor was doing to be worse than the delivery, perhaps due to the adrenaline rush. In a few hours I was on the phone with my best friend telling her I would do it again.

Charlotte is so amazing and I can't imagine how we lived without her - I am so thankful for having her in our life and I love her so much I don't know that I will ever be able to explain it. My darling girl <3

Sweet Hayden

This Sunday I was able to go to my home town to visit with some family who flew in from out of town - my cousin Lesley and her two kids, Harrison (4) and Hayden (2). They haven't been up to visit since Christmas, so it has been a while since we've had the opportunity to catch up and see how big the kids have grown.

Hayden is my goddaughter, and I often send her things - usually just a book and a little treat for whatever holiday is coming up - but she is at the age where she can start to associate those things with me, so Lesley has been showing her pictures of me and whenever I send something she tells her "Those are from Meagan" and Hayden walks around saying "From my Meagan" for a couple days, so I was definitely excited to see her.

She, on the other hand, was not so excited to see me. She is just not used to having such a large group around her so she was pretty leery at my grandmother's, even though she had done fine a few days earlier with just my grandmother there. Oh well. I brought presents to win her love - hey! Don't make that face at me. She is two and I only see her twice a year, I've got to do something...

I brought her a pretty dress and a Cinderella crown and wand and best of all, some bright pink nail polish for her toes. So after dinner she let me paint her toes and then she, Lesley and I went for a walk to the park around the corner. When we were there, we were telling her about the baby growing in my tummy and how next time she visited, the baby would be out and she could help me take care of it. She really liked that because she likes to help with the real babies at day care and lines up all her babies at home to feed them and rock them.

Best of all, she touched my tummy and sang the baby a song - "You are my sunshine." SO sweet! All in all, it was such a nice visit and I am looking forward to their visit at Christmastime with little no-name in my belly.

Enjoy it!

Oh no... not that!

The time has come... I have been dreading it and putting it off and making excuses, but despite my valiant efforts, this weekend I finally have to give in and just do it. I have to clean the closet in our spare bedroom.

Hopefully all goes well with the house situation and we will be able to move, but in the event that we stay here another year, we will need a place to store baby things. And if we move, we will need to have things packed. So this weekend, despite the blazing heat and stifling lack of air in our apartment, I am going to give it my best shot, the old college try, and start to get rid of my junk.

Kevin moved into this apartment a few months before I did, so most of my things were packed into storage bins and tucked away in closets, almost never to be revisited. A lot of it is my craft things, which I am reluctant to throw away because I have a tendancy to revisit projects and phases, but there is also things I have been hanging onto since high school (or longer) and it is just time. Time to get rid of the excess and start clean.

Wish me luck!!

Yay for ultrasounds!

Some of these pictures are a bit creepy, but gosh I love the little foot <3

Looking right at the face

Profile of the little wiggle worm - all it did the whole time was move and move.

Here it is, arching its neck back

Zombie baby!

This one is tougher to see - that little white triangle is

the nose (see the nostrils?) and upper lip

Wee little legs

Hurry Up and Wait

It seems like that is all I am doing these days - hurry up and wait. We had to hustle to find a house so we would be able to close by the time our lease is up. Well, we found the house and now we just have to wait until all the pieces are in place. I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row for the baby, but so much of it is up in the air depending on this thing or that.

So here I am, waiting to pack, to paint and nest, to prepare for the baby by getting a crib or picking out a daycare.

Lord, give me patience...

Half-way there

Today marks the day that we are half-way to the finish line – 20 weeks pregnant, 20 weeks to go! We’ve still got a LOT of preparing to do – pick out furniture, find a day care, move to a new place… But we also have a lot of things to look forward to – I am starting to feel the baby move more, soon Kevin will be able to feel it, we have an ultrasound next Wednesday and this time the baby will look like a baby rather than a kidney bean (at 6w1d). I am hoping that I will soon look pregnant, rather than like I’ve been hitting the donuts. The few maternity clothes I’ve got help the appearance of the bump for sure. I’m debating whether I should buy another BellyBand or finally cave and get a pair of maternity pants.

Here’s to another 20 weeks of a growing belly and new experiences!

Enjoy it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Since I've been pregnant, I really have been slacking on the baking front, especially because the heat in our second floor apartment is stifling. I used to bake a lot - if I got a taste for something, I would make it for myself, save one or two pieces and then send the rest with Kevin to work. So this baking break I've been taking has been affecting more than just me, myself and I.

Kevin's been working the guys on his crew really hard to keep up the past couple weeks - demand is up and his shift is short people, so it's been a struggle, not to mention all the equipment that keeps breaking down and slowing things up. So today I offered to make something for him to bring as a 'thank you' to the people he works with, for working so hard and being supportive, since he is a newly appointed manager. I browsed through my starred recipes and found something perfect - chocolate-y, peanut butter-y, and individually portioned (since there is a guy on the crew with questionable personal hygiene aka "Hands in the Pants Guy"). I haven't been hanging on to this for very long, but boy I'm glad I didn't wait to make it any more!

Peanut Butter Cake

(recipe from Cooking With Joey)

**Made just under 3 doz cupcakes**

1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Heat oven to 325°.
Original recipe calls for a bundt pan, but I wanted to make cupcakes for the aforementioned reason.

In a large mixing bowl, cream peanut butter, butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. I sifted them, but I don't think you need to. I also forgot the baking powder (did you know forgetfulness is a symptom of pregnancy?), and if I were to make it again, I would include it, but they don't seem any worse for the wear (excuse me while I like ganache off my fingers...).

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients along with about 1/2 the buttermilk and slowly beat until well blended. Add another 1/3 and the rest of the buttermilk and repeat. Add the final installation of dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake. Since I did cupcakes, I started at about 15 minutes and checked them, then put them in for a little longer. I ended up at about 22 mins but make sure you are watching them.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes then carefully remove from the pan and invert on a baking rack.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache.

3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup corn syrup
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
pinch of salt
1/4 cup (or more) creamy peanut butter

In a saucepan, combine the cream and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer, add chocolate and salt, and remove from heat. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk in the peanut butter until well blended.

I made mine in my smallest saucepan and it was plenty big enough. It also meant that the ganache was a little deeper, so I just dipped the cupcakes right in - it made the frosting quick and painless. I packed up the extra ganache in a little Tupperware and sent it to work with Kevin, so they could warm it up and have a little extra if they wanted. The original recipe says to save it and use it as a topping for ice cream or pound cake, if you are looking for more uses.

Please ignore the wonky photography.

I never claimed to have any skills in that department.

Having a GREAT Day!

You know, sometimes things just line up so nice and all these little things make an ordinary day...just excellent.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we are house hunting. On Tuesday we put an offer in on a house and on Wednesday we found out it was accepted, which means we are officially on the road to becoming homeowners. Barring any major complications or problems with the home inspection, we should be in by August 20 or SOONER! Yahoo!

Yesterday, my husband met his mother near our home so they could go shopping. She was looking for some help to pick out a computer for her husband for Fathers Day and also something for me because today is my birthday. I have asked for about a million things for my birthday, including but not limited to, a puppy, a magically machine that inhales all cat hair, and a camcorder. But the one thing I really wanted is what my mother in law got me - a waffle iron!

I am not even kidding. That is what I have wanted for months and months but I just never got it for myself. So this morning, I made myself waffles for breakfast. Yum! And tonight, we are going out for hibachi for dinner. It is not Kevin's favorite, so this is the one time a year I get to pick a hibachi restaurant and it is ok. My parents just called my work phone and sang "Happy Birthday," I am going home this weekend and my mom is going to help me register at BRU and some of my friends will be home too so we can hopefully get together.

I puffy pink heart today <3

Enjoy it!

Worry Wart

Way back a couple months ago, before I was pregnant, I used to worry that we would never have kids or that I would never be able to get pregnant, because of problems I was having with regulating my period. Drama queen, much?

I guess I have always been a worrier, but I am just starting to get a taste of worrying about a child. We've visited Babies R Us on several occasions, mostly because I just like to get some ideas and it sort of makes it seem more real. But, inevitably I end up leaving feeling overwhelmed and vastly unprepared. There are so many choices of everything, from carseats and cribs to breast pumps, bottles and pacifiers.

On top of that, we plan to wait until the baby is born to find out if it is a boy or a girl, which is getting me really frustrated with my decorating choices. I've already decided that I don't want to get a whole bedding set because a lot of the stuff in there (bumper, comforter) is considered a SIDS risk and shouldn't be used until they are older anyway. But I am desperately seeking solid colors and every time I find something I like, it has a little design on it. You can't choose anything girly, because it is SO girly, and everything that could be neutral has frogs or giraffes all over it because those are animals that come in green and yellow.

So here I am, up in the air about where we will be living, unable to decide about ANYTHING we need to register for, and worrying about how on earth I will be able to take care of this tiny little person when I can't even pick out a pacifier...

And I know - this is just the beginning!

For real, this time.

Ok, so I know that every post lately has been a catch-up post, but for serious, I am getting back into the darn blogging, I swear.

1. Remember last post, where I mentioned the possibility of a new job within my company, full time, regular hours, no weekends? Well, wonder of wonders, miracles of miracles, one of the jobs came through. And I am loving it. I was able to get right back into the habit of early to bed and early to rise, no problem. I love wearing real clothes instead of my uniform shirt, and working at a "big kid" job. I really missed this!

2. Kevin got a promotion at work! I am seriously SO proud of him. He is a great worker and I am glad that he was recognized for his abilities and all the potential he has to grow.

3. We are moving!! I don't know where yet, and I don't know when, but we will NOT be staying in this apartment for much longer. Currently we are house hunting (we've already put an offer in but unfortunately it was not accepted), but we are also looking for apartments, since we have to be out by August 31 (unless we try to extend it for 3 months, potentially...). We are in need of a little more room because...

4. We are having a baby!! We are so very excited about this new addition to our family. Currently, the arrival date is on or around Nov 10, which makes me 18w5d today, in my second trimester and also the beginning of my 5th month. No significant news so far, everything sounds good from what the doctors can here and we have our ultrasound set for June 30. Don't get too excited, we are not finding out the sex - it is going to be a surprise! I am really excited to see the baby, as it will actually look like a baby and not a kidney bean (we had an ultrasound at 6w1d to date the pregnancy... not much to see there, but there was a strong heartbeat).

Well, I guess that means we are all caught up and from now on, hopefully I can keep on this blogging train. I have missed it!

Enjoy it! :)

Let's catch up!

There really just hasn't been a whole lot of exciting stuff going on with me lately, at least nothing I am ready to blog about, but I thought I could play a little catch up here:

-I have applied for two new jobs, and had interviews for both. Both are within my current company, but moving from a store to a corporate level, which would be nice and mean more regular hours and the possibility of having my weekends back (please sweet tiny baby Jesus, please). So if you have some to spare, send the good vibes my way, as I would love love love to get one of these jobs.

-I have been working like a madman to finish my best friend Kara's wedding invitations and was FINALLY able to drop them off to her last Wednesday. They wouldn't have taken so long, but the company I ordered supplies from (someone I've used before and been very happy with) was having a little issue. Thankfully we got the problem corrected and they overnighted them to me (no charge). I am really happy with the way they turned out and I hope she is too!

-We had a birthday party for Kevin a couple weekends ago - he turned the big 2-5! A quarter century! I keep razzing him about it, but when my turn comes around in June, I don't think I will be so happy. We had a lovely time and I was able to try out a bunch of new recipes on his friends. So glad everyone could come!

Enjoy it!

Ice Wine Festival 2010

Ok, we actually went and participated in this waaaaay back in the last weekend of January but since I have been an awful blogger, I will finally fill you in now. If you are not familiar with the wonder that is ice wine, you are missing out. I've linked to how it is made, but basically it's grapes left on the vine until they are very very sweet and harvested (usually in the middle of the night at the end of january) while still frozen. The resulting wine is super sweet, very concentrated and almost a little syrup-y. And my husband will tell you - like nectar from the gods. I love wine in all manifestations, but this stuff is truly heavenly. And a little goes a long way, which is good, because a half-bottle can cost up to $100, if not more.

The festival itself is a great day trip. Wineries were open from 11-5pm and most participated in a Discovery Pass - you purchase a pass and get 6 tickets to participate in events and tastings. The pass was $30, most events were $10/each so we saved half by doing the passes. We got to go to 6 different wineries, try their wines and also their interesting pairings. Many places had biscotti, fondue, and fruit. One even had a pork slider (complete with a whole pig, roasted on a spit - see pic below!) and icewine infused applesauce. This is the official website, in case you are interested in checking it out.

We also ended up staying overnight at a B&B in Niagara Falls. I love B&Bs so much! This was our early anniversary celebration. It was so lovely. Let me give you the tour:

This was our bed. It was the loudest bed known to man. If you looked at it funny, it creaked. The other people staying there probably thought we were animals, but what can you do?

Here is the cozy fireplace, which believe you me, we needed. Although it looks all warm and cozy, this place was no different from any old house - drafty! Add in that it was about 9 degrees Fahrenheit and that makes for one chilly room.

There's Kevin, enjoying the sitting area.... aka waiting for me to be done taking pictures of the place!

Ahh, there it is! The most glorious tub is all of creation. I love to soak in a tub! It almost didn't happen - when we got home from dinner, I went to turn on the water and it was ice cold and wouldn't warm up. Fortunately, I tried it a little later and all was well. I don't think you can tell, but in that little shelf in the middle, there are some floating flowers and a rubber ducky, which was super cute.

This is the view from the tub, beautiful bay windows. Of course, there really wasn't much to see outside, but it was still lovely.

And this was the high ceiling in the bathroom, which I completely loved. Kevin pointed out that I like things to be big because it makes me feel small, and I think he is right.

These were the windows in the middle of the sitting area, they opened into a 3 seasons room. In general, I think the whole stay would have been more enjoyable if it was a warmer season. But we thought it was beautiful just the same, even if a bit cold.

Here's Kevin, enjoying a cupcake at the Festival

He is tres sophisicated, with his pinky up

And below is the pig on a spit. I thought it wasn't real, and then the guy started cutting some off. Yipes!

Fun Things You Learn

by being a cat mom...

When you notice the cat chewing on some string early in the morning and yell at him to get away, you may spend your evening chasing the cat around in oven mitts, yelling and then pulling said string out of him so he doesn't drag poop around your house. Thank you, Oscar, for that very exciting lesson.

Letter

Dear Uterus,

No one is amused with your antics. Quite frankly, I've had all I can take with this nonsense. Get your head in the game, play like a champion and all that jazz. Periods come once a month, that is how it is, and you are slacking on your end of the deal here. Let's get it together here.

Forever yours,

Someone who wants a baby and is growing increasingly jealous that she can't even get a period with all the baby announcements going on around her

Karma

Apparently someone is making up for either the really shitty day I had on Tuesday (finding out I didn't get that job I was talking about the other day...let's not discuss, shall we?) or the really shitty 2009 I've been having (save for the really awesome wedding in February!!), because yesterday things just fell in line and I had an awesome day.

Work was pretty normal, nothing too exciting there. About half-way through my shift, I thought I recognized someone standing by the scratch-off lotto machines, so I took a loop around to get a better view and lo and behold - it was my college roommate Jessica, who I lived with for three years!!! We somehow lost touch after we moved in with different people. Lately I had been thinking about her, because she is native to my new city. We chatted for a second, and I found out she is a teacher, lives in the town right next to me and is getting married in June. We exchanged #s and hopefully can get together after Christmas! 

When I was leaving work, I had a voicemail from a number I didn't recognize. I listened and it was my photographer calling to say they had finished up my order, so we could pick up our album and pictures before Christmas! YAYAYYAYAY! I can't wait to see the finished product. Hopefully I will (finally) be able to put up some pictures from our wedding. Fingers crossed, my mom will pick it up for us on Monday. 

Enjoy it!!

Lovely Little Date Night

The past two weeks Kevin has been on A shift at work, meaning he works 6am - 2:30pm and he HATES it. And now, so do I. We have hardly seen each other at all, because I have been working mostly late shifts and I ended up visiting my parents for a day because he was working through the weekend. 

So today, I texted him about going out to Walmart, a place I do not normally shop at, to pick up a couple things I needed. I don't like to go by myself, so I wanted some company. He picked me up after work and we headed out to the south side of town to do a little shopping.

I ended up getting a couple of things I needed for some Christmas gifts I am making, we found a birthday gift for Kevin's dad and some odds and ends. We also stopped by JoAnn's to pick up a couple items for decorating Christmas cookies. 

While we were out, we ended up going out to dinner and just getting to sit and relax with each other. At least three times tonight, we said "Oh, I thought I told you that..." because we just haven't been seeing as much of each other with our opposing work schedules. It was so nice to just catch up. And on the way home, we stopped (in the snow) to grab an ice cream cone - the perfect end to a lovely evening. 

Anyone had a good date night recently?

Catching Up

Well, I don't really have any huge exciting stories to share here, but I do have a couple little things... something is better than nothing right?

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I went out with my mom for my very first Black Friday shopping experience. I think it went pretty well, we didn't have any big ticket items we were looking for, not 97" plasma tvs for $2.99 or anything like that, and we completely avoided Walmart (thank you sweet tiny baby Jesus for that early Christmas miracle), so all in all we had a pretty easy time. I ended up with a huge king size blanket from Kohls for $19.99, House dvds seasons 1-4 for Kevin for $12.99/each, boots for myself from JcPenneys, regular price $90, on sale for $29.99, a bunch of Christmas/holiday shirts from Old Navy $5. I also know what all my Christmas presents are (from my mom), and lets just say I am very excited for Christmas morning!

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I put in my application and resume for a new job the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I am still waiting to hear back from the recruiter. Apparently it was a very popular posting, but I think if I get an interview I could do pretty well. Please send some good vibes this way! I really could use the job...

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I have a friend in my new(ish) city! It is Kevin's friend's wife, Kristin. We had a movie date last week and I really like her. It is so nice to have a girlfriend around. I hope we can get together soon!

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Kevin has had a sudden change of heart about babies and agreed that we can start trying! To have a baby! Seriously! Apparently he was talking to a guy at work who is only a few years older than us with 2 little ones, and he said they really aren't as expensive as you think... its just little bits at a time. I want to send this person the best Christmas present ever! Seriously. 

Enjoy it!

Slow it down

Well, I've hit a lull...yet again. 2009 has really been a difficult year for my family, as far as losses go and it's sort of thrown us all for a loop. Of course, people can't live forever, no matter how much you wish they would or could. So on my end, I'm just keeping quiet.

Also, I've been traipsing all over the place for the past week or so. I trekked down to Leesburg, VA to help my company open their new location. We had an awesome time and I was so glad to meet some lovely ladies there. After a very LONG drive home, I spent the night with my husband only to pack up and take off yet AGAIN, this time to Erie, PA. You may recall last year when we went down and had an absolute blast for my friend Colleen's birthday. This year was no different. Friday we stayed in and had a nice little game night. Saturday started out slow with lunch at Panera, a trip to Presque Isle beach to collect sea glass, and a visit to some of the local shops near the waterfront. Then we went out for dinner to celebrate and hit the town. At one bar it was Supersize Saturday, and there were 64 oz beers and pitchers of Long Island iced teas for $3.75 and shots for $1.... basically it was the epicenter of all bad decision making. Then we went to a reggae night at another bar, grabbed shots at the next, and ended up at the gay bar, where it was Leather Daddies night. It was very interesting, to say the least. Oh, and we got told we "dance like straight girls".... um, thank you? All in all, an awesome weekend and just the pick-me-up I needed. 

Hope you're staying healthy and keeping in good spirits. If I don't get back in time, Happy Thanksgiving!!

Enjoy it!

I guess he'll keep me

Late last week, I finally decided it was time to go grocery shopping, compiled a list and spent an extra 15 minutes after work FLYING around the grocery store, grabbing what I needed. I even thought to get a marinade for the pork roast I was defrosting for dinner in a couple days. 

I got home and made dinner, but realized I had forgotten the sour cream to go along with the yummy quesadillas I prepared. I called Kevin and left him a message that if he wanted sour cream, he was going to have to stop on the way home from work. 

A while later he walked in carrying a couple bags of things, including the sour cream for dinner. I said, "I told you I got groceries, what did you get?" and he said it was a couple things he didn't think I would have gotten (he bought bologna....so yes, he was right haha).

I turned around and he was holding a bottle of marinade in his hand, the one I had picked out and I asked him if he thought that sounded good. And then it dawned on me, I had already put mine in the fridge... he had gotten the exact same kind (one we have never used, or even looked at before). I said, "So I guess I did good then?"

Great minds think alike!

Last Wedding of the Season....

Kevin's brother Nate got married on Saturday! Everything turned out beautifully, even though the day was gloomy and unseasonably cold. The wedding was quick and dirty - it took about 5 minutes from the introductions to the procession out - and was performed by a friend. Seriously, I couldn't get over it. Nate was SO nervous all morning, and was blubbering like a baby when Jennie walked down the aisle, and hadn't even had time to regain his composure and they were walking out. But we are so happy for them.

Lots of interesting things happened at the wedding, also. Firstly, one of Kevin's cousins just had a baby not that long ago, so she was there (Zaniah, altho I don't know if that is how it is spelled) with her grandparents, Jeff and Tina. Who are apparently still feuding with with Kevin's other aunt, June, which I found out when I let June hold the baby after me and then I got swatted and yelled at by Tina...thanks for the warning Kevin. Also there was Aunt Kay, who was not invited to our wedding because she and Kevin's mother haven't spoken in years and years. Are you noticing a trend here? There are a lot of fights going on, and quite frankly its hard enough for me to keep the names straight because most of them begin with J, so I can't keep the fights straight too. Seriously. This makes me glad we don't see Kevin's extended family very often. 

Onto the good news at the wedding. We got our wedding video!! Kevin's cousin Jennie and I worked together in Buffalo and her husband offered to do some video for us on our wedding day and we've been patiently waiting for them to put it together (especially since they did it for us for nothing) and we finally got to watch it! I am so glad they offered, because I loved it! Its nothing fancy, very home-movie like, but it is so nice to look back and see everyone there and remember all these funny little things. 

Second piece of good news: Kevin's friend *might be* expecting! I say might be because Sara is in denial about the little pink plus that appeared on her test. We are very excited for them, and are now facing intense pressure for her and her husband Derek, and also our friends Justin and Heather, who have these grand visions of all of our kids being the same age and having play dates and so on.... I told them, I'm not the one you need to convince.

Well here's the pictures:

This is from the rehearsal dinner - Nate got the groomsmen glasses with logos of their favorite sports team on them, so that is why there is bubble wrap everywhere. This is Nate's friend Kurt, his (and Kevin's) little brother Randy, and their dad Les

Here's Kevin, playing with the bubble wrap

Its reeeeeally dark, because I was sitting back a bit, but this is Nate (on the right) and their friend Adam, who performed the ceremony

Dan and Megan

Randy, and one of the bride's sisters

Kevin and the other sister of the bride...but I don't remember their names

Best Man, Adam and Matron of Honor, Michelle

Jennie and her dad

The first dance!

Kevin and I, after I changed out of my dress and into my dancing shoes!

Kevin's best friend Justin and his wife Heather

The boys dedicated a song to their parents - it was Randy Travis "Forever and Ever, Amen"...so sweet! 

The end!