Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Musings from the Edge

  • Its not the laptop, it is me. I cannot figure out how to reply to comments on the blog-bliggity-blog. I always want to respond but I cannot figure it out! Ugh! I know I must have my settings all squirrely, but cannot figure out what it is! *** If you know what my issue is, please let me know and I'll attempt to reply to you, if possible.
  • I use exclamation points more than necessary. I just get excited!
  • My dog is bored with me. Somtimes he just looks at me and walks into another room. Apparently he doesn't think I'm fun when I watch a marathon of tv in the afternoon. He wants me to get this job as much as I do. 
  • My bedroom is now a dark dark cave thanks to the light-destroying curtains we put up. No more waking up with the sun. Speaking of sun,  it is really messing my body clock when it stays bright and shiny until 9pm.
  • 99 degrees living in the South is verrrrry different than living in the West.

No artificial light needed for our sunglasses-necessary master bath!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Super Nose

Is it a gift? Is it a curse? At this moment, it is a bit of the latter. This super nose of mine is picking up all of the stinky things in a mile radius of my home. It is amplifying the blech of foods, my dog, repair and installation men, phantom lingering odors on random sidewalks, cigarette smoke from the car next to me at the stoplight, the korma (think curry, a lot of it) I made yesterday, and of course the smelly garbage in the next room.

All those eeeeeewww moments aside, I can truly enjoy the smell of my hubby coming home (my lord his cologne is simply amazing!), the scent of Remy's oatmeal puppy shampoo and conditioner (but not his stanky breath), my dryer sheets are intoxicating, and pear candles are divine.

I am PREGONATOR! Able to smell a truck stop restroom from the highway, cry at the start of a commercial, break out into teenage acne with the blink of an eye, pee, pee, and pee, and bloat like nobody's business. Pregnancy hasn't been exactly a beautiful thing s far, but is has MOST DEFINITELY been a  joyous thing.

I just hope this nose quits before the diapers arrive.

Friday, June 24, 2011

New Kicks

For a fetus! The baby bean inside of me has been gifted a pair of converse all-stars from his/her Uncle Justin and Aunt Jen. Jen works for Converse in Manhattan. Whenever I see them, I smile and think of them. Considering that I have them sitting on my coffee table, I think about my brother and his sweet girlfriend a lot. Miss you!

Size: A for Adorable
Baby shoes are one of my favorite things. They are so small and squishy and lovey... and now Hubby wants a pair to match the "One Inside"

Thursday, June 23, 2011

 Restaurant Love! Smoke on the Water in Downtown Greenville's West End is super delish! We sat on the patio just as a crazy storm was blowing through. It was hot and sticky weather for some hot and sticky barbecue. Yum-o!
Spicy Crab Dip (as you can see we helped ourselves before taking a photo)

Shawn's Choice of A WHOLE FRICKIN' CHICKEN with baked beans and onion rings
My very own tasty burger (all I wanted was brisket but I can't have smoked foods yet since the life I am growing inside needs thoroughly cooked meats) with holy-calories-that-was-good squash casserole.
After starting off the meal with a Sweet Tea for me and a hefeweisen for Happy Hubby and a brick of cornbread, we were in heaven slathered in homemade BBQ sauce. PS their Carolina Gold sauce is awe-some. It is a tangy yet sweet mustard based sauce I could put anything (and might just do that).

Off to visit more local houses of tastiness!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Pup in the City

This is Remy, bored and waiting for action. The only excitement he had so far during the move was being allowed to sleep on the beds in hotels (no laundry for me!).

Remy explored the Falls and Reedy River banks. Such a happy boy! and Daddy, too!

We made it to the Bark Park and Remy actually attempted to socialize with the other dogs, which he normally doesn't do. He's more chicken than dog sometimes.

After two and a half hours of "hiking" and playing, he passed right out.
 What a wonderful first weekend in Greenville. My Little Remy had so much fun and we had a blast with him. This time next year we'll be pushing a stroller and walking the dog on that same paved trail
by the River. Puttin' down some roots!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Introducing...my embryo

I just had my first pre-natal doctor appointment. And I nailed my due date! 
I should have placed a bet with the ultrasound technician; 
she really didn't believe that I would get my date correct, she said the majority of people don't.

January 15th it is!

Hearing our "Little Bean's" heartbeat 
sent me into my crazy person nervous-excited-giggles
(which I also did during my entire wedding ceremony)
that I do when I try not to cry.

Speaking of crying... I do a lot of that lately.
I also feel like I could eat an entire grocery store.
And I could hibernate for the entire summer.

 
Today the Bean is 8 weeks and 5 days.

Viva la Bride

Memorial Day weekend was one for the books. We celebrated Natalie's bachelorette party in Puerto Penasco, Mexico (Rocky Point to all you Arizonans). It was a great sun drenched weekend filled with laughter; perfect to usher Nat into her wedded life. Congrats, love! I can't wait to see you in July for the Big Day!

When Natalie met "Ricardo"


I want to make this a postcard, "Welcome to Rocky Point, Mex."




Beautiful Sunset

Cheers to the Bride

My weekend beverage, everyone wanted some. Tastes so good!

For all the other ladies

Steph took "Ricardo" swimming and Roxie played lifeguard.


Gifts, a little raunchy a little racy all in good fun

Thursday, June 9, 2011

On the Road

Picture it: America, June 2011 A happily married couple of one year, a two-year-old mutt and a six year old painted aquatic turtle take to the open road on a four-day journey across the You Ess of Ay. That is a lot of driving (that the husband did ), people. The little pup is a nervous, anxious guy, just like his mama. When I stress, my hair falls out just and I eat like crazy. When the pup stresses, he releases clouds of fur and avoids food. Interesting, no? Anyway... we jammed the travel turtle tank on the floorboard behind my seat (it s only a two-door car) and attempted to keep the pup in the back seat with our awesome new picnic basket (its a Coleman cooler/picnic basket, loves it!). Off we drove crossing through New Mexico, stopping for the night in Albuquerque. The air was thick with smoke and stung my nose when we stepped from the car.

Leaving AZ (looking rather green, actually)
The second day we rose up early, after a delicious breakfast of biscuits and (instant) sausage gravy and fruit, and drove off into the morning sun. We crossed from New Mexico to Texas. The sign leaving New Mexico was beautiful making the little metal sign announcing our Texas entrance a little sad looking. We drove through Texas' top, through cattle country on Old Route 66. The landscape sprawling in front of us. Dusty and spartan, we drove hours through the desert. I was excited at the prospect of seeing the famous Cadillac Ranch. Blink and you'd miss it. Ten cars poked from the ground in a line. That was it. Sorry, Amarillo. I didn't get a picture in protest of the disappointing show. I thought it would look more like a car-henge than a short stripe of cars.

Remy trying to sneak into the front seat

It seemed almost immediately upon venturing into Oklahoma green sprouted from the ground and the flat terrain turned hilly. It was a most welcome surprise. I had no idea what Oklahoma would be like, if I did have an idea is was from old black and white westerns, and I would have been wrong. Beautiful countryside dotted with an occasional oil pump-rig-thing. I learned from a billboard that Oklahoma was the first state to test out using yield signs (which I started calling Oklahomas every time I saw one). We camped in a super nice Spring Hill Suites with a couple girls' softball teams for the night.
On the banks of the mighty Mississippi, rose Memphis

The Belgian waffle I chowed on that morning was delish! I really need a waffle iron as I need to recreate that tastiness often. This was a long drive through Oklahoma, Arkansas into Tennessee. It was in Arkansas that we felt the wall of Southern humidity that will be in our new home town. Holy cow! It was like being hit in the face with a wet towel. Moving right along... bang! We hit the Mississippi! Okay not really, but we saw the remains of the flooding and then crossed the mighty river. I had neverf seen it before and laughed that we were finally on the same side of the country as our ENTIRE family (with the exception of Corey, Hubby's younger brother, who lives in Tempe, AZ). As we approached Memphis on the bank of the river, I told Hubs that Memphis was a city in Egypt. He laughed at me and pointed to a giant pyramid, and said, "I guess you're right." I know I'm right, it just is great to have that rightness acknowledged immediately upon uttering the statement. We reached Nashville in 10 hours. Way to drive Hubba Hubba Hubby!

He was really tired of driving and being all squished up
The fourth and finally final day of our great escape from the desert saw us through the second half of  TN, North Carolina ending in South Carolina. The Smokey Mountains are breathtaking! That night we hunkered down in our extended stay, I was able to convince the dog to sleep with me (he he he) after Shawn went to sleep, and I ordered in pizza. It was late and Dominoes was the only thing open. Give me some time to get used to the South before I dive head first into that yumtastic food. It'll happen soon, don't y'all worry.
The final stretch through the Smokies

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Morning Veg

I have decided to eat up all the lettuce in my lil garden-built-out-of-love. Made a delicious salad last night. Happy with its crisp flavorfulness, I plucked another chunk from the earth. I gently tossed it into the sink after ripping off the dirt-clod root. Rinsing the leaves with running water, smelling the earthy smell, handling the big ol' caterpillar... the WHAT?!

I screamed! I mean, it was squirming around all one inch of him. Bleeghghh! I shot it with the detachable faucet washing it down the drain with my fears. Immediately, I felt bad for the poor little guy. Maybe I wasn't awake enough to be picking vegetables at 7am? Maybe that should be a night prep for the next day's lunch? Maybe waking my temporary roommate up with a blood curdling scream wasn't the nicest either.Sorry Kenda :)

I made her a breakfast berry smoothie to make up for it. I buy my way out of freaking people out by providing them with food. Getting some Vitamin C in during the AM doesn't hurt me either ;)

Lettuce in the back, carrots in the front and cucumbers on the side YUM!
 P.S. Wrote this two weeks ago, but for some reason never published. Slacker!

Every two years we pack up and go

Someone once said,"If you can get through a move, you can get through anything." Hubster and I move every two years, it seems. Obviously this last move will have been the most difficult of all previous moves. Happy Hubby and I have lived together since, oh dear, the summer of 2005.

We first ventured from our "single" living (he out of his fraternity house, and I from my house I shared with three great friends - a sorority of sorts) and moved down the road a bit into our first apartment in Tempe, Arizona. It was a beautiful one-bedroom just across from the gorgeous complex pool. It was also infested with scorpions. We captured 11 of them in the last year we lived there.



We then moved to Phoenix, near the base of South Mountain. Hello fun hiking in our front yard! Another beautiful apartment, this one a two-bedroom just below some interesting characters (and beside a R&B fanatic smoker who filled my closet with its stench until they moved out). We lived there when we became engaged.

In 2009 we purchased our first home. A 'burb enthusiast, I loved living in Chandler. So close to everything and anything. Our three-bedroom three-bathroom house was a wonderful home.  This is the house we resided in when we married, when we rescued Remy, where we planned a baby nursery. I cried like a baby when we left.

Coming up soon: our new home in Greenville, SC and how we got there!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

When I Grow Up

What did you want to be when you grew up? I changed my mind every couple of months or so. I wanted to be a nurse, a teacher, a ballerina, a children's book author (but only for kids younger than my seven-year-old self).

When did you picture yourself becoming the dreaded adult? I always thought it was when I turned 27. That was the age my parents were when they got married and when they had lil ol' me (ok, my dad turned 28 a couple of weeks before I burst onto the scene).


What did you think constituted being a grown up? I thought I would be old and dress in suits and be very serious all the time. I thought I would suddenly, overnight transform from a Beverly Hills 90210 teen into Zach Morris's mom. Funny how growing up you don't see adults very often in fun roles, they usually sit on the periphery and not given any interested story lines in young-adult geared shows.

I woke up this morning wondering if I fit my child-prescribed version of adulthood. Kinda? I wear suits (on days I'm seeing clients, only... I am a true rebel, baby). I really don't feel that interesting (I need a hobby something fierce) like a sitcom mom, I never thought that I would work in the event sales industry, but wish I would have stuck with at least one of my childhood dream-careers, I am not very serious. I pay bills, I have a mortgage, I have student loans, I am married with a dog and a turtle.


I'll grow up another day. Today I'll be the Most Interesting Man in the World.

Photo from April 23, 2011 ;)