Jim and I pride ourselves on being on the forefront of all new games and introducing them to my family where enthusiasm spawns from there. Let’s review the past few years:
2004: Cornhole is all the rage. Parents, grandparents, and children alike enjoy tossing beanbags outside in the sunshine. Steve & Jim capitalize on the trend by making and selling their own sets.
2005: The Erdahls teach Jim and Karen Mexican Train Dominos. Quickly buying a set of their own and teaching the Templins, now nearly every extended Templin family (aunts, grandparents, etc.) owns the game. Mike and Lindsay got their own set for Christmas this past year.
2006: Bocce is introduced as the “new cornhole” after family picnics with Jim’s side of the family where the game is played. The game is so universally loved it makes its debut appearance as a second tournament at the Annual 4th of July party. At least 3 bocee sets were purchased by guests of said party as a direct result of playing there.
2007: And the new game is…?? Jen & Josh taught us a card game called Quiddler a few weeks ago that I bought for my mother for Mother’s Day this year. When we left the cook-out there were 6 family members playing the game, including Mary Ann who doesn’t normally play anything. It’s unfortunate that Jim doesn’t care for it as much…
Friday, May 18, 2007
Smaller Portion Follow-up
As a follow-up to my restaurant post, Chuck S sent me a link to an article that TIME wrote about this same complaint (Thanks, Chuck!).
Here's a snipet:
Big Chain Restaurants' New Small Portions
by: Joel Stein
It's the big gulp theory. The basic laws of restaurant economics state that meals keep getting bigger because food is cheap and fixed overhead--staff, rent, equipment--is the same no matter how much is piled on your plate. So giant servings are a win-win: you pay a little extra for a lot more food, and the restaurant makes extra profit. It's the same rule that created tubs of movie popcorn, venti-size coffee cups and Burger King's Meat'normous Omelet Sandwich. It's why no restaurant will ever give you a reasonably sized stack of pancakes.
Read More...
Here's a snipet:
Big Chain Restaurants' New Small Portions
by: Joel Stein
It's the big gulp theory. The basic laws of restaurant economics state that meals keep getting bigger because food is cheap and fixed overhead--staff, rent, equipment--is the same no matter how much is piled on your plate. So giant servings are a win-win: you pay a little extra for a lot more food, and the restaurant makes extra profit. It's the same rule that created tubs of movie popcorn, venti-size coffee cups and Burger King's Meat'normous Omelet Sandwich. It's why no restaurant will ever give you a reasonably sized stack of pancakes.
Read More...
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Week 33- 7 to go!
Nicole this week: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures 17.2 inches. Thanks to she recent weight gain, she's losing that wrinkled alien look. Most of your baby's bones are hardening now, but her skull is still quite pliable. It's actually in separate pieces with spaces in between. This flexible structure allows your baby's head to compress so it can fit through your relatively narrow birth canal. The pressure on her head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a cone head-like appearance. This is totally harmless, normal, and temporary. Her skull plates won't completely fuse until she's about 9 to 18 months old.
My Take: I love how the baby people called my kid alien-like. Ha!
I’ve made good progress on the acid reflux since last week – I'm down to about 2 TUMS every other day or so. MUCH better than the 8 I was taking daily before. What has gotten worse though are the charlie horses I get- my calves are so sore that I can’t fully straighten my leg or walk without pain. I see now why pregnant women waddle – it’s because their legs hurt and they can’t walk right!
The swelling in my ankles (which are starting to blend right into my pained calves) is also consistant now. Fortunately not painful, it's reduced me down to a very small quantity of shoes that I can comfortably wear. I wear newly purchased size 9-10 (I'm normally an 8) beaded flip flops more than anything else now. Megan was a gem and lent me a blanket to soften the prop I keep my feet up on at work.
I’ve been reading more articles about the signs of labor. Though I'm sure I can’t miss it, I don’t want to misdiagnose it either (exaggerate something that’s not labor into a trip to the hospital for example). I'm hoping that it’s (forgive the pun-twist) not too painfully obvious.
My Take: I love how the baby people called my kid alien-like. Ha!
I’ve made good progress on the acid reflux since last week – I'm down to about 2 TUMS every other day or so. MUCH better than the 8 I was taking daily before. What has gotten worse though are the charlie horses I get- my calves are so sore that I can’t fully straighten my leg or walk without pain. I see now why pregnant women waddle – it’s because their legs hurt and they can’t walk right!
The swelling in my ankles (which are starting to blend right into my pained calves) is also consistant now. Fortunately not painful, it's reduced me down to a very small quantity of shoes that I can comfortably wear. I wear newly purchased size 9-10 (I'm normally an 8) beaded flip flops more than anything else now. Megan was a gem and lent me a blanket to soften the prop I keep my feet up on at work.
I’ve been reading more articles about the signs of labor. Though I'm sure I can’t miss it, I don’t want to misdiagnose it either (exaggerate something that’s not labor into a trip to the hospital for example). I'm hoping that it’s (forgive the pun-twist) not too painfully obvious.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
I Have an Opinion on Everything: Restaurant Edition
I share an annoyance with my grandparents that came to light yesterday when I had dinner with Karen C (thanks again, Karen!): restaurants always give you way too much food. You read in the news all the time about how Americans’ concept of a portion size is sometimes 2-4X what the professionals would deem “1 serving” and as a result, we eat and eat and get fatter and fatter.
When I went to Chipotle for dinner last night they didn’t fill my bowl as full as they normally did. My first reaction was to pipe up and ask for some extra but then I figured, “why do I need to eat a 5lb. burrito bowl anyway?” and kept quiet. Lo and behold the portion they did serve me was not only finishable, but had me comfortably full and not stuffed. I think I just got used to seeing my bowl piled inches higher than the rim of the tray and translate it to “that’s how it has to be” versus "that's how it needs to be".
I’ve said it before, but I really wish that restaurants would correct this issue by giving me 1/2 the food but charging me 2/3 the price of a “normal” meal. That way they’d still be making a great profit and I’d feel better that the meal was more affordable. I wouldn't overeat and I wouldn’t have to kick myself the next morning for forgetting the doggy bag on the table when I left because there wouldn’t be one- I'd have finished all my food the night before. Side benefit: we'd eliminate all those smart alecs that exclaim "feel free to send my "wasted" food to the poor children in Africa 'cause I'm not eating it."
When I went to Chipotle for dinner last night they didn’t fill my bowl as full as they normally did. My first reaction was to pipe up and ask for some extra but then I figured, “why do I need to eat a 5lb. burrito bowl anyway?” and kept quiet. Lo and behold the portion they did serve me was not only finishable, but had me comfortably full and not stuffed. I think I just got used to seeing my bowl piled inches higher than the rim of the tray and translate it to “that’s how it has to be” versus "that's how it needs to be".
I’ve said it before, but I really wish that restaurants would correct this issue by giving me 1/2 the food but charging me 2/3 the price of a “normal” meal. That way they’d still be making a great profit and I’d feel better that the meal was more affordable. I wouldn't overeat and I wouldn’t have to kick myself the next morning for forgetting the doggy bag on the table when I left because there wouldn’t be one- I'd have finished all my food the night before. Side benefit: we'd eliminate all those smart alecs that exclaim "feel free to send my "wasted" food to the poor children in Africa 'cause I'm not eating it."
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
School's out for the summer!
Well, the school year is officially over – I turned in my final grades today. This semester was an interesting one. I wasn’t nervous at all like I sometimes got with my first class – perhaps it’s because I have a semester of experience under my belt or just that I knew my subject (sales) really well. The students were fun and I got a lot of good feedback and suggestions the last night of class. Nearly everyone said they’d take a Sales II class if it was offered. I got some hugs from students as they left and have already received a few emails from folks just since Thursday. I hope some of them keep in touch – even I never did with any of my college profs and that’s probably weird- they were good people.
Comparatively, I liked the 2X/week during the day better than 1/week at night just because I got to know the students better. I also think I gave out too many A’s this semester. I know how to adjust this – no more participation points and no more dropping the lowest quiz score. I would have doubled the amount of B’s had I made those two changes and the grade inflation wouldn’t have been as high.
Hopefully my feedback on the evaluations will be as positive as last semester’s… not sure when I’ll find out…
I don’t start back again until mid-October! A long break to settle into my other life changes (kid, house, etc.) before we start up with the madness again!
Perhaps now it'd be kosher to set Greg-Scott up with some of the girls from the class? They're his age and in his city! And pre-screened for his convenience! ;)
Comparatively, I liked the 2X/week during the day better than 1/week at night just because I got to know the students better. I also think I gave out too many A’s this semester. I know how to adjust this – no more participation points and no more dropping the lowest quiz score. I would have doubled the amount of B’s had I made those two changes and the grade inflation wouldn’t have been as high.
Hopefully my feedback on the evaluations will be as positive as last semester’s… not sure when I’ll find out…
I don’t start back again until mid-October! A long break to settle into my other life changes (kid, house, etc.) before we start up with the madness again!
Perhaps now it'd be kosher to set Greg-Scott up with some of the girls from the class? They're his age and in his city! And pre-screened for his convenience! ;)
Monday, May 14, 2007
Weekend of 5/11/07
Friday: The family met up and went to the Olive Garden for Greg’s graduation celebration. The funniest part of the night came when Mike spilled the beans about Greg’s tattoo, which my parents didn’t know about, over dinner and the whole ball of yarn unraveled quickly. Greg announced Jim is his new official brother and Mike tried to divert attention from Greg and his error by pointing out that Lindsay has a tattoo. She didn’t seem thrilled to be in the limelight either. Quite entertaining!
Saturday: Got up, breakfast, furniture/mattress shopped, got a call from Martha (a pleasant surprise!), bought flowers, got groceries, went to Jim’s boss’s house. Full day, led to sleeping in until 10am on Sunday.
Sunday: I made Jim and I strawberry pancakes for breakfast which was so great. I planted flowers along the front of the house (1 more flat to go!) and we headed to Mary Ann’s for the mother’s day dinner. As my first “unofficial” mother’s day, it was nice but weird to have people wish me a good day. I got a card and a frame from the neighbor across the street, my baby book and a card from Jim (that he signed for him AND Nicole that made me all smiley), and a back massager from my dad. Mom liked the card game and novel we got her and a large number of family ended up playing it at the party through the time we left. Hooray for successful gift-giving!
I am T-I-R-E-D this morning!!!!
Saturday: Got up, breakfast, furniture/mattress shopped, got a call from Martha (a pleasant surprise!), bought flowers, got groceries, went to Jim’s boss’s house. Full day, led to sleeping in until 10am on Sunday.
Sunday: I made Jim and I strawberry pancakes for breakfast which was so great. I planted flowers along the front of the house (1 more flat to go!) and we headed to Mary Ann’s for the mother’s day dinner. As my first “unofficial” mother’s day, it was nice but weird to have people wish me a good day. I got a card and a frame from the neighbor across the street, my baby book and a card from Jim (that he signed for him AND Nicole that made me all smiley), and a back massager from my dad. Mom liked the card game and novel we got her and a large number of family ended up playing it at the party through the time we left. Hooray for successful gift-giving!
I am T-I-R-E-D this morning!!!!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Ma Bell's my enemy
I work in telecom but I hate getting telephone calls. It’s not that I don’t like to talk to people, I do, but I'm never around when people call – I'm either at work/school and can’t answer my cell phone when friends call, or at an appointment/already on the phone so I can’t answer my office phone when my clients call.
As a result, my friends/clients seem to be forever leaving me voice mails, which I like less than getting phone calls. I literally cringe when I see the red blinking light on my phone indicating that a message is waiting. As a result, I am terrible at returning voice mails promptly because I typically don’t listen to them for a few days. I can’t really get away with this at work where I have to call people back to be polite/professional; but even then I often reply to their VM with an email which I like SO much better– it’s fast, convenient, and to the point. I think that I've just gotten burned out from talking all day that I appreciate the break email offers.
How this happened to the person who spent 4 hours a night every night on the phone in HS talking with friends is beyond me…
As a result, my friends/clients seem to be forever leaving me voice mails, which I like less than getting phone calls. I literally cringe when I see the red blinking light on my phone indicating that a message is waiting. As a result, I am terrible at returning voice mails promptly because I typically don’t listen to them for a few days. I can’t really get away with this at work where I have to call people back to be polite/professional; but even then I often reply to their VM with an email which I like SO much better– it’s fast, convenient, and to the point. I think that I've just gotten burned out from talking all day that I appreciate the break email offers.
How this happened to the person who spent 4 hours a night every night on the phone in HS talking with friends is beyond me…
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Self-inflicted misery
I'm really congested. So congested that there are times that I talk and get so stuffed up I choke on my own words.
Why then, do I spend so much time blowing and hacking to just immediately swallow all that gunk and re-create my own suffering?! I want this crap out of me, not back in!!
Why then, do I spend so much time blowing and hacking to just immediately swallow all that gunk and re-create my own suffering?! I want this crap out of me, not back in!!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
32 Weeks - 8 to go!
How your baby's growing: By now, your baby probably weighs almost 4 pounds and is almost 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. She has tiny toenails now, and her fingernails have grown in, too. Some babies have a head of hair already; others have only peach fuzz.
My Take: Two words define my life: Acid Reflux. Y-U-C-K. Sarah and the “old wives” predict this means I’ll have a hairy kid, which I’d like, so if that’s the case it’ll be worth it. Tums are my friend. Lots of Tums. Hint: Dale, buy stock!
Also, over the last two weeks I’ve had a handful of Braxton Hicks contractions which feel weird but I'm grateful my body’s getting “practice” now!
I conned Jim into going to the park with me last night. We walked the trail (about a mile and a half) and watched the geese. He held my hand and then took me for ice cream to put all those hard fought calories back on. He’s the best!
My Take: Two words define my life: Acid Reflux. Y-U-C-K. Sarah and the “old wives” predict this means I’ll have a hairy kid, which I’d like, so if that’s the case it’ll be worth it. Tums are my friend. Lots of Tums. Hint: Dale, buy stock!
Also, over the last two weeks I’ve had a handful of Braxton Hicks contractions which feel weird but I'm grateful my body’s getting “practice” now!
I conned Jim into going to the park with me last night. We walked the trail (about a mile and a half) and watched the geese. He held my hand and then took me for ice cream to put all those hard fought calories back on. He’s the best!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
An update and 3 random thoughts
1) went to the doc this morning and here are the stats: I gained 2 ¾ lbs (perfect!), Nicky’s heartbeat is 150 (right on!) and my blood pressure was 112/68 making pre-eclampsia no longer a concern! Hooray!
2) We were talking about excuses over the weekend and Dad brought up a co-worker’s strategy of always calling off 2 days in a row since it makes the illness look more plausible, especially when your first “sick” day is a day after a weekend. I think that has some merit to it if I ever called off sick….
3) Does anyone other than the person him/herself or their significant other notice someone’s “signature scent”? I have no idea what my perfume/cologne my friends wear. Hell, I don’t even know what Jim wears. I do know what he wants to wear (Armani Black Code).
4) If you had to bring to mind the image of yourself in a photograph, which would it be? The first photo that comes to mind with me in it was was taken at the zoo with Lisa and is displayed on a picture box in her bathroom with her arm around me. I think I recall it because I was genuinely happy in the shot and it shows.
2) We were talking about excuses over the weekend and Dad brought up a co-worker’s strategy of always calling off 2 days in a row since it makes the illness look more plausible, especially when your first “sick” day is a day after a weekend. I think that has some merit to it if I ever called off sick….
3) Does anyone other than the person him/herself or their significant other notice someone’s “signature scent”? I have no idea what my perfume/cologne my friends wear. Hell, I don’t even know what Jim wears. I do know what he wants to wear (Armani Black Code).
4) If you had to bring to mind the image of yourself in a photograph, which would it be? The first photo that comes to mind with me in it was was taken at the zoo with Lisa and is displayed on a picture box in her bathroom with her arm around me. I think I recall it because I was genuinely happy in the shot and it shows.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Weekend of 5/5/07
Friday: I woke up feeling like C-R-A-P. My throat was still sore from Thursday evening and it kept me up all night. Talking was painful. Swallowing was painful. The only real positive is that it DID get better as the day progressed and that so many clients/vendors were concerned about me and wished me well. Awwwwww!
After work, Jim, Mike, Lindsay, Ryann and I drove the 3 hour trek to Toledo to watch Little Greg get his college receipt. Long trip, another crappy night of sleep later…
Saturday: We got up early for Greg’s graduation and sat for 3 hours watching the business school file through. I lost to Dad in the dot game (you know, the one that you connect dots to make boxes and the person with the most boxes at the end wins) and I'm ashamed to admit that he won because he was truly more strategic than I at playing. I hate losing, especially when it can’t be blamed on bad luck which so many games are. Anyway, CONGRATS to G-Scott for finishing up at UT and for entering the tax-paying world of work.
When we got home we caught the last hour and a half of Tom/Meghan’s Derby party (great food, great company!) and got to see Dale’s CCO concert. I loved every minute of it. It was fantastic. I would go every weekend if they had a show. Jim appreciated the music but is not a fan of the orchestra so I'm not sure he’ll be joining me much in the future. We did agree that Nicole will be required to play a musical instrument (piano to start probably) as a significant percentage of the smartest people we know have this ability and I do not think it’s a coincidence.
After work, Jim, Mike, Lindsay, Ryann and I drove the 3 hour trek to Toledo to watch Little Greg get his college receipt. Long trip, another crappy night of sleep later…
Saturday: We got up early for Greg’s graduation and sat for 3 hours watching the business school file through. I lost to Dad in the dot game (you know, the one that you connect dots to make boxes and the person with the most boxes at the end wins) and I'm ashamed to admit that he won because he was truly more strategic than I at playing. I hate losing, especially when it can’t be blamed on bad luck which so many games are. Anyway, CONGRATS to G-Scott for finishing up at UT and for entering the tax-paying world of work.
When we got home we caught the last hour and a half of Tom/Meghan’s Derby party (great food, great company!) and got to see Dale’s CCO concert. I loved every minute of it. It was fantastic. I would go every weekend if they had a show. Jim appreciated the music but is not a fan of the orchestra so I'm not sure he’ll be joining me much in the future. We did agree that Nicole will be required to play a musical instrument (piano to start probably) as a significant percentage of the smartest people we know have this ability and I do not think it’s a coincidence.
Sunday: Finally, a good night’s sleep!! After working around the house we ran errands to look for a front door (for the new house), buy mom’s mother’s day present, sew bean bags
for the cornhole set we’re going to be making/selling, grocery shop, and share a milkshake. Good day all the way around! My "illness" morphed into straight-out allergies and now I'm all conjested, snotty, and sneezy.I did buy my mother’s day present for myself too: a fancy baby book for Nicole. I won't write anything in it until I confirm in June/July that we don't need a blue one, but here it is!
Seeing the States
Here's my state map:
Create your own visited states map
I think I've been to WI but now I can't remember fully. I only counted states I'm spent the night in, not just ones I've driven through as I don't think that really counts. I'm at 54% (28 states). Most desired to see next: Maine.
Yeah, I'm expecting some harrassment from Martha about how I could/should check OR off the list... I'm quite proud that I have some far away states in red, specifically AK, CA, HI, WA, AZ...
Create your own visited states mapI think I've been to WI but now I can't remember fully. I only counted states I'm spent the night in, not just ones I've driven through as I don't think that really counts. I'm at 54% (28 states). Most desired to see next: Maine.
Yeah, I'm expecting some harrassment from Martha about how I could/should check OR off the list... I'm quite proud that I have some far away states in red, specifically AK, CA, HI, WA, AZ...
Friday, May 04, 2007
Thursday 13
Yeah, I'm a day late but yesterday was crazy from 7:30am - 10pm and there was no time to blog!!
 |
1. Give birth a healthy, little baby with as little pain as possible 2. Go to Costa Rica for Jen/Tom’s wedding where I intend on zip-lining for the first time! 3. Have at least one room in my new house that my friends honestly and enthusiastically think I decorated really well 4. Get a raise at XU 5. Lose more weight than I gained with Nicole 6. Make 1 new recipe a month out of a cookbook or from a referral 7. Spend time, not just money on charity work 8. Have date nights with my husband where we leave Nicole with a babysitter and “keep the flame alive” 9. Maintain or improve my 128 bowling average 10. Continue blogging at least 3X/week 11. Avoid getting any traffic tickets 12. Try a drastically different hair style 13. Visit one new city |
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
31 Weeks- 9 to go!
How your baby's growing: This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. She weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and she's beginning to accumulate a layer of fat underneath her skin in preparation for life as a newborn. As a result, her arms, legs, and body are filling out.
My Take: This kid is moving a lot and the feeling is so neat. I sat in a meeting yesterday and she was so active even Megan got to watch her move my stomach. I can truly say that though I feel like I’ve been pregnant for a long time (how do I have 2 more months!?) I’ll miss it when it’s over.
I'm obviously pregnant now, rather than just oddly shaped, as strangers ask me when I'm due without hesitation. I am REALLY grateful that all my growth has been in my middle and not spread out over my whole body. And though I think he’s mostly being polite, I smile every time Jim tells me I'm pretty.
Interesting fact – about half the time I dream (which is roughly 3-4/night) I'm pregnant in my dreams.
My Take: This kid is moving a lot and the feeling is so neat. I sat in a meeting yesterday and she was so active even Megan got to watch her move my stomach. I can truly say that though I feel like I’ve been pregnant for a long time (how do I have 2 more months!?) I’ll miss it when it’s over.
I'm obviously pregnant now, rather than just oddly shaped, as strangers ask me when I'm due without hesitation. I am REALLY grateful that all my growth has been in my middle and not spread out over my whole body. And though I think he’s mostly being polite, I smile every time Jim tells me I'm pretty.
Interesting fact – about half the time I dream (which is roughly 3-4/night) I'm pregnant in my dreams.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Catchin' up from the weekend
Some Random Things…
- I think everyone with those annoying word verifications on their blogs should turn them off and just see what happens. I know they turned them on because they got spammed, but that was a long time ago. You should forgive and forget. :)
- Since the transistor on our street blew the whole office had to close yesterday around 3:30. How did I spend my extra 2 hours? With Ryann who’s so adorable and slept on my chest most of the time.
- Best thing about the weekend?? A really awesome baby shower put on by Jim’s mom in Van Wert. Great games, great food, great attendance!
- For Dale: I “met” Katrin from Vienna because she randomly commented on my blog a few months ago so I checked out hers and found she had many similarities to Viki (in that she calls her grandma ‘Oma’, wears authentic German attire at times, has been through much of Europe, etc). Anyway, I directed Viki to her blog and now we’re all friends!
- How amazing is this 85 degree weather!?
Monday, April 30, 2007
I was tagged!!!
So Katrin has decided to tag me, which means I have to follow the rules.
The rules: each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to blog about their seven things and post the rules as well . At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!
1. When we were younger, probably to keep us quiet, my parents had a game that if we spotted our initials, in order, on a license plate we’d get a candy bar. I'm still playing that *&^# game into adulthood and ONLY ONCE did I see KLT but that was after I became KLE. UGH!
2. My favorite candy is anything gummi.
3. I'm addicted to post-it notes. They’re everywhere on my office desk. They’re too convenient not to use!!
4. I think I own too much black. Problem is the color’s so versatile that I can’t escape from it. I probably own about 4 black t-shirts and I replace about 2 a year from fading.
5. It bothers me that I sweat more than Jim. Girls are supposed to be fresh and well-scented all the time. I stand still in hot weather and I need to wipe my brow; he can play 3 hours of tennis full-force in the sun and not have a drop of perspiration on him. It’s not fair.
6. I have a current friend (Alissa) whom I’ve known since I was 4. I’ve been friends with Jessica since I was 6, and Lori since I was 8. I still see them all regularly. I think my newest friend is probably Katrin whom I’ve never met in person.
7. It’s taken me two weeks to get 13 items together for a Thursday Thirteen on my goals for the next year. Getting 7 general but diverse items here took about 15 minutes.
Who I'm tagging: Lindsay, Megan, Carol, Tom P, Tom S, Greg, Dave S, & Dale
Friday, April 27, 2007
Did they just sing what I think they sang?
I heard the song “Too Close” by Blue on the radio the other day and despite myself, couldn’t turn it off. It reminded me of college when they used to play it at frat parties!
Like I said 8 years ago, however, how do songs like this ever make it to radio? There so inappropriate!!
Here’s the refrain of this one:
Baby when we're grinding
I get so excited
Oh, how I like it
I try but I can't fight it
Oh you're dancing real close
Plus it's real, real slow
You're making it hard for me.
If you want to watch a video of this song hit up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWDf5NWsgYU.
Rick K. introduced me to another college song around ’98 that I was in disbelief that it existed until I heard it in real life. Again- how is this allowed on public airwaves?? Remember this one? How could you forget?
She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
Baby move your butt butt butt
Uh
I think to sing it again
She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
All night long
Let me see that thong
There’s another scandalous song that is escaping me now that also fits into this category. I'm sure there are a half dozen others as well!
Like I said 8 years ago, however, how do songs like this ever make it to radio? There so inappropriate!!
Here’s the refrain of this one:
Baby when we're grinding
I get so excited
Oh, how I like it
I try but I can't fight it
Oh you're dancing real close
Plus it's real, real slow
You're making it hard for me.
If you want to watch a video of this song hit up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWDf5NWsgYU.
Rick K. introduced me to another college song around ’98 that I was in disbelief that it existed until I heard it in real life. Again- how is this allowed on public airwaves?? Remember this one? How could you forget?
She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
Baby move your butt butt butt
Uh
I think to sing it again
She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
All night long
Let me see that thong
There’s another scandalous song that is escaping me now that also fits into this category. I'm sure there are a half dozen others as well!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Lion King
Last night was girls’ night out for mom, Lindsay, Linds’s mom and sister (Karrie and Holly), and me. We had 4th row, first balcony seats to the Lion King down at the Aronoff. Some notes for those who haven’t seen it before:
- Same plot as the movie and many, if not all, of the movie's songs were included.- A few new songs (written by Tim Rice) are thrown in to keep it a full musical.
- The voices of the actors remarkably matched those from the movie, especially Mufasa’s.
- The costumes were incredibly creative (see pics). While it was obvious that they were humans in costumes rather than puppets, all the kids around us “got it” and seemed really into the show
- The dance was great, but sometimes too much was happening and you felt like you were missing out on something while you choose to watch something else.
- There was an elephant (full sized) and a baby elephant in the opening scene that were so cute! The little baby elephant danced to the music and made me smile.- Nicole went nuts for the full three hours. I think it was all the loud music and the thumping from the ever-present drums. She was so active I did feel like I had an alien inside of me and felt really “pregnant”. She had a VERY restful sleep, as did I after so much excitement!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
30 Weeks, 10 to go!
How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. ("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)
My Take: I'm tired. My schedule has been jam packed lately and combined with poor sleeping for the last month, I feel like I'm in slow motion today.
I don’t have (or want to share) a picture of my stomach, but I have the linea nigra (a darkened vertical line running the length of my stomach) full force now which threw Jim off when he noticed it recently and/or finally got up the courage to ask what the heck it was. More weird than this to me, are the changes my belly button has undergone- it used to be a deep “innie” and now is more shallow and flat. I do not look forward to it popping out!
And my husband's take??
This was an exchange over email this morning:
From: James
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 10:41 AM
To: Karen
Subject: all kinds of changes
I will have to go into the company system w/in the week following Nicole's birth and fill out all kinds of forms for insurance, W-4's, dependency, etc.
I guess that makes us even... you get to go through the birth process and I get to fill out these forms :)
From: Karen
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 10:45 AM
To: James
“even” - yeeeeeeaaaaahhhhh
My Take: I'm tired. My schedule has been jam packed lately and combined with poor sleeping for the last month, I feel like I'm in slow motion today.
I don’t have (or want to share) a picture of my stomach, but I have the linea nigra (a darkened vertical line running the length of my stomach) full force now which threw Jim off when he noticed it recently and/or finally got up the courage to ask what the heck it was. More weird than this to me, are the changes my belly button has undergone- it used to be a deep “innie” and now is more shallow and flat. I do not look forward to it popping out!
And my husband's take??
This was an exchange over email this morning:
From: James
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 10:41 AM
To: Karen
Subject: all kinds of changes
I will have to go into the company system w/in the week following Nicole's birth and fill out all kinds of forms for insurance, W-4's, dependency, etc.
I guess that makes us even... you get to go through the birth process and I get to fill out these forms :)
From: Karen
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 10:45 AM
To: James
“even” - yeeeeeeaaaaahhhhh
Monday, April 23, 2007
Weekend of 4/20/07
Finally, some good, sunny, 70’s weather!!!!!
Friday: Jen and Josh O came down to have dinner and game night with us. They brought three different games down that we haven’t played before and though I never won, it was fun to try something new.
Saturday: We worked around the house some, taking advantage of the sunshine and I started to really swell up. This concerned me because it’s amajor symptom of pre-eclampsia which they’re watching me for BUT it’s also just a normal pregnancy side-effect. How’s a non-medical person like me supposed to know if I should get freaked out or not?! It got so bad after our 2 hour furniture shopping expedition that I couldn’t get my rings off and my shoes were tight.
Jamie had me sit down and relax when we got to their house for dinner. She’s an expert at this as she was bed-ridden for 6 months with Ryan. Taking it easy did the trick and I depuffed back down to normal size in about a half hour.
Dinner there was great! We were so chatty we didn’t even play cards like normal. Ryan was especially cute as he took to me more quickly than normal and spent a notable amount of time playing with me and sitting on my lap. Awwwwww!
Sunday: More yard work, grading lots of papers, and furniture shopping. We found a bedroom suite, dining room table, china hutch and office desk we (jim especially) really like as well as a potential kitchen table. We’re going to be some furniture salesperson’s best friend when this is all over.
At the bowling banquet I got $4 for the 2nd high handicap game (249) and $49/ea for our 5/15 place finish for the season. We dined with the Polleyes afterwards and watched Planet Earth and The Apprentice season finale where our friend Surya didn’t win.
I had some wacky dreams last night that made perfect sense when I dreamt them but now seem too odd for interpretation.
Friday: Jen and Josh O came down to have dinner and game night with us. They brought three different games down that we haven’t played before and though I never won, it was fun to try something new.
Saturday: We worked around the house some, taking advantage of the sunshine and I started to really swell up. This concerned me because it’s amajor symptom of pre-eclampsia which they’re watching me for BUT it’s also just a normal pregnancy side-effect. How’s a non-medical person like me supposed to know if I should get freaked out or not?! It got so bad after our 2 hour furniture shopping expedition that I couldn’t get my rings off and my shoes were tight.
Jamie had me sit down and relax when we got to their house for dinner. She’s an expert at this as she was bed-ridden for 6 months with Ryan. Taking it easy did the trick and I depuffed back down to normal size in about a half hour.
Dinner there was great! We were so chatty we didn’t even play cards like normal. Ryan was especially cute as he took to me more quickly than normal and spent a notable amount of time playing with me and sitting on my lap. Awwwwww!
Sunday: More yard work, grading lots of papers, and furniture shopping. We found a bedroom suite, dining room table, china hutch and office desk we (jim especially) really like as well as a potential kitchen table. We’re going to be some furniture salesperson’s best friend when this is all over.
At the bowling banquet I got $4 for the 2nd high handicap game (249) and $49/ea for our 5/15 place finish for the season. We dined with the Polleyes afterwards and watched Planet Earth and The Apprentice season finale where our friend Surya didn’t win.
I had some wacky dreams last night that made perfect sense when I dreamt them but now seem too odd for interpretation.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
29 Weeks
What Nicole is Up to: Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week she weighs about half a pound more than she did last week (just over 2 1/2 pounds total) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is getting bigger to accommodate her growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester.
My Take: Literally the day after I mentioned having cramps last week they went away. :) What’s starting to happen with more (but still limited) frequency is some acid reflux – maybe I’ll be getting my wish of a kid with hair! She’s also kicking more frequently and has affection for snuggling under my left rib.
In attempt to reduce the amount of weight I'm gaining I'm trying harder (admittedly not “really hard”) to not eat as many sweets. Yesterday was limited to 4 Andes mints (those little after dinner things). I have intentionally not even opened the candy cabinet at work because I know there are mini Take 5’s and 3 boxes of marshmallow peeps in there that I can’t (aka choose not to) resist.
Only other notable thing is that my bathroom breaks are becoming more frequent – like every other time I stand up.
My Take: Literally the day after I mentioned having cramps last week they went away. :) What’s starting to happen with more (but still limited) frequency is some acid reflux – maybe I’ll be getting my wish of a kid with hair! She’s also kicking more frequently and has affection for snuggling under my left rib.
In attempt to reduce the amount of weight I'm gaining I'm trying harder (admittedly not “really hard”) to not eat as many sweets. Yesterday was limited to 4 Andes mints (those little after dinner things). I have intentionally not even opened the candy cabinet at work because I know there are mini Take 5’s and 3 boxes of marshmallow peeps in there that I can’t (aka choose not to) resist.
Only other notable thing is that my bathroom breaks are becoming more frequent – like every other time I stand up.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Mexican with Jenny
I'm really full. Not so full that I'm cursing myself for eating so many chips and salsa because that salsa was so good. I'm the kind of full where you quickly become unmotivated to move any further than the nearest chair/couch. The kind of full where you think “I’d really like a good nap right now” but you’re at work and would get weird looks if you just reclined in your chair with your arms limp on the desk and your eyes glazed over.
When I'm retired and full like I am now I'm going to just sit and be glazed.
25 years to go…
When I'm retired and full like I am now I'm going to just sit and be glazed.
25 years to go…
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
6 mo. Check-Up
Had my 6 mo check-up today at the doctor and here’s the skinny:
- I’ve gained 6lbs. since last time that, while better than last time, isn’t ideal. I need to be at the 4lb./mo (1lb./week) mark
- Total weight gain: 21lbs. (normal = 19-24lbs. at this point)
- My initial blood pressure was 140/60. Because this is a bit high, the doc retook it about 20 min after the nurse's calculation and got 122/60. This prompted some questions about my family history of toxemia (which, according to my reading is pre-eclampsia- an issue Carol questioned if I had weeks ago when my vision was so spotty) and requested only a 3 week instead of 4 week delay for my next office visit
- I got measured for the first time and when asked what my birth-weight was (6lbs. 6oz) she said that I could expect an average sized baby too! Wa-hoo!
Last night I had a whining spell. I have a new, deep appreciation for my old figure. I pulled out the boxes of my summer clothes and held them up- when I put a tank top up to me now my body is clearly visible on each side of the shirt. UGH. I tried the dresses that I bought a few weeks ago on and I look awful in them. I seriously feel huge and the fit of them doesn’t help matters. They’re going back tomorrow. The thought that I have 11 more weeks to go and it’s only fatter/rounder from here is sinking in and freaking me out. Carole said I look like a "cute pregnant lady" (every woman's dream!!) on Sunday but after last night I think she was just being polite!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Weekend of 4/13/07
This weekend we went “back home” to Spencerville for Jim’s family’s Easter. Friday night and Saturday day were filled with visiting folks around town, nothing too out of the ordinary. I tried a Chuffers pizza sub which burned the roof of my mouth to the point of blistering and was still an irritation for me when I ate my Chex this morning. It’s amazing how burning my mouth made me realize how much favor that one side for chewing – geez! I just kept rescraping the healing that had taken place over and over.
The actual Easter part of the trip was nice. We were missing 2 of Jim’s cousins who were out for various medical reasons though some suspected that there were other causes that kept them away. Noah, the 9 week old of Rich (Jim’s cousin) has gotten much plumper since the last time we saw him – the kid has no neck! It also snowed a ridiculous amount while we were there (yes, we got snow on Easter but not Christmas)- about 3.5 inches in total. BLAH.
When we got home on Sunday afternoon we bowled out our last game of the season and won 3 of 4. That puts us in 5th place out of 15 teams. Jason, a guy in the league, congratulated Jim and I on the pregnancy. He said he thought I was pregnant 5 weeks ago but his wife wasn’t sure and therefore wouldn’t let him ask in case I wasn’t. ha!
The actual Easter part of the trip was nice. We were missing 2 of Jim’s cousins who were out for various medical reasons though some suspected that there were other causes that kept them away. Noah, the 9 week old of Rich (Jim’s cousin) has gotten much plumper since the last time we saw him – the kid has no neck! It also snowed a ridiculous amount while we were there (yes, we got snow on Easter but not Christmas)- about 3.5 inches in total. BLAH.
When we got home on Sunday afternoon we bowled out our last game of the season and won 3 of 4. That puts us in 5th place out of 15 teams. Jason, a guy in the league, congratulated Jim and I on the pregnancy. He said he thought I was pregnant 5 weeks ago but his wife wasn’t sure and therefore wouldn’t let him ask in case I wasn’t. ha!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Classes
Class last night went well – we had good discussions that went on longer than I had planned and therefore cut out a 20-minute period where I was planning on having discussion on another topic. Oh well! Those poor kids never get out early!
At one point we were doing role plays and I had set up two students to play the roles of farmer and zoo purchasing manager. The goal was for the farmer to sell his straw to the zoo guy as animal feed (you know, like for elephants!). The farmer was telling the zoo buyer all about the tons of straw he had available that was "going bad" and had to be sold cheap. At one point he stretched out his arms and gestured that a ton of straw was like “this whole room full of straw”. For some reason this struck me as hilarious as I pictured the whole room full of straw and the other 149,999 tons “back at the farm” that he had too. I ended up in this laughing fit that took me 2 minutes to calm down from. I have no idea why this was so funny to me, but once I got started there was no going back. Not professional, but I couldn't help it at all!
As predicted, my fall class is shaping up to be small and adult-oriented. I only have 10 students signed up when in the past I was wait-listed by now. Every student in the class is a weekend/part-timer. Karen C. thinks that this will help me be a more well-rounded teacher to be able to adapt to classes 1/3 the “normal” size and with a different audience base. I guess I shouldn’t be disappointed – it’ll be a heck of a lot less to grade.
At one point we were doing role plays and I had set up two students to play the roles of farmer and zoo purchasing manager. The goal was for the farmer to sell his straw to the zoo guy as animal feed (you know, like for elephants!). The farmer was telling the zoo buyer all about the tons of straw he had available that was "going bad" and had to be sold cheap. At one point he stretched out his arms and gestured that a ton of straw was like “this whole room full of straw”. For some reason this struck me as hilarious as I pictured the whole room full of straw and the other 149,999 tons “back at the farm” that he had too. I ended up in this laughing fit that took me 2 minutes to calm down from. I have no idea why this was so funny to me, but once I got started there was no going back. Not professional, but I couldn't help it at all!
As predicted, my fall class is shaping up to be small and adult-oriented. I only have 10 students signed up when in the past I was wait-listed by now. Every student in the class is a weekend/part-timer. Karen C. thinks that this will help me be a more well-rounded teacher to be able to adapt to classes 1/3 the “normal” size and with a different audience base. I guess I shouldn’t be disappointed – it’ll be a heck of a lot less to grade.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
28 Weeks
How your baby’s doing: By this week, your baby weighs nearly 2 ½ lbs. and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. Her fat layers are continuing to build up as she gets ready for life outside the womb. The big news this week is that your baby can open and close her eyes — which now sport full lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before she's batting those beauties at you.
Side note: in the baby book I'm reading it called out the fantastic weight Nicole has put on – just 11 weeks ago she was only 3 and a half ounces; now she is almost 2.5lbs! GEEZ!
My Take: yeah, I'm getting more “symptoms” of pregnancy more often. I had a Charlie horse last night that still has me sore this morning when I walk; sleeping though the night is a distant memory; my abdominal cramps are more often and stronger (leading me sometimes to consider calling the doc to make sure this really is normal); and I'm getting more fluid loss than I had previously. On the up-side- my 3-hour glucose test came back normal, I think I'm still okay weight-wise, and Nicole’s moving more often and more firmly. I have a dr. appt. next Tuesday.
As of yesterday I'm officially in my third trimester!
Side note: in the baby book I'm reading it called out the fantastic weight Nicole has put on – just 11 weeks ago she was only 3 and a half ounces; now she is almost 2.5lbs! GEEZ!
My Take: yeah, I'm getting more “symptoms” of pregnancy more often. I had a Charlie horse last night that still has me sore this morning when I walk; sleeping though the night is a distant memory; my abdominal cramps are more often and stronger (leading me sometimes to consider calling the doc to make sure this really is normal); and I'm getting more fluid loss than I had previously. On the up-side- my 3-hour glucose test came back normal, I think I'm still okay weight-wise, and Nicole’s moving more often and more firmly. I have a dr. appt. next Tuesday.
As of yesterday I'm officially in my third trimester!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
You Like Me, You Really Like Me!
I have determined that a sure-fire way to tell how comfortable another person is with you is by how much and how unabashedly they sing to the radio when they’re in your company. Especially true if, like me, you’re not vocally blessed. I take it as a great compliment when people “serenade” me in the car.
Monday, April 09, 2007
BCW Food Review
Megan, Amanda and I went to Skyline for lunch today where I tried the new Buffalo Chicken Wrap they’re offering. For you Cincinnatians and Daytonians, here’s your official food review.
The wrap is large, definitely a 2-hander. It’s got a tomato flour tortilla shell that is soft but not wrapped near tight-enough around the filling, practically requiring you to re-wrap it if you don’t want it to be loose or items to fall out. There is a good balance of lettuce, cheese, tomato, chicken and BBQ sauce, but not enough ranch in my opinion (the bottom 1/8 where gravity pulled all the BBQ sauce too was a bit warm on the tongue in such disproportionate quantities). Like Chipotle they had the issue of all the X (ie lettuce) being on the left side and all the Y (ie chicken) being on the right which meant that your bites didn’t have an even blend of ingredients/flavors.
Overall, it was close enough worth the $5.69 it cost since it did fill me up. The BW3’s Buffalo Chicken Ranch Wraps are notably better for the same price but are 2/3 as big and come with chips & salsa. I’d get them again but definitely open it up, remix the ingredients, and re-wrap myself.
The wrap is large, definitely a 2-hander. It’s got a tomato flour tortilla shell that is soft but not wrapped near tight-enough around the filling, practically requiring you to re-wrap it if you don’t want it to be loose or items to fall out. There is a good balance of lettuce, cheese, tomato, chicken and BBQ sauce, but not enough ranch in my opinion (the bottom 1/8 where gravity pulled all the BBQ sauce too was a bit warm on the tongue in such disproportionate quantities). Like Chipotle they had the issue of all the X (ie lettuce) being on the left side and all the Y (ie chicken) being on the right which meant that your bites didn’t have an even blend of ingredients/flavors.
Overall, it was close enough worth the $5.69 it cost since it did fill me up. The BW3’s Buffalo Chicken Ranch Wraps are notably better for the same price but are 2/3 as big and come with chips & salsa. I’d get them again but definitely open it up, remix the ingredients, and re-wrap myself.
Weekend of 4/5/07
Friday: Hooray for a ½ day at work!! Jim and I took the open afternoon (thanks to Good Friday observance) to visit Jess/Sean’s babysitter. She was WONDERFUL and so convenient to 2 of the tech centers Jim may work at. It’s nice knowing we have a viable option we're both comfortable with experience, cost, and environment-wise there and waiting for us come September.
Normally known for our packed social schedules, I do try to keep a few nights open for just Jim and I. Sometimes though, like after an entire Friday afternoon when we’re together all day, we miss the company. So, we conned Jen and Tom into meeting us at Dave & Busters for some tabletop shuffleboard which proved MUCH harder than it looks. We grabbed some Graeters afterwards (it’s been MONTHS since I’ve had it!) and called it an early, but fun, night.
Saturday: I got up way too frickin’ early for a weekend morning and dragged myself, my pillow, and my new book, over to Mercy for my glucose test. I'm not sure how the other people there thought they’d be entertained, no one else brought anything else to do so they all sat there in these uncomfortable chairs reading year-old magazines while I enjoyed my thriller. Anyway, the test wasn’t near as bad as I thought, and with an engrossing book to return to as a reward for the blood sample, I didn't mind the 3 hours at all.
After the test Jim and I drove around looking for baby cribs and found one that we really like at Treehouse Kids. It’s pretty expensive but it’s one of those convertible cribs (that turns into a daybed and then a full-sized bed) so we figure 18 years of use will make it worth the investment. Jess and Sean met us for cards and bowling that night. I won ½ bowling games and 0/2 Shanghai games but enjoyed the company. :)
Sunday: we headed to church, went grocery shopping, had dinner at Grandma’s, got my butt kicked in the Euchre tournament. Ryann was adorable. Mike asked me if I was ready for “all this” indicating the baby and looking at how sweet she is and how she looked up at Mike while she ate, I did feel ready. That sentiment mostly continues today! ; )
Normally known for our packed social schedules, I do try to keep a few nights open for just Jim and I. Sometimes though, like after an entire Friday afternoon when we’re together all day, we miss the company. So, we conned Jen and Tom into meeting us at Dave & Busters for some tabletop shuffleboard which proved MUCH harder than it looks. We grabbed some Graeters afterwards (it’s been MONTHS since I’ve had it!) and called it an early, but fun, night.
Saturday: I got up way too frickin’ early for a weekend morning and dragged myself, my pillow, and my new book, over to Mercy for my glucose test. I'm not sure how the other people there thought they’d be entertained, no one else brought anything else to do so they all sat there in these uncomfortable chairs reading year-old magazines while I enjoyed my thriller. Anyway, the test wasn’t near as bad as I thought, and with an engrossing book to return to as a reward for the blood sample, I didn't mind the 3 hours at all.
After the test Jim and I drove around looking for baby cribs and found one that we really like at Treehouse Kids. It’s pretty expensive but it’s one of those convertible cribs (that turns into a daybed and then a full-sized bed) so we figure 18 years of use will make it worth the investment. Jess and Sean met us for cards and bowling that night. I won ½ bowling games and 0/2 Shanghai games but enjoyed the company. :)
Sunday: we headed to church, went grocery shopping, had dinner at Grandma’s, got my butt kicked in the Euchre tournament. Ryann was adorable. Mike asked me if I was ready for “all this” indicating the baby and looking at how sweet she is and how she looked up at Mike while she ate, I did feel ready. That sentiment mostly continues today! ; )
Friday, April 06, 2007
HGKE
I am very excited about our new house. I went to the library on Wednesday to go through decorating books and get some ideas on colors, patterns, etc. for some of the main rooms. Primarily I'm trying to stay focused on the living room and dining room which I think will be my biggest challenges- they’re to the left and right of the entrance immediately when you walk in so therefore they need to coordinate with one another and the foyer. On top of that I have white, silver and navy china that I would ultimately like to display so the wall/window decor needs to go with that as well.
Anyway, the books weren’t much help (mostly because the pictures in them look nothing like our house- they’re always older with lots of windows and heavy crown molding), but one did inspire me to make a color chart of the house, which I did in powerpoint. I outlined each of the rooms and then filled in the boxes with a color I'm considering. It really helped me get an all-over feel of the flow of the rooms and how they coordinate – important because we have such an open floorplan.
I know I should wait until it’s closer until we move in to get paint strips because I'll not only lose them but change my mind about 8X between now and then... but I doubt I’ll be able to! : )
Anyway, the books weren’t much help (mostly because the pictures in them look nothing like our house- they’re always older with lots of windows and heavy crown molding), but one did inspire me to make a color chart of the house, which I did in powerpoint. I outlined each of the rooms and then filled in the boxes with a color I'm considering. It really helped me get an all-over feel of the flow of the rooms and how they coordinate – important because we have such an open floorplan.
I know I should wait until it’s closer until we move in to get paint strips because I'll not only lose them but change my mind about 8X between now and then... but I doubt I’ll be able to! : )
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Fast Food Competition
As I ate my chili cheese burrito today I began to wonder...
There are a half-dozen competitors to McDonalds- Wendy's, Burger King, Hardees, Jack-in-the-Box, etc- why are there no major threats to Arby's or Taco Bell?
Not only do the burger chains compete but they seem to all come out with the same menu- cheeseburgers, fries, salads, milkshakes, chicken sandwiches, etc. Arby's is the only roast beef place I can think of and they serve wraps, pita sandwiches and chicken salad sandwich-type things. Why doesn't anyone else do this? Wendy's is closest with their new Frescatta sandwiches and even those aren't very close.
There are a half-dozen competitors to McDonalds- Wendy's, Burger King, Hardees, Jack-in-the-Box, etc- why are there no major threats to Arby's or Taco Bell?
Not only do the burger chains compete but they seem to all come out with the same menu- cheeseburgers, fries, salads, milkshakes, chicken sandwiches, etc. Arby's is the only roast beef place I can think of and they serve wraps, pita sandwiches and chicken salad sandwich-type things. Why doesn't anyone else do this? Wendy's is closest with their new Frescatta sandwiches and even those aren't very close.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Week 27
How your baby's growing: Your baby is really starting to fill up your uterus. This week she weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with her legs extended. She can now open and close her eyes, and she sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. She may suck her fingers, and although her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if she were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn't bothersome to him, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Wonder what she's thinking?
My Take: I’ve been having some minor abdominal cramping lately but it goes away when I lay down and my books say it's my body's prep for labor (grrrrreatttt). I'm not looking forward to my second, 3-hour glucose test this Saturday but Sarah lent me a book so at least I’ll be prepared with things to do.
Suzanne, a friend of ours due 1.5 weeks ahead of me, is on full bed-rest now due to her blood pressure. I'm VERY glad I'm not in that position.
Still waiting for Jim (and others!) to get to feel Nicole move…. My first “stranger” felt me yesterday – a client that I went to visit in the morning patted me down. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me a bit though I know random touching by non-family members freaks a lot of people out.
I'm trying to talk to her as much as possible which I accomplish mostly while in the car. I find myself calling her cutesy names like “pretty baby” and “little girl”. I'm also making a point to call her Nicky every once in a while too in lieu of her full formal name (I suspect/expect that we and others will flip back and forth between the two once she arrives). It’s hard to talk to someone you can’t see and who doesn’t respond… I'm not sure what to say most of the time so I end up describing where I'm driving to or what I see (“oh, Nicky, there’s a big hawk flying around outside!”). I'm sure I sound like an idiot to anyone who could hear me.
My Take: I’ve been having some minor abdominal cramping lately but it goes away when I lay down and my books say it's my body's prep for labor (grrrrreatttt). I'm not looking forward to my second, 3-hour glucose test this Saturday but Sarah lent me a book so at least I’ll be prepared with things to do.
Suzanne, a friend of ours due 1.5 weeks ahead of me, is on full bed-rest now due to her blood pressure. I'm VERY glad I'm not in that position.
Still waiting for Jim (and others!) to get to feel Nicole move…. My first “stranger” felt me yesterday – a client that I went to visit in the morning patted me down. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me a bit though I know random touching by non-family members freaks a lot of people out.
I'm trying to talk to her as much as possible which I accomplish mostly while in the car. I find myself calling her cutesy names like “pretty baby” and “little girl”. I'm also making a point to call her Nicky every once in a while too in lieu of her full formal name (I suspect/expect that we and others will flip back and forth between the two once she arrives). It’s hard to talk to someone you can’t see and who doesn’t respond… I'm not sure what to say most of the time so I end up describing where I'm driving to or what I see (“oh, Nicky, there’s a big hawk flying around outside!”). I'm sure I sound like an idiot to anyone who could hear me.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The Purse Saga
When I was in college I had a navy leather UD wallet that held my student ID, drivers license, cash and 1 credit card. It was a simple case that folded in half with Velcro holding it together and a key ring dangling off the top. I swore I’d never need anything else in life as it held all the essentials and easily slipped into my back pocket with no bulge.
I kept that same style wallet for a year after I graduated. All winter it slipped into my coat pocket as easily as my jean pocket and life was great. Then spring hit, I didn’t have a coat anymore, and my sundresses had no pockets. I broke down and bought a purse, but just a little one as I obviously didn’t need much.
I chided Lisa for the “luggage” she carried around and claimed was a “purse”. I laughed at my aunt who’s bag carried enough random stuff for her to win the “What’s in Your Purse?” game at every baby shower we went to.
I carried my little 1lb. handbag with me and even changed it out for the seasons like I was “supposed to” though I never won the shower games because I only had the essentials with me. Life with a purse, I admitted, was okay.
When I went to TJ Maxx yesterday to buy a spring bag I roamed the aisles looking for the right one. I wanted a small, springy yet professional look, I prefer that it have a strap to go over my shoulder, and it needed a side pocket for easy access to my credit card. The Nine West one I found fit the bill and was less than $20. I even splurged on a new wallet to go in it.
When I got home I dumped my current purse’s contents all over the kitchen table. I transferred the library card, Kroger card, Skymiles card, etc. into the wallet and started putting the lotion, Tylenol, pens, nail file, hand sanitizer, Spree candy, Starbucks gift certificate, ... into the new bag. Then I tried to zip it.
Somewhere in the last 3 years my “essentials” list grew from 3 cards and a $5 bill to over 15 items, several of them bulky. The haunting voice of Sarah W drifted to mind “just wait until you have a diaper bag- the purse will be out the window and you’ll live and die by this huge carry-all.” I yelled at her to be quiet. Her spirit laughed back.
AUGHHHHHH!!!! I'm becoming a big bag woman!!!!! I was nearly ashamed to return the cute purse back to the Maxx. I looked both ways to see if anyone saw me evaluating the large Ralph Lauren pink logoed tote that looked a bit more chic than the standard diaper bag that maybe could be seen as some type of hybrid between purse and babybag. In the end, I couldn't do it. It was defeat just admitting I needed the next-size-up purse. I slinked up to the counter, exchanged the two handbags, and threw the contents of the old purse into the new when I got back to the car. I think I have it filled to within ¼” of the zipper.
I kept that same style wallet for a year after I graduated. All winter it slipped into my coat pocket as easily as my jean pocket and life was great. Then spring hit, I didn’t have a coat anymore, and my sundresses had no pockets. I broke down and bought a purse, but just a little one as I obviously didn’t need much.
I chided Lisa for the “luggage” she carried around and claimed was a “purse”. I laughed at my aunt who’s bag carried enough random stuff for her to win the “What’s in Your Purse?” game at every baby shower we went to.
I carried my little 1lb. handbag with me and even changed it out for the seasons like I was “supposed to” though I never won the shower games because I only had the essentials with me. Life with a purse, I admitted, was okay.
When I went to TJ Maxx yesterday to buy a spring bag I roamed the aisles looking for the right one. I wanted a small, springy yet professional look, I prefer that it have a strap to go over my shoulder, and it needed a side pocket for easy access to my credit card. The Nine West one I found fit the bill and was less than $20. I even splurged on a new wallet to go in it.
When I got home I dumped my current purse’s contents all over the kitchen table. I transferred the library card, Kroger card, Skymiles card, etc. into the wallet and started putting the lotion, Tylenol, pens, nail file, hand sanitizer, Spree candy, Starbucks gift certificate, ... into the new bag. Then I tried to zip it.
Somewhere in the last 3 years my “essentials” list grew from 3 cards and a $5 bill to over 15 items, several of them bulky. The haunting voice of Sarah W drifted to mind “just wait until you have a diaper bag- the purse will be out the window and you’ll live and die by this huge carry-all.” I yelled at her to be quiet. Her spirit laughed back.
AUGHHHHHH!!!! I'm becoming a big bag woman!!!!! I was nearly ashamed to return the cute purse back to the Maxx. I looked both ways to see if anyone saw me evaluating the large Ralph Lauren pink logoed tote that looked a bit more chic than the standard diaper bag that maybe could be seen as some type of hybrid between purse and babybag. In the end, I couldn't do it. It was defeat just admitting I needed the next-size-up purse. I slinked up to the counter, exchanged the two handbags, and threw the contents of the old purse into the new when I got back to the car. I think I have it filled to within ¼” of the zipper.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Weekend of 3/30/07
Friday: After work Jim and I went to my parents for dinner with Mike, Lindsay, Ryann, and my grandparents (mom’s parents). What a shocker, Ryann stole the show. She’s such a good kid. We all took turns holding her, I got to feed her, and she showed her eyes to the family for the first time (that they’d seen, not ever). Probably the funniest moment was when Jim held her for about 4 minutes and got so hot from “body heat” that he had to take off his work shirt to cool down.
Saturday: I made the 4 hour trek up to bigger-than-I-thought-it-was Akron to see Ms. Sarah Ford. She’s got a cute house that she accurately compared to 1320 Brown and her roommate is funny. They yell at each other when they come home and they bicker at each other like old married people (“when I told you the dishwasher was clean that was supposed to be your clue to empty it.”). Too funny! Sarah has slimmed down more and looks fabulous! We went shopping, saw Ella at the Cleveland Playhouse, ate cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, and went to sleep.
Sunday: Sarah made me pancakes for breakfast just like old times! After showers we headed up to the Outlet Malls to look for a dress for her and her brother’s wedding. We did find several cute ones and I think she’s going to get a brown and teal one this week. I was excited to buy a butter contraption for corn-on-the cob and proudly showed it to Jim when I got home only to have him pull out the one I bought last year from the outlet malls. Oh well. Miss Nicole must really find Akron peaceful – she slept the entire weekend and didn’t want to wiggle at all for Sarah. :(
Jim had a busy weekend while I was gone but I think he was happy to see me. He let me lay in his lap and he played with my hair while we watched Planet Earth Sunday evening. He’s great.
Saturday: I made the 4 hour trek up to bigger-than-I-thought-it-was Akron to see Ms. Sarah Ford. She’s got a cute house that she accurately compared to 1320 Brown and her roommate is funny. They yell at each other when they come home and they bicker at each other like old married people (“when I told you the dishwasher was clean that was supposed to be your clue to empty it.”). Too funny! Sarah has slimmed down more and looks fabulous! We went shopping, saw Ella at the Cleveland Playhouse, ate cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, and went to sleep.
Sunday: Sarah made me pancakes for breakfast just like old times! After showers we headed up to the Outlet Malls to look for a dress for her and her brother’s wedding. We did find several cute ones and I think she’s going to get a brown and teal one this week. I was excited to buy a butter contraption for corn-on-the cob and proudly showed it to Jim when I got home only to have him pull out the one I bought last year from the outlet malls. Oh well. Miss Nicole must really find Akron peaceful – she slept the entire weekend and didn’t want to wiggle at all for Sarah. :(
Jim had a busy weekend while I was gone but I think he was happy to see me. He let me lay in his lap and he played with my hair while we watched Planet Earth Sunday evening. He’s great.
Friday, March 30, 2007
New Foods
It’s FRIDAY!!! I'm going to my parents to see Ryann tonight and tomorrow morning I set off to ___ Akron (I’ll assign an adjective when I get there and check it out) to see Sarah!
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My father is one of those guys who orders the same thing every time he goes to a restaurant. Somehow, he’s also that guy that always complains he ordered the wrong thing. One would think the answer to this problem would be to try something new, but we all know how people are in general about new things.
I try to not be “that” person and try new things on a semi-regular basis. Probably the easiest area I find to do this in is new food. I’ve sung my love song for Taco Bell before, but I've branched out and tried about 10 new menu items over the last year and have actually found some new “regulars” from doing so (specifically Mexi Melts- yum!). Recently my new expansion is yogurt flavors. I used to be just a Strawberry Banana girl but in the last 6 months I’ve tried Strawberry Cheesecake, Pina Colada (a new favorite- it has real coconut in it!), Vanilla, Chocolate Mousse, and today I'm trying Orange Crème which tastes just like a cream-cycle.
Even Jim’s in a kick of trying new foods. He was a typical only child when it came to dining – if he didn’t like it once as a kid he never had to eat it again and therefore missed out on some great things along the way. New things he’s tried in the last year: he ate Peruvian with me last weekend, now eats blueberry bagels with raspberry cream cheese, organic peanut butter, PB&J, shrimp stir fry, and a homemade quesadilla. I'm proud of him!! He’s never had Ramen noodles before though, and while it’s not particularly healthy or delicious, I feel it’s my duty to catch him up with the rest of us previously poor college students.
Any other suggestions are welcome!
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My father is one of those guys who orders the same thing every time he goes to a restaurant. Somehow, he’s also that guy that always complains he ordered the wrong thing. One would think the answer to this problem would be to try something new, but we all know how people are in general about new things.
I try to not be “that” person and try new things on a semi-regular basis. Probably the easiest area I find to do this in is new food. I’ve sung my love song for Taco Bell before, but I've branched out and tried about 10 new menu items over the last year and have actually found some new “regulars” from doing so (specifically Mexi Melts- yum!). Recently my new expansion is yogurt flavors. I used to be just a Strawberry Banana girl but in the last 6 months I’ve tried Strawberry Cheesecake, Pina Colada (a new favorite- it has real coconut in it!), Vanilla, Chocolate Mousse, and today I'm trying Orange Crème which tastes just like a cream-cycle.
Even Jim’s in a kick of trying new foods. He was a typical only child when it came to dining – if he didn’t like it once as a kid he never had to eat it again and therefore missed out on some great things along the way. New things he’s tried in the last year: he ate Peruvian with me last weekend, now eats blueberry bagels with raspberry cream cheese, organic peanut butter, PB&J, shrimp stir fry, and a homemade quesadilla. I'm proud of him!! He’s never had Ramen noodles before though, and while it’s not particularly healthy or delicious, I feel it’s my duty to catch him up with the rest of us previously poor college students.
Any other suggestions are welcome!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Week 26
How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air.
My Take: Yesterday something cool happened- I watched my stomach as Nicole kicked and I could see it all happening from the outside! Wacky!!
I went to Wal-Mart, even though I claim I never shop there if I don’t have to, to see if they had any cute maternity clothes for cheap. What I found was surprising – a lot of styles in the Juniors section are cut baby-doll style (as in fitted around the chest, flowy from there down) and are very doable (and cute!) for me in my current condition, even if I triple in size. And they’re a heck of a lot less expensive than clothes that have a maternity label. I got a linen sundress for $12.88!
What did this teach me?
1) Don’t limit myself to the maternity section
2) There are a lot of “fashionable” styles that “regular” people shouldn’t be wearing – if it fits a 6 mo. pregnant lady, non-pregos probably shouldn’t be wearing it as there’s no way it’s flattering
3) When this whole time period in my life is done I need to consider rule #2 above and evaluate my closet for uncomplimentary clothes and get rid of them
My Take: Yesterday something cool happened- I watched my stomach as Nicole kicked and I could see it all happening from the outside! Wacky!!
I went to Wal-Mart, even though I claim I never shop there if I don’t have to, to see if they had any cute maternity clothes for cheap. What I found was surprising – a lot of styles in the Juniors section are cut baby-doll style (as in fitted around the chest, flowy from there down) and are very doable (and cute!) for me in my current condition, even if I triple in size. And they’re a heck of a lot less expensive than clothes that have a maternity label. I got a linen sundress for $12.88!
What did this teach me?
1) Don’t limit myself to the maternity section
2) There are a lot of “fashionable” styles that “regular” people shouldn’t be wearing – if it fits a 6 mo. pregnant lady, non-pregos probably shouldn’t be wearing it as there’s no way it’s flattering
3) When this whole time period in my life is done I need to consider rule #2 above and evaluate my closet for uncomplimentary clothes and get rid of them
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sellin' Bars
I work in an office so I just expect that a few times a year co-workers will bring their kids’ candy/catalogs/whatever around to peddle it for a school trip/new uniforms/whatever. Today was one of those days – a box of Worlds Finest Chocolate bars showed up on the break room table. Now, if you haven’t seen a WFC bar recently, let me warn you that they have shrunk. Perhaps to compensate, there are more flavors now offered – almond, milk chocolate, crisp, and my personal favorite, caramel.
I had my turn at selling said candy bars in 7th and 8th grade when we made $.50 on the $1 for our 8th grade Washington DC trip. My secret weapon – bring a kid cuter than myself and look pathetic outside of K-Mart. That cutie- Greg. Man could that kid sell almond bars. Anyway, most of my trip ended up being paid for by the time Spring of ’93 rolled around.
Who sold candy for Greg though when it was his turn?
I had my turn at selling said candy bars in 7th and 8th grade when we made $.50 on the $1 for our 8th grade Washington DC trip. My secret weapon – bring a kid cuter than myself and look pathetic outside of K-Mart. That cutie- Greg. Man could that kid sell almond bars. Anyway, most of my trip ended up being paid for by the time Spring of ’93 rolled around.
Who sold candy for Greg though when it was his turn?
Monday, March 26, 2007
Weekend of 3/23/07
Friday night we headed up to Dayton to see the Erdahl’s. They were nice enough to change plans very last minute and come down to Cincy last Saturday because of the uncertainty of Lindsay/Ryann’s progress. Anyway, we had meatloaf (with this really amazing sauce), these awesome cheesy potatoes that I had 3 helpings of, and then brownie sundaes for dessert. Mmmmmmmmm!
I want to make special note that Lisa is a great sport. We taught her a card game, Shanghai, the week before and she wasn’t fully grasping the concept (it was 11pm in her defense). Anyway, SHE asked if we could play it again on Friday so she could give it another shot. Not only did she play the whole thing through (about an hour or so) but she did really well. Granted my generous husband kept his guard down and gave in to her (as he always does, he has some weird affinity for her that perhaps I should be suspicious over… they even have a nickname for themselves: E Squared. hmmmm... I'm teasing of course!). Anyway, great night in general.
Perhaps even better than Shanghai, however, was Lisa finding PM Dawn's "Die Without You" on the VH1 site for us. First of all - they're black!? see the vital things I missed in middle school without cable TV?! What a frickin' amazing song!! And Lisa owes the tape (somewhere)!
Saturday: This was our date day and we bummed around the whole afternoon and watched movies and just generally spent time together. Awwww, we’re adorable, I know *gag*. We tried Peruvian food for the first time together at this new place down the street. Jim briefly considered having beef tripe (cow stomach) until the waitress made a face while explaining it was “chewy” that indicated he should avoid it. It wasn’t bad but I doubt we’ll go back- too many other good ethnicities. My parents met us at the theatre where we watched Breach (B+) and then we headed home for some general chatting.
Sunday: got up, ate breakfast, went to church, babysat Alex (who was SO good and we didn’t even permanently damage him!) while Sarah and Danny house hunted, and then went bowling. We won ¾ games and lost the first one pretty much solely because of me (I didn’t even break 100). Then we headed home for cod and 2 hours of the Discovery special Planet Earth. Interesting series.
Anyway, that’s it from here! Have a wonderful Monday!
I want to make special note that Lisa is a great sport. We taught her a card game, Shanghai, the week before and she wasn’t fully grasping the concept (it was 11pm in her defense). Anyway, SHE asked if we could play it again on Friday so she could give it another shot. Not only did she play the whole thing through (about an hour or so) but she did really well. Granted my generous husband kept his guard down and gave in to her (as he always does, he has some weird affinity for her that perhaps I should be suspicious over… they even have a nickname for themselves: E Squared. hmmmm... I'm teasing of course!). Anyway, great night in general.
Perhaps even better than Shanghai, however, was Lisa finding PM Dawn's "Die Without You" on the VH1 site for us. First of all - they're black!? see the vital things I missed in middle school without cable TV?! What a frickin' amazing song!! And Lisa owes the tape (somewhere)!
Saturday: This was our date day and we bummed around the whole afternoon and watched movies and just generally spent time together. Awwww, we’re adorable, I know *gag*. We tried Peruvian food for the first time together at this new place down the street. Jim briefly considered having beef tripe (cow stomach) until the waitress made a face while explaining it was “chewy” that indicated he should avoid it. It wasn’t bad but I doubt we’ll go back- too many other good ethnicities. My parents met us at the theatre where we watched Breach (B+) and then we headed home for some general chatting.
Sunday: got up, ate breakfast, went to church, babysat Alex (who was SO good and we didn’t even permanently damage him!) while Sarah and Danny house hunted, and then went bowling. We won ¾ games and lost the first one pretty much solely because of me (I didn’t even break 100). Then we headed home for cod and 2 hours of the Discovery special Planet Earth. Interesting series.
Anyway, that’s it from here! Have a wonderful Monday!
Friday, March 23, 2007
They're Coming! They're Coming!
One of you crazy people is finally listening to my shouts of Cincinnati being the best city on the planet!! The citizens of Porkopolis warmly welcome the Williams to our German town! HOORAY!!
Where are these people?
When you go to a hair salon (note I said SALON, not barber or shop like a Great Clips) all the folks doing hair normally have great hair themselves. I always look around when I'm in the chair and think “why can’t I have modern and cool hair like her?” Every last one of them is stylish, well-colored, and neat (no frizzies, even “messed up” ponytails look chic!) when you’re there.
Where are these people in the real world? I never see those same hair folks with the ideal styles just milling around the mall or the grocery store. I see lots of people with "girl next door" hair like mine, but nobody I could pinpoint as a hair stylist outside of thier professional environment.
Also, in the year + since I had my acrylic nails taken off, I never seem to see anyone with fake nails either. I'm chalking this up to the reverse of when you buy a new car and suddenly see “your” car all over- since I no longer have perfect nails I see no one else with them either...
Where are these people in the real world? I never see those same hair folks with the ideal styles just milling around the mall or the grocery store. I see lots of people with "girl next door" hair like mine, but nobody I could pinpoint as a hair stylist outside of thier professional environment.
Also, in the year + since I had my acrylic nails taken off, I never seem to see anyone with fake nails either. I'm chalking this up to the reverse of when you buy a new car and suddenly see “your” car all over- since I no longer have perfect nails I see no one else with them either...
Thursday, March 22, 2007
25 Weeks
How your baby's growing: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but she's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. Her hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.
My Take: Nicole is shy. I feel her move around every day but somehow she completely avoids all other people. I had Megan and Jim touch my tummy yesterday and *BAM* she quits wiggling. People are going to think I'm making it up!
Side note- when I was holding Ryann last night she (Nicole) was kicking a lot. Maybe she’s a jealous kid too? Ha!
My Take: Nicole is shy. I feel her move around every day but somehow she completely avoids all other people. I had Megan and Jim touch my tummy yesterday and *BAM* she quits wiggling. People are going to think I'm making it up!
Side note- when I was holding Ryann last night she (Nicole) was kicking a lot. Maybe she’s a jealous kid too? Ha!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Flawed = Ideal
I really like people who aren’t perfect and don’t pretend to be. It makes me appreciate them in general so much more because I think they’re honest (if you can say something unflattering but true about yourself I know I can trust you in general), personable (friendly enough to be open about things that aren’t necessarily roses and sunshine), and genuine.
Some examples (and 2/3 of these have been publicly stated in blogs so I don’t feel too bad repeating them, besides, I'm using these people as illustrations of folks I LIKE):
1) One of my vendors just had a new son about a month ago. I asked him how his oldest daughter, the new big sister, was reacting to the baby. His response: “She’s cute sometimes, then, when we’re not looking, she hits him. She’s got some jealousy issues but we’re working on them.” FINALLY, someone who will confess their kids aren’t flawless and adorable all the time!
2) Viki admitted that when she went for her Idol competition that her legs shook with nervousness. THANK YOU for saying so – I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets performance anxiety! She made me feel much better about my own apprehension now that I know professionals face the same issue.
3) Lisa owns up to the fact that she sometimes gets jealous of others who have babies. As a person who will have a baby, her forthcomingness about this helps me be a more sensitive friend (hopefully) and makes our relationship better (we don’t offend one another on the subject if at all possible).
A big HOORAY to those real people out there! I commend you!
Some examples (and 2/3 of these have been publicly stated in blogs so I don’t feel too bad repeating them, besides, I'm using these people as illustrations of folks I LIKE):
1) One of my vendors just had a new son about a month ago. I asked him how his oldest daughter, the new big sister, was reacting to the baby. His response: “She’s cute sometimes, then, when we’re not looking, she hits him. She’s got some jealousy issues but we’re working on them.” FINALLY, someone who will confess their kids aren’t flawless and adorable all the time!
2) Viki admitted that when she went for her Idol competition that her legs shook with nervousness. THANK YOU for saying so – I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets performance anxiety! She made me feel much better about my own apprehension now that I know professionals face the same issue.
3) Lisa owns up to the fact that she sometimes gets jealous of others who have babies. As a person who will have a baby, her forthcomingness about this helps me be a more sensitive friend (hopefully) and makes our relationship better (we don’t offend one another on the subject if at all possible).
A big HOORAY to those real people out there! I commend you!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
I failed. : (
I’ve always been good at tests. I do my prep, take the evaluation, and normally come out on top. Today was not one of those days.
I went to the OB this morning and failed my glucose test. Grrrrrrr. This means that I have to take this “really bad” (the OB’s words) fasting test where they draw several vials of blood an hour for 3 hours while I sit and do nothing.
Further, I got scolded for how much weight I gained since my last visit – 7lbs. I'm supposed to be at 1 lb. per week which means I'm 3lbs. too fat.
The culprit on both: Juice. Dr. Nerendran said that drinking juice every day like I have been is like taking a glucose test every day. Further, it’s what’s making me gain weight. While it’s good that we can pinpoint the cause of both issues (weight gain and bad blood sugar) it’s frustrating because I’ve been intentionally drinking the damn juice! I caused these problems myself!
So now I'm on a water and milk-only fluid limitation for the next 3 months. My only saving grace to this whole thing was that even though I’ve gained 7lbs in 4 weeks, I'm still only at 15lbs. total which is the low end of the 15-20 that’s normal for my stage. Her goal for me is 2lbs. between now and my next appt. on April 17. I am not happy.
I went to the OB this morning and failed my glucose test. Grrrrrrr. This means that I have to take this “really bad” (the OB’s words) fasting test where they draw several vials of blood an hour for 3 hours while I sit and do nothing.
Further, I got scolded for how much weight I gained since my last visit – 7lbs. I'm supposed to be at 1 lb. per week which means I'm 3lbs. too fat.
The culprit on both: Juice. Dr. Nerendran said that drinking juice every day like I have been is like taking a glucose test every day. Further, it’s what’s making me gain weight. While it’s good that we can pinpoint the cause of both issues (weight gain and bad blood sugar) it’s frustrating because I’ve been intentionally drinking the damn juice! I caused these problems myself!
So now I'm on a water and milk-only fluid limitation for the next 3 months. My only saving grace to this whole thing was that even though I’ve gained 7lbs in 4 weeks, I'm still only at 15lbs. total which is the low end of the 15-20 that’s normal for my stage. Her goal for me is 2lbs. between now and my next appt. on April 17. I am not happy.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Introducing...
Ryann Nicole Templin
Born on 3/18/07 at 12:03am
8lbs. 7 oz.
It was a very long process to bring her to the world, but I'll let Lindsay explain when she's back on her feet.
Ryann has tons of dark brown hair and these poofy cheeks that are made for Grandma kisses. I think EVERYONE was surprised she's a she, even the doctors apparently claimed all day they thought she'd be a he!
She's adorable!
Ryann has tons of dark brown hair and these poofy cheeks that are made for Grandma kisses. I think EVERYONE was surprised she's a she, even the doctors apparently claimed all day they thought she'd be a he!
She's adorable!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Lindsay's in Labor!
Her water broke this morning and they went to the hospital around 10:30am. They gave her Pitocin becasuse contractions hadn't started but she's on her way now. We were told to expect an evening delivery. :)
Friday, March 16, 2007
Friday, 3/16/07
I did something in the middle of the night I said I wouldn’t do – I got frustrated with Jim because of a dream. In it he was roughing me up a bit and we were being all white-trashy and arguing. It eventually came out that he was having and affair with some co-worker named BeBe. Anyway, I got up, it was about 3:30am, got a drink and came back to bed. But, totally illogically, I was irritated at him. It didn’t help that I was worked up and there he was, sleeping peacefully on his side of the bed. Ah well. I guess the fact that in my next dream, I was the one having the affair makes up for it and he can be mad at me now? Ha ha!
I'm taking a half day today which I'm really looking forward to. I'm heading home around noon to make tacos for lunch for Jim and I and then we’re going to do a tour of a local daycare for Nicole. Immediately following, we’re going to pick up my grandparents and take them to see what our new house will look like by doing a walk-through of the model in Lebanon. We’ll eat dinner at the Golden Lamb afterwards which will catch me up with the rest of the city who I think has all dined there before me. Should be a good time!
I'm taking a half day today which I'm really looking forward to. I'm heading home around noon to make tacos for lunch for Jim and I and then we’re going to do a tour of a local daycare for Nicole. Immediately following, we’re going to pick up my grandparents and take them to see what our new house will look like by doing a walk-through of the model in Lebanon. We’ll eat dinner at the Golden Lamb afterwards which will catch me up with the rest of the city who I think has all dined there before me. Should be a good time!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Week 24
Because my due date got moved up 3 days (to the Fourth of July), my weekly updates have been moved from Saturdays to Thursdays now…
Your Baby this Week: Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds may be working now. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
Your baby can hear more and more now, and you may even notice her startle at loud, sudden noises. But she's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house, such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner. Many new parents are surprised by how unfazed their newborns seem by sounds like these, but if you think about it, they've had months to get accustomed to them.
Your Body This Week:The top of your uterus is now an inch or so above your belly button, which means it's about the size of a soccer ball. With the skin on your abdomen and breasts stretching, you may feel a little itchy now and then. If your skin is dry, keeping it well moisturized may help. You may also find that your eyes are sensitive to light and feel gritty and dry. This is a perfectly normal pregnancy symptom known as dry eye. To ease your discomfort, use an artificial tears solution to add moisture. Are your shoes feeling a little tight? Swelling is partly responsible, but pregnancy hormones are loosening the ligaments all over your body, causing your foot bones to spread apart.
My Take: I added the “Your Body” part because it’s more telling of my life this week than the baby part. I have gone up about ½ size in my shoes and have switched from the ones that fit fine in my rack to the ones that used to need thicker socks to wear comfortably. I'm also suffering from bad dry eye at night, even with the humidifier. This wouldn’t be noticeable except for the past week and a half I’ve been getting up at least 2X/night to use the bathroom, take my thyroid pill, pull myself out of a vivid dream, etc., and when I wake up my eyes are painful they’re so dry.
Though he’s probably going to groan that I'm publicly stating this, I made Jim talk to Nicole over the phone yesterday. He said (or claims he said): “Nicole, your mom wants you to move around but your dad doesn’t really care.” I am still all tickled by this. Cheese, I know!
Your Baby this Week: Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds may be working now. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
Your baby can hear more and more now, and you may even notice her startle at loud, sudden noises. But she's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house, such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner. Many new parents are surprised by how unfazed their newborns seem by sounds like these, but if you think about it, they've had months to get accustomed to them.
Your Body This Week:The top of your uterus is now an inch or so above your belly button, which means it's about the size of a soccer ball. With the skin on your abdomen and breasts stretching, you may feel a little itchy now and then. If your skin is dry, keeping it well moisturized may help. You may also find that your eyes are sensitive to light and feel gritty and dry. This is a perfectly normal pregnancy symptom known as dry eye. To ease your discomfort, use an artificial tears solution to add moisture. Are your shoes feeling a little tight? Swelling is partly responsible, but pregnancy hormones are loosening the ligaments all over your body, causing your foot bones to spread apart.
My Take: I added the “Your Body” part because it’s more telling of my life this week than the baby part. I have gone up about ½ size in my shoes and have switched from the ones that fit fine in my rack to the ones that used to need thicker socks to wear comfortably. I'm also suffering from bad dry eye at night, even with the humidifier. This wouldn’t be noticeable except for the past week and a half I’ve been getting up at least 2X/night to use the bathroom, take my thyroid pill, pull myself out of a vivid dream, etc., and when I wake up my eyes are painful they’re so dry.
Though he’s probably going to groan that I'm publicly stating this, I made Jim talk to Nicole over the phone yesterday. He said (or claims he said): “Nicole, your mom wants you to move around but your dad doesn’t really care.” I am still all tickled by this. Cheese, I know!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Have I Ever...
I stole this list from Katrin... I thought I would have highlighted more but this shows me that I still have lots of living to do and hopefully a long time to do it!
Have I ever... (maroon means that I have)
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candle lit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights (ironically in AZ)
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (if school theatre counts)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (marrying Jim!)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Have I ever... (maroon means that I have)
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candle lit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights (ironically in AZ)
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (if school theatre counts)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (marrying Jim!)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Spanning the Gap
Back in HS the age difference between you and the person you were talking to/dating seemed to be an important fact. Especially at McAuley (my HS that was all-girls) one of the first questions was always where he went to school and then promptly followed by what grade he was in.
One summer I met a guy at Lori Layer’s sister’s wedding (her cousin if I remember correctly) and talked to him for a little bit after the shindig. He was 2 years younger than me and I can honestly say that not long after this fact was uncovered I disappeared. Sounds like a really dumb reason to stop talking to someone, I know, but at the time it was completely logical and merited. That was the only time in my whole life I ever even considered a younger guy.
I don’t know where I originated this notion that the woman should be younger than her husband/boyfriend. One of the best couples I know, Christina and Byron, have a 2+ age gap, her senior, and are a great match.
When I met Jim I knew he was older than me and liked that fact. It didn’t fully dawn on me until after 2 years of dating him that he’s almost 3 full years older than me, but when it did, even at my mature age of 24 at the time, that fact was almost something I was proud of. Like 3 years is a big deal. *eye roll* I see how this notion makes no sense but yet I’ve been thinking it so long it’s stuck in my head as the “normal” way of doing things.
For some unclear reason this age appreciation does not factor in at all when it comes to my friends. While I know how old most of my friends are, the fact that Dale graduated the year before me or that David’s kids are closer to my age than he is makes no difference. I like the people for who they are and we find a lot in common regardless of our age difference, if any.
Am I the only crazy person who thinks this way?!
One summer I met a guy at Lori Layer’s sister’s wedding (her cousin if I remember correctly) and talked to him for a little bit after the shindig. He was 2 years younger than me and I can honestly say that not long after this fact was uncovered I disappeared. Sounds like a really dumb reason to stop talking to someone, I know, but at the time it was completely logical and merited. That was the only time in my whole life I ever even considered a younger guy.
I don’t know where I originated this notion that the woman should be younger than her husband/boyfriend. One of the best couples I know, Christina and Byron, have a 2+ age gap, her senior, and are a great match.
When I met Jim I knew he was older than me and liked that fact. It didn’t fully dawn on me until after 2 years of dating him that he’s almost 3 full years older than me, but when it did, even at my mature age of 24 at the time, that fact was almost something I was proud of. Like 3 years is a big deal. *eye roll* I see how this notion makes no sense but yet I’ve been thinking it so long it’s stuck in my head as the “normal” way of doing things.
For some unclear reason this age appreciation does not factor in at all when it comes to my friends. While I know how old most of my friends are, the fact that Dale graduated the year before me or that David’s kids are closer to my age than he is makes no difference. I like the people for who they are and we find a lot in common regardless of our age difference, if any.
Am I the only crazy person who thinks this way?!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Weekend of 3/9/07
Friday: Friday was date night for Jim and I. We schedule ourselves pretty heavy normally, so a night with just the two of us is a rare treat indeed. We had dinner, watched some Lost, read, went to bed at a reasonable time. Ahhhhhhhh!
Saturday: Sarah and I met for lunch at the Dayton Mall and then went to pick out material for Nicole’s quilt and bumper pads that she’s making for us (cause she’s the best ever). I thought I knew what I wanted and then I got faced with the wall of fabric. And then aisle after aisle after that. So the sophisticated Victorian Garden theme I thought I was going to have morphed into more of a general garden theme with yellows, blues, purples, green, and LOTS of pink. I think it’ll turn out really cute and Sarah was very patient with all of my deliberating. Upon my return I had to explain to Jim what it is I was even doing as he didn’t know what a bumper pad was or why we needed a quilt. Maybe those books aren’t so comprehensive… ;)
That evening we met up with Jen and Tom at Bravo and came back to our place for Black Forrest Cake and games. Dinner and conversation were, as always, excellent, my luck with Tom (note I did not say skill) at Sequence was severely lacking though as Jim and Jen kicked our butts 9-4. I had bad stomach cramps for the last part of the evening and Tom helped me diagnose the problem to fresh garlic which is has been the common denominator of the same symptoms the 3 previous times I had issues. An unfortunate sacrifice to have to give up, but dealing with shooting pain is not worth it.
Sunday: We finished Lost Season 2 and while Jim didn’t like the end, I was intrigued. We then ran errands (got coupons for Mike, picked out a stroller, grocery shopped) and went to bowling. My dear husband bowled a 202 AND a 234! Since we only won by 40 for the night (3/4 overall) much credit goes to Jim for his stellar performance that definitely picked the other three of us up that second game and helped us hold onto overall victory through the third game. Hooray! We should be around 5th place in the league I'm guessing.
Saturday: Sarah and I met for lunch at the Dayton Mall and then went to pick out material for Nicole’s quilt and bumper pads that she’s making for us (cause she’s the best ever). I thought I knew what I wanted and then I got faced with the wall of fabric. And then aisle after aisle after that. So the sophisticated Victorian Garden theme I thought I was going to have morphed into more of a general garden theme with yellows, blues, purples, green, and LOTS of pink. I think it’ll turn out really cute and Sarah was very patient with all of my deliberating. Upon my return I had to explain to Jim what it is I was even doing as he didn’t know what a bumper pad was or why we needed a quilt. Maybe those books aren’t so comprehensive… ;)
That evening we met up with Jen and Tom at Bravo and came back to our place for Black Forrest Cake and games. Dinner and conversation were, as always, excellent, my luck with Tom (note I did not say skill) at Sequence was severely lacking though as Jim and Jen kicked our butts 9-4. I had bad stomach cramps for the last part of the evening and Tom helped me diagnose the problem to fresh garlic which is has been the common denominator of the same symptoms the 3 previous times I had issues. An unfortunate sacrifice to have to give up, but dealing with shooting pain is not worth it.
Sunday: We finished Lost Season 2 and while Jim didn’t like the end, I was intrigued. We then ran errands (got coupons for Mike, picked out a stroller, grocery shopped) and went to bowling. My dear husband bowled a 202 AND a 234! Since we only won by 40 for the night (3/4 overall) much credit goes to Jim for his stellar performance that definitely picked the other three of us up that second game and helped us hold onto overall victory through the third game. Hooray! We should be around 5th place in the league I'm guessing.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Week 23
How your baby's growing: Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.
My Take: I noticed two things on Friday that surprised me. First, I always have a bottle of water in my car and I never buy them. Since water is the best thing for me to be drinking and I go various places all the time to get them (business meetings, to friends, etc.) I always leave with a half drunk bottle in tow and leave it in my car for later (which I’m always grateful when I need a drink and it’s there!).
Secondly, soft drinks are now a dessert. I was in a phone system demo on Friday after lunch and the receptionist brought in those mini Pepsi cans for refreshments. Since I have probably had
less than the equivalent of 1 can of coke since I got pregnant (supposed to be avoiding caffeine) and when I do I’m surprised by how sweet it is, my first thought upon seeing those ½ cans of pop was – it’d be nice to have a treat and it’s a manageable size. In the end, my conscience and timing won out and I didn't end up having the drink.
Here's a picture of me from yesterday:
My Take: I noticed two things on Friday that surprised me. First, I always have a bottle of water in my car and I never buy them. Since water is the best thing for me to be drinking and I go various places all the time to get them (business meetings, to friends, etc.) I always leave with a half drunk bottle in tow and leave it in my car for later (which I’m always grateful when I need a drink and it’s there!).
Secondly, soft drinks are now a dessert. I was in a phone system demo on Friday after lunch and the receptionist brought in those mini Pepsi cans for refreshments. Since I have probably had
less than the equivalent of 1 can of coke since I got pregnant (supposed to be avoiding caffeine) and when I do I’m surprised by how sweet it is, my first thought upon seeing those ½ cans of pop was – it’d be nice to have a treat and it’s a manageable size. In the end, my conscience and timing won out and I didn't end up having the drink.Here's a picture of me from yesterday:
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Teaching this fall
I got offered another adjunct position for the Fall semester. All of the full-time faculty are coming back and they get first dibs on their preferred timing for classes. David, my boss, asked if I’d be willing to teach a ½ semester course (still 3 credit hours, just condensed inweeks) on Saturdays from 8am to 12pm. Since I still want to teach, already have the materials done for the class, and thought it would give me a nice little break (starting in Oct. instead of Aug) with Nicole coming, I agreed enthusiastically.
When I told my students about next semester's timing last week in my Sales class, they all whined because it was such a bad time. It then dawned on me – who’s going to be awake/sober/motivated enough to come to an 8:00am class on a SATURDAY morning!? I think their predictions will be correct – I’ll probably have a lot of adult students who work full-time in my class and very few, if any traditional undergrads. Not sure how I feel about that.
Other kicker – the semester-long project I had them do (which got rave reviews) will be very challenging to do in an 8 week time period instead of 15 weeks like I did it last semester. The reasoning there is with a 15 week class I could teach them a topic and give them 2-3 weeks after that to get their portion of the project pertaining to that subject together. This class will only allow 1-2 weeks max to compile their work. That’ll be very rough and I suspect the caliber of work I'll get will reflect that. : (
When I told my students about next semester's timing last week in my Sales class, they all whined because it was such a bad time. It then dawned on me – who’s going to be awake/sober/motivated enough to come to an 8:00am class on a SATURDAY morning!? I think their predictions will be correct – I’ll probably have a lot of adult students who work full-time in my class and very few, if any traditional undergrads. Not sure how I feel about that.
Other kicker – the semester-long project I had them do (which got rave reviews) will be very challenging to do in an 8 week time period instead of 15 weeks like I did it last semester. The reasoning there is with a 15 week class I could teach them a topic and give them 2-3 weeks after that to get their portion of the project pertaining to that subject together. This class will only allow 1-2 weeks max to compile their work. That’ll be very rough and I suspect the caliber of work I'll get will reflect that. : (
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
B-I-N-G-O
Last night I had a hot date with another man: Jessy’s husband. Sean invited me to go to St. James with him to play BINGO and finally last night the schedules worked out so we could go. Now I haven’t been to BINGO in a church/hall for probably 15 years if not more. The most recent BINGO I played was on the cruise and that was pretty low-key.
Anyway, BINGO has come a long way since I last played. For those of you who haven’t been recently either, let me catch you up:
- There were probably 150 people there of all ages which surprised me because I think of BINGO as a blue-hair’s game
- Fear not, the “fun” people are still there – the awkward woman with her 20 neon plastic bracelets up her right arm, he old man with his troll doll watching over his cards for good luck, the mid-50’s lady who had little tolerance for poor calling because she’s there on a mission (when we played the corner postage stamp rounds she’d yell “No N’s!” when the caller accidentally pulled one)
- The pad of BINGO cards I got was 3X4 for a total of 12 cards (squares) per sheet. I was probably the person with the least amount of cards in the hall. For comparison, Sean was watching 30 cards to my 12 and was more accurate at getting all the numbers than I was. Total we played 12 total rounds of bingo each having 2 games per round (used the same sheet for the whole round) for a total of 24 games.
- “Single Line Bingo” isn’t really that at all- you can win with a straight line, corners, large diamond or a small diamond. This threw me at first because I was watching 12 different cards and had to look for several permutations of winning, not just a simple line. A little more complicated than the days of ole…
- You can spend a small fortune in 3 hours – not only is the church selling the bingo cards (which this month are on special- up to 36 for a flat $10), but they sell special game cards for $1 and tons of pull-tab games at $1 each. I had enough stuff to keep me busy and active the whole time since I'm apparently a BINGO novice, so I only spent about $15 the whole night. I think the average spend per person was probably about $50. What was nice was that unlike so many other entertainment places, you could bring in your own food and drinks. So, I packed my PB&J, granola bar, banana and water, and didn’t need to visit the concession stand at all (though sitting next to it did make me want popcorn- it smelled so good!).
- No more is the winning card determined by reading out all the numbers they BINGOed with. Now, each card has a serial number and they plug that number into a computer and the computer says whether or not the card’s a winner. Much more efficient I think.
- I didn’t win anything. Then again, I’ve never won at BINGO. I did come within 1 twice and within 2 (even on the coverall!) a few times. I think Sean was accurate that I had as many close calls as he did, even with the difference in quantity of cards.
I had a good time. Those stampers, a new thing for me, are a riot- I felt very professional using it! I wish, however, that Jim was more interested in going – it would have been more fun with him and Jess there to get us more riled up about being so close and the agony of defeat.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Boob Tube
Jim and I are not big live TV watchers. There are a lot of great and intriguing shows on that our friends, family, and co-workers rave about, we just don’t take the time to see them. Not that we don’t have the time, we just don’t have the time on a scheduled basis that watching a weekly show on a dedicated basis demands. So, instead, we watch TV on DVD.
We started with 24, moved on to The Sopranos, then Deadwood, and now Lost. Let me say that the format of watching is fabulous. No commercials, few time restraints (if we borrow the DVD from the library we get 2 weeks, our generous friends don’t give us such restraints when we borrow from them), and immediate gratification of knowing what happens next on OUR time table.
That being said, we’re in season 2 of Lost and I'm still really enjoying it. I wonder if the format we’re watching it in is helping that – so many others have said that this season in particular is very frustrating, I'm not frustrated at all. Further, since everyone else on the planet it seems is one season ahead of us, Jim and I have heard all kinds of conspiracy theories about the show. I like this too because it makes me consider all kinds of different angles of the whole plot while I'm watching.
Conversely, we ARE caught up in 24 and are watching it on Mondays “real” time and I think this is the worst season so far. My irratation is the opposite of why I like Lost- I think having to wait a week to see what happens is a driver in my overall apathy of this season’s shows.
After this, I think it’s safe to say that I really only have a desire to watch reality TV on prime time (ie The Apprentice, American Idol, etc.). Fortunately, I think Jim feels the same way.
We started with 24, moved on to The Sopranos, then Deadwood, and now Lost. Let me say that the format of watching is fabulous. No commercials, few time restraints (if we borrow the DVD from the library we get 2 weeks, our generous friends don’t give us such restraints when we borrow from them), and immediate gratification of knowing what happens next on OUR time table.
That being said, we’re in season 2 of Lost and I'm still really enjoying it. I wonder if the format we’re watching it in is helping that – so many others have said that this season in particular is very frustrating, I'm not frustrated at all. Further, since everyone else on the planet it seems is one season ahead of us, Jim and I have heard all kinds of conspiracy theories about the show. I like this too because it makes me consider all kinds of different angles of the whole plot while I'm watching.
Conversely, we ARE caught up in 24 and are watching it on Mondays “real” time and I think this is the worst season so far. My irratation is the opposite of why I like Lost- I think having to wait a week to see what happens is a driver in my overall apathy of this season’s shows.
After this, I think it’s safe to say that I really only have a desire to watch reality TV on prime time (ie The Apprentice, American Idol, etc.). Fortunately, I think Jim feels the same way.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Weekend of 3/2/07
Friday: worked, sold a deal, locked my keys in my car over lunch like the blonde I am, went to Brazenhead with Chuck and Kristi. Those two crack me up. Poor chuck lost in Sequence making his rant of Kristi beating him at everything valid once again.
Saturday: I used part of my Christmas present and got my nails done at the spa up the street. I had acrylic nails for 5 years but his was my first manicure on my real nails. Holy crap did she do a great job. I look at them constantly! If it weren’t $30 a pop (and only about 35 minutes!) I’d go regularly.
I screwed up my timing on my calendar so I was about 20 minutes late to Rachel’s bridal shower that afternoon. This was some of the best shower food of all time – her aunt should go into professional catering! Rachel also got some great gifts and looked beautiful. There were 2 toddler boys there and two other pregnant women, each having a boy. I’ll admit I did feel kinda special that I would be the only one with a girl coming.
That night Jim and I had Sean and Jess over for a game night. Sean kicked our behinds in pretty much everything and the only time I won was when I was partnered with him. They brought us the cutest little outfit for Nicole – it’s blue with white polka dots and a flower at the waist. They also gave us RUFFLEBUTT tights which we had to explain to Jim. ADORABLE.
Sunday: Jim took me maternity shopping which was sweet of him to come along and give me his opinions on things. I got two tops which cost enough for me to use my Macy’s coupon and save $10. I wish there were more things I liked in the price range I'm willing to pay…
The other exciting thing that happened on Sunday isn’t really my news, it’s Jenny’s, so I’ll let her tell it… :)
Saturday: I used part of my Christmas present and got my nails done at the spa up the street. I had acrylic nails for 5 years but his was my first manicure on my real nails. Holy crap did she do a great job. I look at them constantly! If it weren’t $30 a pop (and only about 35 minutes!) I’d go regularly.
I screwed up my timing on my calendar so I was about 20 minutes late to Rachel’s bridal shower that afternoon. This was some of the best shower food of all time – her aunt should go into professional catering! Rachel also got some great gifts and looked beautiful. There were 2 toddler boys there and two other pregnant women, each having a boy. I’ll admit I did feel kinda special that I would be the only one with a girl coming.
That night Jim and I had Sean and Jess over for a game night. Sean kicked our behinds in pretty much everything and the only time I won was when I was partnered with him. They brought us the cutest little outfit for Nicole – it’s blue with white polka dots and a flower at the waist. They also gave us RUFFLEBUTT tights which we had to explain to Jim. ADORABLE.
Sunday: Jim took me maternity shopping which was sweet of him to come along and give me his opinions on things. I got two tops which cost enough for me to use my Macy’s coupon and save $10. I wish there were more things I liked in the price range I'm willing to pay…
The other exciting thing that happened on Sunday isn’t really my news, it’s Jenny’s, so I’ll let her tell it… :)
Week 22
How Your Baby's Growing: Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Your baby's eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment.
Her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is also developing steadily. Your baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. You won't actually see her first tooth until she's around 4 to 7 months old unless she's one of the rare babies who's born with teeth (1 in 2000 babies is born with a tooth).
My Take: Sarah and Danny got Jim a book, The Everything Father-to-Be Book, to pick up some tips before Nicole arrives. Along with that, he’s been reading the Consumer Reports Baby edition as well. It’s very touching to see him trying to prepare for the baby to arrive, further, he’s now constantly giving me tips (many I didn’t know!) and trivia like “at what age is a kid supposed to…” Last night was when is a kid supposed to stop using a pacifier (1-2 years).
He also did some good research on cribs, strollers, car seats and swings via his books. I think we picked out a stroller model but I want to go back to the store and see/push it in real life before it makes the registry officially.
Her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is also developing steadily. Your baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. You won't actually see her first tooth until she's around 4 to 7 months old unless she's one of the rare babies who's born with teeth (1 in 2000 babies is born with a tooth).
My Take: Sarah and Danny got Jim a book, The Everything Father-to-Be Book, to pick up some tips before Nicole arrives. Along with that, he’s been reading the Consumer Reports Baby edition as well. It’s very touching to see him trying to prepare for the baby to arrive, further, he’s now constantly giving me tips (many I didn’t know!) and trivia like “at what age is a kid supposed to…” Last night was when is a kid supposed to stop using a pacifier (1-2 years).
He also did some good research on cribs, strollers, car seats and swings via his books. I think we picked out a stroller model but I want to go back to the store and see/push it in real life before it makes the registry officially.
Friday, March 02, 2007
It ain't easy being green
I am a green nazi. I love trees so much that after a meeting where I petitioned our sales team to electronically submit orders rather than printing them out, a co-worker put a post-it note that said “HUG ME” on the leaf of one of my office plants and set it on my desk for when I returned. I went so far during our office move to collect everyone’s scrap paper that they had initially thrown away and I made Jim lug a 3 feet tall stack of it a half mile from the car to to P&G to be recycled.
Therefore, people who waste paper frustrate me to no end. A guy in my office just printed out a 100+ page cell phone bill so he could get 14 pages of summary out of it. Why it’s not worth 5 extra minutes to go through, find those specific pages and print just them is beyond me. Instead, a ¼ of a ream of paper and X amount of ink was just wasted so he could manually pull them out of the stack and then throw the unneccessary sheets away. Salt in the wound I tell you. The recycling bin is 3 feet away from the trash can and 90% full of my papers since no one else seems to contribute to it.
Sometimes I feel my battle really is a lone, uphill one. No one else, at least in my office where the offences are hourly, seems to care. Somehow though this fact makes me feel like I need to care and conserve that much more to make up for each of the people who don’t.
Therefore, people who waste paper frustrate me to no end. A guy in my office just printed out a 100+ page cell phone bill so he could get 14 pages of summary out of it. Why it’s not worth 5 extra minutes to go through, find those specific pages and print just them is beyond me. Instead, a ¼ of a ream of paper and X amount of ink was just wasted so he could manually pull them out of the stack and then throw the unneccessary sheets away. Salt in the wound I tell you. The recycling bin is 3 feet away from the trash can and 90% full of my papers since no one else seems to contribute to it.
Sometimes I feel my battle really is a lone, uphill one. No one else, at least in my office where the offences are hourly, seems to care. Somehow though this fact makes me feel like I need to care and conserve that much more to make up for each of the people who don’t.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
"Made It"
No one would argue that the world and “today’s generation” is more materialistic than past generations or even “our generation” (which is funny since even I say that in reference to the “youngsters” who are only like 7 years younger than me and are probably technically in MY generation). People seem to feel the need to surpass the success and wealth their parents (a convenient benchmark) accumulated over 25 years as quickly as possible.
Cases in point:
My brother has a friend who has a 100” projection TV. He’s 25.
One of my uncle’s proudest accomplishments is that he pays more in tax than his father made during the highest earning year of his career.
I think deep down we all want to prove we’ve “made it” and that we’re successful at what we do. Material things are a convenient way to showcase that fact. Obviously some people take that too far, end up in debt and while they appear to be well-off, they’re really struggling and emotionally breaking as a result of the stress. I certainly don’t advocate anyone doing that.
I expect that many of us have a “made it” item that they hope to acquire at some point in their lives (whether they want to admit it or not). Something they know indicates success; even if others don’t fully appreciate its value (sometimes that facet makes it even better!). It seems that at Jim’s work, very high-end watches are a common signifier.
I used to think that my item would be an original piece of art. Not a Picasso or anything, but something that cost several thousand dollars and I buy it just because I can and stick it in some room with a museum light over it. The older I get the less that particular acquisition seems important, but the concept of some thing hasn’t died in my mind as something I “should” do. I just haven’t come up with what to replace it with yet…
Cases in point:
My brother has a friend who has a 100” projection TV. He’s 25.
One of my uncle’s proudest accomplishments is that he pays more in tax than his father made during the highest earning year of his career.
I think deep down we all want to prove we’ve “made it” and that we’re successful at what we do. Material things are a convenient way to showcase that fact. Obviously some people take that too far, end up in debt and while they appear to be well-off, they’re really struggling and emotionally breaking as a result of the stress. I certainly don’t advocate anyone doing that.
I expect that many of us have a “made it” item that they hope to acquire at some point in their lives (whether they want to admit it or not). Something they know indicates success; even if others don’t fully appreciate its value (sometimes that facet makes it even better!). It seems that at Jim’s work, very high-end watches are a common signifier.
I used to think that my item would be an original piece of art. Not a Picasso or anything, but something that cost several thousand dollars and I buy it just because I can and stick it in some room with a museum light over it. The older I get the less that particular acquisition seems important, but the concept of some thing hasn’t died in my mind as something I “should” do. I just haven’t come up with what to replace it with yet…
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