So, I was looking for a picture from the party where the three birthday girls are smiling over our cakes, and I was about to call my mom so that she could get it for me, and then I remembered that all her photos are in Ohio, and she's still here in Chicago for another two weeks.
So, you're going to have to imagine me at 16 with my two best friends from High School, TM (now TB) and LS (now LF).
Ok, just to give you some background, TB, LF and I all have birthdays within a month of each other so a joint sweet 16 seemed like an absolute no brainer. LF's dad was or is the Harbor Master for the City of Chicago and although I'm not completely sure what he does/did, but it was powerful and it was awesome.
So he knew a guy who knew a guy who got us this really great deal on a charter boat, you know, the kind that you see all the tourists ride? Generally they're filled with cheap plastic lawn chairs and a questionable looking "bar", but they actually provide a lot of space when you get rid of all of that.
Collectively, we invited about 200 of our closest friends and we met at LF's house, loaded into what seemed like a million cars and we headed off to Navy Pier, where we were going to pick up the boat.
We get to Navy Pier and the DJ has already arrived and set up on the upper deck. There was food and cake on the lower deck and we were ready to party. We board the boat and head out to Lake Michigan. We were planning on being out till about 10:30 or 11:00 (i think, LF and TB - correct me if I'm wrong on any of this) and so we motored out to the light house and up and down the shore a few times, blasting "high school" music and generally having a good time.
After pizza and cake and all the obligatory birthday stuff, we went back to the upper deck to dance during our last pass of the light house before heading back to the pier.
At this point, my parents are looking off the side of the boat and they notice this odd shape in the water. They think to themselves, "What could be floating this far out from the shore?" My dad then says, "It's a body!!!" He runs up to the captain and tells him we have a man overboard.
They circle around and pull out their spotlight. All 3 sets of parents start rounding up the kids and turning off the music (totally lame) and make us go down to the lower deck for a head count. They're convinced someone took a nosedive off the end of the boat.
They realize that all the kids are here and being that we aren't that incredibly unaware, we start trying to figure out why they were being such downers and why we had a search light scanning the water. Eventually some chaperons lets it slip and then, like a tidal wave, the news spreads to everyone at the party.
Pandemonium ensues.
We have people hogging the bathrooms, throwing up and crying hysterically because they'd never seen a dead body (btw, it was 200 ft. away - you couldn't really see it), then there were the kids who didn't know what to do who just sort of sat around and made small talk. My brother was with most of the guys and a few boyfriends making dead body jokes, (i.e. "wow, this is a killer party!", "I bet his name is BOB"), there was also a group of super religious evangelists that were praying over his soul. I somehow managed to get stuck in their prayer circle. It was somewhat uncomfortable and seemed horrendously insincere.
They finally locate the body with the spotlight and call the harbor police. We're about 20 minutes from the harbor so we can see them coming for a REALLY long time. Eventually, the parents decide to let us turn the music back on and we go upstairs to dance. It's a bit awkward, but, being that we are mostly resilient high schoolers, we make it work.
The next day, we all go to school and the news of this crazy party is all over the school. My Choir teacher mentioned it in class and asked if anyone had heard about it. (LF and I were in the same choir and we're like, "uh...yeah, we heard about it".)
The funny thing is, there was a band concert the night of the party and according to the band director, to miss a concert should have been punishable by expulsion and the complete loss of a high school diploma. So all our friends that were conveniently "sick" from the band concert that night couldn't admit to being at the "killer party"...
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Layoff...I'm starving!
Don't judge me, I had cookies for breakfast.
I wanted to eat them. Leave me alone.
Ok, I thought about naming this post "hiatus" since it's been a while since I posted. I'm kind of busy right now and blogging just isn't anything that I want to do.
I try to blog at home (so as NOT to be a horrible employee) but I've had baby classes, piano lessons, and other things that makes blogging nothing more than a blip on my radar.
With that said, here is a brief list of things that I hope to blog about in the future, that have happened to me since my last post (Seriously - since my last post).
1. My birthday. Yep - I turned 26. It's been 10 years since my sweet 16 boat party with the dead body (legendary, I'm telling you. I'll have to explain it later).
2. The Camera - I got an awesome camera for my birthday. We thought it might be a good idea what with the whole "situation" happening the end of next month.
3. To the Country. We went and visited my parents at their house in Kirtland this last week. We saw my mom on Mother's day, and talked to my brother who is on a mission for my church. He's been out almost a year.
4. We signed a lease on the new apartment.
5. I cleaned said apartment - horrendously deep, back/knee/foot-ache inducing cleaned.
6. The lease on said apartment fell though. :(
7. Starting over on my apartment search.
8. Mild panic with the baby not moving - going to the doctor and realizing yet again how dissatisfying my ob clinic is.
9. Having an AWESOME baby shower at work.
10. Taking 4 shopping bags full of stuff home. PLUS a giant high chair. Yep. Someone bought me a highchair...and brought it to work...for me to take home.
11. This is the last week of seminary!! I taught my last "real" lesson and finished the book of Revelation today. We're cleaning up and playing games the rest of this week.
12. Saw the new Star Trek movie. Surprisingly interesting. I don't even like Star Trek and I mostly understood it.
Yep. That's what has happened in my life in the last 2ish weeks. I'm still pretty tired from all of that but someday, someday, I will post about these things.
Until my next update - Rae out.
Read more...
I wanted to eat them. Leave me alone.
Ok, I thought about naming this post "hiatus" since it's been a while since I posted. I'm kind of busy right now and blogging just isn't anything that I want to do.
I try to blog at home (so as NOT to be a horrible employee) but I've had baby classes, piano lessons, and other things that makes blogging nothing more than a blip on my radar.
With that said, here is a brief list of things that I hope to blog about in the future, that have happened to me since my last post (Seriously - since my last post).
1. My birthday. Yep - I turned 26. It's been 10 years since my sweet 16 boat party with the dead body (legendary, I'm telling you. I'll have to explain it later).
2. The Camera - I got an awesome camera for my birthday. We thought it might be a good idea what with the whole "situation" happening the end of next month.
3. To the Country. We went and visited my parents at their house in Kirtland this last week. We saw my mom on Mother's day, and talked to my brother who is on a mission for my church. He's been out almost a year.
4. We signed a lease on the new apartment.
5. I cleaned said apartment - horrendously deep, back/knee/foot-ache inducing cleaned.
6. The lease on said apartment fell though. :(
7. Starting over on my apartment search.
8. Mild panic with the baby not moving - going to the doctor and realizing yet again how dissatisfying my ob clinic is.
9. Having an AWESOME baby shower at work.
10. Taking 4 shopping bags full of stuff home. PLUS a giant high chair. Yep. Someone bought me a highchair...and brought it to work...for me to take home.
11. This is the last week of seminary!! I taught my last "real" lesson and finished the book of Revelation today. We're cleaning up and playing games the rest of this week.
12. Saw the new Star Trek movie. Surprisingly interesting. I don't even like Star Trek and I mostly understood it.
Yep. That's what has happened in my life in the last 2ish weeks. I'm still pretty tired from all of that but someday, someday, I will post about these things.
Until my next update - Rae out.
Read more...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Hi! I'm Carl*,
But you can call me Satan, the bus driver from Hell...
So, I've had a rather busy week and am on day 3 of what is turning in to a week-long headache. This is when I meet Carl.
The bus is crowded and it's a stop or two before a seat vacates. (Apparently I look huge because 2 different people offered my their seats, but I'm not taking a seat from a senior citizen - I'd rather faint)
When I finally sit down, it starts to get crazy. Carl has been alternating between punching the gas and the break in 5 second intervals. We're all getting whiplash just sitting there, and then this lady next to me almost didn't make it to her seat because Carl was so quick to punch the gas.
She's on the phone and I don't know that I've ever had a more entertaining ride. She is telling her friend what bus she's on so that when she dies, they'll know where to find her. She's practically shrieking every time we take a turn or change lanes, because I swear, this guy thought he was in a sports car.
You HAVE to play heads up ball when you are a pedestrian downtown for exactly this reason! There were pedestrians running to get out the way of the way and this one lady refused to move fast and Carl seriously only missed her by like 12 inches.
Ah, CTA - good times, good times...
*names have been changed - mostly because I don't know his real name.
Read more...
So, I've had a rather busy week and am on day 3 of what is turning in to a week-long headache. This is when I meet Carl.
The bus is crowded and it's a stop or two before a seat vacates. (Apparently I look huge because 2 different people offered my their seats, but I'm not taking a seat from a senior citizen - I'd rather faint)
When I finally sit down, it starts to get crazy. Carl has been alternating between punching the gas and the break in 5 second intervals. We're all getting whiplash just sitting there, and then this lady next to me almost didn't make it to her seat because Carl was so quick to punch the gas.
She's on the phone and I don't know that I've ever had a more entertaining ride. She is telling her friend what bus she's on so that when she dies, they'll know where to find her. She's practically shrieking every time we take a turn or change lanes, because I swear, this guy thought he was in a sports car.
You HAVE to play heads up ball when you are a pedestrian downtown for exactly this reason! There were pedestrians running to get out the way of the way and this one lady refused to move fast and Carl seriously only missed her by like 12 inches.
Ah, CTA - good times, good times...
*names have been changed - mostly because I don't know his real name.
Read more...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
That's One More than First...
My Mom has lived in Chicago for almost 11 years and never been to a game at Wrigley Field.
*Cue angels singing...
Remember how I work for Tribune Company? Remember how they own the Cubs and Wrigley Field?
So being that we own the Cubs, we also get first shot at some ridiculously good seats. Ridiculously good.
Yep, that would be a picture of the number 2. As in second. Like the row behind the first one.
My mom met me at the office and we bought her a Cubs shirt from the the gift shop on the main floor and then we headed up to Wrigley. We're in our seats about 20 minutes to start and it's amazing.
Here's my mom, showing off her awesome "Cubs-wear".
And here's the two of us with the scoreboard. Just so you know, we're both there. At the REAL Wrigley Field.
You know where the home pitcher warms up his arm before he goes out to do his thing? We were right there.
And this is our starting pitcher, Carlos Zambrano.
I'm not going to bore you with the game, because seriously, I don't know that many of the people that read this actually care about how the cubs are doing and whether or not they won (they did...). All in all, this was a great day and a great experience, and totally worth the insane amount of sunburn.
Read more...
*Cue angels singing...
Remember how I work for Tribune Company? Remember how they own the Cubs and Wrigley Field?
So being that we own the Cubs, we also get first shot at some ridiculously good seats. Ridiculously good.
Yep, that would be a picture of the number 2. As in second. Like the row behind the first one.
My mom met me at the office and we bought her a Cubs shirt from the the gift shop on the main floor and then we headed up to Wrigley. We're in our seats about 20 minutes to start and it's amazing.
Here's my mom, showing off her awesome "Cubs-wear".
And here's the two of us with the scoreboard. Just so you know, we're both there. At the REAL Wrigley Field.
You know where the home pitcher warms up his arm before he goes out to do his thing? We were right there.
And this is our starting pitcher, Carlos Zambrano.
I'm not going to bore you with the game, because seriously, I don't know that many of the people that read this actually care about how the cubs are doing and whether or not they won (they did...). All in all, this was a great day and a great experience, and totally worth the insane amount of sunburn.
Read more...
Friday, April 17, 2009
I'm an Idiot
I should not be allowed to touch the alarm between the hours of 4:30a and 6:30a.
Why?
Because this whole "doing everything" situation is sort of catching up with me and I'm tired. REALLY, bone-deep, tired.
My alarm went off without a hitch this morning, exactly as it always does at 4:34am. I quickly waddle over to the alarm (because if it's by my bed I will snooze it until 7) and turn it off. I sit in the desk chair for what feels like forever (15 seconds tops) and think, I could just leave my hair curly today and get another half hour of sleep...
SO I RESET THE ALARM.
Why would I do this? Beyond wanting more sleep, I'm not coherent! I can't form a complete thought, let alone engage complex motor skills.
So, I changed my alarm, I went from 4:34 to 5:06. I put the alarm switch to on and went back to bed.
I woke up and raced (waddled) to my phone. It's 5:43. I was supposed to drive today and I had to be at everyone's house by 5:35. I'm so totally screwed...
I called TJ, the other seminary teacher and she agreed to drive today and teach alone - because I still hadn't showered, and curly hair or not, I wouldn't have made a shower and seminary this morning.
OK. Moral of the story. When you want to change the alarm, make sure your actually changing the ALARM time and not the ACTUAL time. Because this will screw up your morning. Also, just get up. A few extra minutes in a hot shower would have probably been just as effective as sleeping for another hour...man, I'm an idiot.
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Why?
Because this whole "doing everything" situation is sort of catching up with me and I'm tired. REALLY, bone-deep, tired.
My alarm went off without a hitch this morning, exactly as it always does at 4:34am. I quickly waddle over to the alarm (because if it's by my bed I will snooze it until 7) and turn it off. I sit in the desk chair for what feels like forever (15 seconds tops) and think, I could just leave my hair curly today and get another half hour of sleep...
SO I RESET THE ALARM.
Why would I do this? Beyond wanting more sleep, I'm not coherent! I can't form a complete thought, let alone engage complex motor skills.
So, I changed my alarm, I went from 4:34 to 5:06. I put the alarm switch to on and went back to bed.
I woke up and raced (waddled) to my phone. It's 5:43. I was supposed to drive today and I had to be at everyone's house by 5:35. I'm so totally screwed...
I called TJ, the other seminary teacher and she agreed to drive today and teach alone - because I still hadn't showered, and curly hair or not, I wouldn't have made a shower and seminary this morning.
OK. Moral of the story. When you want to change the alarm, make sure your actually changing the ALARM time and not the ACTUAL time. Because this will screw up your morning. Also, just get up. A few extra minutes in a hot shower would have probably been just as effective as sleeping for another hour...man, I'm an idiot.
Read more...
Monday, April 13, 2009
More Food, More House
Mom and Dad LOVE the kitchen in this house and considering the amount of wallpaper that was in the foyer of this home when they first saw it, I'm convinced this is one the only reasons they didn't laugh in the realtors face and walk out.
This is "the stove". I think my dad has wanted one of these things since like, I was born.
And this is "the spatula". We took a trip to GFS (It's like costco without the hassle of membership) and we found this awesome institutional grill top metal spatula (I think there's supposed to be a comma in there somewhere, but whatever). *For serious cooks only - as demonstrated*
The center of the range has a flat griddle under the cover and it has a temperature gauge. I made omeletes that first morning with mushrooms, peppers, onions and cheese. I LOVE griddles.
I didn't take any pictures of the omelettes, but they were amazing. I'm convinced everything tastes better when cooked on a professional range. (sigh* someday)
Amid all this cooking, it was actually Conference Weekend. We spent most of Saturday morning setting up the television in my parents family room so that we could watch the the 179th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Since by WE, I mean Dad and DH, I took pictures. :) Here they are setting up the entertainment center.
And here is the finished product. I sure was tired after watching them move that 6-piece monstrosity into place. The outcome was impressive though!
So after all that work, we needed an amazing dinner. Right? Right.
We had skirt steak in a sesame, garlic, and ginger marinade. Once again - we used the grill, because we can.
We grilled peppers and onions and had an amazing time eating it. I still didn't get a great picture, but it is a little better than the salmon. (Maybe my awesome SILs on both sides, can give me some pointers?)
It was delicious and perfectly cooked. I love a good marinated skirt steak. In fact - we're having some this week. It'll be yummy.
After dinner Dad and DH went to the Priesthood Session of General Conference while I finally watched the series finale of E.R. I love that show. My Thursday nights will never be the same now that it's gone.
When they got home, DH jumped into the hot tub to relax. The funny thing is, that the water level was a little low and so to turn on the jets, someone had to be in the tub. And then DH's in there, hanging out, and the jets are on a timer. He couldn't get out until they turned off, because he would have sprayed the entire inside of the room that the hot tub is in. - FYI, This was hilarious at 10:00 at night. While DH was trapped in the hot tub, I made dessert.
Dad had bought some gorgonzola cheese and we had pecans and walnuts, and some puff pastry dough. He also found a can of cherry pie filling in the pantry so DH could enjoy some dessert too. :)
Since I realy like desserts, I finally made an effort with plating and remembered to take a picture. I think it turned out pretty well.
The cheese pastries were amazing. The savory cheese with the nuts was a perfect blend with the lightness of the pastry and the sharpness of the raspberry coulis sauce that we made.
We just threw a little powdered sugar icing on the cherry turnovers and they were also very delicious.
Well, thus ends Day 2. Yes, there is more wondrous cooking to be had on Day 3 - but I don't think I have any pictures. I'll post more soon.
Read more...
This is "the stove". I think my dad has wanted one of these things since like, I was born.
And this is "the spatula". We took a trip to GFS (It's like costco without the hassle of membership) and we found this awesome institutional grill top metal spatula (I think there's supposed to be a comma in there somewhere, but whatever). *For serious cooks only - as demonstrated*
The center of the range has a flat griddle under the cover and it has a temperature gauge. I made omeletes that first morning with mushrooms, peppers, onions and cheese. I LOVE griddles.
I didn't take any pictures of the omelettes, but they were amazing. I'm convinced everything tastes better when cooked on a professional range. (sigh* someday)
Amid all this cooking, it was actually Conference Weekend. We spent most of Saturday morning setting up the television in my parents family room so that we could watch the the 179th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Since by WE, I mean Dad and DH, I took pictures. :) Here they are setting up the entertainment center.
And here is the finished product. I sure was tired after watching them move that 6-piece monstrosity into place. The outcome was impressive though!
So after all that work, we needed an amazing dinner. Right? Right.
We had skirt steak in a sesame, garlic, and ginger marinade. Once again - we used the grill, because we can.
We grilled peppers and onions and had an amazing time eating it. I still didn't get a great picture, but it is a little better than the salmon. (Maybe my awesome SILs on both sides, can give me some pointers?)
It was delicious and perfectly cooked. I love a good marinated skirt steak. In fact - we're having some this week. It'll be yummy.
After dinner Dad and DH went to the Priesthood Session of General Conference while I finally watched the series finale of E.R. I love that show. My Thursday nights will never be the same now that it's gone.
When they got home, DH jumped into the hot tub to relax. The funny thing is, that the water level was a little low and so to turn on the jets, someone had to be in the tub. And then DH's in there, hanging out, and the jets are on a timer. He couldn't get out until they turned off, because he would have sprayed the entire inside of the room that the hot tub is in. - FYI, This was hilarious at 10:00 at night. While DH was trapped in the hot tub, I made dessert.
Dad had bought some gorgonzola cheese and we had pecans and walnuts, and some puff pastry dough. He also found a can of cherry pie filling in the pantry so DH could enjoy some dessert too. :)
Since I realy like desserts, I finally made an effort with plating and remembered to take a picture. I think it turned out pretty well.
The cheese pastries were amazing. The savory cheese with the nuts was a perfect blend with the lightness of the pastry and the sharpness of the raspberry coulis sauce that we made.
We just threw a little powdered sugar icing on the cherry turnovers and they were also very delicious.
Well, thus ends Day 2. Yes, there is more wondrous cooking to be had on Day 3 - but I don't think I have any pictures. I'll post more soon.
Read more...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
A Weekend at the Country Estate
Seriously.
This is my parents house. My brother and I joke about how they have given up suburban life to retire on their country estate. Did you know it has a hot tub room? I've never known my folks to be hot tub people...or so I thought. It's like a don't even know them anymore. Pretty soon my Dad's going to say how much he wants to go on a cruise...with other people near him...people that he doesn't know. My entire understanding of the universe shifted after my weekend in Kirtland.
After finally soaking in the sheer awesome-ness of their new home, I was able to get to more important matters - like the food.
The food was delicious! My Dad and I love to cook together. We go to the store and buy obscure cheeses and weird cuts of meats and odd smelling condiments and concoct these dishes using just about every pot and pan and utensil in the house. It drives my mom crazy, but in a half smiling, "you kids!", exasperated sort of way. (Most of the time - there was is one time, we made curry...there wasn't much of a half smile that time. It smelled like red and yellow curry for about 3 days)
We arrived on Friday afternoon right around lunch time. My Dad was still at work, but coming home soon. He had bought an amazing piece of salmon and had seen a recipe on a cooking show we sometimes watch that he wanted to try. It involved pepper jelly (a family favorite), cilantro, butter, salt and pepper. It was great. We sort of had to improvise because we were all out of the yummy jalapeno jelly I had given him for Christmas - and to be honest, I think I'll start making my own just so I can up-tic the heat a little.
We mixed the cilantro, raspberry-jalapeno jelly that we did have in the pantry, and butter. We didn't put in quite enough salt to balance the sweet of the raspberry, but that was fixed after plating.
We grilled the salmon in a tin foil boat and let me tell you - I LOVE cooking fish this way. You still get the grill marks, but your filets stay intact and you don't have to deep clean the inside of the grill after cooking. Two great things.
Anyway, here is the finished product. *Please remember that I suck at taking photos and I was just so excited to eat this, that i didn't bother plating it well. That's why it's blurry and a bit of a mess*
We cooked pretty much all weekend, but you'll have to wait for my other posts to hear about the rest of this culinary wonderment.
Read more...
This is my parents house. My brother and I joke about how they have given up suburban life to retire on their country estate. Did you know it has a hot tub room? I've never known my folks to be hot tub people...or so I thought. It's like a don't even know them anymore. Pretty soon my Dad's going to say how much he wants to go on a cruise...with other people near him...people that he doesn't know. My entire understanding of the universe shifted after my weekend in Kirtland.
After finally soaking in the sheer awesome-ness of their new home, I was able to get to more important matters - like the food.
The food was delicious! My Dad and I love to cook together. We go to the store and buy obscure cheeses and weird cuts of meats and odd smelling condiments and concoct these dishes using just about every pot and pan and utensil in the house. It drives my mom crazy, but in a half smiling, "you kids!", exasperated sort of way. (Most of the time - there was is one time, we made curry...there wasn't much of a half smile that time. It smelled like red and yellow curry for about 3 days)
We arrived on Friday afternoon right around lunch time. My Dad was still at work, but coming home soon. He had bought an amazing piece of salmon and had seen a recipe on a cooking show we sometimes watch that he wanted to try. It involved pepper jelly (a family favorite), cilantro, butter, salt and pepper. It was great. We sort of had to improvise because we were all out of the yummy jalapeno jelly I had given him for Christmas - and to be honest, I think I'll start making my own just so I can up-tic the heat a little.
We mixed the cilantro, raspberry-jalapeno jelly that we did have in the pantry, and butter. We didn't put in quite enough salt to balance the sweet of the raspberry, but that was fixed after plating.
We grilled the salmon in a tin foil boat and let me tell you - I LOVE cooking fish this way. You still get the grill marks, but your filets stay intact and you don't have to deep clean the inside of the grill after cooking. Two great things.
Anyway, here is the finished product. *Please remember that I suck at taking photos and I was just so excited to eat this, that i didn't bother plating it well. That's why it's blurry and a bit of a mess*
We cooked pretty much all weekend, but you'll have to wait for my other posts to hear about the rest of this culinary wonderment.
Read more...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I Covet This.
More info about my fantabulous weekend in Kirtland coming soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the sheer awesome-ness of this. I.Want.It.
Seriously. Would this not look A-Mazing with an LBD, a patent clutch and maybe a peeptoe pump? ...Oh, maybe a pewter-y bag and shoe? I am salivating over the idea of dressing like a normal person again soon.
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Seriously. Would this not look A-Mazing with an LBD, a patent clutch and maybe a peeptoe pump? ...Oh, maybe a pewter-y bag and shoe? I am salivating over the idea of dressing like a normal person again soon.
Read more...
Friday, April 3, 2009
Fidgety and Agitated
So I haven't starting read THE BOOK. I'm like an addict going through withdrawals.
I allowed myself to buy it mostly because I wanted to have something to read while I took the 3-hour glucose test from Satan. I have to take it in the next 2 weeks and I'm *super* excited about it.
Ok, I also bought the book because I wanted it, and I have no will power anymore - the baby has taken it all from me. This probably explains the 2 cookies I had for breakfast this morning...gosh, I really hope this glucose test comes back normal! I don't think that I can handle watching my sugar/carb intake.
As you're reading this, we are either on our way to or already in Cleveland, OH. My parents moved to a little known suburb of Cleveland called Kirtland, OH. Maybe you've heard of it?
Anyway, my mom is still here is Chi-town while my brother is finishing school, so my dad lives in their glorious new house all by himself. We're going out to see him over conference weekend, and mostly - it's because he has a viking range and my dad and I really like to cook weird food together.
I can already picture the bleu cheese, exotic spices and random ethnic findings that we will use to concoct odd dishes that only he and I will eat!! Ah...good times.
Read more...
I allowed myself to buy it mostly because I wanted to have something to read while I took the 3-hour glucose test from Satan. I have to take it in the next 2 weeks and I'm *super* excited about it.
Ok, I also bought the book because I wanted it, and I have no will power anymore - the baby has taken it all from me. This probably explains the 2 cookies I had for breakfast this morning...gosh, I really hope this glucose test comes back normal! I don't think that I can handle watching my sugar/carb intake.
As you're reading this, we are either on our way to or already in Cleveland, OH. My parents moved to a little known suburb of Cleveland called Kirtland, OH. Maybe you've heard of it?
Anyway, my mom is still here is Chi-town while my brother is finishing school, so my dad lives in their glorious new house all by himself. We're going out to see him over conference weekend, and mostly - it's because he has a viking range and my dad and I really like to cook weird food together.
I can already picture the bleu cheese, exotic spices and random ethnic findings that we will use to concoct odd dishes that only he and I will eat!! Ah...good times.
Read more...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
More Random Musings
Apparently, my walking down Michigan Ave. is akin to a freak show.
I was walking to the book store today during lunch and I noticed quite a few eyes on me. I'm not completely sure if there are more than usual or if I'm just noticing it more because I am more self conscious of my shape.
Either way, I seem to be garnering attention from the suburbanite tourists that flock to Michigan Ave in warmer weather. (Not that today constitutes warmer weather, but we take what we can get out here.)
I made pointed eye contact with about 15 Miley Cyrus look-a-likes today and a handful of pseudo-business men walking to lunch. It made me laugh of little - after I made sure I didn't have smutz of my face or a giant hole in my pants.
To be fair, I am getting rather large and I had a sort of sequined top on and my zebra coat that can't really be missed. I think that's why I liked it initially, because it was a bit of a show stopper.
It's just a different kind of show now that I have expanded to the size of a large farm animal...
Read more...
I was walking to the book store today during lunch and I noticed quite a few eyes on me. I'm not completely sure if there are more than usual or if I'm just noticing it more because I am more self conscious of my shape.
Either way, I seem to be garnering attention from the suburbanite tourists that flock to Michigan Ave in warmer weather. (Not that today constitutes warmer weather, but we take what we can get out here.)
I made pointed eye contact with about 15 Miley Cyrus look-a-likes today and a handful of pseudo-business men walking to lunch. It made me laugh of little - after I made sure I didn't have smutz of my face or a giant hole in my pants.
To be fair, I am getting rather large and I had a sort of sequined top on and my zebra coat that can't really be missed. I think that's why I liked it initially, because it was a bit of a show stopper.
It's just a different kind of show now that I have expanded to the size of a large farm animal...
Read more...
Random Musings
I bought a book today.
I haven't bought a book in a really long time.
It feels really good.
I love the smell of the newly pressed paper, and the weight of hard bound, dust covered wonderment.
The funny thing about this book is that it's a pregnancy book...sort of. It's by a blogger that I read almost daily. She's generally somewhat crass, but mostly hilarious and I enjoy her insights into life.
I don't know that I'd recommend her for all readers, but for those with a sense of humor and a bit of tolerance. She's great.
The website is dooce.com and the book is called, "It Sucked and then I Cried". (I'll let you guess what the "it" is.)
She was in Chicago last week and I desperately wanted to go to her book signing, but, alas - it was on my only free weeknight and I'd already booked plans. So I bought her book today (with a whopping 10% sales tax) and am excited to get started on it.
Read more...
I haven't bought a book in a really long time.
It feels really good.
I love the smell of the newly pressed paper, and the weight of hard bound, dust covered wonderment.
The funny thing about this book is that it's a pregnancy book...sort of. It's by a blogger that I read almost daily. She's generally somewhat crass, but mostly hilarious and I enjoy her insights into life.
I don't know that I'd recommend her for all readers, but for those with a sense of humor and a bit of tolerance. She's great.
The website is dooce.com and the book is called, "It Sucked and then I Cried". (I'll let you guess what the "it" is.)
She was in Chicago last week and I desperately wanted to go to her book signing, but, alas - it was on my only free weeknight and I'd already booked plans. So I bought her book today (with a whopping 10% sales tax) and am excited to get started on it.
Read more...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Well, excuse me!
Apparently, someone has an opinion about the amount of spice that I consume with my meals.
This said someone also has no trouble expressing this opinion by pointedly shoving body parts into my rib cage and decidedly moving about entirely off of her normal schedule.
Where is this kid's mother!? MY kid would never do this.
Read more...
This said someone also has no trouble expressing this opinion by pointedly shoving body parts into my rib cage and decidedly moving about entirely off of her normal schedule.
Where is this kid's mother!? MY kid would never do this.
Read more...
Monday, March 23, 2009
24 Weeks and Counting
Yep. 24 weeks...and my photog still can't get the photo centered. :)
This second photo, it generally what our "photo shoots" deteriorate to, as DH makes some goofy comment or starts taking pictures of my chest.
Read more...
This second photo, it generally what our "photo shoots" deteriorate to, as DH makes some goofy comment or starts taking pictures of my chest.
Read more...
Friday, March 20, 2009
Cake Wrecks
It's one of those blogs that I am addicted to, and incidently where I found the photo from my previous post.
My S-I-L mentioned it in her blog and I've been hooked ever since.
It's almost as good as failblog and that blog's associated sites. HE-larious. :)
Read more...
My S-I-L mentioned it in her blog and I've been hooked ever since.
It's almost as good as failblog and that blog's associated sites. HE-larious. :)
Read more...
What NOT to give me at a baby shower...
If you are my friend, and you wish to stay as such, please don't do this...
Seriously. How about a flower cake or cute little cupcakes with decorative paper wrappers? I'd even be okay with baby shaped cookies or candy pacifiers. But please, no horrific, pre-pacifiered alien babies coming out of my stomach (or what I assume to be my stomach). Also - nothing anatomical either. It's really unnerving.
I'm not even considering how this baby will get from my uterus to the outside world, and until I actually HAVE to think about it, I intend to enjoy my naivete.
?More hilariously inappropriate cake-ness? - Go here
Read more...
Seriously. How about a flower cake or cute little cupcakes with decorative paper wrappers? I'd even be okay with baby shaped cookies or candy pacifiers. But please, no horrific, pre-pacifiered alien babies coming out of my stomach (or what I assume to be my stomach). Also - nothing anatomical either. It's really unnerving.
I'm not even considering how this baby will get from my uterus to the outside world, and until I actually HAVE to think about it, I intend to enjoy my naivete.
?More hilariously inappropriate cake-ness? - Go here
Read more...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Holy Buckets, 71!
So, it's supposed to be 71 degrees today. That's crazy. Because just this last week, it looked like this.
Yep. It's snowing and there are 3, count 'em 3, of the same buses just waiting. It's the middle of the morning rush hour and there are about 40 people waiting to get on at least one of those buses. It takes a SOLID 10 minutes for one of the drivers to even come back to her bus, but she just went in to get a cigarette and then come out and smoke it. I seriously have not seen someone take so long on a single smoke. She took it to a whole new level
Anyhoo, she finally strolls back into her bus and then pulls up the remaining 10 feet to the bus stop and then glares at the passengers as we get on the bus altogether much to quickly for her liking. After all, she can't be expected to look at every one's transit pass when they're getting on! We need to wait for her to give her approval before we even think about moving to the back of the bus
*I just re-read this. It sounds rather bitter. The funny thing is, that I'm not that upset. I actually find the entire CTA debacle to be hilariously inconvenient, yet necessary. Should we ever move away from Chicago, I don't know that I'll miss CTA. ever.
Read more...
Yep. It's snowing and there are 3, count 'em 3, of the same buses just waiting. It's the middle of the morning rush hour and there are about 40 people waiting to get on at least one of those buses. It takes a SOLID 10 minutes for one of the drivers to even come back to her bus, but she just went in to get a cigarette and then come out and smoke it. I seriously have not seen someone take so long on a single smoke. She took it to a whole new level
Anyhoo, she finally strolls back into her bus and then pulls up the remaining 10 feet to the bus stop and then glares at the passengers as we get on the bus altogether much to quickly for her liking. After all, she can't be expected to look at every one's transit pass when they're getting on! We need to wait for her to give her approval before we even think about moving to the back of the bus
*I just re-read this. It sounds rather bitter. The funny thing is, that I'm not that upset. I actually find the entire CTA debacle to be hilariously inconvenient, yet necessary. Should we ever move away from Chicago, I don't know that I'll miss CTA. ever.
Read more...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Phunny Photo Phriday
Apparently you don't need to work out to get a 6-pack.
I bet it helps to be a Dale Jr. fan as well...
...classy.
Read more...
I bet it helps to be a Dale Jr. fan as well...
...classy.
Read more...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Spring Must be Coming
Spring MUST be coming. I can't really tell from looking at it outside, but it's coming. How do I know?
Well, I've started taking blog photos again. I took three separate pictures today, and I'm going to start posting them tomorrow. I have also stopped hating life. I still have pregnancy "whatever" going on, but I no longer want to curl up in my bed, watch a chic movie and cry for like 3 weeks straight. I've been able to keep the house straight for an entire week and I even pulled the vacuum out on my non-vacuuming day.
The world is right again. I can feel it!
Read more...
Well, I've started taking blog photos again. I took three separate pictures today, and I'm going to start posting them tomorrow. I have also stopped hating life. I still have pregnancy "whatever" going on, but I no longer want to curl up in my bed, watch a chic movie and cry for like 3 weeks straight. I've been able to keep the house straight for an entire week and I even pulled the vacuum out on my non-vacuuming day.
The world is right again. I can feel it!
Read more...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I Need Your Help...Yes, You!
Ok, to take my mind off other unsavory happenings in my life, I need everyone's opinions about some things...
As you may have seen from the below, I am trying to pick out baby bedding. My original thought was to do ladybugs, and while I still like the idea, I'm not sold on the all over, repressively pale pink.
In an ideal world, I would just make my own, but this world is far from ideal and I think with my current time constraints, my baby would be 2 before I finished it...SO! I have sort of narrowed down my store-bought choices to about 5 that I think are pretty good. Let me know what you think and any reasoning you might have beind your choice.
Seriously, this is a matter of GRAVE importance...take.this.seriously.
:)
1.)
This was initially my first choice. I like that there are a million accessories that I can buy that match, but again, there is a LOT of repressive pink. I think I may want some bolder colors - not ADD inducing, but bolder.
2.)
I love the femininity of the the flowers plus the vibrant punch of orange is a nice complement to the pink and light blue. It's a good mix of colors and active enough to incite interest after the initial cuteness wears off.
3.)
This one's red. It's my signature color and my go-to favorite. I'm concerned about the stark contrast between the red and white with nothing but grey to soften it. I'm afraid that after a while the sharp contrast will tire out my eyes/the baby's eyes.
4.)
\
I just really like this green. I think it would look really great with my crib set. It's sort of a natural fruitwood color in a sleigh bed format. Do you think it's too much of one color? It's not pink, but there is still a lot of green.
5.)
And finally, the pink and green combo. I still get the girly pink, but with the bright punch of green it's a bit more interesting and versatile.
OK. So let me know what you think!!
Read more...
As you may have seen from the below, I am trying to pick out baby bedding. My original thought was to do ladybugs, and while I still like the idea, I'm not sold on the all over, repressively pale pink.
In an ideal world, I would just make my own, but this world is far from ideal and I think with my current time constraints, my baby would be 2 before I finished it...SO! I have sort of narrowed down my store-bought choices to about 5 that I think are pretty good. Let me know what you think and any reasoning you might have beind your choice.
Seriously, this is a matter of GRAVE importance...take.this.seriously.
:)
1.)
This was initially my first choice. I like that there are a million accessories that I can buy that match, but again, there is a LOT of repressive pink. I think I may want some bolder colors - not ADD inducing, but bolder.
2.)
I love the femininity of the the flowers plus the vibrant punch of orange is a nice complement to the pink and light blue. It's a good mix of colors and active enough to incite interest after the initial cuteness wears off.
3.)
This one's red. It's my signature color and my go-to favorite. I'm concerned about the stark contrast between the red and white with nothing but grey to soften it. I'm afraid that after a while the sharp contrast will tire out my eyes/the baby's eyes.
4.)
\I just really like this green. I think it would look really great with my crib set. It's sort of a natural fruitwood color in a sleigh bed format. Do you think it's too much of one color? It's not pink, but there is still a lot of green.
5.)
And finally, the pink and green combo. I still get the girly pink, but with the bright punch of green it's a bit more interesting and versatile.
OK. So let me know what you think!!
Read more...
Monday, March 9, 2009
Things That Don't Taste Good The Second Time
In honor of my impending move to the third trimester my body has decided to mutiny...and I think the she-baby has joined the fight.
To finish the though presented in my blog title, here is a list of things that I apparently can not keep down...
- Chili and Cornbread (I know, bad choice)
- Oatmeal, plain with 1% milk
- Chicken Broth
- Water
This is just the 'piece de resistance' of the last two weeks that started with a full blow sinus cold, and transformed, mid-cold into all-over-my-body hives (thus resulting in blood work to check out my liver) and finally, because my sinus cold was over and hives apparently get lonely, I have yet to successfully keep anything down since about noon yesterday.
I talked to a friend of mine, wo-ing about my luck getting the stomach flu for the second time, like, EVER - and she looked at me, smiled and said, "honey, you're six months pregnant. You can think you have the stomach flu if you want, but you have skyrocketing hormone levels and a finicky baby pushing all your organs into your throat. Are you sure its not that?"
I have to laugh because she just had a baby and distinctly remembers all of this. I'm glad she's here to keep me grounded.
Read more...
To finish the though presented in my blog title, here is a list of things that I apparently can not keep down...
- Chili and Cornbread (I know, bad choice)
- Oatmeal, plain with 1% milk
- Chicken Broth
- Water
This is just the 'piece de resistance' of the last two weeks that started with a full blow sinus cold, and transformed, mid-cold into all-over-my-body hives (thus resulting in blood work to check out my liver) and finally, because my sinus cold was over and hives apparently get lonely, I have yet to successfully keep anything down since about noon yesterday.
I talked to a friend of mine, wo-ing about my luck getting the stomach flu for the second time, like, EVER - and she looked at me, smiled and said, "honey, you're six months pregnant. You can think you have the stomach flu if you want, but you have skyrocketing hormone levels and a finicky baby pushing all your organs into your throat. Are you sure its not that?"
I have to laugh because she just had a baby and distinctly remembers all of this. I'm glad she's here to keep me grounded.
Read more...
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