Figures....

In true Army fashion, our plans for the month of October have changed no less than 27 times.  Okay, just a few times, but they were big changes!  My family hasn't been here to visit in a while, so they're all making the trip out this weekend to see us.  We're talking, my parents, my siblings and their fiancés, everyone!

Originally D was supposed to be here and it wasn't going to be an issue at all.  Then in late September he found out that he was chosen to go to TDY for the month of October to support another unit while they did some training.  I was bummed that he wouldn't be here when my family came to town, but at least I would have a little distraction from the month alone with a 2 year old with their visit.

Without divulging too many details, the TDY for the month was scratched last minute.  Things were looking up!

A week ago D came home and told me that he in fact does have to go TDY this month, to do something else, and that the only, and I repeat, ONLY time he can go begins this weekend.  While my entire family is here.  So, D is heading out tomorrow morning, I am holding his company's first FRG meeting tomorrow evening and then late tomorrow night my family arrives.  Should make for a long, yet interesting day.

We've got some tentative plans for this weekend, but I think most of them are going to depend on how motivated we're all feeling to get out and do stuff!  I have a feeling that everyone will be more than happy to hang around and chat as well, so we're likely to do a lot of that as well.  I'm very excited to see my family, but I am sad that hubby won't be here, too.

Wedding Frenzy!

Since I figure you are all probably sick of reading about my rambling thoughts on my pregnancy, I thought I'd share the other big topic that is on my mind lately!

Both of my siblings are currently engaged and planning weddings in 2013.

My brother and his fiance are getting married first, and have decided to get married in Colorado, while my sister and her fiancee are planning their wedding in Chicago.  The weddings will take place about 2 months apart, so it looks like we'll be having an interesting and travel-filled summer!

I am a bridesmaid in both weddings, and D will be a groomsman in my brother's wedding.  AJ will also be a flower girl for both weddings, so we have a lot of fancy clothes to look forward to next year!  D tried to teach her how to do the "wedding walk" the other day and it was an utter failure.  At least we've got some time to perfect it!  ;)

Even though both weddings are close together, they are bound to be the complete opposite as far as style, location, just about everything!   My brother is getting married at the Garden of the Gods and my sister is getting married in downtown Chicago at a swanky location.  Can you imagine two more different venues?

Now that my siblings are planning weddings I'm busy looking at stuff online and pinning all the things!  I am constantly reminded at how wonderful it would have been to have Pinterest at my disposal when I was planning my wedding.

Also, this is my first (and second) time as a bridesmaid, so I'm not sure if there's anything specific I should be doing this early on in the process.  I'm out of town, so its not like I can just go dress shopping or other things like that.

Haircut and Other Things

We haven't been all that busy since coming back to Hometown, USA. Yesterday AJ and I went on a little Mama-Daughter lunch date and got some real, honest-to-goodness, hometown food. It was wonderful.

AJ has been waking up super early for whatever reason, so we're all a little tired. She was so tired yesterday that she almost fell asleep in the car on the way to lunch. I'll tell you, I did not have high hopes for how lunch was going to go with a sleepy toddler, but it was great. We were there early enough that it wasn't very crowded, plus its not a sit-down restaurant, so we didn't have to wait around forever for a waiter to come and take our order, bring us our food, etc.

We had another early wake-up again this morning, so when I noticed AJ was laying down on the floor with her blankie watching TV, I knew it was about time for nap. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how well she's been doing since she is so tired. I guess I'm kind of hoping that this will continue through until next week when we make the drive home. Maybe she'll be so tired by that point that she'll nap the whole way home. Wishful thinking.

As for me, I'm excited. We have a big, fun, busy weekend planned! I'm starting things off right by getting my first haircut in a long time(since AJ was a newborn?). I think I'm going to do something drastic. I'm ready for a change. Plus, anything other than a trim would be drastic based on how long my hair is now. After my hair cut, we're heading to the in-laws for dinner. Tomorrow morning AJ and I have a breakfast date with one of my roommates from college who lives in the area. We're going to the best breakfast place around, so I'm definitely looking forward to that.

I'm planning on getting my hair cut like one of these ladies below. What do you think?

I like the length of LC's cut without the bangs, though.

Heidi's hair looks great, but mine will never stay styled like this.

I like the way Jenn has her's styled in this picture.

Gwyneth's hair is most likely what mine would end up looking like. We have the same hair "type."

My sister is also making the trek home for the weekend so she can spend some time with us while we're here, even though we'll see her next month in sunny FL. The plan for Saturday afternoon is to take AJ to the Children's Museum now that she is actually old enough to enjoy everything. Following that, we're going to order pizza from the neighborhood joint infamously known as "Little I." (Short for "Little Italian.")

Sunday we have another busy day planned, we're going to hang around in the morning, but then after nap we're going to head into the city to go to the Auto Show and then have dinner at my cousin's house. He and his wife have a baby who is about 8 months old now and the last time I saw her, she was a newborn! Crazy how time flies, especially with little ones!

That's the big excitement around these parts! I'll be back Monday to update on the weekend, hopefully with lots of pictures (if I remember to charge my camera tonight) of everything, including the new hair cut!

Bloggy BFF Meet-Up!

I didn't really mention it before, but AJ and I are on a little road-trip of sorts. Its the same one we make about every six months or so, we drive from our house to my Aunt and Uncle's house, stay a few days, see all my grandparents and relatives and then drive the rest of the way on to my parent's house. We're going to be in Hometown, USA for about a week before we head back to our house to welcome the man home from the field.

Well, last time I was here I took AJ out for Skyline Chili and ice cream at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams as a Mama-baby date. This time we had an extra person on our date with us. My bloggy BFF, Moe, is back in town and she met up with us for a late lunch and ice cream yesterday! We had tons of fun, we chatted, we laughed, we wrangled AJ, we shared food!

We were both laughing because we told our significant others that we were going to meet a relative stranger and neither of them really seemed all that concerned for our safety. ;) We both said we were glad that we aren't axe murderers or something!

The three of us at Jeni's.

It was so much fun to finally meet Moe in real life, and I hope that I get another chance to come through town again so we can expand past Skyline Chili!

After eating ice cream (in the dead of winter, mind you) I realized that we were close to the neighborhood and house I lived in as a little girl (from ages 3-5) so I drove past it and took a picture of it for my parents to see. I was lucky that there was a For Sale sign in the front yard, otherwise I would have felt like a huge creep!

My old house. I promise there is a "For Sale" sign just to the left of the picture. ;)

I also have AbbyDog with me on this trip, and she has been making herself feel right at home at my Aunt and Uncle's house. So much so, that my Uncle had her doing tricks last night for a little snack before dinner.

AbbyDog doing tricks.

Abby, right at home. Jumped up and sat at the kitchen table before dinner.

We have another day here before we hit the road again. Tomorrow we are going to see my mom's parents and a cousin of mine who still lives in this area. It should be interesting.

Don't You Just Hate That?

Right after I promise that I'm going to get back to my regularly scheduled blogging I go ahead and think I scheduled a post for today, when in reality, I did not. For that, friends, I apologize. With that being said, let's get back to it, shall we?

We have had an exciting few days around here. I'll start with Thursday.

We've been in our house for a year now and since it was new when we bought it, we had a 1-year manufacturers' warranty that was getting ready to expire. We had walked through the house and compiled a master list that we emailed to the warranty people back in December. Thursday the first group of sub-contractors came to start fixing the things that needed to be fixed.

We had some drywall issues since our house was built in the winter. The spackle they used to mud the drywall in some areas of the house apparently wasn't able to dry completely, so we had lots of nail pops and the tape and edging on the corners were peeling a little bit. It was nothing that few extra nails and some hammer strokes couldn't fix, so they plastered it all up again and left it to dry.

On Friday Hubby came home from work (early, yay!) and mentioned that the Natural Sciences Museum in Raleigh has an exhibit on Genghis Khan (only through Jan 22) and he wanted to see it. We decided to head North the next day to check the museum out and see the exhibit. See, hubby took Mandarin for six months and is currently enrolled in an Asian culture class, so this exhibit was of particular interest to him.

D and AJ in front of a giant praying mantis at the museum.

After the museum we went across the quad to a little grill and got some lunch. We rarely go out to eat, especially somewhere that you sit down, so this was a little treat for all of us. It was a casual place that had a 50's vibe.

AJ at lunch.

The rest of the weekend we just hung around the house mostly and were lazy.

The first decent picture I've gotten of AJ in a long while.

She found some sunglasses from when she was a baby that she has been wearing around the house for the past few days. She always wants one of us to wear our sunglasses with her when she's wearing them. As soon as we get them on she holds her hand up and says, "Walk!" So we walk around the house wearing sunglasses together.

Wearing sunglasses with Daddy!

Once the weekend was over I was thrust into the life of the stranded home-bound SAHM because we had the painters come to finish painting all the drywall work the guys did last week. We also had them replace the door frame on AJ's bedroom door because there was a huge crack that they just tried to plaster and paint over. I'm sure you can guess how that worked out. Ha!

We were supposed to get our back door replaced on Monday as well because it wasn't installed properly the first time and we had a bunch of water damage to the door frame and the kitchen cabinets next to the door. Well, the door couldn't be put in yesterday because it was raining, so we had to wait until today, but its all finished now except the frame needs to be painted once the putty dries. We're having the damaged parts of the cabinets replaced later this week now that the door is fixed.

Its been kind of a pain to have to be home all the time waiting for them to come and fix stuff, but at least I know that there won't be any issues with things if we have to put the house on the market in the next few months. I guess there are perks to buying new construction aside from having a brand new house!

So that's it. That is what I've been up to the past few days. I'm currently sitting around, watching Teen Mom 2 from last week on the DVR while AJ naps and I wait for someone to come back and paint the door frame. After that we just have to get someone here to caulk the shower heads and some of the trim.

Also, D has a 4-day week this week and again next week, so I'm definitely looking forward to the 4-day weekend this weekend. I feel like there are certain months that he gets a lot of time off and then other months when we go weeks without any time off.

The Post-Christmas Travel-Fest

I've mentioned a few times that we went out of town right after Christmas and were gone through New Year's Day. We went to visit my in-laws for a few days in Hometown, USA and then we make the trek across a few states to attend a wedding of some of our best friends (D was the best man). This was one of the first weddings that we have ever taken AJ to (the first was my cousin's wedding in September) and she was fairly well-behaved.

We knew that this wedding would be a fun one, not only because it took place on New Year's Eve, but also because we have a lot of mutual friends with the bride and groom, and both of our families were invited to the wedding as well. We saw old friends from when we were all stationed at Ft. Hood together. The Ft. Hood group was a crazy, fun group. We were all around the same age, none of us had kids yet and the guys were all freshly back from Iraq. We did lots of drinking and eating out, BBQing and nights at the comedy club in Austin. It was great to see everyone again and get to meet the kiddos! ;)

As for the wedding itself, AJ didn't last very long since the ceremony started at her usual dinner time. AJ and I, along with my friend Nickie's son (who just turned 2) and her hubby Mike spent the ceremony in the back room and then headed over to the reception site. AJ enjoyed "looking" at the sparkly ornaments on the HUGE Christmas tree during the cocktail hour. She also enjoyed walking around the reception hall carrying her purse. She basically thought the crowd was there to see her and she was loving it. It was hilarious.

Walking around with "Mimi" (my mom) and her purse.

The centerpieces that looked just like the ball in Times Square!

My brother and his girlfriend.

Looking at the sparkly ornaments with Grandpa (my FIL).

My sister and her boyfriend.

One of the highlights from the night was when we were sitting at the table eating our salads and we looked over at AJ, sitting quietly in her chair, spoon-feeding herself ranch dressing.

Me and my girl at dinner.

AJ with the bride and groom.

Somewhere between the salad course and the main course AJ completely lost her cool and I decided that it was time to head back to the hotel with my Aunt-In-Law (? D's Aunt) and put Miss AJ to bed. We hopped on the shuttle and I put AJ right to bed when we got back. I dropped off the monitor and room key with D's Aunt and caught the shuttle bus back to the reception with Nickie.

It was about that time that things got out of control, in a good way. It was a long night, so to shorten this post up a bit, the evening included lots of vodka tonics, red velvet cake, cigars, party hats, noise makers, vodka shots with new friends, silly pictures, inappropriate dance moves and so much more.

When I look back at the evening I consider myself lucky that I felt decent enough Sunday morning to successfully navigate a 1.5 hour car ride to the airport for a noon o'clock flight on New Year's Day with an almost 2 year old. What the eff was I thinking? Ha! In all reality, I'm glad I didn't worry about it and let myself have a fun night out with my hubby and friends. I'm sure I'd feel differently if I had felt worse on Sunday, though. Maybe its an omen for how the rest of 2012 will go. That would be nice.

The Meadow Lights

Remember a few days ago when I posted about AJ getting sick so we weren't able to go see the Christmas lights at the Botanical Gardens? Well, I think it was divine intervention or something because right after that happened I got an email from the FRSA letting us know about a different holiday light display that was better (and free-er) than the gardens. The only downside is that its about 30 miles from our house (but actually it takes an hour to get there because there is no direct route). It was definitely worth it, though!

We decided to go yesterday after AJ woke up from her nap. We knew that it was going to take about an hour to get there, and since it gets dark around 5, we left at 3:45. They didn't officially open until 5, so we hung around in the parking lot for 15 minutes until they opened. The first thing we did was walk around and look at the lights (it wasn't quite dark yet, so it didn't look too impressive) and then we went into the old country store and bought peanut brittle.

The lights at dusk.

I brought some food for AJ for dinner so she ate a little bit and then we bought our $2 tickets (each, so $6 total) for the train ride.

Let me say this: AJ is OBSESSED with trains. Every time she sees one, she drops everything to make the "choo choo!" sound and arm movement over and over again. Its very cute and hilarious. She was pumped once she realized that we were getting on the train.

AJ and Daddy hanging out before the train ride.

The train ride itself is about 5-10 minutes long, but it takes you through all the lights and its very cool because there are tons of things! They had Santa, elves playing tennis, a candy cane factory, Jack Frost blowing frosty air around, nutcrackers, farm animals, and more! I tried to take pictures of the lights, but they all suck, sorry!

My crappy phone pics of the lights from the train.

They also had a carousel and Santa was available for photos, but we already tortured AJ got AJ's picture taken with Santa this year, so we skipped that line. In case you're going to try and go see the lights, just know that both of these things cost money, so come prepared. I think the carousel was like $2 (which, whatever) but the Santa pictures were $6! It seemed like a lot to me, but I know there are places that charge a LOT more than that (ahem, the mall).

Having the time of her life with Daddy on the train.

AJ had a fantastic time and we were glad that we made the drive out to spend the afternoon looking at lights and enjoying some fun, holiday, family fun together.

The Story of the Abandoned Belt; Or The Most Disgusting Bathroom I've Ever Seen

I'm not sure if its just me or if others have this problem as well, but it seems that every time I travel somewhere by car with AJ we are drawn to the world's most disgusting gas station bathrooms.  Now, I am fully aware that most gas station bathrooms are inherently disgusting, but the ones I end up in seem to go above and beyond the normal expectations you might have for a gas station.

Today for example, we were driving home from an out of town wedding after having enjoyed a few libations last night.  About an hour into the drive we stopped to get lunch and go potty.  While D pumped gas, I took AJ with me to the restroom.  I normally let her play with my purse or I sit her on my lap while I pee.  Afterwards we both get a liberal dose of hand sanitizer.

This particular restroom had already thoroughly grossed me out to the point that I was seriously grossed out.  I was trying to only breath through my mouth while keeping AJ's hands wrangled as far away as possible from any solid surface.  D was standing outside when I walked out and I remarked to him that I would have rather left AJ out in the parking lot 100% alone than taken her into that bathroom again.  D did not respond to this statement at all, and in fact was completely glassy-eyed.*

Thinking that I had met my quota of disgusting gas station bathrooms for the trip, the next time we stopped I walked right into the bathroom with AJ.   Upon entering I was greeted by one of the most disturbing and confusing scenes I've seen in a long time.

The next series of events took place over the course of approximately 12 seconds.

I immediately saw a belt hanging from the stall and was confused.  Who leaves their belt in a gas station bathroom?  It was then that I realized that there was more to it than that.  I looked a the toilet, then to the garbage can and the pieces started to come together. 

Are you ready for it?  In the garbage can there was a pair of (jean) shorts literally covered in poo.  There was poo everywhere.  I turned and walked out, and immediately got in the car to report back to D.  As I was explaining to him the situation, it occurs to me that if someone took their shorts and belt off and left them in the bathroom then they either left the gas station butt-nekkid from the waist down or had to call someone to bring them clothes. 

Can you imagine being on the receiving end of that phone call?

"Hi, Mom?  I'm gonna need  you to bring me some shorts and underpants to the gas station on Rte. 22.  No, just do it!"

HAHAHAHAHA.

So there you have it folks.  What progressively turned into the single worst bathroom day in my life.

*In case you're wondering why I made such a shocking remark about abandoning my 18 month old child and my husband didn't respond, I'll enlighten you.

I didn't find out at the time, but after we got home I told D I was writing this blog post and he informed me as to the reason he didn't respond to my outlandish claim.  He explained that it was because he was experiencing heavy PTSD from what he had just seen in the Men's room.  As he was explaining what he saw in great detail, he had to pause periodically to gag (6 hours later).  Apparently, it was worse than the "shorts in the bathroom incident" that I experienced just a few short hours later.

Finally, Some Randomness....

• I finally went running this morning. {Cue angels singing}


• I finally booked hubby's flight for my cousin's wedding in September. {Yay}


• The check I wrote for the registration for my car was finally cashed. {I hate when places take forever to cash checks.}


• The lawn finally doesn't look like a jungle anymore. {I mowed yesterday during naptime}


• Hubby and I sat outside on the patio last night and watched the sun set behind some trees. {It was nice to spend time together}


• I'm starting to get excited for the marathon and spending some time with my family. {But first I'll see them at my cousin's wedding next month}


• I'm trying to decided if we should try to make the trip to Hometown, USA for Thanksgiving. {We already decided that we're not traveling for Christmas}


• AJ has pretty much boycotted all food other than ketchup. {This makes for messy and less-than-nutritious meals}


• I've forgotten how tired running in the morning makes me. {I feel like I need a nap by noon}


• I'm finally starting to feel like Summer is coming to an end. {Thank God}


• I'll never be caught up on Laundry. {Who will?}


• We rearranged our bedroom furniture and love the new look. {Pictures to come soon}


• AJ just woke up from her nap, so I'm signing off. {I'll be back soon with a real post}
  

What We've Been Up To: Instagram Style...

Since I've apparently decided to limit my blogging to once a week (unintentionally, I swear), I decided that you all deserve some photo evidence of all that has been going on around our house lately.

There has been some apple eating.

We've also done some intense TV watching.

And there was a little laying on the dog as well.

We moved most of AJ's toys from the family room upstairs into the bedroom that is connected to her room. I put her tent in there along with lots of other fun stuff and she has been enjoying the change of scenery!

My dad came to visit for a night, so AJ and Grandpa played in the tent in her new playroom.

After he left, AJ and I hung out in the tent for a while. (I may or may not have filled the tend with pillows & blankets so I can relax comfortably keep a close eye on AJ while she plays.)

I've done some running along this path (but not nearly us much as I should be doing).

And we've spent a good deal of time smoochin' and lovin' on this baby girl.

Last but not least, we had visitors this weekend (my FIL) and he bought us a deep-fryer! I know you're probably thinking, gross, that is terribly unhealthy! Well, you'd be right, but the food that came out of that deep-fryer? Delish.

I realize these don't look like pickles, but they're the sandwich stackers, so they are long and skinny.

We made fried pickles, fried shrimp and hush puppies. I'm not going to be able to take any credit for the hush puppies because they are simply a mix that you add water to, but man, they were good!

Hush puppies!

I posted the fried pickle recipe on my food blog, you should go check it out!

And yummy, yummy shrimp!

I hope you'll forgive me for not posting very much!

Every Day is a Good Day When You Run

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."
--Oprah Winfrey

I know I've been really bad about blogging lately, and for that I apologize. I haven't really been doing all that much. I'm kind of in a funk (outside the blog world) and have not really been feeling like writing about the few things we have done over the past week.

I have been running, and I'm feeling pretty good, albeit unmotivated lately. My long run on Saturday wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I am still not really looking forward to my future Saturday morning runs. I think I'm struggling with motivation because I know that I'm not registered for the race yet and that is what makes it "real" in my opinion.

Even though I'm struggling with motivation, I've still been getting all my runs in. I guess the potential for guilt is a greater motivator than I realized. In the morning I wake up and the last thing I want to do is go run, but as I start my day, I get dressed in my running clothes and I tell myself that I will be disappointed in myself all day if I don't get the run in. I'm not the type (and the weather isn't cooperating) to run in the afternoon or at night, so I have to get it done first thing. I also feel like I have to go run because we don't really have all that much going on lately, so what else do I have to do but run? I guess guilt isn't all bad. ;)

I'm pretty happy with myself so far. I've have 5 scheduled runs and I've run the full distance for all 5 of them. Not bad. My times have been hovering right around 10 minute mile pace, which I'm pretty happy with at this point. I've been mostly running with the jogging stroller, so I can't really expect race pace or anything, plus I know I always run faster in organized events.

Sundays are supposed to be a cross training day according to my training plan and so this past weekend I skipped it. I just wasn't feeling it, plus I'm not much of a cross-trainer. I really want to make sure I stick as close to my plan as possible, so I'm trying to come up with some things to do on Sundays. I bought a couple apps for my phone to help with my cross-training and I'm planning to try them out. One is a push-up app and the other is an abdominal workout app. I'll report back here after I decide if I like them or not, in case you're interested in trying them out! I don't have super high expectations, but I really just wanted something to maybe help me tone up a little bit.

In other news, my Dad had some business close by, so he came down and stayed with us Monday night and left Tuesday morning. We had fun going out to Red Robin for dinner and playing with AJ. D's Dad and cousin are coming to town on Thursday for the weekend, so we'll have more fun and pictures to come. Hopefully some family time can pull me out of my funk!

AJ and I also have playgroup on Thursday morning, so Thursday will likely be a busy day for us. In the afternoon we have to drive the hour north to pick FIL and cousin up from the airport, so its looking like minimal nap for AJ. Hopefully she holds up and isn't too fussy for me!

So there you have it. That's the recap of what I've been up to. Not super exciting, but life isn't always fun and games, is it?

Do you ever run into writer's block? What do you do when you get into a funk?

Must Read: Super Boring Post About Nothing!

Okay, so I figured that it had been long enough with no posts from me. I'm sucking it up and considering that this is my only job (you know, aside from going out to lunch and taking care of AJ) I should have something interesting for you.

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Don't get me wrong. We've had a lot of excitement and done many interesting things since you heard from me last, but I don't have any pictures of any of it.

That's a lie. I have taken 2 pictures since Thursday. I have one picture of food and one picture of AJ. The thing is, lots of pictures could have been taken, but then the paranoia sets in and I fear that people will know who I am and where I hail from (not like 98% of you reading this don't already know) and come find me while I'm sleeping. You know, rational things like that.

AJ was with my in-laws this weekend while I headed to Iowa for a Bachelorette party. They took her to the zoo and had lots and lots of fun!

I also had fun, but in a vastly different and not-at-all-AJ-appropriate sense. I will say though, that as far as Bachelorette parties go, this one was tame. Much tamer than my own was. It was held at the bride's parent's house, and it was a pool party. The weather was okay, but not hot enough for me to want to get in the pool, so I drank many beers, played bags (cornhole?), and ate cupcakes, Buffalo Chicken Dip and lots of other yummy foods.

Sunday morning we were laughing about how old we all are because no one was hungover, we had all gotten a good night sleep and we were having a lengthy discussion about the merits of Fiestaware dishes versus other dishware. These are definitely not the things we discussed at my Bachelorette party 3.5 years ago (not that I remember much from that weekend, anyway). The funny thing was though, it was fun!

I'm super excited for the wedding this weekend, but I'm starting to get even more excited to get back home. I'm glad that I am able to see lots of friends and family, but I'm ready to sleep in my own bed again and just get back into our normal routine!

Before any of that happens though, AJ and I are going to meet my cousin's new baby, Kaley! She was born at the beginning of June and I can't wait to meet her, see her squishy new-ness and maybe even hold her!

In case you made it this far into the boring, picture-free post, here are the two pictures I've taken over the last 4 days.

My pizza at lunch today. Mmmmmm.

AJ having a morning snack.

I promise if you stick around another week or so I'll have some new baby pics along with other fun stuff we're doing the rest of the week and hopefully wedding pictures and lots of college roomie pictures from the weekend.

We Made It!

Just wanted to drop in and let you know that we officially made it to Hometown, USA this afternoon.

We got up early, made really good time and only stopped once in a 6 hour trip (Hallelujah!). I really just wanted to get the last long drive out of the way. We got to hang out with my sister this afternoon and then had dinner with my parents as well.

AJ is in bed, and I'm headed that way as well. Even though its only 8:15, all the traveling and driving is starting to catch up with me. I'm exhausted!

I'll make sure to get on and post more pictures and update you all on the trip so far in a few days (probably after I get back from the bachelorette party this weekend).

Until then, have a great rest of the week and don't be surprised if you don't see a post from me for a few days! I'll be on twitter most likely on and off all weekend, so if you *need* me, that's where to find me!

Nighty night, all!

Well, we made it halfway! We got to Ohio yesterday afternoon and we were able to get out and play outside, run around, visit with family (two of my Aunts and Uncles, my paternal grandparents, three cousins and my Aunt's mom) and just enjoy not being in the car!

We're staying with my Aunt and Uncle and today we have dinner plans with my maternal grandparents and another cousin. My grandpa was recently moved into assisted living and I was informed that he doesn't look to good, so I'm a little nervous about seeing him, but glad we have to chance to go.

Also on the docket for the day is a trip to Skyline Chili (AJ's first!) for lunch and then a special visit to Jeni's ice cream after that! I promised AJ ice cream because everyone had ice cream last night after dinner, but it was too close to bedtime for AJ to have any.

I'm down in the basement now and the wireless Internet signal is kind of weak down here, so this afternoon while AJ naps I'm going to try and get the post about our travel day up (complete with pictures), so look for it!

For now folks, I hear AJ, so i guess thats my cue to get her and start heading upstairs

Get In Mah Belly!

If you've been reading my {lack of} posts lately, you know that AJ and I are about to embark on a semi cross-country drive back to Hometown, USA for a little family time with my grandparents, a wedding, sleepovers with AJ's grandparents, dinner with relatives, and ohhhh, dinner with the relatives.

FIL, are you listening?

I need me some homemade gravy, pasta, meatballs, sausage, and maybe some manicotti and garlic bread.

Please notice that I said NEED, not want. I NEED someone to make me a delicious, multi-course, homemade Italian meal.

Oh, I also need to get some real Hometown, USA food while I'm home too.

You can bet that I'm going to make every effort to eat at Skyline Chili when I stop in Ohio to visit my grandparents. Also, at bloggy BFF Moe's urging, I'm going to hook myself up to an IV of eat some Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream as well.

I don't even consider Columbus, OH to be my hometown (although I did live there for several years as a youngster). I have lots (and lots) of family there and my parents grew up there though, so its kind of a second hometown for me (or third, but that's another story).

Also, in case it wasn't clear, I equate food with happiness. A visit home isn't complete without at least trip to the best hotdog restaurant ever, or a sandwich (complete with hot peppers) from Potbelly. Don't even get me started on pizza. Oh, pizza. How I miss you when I'm gone.

Sidenote: I'm sure other cities have pizza as well. Its just not the same. Let's not get into a debate on whether Windy City pizza or Big Apple pizza is better. Just agree to disagree, k? Mmmk!

So folks, to wrap up the story, I'm going home to eat. I will most likely return to the land of eternal summer a good 20 5 pounds heavier than when I leave here next week. I'm also going to drink. Lots. I am going to a bachelorette party and a wedding sans bebe, I mean, what do you expect?

I just hope I don't gain too much to fit back in the car at the end of the trip! ;)

My Memorial Day Weekend

The entire weekend was a complete whirlwind!

Amidst thunderstorms, my family arrived in town on Friday afternoon. I had planned on grilling bratwurst and enjoying a nice afternoon/evening outside, but since the weather was not cooperating we moved the party indoors! We still grilled, but instead of hanging outside we enjoyed lots of cocktails inside.

My mom and I made an appetizer for our party we were throwing on Saturday night and we really just enjoyed being all together.

AJ hanging out with her uncles!

Saturday we got up, made a big breakfast and then some of us hopped in the car and headed to post to check out the memorial, a museum, and some of the planes on the Air Force base. My family likes that sort of thing, so it was a nice way to spend the morning. We came back and the boys all went to the beach while my mom and I started cooking! We hosted an engagement party for D's best friend and his new fiance who got engaged this weekend. (You can read all about the recipes on my food blog, This American Kitchen.)

The party was a huge success! D's friend knew that we were planning this party, but his new fiance did not, so when she came in and realized that the party was for her, she was very excited! I was glad we were able to pull it off and that everyone had a good time.

Sunday started slowly after the partying from the night before, but as soon as we decided that we wanted to go to the lake, people started moving! We even took AJ over to cool off a little bit. She continues to think she can swim and tries to dive face first into the water, which makes me incredibly nervous. Luckily she doesn't seem to be fazed, so I guess we'll have to find her some swim lessons!

After some time playing at the lake and in the sand, we came home and stripped her down and let her play in her little plastic pool in the backyard to get some of the sand off of her. I got some of the cutest nekkid baby pictures ever! She just loves water, she can't get enough of it!

Swimming in the backyard!

We were all exhausted Sunday night and I was all cooked out after making all the food for the party on Saturday, so we ordered Chinese food and sat around and relaxed. We played in the yard for a while and my brother, sister, brother-in-law, Dad and sister's boyfriend all walked down the street to the vacant lot to get back in the lake.

Memorial Day began with pancakes and bacon and then we decided to check out the neighborhood pool for an hour before the fam had to hop in the car and head to the airport. We had a nice time sitting in the sunshine and tossing the frisbee around. AJ had to stay home because she needed a nap, but D and I took her back right before dinner so she could swim around a little bit. I think that AJ and I are probably going to try and go at least a few times a week to get out of the house for an hour or so.

All in all, we had a great weekend! We hosted a successful engagement party and had a great time spending quality time with my family. Its always sad to see them go, but I know that AJ and I will be back in Hometown, USA soon for a wedding, and we'll get to see them all again then!

How was your holiday weekend? How did you spend your time?

The Fun in Gift Giving

Do you have any big plans for the long weekend?

I mentioned that I would be MIA until after the weekend, but I have a few minutes while AJ is napping so I thought I'd check in with y'all!

My father-in-law and brother-in-law came into town last weekend and FIL headed home early this week while BIL is staying with us for the summer and working here.

Today my parents, brother, sister and sister's boyfriend are coming into town for the long weekend. D and I are currently trying to hash out the final list of what booze we're going to need before their plane lands! Just typically of my family, we make sure the important things are taken care of.

I've been cooking up a storm (mostly so that I can keep myself busy all day while waiting for them to get here!) and I'm making a few things that I cannot wait to try and will totally be posting on This American Kitchen when I get a chance, so be sure to check in there if you see a new post from me!

I am so incredibly excited to see everyone, but most of all, my sister. She has been in Australia for the past 3 months and I haven't seen her since Christmas. Even though she is 5 years younger than me, we're pretty close, so its been hard to not be able to text her anytime I feel like it! I also have her birthday gift that has been sitting in my bedroom since it arrived in late April. I will post a picture of it here after I give it to her.

Let's just say that I bought the same one for myself, as well. There's really nothing that Abby and I love more than shopping for gifts for each other. Its so much fun to buy a gift you know someone is going to love (and honestly, she is the only person I know will LOVE the gifts I buy for her).

Anyway, this post has turned into the most random post ever, and not at all what I set out to write about! Stay tuned for a real post, hopefully soon! No promises, though! ;)

Shift Change!

If you've ever worked anywhere that worked on shifts, you know how crazy things get at shift change. People are leaving, they're anxious to get home. People are coming, they're not as anxious to get into work.

We've had D's dad and brother here for the weekend and FIL is heading home today. (D's brother is staying for the summer.) Friday my parents, brother, sister and their significant others are coming to town for the long weekend. Essentially, we've got our very own shift change going on here this week!

Ours is a little different though. The people heading home are dragging their feet, while the newcomers are chomping at the bit to get here!

We've had a great time with Grandpa and we're sad to see him go, but I'm also very excited to see my family (especially my sister who has been in Australia for the last 3 months) and spend time with them. We have a busy weekend planned, so you may or may not see me for a few days! Ha!

I have to get the house cleaned up, guest rooms ready for the new visitors and laundry done! Not to mention the food that needs to be prepared before Friday.

Like I said, I'll see ya next week! Ha!

Summertime And The Living Is Easy.

I don't know about you, but I love the lazy days of Summer. There's just something to be said about a bonfire, a beer and a brat hot off the grill.

Where we live, we're already in the throws of Summer, the high today is supposed to 95-degrees. We've been attempting to stay cool, but at the same time, we're enjoying the sun and sand!

My in-laws were in town this weekend, and we made a trip up to the big store and bought a few fun things, one being a little plastic kiddie pool for AJ to splash around in and the other being an electric ice cream maker.

Keep an eye on my new cooking blog, This American Kitchen, next week (and all the time) for the recipe we used to make the ice cream and for other Summer-time treats!

Here are a few glimpses into what we've been up to this past weekend:

We had some friends over for a summer dinner and I busted out my Nora Fleming bowl with the beach ball charm on top! It goes perfectly with my Fiestaware.

I had an excess of strawberries after we got our farm box last week, so I canned them! The recipe will be on my food blog in a few days.

We grilled pizza. Yep, we're adventurous like that. It was delish! This recipe will also appear on my food blog in the next week!

And finally, I've spent every waking moment some quality time pinning beautiful things on Pinterest. Megan from Magnolias and Mimosas invited me and I'm so glad she did!

So, as you can see, I've been busy around here, cooking, entertaining, playing and relaxing! Oh, I've also enjoyed some ice cold beers on a friend's boat and eaten homemade ice cream with family. ;)

What are your plans for the summer?

P.S. AJ pictures coming as soon as I can steal get them from my FIL's camera.

Happy Mother's Day!

D's Aunt Debbie with me and AJ at AJ's baptism.

In honor of Mother's Day I have decided to do a photo post of all the mothers in our life.

Me with my Dad's parents the first time they met AJ.

D and I are lucky to have many strong women in our life and we know that they will do anything for us. Between our grandmothers, my mom, and D's aunt, we have lots of maternal support!

My mom and her first grand-baby!

D and I have known each other for a long time, and we are both very close with each other's families.

Me and my mom at my wedding.

I know that I could call D's grandma or Aunt for anything and they would make sure to help me out, and he can do the same with my mom or grandmas. I mean, his Aunt took me shopping for my engagement ring!

My mom's mom, Grammy, and AJ, last summer.

We don't live close to any of our families, so any chance we get to take AJ to see them, we jump at! Lots of my family lives in Ohio, and AJ and I had a chance to visit them there last summer so they could meet her for the first time!

D and my mom at a wedding last summer.

It was a whirlwind trip, and at times it was stressful trying to maximize the amount of time we had with the different families. In the end, though, I was glad that we were able to see everyone and let them meet AJ for the first time!

My brother walking my Grammy and Grandad down the aisle at my wedding.

AJ is the first grandchild for everyone, including the first great-grandchild for all of our grandparents. I have all four of my grandparents and D has two, so to be able to see them interact with their first great-grandchild is really priceless.

D's grandparents and Dad at our wedding.

We consider ourselves lucky to have all the women in our lives that we do, not just on Mother's Day, but every day.

D's Aunt Debbie the first time she met AJ.

And I have to thank my mom for dealing with all the crap I put her through growing up. I know that it wasn't easy to raise such a strong-willed, stubborn child, but I am eternally grateful to her for making sure that I always knew that I was worth it and empowering me to believe in myself.