Berry and Bramble

A Letter to My Son

2012-01-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hey Buddy,

Yes, you have a name, but your Dad and I have decided not to share it until you make your big debut. We're expecting you any day now and my emotions have run the gamut from nervous and anxious-- will you and I both make it through labor and delivery healthy and safe? will I be up to the demands of caring for a newborn around the clock? will I be a good mom?-- to happy, excited, and curious about who you are and who you will become.

From the looks of the ultrasounds pictures (and I have many, which I've put into an album for you to enjoy one day), I think you take after your Dad in the looks department. You appear to have his profile, cheeks, and chin. It will be interesting to see if this proves true once we really meet you. I'm also very excited to get to know you and learn your little personality. You've been very chill and laid back to date. During my ultrasounds, the technician usually has to jiggle my belly with the ultrasound wand to get you to move. We joke that you love to sleep (like your Mom) and I hope this is truly the case!

Your Dad and I both have many hopes and dreams for you. We talk all the time about the trips we want to take with you, the skills and activities we want to teach you, and all of the exciting things in this big world that we want to share with you. I know your Dad is excited to introduce you to his love of tennis and soccer (you already have a little soccer onesie ready for watching Saturday morning games with him), and I can't wait to take you camping, swimming, and hiking like I did with my family as a child. But, most of all, we just want to support and nurture you as you grow into the person you are uniquely meant to be. We will be your biggest fans and cheerleaders, and we can't wait to experience this lifelong journey we are about to take with you. There will be many ups and downs, but through it all, know that our love for you is unconditional and unending. We are privileged to have the honor of welcoming you into this world and raising you, and we cannot wait to meet you.

All my love,

Momma

P.S. Go easy on me!

Week 39

2012-01-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

January 20, 2012

Best Moment: Here we are in the final stretch! This week I finished up my job. My company is consolidating most of its positions at the headquarters in Atlanta, so our Austin office is actually closing. This has been a long time coming and wasn't exactly surprising, although I had hoped to return to work in some capacity after my maternity leave. Instead, I'll be able to enjoy a longer than planned "maternity leave" and then later this year I'll start thinking about the next steps in my career. Wrapping up work was a little bittersweet because I enjoyed working with many of my colleagues, but it feels good now to be done. This week I also enjoyed a little pre-baby pampering, including a luxurious pedicure and some eyebrow grooming. I'll be ready for those glamour shots in the delivery room! Haha. I'm still working on sewing an elephant themed mobile for the nursery, but other than that, his room is prepped, our bags are packed, and the house is pretty much spotless. I think we're ready.

Symptoms: I'm feeling all kinds of cramps and twinges in my belly. Some of them are Braxton-Hicks, some of them are indigestion, and some of them are legitimate contractions. Last weekend, I had a bout of contractions every 9 or 10 minutes for over an hour and we were convinced it was go-time. We hadn't even packed our bags at that point, so we spent that hour running around trying to gather everything together. Then the contractions just stopped. Since then, I've had a few minor ones, but nothing consistent. In the last few days, I've also started feeling a lot of pressure and soreness behind my pubic bone. I'm hoping this means the baby's head has dropped.

Cravings/Aversions: Out of the blue, I've started having massive Thai food cravings. In Seattle, there is a Thai restaurant on every street corner (almost literally), and I used to love eating it all the time. In Austin, we've been hard pressed to find a good Thai restaurant, but recently found Titaya's on North Lamar and I was able to indulge in some delicious red curry last night.

What I Miss: Oh, the list is long... But I'm so close to the finish now that it doesn't even matter. I'm just happy to have made it this far with a healthy baby.

What I Can't Wait For: I can't wait to meet him! And I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore. I can't even really remember what it feels like to not be pregnant. It will be so strange not to feel him squirming around, to sleep on my stomach, and to just be able to move around without all this extra weight. Who knows? Maybe I'll miss being pregnant.

Milestones: As of my appointment this week, the Bean is now expected to weigh in at just over 7 pounds. He is still piling on body fat to help him regulate his temperature outside the womb and the outer layer of his skin is sloughing off as new skin forms.

5 Signs it's Time For This Baby to Arrive

2012-01-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

5.) Freezer: stocked. Multiple servings of tomato soup, leek chickpea soup, and chicken pot pie stew; chili (both turkey and beef); stock; three different types of casseroles (lasagna x2, chicken florentine, and chicken tamale); garlic bread; three loaves of pumpkin bread; frozen burritos and a few other Amy's entrees; and a container of frozen yogurt for good measure. I think we're covered.

4.) I cannot sit on a chair to put my shoes on because the belly doesn't allow me to lean over far enough. So instead I have to sit on the floor to put on shoes or socks. Except then I require assistance to get back up.

3.) I have been wearing the same pair of my husband's grey sweatpants for the past three days. They are just the only thing that is roomy enough and comfortable enough to make it through the day. I actually went with him to Nordstrom dressed like this. Not OK. Except that I just can't muster the energy to care.

2.) My husband has called me from work to see if I've passed my mucous plug. TMI? Most definitely. But this from a guy who used to be squeamish about just attending my doctor's appointments with me. Now he throws around terms like "mucous plug" and "perineal massage" like he's discussing the NFL playoffs with his buddies.

1.) Last week I managed to rip two different pairs of pants in one day. People tell me I'm all belly (thank you, I'll take the compliment), but the pair of pajama pants-- that ripped wide open in the butt when I sat down on the couch-- and the pair of GAP maternity jeans-- that ripped open across the top of my thigh when I put them on out of the dryer-- beg to differ.

It's time. It is definitely time.

Weeks 37 and 38

2012-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2011

Best Moment: The theme of the past two weeks has just been the waiting game. We've been patiently wrapping up projects around the house and at work, while trying to squeeze in some fun while we can. We've had two different couples over for dinner, went out to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, polished off almost three seasons of Breaking Bad on Netflix, and had one final nice dinner out at Foreign & Domestic. On a totally unrelated note, at my 37 week doctor's appointment, I got the good news that I am already 1.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I realize I could just hang out like this for another few weeks, but my doctor also said he wouldn't be surprised if the baby makes his appearance sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed!

Symptoms: Sleep has become a serious challenge. Most nights I am up 3-4 times, and it often takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get back to sleep. Not fun. But I guess this is just nature's way of preparing me for what's to come. Overall, I'm just really tired... I'm sure my poor sleep contributes to it, but I definitely notice my energy flagging during the day. I just can't seem to get more than a few little things done each day. Fortunately, I'm close to wrapping up work.

Cravings/Aversions: Not too much new to report here. My weight gain has really tapered off. I snack pretty frequently, but can't eat too much at one sitting. (Although I did manage to polish off half of a roasted carrot appetizer, most of my Wagyu beef entree, and an entire cranberry chocolate bread pudding dessert at Foreign & Domestic. Totally worth it.)

What I Miss: Comfortable sleep.

What I Can't Wait For: I am just ready to meet this little guy!

Milestones: As of week 37, baby boy is officially considered full term. As of 38 weeks, he is approximately 19.5 inches long-- the size of a leek-- and pushing 7 pounds.

Week 36

2012-01-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

December 30, 2011

Best Moment: Christmas fell at the beginning of week 36, which we celebrated in Portland with my family. On the 27th, we headed back to Austin and then spent the remainder of the week between Christmas and New Year's lazing around the house because both of our offices were closed. We had some unseasonably warm weather (even for Austin-- hence the sleeveless tunic) and took advantage of it with a few walks around Town Lake and a date night on Garrido's back patio, followed by a viewing of The Descendants at the Violet Crown. Jason has always wanted to take a photo in front of this famous Austin sign, so we took a few shots there (although they are kind of far away and don't show off the bump too well.) But you get the picture-- it's big and getting bigger everyday.

Symptoms: Increasing Braxton Hicks contractions and a few real contractions as well. Sleep continues to be poor, but since I was off work, I managed to catch an afternoon nap almost every day. At this point, I actually think I sleep better during naps than I do at night.

Cravings/Aversions: I should probably just delete this category all together since I don't really have cravings anymore and it's been months since I've had a real food aversion. But for consistency's sake, I'll report that while I am still sporting a pretty serious sweet tooth, I just don't have as much of an appetite as I did earlier in the pregnancy. My meals are actually smaller at this point than they were pre-pregnancy. There's just no room in there for food!

What I Miss: Same old, same old... sleep, energy, moving around without pain. Not too much longer now...

What I Can't Wait For: We made some big progress on the nursery this week, so I'm looking forward to adding the final touches and then sharing some photos. It's simple, but looking pretty cute!

Milestones: Baby boy is tipping the scales at approximately 6 lbs. 3 oz. (confirmed by my latest ultrasound). He's packing on the pounds at the rate of an ounce a day and will continue to do so for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Weeks 34 and 35

2012-01-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas, New Year's, work, travel, baby prep... it's been a fun and exciting (and busy!) past few weeks. I'm way behind on my weekly pregnancy posts (as well as any other kind of post-- although, let's be honest... my life at this point is pretty much entirely consumed with the final weeks of this pregnancy and baby's imminent arrival), but I am going to go ahead and try to get caught up just so I can remember these last few weeks.

December 16, 2011

December 25, 2011 (35 weeks, 2 days)

Best Moment(s): During week 34, I attended my baby shower in Portland, hosted by my best friend from high school. In addition to seeing several of my friends and family members in Portland, I got to catch up with a few good friends from Seattle, who made the drive down. During week 35, we completed our "baby MBA" with a two-day, intensive labor, delivery, and baby care class hosted at our hospital. I had already done a lot of reading, so most of it wasn't exactly new news to me, but it was reassuring to go over everything and helpful for J and I to both learn Lamaze and relaxation/massage techniques to use during labor. Then, at the end of week 35, we headed back to Portland to spend Christmas with my family.

Symptoms: Overall, I've been feeling pretty decent throughout the third trimester, but my hip pain has been increasing (and is now in both sides-- not just the right side), and around 35 weeks, sleep started becoming a nightly battle. Pregnancy mandated side sleeping combined with the hip pain means I am rotating myself like a rotisserie chicken on a spit all night long. And each time I flip over, I have to rearrange the four pillows required each night to prop me up and keep me comfortable-ish. And then there are all the bathroom breaks... So, sleep is kind of hit or miss. But I am told to enjoy the sleep I'm getting now because I will remember this time period fondly once the baby actually arrives.

Cravings/Aversions: I think my stomach has actually shrunk. That, or baby is just taking up all the room in my abdomen, making enjoying a big meal a thing of the past. Either way, my appetite has actually decreased considerably over the past few weeks, and my weight gain has slowed down as a result.

What I Miss: Comfortable sleep, easy mobility, and my energy.

What I Can't Wait For: I'm really looking forward to seeing what our little guy looks like, and figuring out his personality. Who will he look like? Who will he take after? He's been a pretty chill little fetus, but it will be interesting to see what he's like in the real world.

Milestones: At 35 weeks, the Bean weighed in at over 5 pounds and started gaining weight at the rate of about a half pound a week. He's about the size of a honeydew melon. His kidneys are fully developed now and his liver is processing waste.

Holiday 2011 Recap

2012-01-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

I'm a little (OK, a lot) behind, but wanted to catch up with a quick post on the holidays. With the doctor's approval, we flew back to Portland and spent Christmas with my side of the family. It was a fun few days with lots of time spent visiting and catching up with family.

On the 23rd of December, my grandmother organized a "ladies luncheon" for all of the aunts and cousins at a club in downtown Portland. Here we all are before lunch:

We spent a quiet Christmas Eve at home with my immediate family, including my sister and brother-in-law down from Seattle, and my brother and sister-in-law who live in Portland, as well as my other grandparents, who were up from Coos Bay (a small town on the southern Oregon coast.) Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner is always a big pot of Swiss cheese fondue and a fresh salad. It was as delicious as usual.

On Christmas morning, a few of us attended a 7:30am Christmas Mass (and, yes, that was a little painfully early), and then came home to open gifts beneath the tree and eat brunch. Later in the day, we had a few visitors over for cocktails and appetizers, and then enjoyed Christmas dinner.

(J and I in front of the Christmas ~~carnage~~ tree. And yes, that black dress is officially the MVP of my maternity wardrobe.)

The day after Christmas, J's parents drove down from Seattle to spend the day with us. We opened a few more gifts with them (and were completely spoiled), enjoyed a nice lunch out, and then they came back to my parents' house for cookies and coffee before hitting the road back to Seattle. It was a quick trip for them, and a lot of driving for a 24 hour period, but so nice to see them and catch up in person before the baby arrives.

Jason and I headed back to Austin on the 27th, and were both lucky enough to have the week between Christmas and New Year's off of work. We spent the rest of that week laying around watching movies, doing some housework and final baby prep, and just enjoying the quiet before our lives change in a few weeks.

We rang in 2012 at our friends' house-- miraculously, I made it to midnight-- and now here we are in the final countdown to baby: less than 3 weeks to go! 2012 will be a wild ride, and nothing short of amazing, I'm sure.

Portland Baby Shower

2011-12-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, my best friend from high school hosted a baby shower in honor of the Bean back in Portland for my family and friends. Here we are below. Unfortunately, the photo is a little too dark to see us clearly, but we're in front of her adorable dining table set-up featuring mini spinach and fontina quiches, Greek yogurt parfaits, prosciutto wrapped pears, mini cornbread muffins, a delicious cheese plate, and, of course, chocolate cupcakes.

I had so much fun catching up with family and friends, and of course opening a few goodies for our Jelly Bean. This kid is now officially has a better wardrobe than either of his parents. (At least for the first 6 months of life, after which it may be downhill...) Featured below: adorable Texas ranger PJs.

(With my sister-in-law, mom, and sister)

Four of my best girlfriends from Seattle made the drive down to Portland for the shower, which was a huge treat. I hadn't seen them since last Christmas, and two of them have since welcomed their own little guys into the world. I can't wait to introduce my own baby boy into the mix, and know that the three of them will have lots of fun growing up together over the years. It was such a fun day, and I am so grateful for great friends who went out of their way to make it a special event for me.

Week 33

2011-12-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

December 9, 2011

Best Moment: We returned home from our Florida vaca during week 33 and then I spent most of the rest of the week stressing out about the fact that January is suddenly near and we don't have anything ready for our impending bundle of joy other than a freshly painted room, a crib, and a lot of frozen meals. After much hand wringing and brow furling, I made some progress on our ever present baby to-do list, including finalizing our pediatrician choice, ordering a set of shelving for his closet, and selecting a glider that my wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law are generously giving us.

Meanwhile, we had a scare last Tuesday when my latest ultrasound revealed that our little guy's head size is in the 99th percentile (excellent... looking forward to that...), while his abdomen is currently only in the 27th percentile. Due to the fact that he has a two-vessel umbilical cord (one artery and one vein instead of two arteries and one vein), my doctor was concerned that perhaps his blood flow is being limited and that he might be suffering from growth restriction. After a battery of tests and a trip to the perinatologist for yet another ultrasound, we were reassured that all is well and he is just kinda skinny with a really big head. Seeing as I myself have a huge head and they run in my family, this wasn't too surprising, but it added an unnecessary layer of stress to an already hectic week. As a result, the highlight of the week was skipping town again on Friday to head back to Portland for my baby shower. Pictures of that to come!

Symptoms: I definitely started feeling quite a bit of anxiety during week 33, meaning that in addition to waking up for multiple bathroom breaks each night, now I'm sometimes having trouble falling back asleep as numerous thoughts and worries race through my head in the pre-dawn hours. I'm not really worried about the delivery (although maybe I should be...), but I'm just anxious about dealing with the inevitable sleepless nights and challenges of the first 12 weeks as a I figure out this whole mom gig. Talking to my own mom and some of my new-mom friends at my shower provided some reassurance. The consensus seems to be that yeah, it's tough, but it's also fantastic, everyone goes through it, and, like countless women before me, I'll manage to do what needs to be done and figure it out along the way.

Cravings/Aversions: My appetite actually seems to be slowing down these final weeks. I've reached the point where I just don't have a lot of room in my stomach to take in big meals, so I think I'm eating less. (I actually lost one pound during week 33.) I still love me some dessert, but not quite the abundance of it that I've been enjoying throughout the pregnancy so far.

What I Miss: Not too much. I would say a good night of sleep, but I know that the sleep I'm getting right now is actually probably as good as it's going to get for the next few years.

What I Can't Wait For: I'm looking forward to enjoying Christmas with my family (fingers crossed we get the doctor's green light to fly) and getting most of the final baby stuff wrapped in the next few weeks so that I can relax a little bit before D-day.

Milestones: According to Baby Center, he's about the size of a pineapple and weighs in at 4 pounds, but my most recent ultrasound has him closer to 5 pounds. He is rapidly plumping up with baby fat, and his skeleton is beginning to harden.

Florida Babymoon

2011-12-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

Last week we took to the friendly skies to enjoy one last weekend getaway as a couple before the little one arrives. One of my good friends was getting married just outside of Naples, Florida, so we decided to stay a few extra days and explore the Gulf coast. We spent our first two nights on Sanibel Island, a little barrier island just off the coast of Fort Myers. We stayed at a cute historic inn and just enjoyed strolling on the beach, sleeping in, cruising around the island on bikes, and lots of fresh seafood.

Shout out to the Oregon Ducks!

Overall, we both really enjoyed Sanibel Island. It was really quaint and laid back-- just what we were looking for. It was also fairly geriatric (we were probably the youngest on the island by a good 25-30 years), but I think that probably had a lot to do with the fact that we were visiting at kind of an odd time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have a feeling the place fills up with lots of families during the spring high season.

After two days on the island, we headed back to the mainland and checked into the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, just north of Naples. The wedding was held on the resort's beautiful grounds. The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there-- sunny and low 80s. You wouldn't even know it was Christmas time, except for the hotel's decorations.

In addition to attending the wedding, we managed to squeeze in a rigorous schedule of laying by the pool (me), working out (J), and long naps (both of us). We also made one kayaking excursion around the mangroves and estuary surrounding the resort. Sadly no dolphin or alligator spottings, but we did see lots of tropical birds.

(Like the Florida shaped putting green floating in the pond??)

Overall, it was a great trip. It was super relaxing and forced me to just slow down, stop obsessing over my to-do list (for a few days anyway), and focus on enjoying my husband's company. It's hard to believe that in a few weeks we'll go from being a twosome to a threesome, but I think this last hurrah helped make me feel a little more mentally prepared to make the leap. We spent a lot of time just enjoying each other, but couldn't help but talk about our plans for our son and what it will be like the next time we take a vacation as a family. There are so many things that we're so excited to show him, teach him, and experience with him. Just a few more weeks to go!

Weeks 31 and 32

2011-12-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

December 2, 2012

Best Moment: Weeks 31 and 32 were busy ones! In addition to cooking and hosting our first married Thanksgiving, we continued with the "baby MBA," completing a CPR and first aid class, and meeting with two pediatricians. We did a fair amount of nesting, including cooking and freezing four meals worth of turkey chili and chicken "not pie" (a great crust-less pot pie-like stew), 3 loaves of pumpkin bread, and countless cups of turkey stock (thank you, Thanksgiving leftovers.) I need to post a picture of the interior of my freezer soon... it's impressive. We also joined Costco (making us officially parents) and began stocking up on diapers and wipes. Then, on December 1st, we embarked on a babymoon to the gulf coast of Florida. More on that to come later!

Symptoms: Still tired. Still feeling some back and hip pain. It kind of comes and goes. Other than that, nothing new.

Cravings/Aversions: Thanksgiving weekend was a pregnant woman's delight. Our guests brought a green bean casserole, appetizers, and beverages, and we cooked turkey, pan jus gravy, sage stuffing, orange port cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie-- beginning with whole pumpkins that we roasted and then pureed. We wound up with so much extra pumpkin puree, that I had enough for the 3 aforementioned loaves of pumpkin bread, plus a pumpkin spice bundt cake that was promptly devoured.

What I Miss: Just my energy.

What I Can't Wait For: I'm getting excited to meet the little guy. I wonder who he'll look like and what his personality will be like. I can't wait to find out!

Milestones: As of last Friday, our little man weighs in around 4 pounds and is sporting fingernails, toenails, and hair.

Week 30

2011-11-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

November 18, 2011

Are these getting old? Or is it just me? I think I might be getting sick of being pregnant. (Although I am very grateful for the little life growing inside of me... and that he's healthy... and that I've had a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy. OK, so I think it might just be one of those days and I need to snap out of it.) Just 10 weeks to go, so I will press on!

Best Moment: The past week was a quiet one, but we did complete what Jason is calling the first semester of our baby MBA-- breastfeeding class, two more daycare visits (I think we've selected the winner), and our hospital tour. Still remaining in our "baby MBA" are infant CPR, visits with two different pediatricians, and our weekend-long labor, delivery, and childcare class. Seeing the maternity ward of our hospital was actually pretty cool. The rooms are super nice and they have all sorts of props and tools on-hand to help us labor up until any medication is desired. They have birthing balls, big jacuzzi tubs, and even wireless baby monitors so we can walk the halls without being tethered to the bed. I'm definitely open to medication, but hope to labor as long as possible au natural, so it's good to know they are set up to help enable this.

Symptoms: Full force third trimester fatigue. If there's one symptom that has defined this pregnancy for me, it's been fatigue. Serious, serious fatigue in first trimester... definitely better in the second (although no burst of energy like some people describe)... and now it's back in the third trimester. Considering the symptoms and complications many women endure during pregnancy, I know this is minor stuff. But, man. I miss my energy.

Cravings/Aversions: Still loving food, and lots of it!

What I Miss: Being able to stay up later than 9:45pm on a Friday!! I can't really remember what it's like to want to get out and be social.

What I Can't Wait For: Short term - a delicious Thanksgiving dinner later this week. Longer term - A glass of wine, and... wait for it... going for a run. Seriously. I may even be looking forward to a good run more than the glass of wine. In my current state of fatigue (and let's be honest... general crankiness), the idea of being able to just lace up my shoes, crank up my iPod, and enjoy a nice, brisk run sounds amazing. Something I never thought I'd say. But, seriously... that feeling of challenge and accomplishment, pushing past the discomfort into the "zone," actually being able to engage my core muscles (imagine that!), the mental clarity I can only find during this kind of exertion, and those post-run endorphins... yeah, that sounds good.

Milestones: I am 75% there! That is cause for celebration in my book. Less exciting is the fact that my weight now equals that of my husband, but it was bound to happen. My total weight gain is pushing 25 pounds so far, but with 10 weeks to go, including Thanksgiving and the full Christmas season, I'm prepared to see that number go up. Here's hoping I'm still waxing poetic about my desire for good run once baby actually arrives!

Week 29... and a wedding

2011-11-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

November 11, 2011

Best Moment: The highlight of the week was catching up with my best friends from college at my good friend Anne's wedding. I haven't seen one of our friends, Camille, since she visited Austin last April, so it felt like a girls weekend with an extra special finale. (But we missed you, Diana!) Thursday night after work I drove down to San Antonio and met up with Anne, Camille, and her husband J for dinner at Dough. (Good stuff if you're ever in the Alamo city.) On Friday we hosted a little shower for Anne to enjoy some pre-wedding pampering, followed by the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Then on Saturday, we attended her gorgeous wedding. It was great to get away for the weekend and enjoy some fun with old friends before the little man arrives. Here's a picture of the three of us together:

Symptoms: Back pain, hip pain, and fatigue. But I managed to fulfill my MOH duties with flying colors by standing for the full hour of Anne's orthodox wedding ceremony. Go me. (Of course, I enjoyed a good two hour nap the next day.)

Cravings/Aversions: I crave food. Pretty much all types. I think I may need to delete this category. I feel like I am beginning to sound like a broken record.

What I Miss: Not too much really. I can now definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I'm just trying to enjoy the last couple months of this experience.

What I Can't Wait For: We've got an exciting few weeks coming up. We're hosting our first married Thanksgiving together, and then heading out to the gulf coast of Florida for another wedding in early December. We're going to stay a few extra days and make this our "babymoon." I'm looking forward to some R&R-- and hopefully a good prenatal massage at the resort!

Milestones: Baby is pushing 3 pounds and-- we revisit the produce aisle again this week-- about the size of a butternut squash. At this point, his brain development is kicking into high gear, which reminds me that I need to go pick up some Omega 3 supplements!

Week 28

2011-11-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

(28 weeks, 3 days)

November 4, 2011

Best Moment: Wow. It's crazy to me that I have been pregnant for 28 weeks. Or 26 if you want to get technical. But still. That's half a year... a long time! The weeks just keep flying by. This past week was a quiet one. We enjoyed our fall outing and first Halloween giving out candy to trick-or-treaters (although our turn out was a little disappointing. Sadly, more candy for me...) We also finally put together the crib and made the decision to repurpose an old chest of drawers we already have as Bean's changing table and dresser. I started folding and organizing some of his (currently limited) wardrobe. It's so much fun to start seeing the nursery come together and envisioning him living in this room.

Symptoms: I'm still dealing with the sciatic pain in my right hip. I think it's here to stay unfortunately.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new here, although I have now reached the point where I am starving every 2 hours or so. It's becoming somewhat of a challenge to find enough portable, healthy, different snack foods that I can bring to work or out and about with me. A girl cannot live on bananas and Luna bars alone.

What I Miss: I'm starting to get tired again... I think this might be third trimester fatigue setting in. While I miss my energy and my ability to get around easily, I realize I only have another 12 weeks to embrace being lazy and taking naps at will, so I am trying to enjoy it while I can.

What I Can't Wait For: I'm looking forward to my upcoming 28 week appointment (although not so much the glucose test.) Due to slight anomaly in Bean's umbilical cord, I will be getting an ultrasound at all of my remaining appointments to make sure his growth is on track. The silver lining is that it's always fun to see him!

Milestones: Jelly Bean weighs about 2 and a half pounds and his eyesight is developing. He is blinking his eyes and may be able to see the light that filters in through my skin.

Week 27

2011-11-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2011

Best Moment: After my parents left last weekend, it was a quiet rest of the week. The highlight was probably registering on Friday night at Babies'R'Us... fun, though definitely a little intimidating. They gave us a list about 5 pages long of all the stuff we "need." I think our registry currently consists of about 20 items. With a 1500 square foot house, we're going with a less is more approach. I figure we can always purchase things later on that we discover we really need, but I don't want to wind up with a bunch of baby stuff we never touch. Still, it was fun to stroll aisles and picture him in a car seat, in a stroller, etc.

Symptoms: In addition to the back pain, I'm starting to get some sciatic nerve pain that runs from my lower back through my right hip and down my right leg. But, I'm not complaining too much. It's uncomfortable, but a heating pad helps, and I think it's just comes with the territory at this point. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy thus far.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new here. Much to Jason's disappointment, barbecue still sounds pretty gross (I haven't had it once since very early in my first trimester), but everything else is fine. On the flip side, Halloween candy might pose a problem...

What I Miss: Nothing really.

What I Can't Wait For: One of my best friends from home is throwing me a shower in Portland in mid-December. I'm looking forward to that!

Milestones: I have officially completed the second trimester! It's hard to believe. We are now under the 3 month mark until my due date, and I know these last weeks are going to fly by. My focus for November is going to be on getting as much baby stuff done as possible, so that I can just relax and enjoy (as much as that's possible) the end of my pregnancy in December.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

After many weeks of jam-packed schedules and busy weekends, we finally had a quiet few days at home. While the Northeast got its first snowfall, we've been enjoying a Texas "cold front" (read: sunny, highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s... basically gorgeous weather), so we wanted to get out and enjoy a few fall activities this weekend.

After a leisurely Saturday morning of waffles and College Game Day, we hopped in the car and headed east of Austin for some hiking in Buescher State Park. On the way, we passed the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort, so we took a little detour and drove through their gorgeous property, checking out their golf course, pool facilities (lazy river!), and resort clubhouse. We've now added it to the top of our weekend getaways list. OK, I just made that up. We don't really keep a list of weekend getaway ideas, but it would make a fantastic weekend trip from Austin or Houston-- with or without kids. Maybe someday.

Then, we continued to on to Buescher State Park where we took a leisurely (pregnancy appropriate) 3.5 mile hike. It was mildly hilly and really pretty. Of course we didn't take any pictures. But I did collect about 15-20 awesome pine cones... I'm thinking some sort of Christmas craft is in order. Maybe gold spray paint?

On the way home we decided to stop at a pumpkin patch to pick up some pumpkins, but found out they were charging $10 admission to stroll around a picked over pile of pumpkins that had been trucked in (not even grown there... and they call themselves a pumpkin patch!) So we bid adieu to the patch and picked up a few pumpkins at HEB on the way home instead.

Yesterday we took a stroll through our neighborhood to check out some of the decorations. A lot of the houses in this area go all out for Halloween (making me wonder if we bought enough candy...), but this one takes the cake:

The signs are hard to read in these pictures, but they are pretty clever-- comments on everything from our health care system, to all of the various Republican presidential candidates to Occupy Wall Street.

Last night we carved our pumpkins-- probably the first time I've carved a pumpkin since high school! Hard to believe, but I figure that with a baby on the way, it's probably time I get back in touch with my inner kid and fun holiday traditions. I went old school, while Jason got a little Big 12 artistic.

Now it's time to put out the Halloween candy and pop in a scary (or maybe just funny) movie while we wait for the trick-or-treaters. Hope your night is spook-tacular! (Sorry, couldn't resist!)

Week 26

2011-10-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

October 21, 2011

Best Moment: My parents came to visit last week and we had a fantastic time. We finally finished up all the home improvements we've been working on, so it was fun to show off our place. The weather was great (mid-80s) and we enjoyed some shopping on South Congress, a few nice meals out, a day trip to Fredericksburg to visit the WWII Pacific War museum, and some live music at the Saxon Pub.

Symptoms: In addition to the low back pain that kicked in last week, I'm starting to have some pain in my right hip. My yoga instructor tells me it's from a combination of sleeping on my side and my hips naturally spreading out in preparation for delivery. Fun times. At this point, I'm just trying to stay active as much as possible with walking, yoga, and light weights to help keep everything limber and in good working order.

Cravings/Aversions: Same story here... huge appetite and no willpower (or desire to exercise willpower) when it comes to sweets. That plus all the great food we enjoyed during my parents' visit will probably result in a bigger than usual weight gain the next time I step on scale, but I'm trying not to worry about it too much.

What I Miss: Honestly, I'm kind of getting tired of having to monitor everything I put in my mouth. At home, I've got a pretty good routine going in terms of what I can eat, but when I go out I'm constantly reminded of all the stuff that's off limits. Everything from deli meat, to soft cheeses, to medium rare meats. And of course the wine. I've had little sips here and there, but it would be nice to just enjoy a big, juicy, medium rare steak and nice glass of Cab. Only a few more months now...

What I Can't Wait For: The nursery is painted, so now it's time to set up the crib and start thinking more seriously about decor. We're going with a light Babar theme-- meaning some Babar and elephant items, but not over the top theme-y. The walls are a pale aqua blue, and we'll have some navy accents with some other bright colors. More to come!

Milestones: Jelly Bean is about the length of an English cucumber (14 inches or so), and he can now hear not only my voice, but other sounds outside the womb, including Jason's voice.

Week 25

2011-10-20T14:35:00.001-07:00

October 14, 2011

Best Moment: Week 25 was a fun one! We spent one day in Houston to attend the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover Live event. It was great-- he is just so entertaining, and we love his message. We're already FPU graduates, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see him person. (This may make us total dorks, but we're OK with that.) After the event, we toured around the historic Houston Heights neighborhood and had a great dinner at Zelko Bistro before hitting the road back to Austin. And, then, a few days later we had our 24 week doctor's appointment. We are so grateful that everything continues to look great with the Bean.

Symptoms: This was the first week that I really started to feel pregnant. I now apparently grunt a little (involuntarily) when I bend over over squat down. Rolling over in bed is kind of an event. And my lower back is starting to hurt. My pre-natal yoga definitely helps with the aches and pains, so it may be time to step up my attendance to twice a week.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new here. I have been cooking up a storm lately though. I've just been in the mood for classic comfort food like the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches I shared earlier this week, as well as fried chicken and peach pie (a meal that deserves a post of its own!)

What I Miss: Not too much, although my latest aches and pains are helping me envision a time when I just want this baby here (vs. stressing about how long my to-do list is, and how little time I have to do it.) I can see a time in the very near future when I think I'll just start feeling ready for him to arrive, regardless of the state of my to-do list.

What I Can't Wait For: My parents' visit next week!

Milestones: Jelly Bean is now over a foot long and pushing two pounds. He's growing hair (wonder if he'll be a red head or a brunette?) and starting to fill out a little bit with some cute baby fat.

Comfort Food

2011-10-18T14:29:00.001-07:00

Since the temperatures have finally cooled off a little bit here in Texas, I have been feeling a serious urge to cook and I think I am recapturing a little bit of the kitchen mojo I lost during a queasy first trimester that segued nicely into the hottest summer on record and our month of no air conditioning-- essentially the perfect storm for a summer of no cooking. But, over the past few weeks, I've been revisiting a bunch of old favorites, as well as trying out some new recipes, and have some good ones to share.

First up: ooey gooey grilled cheese with bacon (cooked in bacon fat, no less) and homemade spicy tomato soup. This pregnancy has me craving comfort food in a major way, so this recipe isn't necessarily for anyone counting calories, but it's definitely tasty! Comfort food at it's best.

Bacon Grilled Cheese & Spicy Tomato Soup
Serves 2
(Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine, March 2011.)

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
red pepper flakes to taste
salt & pepper
1/4 c. half & half
3-4 slices bacon
4 slices sandwich bread (I like good sourdough bread)
2/3 c. cheddar grated
pesto

In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes (I just shake in about a teaspoon or two), as well as salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant-- about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender and puree until smooth. Stir in half & half.

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Remove pan with fat from heat and drain all but about a tablespoon of the bacon fat. Add bread slices, and layer with half the cheese, the bacon, and the rest of the cheese, and then the second bread slice. Return to medium heat and cook until the bread is browned on one side (2-3 minutes.) Flip and brown on the other side.

Serve the sandwich with a bowl of the soup. Add a dollop of pest to the soup if desired. (You will probably have leftover soup, and it makes a great lunch the next day.) Enjoy!

Weeks 23 - 24

2011-10-12T14:34:00.001-07:00

October 7, 2011

Best Moment: It continues to be pretty hectic 'round these parts. Lots of travel and demanding projects at work, coupled with a seemingly unending to-do list at home. But things feel like they're finally starting to come together at our new place. The month of no AC (where we basically lived like refugees) set us back a little, but I'm starting to feel much more settled. Over the past two weeks, we got our new sectional and media console delivered, got our washer and dryer swapped out (the original ones we purchased when we moved in had some issues), and, on the baby front, picked up our crib. (Putting it together will be another matter entirely.) We also visited our first daycare, and, despite my hesitations, really liked it. We'd like to tour a few more before making any commitments, but we're currently on the waiting list for the first one.

Symptoms: It continues to be fairly smooth sailing. I'm generally feeling good and seem to have a little bit more energy back. The bean is moving pretty regularly and I've started noticing consistent activity patterns. He likes to let me know when he's hungry (when I'm hungry), and then shortly after I've eaten he seems to get a second wind (must be the blood sugar kicking in). He's also fairly active in the evening when I am relaxing, and when I first wake up in the morning. I think I might be waking him up when I roll over to get up.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new here. I still love me some sugar. But I am trying to make sure I get lots of fruits, veggies, and healthy proteins too.

What I Miss: Not much right now! Enjoying it while I can.

What I Can't Wait For: My parents are coming for a visit in two weeks, which I am really excited about. We're frantically trying to finish up a bunch of projects around the house, as well as paint the baby's room, before they arrive. I'll post pictures one of these days!

Milestones: Does eating 3 cupcakes in one sitting count? OK, Jason had several bites of each, but he made me post this picture. As many things as I'm looking forward to enjoying again once this baby arrives, I will kind of miss the cupcakes...

Weeks 21-22

2011-09-29T14:12:00.001-07:00

I'm almost a week behind, but trying to catch up. I'm 22 weeks and 3 days in this picture.

September 23, 2011

Best Moment: Weeks 21 and 22 were busy ones! (Hence my lack of posting, but I'm trying to get back on track.) On September 13th we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary... and I got the best anniversary gift ever. No, not jewelry. Even better. That's right. Our air conditioning finally got fully replaced, and it has been working (knock on wood) ever since. Later that week I headed east to Portland, Maine for an old friend's wedding. The weather was chilly, but sunny and brisk, and such a nice change of pace from Austin (where it's still over 100.) The wedding was beautiful and it was great to catch up with a bunch of old friends from when I lived in San Francisco. Work and business travel kept me occupied for most of week 22, but we did have another ultrasound and we got the great news that everything looks great with our baby boy.

Symptoms: He is wiggling up a storm these days, and I love it. I don't love my ridiculous fatigue, but I think my travel schedule and hectic pace these days is probably a big part of the problem. I just need to get used to going to bed at 9pm every night.

Cravings/Aversions: Sugar. I know, it's terrible. I need to tone it down before my glucose test.

What I Miss: Not too much. Mostly just my energy... I thought I was supposed to be brimming with it during the second trimester, but I guess I can't complain about it too much since I've had it pretty easy in most other areas.

What I Can't Wait For: We picked out crib bedding and now it's time to start painting and really get moving on the nursery. I'm looking forward to seeing it come together.

Milestones: Jelly Bean reached a full pound during week 22 (verified at our most recent ultrasound.) It's nice to know that I can attribute at least 1 pound of my weight gain to him! (Kidding... sort of.) He's also just shy of a foot long. I've also wrapped up 5 full months of this pregnancy and now I am (amazingly) beginning my sixth month!

Week 20

2011-09-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

September 9, 2011

Best Moment: This week included several highlights. Most of our impromptu trip up to Fort Worth occurred during week 20, and we really enjoyed ourselves despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the trip. Reaching the halfway point in my pregnancy was also really exciting. It's hard to believe I'm now over the hump and closer to the end! And, wow, do I have stuff I need to get done. The best moment of the week, however, came on Friday night when I finally felt Jelly Bean move-- for sure this time. I thought I had felt him once or twice before, but wasn't quite sure. But on Friday night, right after dinner, he started moving and there was no mistaking it. Now it's a regular occurrence, particularly after meals and when I'm relaxing.

Symptoms: Lots of baby movement... finally!

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing out of the ordinary... I say this every week, but my appetite just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. As does my stomach.

What I Miss: Having a short to-do list? I'm not sure. I don't think life ever really slows down, but it's feeling particularly hectic these days.

What I Can't Wait For: We're looking forward to our upcoming 20 week doctor appointment and fetal anatomy scan.

Milestones: We've made it halfway! That is a huge milestone. Jelly Bean is also growing up a storm, now weighing in around 11 oz. and measuring the length of a banana.

The saga continues...

2011-09-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

We are now approaching a full 4 weeks without functional air conditioning. As I mentioned in my last post, it's been fixed on several occasions, worked great for 12-18 hours, and then stopped again. The breaking point came over Labor Day weekend. After many appointments with two different repair companies, it was working as of Friday afternoon before the holiday weekend. We had been out of the house for the previous two weekends and I was so happy and excited to think about enjoying the long weekend at home in our nice, cool house.

Then, as I was driving home, I got the dreaded call from Jason that he'd just returned home and our house was over 90 again. At this point our landlord finally agreed that a full replacement of the air conditioning unit was necessary, but it was still going to be another week or two to get the parts and get it installed through his home warranty company. (Note to self: NEVER purchase a home warranty when we buy a home... the service has been terrible and the work orders are placed at the bottom of the stack for all the vendors that are contracted to do the repairs. There is no sense of urgency-- presumably because they're being paid at a lower rate than their non-warranty jobs-- and thus we've gone a month without air conditioning.)

Since our landlord had been paying for hotel rooms intermittently, and offered to again over Labor Day weekend, we decided we might as well go stay in a hotel in a new city. So we headed off to Fort Worth. I was in a pretty bad mood about our third consecutive weekend out of the house, when all I really wanted to do was tackle our last boxes and start working on the baby's room, but we actually had a really good time... we enjoyed a few good meals, hit up the zoo (which is one of the top 5 in the country and really pretty), toured the Kimbell Art Museum, visited the famed stockyards, and indulged in some In'n'Out, a west coast favorite (newly opened in Fort Worth and Dallas.) Mmmm...

Hanging with the flamingos (we only took pictures at the end of the visit, thus they all feature birds...)

Moving on to lunch...

...totally worth the wait.

Nom, nom, nom!

Overall, we really liked Forth Worth. It was very pretty, and definitely felt like a smaller town. Very laid back, and very different than Dallas. If our AC had to break (again), it was fun to get away for a spur of the moment trip. I kept reminding myself that once the baby arrives, these types of weekends will be few and far between, so it felt a little like a special, impromptu babymoon.

When we got back to Austin on Monday, we were greeted with highs around 90 (shocking!) and predicted lows in the low 60s (even more shocking!) It slowly got warmer throughout the week, but we made it through this past Saturday with a steady rotation of fans and opening all the windows in the very early morning to circulate that nice, cool air. Now it's back in the 100+ range (up to 111 today), and the repair company should be coming tomorrow or Wednesday to install the new unit. Meanwhile, our landlords are on vacation, so they've offered us their house until the repair is complete. I felt kind of weird about it at first, but now that I see 111 on the forecast, I have no qualms about packing my overnight bag and heading right on over there. I will be enjoying a swim in their pool this evening.

Fingers crossed that this is the final installment in this air conditioning saga... If nothing else, I have a trip to Maine to look forward to this weekend, and it's supposed to be in the 50s there.

Weeks 18 and 19

2011-09-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

August 26, 2011 - 18 weeks (and 33 years old!) -and- September 2, 2011 - 19 weeks

I'm a little behind on my weekly updates, so today you get two for one, and then I'll post this week's update over the weekend.

Best Moment: There have been several highlights over the past few weeks. I celebrated my birthday on August 26th with a delicious meal at Wink. We had the tasting menu, and it was fantastic. It was a little tamer than some of my past birthdays, but I was determined to at least enjoy a great meal, and we succeeded. We also enjoyed about 18 blissful hours of air conditioning from the evening of the 26th up until the following afternoon. I've save the rest of the details for later, but suffice it to say, our air conditioning is not currently in working order. Those were a really nice 18 hours, though.

Symptoms: Not too much to report here. I've still been getting sharp round ligament pains pretty frequently, but overall I'm feeling good. I haven't felt him move much though. Two or three times I've felt little twinges (like a small bubble popping), but I'm not sure if that's him, or, ahem, some digestion issues.

Cravings/Aversions: I haven't been experiencing anything in the way of aversions lately, but my appetite continues to grow by the week. Does ice cream count as a craving? Because I want dessert-- particularly of the icy cold and creamy variety-- at least once a day. Moderation will be key.

What I Miss: Not too much... I am just trying to enjoy this period of feeling good while it lasts.

What I Can't Wait For: I am feeling a major urge to start getting the nursery ready and attacking our to-do list. Due to the AC being broken for most of the past month, we've had to be out of our house for the past 3 weekends-- meaning we haven't been able to make any progress on our huge list. (And we still have boxes in our garage to unpack!) I am seriously looking forward to a.) air conditioning that works on a daily basis; and b.) tackling our baby list.

Milestones: As of 19 weeks, he weighs in at just over a half pound and is about the size of a large heirloom tomato (which is appropriate this time of year... mmm... I could go for a caprese salad.) Jelly bean can probably hear my voice now, and he is starting to sprout hair on his scalp.

Week 17

2011-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

August 19, 2011

Best Moment: The only thing we've really been able to focus on this week is staying cool. I did join a pre-natal yoga class with the hopes of getting a little exercise and hopefully meeting some other mamas-to-be (since I don't currently know any.) We also received our new dining table and chairs, which will be great for hosting family and friends after the Bean arrives, and far more comfortable that our semi-broken Ikea folding chairs circa '04.

Symptoms: Not to beat a dead horse here, but this pregnant lady is HOT. I stopped voluntarily going outside back in late May so, needless to say, not being able to escape the heat inside my own home has been pretty rough. The round ligament pains also continue. On the plus side, I think it's getting easier to sleep on my side-- either because I am just getting used to it, or because my growing belly actually makes it more comfortable than sleeping on my back.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing really. Except we did go back to a restaurant where I had a major aversion to a salad early on in the pregnancy, and even though I haven't felt nauseous in weeks, nothing on the menu there sounded good, and I wasn't able to stomach my entree--even though it wasn't salad-- because it reminded me of the last time we were there. Weird.

What I Miss: Um, air conditioning?

What I Can't Wait For: I'll give you one guess...

Milestones: Jelly Bean weighs 5 oz. and is 5 inches long. He can now move his joints and his sweat glands are beginning to develop. (Dare I suggest he might have very well developed sweat glands after this week??)

Full of Hot Air

2011-08-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

We are currently on day 6 of no air conditioning during a summer of record-breaking heat here in central Texas. (For reference, the high today is supposed to be 105, and 109 by Friday. Awesome. Can't wait.)

This saga began last Wednesday evening when we arrived home to a very warm house. It was unpleasant, but with a few industrial sized fans blowing right on us, we managed to sleep (somewhat.) We figured that the AC repair crew would make it out on Thursday, and the problem would be solved. When they didn't arrive until 5pm the next day, we became a little concerned... and then a lot more concerned when they told us the compressor was out and that they would need to order a new one. I don't know ~~much~~ anything about air conditioners, but, as I understand it, the compressor is essentially what pumps in the cool air. So, you know, it's kinda important.

That night we stayed in a cheap motel on I-35 with high hopes of a cool house by the weekend. Said hopes were dashed when we found out that the compressor would not be in until Monday at the earliest. That meant a full weekend with no AC. Let me provide a little color... with a drafty, poorly insulated house from the 1920s and outdoor temps well over 100, that means it is no less than 94 degrees inside our house at any given time. You could, if given enough time, bake cookies on our kitchen tiles.

We managed to get a portable AC unit to tide us over, and very quickly discovered that the portable unit is fantastic if you only want to cool approximately 3 cubic feet of air immediately in front of it. Unfortunately, if you want to cool your whole house, or even one room, no dice. Necessity being the mother of invention, J has rigged up a little contraption whereby we put the AC unit at the foot of the bed, duct tape our sheets over it, and then prop up the sheets between the AC unit and the bed with... wait for it... golf clubs. This creates a small wind tunnel of cool air on our legs. It's still 94 degrees on our face, but the cool air under the sheets makes sleeping somewhat tolerable.

Cooking is another story altogether. After eating out for 3 days, we decided that was no longer sustainable and now it's become every man for himself, foraging in the fridge for whatever assortment of foods we can throw together that require no heat whatsoever to prepare. Last night we had leftover pasta, cold rotisserie chicken, and grapes. What's that you say? You want an invitation to dinner? Come on over!

After a weekend spent full of creative ways to spend time indoors in other people's AC (aimlessly strolling the aisles of Target, getting stroller demos at Buy Buy Baby, lengthy visits to the grocery store... and pharmacy... and Lowe's, a movie, church, a couple more meals out), we are plum out of ideas. And patience. The compressor wasn't in yesterday, but thankfully arrived today. Can they install it today? Of course not. That would be too easy. So we're crossing our fingers for tomorrow.

This enormously whiny post is just to say... it's hot and we're tired of it, but, boy, are we thankful that we even have a house with the possibility of AC. I've seen a few homeless people since this ordeal began, and my heart goes out to them. I am really conscious of the homeless during the cold winter months, but have never really thought about their needs during the summer. If anything, this experience has given me the conviction that I need to be more intentional about helping out the needy in the off seasons-- not just around the holidays when it's top of mind. And when that air conditioner shudders to life (hopefully) tomorrow, I will never, ever take it for granted again.

It's a...

2011-08-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

At last Friday's doctor's appointment, our ultrasound tech was able to figure out Jelly Bean's sex, but we didn't want to know immediately. OK, I did, but Jason wanted to do something a little more fun. So I (begrudgingly) agreed to have the big reveal sealed up in an envelope and then I exercised the utmost in self-control all afternoon as I carried it around in my purse.

We had talked about doing a "gender reveal party" with a big dramatic slicing into a blue or pink filled cake, but since we a.) have about 4 friends left here in Austin; and b.) had given these 4 people zero notice, we decided that scenario probably wasn't going to pan out for us. So we opted to just do our own mini gender reveal party, with a few pink or blue frosting filled cupcakes from Sugar Mama's Bakeshop (yum.) We dropped off the envelope on Friday night, made our cupcake order, and waited patiently until Saturday afternoon.

The original plan had been to eat them for dessert after a nice dinner, but I decided I couldn't wait. So at about 3pm we headed to the back patio at the Hotel San Jose (one of our favorite places, which happens to be located across the street from our old apartment), ordered a couple sparkling waters, and sliced into the first cupcake. The result?

It's...

a...

BOY!!

I'll admit it... I was totally shocked. A combination of the Chinese gender prediction chart, some old wives tales (particularly those concerning fruit and my less than stellar complexion), and a "gut feeling" had convinced me it was a girl. But we are so excited for our boy, and I am totally on board with all things blue! Now on to the nursery and picking out a name...

Week 16

2011-08-16T13:35:00.001-07:00

Post-cupcake gender reveal on August 13th (in front of Jo's Coffee on South Congress)... details to come!

August 12, 2011

Best Moment: We had our doctor's appointment on Friday and, sure enough, the ultrasound tech was able to identify Jelly Bean as a he or a she. We asked her to put the results in a sealed envelope so that we could stage our own mini-gender reveal party. I'll give you the results tomorrow, but, we were very happy to learn that Bean appears to be healthy and developing right on track. I also bought my first maternity clothes on Friday after the appointment (including the dress above.) I got maternity jeans that are actually cute and look pretty high quality for $13.98 (!!) at Target. Yes, you read that right. I couldn't believe it either, but no complaints here. Especially for something I may wear for 5 months (or less... considering it's currently 104 out and I have no desire to wear long pants any time soon.)

Symptoms: Over the past few weeks, I've had periodic sharp (and sometimes shooting) pains up and down my abdomen. They have felt almost like bad, but very brief, cramps. I wasn't sure if I should be worried, but learned at my doctor's appointment that they're called round ligament pains and are totally normal. Good to know. I've also been waking up once or twice a week with "charley horses" (does anyone else call them this?) or really bad calf cramps. Apparently this is also totally normal.

Cravings/Aversions: I still really like sweets and fruit, and occasionally some red meat. Nothing too out of the ordinary though. The only thing that doesn't sound good, much to Jason's disappointment, is BBQ. He has been hounding me for a trip to the Salt Lick for weeks and I just can't do it.

What I Miss: Not too much. I'm feeling pretty good. I'm definitely in that second semester sweet spot.

What I Can't Wait For: Now that we know if we're having a him or her, it's time to start thinking about nursery decor! It's a little overwhelming, but it should be lots of fun, too.=

Milestones: Bean is the size of a large avocado (about 4.5 inches) and is about to embark on a growth spurt-- meaning I should be experiencing a growth spurt as well. Good thing I got those maternity clothes!

Week 15

2011-08-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

At Geoff's wedding... actually 15 weeks, 1 day. And I'm posting this a little late, but better now than never!

August 5, 2011

Best Moment: This week we traveled to Portland for my brother's wedding. The highlight of the week has been celebrating with Geoff and Brooke, visiting with our extended family, and sharing our baby news with everyone.

Symptoms: I've been feeling pretty great! It's definitely getting a lot more obvious that I'm pregnant. I "shopped my closet" and wound up trying on a bunch of different dresses to find suitable options for the rehearsal dinner and wedding. I found two good ones, but I'm definitely due for a maternity shopping trip soon. (The ruffles on the dress above definitely hide the bump!)

Cravings/Aversions: I like to think Jelly Bean just has a serious sweet tooth, but I'm not sure I can blame my sweets cravings on him/her. Regardless, I'm finding that dessert every night is pretty much a necessity.

What I Miss: I haven't missed alcohol very much during this pregnancy, but, quite honestly, I missed toasting the bride and groom with a glass of wine or bubbly and enjoying the adult beverages at the reception. But, again, forgoing the wine in favor of sparkling water is a small sacrifice for the end payoff.

What I Can't Wait For: We have a doctor's appointment and another ultrasound next week... and a possibility of finding out if Jelly Bean is a he or a she!

Milestones: Now the size of a large apple, Jelly Bean is "breathing" amniotic fluid in through his or her nose and through the upper respiratory tract.

Wedding Weekend

2011-08-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we traveled back home to Portland for my brother's wedding. The weather forecast held true, and we enjoyed beautiful 80-degree weather (truthfully it was a little chilly for my Texas heat-thinned blood! ...my friends and relatives in the NW are now laughing at me considering that it was one of the nicest weekends they've had all summer), and more importantly-- a beautiful and touching wedding. My camera is still broken, so these shots are courtesy of my cousin and mother-in-law.

The beautiful bride and groom.

Laura & I giving a reading during the ceremony.

The "three of us" at the reception (that would be me, J, and baby for those of you counting... ; )

Beautiful garden setting for the cocktail hour and dinner. And in the background, you can see the ice cream truck arriving. So cute! The ice cream truck (which also had cupcakes) was in lieu of a traditional wedding cake.

The wedding was gorgeous and it was so great to see so many extended family members. A trip home for this type of big family event is always kind of a whirlwind, and the 3.5 day weekend didn't seem nearly long enough. I've definitely had some homesickness since we arrived back in Austin, but I know that this whole living thousands of miles away from everyone we know and love is just a season of life. It's the best thing for our little family right now, and hopefully we'll be back out west at some point in the next few years.

Side note: my blues did not improve when we are arrived home at 2am Sunday night (or Monday morning) after a long delay in Denver, waited for our bags, walked all the way out to the long-term parking lot (because we didn't want to sit around and wait for the shuttle at 2am), and worked up a nice sweat in the 90-degree heat along the way, only to find that my car wouldn't start. Of course. So we walked all the way back to the terminal and took a cab home. On Monday, we went back to jump start the car, but no luck. So now my car is in the shop and we're just crossing our fingers that it's nothing serious. I'm really, really hoping that after weeks of preparing for and dealing with the move, and now several weeks spent unpacking and organizing-- plus the wedding travel, work travel (greetings from Atlanta!), and now the car fiasco-- that life slows down soon. Is it Friday yet?? (OK, end whine.)

Week 14

2011-08-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

July 29, 2011

Best Moment: We are so happy to be done with the move!! We still have boxes piled up in corners throughout the house, but the worst is behind us. The picture above is from Friday night when we had our first relaxing "date night" in weeks. We also got our first baby gift from J's parents-- an adorable baby "layette" from Carters, including lots of little nightgowns, onesies, burp cloths, and other items, all decorated in a pale yellow ducky theme. My favorite item was a terry cloth towel with a little hood shaped to look like a cute duck-- perfect for my Oregon duck! ; ) Opening the baby gift made it seem so real. I know I keep saying that, but I seem to spend a lot of time very conscious of being pregnant, but not all that conscious of the fact that I am going to actually have a baby in a few short months. It's funny how I think about being pregnant all the time, but then suddenly the thought strikes me that I will have an additional little person living in my house soon, for whom I am 100% responsible, and it seems startling (albeit exciting.)

Symptoms: I've started trying to sleep on my left side as all the books advise, and, man, it's tough! I either wind up on my back or stomach, or wake up multiple times a night because sleeping on my side feels so uncomfortable and unnatural. But I'm hoping it will get easier with time. I see one of those huge pregnancy pillows in my future...

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing out of the ordinary, although my appetite went through the roof essentially the second I graduated from the first trimester to the second on Friday. Get this girl some grub!

What I Miss: Sleeping on my back without feeling guilty about it.

What I Can't Wait For: Now that we're settling into our new place, we're in major nesting mode. We're looking forward to furnishing our house and replacing some of our 10-year-old (broken) IKEA furniture.

Milestones: I've completed the first trimester. It seemed to drag on forever, but all of sudden I'm more than a third of the way through this pregnancy and now it seems like the next five and a half months could fly by!

Week 13

2011-08-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic-- I managed to break our camera last week, so it will be iPhone pics until we get it fixed (or I convince J that we need to invest in a nice DSLR camera!)

July 22, 2011

Best Moment: We spent all of this week cleaning and painting the new house, packing, and otherwise prepping for the move. I don't consider these the "best moment" of the week, but getting these items crossed off my to-do list sure was.

Symptoms: Fatigue, as usual. But I'm pretty sure that has a little something to do with the move. I consider the fact that I can even do any of the above chores pretty impressive... a month ago, simply mustering the energy to eat dinner necessitated an immediate nap afterward.

Cravings/Aversions: Beef. On Friday night, after a long day of packing (and before a long day of moving), we had the world's best dinner at Hop Doddy. I've mentioned this place before, but seriously... if you are in Austin: JUST. GO. I've eaten a lot of burgers in cities scattered across the United States and this is hands down the best burger joint I've ever been to. It may officially be my pregnancy craving dinner of choice from here on out. I had been dreaming of that Llano Poblano burger all day and it did not disappoint. The local, grass-fed beef is ground there, the buns are cooked there, all the toppings are organic and local... My burger of choice has a roasted Poblano pepper, smoked applewood bacon, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle mayo. I am drooling as I type this. And now I realize I have written the world's longest paragraph about a hamburger. Food takes on a new meaning during pregnancy. I will be back there frequently.

What I Miss: Working out regularly. After my little scare last week, I've been advised to avoid anything too strenuous. That combined with spending all my free time (and energy) on move-related chores means exercise has fallen by the wayside. Hopefully once we get settled, I can get into a new, pregnancy-safe workout groove.

What I Can't Wait For: I am dying to get settled into our new place and have this move behind us. It feels like we've had this move hanging over us forever now (OK, since May), and my to-do list is still a mile long. But the end is in sight...

Milestones: Working our way through the produce aisle, our Bean is now about 3 inches long and the size of a medium peach. Fingerprints have formed on his or her tiny fingers, and s/he weighs in at about an ounce.

Week 12

2011-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

July 15, 2011

Best Moment: Unfortunately, we had a little scare this week. On Sunday, while I was home visiting my family, I woke up with some light spotting. My mind immediately went to a very bad place. And, even worse, I had 6-7 hours of air travel ahead of me that day before I could get home, and then would have to wait until Monday morning to call my doc anyway. I was sure things were very wrong with the Bean, so I called in sick on Monday morning. My doctor was able to squeeze me in for an appointment late that afternoon. I had prepared myself for the worst, but they quickly found the baby's heartbeat and said that everything looked great. In fact, my little 11.5 week Jelly Bean was one of the more active babies they've seen at that early stage. I have not been that happy in a long, long time. Prayers most definitely answered. Bean was kicking and waving and flipping around, so we got to see all of his/her body and everything looked just as it should.

Symptoms: See above. This may be TMI, but apparently I have a very low-lying placenta, which may result in continued spotting until my uterus becomes much larger. This knowledge hasn't prevented several mini panic attacks this week, but I keep telling myself that I just have to trust my doc (which I do.) Aside from that, I'm back to being really, really tired. I think all my travel last week wore me out.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing really. My appetite seems to be normalizing.

What I Miss: My energy. Come on second trimester!

What I Can't Wait For: Getting settled into our new house. We're just a week away, but so much to do between now and then...

Milestones: Making it to 12 weeks is a huge milestone. Although not technically the end of the first trimester (I still have 2 more weeks), I feel like it's a huge validation that I really am pregnant and maybe there really will be a baby at the end of this thing. Oh, and I told my boss this week. I wasn't too nervous, but he was super excited and supportive, so that was nice. Now I can stop sucking in all day!

Week 11

2011-08-02T11:49:00.001-07:00

I took a picture in Week 10, but didn't do a recap. I didn't get a picture for Week 11, so Week 10 it is. The hands-on-hip pose makes the bump look pretty minimal, but it's definitely there and growing!

July 8, 2011

Best Moment: This week I traveled back to Portland to co-host a bridal shower for my brother's fiancee along with my sister, Laura. I hadn't been back since late December when we took a quick post-Christmas visit, so it was great to catch up with my family and celebrate my sister-in-law to be. Laura and I had a fantastic time planning out the menu and decorating for the shower, and we're pretty sure Brooke had a great time at the event.

Symptoms: Not too much in the way of symptoms. I traveled to Portland straight from DC, where I had some work meetings, and despite a hellish night spent at Reagan National Airport (and then in Alexandria, VA Hampton Inn because my flight was cancelled), my energy was pretty high all week. My appetite seems to be back, and no nausea to speak of. I don't want to jinx myself, but I think I may be over the worst of the first trimester. My bump, on the other hand, is just getting started. I purchased and wore a Belly Band for the first time, and I am getting to the point where I can no longer button several pairs of pants.

Cravings/Aversions: Again, not too much to complain about here! I definitely have an enhanced sweet tooth and continue to love all the fresh, summer fruit, but that's about it.

What I Miss: Nothing, really.

What I Can't Wait For: I'm looking forward to my 12 week doctor's appointment and a chance to see Jelly Bean again.

Milestones: Jelly Bean is now the size of a fig and his or her organs and major bodily systems are almost fully formed. Teeth buds are developing beneath his or her gums and bones are beginning to harden.

Week 9

2011-08-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

June 24, 2010

Best Moment: It was a quiet week-- no doctor's appointments or other big milestones. The highlight of the week was dinner with our friends Anne and Gregg last weekend down in San Antonio at Bin 555. I felt good enough to eat-- and enjoyed it! We had a variety of tapas, including grilled asparagus, delicious herb and sea salt fries, prosciutto wrapped dates, and goat cheese empanadas to name a few. I think I might really get into pregnant lady eating! We also celebrated Jason's (sort of) first Father's Day on Sunday.

Symptoms: Still nauseous. Still tired. Other intestinal difficulties that shall remain nameless. The usual at this point. Oh, and my pants are starting to get a wee bit snug around the waist.

Cravings/Aversions: Anything I cook is totally unappealing (if I can even get past the smell and cook it in the first place.) If someone else cooks it, it's tolerable. J has been a good sport about picking up the slack and cooking most meals for us these days. And somewhere along the line, salad became completely disgusting. The thought of salad is almost unbearable. I hope the copious amounts of fruit I'm consuming can carry the weight for the veggies I'm definitely not consuming. But chocolate chip cookies? I've got those covered.

What I Miss: Not much, really. I feel like I'm getting the hang of this pregnancy thing. Although I will be happy when I start feeling a little better.

What I Can't Wait For: I feel like I'm in a good groove this week. There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to in the longer term pregnancy-wise, but I'm not dying to get there immediately. In terms of other areas of my life, I am really, really looking forward to finding a house. Hopefully that happens soon!

Milestones: Jelly bean graduated from an embryo to a fetus this week. I've got a real baby in there!

Quote of the Week: I just had to add this. Said by my husband, totally out of the blue:

"You know what I'm most looking forward to having a kid for?"

dramatic pause

"Pinatas!"

Dead serious. He is looking forward to having a child so that he can play with a pinata at some point. At least he is entertaining!

It's hot here. Really, really hot.

2011-08-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

I interrupt my all baby all the time broadcast to bring you this... the 5 day forecast for Austin. Really? Really?? 108 degrees? There really are no words. I know it's hot pretty much everywhere right now, but I just need to whine a little bit. Sigh. So. Many. Days. Until. October.

Fortunately, I am headed to Portland on Thursday to celebrate my brother's wedding. Just look at that beautiful forecast...

I haven't been this excited about anything in a long time. Sleeping with my window open! Bringing a jacket for the evening! Jogging outside after 7am! Oh, um... er... and celebrating with my brother and his lovely fiancee as we toast their future lifetime of happiness together.

In 80 degree weather.

Priorities. ;)

Week 8

2011-07-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

June 17, 2011

Best Moment: We got to see Jelly Bean again this week in an ultra sound. This week s/he was a little more visible as a blob instead of a tiny spec, and the heartbeat continued to look great. It's still so amazing to me that there is a person in there!

Symptoms: Still tired and nauseaus. But I still haven't actually gotten sick. Towards the end of this week, I've started to feel like maybe my nausea is getting a little better-- or maybe I'm just getting better at managing it. I have packets of Saltine crackers stashed everywhere, and I've gotten better at eating smaller meals more often, to avoid getting hungry. My doctor says the nausea usually peaks in week 9, so here's hoping that the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter after next week.

Cravings/Aversions: Food. Meh. Not much sounds good. There isn't really anything that completely grosses me out, but there's also not much that appeals. I tend to go for bland things like the aforementioned Saltines, granola bars, anything potato, cereal, waffles, etc. I'm also still enjoying all of the great summer fruit.

What I Miss: My energy and my appetite. But I'm so grateful that my nausea seems to be mild to moderate. I know it could be much worse. And I also know all of this discomfort is temporary and so worth the end result.

What I Can't Wait For: I'm looking forward to the promised land that is the second trimester. Hopefully my energy will come back and I can start working out and just enjoying daily activities more.

Milestones: Jelly Bean is the size of a kidney bean, and is already constantly moving and shifting, but I won't be able to feel him or her for weeks to come.

Week 7

2011-07-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

June 10, 2011

Best Moment: The best moment this week was just making it to a full 7 weeks. Reaching this milestone helped provide a little reassurance.

Symptoms: In addition to the exhaustion, the nausea hit with full force this week. I'm not physically getting sick, but I'm also constantly queasy and very little sounds good to eat. The catch-22 is that the nausea gets worse if I get hungry, so I'm constantly trying to find things to snack on that don't make me want to hurl. At this point, it's safe to say I should have bought stock in Saltine crackers. I'm also starting to notice the effects of a pea-sized bladder. I've always had a small bladder (I like to think I'm just well hydrated) and I've always been a light sleeper, but the two are worse with pregnancy and I find myself waking up for multiple bathroom trips each night.

Cravings/Aversions: Fruit still sounds delicious. Other things sound good one minute, and absolutely disgusting the next. In general, meat sounds kind of gross, but cheesy, gooey comfort foods like pizza and enchiladas sound tasty.

What I Miss: The wine I mentioned last week? Yeah, that couldn't sound less appealing at this point. I miss my appetite and my ability to not smell and become violently disgusted by any food product within a 500 yard radius, but, again, it's a small price to pay. I am just so grateful for this miracle growing inside of me.

What I Can't Wait For: Honestly? Taking several naps this weekend. And not having to sit upright at my desk for two days. TGIF.

Milestones: Jelly bean is the size of a blueberry and has begun to develop hands and feet this week.

Week 6

2011-07-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Kicking off "baby week" with my first weekly update from 6 weeks - the last time my waist will look like this for the better part of a year!

June 3, 2011

Best Moment: The highlight of the week was seeing jelly bean and his/her heartbeat in our first ultrasound this week. Based on my history, I'm being closely monitored through the first trimester, which means a few more ultrasounds than normal. Fine by me! Seeing the heartbeat, which looked like a little flashing white light, was truly amazing and such a moment of joy and relief. There are no guarantees, but seeing the heartbeat alone reduces our risk of miscarriage from 30% to 10%.

Symptoms: EX-HAUS-TION. I've never been one to turn down a nap, but since those two pink lines appeared, I have experienced fatigue like never before. I am fortunate to live very close to my office, and have already managed to sneak home for a lunch time nap on more than one occasion. Also: enhanced sense of smell, mild nausea on a handful of occasions, and, strangely, excess saliva. Apparently the pregnancy symptom factory really fires up after week 6, so I'm sure I have many more fun little side effects to look forward to in the next few weeks.

Cravings/Aversions: I haven't had much in the way of food aversions, but cold, juicy fruit sounds amazing. Particularly berries, apricots, and nectarines. To date, my diet has been pretty good, and pretty balanced. We'll see what the next few weeks bring.

What I Miss: OK, I'll admit it... there have been a few occasions where Jason has had a glass of wine that looked pretty appealing. Especially the glass of Tempranillo he had with a homemade spicy tomato pasta the other night. I just miss the ritual of a nice glass of wine with a delicious, home-cooked meal. But nothing is more important that the health of our baby, so this is something I am more than happy to give up for the next 9 months.

What I Can't Wait For: I can't wait to go back for ultrasound #2 in about a week and a half. Fingers (and toes) crossed that everything continues to look great!

Milestones: Jelly bean's heart started beating this week. The miracle of life in action! It's hard to believe there is a little person in there, but it's becoming more real every day.

The other thing we've been up to...

2011-07-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

In addition to house hunting, the move, my busy work schedule, travel, and family events, my posts have been a little spotty because I have been worn out and not feeling great. But all for a good reason...

I am 14 weeks pregnant today, and we couldn't be more excited! We found out the morning before Jason's business school graduation, and it was honestly a big surprise-- albeit a fantastic one. I've had several ultrasounds already to make sure our bean is healthy and growing just as he or she should, and so far everything looks great. My due date is January 27th-- just 4 days shy of J's 35th birthday. As for how I'm feeling, my nausea is gone and the fatigue seems to be easing up. Today is officially the start of my second trimester, so I'm looking forward to hopefully feeling a lot more energetic in the coming weeks.

I've been writing weekly updates to help keep a memory of my experience with this pregnancy, so we'll call this "baby week" and I'll post all of my weekly updates up to this point over the next few days. After that, I'll post them once a week.

It's taken a little while for all of this to sink in, but it's becoming more and more real by the day. It looks like it's time to start thinking about how we transform our extra bedroom in order to get ready for our new addition next winter!

We Made It!

2011-07-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

After a very long week+ of cleaning, painting, and packing (in 104 degree weather), we are ~~totally~~ moved into our new place. We are currently surrounded by mounds of boxes in most rooms, but the kitchen is about 85% put away, so that feels like a huge accomplishment. As we were unpacking, I realized that at least 50% of our entire household's possessions live in the kitchen. Kind of crazy. (And maybe a sign that we need to invest in some furniture.) Now that we've gone through all of it and I've re-discovered many long lost cooking implements and pretty serveware items, I am totally motivated to start whipping up some goodies in my new kitchen.

We still have a semi-long list of to-do's. We (OK, Jason) spent most of last week painting the interior trim and the master bedroom, a well as the front and back doors. (It's hard to see in the picture above, but the doors and window trim are a deep plum color.) We still want to tackle some paint touch ups in the kitchen, and we are having the carpet replaced in two bedrooms so we don't want to get too settled in those rooms when we'll just have to move everything out again in a few weeks. But, overall, it's definitely starting to feel like home. We love the house's 1930s charm-- more pictures to come as we get settled and decorated.

And, most importantly, I got a full, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep last night for the first time in weeks. Well rested, and with the worst of the move behind us, I definitely feel like a new woman.

And so it goes...

2011-07-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

House hunting
Work travel
A trip home to visit the family
A bridal shower to host
Goodbye dinners and parties for some of our b-school friends leaving town
New projects at work
Packing and prepping for our move
Painting the new house...

... the list goes on.

Fortunately, I think my life might be approaching a more reasonable level of sanity in the next few days. Our move is scheduled for Saturday. We've been fiendishly scrubbing every nook and cranny of the house and painting trim and/or walls in nearly every room, but the end is in sight. I'm hoping I can take a big deep breath on Sunday. And maybe a nap, too.

Wish me luck!

South Africa, Part 2

2011-06-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

On the morning of June 13th, we packed up our things and headed back to the airport for a quick 2 hour flight down to Cape Town. (We also spent 4 hours traipsing through the suburbs of Pretoria to get our digital camera fixed, so we could avoid having to buy a new one after having dropped ours earlier. Oops. But, after camping out at the personal residence of some tech guy we tracked down at the mall, the camera prevailed, and all was well.)

After our hectic day, we wound up just checking in to our hotel that evening, and then heading out for some Cuban food, followed by drinks at a local pub where a bunch of rowdy Germans were celebrating their win over Australia. Rowdy (drunk) Germans singing terribly accented and off key karaoke in English = priceless vacation memory.

The next morning we woke up to check out the first major sight on our agenda, the Cape Malay Quarter. This area was originally settled by people from Indonesia, India, and Malaysia, who were captured and brought to Cape Town as slaves. Today it retains much of its Muslim heritage and is known for great architecture and brightly colored buildings. Unfortunately, it was rainy and grey most of our first day in Cape Town, but we were still able to enjoy the neighborhood.

(The huge mountain in the background is Table Mountain, which we visit later.)

Later in the day it cleared up a little bit and we were able to stroll around town to enjoy some of the other sights, including The Company's Garden and some of the city's beautiful and funky architecture.

That night we attended our second live World Cup game: Italy vs. Paraguay. We joined the crowds and participated in the fan walk from our hotel to the stadium. The fan walk was a crazy spectacle full of marching bands, people in costumes, and general joyous mayhem.

Once inside the stadium, the rain started up with a vengeance again. Fortunately our nosebleed seats meant that we were way up at the top of the stadium under the small amount of covered area. The people with the really expensive tickets? Not so lucky. We stayed (mostly) dry during the game, but it was cold. Like hopping up and down and rubbing my hands together continuously cold.

I think Italy won this game. To be honest, since we weren't really cheering on any particular team (and because it was freezing!), this game was a lot less exciting than the US game. I expected to see some crazy Italian fans, but even they were subdued. On the walk home, we wound up getting soaked, but we warmed up with late night tapas and red wine at a little Spanish restaurant we ducked into on our way back. All in all a fun night.

My Russian babushka look... anything to stay warm!

The next day, June 15th, we had planned to take a boat out to Robben Island to visit the prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated, but rough seas and high winds kept us land-locked. The good news is that the wind blew away the rain clouds and we were able to make a break for the gondola up to Table Mountain. There were clouds all around the periphery of Cape Town, but right at the top of Table Mountain it appeared to be clear, so we took advantage of what wound up being about a 45 minute sun break.

View from the mountain looking down on Cape Town before boarding the gondola.

When we made it to the top, we could see all the way down to the tip of the Cape of Good Hope. The views were amazing. We were lucky to go when we did because as soon as we got back on the gondola, the clouds came rushing back in.

Later that afternoon we headed back into town to watch another game on the big screen in Cape Town's fan park and do some shopping. We ran into this guy... see what I mean about crazy World Cup fans?

He was holding a phone up to his ear and kept saying "Hello, welcome to Cape Town" in this crazy voice. The tan, round objects to the upper right of his head (just above the soccer ball) are about two dozen eggs glued to his headdress. Amazing. And, because there just isn't an appropriate segue way, after that we went and ate an amazing northern Italian meal at 95 Keerom.

On our final full day in Cape Town, we finally made it out to Robben Island. It's about a 40 minute boat ride from the city out to the island, which originally served as a leper colony, and then eventually became a notorious prison where political dissidents were exiled during Apartheid. Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years in prison in a tiny cell on Robben Island, where he was allowed only one visitor a year for 30 minutes, and where he could write and receive only one letter every six months. His daily routine included working in a quarry where he would have to dig up rock, carry it across to the other side of the quarry to build a big pile, and then once the pile was complete, he had to carry it back to the other side to create a new pile... and so on.

View from the boat as we were pulling away from Cape Town.

A very sad place, but I'm glad we got to see it.

View looking back to the mainland from the island.

On our final evening in Cape Town, we indulged in some fantastic Indian food at Bhukara. The dining in Cape Town is phenomenal... you can find cuisine from every corner of the world, and it's all amazing. Jason jokes that while he enjoyed soccer, I enjoyed the World Cup of dining. Very true.

On the morning of the 17th, we woke up to sunny, blue skies and warmer temps. We packed up the rental car and hit the road for a scenic trip out to the winelands. Our first stop was to drive all the way down and around the Cape of Good Hope (seen above from atop Table Mountain.) The views along the way were stunning.

Once at Cape Point, we hiked up to a light house at the furthest southern tip of the point. The Cape of Good Hope is frequently referenced as the furthest southern point in Africa, which we learned is not technically true-- that would be Cape Agulhas about 90 minutes southeast. But the Cape of Good Hope gets all the credit because Portuguese explorers once thought it was where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

Cape Town was gorgeous, but I was ready to continue my World Cup of dining and enjoy some fine South African wines. Next up, the winelands and our drive along the Western Cape coastline.

South Africa, Part 1

2011-06-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

A year ago this week we were watching soccer and wine tasting in South Africa. It was an amazing, once (or hopefully twice) in a lifetime kind of trip, but I never blogged about it or documented it in any way. In honor of the one year anniversary of our trip (and so I can relive it in lieu of taking an actual vacation this summer!), I've decided to do a recap now. Fair warning: picture overload ahead.

Our trip began on June 8th, when we started the very arduous trek from Austin, TX to Johannesburg. We drove 3 hours to Houston, flew 15 hours to Dubai, "enjoyed" a 10 hour layover in Dubai, and then flew another 8 hours to Johannesburg, where we went through customs, gathered our baggage and then attempted to navigate an hour-plus through Johannesburg traffic on the wrong side of the road. After nearly two full days with little to no sleep. But we finally made to our hotel, with our marriage and sanity in tact.

Our first stop of the trip was technically Dubai, on the evening of June 9th. With 10 hours to kill, we figured we might as well sneak out of airport for a while and check out the city. Holy hotness batman! Neither one of us had ever experienced that kind of heat and humidity in our lives. The Celsius to Fahrenheit calculation is a little rough, but it was near 120 degrees well after 8pm. I guess that's summer in the Middle East.

With lots of time on our hands, we decided to visit the Burj Khalifa, which is currently the tallest building in the world. We went up the tower to the observation deck at the top, which was neat, but since it was dark, the views weren't quite what I'm sure they are in the daytime.

Afterwards, we took a cab to another area recommended by one of J's friends from business school (who is from the United Arab Emirates), and had an amazing Indian dinner. Much better than airplane food! By this point, the heat and jet lag were getting to us, so we cabbed it back to the airport to enjoy the AC. Around 4am we boarded our flight to South Africa. We were both able to catch a little shut-eye on this leg.

Finally, we arrived on June 10th! J attended the 2006 World Cup in Germany and had been talking about going to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for about as long as I've known him. He may have shed a tear when we landed and he was able to pose in front of this sign.

After the aforementioned, bleary-eyed drive on the wrong side of the road through the not-so-nice parts of Johannesburg, we arrived at our first hotel. We showered, had an early dinner, and were in bed by about 7:30pm.

The next morning, we rose at 4 am (which was not at all difficult due to the jet lag), got ready, and headed out 3 hours NW of Johannesburg to Pilanesburg National Park. We had really wanted to do a real African safari during the trip, but because of the World Cup, they were all booked up months in advance (and they were wildly expensive, so it was probably for the best.) Instead, we read about Pilanesburg National Park, where you can drive yourself through the game park and view all kinds of animals in their natural habitat-- all for about $20 per car. We did have to sign away our rights to sue if, say, we were eaten by a lion, but we figured it just added to the excitement! Here we are, about to enter the park:

That is a full grown male lion. Sure enough, within about 10 minutes of driving into the park, we spot this guy strolling down the road. The picture isn't great, and unfortunately we don't have any better pictures because of what happened next. He walked right up to our car and stopped and stood so close that his mane was brushing against the driver side door (Jason's side.) I was holding the camera and wanted to take more pictures, but Jason was (understandably) freaking out a little bit and didn't want to startle the lion. So we just sat in the car for a few minutes... really still... and then he walked away. After we exited the park a few hours later, we asked one of the guards if it was normal to see lions (thinking maybe they just stocked the place with animals to entertain the tourists) and they assured us that, no, it was very rare to see a lion and they were surprised and impressed that we saw one. Who needs a real safari, huh? We also saw numerous elephants, zebras, rhinos, ostrich, wildebeest, and a bunch of other animals I'm probably forgetting.

Very classy safari rest stop!

After our DIY safari, we drove back to Pretoria, the capital of South Africa about 45 minutes north of Johannesburg. We stayed at a hotel there for two nights. The first night (June 11th) we went to the local fan park to watch the inaugural World Cup game between South Africa and Mexico. The South African fans were out in full regalia to cheer on Bafana Bafana (the team's nickname).

Afterwards, we enjoyed a traditional South African feast:

The next day, June 12th, was the day Jason had been anticipating since he won World Cup tickets in the ticket lottery months prior-- the US vs. England game. We drove another two hours NW to Rustenburg to watch it. J was all geared out with an official US warm up jacket and jersey, but I made do with a red scarf and a flag I bought in the parking lot. (Oh, and June in South Africa-- particularly the northern part-- is cold. We kind of thought "it's winter in Africa-- how cold can it be?" Wrong. It was about 35 that night. If you stick with me long enough to read my future recaps of the trip you will see that I appear to be wearing the same thing every day. That is because I essentially wore all of my clothes, every day.)

Here I am in front of the stadium with a bunch of US fans. This was a great game for us to see live because a.) it was a US game, so it was obviously fun for us to cheer our team on; and b.) the fans went all out. Soccer is definitely a second tier sport within the US, but the small group of US soccer fans are intense. England is obviously a very serious soccer (football) nation, and the US fans played up all kinds of revolutionary war / Patriot themes with costumes and old colonial flags. The excitement and fanaticism of the crowds at World Cup games actually even exceeds what you will find at your biggest football rivalry in the United States. It's truly a spectacle.

We saw guys like this all over the place.

What's even better is that the US had an amazing game and tied 1-1, which was a slap in the face to the English fans who thought they were going to eat us for dinner. All in all, it was a fantastic game and such a fun atmosphere.

The first leg of our trip was off to a great start, but it actually got better... (like that cliff hanger?) Next up... Cape Town.

He Accepted!

2011-06-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just popping on to say hi and, more importantly, that earlier this week J accepted a fantastic offer from an Austin-based tech company. Hallelujah, the job search is over! This means that we'll be staying in Austin for the next couple years. I am disappointed that his new role won't be taking us back closer to family and friends on the West Coast, but I am thrilled that he found a great job at a great company-- a job that he is excited to have. And, we've agreed that this job doesn't have to be forever, but it's a good fit for right now. So, we're heading out tonight to enjoy a celebratory dinner, and then we begin (rental) house hunting in Austin tomorrow. I am so looking forward to being more settled!

I hope your weekend is off to a great start, too!

Answers!

2011-06-09T14:14:00.001-07:00

OK, so answers... (Thanks, Laurie, for humoring me!)

What are you reading now, and would you recommend anything you've read lately?

Right now I am finishing up Bossypants by Tina Fey. Very funny. I also recently read Suite Francaise, which was written by a French woman (Irene Nemirovsky) about the German occupation of France during WWII as these events were occurring, up until she was deported to a concentration camp. She died and her manuscripts were lost for 50 years only to be discovered and recently published. She only completed two parts of what was meant to be a five part story. The background behind the novel (which is really two little novellas) makes it really interesting. The stories themselves are written in an older, classic style that I would liken to that of Russians like Dostoevsky, so they are a bit dense and take some time getting into. But if you like WWII history and/or France, I think you would enjoy it.

Another recent favorite, which it seems like just about everyone has read and loved, was The Help. I think the movie is coming out later this month. It's about relationships between African American maids and the women they served in Mississippi at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement. Pretty fascinating stuff and great characters.

What are some little goals you're working on?

Unfortunately, I'm not really good at "little goals." I tend to go big or not at all. I would like to say that I'm actively working on keeping our home more organized and tidy, which is always a goal, but I tend to approach that one with kind of a binge and purge mentality. I may clean for 4 hours one weekend, resulting in a perfect, spotless house. But then by the next weekend there are piles of unfolded laundry all over the place, dirty dishes in the sink, and overflowing recycling containers in our pantry. So I don't think that really counts.

One of my "big goals" is to find a way to transition my job into something that is more writing oriented. Again, I go through spurts of effort where I do a lot of research and make strides in the right direction, and then suddenly weeks go by where the only writing I do are a few spotty blog postings. So perhaps my goal should be to be more consistent in pursuing my goals, even if it means lots of little baby steps. Maybe I should avoid the big goals (which can easily seem overwhelming) and make more of the little goals you asked about above.

Are you watching The Bachelorette?

Um, is today a day that ends in "y"? Yes, I am watching the train wreck that is Ashley H. looking for love. I can't seem to pull myself away (and let's be honest, I never try very hard anyway!) I hope she finds a great guy, although I realize the odds of that happening are extremely low. The whole Bentley fiasco was hard to watch. That was definitely a low point in Bachelor/Bachelorette history. I'm still shocked Chris Harrison didn't pull her aside and clue her in. Hopefully there are better things in store for our intrepid bachelorette.

Questions?

2011-06-03T13:41:00.001-07:00

I've seen some other bloggers offer up Q & As recently, and I always like reading them, so I thought I would extend the same offer to anyone out there who is curious about the inner workings of life over here at Berry & Bramble. I know there are probably only a handful of you that read the blog regularly, but if you've got any burning questions for me, send 'em my way and I'll answer them on ye olde blog next week. And, if not, I won't be offended... I'll just think of some more creative blog content in the meantime.

Happy Friday!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

We had a nice, relaxing Memorial Day weekend-- much needed after our two weeks of house guests (!) and all the festivities surrounding Jason's graduation. We kicked off the weekend with dinner on Friday night at Hop Doddy (I seriously cannot get enough of that place-- best. burgers. ever.), followed by a movie at the new Violet Crown Cinema in downtown Austin. The Violet Crown is kind of similar to Austin's Alamo Drafthouse theaters in that they have a full bar and lots of gourmet concessions, but it's a lot swankier. The lobby feels like a lounge-y downtown bar. We saw Everything Must Go with Will Ferrell. It was good, and nice to see Will in a more serious role, but definitely a little depressing.

On Saturday we attended a BBQ with some of J's business school friends, which was really an excuse for all the guys to get together and watch the European Champions Cup. I totally just made up the name of that soccer game. Something like that. All I know is that it was between Manchester United and Barcelona, and we are happy Barca won because we (meaning J) do not like ManU. (See, like how I use the abbreviated nicknames, as though I am a legit fan?)

Afterwards, he and I left to watch another movie. For Christmas my boss gave me a gift card to Austin's Gold Class Cinemas (I think they have them in other cities too), which are basically really fancy movie theaters. The seats are leather recliners. They give you fleece blankets. And you have a server who waits on you during the movie to bring you any variety of beverages (alcoholic and non) and gourmet treats. The ticket prices are astronomical, but it was a fun treat with a gift card. We saw The Hangover Part II. Meh. Definitely nowhere near as good as the original (and significantly more raunchy), but it had some funny parts.

We capped off the evening with a light dinner at Whole Foods. It's already so hot here that all I'm craving these days is fruit and big salads. Although we'll see how long that lasts. And clearly the heat didn't dissuade me from Friday's burger and shake. Ha.

On Sunday, a big group of our business school friends got together and made the trek out to Hamilton Pool, about 45 minutes southwest of town in the Hill Country, for a day of picnicking and swimming. We arrived around 10:45am, but at that point the lot was completely full and the park ranger estimated we wouldn't be able to get in until late afternoon. Fortunately Cassie saved the day by remembering a nearby swimming hole in the Pedernales River at Milton Reimer's Ranch Park. We would up finding a nice empty (sandy!) stretch of riverbank and the river was the perfect temperature (and depth) for swimming.

I was clearly too busy having fun because this is the only picture I managed to take of this beautiful spot. We decided a nice stretch of river and a sandy beach was far better than the obviously overcrowded, and apparently much smaller, Hamilton Pool.

Sunday night, we were completely wiped out after a full day of sun, so we tried out a new Indian place and then crashed on the couch and caught up on FNL episodes. Unfortunately I also wound up getting a pretty bad sunburn on my back. Ugh. It's all faded now, but I have to agree with Kate over at EA: getting a sunburn as an adult kind of feels like a major failure in "being a grown up 101."

On Monday (yes, I promise this post is coming to an end soon...), we woke up early and had a super productive morning: meal planning & grocery shopping, a turbo house-cleaning session, and a good workout-- all before lunch. Then Anne came up from San Antonio and we enjoyed yummy salads at Zocalo and a little bit of shopping.

I guess my weekend was actually pretty packed... but it felt nice and relaxing. And, now we're almost 3/4 of the way through the short work week... the best part of a long weekend! How soon until 4th of July?? Who's with me?

Scenes From Texas

2011-05-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, we had a bunch of guests in town for, and leading up to, Jason's graduation. During that time, we enjoyed a number of touristy South/Central Texas activities, including a day trip down to San Antonio on Mother's Day, with a pit stop in Gruene, where we listened to live music and drank beers at Gruene Hall. A little late, but I thought I'd share a few pictures:

Beers and two-stepping before lunch... I'm sure it's a Mother's Day J's mom will never forget!

A stop at the Alamo

And, San Antonio's famed River Walk where we ended the day with dinner... it doesn't look like it was 99 degrees and sweltering! Still, it was fun to check it out.

What about you-- have you had any quirky adventures lately?

He Did It!

2011-05-25T14:08:00.001-07:00

Well it's been a whirlwind two weeks filled with guests, lots of nice meals out, some sight-seeing, and several celebrations-- the biggest of which was Jason's MBA graduation last Friday. Prior to the convocation, we had a little cocktail reception for our families who were in town.

Jason opened some well-deserved cards and gifts...

(Major wife points here... this is a signed and numbered print from one of his favorite street artists, selected by moi, that I am volunteering to have hung in our house somewhere. ; )

...and then afterwards, we loaded up the cars and headed up to the UT campus one last time. After a long ceremony (over two hours!), Jason was awarded his Masters in Business Administration.

It's a little blurry, but if you squint your eyes, that's J receiving his diploma.

We had planned our big graduation dinner for the next night, but still thought we would hit the town after his graduation ceremony (which was scheduled--rather awkwardly-- from 6-8pm and then of course ran late), but Mother Nature had other plans. When we walked into the auditorium at 5:30, it was gorgeous and sunny. When we left around 8:45, we exited the building into one of the biggest downpours I've experienced since we've lived in Texas. And since the auditorium was in the middle of the University of Texas campus, and our car was parked in a lot a good 5-7 minutes away, we had no choice to make a run for it. And, needless to say, we got absolutely soaked. It was so bad that it became hilarious-- and all of the 1,000+ guests at the graduation were in the exact same boat. Everyone running through the rain as fast as they could in their nice clothes. We ended up being happy we had no dinner plans. Instead we went home (my mom and I may have made a stop at the Whataburger drive through), got into our PJs, and played card games. A fitting end to a fun, crazy two years.

Congrats, J!

Children's Book Baby Shower

2011-05-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday, three friends and I hosted a surprise baby shower for our good friend Cassie. She's having a little boy in early September, but since they're moving to St. Louis right after graduation, we wanted to make sure we took advantage of her last few weeks in town to throw a party and celebrate her new addition.

Since she and her husband are moving soon (and don't need any more stuff to pack), we asked each guest to contribute to a gift card for one of her baby registries. That way, she can buy what she needs once she's settled. But what fun is a baby shower without gifts?? So, in addition to the gift card, we asked guests to bring one of their favorite childhood books to help start a little library for baby Z. Then we ordered a big LL Bean tote to hold all of the books. A few shots of the "baby book banner" we created, as well as pompoms and table decor. (Big props to my friends Alle and Erin for the creative genius-- and manual labor-- behind the decorations!)

In keeping with our outdoor venue, we kept it simple and streamlined-- paper plates and table cloths, fresh flowers in yellow, blue, and white, and a buffet of mostly make ahead salads and appetizers.

A few of the food items weren't out yet in the picture above, but I love how pretty and fresh the multi-colored salade nicoise looks. And here are two of the hostesses, Erin and Lauren, pre-shower.

Unfortunately, this is where my picture taking stopped. But the guest of honor was surprised, and I think everyone had a good time, so we fledgling baby-shower-planners considered it a success. And now that I've figured out how to make those poms, I'm totally using them again at another event!

Momentous Week

2011-05-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

It's been a big week over at our house.

On Monday, I took my final blood test and then, on Tuesday, I received the fantastic news that my molar pregnancy is officially over. Dunzo. Kaput. It's been a long six months since my miscarriage, diagnosis, and surgery. Nearly two months of weekly blood draws, followed by four months of monthly draws. Many weeks spent feeling sad, angry, and a little bit (OK, at times, a lot) sorry for myself. Many more weeks spent trying to recondition myself for optimism and hope, while making sure to fit in at least 45 minutes of cardio 4 times a week, because my doctor said it would be the most effective medicine in battling my blues. Lots of life lessons learned-- most especially that I need to figure out how to be happy, or at least content, with the here and now because there are no guarantees for the future.

And now here we are a full six months later. I am (mostly) content with the present, and I'm cautiously optimistic about the future. I am blessed with a loving husband, family and friends who have been so supportive throughout this ordeal, and, as of Tuesday, a clean bill of health. As my doc said, we're closing this chapter of my life and hopefully never revisiting it.

Jason has also completed a huge chapter in his life-- last night he submitted his last assignment for business school, and just an hour ago he left his last class. Ever. It's kind of amazing to realize that we have finally reached the culmination of two years of blood, sweat, and tears (quite literally.) It's been a long road, but now here we are just two weeks away from his graduation. Don't get me wrong-- it hasn't been all bad. In fact, overall it's been a great experience. Jason has loved the intellectual stimulation and really enjoyed being back in an academic environment. He now has a clear vision and well defined path for the career he plans to pursue. We've also met some great friends and made a lot of fun memories along the way. And just being a part of the University of Texas community has been amazing. We are now both Longhorns fans for life. (Hook 'em!) I couldn't be more proud of the hard work he's invested in his education, and I am so excited to see where the future leads us.

Lazy Weekend

2011-05-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

We (or, more appropriately, I) had a really lazy weekend. (My husband, on the other hand, probably spent at least 25 hours studying.) A month or two ago I bought a one-time house cleaning coupon from Morgan's Deals (a Groupon knock-off), and with our upcoming onslaught of house guests for J's graduation, I figured now was a great time to get my house spic and span. And it was sooooo nice. Back in my free-wheelin' single days, I used to have a house cleaner come twice a month. To clean my apartment. My studio apartment. As if 350 square feet was even enough space to make a mess. I hear some single girls enjoy massive collections of designer shoes. My drug of choice was apparently obsessive compulsive disorder.

But I digress... after we got married, got on a budget, and, oh yeah, my husband got laid off, I became our house cleaner of choice. And as we plan to stick to our Dave Ramsey budget and baby steps, I will continue to be our house cleaner of choice (with help from J of course... the man cleans a mean shower). But, for one weekend, it was such a treat to have it done for me. The windows, counters, and floors are all sparkling. And the best part was that while they were cleaning, I managed to tackle some other projects around the house to the tune of a refrigerator deep clean, pantry and linen closet organization, and seven, yes S-E-V-E-N, loads of laundry. Ahhhhhh, nothing soothes quite like a cleaning binge. (Satisfied smile.)

And now-- having started a post about a pleasant, relaxing weekend and then written a novel about house cleaning-- I realize I need to get some hobbies. But, never fear, the cleaning binge on Saturday morning allowed me to enjoy a nap on Saturday afternoon, followed by drinks out with friends on Saturday evening. And then on Sunday, my day consisted of church, a good circuit training workout, an hour by the pool with a novel, and dinner at our friends' Tylor and Erin's house.

Sadly, finals week prevented J from partaking in most of these activities. But-- I almost forgot the highlight of the weekend!-- on Friday night we enjoyed a special date night out at Jasper's, courtesy of a gift card J received from his sister for his birthday back in January. We wanted to save it for a special occasion and figured that it would be perfect for a "days-away-from-completing-grad-school" celebratory dinner before his parents arrive next weekend. And it was sooooo nice treating ourselves to a fancy dinner out for the first time in months (fancy restaurant dinners being another luxury we've given up in the past few years.) I have to say... when it's a special treat, we really enjoy it all the more. I loved every bite of my field greens and filet mignon (and bites of his prime rib), the wine complemented the food perfectly, and the molten chocolate cake with tres leches sauce was a delicious as it sounds. All in all, a perfect night, and hopefully a prelude to more fun celebrations as graduation nears.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

This & That

2011-04-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there. Somehow three weeks have passed in the blink of an eye... and with no blog posts. Unfortunately, I don't have anything terribly exciting to share from my absence. What have I been up to? A little of this...

A work trip NYC. I attended a loooooong, 8-hour conference for one of my new clients, but it wasn't all work. I managed to enjoy a few good meals at Abe & Arthur's in the Meatpacking District and Cookshop in Chelsea (definitely the winner of the two), some free time spent wandering around Greenwich Village, a delicious Belgian pear cider and dark chocolate ganache cupcake pairing at Sweet Revenge. Really... cupcakes paired with adult beverages. Does it get much better?

Gaga, oh-la-la! Yes, we did. Buy tickets to and proceed to rock out at the Lady Gaga concert, that is. There are really no words. Or maybe there are just too many... amazing, perplexing, awe-inspiring, disturbing (at times), and always entertaining. And just sitting around in the arena waiting for the show to start? Definitely the best people watching of my life.

(Our seats were kind of off to the side, so I had better luck with pictures of the big screen vs. the stage)

... and a little of that:

Acupuncture. I've had chronic knee pain for going on 10 years now, and there doesn't seem to be a cure. I've seen multiple doctors, had MRIs, and several rounds of physical therapy. The doctors all say there is nothing wrong with the structure of my knee, and the physical therapy kinda helps... for a while. Then I go through another 3-4 month phase of knee pain until it decides to go away again. My diagnosis is officially patella tendon syndrome and a tight IT band, which basically means I have tendinitis in my knee. The pain comes and goes, but when it's bad, it's hard to do much more than walk to and from the car or around the apartment. So I started acupuncture last week, and after just one treatment I could see an improvement. I don't think it will "cure" me, but I believe it can be a great tool for pain management and hopefully alleviate some of the inflammation that is causing the problem. I just went back for my second treatment this weekend, and am really loving it so far.

(Not) stressing about the future. No updates on the job/moving/major life changes front. Trying to remain peaceful and zen about it. Trying to also remain supporting and encouraging for my hard-working husband who is slogging through the build-up to finals, while interviewing regularly (and traveling regularly for said interviews.) Fingers crossed we have some positive news to report by the end of the month when we have to make a decision on whether we give notice on our apartment!

And, that's about it folks! I hope you're all out enjoying a beautiful Easter weekend!

Vaqueros & Vines

2011-03-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great Texas weekend, beginning on Friday night when we visited the Austin Rodeo. This was my first rodeo experience and I was pretty impressed with all the cowboys (vaqueros) and their bull riding and calf lassoing skills. Some of it looked a little rough on the animals, but I'm told they shake it off pretty quickly. (I'm hoping that's the case.) We met a group of friends there and had fun strolling the fairgrounds outside the rodeo, enjoying some live country/blue grass music, and checking out the animals. Sipping a beer in the warm evening sun while listening to country music under the huge blue sky, I felt like a real Texan and realized that if we end up moving on, I will definitely miss this place. Two years ago, I never in a million years would have imagined typing that sentence. It's amazing how we adapt and change with time. I could probably write a whole post about this, and probably will... But I digress. It was a fun night.

On Saturday, we headed out to Fredericksburg in the hill country to visit our favorite vineyard, Pedernales Cellars. We joined their wine club last spring (we're all kinds of fancy these days), so we get a shipment of three bottles once a quarter. On Saturday they had a party for all the wine club members to come out, pick up their spring shipment, do some barrel tasting of the new wines, and then stay to enjoy dinner and live music.

Since the event didn't start until 6pm, we hit up William Chris Vineyards and Rancho Ponte on our way out. It was our first visit to William Chris, and we enjoyed the wines, but were not impressed with the $10 per person tasting fee. The Texas wine country is fun to visit, but let's not kid ourselves-- it's not exactly Napa. Rancho Ponte is one of our favorites and we had to stop to pick up a bottle of their Triple M Blend. Delicious. However, we always save Pedernales for last because it's our favorite. The wines are (in my humble opinion) the best in the Texas hill country wine region, and their property is just spectacular. They have a great deck overlooking the hill country and encourage visitors to linger with a glass (or a bottle) while taking in the view. It feels like our personal little slice of hill country.

On Saturday night, after picking up our shipment, we settled ourselves at a table with a bottle of the 2009 Tempranillo and made some new friends who were also out from Austin for the day. The winery served dinner and we talked until well after dark, while Mother Nature treated us to an awesome lightning show. Eventually it started raining and we had to head home, but it was a great weekend enjoying some of the best that Texas has to offer.

Patience

2011-03-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

...Unfortunately it's an attribute that I really struggle to cultivate. Being my type A/Virgo/gotta-make-plans/gotta-check-that-item-off-my-list self, it's been a struggle for most of my life to slow down, calm down, relax, and be patient. And, boy, life these days is really testing my ability to chill out. I've mentioned it a few times on the blog, but J has been interviewing up a storm for a new job after business school. With graduation officially two months away, we're starting to the feel the pressure a little bit. And it doesn't help that about 60% of his classmates already have jobs. Many of my girlfriends (mostly wives and girlfriends of other students) are already starting to plan their moves to new cities and look for housing. Meanwhile, our lease is up June 30th, and we have to give 60 days notice. Meaning... we need to know what's next as of April 30th. Yikes.

But, like I said, J has been blessed to receive numerous interviews, and while he hasn't found THE job yet, all signs point to the fact that he is a desirable candidate and it's just a matter of finding the right opportunity. He's got 3 interviews next week at a West Coast MBA recruiting forum, so I am trying to remain calm, yet optimistic-- not gnaw my fingernails in stress or obsessively stalk Craig's List for apartment listings in a city that we don't yet have a job offer in. Patience. Patience. I think the Big Guy Upstairs is trying to teach me something. Ultimately, I know it will all work out and everything will be fine, but keeping myself calm and centered during this season of our lives has been a challenge for sure. Ever so slowly, I think I might be getting a little better at it. Here's hoping this crash course in patience is nearing completion.

(Oh, and we wouldn't mind any thoughts/prayers/good vibes you can send J's way next Friday...)

SXSW (or "I Get Paid to Dance With Sharks")

2011-03-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how a couple days of not blogging can turn into almost two weeks overnight, but, fear not, the beast that has consumed my life for the past 10 days-- Austin's famed and ever-growing interactive/film/music trade show and festival, South by Southwest-- is now over. Last year, I had some of my best girlfriends from Seattle in town, and we hit up a bunch of the unofficial music shows (because the "official" shows require a badge that is upwards of $800. No thank you.) This year, I attended the interactive portion of the show (the first half of the week) for work and, thus, was the proud owner of one of those pricey little "official" badges. (Although, admittedly, the interactive show is less expensive and a lot more niche than the film or music festivals-- and the interactive badge only gets you into interactive events.)

The interactive show is combination of educational panels and discussions by day, and hyped-up, over-the-top, corporate-sponsored parties by night. All the big tech companies (think Google and Microsoft) and some of the smaller, but more fun, companies (think Etsy or Gowalla) have a presence. For context, Twitter was launched a few years ago at SXSW. And each year it seems to get bigger and more extravagant. The five day interactive show was interesting, educational, and fun-- but totally exhausting. I was really impressed with most of the daytime sessions I attended, which (unlike too many conferences) taught me new material and gave me some new perspectives on my work and the interactive world.

But the parties... oh boy. There are numerous parties every night, all hosted by big corporate sponsors (Pepsi, Chevy OnStar, Fast Company, Lincoln, and the list goes on...) It seems that the primary objective for most conference attendees is to RSVP to as many parties as possible (like 5 or 6 per night), and then try to hit them all up in order to maximize consumption of free food and booze. The party planners have caught on to the fact that everyone RSVPs to every single event, so the fact that you have RSVPed doesn't guarantee entry. In fact, you can expect to wait in line for an hour or more to get into some of these events. And people do. Willingly.

I had success attending a few parties early on, but ran out of steam fast. Waiting around in big crowds of people for the possibility of a free drink and a cold, congealed slice of a quesadilla is not really my scene. I've got some nice wine at home, and would much rather be curled up on my couch in front of a movie, thankyouverymuch. But, when your company pays for you to attend, and then numerous team members from other offices, as well as clients, show up-- well, you press on. So I did. And, inevitably, some good stories are generated.

Take for instance... last Sunday night when my boss's boss showed up in town and and wanted nothing more than to be escorted to all of the city's "coolest clubs." (And let's be honest. Don't we all look forward to spending our Sunday evenings binge drinking with senior management? I'm a lucky, lucky girl.) After several rounds of drinks at the W, more drinks at some random bar on 6th street (hosting a lesser know media company's lackluster party on their rooftop deck), and a long, wine-soaked dinner at a steakhouse, he decided we really needed to go the club he'd heard about that had live sharks swimming beneath the dance floor. Excellent idea. Of course we did. So we set off for this chic establishment, and, lucky us! Turns out they were hosting a "fashion show" comprised of girls in skimpy bikinis, as well as... wait for it... girls in bikini bottoms with nothing on top except body paint. Classy. Having had the foresight to alternate glasses of water with my Cabernet all night, I was not nearly tipsy enough to make this an entertaining turn of events. Of course, he insisted we all stick around until the "fashion show" started, sometime just before midnight. A vat of Clorox could not erase some of those images from my head. Let's just say, a lot of those girls should not have been in bikinis. Oh, and after all that? Yeah, there were no sharks under the dance floor.

But it wasn't all pain, suffering, and awkward moments with senior management. In addition to actually learning something, I did get to enjoy a few really nice meals out and met some of my colleagues from other offices. And, when the interactive show ended on Tuesday, I somehow managed to rally and go out to see some live music (the only night my interactive badge would get me into a music event). And then I slept. A lot. I did go see some unofficial SXSW music shows on Friday night, but the rest of the weekend consisted of lots of R&R and catching up on all of the housework, exercise, and general life maintenance I had neglected for the past week.

It was a cool experience, but, as they say, all good things must come to an end. And I'm OK with that.

What's your design style?

2011-03-09T12:39:00.001-08:00

I found this fun little quiz over at Young House Love. Apparently my design style most resembles "Old World Extravagance." The motley crew of used furniture and IKEA pieces I purchased a decade ago for my first apartment (and still make up most of my furniture collection) beg to differ, but I guess a girl can dream, right? Maybe my next place will live up to this description:

"Cozy, not oversized-- a handcrafted gem. Your kitchen is your prize. Decorative, finished... elegant. The bedroom exudes a sensuous tranquility. Like the painter's brush, your composition is done in living color. A sense of rolling hills and vineyards surround this table. The glass of red-- a highly recommended habit. Pre-war, upper east side attitude. Focused on good food and good company-- you're the chef!"

What's your design style?

To Do List

2011-03-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Jason has officially hit the halfway mark on his last semester of business school and graduation is less than 3 months away. I knew graduation would roll around at some point, but in an effort not to get too wrapped up thinking (worrying) about the future, I've just been trying to focus on the day-to-day and living life as normal. J is interviewing at a number of different companies in several cities, so we don't yet know we'll be after graduation (and we could end up staying here). But, it's time to start thinking about the possibility of a big move in the near future. And if we do end up leaving Austin, we've realized we need to soak up as much of the city as we can in the next few months. We still have a bunch of fun Austin things to check off our list:

Enjoy a show at the Continental Club

Hike to Hamilton Pool and take a dip

See a Monday night Bob Schneider show at the Saxon Pub

Float down the Guadalupe

Indulge in ribs, sausage, BBQ turkey at the Salt Lick at least once more

Visit the Alamo and take a stroll along the River Walk in San Antonio

And those are just the few things I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll be adding more to list in the coming weeks. As excited (and anxious) as I am for the future, Austin has been a pretty amazing place to spend two years. If a big move does occur, we sure are going to miss this place!

Busy Bee

2011-03-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since I posted last... what's been going on? To start, we had our friends Anne & Gregg up from San Antonio to run the half marathon (them, not us) the weekend before last. I headed out bright and early on Sunday morning to cheer them on and thought I might end up running a mile or two with Anne if I managed to pick her out of the huge crowd of runners. I did find her... and then proceeded to run the whole rest of the half marathon with her! That was a 5 mile workout I hadn't planned on, but it was a beautiful day and so much fun to be out amidst the crowds and race day excitement. It made me kinda wish I had a big race on the agenda (until my knees started killing a few hours later, at which point I promptly nixed any race plans.) After the race, we fulfilled their request for HopDoddy burgers and I felt no guilt indulging in my Llano Poblano burger. Mmmm.

Monday and Tuesday of last week I headed to Atlanta for meetings with a new client, and then we had a few fun plans later in the week. I've been meeting with a group of girlfriends each Wednesday night to watch (and dissect) The Bachelor on DVR. Some are old veterans like me, and others are new to The Bachelor, but I think we can all agree that a.) Brad is super awkward; and b.) Emily seems way to good to be on this show. I hope he picks her, but also sort of hope he doesn't because I think she could probably find someone so much better. Time will tell... only a few weeks to go!

On Friday night, we participated in the annual MBA Big Lebowski Bowling Tournament. Costumes mandatory. Our team's performance was pretty poor, but we all picked it up on the second game, and I managed to bowl a 110, which may be my best ever. I beat J in both games. (Yes, we are terrible.)

J & I in our costumes (80s workout chick for me, random Big Lebowski dude for him)

The rest of our team, minus JH.

And, the winners-- including our good friends Joe, Dan, Andy, and Cassie. (Unfortunately I didn't get a full length picture-- you could have marvelled at the guys' super sexy cut off jeans.)

We just stayed in and relaxed the rest of the weekend. It was low-key, but one of those weekends where I managed to accomplish a lot and get caught up on a bunch of things (6 loads of laundry come to mind...) J made me dinner on Saturday night, which was a huge treat since I do 99% of the food planning, purchasing, and preparation in our household (although he does do the dishes regularly.) Here's my manly chef:

Hope you had a good weekend, too!

Ready for the Weekend!

2011-02-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

This week has been a looooong one. I think partially because we were out of town last weekend, so we didn't have a lot of time to prepare for the week ahead. Work is also starting to pick up for me (which is a good thing), but that leaves me oh-so-ready for a relaxing evening tonight and a low-key weekend.

Last weekend was a lot of fun. We went out to Los Angeles to visit our friends Laurie & Matt, and their daughter, Camille. Laurie runs a non-profit, and J is on the board, so we flew out to attend their annual in-person meeting and dinner. We also got to spending some time enjoying LA-- including a trip to the zoo, lunch from In'N'Out, a walk along the park that overlooks the ocean in Brentwood, and a drive past O.J. Simpson's former residence. (We discovered that they have torn down his house, built a new one, and renumbered the street. I don't blame them. Can you imagine living in that house? Creepy.)

The weather was gorgeous! Unlike Texas, which is totally dead and brown this time of year, LA was lush and green. It looked and felt like May. Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pictures, but I did snap a few at the zoo:

Dad & daughter enjoying the sights

Overall, it was a great weekend! I think we found a new little buddy in Camille. Hopefully we'll be able to visit again before she forgets us completely!

We don't have a whole lot planned this weekend, but will be heading out to cheer on our friends Anne & Gregg in the Austin Half Marathon. They have requested lunch at our new favorite burger joint, Hop Doddy, afterward. I am happy to oblige, but sadly will not have just burned 1,300 calories like them. Hmmm... I may need to do a little jogging myself.

Happy Friday!

Labor of Love

2011-02-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

J and I don't have a great track record with Valentine's Day outings. The first year we were dating, I was disappointed to find out that I had to travel to Colorado for work on Valentine's Day, so we ended up celebrating a day early with dinner at a casual Mexican joint. (It actually turned out to be a very fun, romantic date, so no complaints here.) The next year, we tried to get our Valentine's Day on in the form of dinner at a very well reviewed and swanky French-Korean fusion restaurant (don't ask...) and found out the hard way that a Valentine's Day dinner out equals two hour waits-- even with a reservation-- and then, when you finally do get to eat, nothing but high-priced, bad food (read: well done filet mignon and cold sides). To be fair, they gave us a complimentary dessert, but at that point we were just so annoyed and tired that it didn't do a whole lot to restore the romance to our evening. After that, we vowed never again to eat out on Valentine's Day, and in the years since we've concocted several very memorable and delicious meals.

This year, I was quite proud of my our endeavor. J has been requesting seared scallops for several months now, but due to an unfortunate and scarring incident involving over-cooked-to-the-point-of-tire-rubber bay scallops many years ago, I've always shied away from this particular dish-- which is silly because I am a far better cook now than I was at 23, and I have mastered many other much more difficult dishes. Searing scallops should be a snap! So, I finally decided to conquer this little phobia, and we selected a surf and turf menu of petit filet mignon and diver scallops with a sweet vermouth reduction sauce, accompanied by yukon gold mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. De-li-cious. The sweet vermouth sauce was the star, and I will definitely be using it on steaks in the future. The whole meal was super easy to prepare-- the only slightly challenging part was managing the timing of everything because the filets and the scallops cook so quickly and we wanted everything to arrive at the table still warm. The asparagus was a little room temperature, but other than that... success!

(my attempt at food photography)

Sweet Vermouth Reduction Sauce

Serves 4 (although I made about 75% of this quantity for two of us and I thought there was just barely enough)

Adapted from Rachel Ray

1 large shallot, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1/3 cup sweet vermouth

chives

Heat pan over medium and add olive oil. Add shallots and garlic and sautee for about two minutes. Add sweet vermouth and reduce by half, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in butter to finish sauce. Pour over steaks immediately and garnish with chives.

Bon Appetit!

Oh, The Places You'll Go!

2011-02-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

I've always been (nerdily) fascinated with geography, particularly within the United States. I love poring over maps to figure out how various cities and states are situated relative to each other-- especially for those parts of the country that I'm not very familiar with. As a girl from the west coast, where are the states are all big blocks and usually take at least 5-6 hours (or 18 if you're in California) to drive through, it still blows my mind that one night in college, while I was visiting a friend in Pennsylvania, we drove about 20 minutes from her home in Pittsburgh to pick up her good friend in West Virginia, and then drove another 20 minutes to go to a movie-- in Ohio. Crazy town.

Anyway, not surprisingly, one of my goals has always been to visit each and every one of the 50 states.* So I started keeping track a while back, and realized that now, due to our move to Texas and my job here, I'm making pretty good progress. Behold my "visited states" map (oh and the color coding is totally arbitrary-- it's just for pizazz):

Clearly, the middle of the country has not been my forte. Then there's New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Alaska. I'm confident I can knock off a few of these, but North Dakota? That will take some creativity. Some highlights:

Oregon: Born and raised in Portland.
California: Lived in Orange County for a few years during elementary school, LA during college, and San Francisco for 3 years after college.
Washington: Lived in Seattle for 5 years.
Hawaii: I've spent some time on the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. I am dying to go back!
Idaho/Montana/Wyoming/Nevada/Utah/Arizona: I grew up in a family that loved to camp, so we took many long road trips to visit the National Parks of the west, including Glacier, Yellowstone, Zion, and the Grand Canyon.
Colorado & South Dakota: At my last job, one of my big accounts was Vail, CO, so I had to travel out there once every other month or so (tough life!); I also worked briefly with a fast food client based in Sioux Falls, SD-- not my favorite account ever, but at least I got to cross South Dakota off my list!
Ohio/Kansas/Georgia: Since working at my current job, I've been able to travel to each of these states for work... more states I might not have gotten to otherwise. And Lawrence, KS? A very cool little town.
North and South Carolina: Just added these to the list last summer when J was working in Charlotte and we took a road trip down to Charleston. Beautiful!

So my grand total is 33 states visited with 17 to go... not too bad! I'm hoping to knock one or two more off the list while we live in Texas.

What are some of your favorite U.S. destinations?

*I only count a state as visited if I've actually gotten out and seen or done something in the state. So, while I've traveled through New Jersey and Minnesota several times, and Rhode Island and Kentucky once each, I'm not counting airport layovers or any sort of transit through the state if I didn't actually stay there, or, as in the case of West Virginia, at least spend several hours sight-seeing and exploring.

Have you ever returned groceries?

2011-02-09T14:18:00.001-08:00

Because I have. And let me tell you... awkward! Granted, I have a totally valid reason (at least that's what I told myself yesterday). Basically, I bought a bunch of ingredients to make some appetizers for a Super Bowl party that we didn't end up attending, and now we're heading out of town. Considering my near obsession with using up everything we have in the fridge each week-- including, um, "creative" techniques to utilize past-its-prime produce-- and my extreme aversion to ever wasting food (blame it on the OCD), I definitely wasn't going to let this bag full of groceries sit around and go bad. And, now that we're on our all-cash, Dave Ramsified budget, my frugal tendencies are flaring into overdrive. Not only do I not want to waste food, I also don't want to waste money from my precious grocery budget. So I decided I would just return my groceries.

Logical, right? Returning my groceries toooooootally makes sense.

Too bad genius over here decided the perfect time to take care of this little errand would be at 6:15pm on a Tuesday night, smack in the middle of the dinner rush at the grocery store. Long lines, crowds of people, the works. Then, when I finally get up the register, unload my bag, and give my spiel (while enduring heavy sighs and massive eye rolls from the people behind me), the cashier has to page the manager over the intercom. Yeah, that's not embarrassing.

Ultimately, they did take back my groceries, and I'm sure it's not the first time it's ever happened at that store. But, moving forward, I think it might be time to impose some limits on my frugality. (Or, on the occasions when I can't tame my OCD tendencies, I will at least save my embarrassing errands for very early in the morning or very late at night!)

Please tell me I'm not the only one who is this crazy...

A sight I never thought I'd see...

2011-02-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Snow day in Austin! We got two very light dustings last year that melted within the hour, but this is real snow. It's barely more than an inch, but in Austin that means no school, no work, no transit of any kind. And I am more than happy to oblige. Snow day!!

Birthday Celebrations

2011-02-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

Jason celebrated his birthday on Monday, so we enjoyed several fun outings over the past few days. On Saturday evening, we met up with a group of friends at Austin's legendary (and enormous... holy cow, that place is big!) TexMex establishment, Matt's El Rancho, for queso, margs, and all kinds of ooey gooey enchilada deliciousness. Afterward, we enjoyed some libations at Red's Porch. We ended up staying out until 1am, and, boy, I can tell J's not the only one around here who's aging. That was rough. I only had three drinks during the entire night-- dinner through 1am-- but the fatigue alone left me feeling so worn out the next day! Is it sad that a home-cooked pasta dinner, a glass of wine, and a Netflix movie that wraps up around 10:30pm is my idea of a perfect night these days? (That was essentially our Friday night.) Regardless, we had a great time on Saturday and it was nice to have a bunch of friends come out to celebrate J's birthday.

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous-- sunny and 78 degrees. There were actually people laying out by the pool. Were it not for the queso and margaritas the night before, I would have joined them. Instead, I opted for a long walk around Town Lake. It was so nice to get some sun and even a little color on my arms and cheeks! Later we went to our Dave Ramsey class, which we're still digging, and then enjoyed our pasta leftovers and more Netflix.

Monday was J's actual birthday, so the celebrations continued with a little wine and cheese course at home, along with some presents and cards, followed by dinner at Olivia. We went there for my birthday a year and a half ago, loved it, and were looking for a good reason to go back. Another birthday fit the bill, and it was as delicious as I remembered it. He had the Kobe beef grilled tri-tip with sea salt frites (and an amazing aioli), and I had the pan seared sea scallops on a bed of Parmesan risotto with blood orange, celery root, and cashews. We wrapped it up with a deconstructed apple pie a la mode for dessert. Tasty!

In the meantime, our beautiful 78 degree weather has vanished thanks to the massive blizzard currently wreaking havoc on the Midwest, and it's a balmy 22 or so right now. I just wish we would get a few flurries so we could enjoy a snow day like everyone else! Come on, snow... come on, snow...

Guilty Pleasure

2011-01-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

If I'm being totally honest, I have to admit that I've always had a pretty healthy appetite for totally trashy television. Exhibit A: I have seen every single episode of every season of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, except for the season with Jesse the football player and the Air Force guy. That's 19 seasons combined, people. (And, yes, I totally looked that up on Wikipedia.) Since I'm freely admitting what most people would be mortified to share with the entire World Wide Web, you'd think I lack any shame regarding my TV viewing habits.

Not true.

I still have one very guilty pleasure that I have yet to own up to: The Vampire Diaries. I fully blame my sister, who introduced me to the show last spring. I immediately thought, "Ugh... Yet another story about a teenager in love with a vampire / caught in a vicious love triangle / out to save her unsuspecting town from the undead?" After all, I could barely get through the Twilight series without losing my lunch on several occasions. Of course, no one twisted my arm and made me read all four books in record time, and then see all three movies to date, but I digress.

However, I wrong about The Vampire Diaries. It's dark and twisty and totally addictive. The characters are approximately 11,000 times more likeable and relatable than good ol' Bella and Edward, it's set in the South and so there are all kinds of flashbacks to the Civil War era, which are fun-- albeit totally historically inaccurate, but who's paying attention?--and it's got a kind of O.C. (another one of my favorite teen televisions series of yore) meets True Blood vibe. And now after having caught up on all of season 1 via DVD over the holidays, it's official: I am obsessed. It returns to the CW tonight, and I feel like I should be ashamed to admit it, but I could not be more excited. Elena, Stefan, and Damon: get ready for some Q.T!

Monday, Monday...

2011-01-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here we are on Monday, again. They seem to come quick, don't they? Today I'm OK with the fact that it's yet another Monday because I had a nice weekend-- quiet, but relaxing and fun, too. Friday night was low key. We made tacos and saw The King's Speech, which was fantastic (and Collin Firth will totally win the Academy Award.) And then I was in bed by 11. My kind of night.

Saturday, I got up and took a long walk around Town Lake with two girlfriends. It was still cold (and, yes, I realize Texas has turned me into a total weather whiner), but finally sunny! And it was so nice to just enjoy some fresh air and girl time. Then I came home and made lasagna from scratch... sauce and all. It wasn't very difficult, but definitely took some time-- probably over 3 hours in total. Since the sauce had to simmer for an hour and a half, I figured it was the perfect time to take a nap. So I did, and it was delightful. Then I got up, cleaned up, and we had some friends over for a big lasagna feast. I should have taken some pictures, but didn't. I realize my blog has been pictureless here for a few weeks, so I'll have to get on that...

Yesterday was another lazy day. We slept in, and then made our (sadly, nearly habitual) Sunday morning breakfast of waffles and bacon. J even snazzed it up with some fried apples that we used to top our waffles. Delicious, but not so figure friendly. That, combined with the aforementioned lasagna feast, necessitated some serious cardio at the gym. Usually I hate working out indoors at the gym on weekends, but since I didn't really have any other pressing duties (and it was still cold out), I actually kind of enjoyed it.

Later that afternoon, we headed to our Dave Ramsey class. We've been taking his class this winter, and are really enjoying it so far. A lot of the early classes are on the basics like saving and reducing debt, which are fairly common sense (although always a good reminder and he provides excellent motivation), but I'm really looking forward to some of the later classes on things like investing, insurance, retirement and college savings, etc. I feel like I've always been fairly on top of the basics of personal finance, but I know there are so many more things I could be doing, so we're enjoying the classes and also actually enjoying getting a little more hard core about our budgeting, saving, and working towards our financial goals.

Then, we wrapped up our evening with a little more lasagna (so much for that cardio) and some good books. I always kind of feel like January is a boring month that I just have to slog through, but it's kind of nice not having all the hustle bustle of the holidays or a lot of plans. And it's one of a few months where it's totally acceptable to spend an entire Saturday making and eating comfort food, so there's that too...

Have you tried any new recipes lately? Any favorite winter comfort food meals?

Zumba... It ain't for wimps, yo

2011-01-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I felt the need to add "yo" on to the end of that title. Maybe because Zumba is a little hip hop-ish? I don't know. All I know is that recently, in an effort to mix up my exercise routine a little bit, I attended a Zumba class and... wow. According to the official website, Zumba is "an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party(TM) that's moving millions of people towards joy and health." Sounds good, right? And my gym offers it, so I thought, why not?

First of all, I need to explain that my sole athletic ability lies in getting from point A to point B quickly. I've mastered... OK, "mastered" might be a strong word... but I'm at least proficient in getting from point A to point B quickly in water and by foot. Last year, leading up to my triathlon, I even got pretty good at getting from point A to point B quickly on a bike. But hand-eye coordination? Fuggedaboutit. I can't throw, catch, or kick a ball to save my life.

So, back to Zumba... I got out of work earlier than expected and didn't want sit around waiting for my regularly scheduled spin class. Truth be told, I also wasn't really feeling a high intensity workout, so I thought something whose official motto is "ditch the workout, join the party!" would fit the bill nicely.

Um, no.

Turns out Zumba is actually a very fast paced hip hop/pop music dance class. Our instructor was clearly fresh off the UT cheerleading squad or dance team (read: a really good dancer), and the music was all paced as briskly as an uptempo Lady Gaga ditty (some of it was, in fact, Lady Gaga.) I don't think I can adequately illustrate what me in this class looked like (although the horror of watching myself in the mirror is a sight that will stay with me for a long time), but let's just say that I have NO dance background, can barely keep the beat when I'm in an audience and everyone starts clapping in sync (this is very sad, but 100% true), and was probably about 10 before I was totally confident in my ability to identify my left side from my right. In a word: pathetic. I don't know how the instructor didn't start laughing. I would have (and did, several times, despite my complete and utter shame.)

Also, that easy workout I was looking for? Not so much. I was out of breath and sweating pretty heavily the whole time, and woke up sore (in my abs!) the next day. So I have to hand it to all you dancer ladies out there. A.) It's totally not a wimpy workout... it's hard work! and B.) it takes some real skill. Props to those of you who can do it! Will I be back? Eh, probably not. Grocery shopping in my underwear would be less embarrassing. But I give a tiny little thumbs up to myself for trying something out of my comfort zone and mixing up my gym routine. For now, however, spin class and circuit training will do just fine.

Have any of you tried any new fitness classes lately? Any new activities you love... or, like me, failed miserably at? I'm always looking for new ideas... even if they don't work out!

The downhill slope

2011-01-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday J started his last semester of business school. It's been such a crazy ride-- incredibly stressful and anxiety-provoking at times, and yet also frequently exciting and very fun. Moving cross-country and embarking on this journey has most definitely been the biggest adventure in our marriage to date. And now we have only four months left! It's hard to believe. I'm sure there are still numerous stressful moments ahead (like, you know... the job hunt... the waiting... the wondering... and possibly moving across the country again... ), but there are still lots of fun times to be had as well. We've been fortunate to meet a great group of couples to share this adventure with, and hopefully we'll be able to squeeze out lots of good times with them in the coming months. In the meantime, J continues to impress me with his never-ending hard work, his fantastic grades, his diligence throughout the job search process, and his ability to push it all aside and still put on a smile at the end of the day despite these daily stressors. We are officially on the downhill slope... hopefully it will be a smooth ride!

A good week

2011-01-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Well, despite the Ducks' sad loss on Monday and the really, really cold weather we've been experiencing, it's been a good week. The biggest factor in my good week was receiving my second consecutive negative hcg blood test result on Tuesday. This means that I can now move to monthly blood tests (my bruised inner arms would cheer if they could) and, more importantly, that my doctor is confident that my mole (tumor-like object) is gone and they just need to monitor me for a few months to make sure it doesn't come back-- the odds of which are extremely low now that I've registered negative for two weeks in a row. So that is a huge, enormous weight off my shoulders. I am just exceedingly grateful that everything cleared up so quickly and without the need for heavy duty drugs (chemo.) I have no idea if or when we'll have children, but this is a huge step in getting to the point where it's even a possibility.

It's also been a good week in terms of feeling diligent and disciplined in working towards some of my goals. I have some lofty professional and financial goals for the year, but have decided that instead of just making a bold New Year's resolution (which will inevitably fall by the wayside in a few short weeks), I am going to focus on a series of small mini-goals each month that lead towards my larger goal. I've always been motivated by the thrill of checking things off of a list, no matter how mundane, so I think this will help keep me accountable and engaged in pursuing my goals throughout the year. This particular week I didn't accomplish anything enormous, but I've been diligent about a few small things, such as menu planning and making dinner at home every night, and doing some work on developing a portfolio of my writing. Here's to small efforts that build momentum.

And, finally, it's Friday and I have absolutely nothing planned this weekend aside from making a slow-cooked pot roast, opening a bottle of wine, and getting some serious mileage out of my Netflix subscription. Can't wait!

I Love My Ducks!

2011-01-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

Big game tonight! I'll be cheering on my Oregon Ducks as they compete for their first National Championship. This video is just a little something to get you fired up for the game... since I know you'll ALL be rooting for the Ducks!

(Oh, and random trivia... I grew up next door to the main singer in this video!)

2010: A look back

2011-01-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

2010 was a good year, but a very intense year. In 2008, we moved in together, got married, and then suffered through the acquisition of J's company, followed by his inevitable layoff. In 2009, we moved halfway across the country, J started business school, and I found a new job and started building a life in a city where neither of us knew a soul. After two years of transition and big life changes, we were kind of hoping for a low-key 2010. That didn't exactly happen. There were highs and lows, happiness and heartbreak, lots of travel, lots of house guests, and we definitely made some memories along the way.

January

We ring in the new year in NYC with Kristin & Dan, and spend the first hours of 2010 sliding down a snowy hill on trash bags, with frequent champagne hydration breaks.

UT goes to the National Championship and loses; despite the loss J is adamant about naming our firstborn son Colt. It will be many months before I can persuade him to compromise on a name that doesn't conjure ponies, pistols, or... Longhorn quarterbacks.

J starts interviewing for his summer internship.

J celebrates a birthday.

I get super busy at work, which will last through July.

February

I work a lot; J studies and interviews a lot.

It snows in Austin. Twice.

48 hours prior to of one of these snow incidents, I am poolside in a bikini soaking up the rays and 78 degree temps.

During the other snow incident, I get stuck on a plane, on the runway, for SEVEN HOURS at DFW. All in preparation for a 37 minute flight from Dallas to Austin.

March

Our first guests of the year! Three of my Seattle girlfriends visit during South by Southwest.

J volunteers at SXSW's interactive show.

April

My best college girlfriends visit.
J's parents visit.

We attend the formal event affectionately known as the "MBA Prom."

My brother proposes to his girlfriend; she says yes!

May

J completes his first year of business school.

My parents visit.

I host my sister's bachelorette party in Vancouver, BC.

June

I complete the Danskin Women's Triathlon (my first!) alongside one of my best friends from college, and beat my goal with a finishing time of 1:50:01.

We take an amazing trip to South Africa for two weeks to watch the World Cup, drink lots of wine, and, oh yeah, dive with great white sharks. (And, yes, I realize I never recapped this trip. Here's a little preview...)

J moves to Charlotte, NC, where he will spend the summer interning at Bank of America.

July

I visit J in Charlotte, and we drive down to visit Charleston, SC, over 4th of July weekend. This is my first visit to the true south; I eat shrimp and grits at High Cotton in Charleston and we tour the Boone Hall Plantation. Fascinating!

J visits me in Austin mid-month.

I travel back to Oregon to attend my sister's bridal shower.

August

We celebrate my sister's wedding; I have the honor of standing beside Laura as her matron of honor and gain a new brother-in-law, Mike.

My girlfriends from my post-college days in San Francisco visit.

J returns home from Charlotte.
I celebrate a birthday.

September

I get promoted!

I visit my girlfriends in Seattle over Labor Day weekend, while J enjoys a guys' weekend in New York; apparently we are on a mission to wrack up as many frequent flier miles as possible.

We celebrate our two year anniversary with a weekend trip to Dallas, where we indulge in several delicious meals and visit the 6th Floor museum, the sculpture museum, and the arboretum.

Laura and Mike, visit us in Austin; we have a great weekend, despite UT's loss to UCLA. This is the beginning of the end for UT's football season.

Meanwhile, Oregon begins its record breaking football season; J still thinks there is no way Oregon could ever beat UT.

October

J's parents visit again.

We find out we are expecting.

We visit J's cousin in Dallas and attend the Texas State Fair.

J's best friend from high school visits.

Number 1 ranked football teams get knocked off left and right as Oregon inches to the top.

November

I have a miscarriage; two weeks later I am diagnosed with a molar pregnancy.

I undergo surgery to remove the tumor-like mass and begin weekly blood tests to make sure that everything clears out of my system.

J continues interviewing.

We travel to Portland to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents, my brother and future sister-in-law, and my sister and brother-in-law.

December

Oregon wins the Pac-10 title and clinches it's position at the National Championship

J completes his third semester of business school-- the toughest yet.

We travel back to Seattle to spend Christmas with J's family, while squeezing in lots of visits with friends and a quick trip to see my family.

We close out 2010 at my good friend Aja's house, surrounded by good friends, while playing rowdy board games.

Hi ho, hi ho...

2011-01-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

... it's back to work we go! After a wonderful 10-day trip to the Northwest over Christmas, we're back home and getting settled into our normal routine. Or at least I am. Someone doesn't start school again for another week and a half. But I'm not bitter or anything...

Ahem, I digress. Our trip home was great, and we managed to visit with numerous different family members and friends. There are still plenty of people I would have liked to see, but despite filling almost every single day with several visits, it just wasn't possible. Overall, however, we had a great trip! Highlights included:

A traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner celebration with J's family
A delicious Korean feast for Christmas day lunch with J's close family friends
An overnight trip to Leavenworth, WA with J's sister and brother-in-law where we tubed, snowshoed, and filled up on traditional German food and beer

A quick trip down to Portland to visit my parents and have dinner with my brother and future sister-in-law

Visits with two high school friends, one of whom just had a baby

New Year's Eve with some of our closest friends in Seattle

I didn't do a great job taking pictures, but here are few from our trip to Leavenworth:

Whew! It was an action-packed whirlwind and we had a great time, but it was nice to get home this past Sunday and settle back into our own home. And now it's time to think about the year ahead... I've got some specific goals for 2011 that I'll share with you tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope you're all settling comfortably back into your own routines.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been a fun, but somewhat hectic whirlwind of Christmas activities and travel to Seattle to celebrate Christmas with our families. We're ready to settle down, relax, and enjoy time with some of our favorite people. I'll leave you with a few highlights from our Christmas season. We wish you a peace-filled, festive, and safe holiday weekend.

Christmas 2010

We try to do an annual Christmas date. This year, we visited the tree of lights in Zilker Park, ate dinner at Austin's legendary Mexican joint, El Arroyo, and then visited the flagship Whole Foods to pick out dessert (freshly made dark chocolate caramels with sea salt) and watch the ice skaters at the rink on the roof of Whole Foods.

A few days later, we drove out to Fredericksburg and the wine country to do a little tasting and pick up our wine club shipment at our favorite winery, Pedernales Cellars. On our way home, we passed by the Pedernales Electric Company in Johnson City, and saw the coolest Christmas lights we've probably ever seen. It seems a little ironic that this is sponsored by an electric company (or maybe not ironic at all?), but it was breathtaking.

And I know I've already shown our Christmas tree several times, but I just love how cute it is. We'll always remember our first married Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Holiday Fondue Dinner

2010-12-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

When I was very young, my dad's job took us over to Geneva, Switzerland for two years. I remember a few things from that time period-- some of our travels and random things a toddler would think were cool (like the playground behind our apartment and the trikes at my pre-school), but my parents soaked up quite a bit of the Swiss culture and fell in love with a few traditions that they brought back to the U.S. with us. One of those traditions is Swiss cheese fondue, which we feast on every year for Christmas Eve dinner. This year, I'm celebrating Christmas with J's family, but didn't want to miss out on one of my favorite holiday meals. So we decided, why not share the cheese-y, carb-y love? The result was a delicious pre-Christmas fondue dinner with 3 of our favorite couples from business school.

Fondue, although incredibly rich, is super easy to make. Paired with a big, green salad, copious wine, and some homemade Christmas cookies for dessert, it was an easy dinner party to pull together.

Traditional Swiss Fondue
(Serves 6-8)

2/3 bottle dry white wine

2-3 garlic cloves, sliced

2.5 lbs. good Gruyere cheese, grated

3-4 Tbsp. flour

3 baguettes, sliced

2-3 Tbsp. Kirsch (optional)

Toss the grated cheese with the flour. Pour the wine into a large pot and add the sliced garlic. Simmer the wine with the garlic for 5-10 minutes, but do not let the wine boil. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon. Add the cheese and flour mixture by handfuls, stirring until each handful is melted before adding another handful. When all the cheese has been melted, you can add 2-3 Tbsp. (approximately 1 shot) of Kirsch if you like. (Kirsch is a cherry brandy from Switzerland or France... it just gives it a little extra kick.)

Serve the fondue on top of a heated fondue stand to keep the cheese warm and gooey, and start dipping those sliced baguettes!

J waiting patiently for the guests to arrive

Getting festive...

And getting ready to chow down... Bon Appetit!

Christmas Ornament Exchange

2010-12-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

This year I participated in the Christmas Ornament Exchange, hosted by Karen from Karen At Home and Shannon from Webbisodes. They paired us each up with a partner and we picked out and shipped a special holiday ornament to our partner. My partner was the lovely B, from I.M.T.L.Y., and she sent me this gorgeous gold ball:

Up close

On the tree

I think I kind of like it with my sparkly mantle decorations!

The ornament exchange was a fun way to get introduced to some new blogs and bloggers, and I will definitely be participating next year. Thanks for hosting, ladies!

Holiday Gruene-ery

2010-12-15T09:53:00.001-08:00

That (bad) pun won't make much sense to anyone outside of central Texas... for the rest of you, Gruene (pronounced Green-- haha, get it??) is a tiny, scenic town about an hour south of Austin whose motto reads, "gently resisting change since 1872." True to this statement, the town looks like it's straight out of an old west movie set, with a general store, a few saloons and restaurants, numerous antique shops, and Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas. And around the holidays, Gruene oozes charm.

This past weekend, we were invited down for the night to celebrate my friend Cassie's birthday with three other b-school couples. We bunked up in cabins at the Gruene Mansion Inn, strolled the festively lit streets checking out boutique after candy shop after boutique, enjoyed a delicious birthday meal at the Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar, and capped off the evening with lots of pool and live country music at Gruene Hall. I love exploring the little historic towns that make each region unique, and this was no exception. We had a great time.

The birthday girl, and her husband, Dan

The girls goofing around outside the dance hall

Cory Morrow on stage at Gruene Hall

Serious fans

Dan and Alle shootin' pool

J and I enjoying the show

Duck-erating our Tree

2010-12-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

First, I want to give a shout out to Penny Lane Designs for my lovely new blog design. I was so ready for a change, and I love my new look!

I'm a week late in posting this, but I have some pictures of our first married Christmas tree that I wanted to share. Last Saturday, J and I got up and did what any Austonian would do on an 80 degree day in December-- put on our sunglasses and flip flops and headed out to get our tree. (I should have taken a picture of our outfits just to remember it!) We went to a lot, but were impressed with the number, size, and quality of the trees. I'm gonna go ahead and say it... having been raised in Washington and Oregon respectively, J and I have pretty high standards for what constitutes a Christmas tree. In fact, the act of going to a lot-- instead of going out to a farm in the woods and cutting down our own tree-- seemed highly suspect. But since the closest cut-down-your-own-tree farm was halfway to Houston, and since we had a very important game to watch that afternoon, the lot worked out just fine.

We selected a delicious smelling fir tree from North Carolina. Since we live in an apartment, and are going to be spending about 10 days in Seattle over the holidays, we opted for a smaller, more manageable 5 foot tree that would be easy to put up, easy to take down... and easy to stuff in my Jetta. That's another picture I wish would have taken!

After stopping at Target for some lights and garlands, and then at a local taqueria to fortify ourselves with a few tacos al pastor and some Mexican Coke (have you had that stuff?? addictive!), we headed home to... "Duck-erate" our tree. That is-- to decorate our tree while watching the Oregon Ducks trounce the Oregon State Beavers to lock up their number 2 BCS ranking and earn their (first ever!) trip to the National Championships. Obviously I've been a little, um, "preoccupied" throughout the fall-- otherwise I would have written more about their amazing season. But we're all very excited and will definitely be tuning in on January 10th to watch them play Auburn for the championship.

So here are a few pictures of our first married Christmas tree. The past two years we've been travelling so we opted not to do full out Christmas decorations in the past, but I'm glad we did this year. It's so festive and smells awesome!

The full tree!

J's favorite ornament-- a Hawaiian shirt

Our tree topper-- a repurposed angel ornament. And, yes, that is a UT Bevo figurine in the background. Apparently J thought my mantle needed a little something extra.

And, finally, our stockings and mantle!

Catching up

2010-12-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already December 3rd! This year is flying by. (I think I say that at the beginning of every new month.) I think it's just especially bizarre to me that it's almost Christmas because it's so nice here! 76 and sunny today. Strange.

We had a great Thanksgiving in Portland. I didn't take any pictures, but we enjoyed plenty of time with my parents, my sister and her husband, and my brother and his fiance. We are all only able to get together a few times a year, so it's special when we do. While we were there they had some unseasonably cold weather-- like lows in the 20s. Before we left (and it was 80+ here), I was pining away for some nice cold weather. I was romanticizing thick wool sweaters, toasty beverages, and roaring fires. Then, as soon as we stepped out of the airport, I remembered what 28 degrees feels like. Not good. It's amazing how fast my blood has thinned. After only a year and a half in Texas, anything below 60 suddenly seems frigid. Still, it's hard to get in the Christmas spirit when it's this nice. I wouldn't mind it if was cold just through the end of the year, and then we could pick right back up where we left off in the 70s.

I also had my two-week check up for my surgery earlier this week. Everything is looking good, and I can say I am finally feel normal again after two months of pregnancy-related ups, downs, and complications, both physical and emotional. I will need to have my blood tested weekly to monitor me as the hcg in my system declines, until I have 3 consecutive weeks where no hcg is measured. Then I will need monthly tests, totaling up to 6-12 months. My first blood test was on Monday and we got great results. I definitely have a long road to go, but we're off to a good start and I'm just trying to be optimistic. I struggle with taking it one day at a time, and not letting my mind race ahead to all the what-ifs, but I'm really working on trying to enjoy each day as it comes-- even though I feel like my life is in a holding pattern. Patience has never been one of my strengths, so this situation is forcing me to work on cultivating that quality, as well as the ability to stay present in the here and now.

But, fortunately for me, it's the holiday season and there are lots of fun things going on to distract me! Parties, dinners, shopping, and decorating galore. I should be back soon with some fun updates (as well as photos!)

Happy Friday!

Thankful

2010-11-23T14:38:00.001-08:00

I've always loved Thanksgiving. It easily rivals Christmas as my favorite holiday. They are both special in their own way, but there is something to be said for lots of amazing food; ample time spent with family, where the most taxing activity is deciding whether to watch football or a movie; no stress around buying, wrapping, or shipping gifts; and no jam packed schedules. And this year, more than ever, I am reminded of what the season is really about: gratitude for all of our blessings, big and small. With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few of mine:

A funny, supportive, exuberant, and loving husband
The health and safety of my family - who are also loving, supportive, and generally awesome
My own health and safety - I may have been beat up a little bit over the past few weeks, but I'm doing just fine and am hopeful for a complete recovery
Medical insurance and good doctors, which allow me to get better in the first place
A roof over my head and heat when it's cold out (or AC when it's hot, as the case may be here in Austin where the high was 83 today)
Access to plentiful, wholesome food and clean water
Caring friends, from both near and far, who come out of the woodwork and show their support when you need it most
The ability to step back and realize that although my life isn't perfect, I have more than enough in so many areas of my life and that I am truly one of the lucky ones
And of course: trashy television, DVRs (with which to enjoy said trashy television), red wine, dark chocolate, extra stinky cheese, and totally engrossing novels

And with that, we're off to Portland to celebrate with my family. Happy Thanksgiving!

On the mend

2010-11-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all of your emails, thoughts, and good wishes! The surgery went really well on Monday. I did end up losing quite a bit of blood, but nothing that a few days of bed rest and a lot of fluids can't cure. We're waiting on test results that we should get sometime next week, but the doctor said the tissue he removed didn't look quite like he expected. This means that it might have been a partial, instead of complete, molar pregnancy, and the implications for long term follow up would be a little less serious. We're keeping our fingers crossed for good news, but regardless of the results I am trying to stay focused on everything we have to be thankful for this season-- which is quite a lot.

Update and prayers needed

2010-11-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well, unfortunately, it turns out that my miscarriage wasn't just a miscarriage. On Friday I was diagnosed with a molar pregnancy. It's extremely rare, and it's pretty complicated, but it essentially means that the pregnancy tissue has been growing rapidly, like a tumor, in my uterus. It is most likely benign, but we won't know for sure until we get some test results back in 2-3 weeks. Tomorrow morning, I need to have a surgical procedure to remove all of the tissue, and then I will need to be monitored weekly for the next 6 months or so to make sure my hcg levels go down to zero and stay that way. We may be able to have children at some point in the future, but we won't know for sure until we get the test results back, and even then, it will be a ways off. To say that I'm shocked is an understatement. I was shocked when I thought I was having a miscarriage, and the odds of that happening are about 20%. The odds of this happening instead are 0.1%. I keep joking that apparently I should go to Vegas more often.

My procedure tomorrow is a little bit risky because there is some danger of hemorrhaging and losing quite a bit of blood. I am just trying to stay positive and focus on getting through tomorrow with flying colors, and not think about the long road ahead of us after that. I would appreciate your thoughts, prayers, or any positive energy you can throw my way as we embark on this journey. Hopefully, I will have good news to share in the next few days.

Friday Night Fever!

2010-11-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

This happened a few months ago, but for those of you following our Friday Night Lights obsession, this was too good not to share. Earlier this year, J signed up to be an extra on Friday Night Lights. With his ~~baby face~~ youthful good looks, he was actually contacted several times to appear in the show. (Side note: he was also selected to be an extra in ABC's ill-fated My Generation, and wound up being featured pretty heavily in a party scene in what would have been in episode 7, but it got cancelled after only two episodes were aired. Bummer.) Anyway, he was contacted several times to appear in Friday Night Lights, but was never able to make it due to his school schedule.

At the beginning of the summer, he received a notice that they were casting extras for the final episode of the show to be filmed in Austin (the end of season 5, which will air on NBC next spring/summer.) Again, he was unable to do it because it required a 3 day commitment. It was going to be a big football scene-- the East Dillon Lions' last home game. Although he couldn't participate, we thought we'd just drive out to see if we could catch any of it being filmed. Since it was the last game, we thought it must be some kind of championship, and therefore that it must be being filmed at UT's Memorial Stadium (where they played their championship game in season 3.) So we drove out to the stadium on the first night we knew they were filming. No dice. No lights, no trucks, nothing.

The next night, on a whim, we decided to drive out to the old Del Valle High School field near the airport, which we knew was the setting for Panthers' home field. We had no idea where the Lions' field was, but thought we'd give it a shot. Bingo! Before we could even see the field, we saw the lights. As we approached, we saw tons of vans and trailers everywhere. We parked at a nearby Days Inn and strategized ways to sneak into (or at least walk by) the action. Unfortunately, the shrubs between the Days Inn parking lot and the stadium were too high to see over, and I was not willing to wade through knee-high grass, in the dark, on a hot Texas night, in sandals, to get to the other side of the stadium for a peek. (Just thinking about what might have been in that grass makes me shiver.) J was adamant that we couldn't just drive down the street where they were filming because someone would surely catch us and he didn't want to get busted for trespassing. I, on the other hand, was a feeling a little more reckless. So I took the wheel and we just drove right up to the stadium.

Instead of security patrolling the block, as J had expected, we found a row of trailer homes situated directly across from the field, and the 'hood was out in full force watching the show being filmed. People were parked in camping chairs, in little kiddie plastic pools, or on the roofs of their trailer drinking beer, taking pictures, and generally just enjoying the show. Clearly security was not a concern. So we parked our car and just walked right up to the edge of the stadium.

I couldn't see a lot of action on the field with out blatantly sneaking into the shot, but I saw stadium full of fans in red and white (Lions' colors), and then the best part... I saw someone leave the stadium and start walking towards me. As she got closer, I saw that it was Connie Britton in all of her Tami Taylor glory. I'm talking short black dress, cowboy boots, and those flowing locks. She seriously has the best hair. She walked right next to me as I walked back to the car. Like, literally, 2-3 feet away from me. Then we started our car and drove slowly down the street (due to the aforementioned neighbors' antics) and she was literally walking right next to our car for about a block as she walked to her trailer. She was texting or checking something on her phone, so we didn't interact at all, but still... pretty cool. We also ran into her this past spring across the street from our apartment at the Hotel San Jose's pool bar, and, ladies, let me tell you... I will be thrilled to look half as good as her when I'm in my mid-40s. She looks pretty fit and attractive on TV, but she looks amazing in real life.

So we missed out on being extras in Friday Night Lights, but we still got in on a little piece of the action of the final episode ever. When you're watching season 5 next summer, keep an eye out for Tami at a Lion's game in a black dress, and think of us.

Gypsy Picnic

2010-11-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend was pretty chill, and exactly what I needed. I slept (a lot), got back into my workout groove, cleaned the house, and ran some much needed errands. But we did manage to sneak a little fun into the weekend, too. Knowing that we may not live here forever (caution: big, scary life decisions ahead as we approach J's last semester of business school), I've been trying to make more of a conscious effort to get out and enjoy Austin and its distinctive quirkiness.

Airstream trailer dining is a big thing in Austin. Some of them roam freely around the city and some are parked in specific, permanent locations. They serve everything from tacos to Korean barbecue to Indian food to BBQ and good ol' Southern comfort food. Some try to provide an upscale trailer experience, like my favorite Indian place, G'Raj Mahal. G'Raj (pronounced Garage) has a nice tented patio with wrought iron chairs and tables and nice lighting. They wait on you at your table and, other than the fact that you're eating outside in a vacant lot near some dilapidated buildings, it feels like a decent restaurant. They don't have a liquor license, but who can complain about BYOB? Most people bring beer or a bottle of wine to enjoy with their food. (If you go, get the Saag. Mmmmmm.) Other trailers are unabashedly low rent (numerous taco trucks come to mind), but their food is equally delicious.

This past Saturday 30 different trailers gathered together at Auditorium Shores as part of the Gypsy Picnic. Admission was free and the idea was essentially to roam around and purchase small tastes (about $3-$5 each) from multiple different vendors. This being Austin, there was also a stage with numerous different live music acts throughout the afternoon and two beer gardens. Lines were long for most of the trailers, but we were impressed that the "tastes" were actually pretty substantial for $3. We tried tacos and homemade hot sauce from Royito's Hot Sauce Streamer and shrimp po'boy sandwiches from Turf N Surf Po'Boy.

After that we just kind of wandered around, chatted up some friends we ran into, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Of course all of this strenuous activity necessitated nap when we got home, but it was well worth the effort. ; )

Latest Flicks

2010-11-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your sweet comments on my last post. I really appreciate it. Recently, I've read a few stories of other women's experiences with miscarriages on various blogs, and it helped me feel a little bit better that I'm not the only one out there going through this. I don't exactly have a huge following on this blog, but figured if it helped me to hear someone else's story, it may help someone else to hear mine.

On a lighter note, I am so excited that we are getting into prime movie season... Oscar contender time. Late fall is when so many of the best movies of the year come out. Recently, I've seen the following films:

I really enjoyed both Social Network and The Town. Social Network was fascinating-- it's amazing to think that something so ubiquitous as Facebook started up in some random kid's dorm room (albeit a brilliant, though socially awkward, kid.) Facebook didn't really catch on until after I was in college, but I remember my sister spending a bunch of time on it when she was in college and I so did not get it. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to sit around post stuff on their profile and stalk ex-junior high friends' pictures. It seemed like a JV version of MySpace (which I also didn't really get into very much.) Of course, now I check Facebook on my iPhone regularly. It's just a part of life now.

As for The Town... nail biting plot, strong acting, and Jon Hamm + Ben Affleck in the same movie? Sold. The only thing I didn't love was that Jon Hamm was essentially Don Draper dressed as an FBI agent. He's hilarious when he does cameos on 30 Rock, and he was amazing when he participated in the opening number for the Emmy's, so obviously he's got some range. It would be great to see him in some different types of roles.

That brings us to Never Let Me Go. This was one of those films (and I use the word "film" intentionally) that is beautifully written and art directed. The cinematography is stunning. The acting will probably garner at a least a few Academy nods. But, geez. Could it be any more of a downer?? Quick plot summary: a bunch of kids are created through cloning and then raised from birth to ultimately become organ donors in a society that has essentially eradicated disease (because they can replace your lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, or [fill in the blank] courtesy of the donors.) So, um, these kids grow up knowing they will die. And then they do. Yeah, there's some other stuff that happens (I won't ruin the entire thing for you), but all in all, it was probably not the film I should have seen earlier this week while feeling a little down due to other circumstances. Maybe put it on your Netflix queue when you need a good cry.

We saw the preview for Black Swan with Natalie Portman, which I am intrigued by, but not 100% sold that I should see it in the theater. I love Natalie Portman, but this movie looks like a classy mash up of Center Stage and Single White Female. I'm not sure that's totally up my alley.

What good movies have you seen lately? Are there any upcoming films you are really looking forward to seeing?

A loss

2010-11-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Jason and I suffered the loss of our first pregnancy. I debated about whether or not to share this news here, but after thinking about it, I realized that I want this blog to be a real and accurate reflection of our lives-- not just a summary of the fun trips we take, entertaining movies we see, or delicious new recipes I try. And since the miscarriage is what's on my mind right now, I decided it's what I should write about.

The pregnancy was a huge surprise to us in the first place. While we both want children at some point (and probably sooner rather than later), we weren't officially "trying," and weren't planning to until we had a better idea of our future after business school. But in early October, I started feeling a little off-- tired, run down, and just not myself. A pregnancy seemed far fetched, but as the days passed I began to wonder if it might be a real possibility. On October 13th I took a test, and the positive sign popped up immediately-- even before the control line appeared. Even though I had suspected (and shared my suspicions with J), it was still shocking to see it confirmed so quickly. The first 24 hours was a mix of Oh-My-Gosh-How-Did-This-Happen-Am-I-Ready-For-This anxiety and Oh-My-Gosh-This-Is-Amazing-I-Am-So-Excited elation.

Quickly, we adapted to the idea of welcoming our new addition in late June and began sharing the thrilling news with our immediate family members and a few close friends. As the days wore on, we became more and more excited... reading our pregnancy books, talking about the baby as it grew from the size of a poppy seed to the size of an orange seed, and imagining our lives as a family of three. The pregnancy was smooth sailing for me-- aside from some serious fatigue and the occasional headache, I felt great.

But then last Friday, at exactly 6 weeks, I noticed some very light spotting. I honestly wasn't too concerned about it because I had read that it can happen during the first trimester and not signal any major problems. But, just to be safe, I called the doctor. They suggested I come in for an ultrasound just to confirm everything was OK. As I waited for my appointment, I began to get a little nervous, but tried to reassure myself that everything would be fine. Unfortunately, the ultrasound tech was particularly quiet during the procedure, and I could tell it wasn't good news. A little while later, the doctor took me into an exam room and informed me that what they saw on the ultrasound was not consistent with a baby that should be developed to 6 weeks of gestation, and, most likely, I was experiencing the beginning of a miscarriage. Sure enough, the miscarriage began in earnest later that night.

Jason and I were both shocked and devastated by the news, and Friday was a tough day. Since then, the immediate shock has worn off and I have daily ups and downs-- sometimes feeling OK and accepting it, and other times just feeling a dull sadness or depression about it. I know grief is a process, and it will probably continue like this for a while. After lots of reading, I've learned that almost 9 out of 10 women go on to have a healthy pregnancy after a miscarriage, so I am cautiously optimistic that we'll have better luck next time. I do feel some anxiety about trying a again because I know that as difficult as one miscarriage was, a second one would be exponentially more painful. But, for now, I am trying not to worry about this and to just stay positive and take it one day at a time. When the time is right, we will try again, and I know that in the long run, no matter what happens, everything will be fine.

Another reason I love fall...

2010-10-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Or the dead of winter, as the case may be... Either way, I have a serious obsession with coats and jackets, and I can't wait to wear this beauty. Which I bought myself for my birthday. In AUGUST. And now it's just sitting in my closet collecting dust until we get a day that's cooler than 70-something degrees. What can I say? I couldn't pass up this adorable jacket or the 15% off birthday coupon at Anthropologie. And I know that one of these days, I will relish clipping the tags off this beaut and taking her for a test drive!

Fall

2010-10-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

In Texas, people love fall. Actually, I think people love fall all over the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast, too-- although for different reasons. In the Northwest, fall is nice. You enjoy some foliage, cheer on some football (go Ducks!), and maybe even do a little apple picking or cider sampling. You know... it's pleasant. But it's not the season that everyone looks forward to (almost desperately) for nine months out of the year. (That would be summer, when we finally get our body's quota of Vitamin D.) However, here in Texas, fall is definitely everyone's favorite season. Six months ago, when the blue bonnets were out in full force, I would have put money squarely on spring as the best season in Texas, but I'm coming around on fall... it's definitely bringing the competition.

I've already waxed poetic on the beautiful weather and lack of humidity (after summer, the cooler temps and lack of humidity are reason alone to love fall.) There's football, but I think we can all agree that Texas doesn't have a whole lot to get excited about in that department this year. I think what was really holding me back in terms of unabashedly loving fall was that it took me a while to get over the fact that fall doesn't have to mean sweaters, boots, and hot beverages. It doesn't have to mean thick stews and chilly nights. I may not even need to wear a jacket outside until December because the high today was 87 (true story.) But, I do have endless reasons to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors: jogging after work because it's now in the 80s and it actually feels good. Hiking in the Greenbelt. Grilling up a storm. (And, yes, I occasionally still wear boots and sweaters or sip a pumpkin spice latte in the comfort of my AC because I feel like it.)

So, in honor of my new found love of fall (and Hobby Lobby), I spruced up my mantle a little with some some seasonal flair. I'm way late in sharing my fall decor with the blog world, but better late than never. I give you my autumnal mantlescape... Enjoy!

Weekend update x 2

2010-10-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

As promised, we did hit up the Texas State Fair last weekend. And it did not disappoint. The sheer volume and variety of fried food was staggering. Apparently there is some sort of contest to judge all the fried food in a number of different categories. The winning "most tasty" food was the fried frito pie, and it actually looked really good. It took us about an hour to find the stall that was selling the fried frito pies, but the line was insane. We stood there for about ten minutes, but it didn't move at all. So I wound up with a fresh squeezed lemonade and an ice cream bar instead. This was very possibly the first time in my life where the ice cream bar was a healthier choice! J and his parents did manage to sample the fried beer, however. (Fried beer won as the most creative fried food.) It was essentially a little dough pouch with beer in the middle. The whole thing was fried, and the beer was still liquid in the middle. I didn't try it, but they said it was kind of weird and not that tasty. And the beer was hot. Hmmm... still, they get points for trying it.

Aside from tracking down obscure fried foods, we saw a bunch of livestock, wandered through the Midway, saw a blue ribbon winning butter sculpture, and visited the car show. All in all, a good introduction to the state fair.

Butter sculpture of UT vs. OU

J and his parents

Us in front of Big Tex... "Howdy Folks!"

This past weekend was pretty mellow. It was one of our first weekends in what feels like months where we had very few plans. Or at least I did. J had his good friend, Aaron, from growing up come into town. They went to see Jackass 3D on Friday night, while I went to my friend's pumpkin carving party. Let's just say the guys kind of wish they had gone to the pumpkin carving party too. ; )

Saturday, I enjoyed a leisurely morning, took a two hour nap (I know, impressive), and worked out. The guys went to the UT game. (Let's not discuss it. Such a sad season for the Longhorns. Instead, I am focusing all my football attention on the Oregon Ducks.) Then we took Aaron out for BBQ at the Salt Lick. The wait was seriously two hours-- the worst it's ever been for us. Needless to say, when our food arrived, we stuffed ourselves silly. Then we were all so spent that we had no choice but to come home and lie on the couch and watch Missou take down Oklahoma. And what does that mean, my friends?? Oh, yes it does... The Oregon Ducks are now ranked #1 in the BCS for the first time ever. Let's hope they do not continue the streak of number 1 teams losing on the road when they play USC next weekend. Gulp.

Yesterday, I finished up the weekend on an uber productive note-- seven loads of laundry (that should give you an idea of how busy we've been the past few weekends), meal planning for the week, grocery shopping, working out, and making the Barefoot Contessa's Italian Wedding Soup (click the link for the recipe) with chicken sausage meatballs from scratch. It was delicious. It was slightly time consuming due to all the vegetable chopping, but it turned out really well. And it was one of those great dinners that tastes really good, but is good for you too. Definitely a good Sunday evening project. And now I've got leftovers in my freezer! Can't beat that.

There's a first time for everything

2010-10-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend J & I are heading up to Dallas to meet his parents (who flew down to Texas last week have been doing a road trip through Galveston, New Orleans, and Mississippi) and are venturing out to the Texas State Fair. Would you believe that I have never attended a state fair... ever? J assured this is extremely weird.

Where I grew up in Oregon, the state fair just wasn't a big deal. It was the same situation in California, where I went to college and lived for several years after college. (In fact, I don't know if California even has one.) In Washington, the state fair was a little bit more of a big deal-- as in, I recall seeing commercials for it on TV and actually knew a few people who attended. I think I even talked casually about going with some friends once or twice, but it just never happened.

So this will be my inaugural state fair visit. And what better way to get the full experience than to visit the Texas State Fair-- arguably the biggest and baddest of them all? From my limited state fair knowledge, the Texas fair is known for its wide variety of delectable fried treats. I'm not big on fried food, but, really-- who can pass up fried candy bars, fried pie, fried butter (ew?), fried margaritas (!), or fried beer (!!)? I need to try a few of these items just for the novelty. I'm also a sucker for carnival rides, so I'm hoping they'll have a few of those.

The weekend forecast looks amazing... highs of 85, lows in the 50s. Have I mentioned that I love October in Texas? Clear blue skies, endless sunny days, zero humidity, and temps that insist you soak up every possible minute outdoors. Hope your weekend agenda includes some delicious (fried) food and gorgeous fall weather too!

Back at it again!

2010-10-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Training, that is... although this time it will be pretty mild. My triathlon partner in crime, Anne, has convinced me to run the San Antonio Rock'n'Roll half marathon relay with her on November 14th. This means we divide up the 13.1 miles between us, although the two legs aren't equal in length. She's using this race as an opportunity to test the waters and decide if she wants to do the Austin half marathon in February, so she is running the longer leg (7.7 miles), while I'm running the much shorter 5.4 mile leg. So my "training" isn't exactly going to be super intense, but since I can barely run 3 miles without walking a little bit right now, I definitely need to get out there for some training runs over the next 5 weeks.

Using Hal Higdon's 10K training schedule as an outline, I'll probably try to fit in one strength training session, one cross-training session (bike, elliptical, etc.-- anything to get my heart rate up for an extended period), and two runs per week. Since I only need to work up to a little over 5 miles, the running should be pretty manageable (and hopefully not too hard on my knee!) How sad is it that I pay good money every month for a gym membership, but need to pay additional money and sign up for a race where I am threatened with pain, humiliation, and/or injury if I don't train in order to actually get my butt moving?? Oh well... I'll take the motivation where I can get it!

Well, hello

2010-10-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

After an absence of nearly three months, I feel like my first post back should be really exciting and full of lots of fascinating tales about my life over the past quarter year. (Really? A quarter year?? That makes it sound much longer than it felt...) Really, I've just been busy with normal life stuff and a fair amount of travel, visitors, and summer celebrations. Between the intense heat (which ends up driving me inside for summer hibernation) and J's absence, I thought the summer would drag by But, actually, it didn't.

J and I had a second visit in July, and then I finished out the month with a weekend in Portland for my sister's wedding shower. Ah, blissful 80 degree weather... I remember taking a run at about 11:30am on a Saturday morning (a time at which no living creature ventures outside in Texas during late July), and it was just heaven. Crisp, air. Gentle sunshine. Fragrant flowers. Cue the homesickness.

August took me back to Portland two weeks later for my sister's wedding, which was fabulous-- beautiful bride and groom, touching ceremony, and fantastic party.

A week later, three of my best friends from my San Francisco days visited. We're now all spread out around the country, but there's nothing like catching up with old friends who've known you for years and remind you what your fresh-out-of-college self was like. The years have passed quickly, but we're able to pick up where left off-- as if we just met for brunch last weekend. We indulged in barbecue and swanky Mexican at La Condessa, lounged by the pool, and took stand-up paddle board lessons on Town Lake.

J finally came home from Charlotte, just in time to celebrate my birthday two days later (yay!) His second year of business school started, and then we kicked off September with separate guys and girls trips over Labor Day weekend. He went to New York and I went to Seattle, where I got to catch up with all my Seattle girls. Everything I said above about my San Francisco girls -- ditto here for my Seattle ladies. Quality girl time is something that I value very highly, and being far away from the people who have known me the longest really makes me appreciate my friendships even more. We had some exciting news that weekend--Aja announced that she is expecting and due in April. She's the first of our group, but I have a feeling a few more will be following soon!

September also brought our second anniversary, and we celebrated with a weekend trip to Dallas. I have to say... we've heard a lot of "less than enthusiastic" reviews of Dallas, but we were both pleasantly surprised. We stayed downtown in the historic Adolphus Hotel, enjoyed two fabulous dinners at Rise Souffle and Local, and lost ourselves completely at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, site of JFK's assassination. This museum is fascinating-- we're all familiar with the story of the events that transpired on November 22, 1963, but they've never come to life quite they way they did for me at this museum. It made me much more emotional than I expected, and I can see now what it must have been like to live through that gruesome day for millions of Americans across the country.

Finally, we closed out September with a visit from my sis and new brother in law, Mike. We took them on our usual visitor circuit, including a trip to the Salt Lick and copious amounts of Mexican food, threw in a Bob Schneider show at Threadgill's for good measure, and concluded the weekend with the UT vs. UCLA game. We shall not discuss the outcome of this game-- instead, we'll focus on the great time we had tailgating beforehand, and how excited Mike was to partake in what he termed "big boy college football." The game itself was a disaster, and we all sweat through our shirts in the blazing stadium heat, but I think Mike can now successfully add a check mark to his bucket list.

And here we are in early October... the fall should be not nearly as eventful, but I'm sure it will fly by nonetheless. For those of you who still check in, I promise to be a more faithful blog contributor. Stay tuned for some exciting Texas adventures (including a trip to the State Fair... fried beer, anyone?), some great recipes, and more photos.

La Cucaracaha

2010-07-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

...And not in that cute, funny way, where you're all "hey, I'm sipping a margarita and singing about cockroaches in Spanish! How funny!" No, I'm talking about a real cockroach-- an ugly, hairy little guy that was a good inch and a half long. Ew. It gives me the shivers just writing it.

I had grand aspirations for this morning. I've been on a real house keeping kick, deep cleaning and getting everything organized (since I have an empty house and lots of time on my hands), and last night after giving the shower a preliminary spray to loosen up any grime, I set my alarm to get up early and give it a good scrub before work. (I also wanted to get a blog post up, but now I'm sitting at my desk at work and typing furiously before my 9:30am status meeting.)

So my alarm goes off, and I (begrudgingly) get up and head into the bathroom. I start the shower water and hop in. I start to move the non-slip bathmat we have in the shower and then I detect a little movement. Before I can even get out of the way, a cockroach leaps up and on to my leg and foot. Ew!! I am not naturally someone who screams or shrieks. In fact, before this morning, I'm not even sure I knew what I would sound like if I screamed out of sheer terror. But now I do.

I leaped out of the shower and sprinted back into my room. But then I just stood there trying to figure out what to do. I actually called J in a moment of panic. Fortunately he didn't pick up because I'm not sure what I would have said. "Um, can you come back from Charlotte and kill the cockroach in the tub?" Probably not. So I did what any self respecting woman would do. I put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, drove up to HEB at dawn, and bought some Raid to kill it myself. On the way to the store, a bird flew directly into my windshield. I have no idea if it died on the side of the road (I hope not), but I am just thankful that it didn't leave any blood, because I think I would have seriously freaked out at that point.

When I got home, I thoroughly fumigated the bathroom and then shut the door to let the Raid work it's magic while I brewed some coffee and tried to enjoy my Kashi Go Lean with strawberries. I gave it a good 20 minutes and then peeked inside the shower again. The roach appeared to be dead, but I gave him another little spray just to be sure.

Then I spent 10 minutes contemplating how to get him out of the shower. I most definitely was not going to touch it, nor did I want any of my household tools to touch the roach. So finally I covered my broom securely with a plastic bag, then I swept him into a dust pan (which in hindsight I should have also covered with plastic) and dumped him over the edge of our balcony. I had no idea if leaving him in the garbage might encourage his family members to come check him out for some reason.

At this point it was now about 8am, so I had to jump in the shower and get ready and I didn't have time to even clean out the Raid, let alone the deep clean I had planned. I just let the hot water run for a little while to wash away as much of the chemicals as possible. Finally, I got in and got my day started. Let's just say, it was not the way I had planned my morning... I guess it's a good reminder that I'm not really in control. Now I'm sipping my coffee at my desk, and hoping the rest of the day goes a little smoother!

Charlotte and Charleston

2010-07-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I flew back east to visit J in Charlotte. He'd only been gone a week, but since we had a 3 day weekend (and the office closed early on Friday), it just worked better to schedule a visit when I could take advantage of that extra time for travel.

Friday night we had dinner at a surprisingly good Indian restaurant, Maharani. When I think of North Carolina, really authentic Indian food isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But it was delicious... definitely one of the top 10 Indian places I've ever been to. Then J showed me around the town a little bit and we hit the hay early.

Saturday we got up and started our weekend adventure down to Charleston, South Carolina. Neither J or I has spent much time in the Southeast, and it turns out that Charlotte is perfectly situated to drive to many of the top destinations in both of the Carolinas and Georgia in 4 hours or less. Because it was only 3 hours away, we picked Charleston for our first little road trip, and off we went!

We stopped for lunch in Columbia, SC, to try out some South Carolina "Midlands" style barbecue. South Carolina barbeque's unique element is that its sauce is made from a mustard base instead of the traditional tomato base. It was interesting... not amazing, but since we seem to be getting a pretty thorough education in regional BBQ styles, I was glad I tried it. But, it was a buffet style restaurant, and the best item by far was the fried chicken. Mmmm.

We arrived in Charleston on Saturday afternoon, got settled in, and then took a carriage ride to get oriented to the city. What amazing architecture and history! It was one stunning mansion after another, all with gorgeous secret gardens and courtyards peeking out in between. Such a romantic city. It reminded me a little of Venice... the water, the huge mansions, and the ancient patina on everything. Charleston has a rule that nothing over 70 years old can be fixed or updated. It can be restored to its original look or it has to be left as is, so lots of buildings look like they're kind of decaying a little bit, but in a very charming way. We capped off Saturday evening with an awesome dinner at High Cotton, where I had my very first shrimp and grits experience.

On Sunday we woke up and decided to walk down to the South of Broad neighborhood that we had toured by carriage so that we could get a better look at everything. We also toured the Calhoun House, which is a huge mansion, restored to its full 1870s glory. It is said that the original owner of the house was a Civil War blockade runner and the inspiration for the character of Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind.

We spent the rest of the afternoon browsing shops on King Street, followed by a nice long nap. For dinner, we ventured out to Hank's Seafood Restaurant, which J's boss had recommended. I had an amazing roasted flounder on a bed of sweet corn, shrimp, and lobster risotto. Delicious. After that we rolled ourselves over to a nearby bar where we sipped drinks on a rooftop deck until the big fireworks show over Charleston's harbor.

On our final day, Monday, we got up early and headed about 30 minutes outside of Charleston to tour the Boone Hall Plantation-- as a total history dork (who was obsessed with both the book and film versions of Gone With The Wind from ages 12-16), this was my favorite activity of the weekend. Boone Hall is the oldest working plantation in the United States. It was founded in the late 1600s, and they still grow numerous crops, including pecans, berries, pumpkins, onions, etc. They drove us all around the property recounting its history, and then we were free to tour the old slave cabins, which now house numerous interactive exhibits on African American history. Finally, we toured the plantation house-- the exterior of which was used as Allie's parents' home in The Notebook. (The interior of the Calhoun House I mentioned earlier was also filmed as part of Allie's parents' house.)

Finally, we drove back to Charlotte and had some real North Carolina barbecue at Mac's Speed Shop. North Carolina barbecue with its more traditional sauce and mouth watering pulled pork is definitely more my taste that its mustardy cousin in South Carolina, but it was fun to try both out. (I have to say though, I'm becoming more and more of a Texas girl everyday and would still pick Texas BBQ over anything in the Carolinas. You just can't beat the Salt Lick!)

Our last stop was the airport, where Jason dropped me off for my trip back to Austin. It was a fantastic weekend, and a very memorable fourth of July. I'm hoping I'll be able to make another trip out there in a few weeks to explore a little more of the Southeast. I hope you all had a fantastic 4th as well!

Settling back in

2010-06-28T09:41:00.001-07:00

We're back! South Africa was amazing... Truly one the most beautiful, unique places I've ever been, and I would highly, highly recommend it as an awesome vacation destination for just about anyone. Of course getting there isn't super easy... over 40 hours each way. Painful. But it was more than worth it! I will be back later this week with a full recap and pictures. I need to go through start organizing and editing our hundreds of shots.

These past few days we've just been busy getting adjusted back to normal life... lots of laundry, grocery shopping, trying to get our bodies used to this time zone, and of course work (yuck.) On Saturday, J moved to Charlotte, NC, for the rest of the summer, where he'll be doing his MBA internship. I've known since we started school that we'd likely be apart for the summer, and I'm really happy and thankful that he found a great internship that will give him more experience in his field of interest (plus the additional income will be kinda nice...), but I was definitely a little sad to drop him off at the airport. The house has been so quiet this weekend, and I'm not used to spending so much alone-- particularly after two weeks of togetherness during out trip.

But I know that two months apart (with a handful of visits in there) is absolutely nothing compared to what military families and so many other couples deal with. So I'm thinking positive and getting excited for all the things I can do with my new found free time... I'm hoping to spend a lot of time with friends, work on my writing, and be super productive around the house so I can wrap up some projects that have been lingering on my to-do list for months.

First up? Crashing in front of The Bachelorette tonight with no judgement. ; )

Back in a bit

2010-06-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'll back on the 24th of June. In the meantime, we'll be cheering on a little of this:

...enjoying some of this:

...and checking out some of this... from a distance!

Catch you on the flip side!

A year of blogging & spring in Austin

2010-06-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

In all the craziness of the past few weeks, I totally forgot that my one year anniversary of blogging came and went on May 29th. What an action packed year the last one has been... from quitting our jobs, packing up and spending 8 days in the car driving through some of the most scenic parts of the United States between Seattle and Austin... to getting settled in here, making friends, and becoming part of the Longhorn tradition (I know I'm a real fan now because I'm already excited for football season to start.) From surviving J's gall bladder surgery and tough first semester of classes-- to trips home to visit family and friends, as well as trips to Boston and New York, and numerous visits here from some of the same family members and friends. And, now we're off on our biggest adventure of the year-- our trip to South Africa!

But, before we leave, I want to post some pictures from earlier this spring-- visits from my best college girlfriends, both sets of our parents, and the beauty of the Texas wildflowers in bloom. Enjoy!

One of my best college gal pals, Camille and sweet baby Elise.

Look at that cutie in the Texas blue bonnets!

With Anne (also a college bestie) at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Dinner al fresco with Anne and Diana at Botticelli's. I love all 3 of these girls (including Camille above) and seeing as we're scattered across the country, we don't get together near enough. I'm already looking forward to our next reunion in 2011!

Dinner with J's parents at our favorite guests-in-town grub fest, The Salt Lick.

More wildflowers...

Jason and I en route to the UT McCombs b-school "prom."

Mom and I sporting our boots!

And back at The Salt Lick with mom, dad, and J.

Mom and I in front of the Capitol on Mother's Day.