tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72043255176817931392024-03-13T09:12:45.214-07:00Crashing Into NewAs I see it, life is just a series of collisions with change.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-73971330271782844342015-06-02T14:52:00.000-07:002015-06-02T14:52:34.789-07:0040 Things I’ve Learned in 40 Years (in no particular order)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Family is the most important thing.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Good friends are hard to come by so keep the
ones you’ve got.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Books are the best entertainment.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Kids are hard work.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>But kids are also unbelievably amazing.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Unexpected gifts are usually the best ones.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Chocolate chip cookies will cure almost
everything.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Being sick is never any fun but having sick kids
is worse.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Traveling by train is better than traveling by
car or plane.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Amazon has everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Some recent things I’ve ordered: a mermaid
tail, a coloring book designed for adults, books for homeschooling, prenatal
vitamins, Kind bars, and extra bottles for my Sodastream machine.)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Music is nice but sometimes silence is just
better.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Prayers do get answered.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>A good nap always makes you feel better.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>There is almost never just one right way to do
something.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>It is better to have integrity than to have
money.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Be yourself.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>No one else really cares about what you’re
wearing so wear whatever you want (except maybe don’t take style cues from
peopleofwalmart.com).</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Sometimes you just need to color.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Always carry a water bottle because someone will
be thirsty.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Depression sucks.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">21.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Completely clearing your email inbox can be a
major accomplishment so feel proud of yourself.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">22.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Be honest.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">23.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Wear comfortable shoes.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">24.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>I really don’t like raisins.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">25.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Black and white photographs are more interesting
than color photographs.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">26.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>You are good enough.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">27.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Taking a walk does clear your head.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">28.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Making your bed in the morning isn’t really that
hard (but I still don’t do it very often).</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">29.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Memories are better than things.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">30.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Sometimes you just need to binge watch a good TV
show (or even a bad one).</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">31.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>You can choose to be happy but that doesn’t mean
it’s easy to do.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">32.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>It’s good to follow your dreams because you
never know where they might lead you.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">33.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Travel is good for the soul.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">34.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Being near the water is relaxing.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">35.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Splurge on a good mattress.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">36.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Say thank you.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">37.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Be kind.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">38.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Don’t waste your time with negative people.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">39.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Math is fun.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">40.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Laughter is the best medicine so be silly.</div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-19099732282408074622015-06-01T10:43:00.003-07:002015-06-01T10:43:27.607-07:00My Rainbow After the Storm<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tomorrow I will be 40 years old and I will also be 30 weeks
pregnant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just writing that statement
brings tears to my eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m happy and
sad at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing
wrong with my baby and I am not sad about being pregnant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am overjoyed about this baby and can’t wait
to meet her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tears come because of
everything that led to me being pregnant for my 40<sup>th</sup> birthday (which
was certainly not in my life plan).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is my sixth pregnancy but I only have two
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had three miscarriages
between 2013 and 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought the
first one was the worst thing that ever happened to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It involved two trips to the ER and minor
surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It happened right before
Thanksgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t get over
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went through the holidays in a
daze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then January came and I thought the new year would be
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a few days later, my son, Julian, got
sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had a high fever for days and
his eyes were bright red and the doctors didn’t know what was wrong with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was caring for him day and night and then
he was hospitalized for Kawasaki disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The stay in the hospital was awful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The IV treatment he needed lasted 12 hours and then we had to stay for
24 hours to make sure his fever didn’t come back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He came home and seemed better but his fever
returned and he was back in the hospital a few days later for a second
treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stay in the hospital was
easier the second time because he was allowed to go to the playroom and he had
a more comfortable hospital room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he
consumed all of my energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I barely saw
my husband or my daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
strangely grateful that I wasn’t pregnant while having to deal with all of that
stress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we went home from the
hospital the second time, Julian seemed much better and he looked better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the fever returned and blood tests
showed that the treatment still hadn’t worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We ended up at the hospital for a third time but this time, we had to go
to Seattle because Julian needed to see specialists and get a different kind of
treatment since the others hadn’t worked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom came to the hospital with us and stayed overnight
with us for the first two nights and she was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a meltdown on the second morning when
Julian threw his cup of chocolate milk with his aspirin in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had been on 20 aspirin a day for over two
weeks by that time and it was torture trying to get him to take it, whether at
home or at the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he threw
that cup, I finally lost it and said some choice words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mom told me to take a break and leave the
hospital for a couple of hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I did
since I knew she would take care of him just as well as I could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left the hospital the next day and never
went back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though the treatment
worked, he still didn’t fully recover for several months after that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tired very easily and hardly ate and we
had lots of follow-up visits with his pediatrician and his cardiologist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(In fact, we just had another follow-up with
his cardiologist this week and everything looks great.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Julian continued to recover, I found out that I was
pregnant again at the beginning of March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I couldn’t believe it and didn’t want to get my hopes up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just two weeks later, I miscarried. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before my first one, I kind of imagined that
it would just last a day or two and then be over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that is definitely not the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My second miscarriage lasted eleven days and
for at least two of those days, I hardly moved from my recliner and heating
pad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pain was intense and sometimes
felt like being in labor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After that, I forced myself to feel better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked for almost an hour every day and
started training for a 5K.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was doing
pretty good until the week before Father’s Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first baby that I lost had been due on Father’s Day and for that
week, that’s all that I could think about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was in tears constantly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
on that Saturday night before Father’s Day, I found out that I was pregnant
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t believe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t sure that I could allow myself to be
happy about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was about 8 weeks along, I went to the OB because I
wasn’t feeling well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She did an
ultrasound and said that she saw the heartbeat and that everything looked fine
and the baby was measuring just over 6 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I left the office feeling vaguely reassured but also confused because I
knew there was no way the baby could only be 6 weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I just hoped the doctor was right and everything
was fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two weeks later, I knew it
wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I realized that I was going
to lose my third baby, it felt like I fell into a hole and I was never going to
get out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I barely left the house and my
kids watched TV all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ate
whatever junk food was available and curled up in my bed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It took me a few months and the help of a good therapist to
finally feel better again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
referred to the infertility clinic for some testing to see if there was a
reason for the multiple miscarriages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They did a few tests and everything was normal so they said it was
probably just my age and that I should try to get pregnant again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if I did get pregnant again, their clinic
would support me and give me early ultrasounds to check on the baby.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On December 1<sup>st</sup>, I found out that I was pregnant
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very worried but slightly
hopeful too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had an ultrasound at 6
weeks that was good, then another at 9 weeks that showed the baby moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctors said that after seeing that, my
chances of another miscarriage had dropped to 3%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally relaxed a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to actually plan for a baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had more ultrasounds at 12, 16, 19, and 20
weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just had my last one at 28
weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started feeling the baby move
at around 16 weeks and she has been kicking like crazy ever since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My rainbow baby is a girl and the name we’ve chosen for her
means “bright.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has brought the light
back into my life and I can’t wait to meet her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-24192416497130102052011-11-23T23:14:00.000-08:002011-11-23T23:14:05.924-08:00Pinterest Inspired MeI do not like to cook or bake. I did like to bake once upon a time in college but ever since then, I have just hated to be in the kitchen. <br />
<br />
Then I saw this picture of a brownie pie on Pinterest. Brownies are okay but I'm fine with or without them. They're not something I ever crave but if my mom makes a batch, I'll eat some. However, I saw this pie and thought that it looked very delicious and the recipe is super easy. So I told my family that I would make one for Thanksgiving and I did. Tomorrow, we'll see how it tastes and if it lives up to my expectations.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-91434208472051013642011-11-22T23:00:00.000-08:002011-11-22T23:00:27.122-08:00Toy ClutterI decided that we need to downsize Julian's toys before Christmas rolls around. I know that he's getting new toys and he has a lot that he doesn't really play with. <br />
<br />
Right now, Julian's three main categories of toys are cars, trains, and tools. Those are the things that he constantly plays with all day long. So I figured most of his other toys can go. I loaded up one grocery bag so far and will probably go through some more tomorrow. There are plenty of other toys here for him to play with since my parents have a playroom fully stocked with all kinds of stuff. I think I might help them cull a few things from there too. <br />
<br />
Julian has a few other special toys that he likes and I'll just put them away in a drawer for now to be rotated out later. I keep thinking about all the toys we have in storage that he doesn't remember and doesn't need. Most of those will be donated as soon as we get the stuff out of storage. There are a few I'll keep for Mati but I really want to keep toys to a minimum so my kids will really enjoy the toys they do have.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-44355325433333061422011-11-21T23:22:00.000-08:002011-11-21T23:22:24.425-08:00I Am Not PatientI am horrible at waiting for things. I never wait until Christmas or my birthday to see if I'll get a gift that I've been wanting. I just buy myself things when I want or need them. Patience is not my strong suit. Right now, I'm waiting to hear if our mortgage loan got approved. My lender said the process would probably take 3 days. It's been a whole week now (okay, I know the weekend doesn't count but still). I've been trying to keep myself busy doing other things but the waiting is driving me crazy. <br />
<br />
At the same time, I'm waiting for Brian to call. So right now is not a good time for me since my patience is being tested from all sides. Hopefully I will learn something from the experience.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-15080128274343611172011-11-19T23:45:00.000-08:002011-11-19T23:45:54.522-08:00Sometimes You Just Have to LaughToday I was changing Julian's diaper and he started to pee but he managed to pee in his own face before I realized what was happening. So I quickly blocked the flow but it just kept coming. By the time he was done, he had to go straight into the bathtub because he had pretty much soaked himself. I was laughing the whole time (mostly for the times he peed on me when he was an infant). It wasn't really funny but if I hadn't laughed, I would have probably cried. There are so many moments as a parent where the situation is crazy or overwhelming and you could just lose it so you have to laugh to release the stress and the tension.<br />
<br />
Later in the day, I heard a strange noise from the dining room where Julian was playing. I went in there to check on him. He had discovered a canister of oatmeal on the table and emptied the entire thing into an empty Tupperware container that happened to be on the table next to it. He had spilled hardly any of the oatmeal on the table and he seemed like he was having fun. I walked into the living room and laughed before going back to help him return the oatmeal to its canister. He's always getting into everything. This time, he hadn't destroyed anything or found anything dangerous, he was simply having fun with oatmeal. I figure maybe that's a new activity we can do together next time.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-85622267771942749252011-11-17T23:32:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:32:17.515-08:00Not My DayI went to the doctor today to get some things checked out. You never want to hear a doctor say, "It's worse than I thought." It's just not good. The procedure that followed was even worse. It was not a happy day for me. But hopefully everything will be good now. That's all I have to say.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-36952736677395760932011-11-17T00:13:00.000-08:002011-11-17T00:13:21.814-08:00Gift Giving and ReceivingThis is a topic that has been on my mind a lot lately, mostly because of the amazing amount of gifts that people have given to Matilda. Also, my friend Jen's recent blog posts. Check out her post from <a href="http://galanapalooza.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-am-no-good-at-buying-gifts.html">today</a>.<br />
<br />
We did not have a baby shower for Matilda. I didn't want one because we didn't need any baby stuff and the primary purpose of a baby shower is to get stuff. <br />
<br />
My friends in El Paso surprised me with a few baby gifts the week before we left while we were having a Girls' Night Out at Olive Garden. I really appreciated their thoughtfulness.<br />
<br />
Here in Tacoma, my mom decided to host an open house so everyone could come and meet Matilda and hang out with the whole family. To me, an open house is not a gift giving occasion. Everyone brought gifts. And not just for Mati. Almost everyone also brought Julian a gift and several brought gifts for my niece and nephew too. This was very generous but I didn't want people to bring gifts.<br />
<br />
I know that sounds horrible but I'm not a good gift receiver. I'm just not and never have been. You can ask my mother. I returned many a gift throughout the years. Since Mati is only 2 months old, I am the one receiving gifts on her behalf. I have to write the thank you notes (a task I absolutely detest) and I have to be gracious and polite about the gifts. <br />
<br />
Now it's not that I don't appreciate the kindness that people are showing. It's just that I am extremely, extremely picky. Especially when it comes to anything for my children. <br />
<br />
Here's an example: I only buy 100% cotton pajamas for my kids, ones that have not been treated with flame retardants. Natural fibers are not as flammable as polyester and other synthetics so they don't have to be treated with flame retardants (which are nasty toxic chemicals that children should not be exposed to). Infant sleepers are not treated with flame retardants but I still don't want my baby wearing polyester fleece. We were given lots of fleece (and not a single gift receipt). So I donated the gifts to several other needy families. <br />
<br />
If you want to buy a gift for a baby, do not buy clothes. Everyone buys clothes and the new parents don't get things they really need (like diapers, wipes, babysitting and a night out). If you absolutely must buy some totally adorable outfit, then at least give a gift receipt so they can exchange the outfit for something they really need. That might sound tacky but a baby grows so quickly that often they don't have time to wear all their new clothes so other gifts are way more practical. A new baby really only needs a few onesies and sleepers in each size for the first several months. <br />
<br />
So please don't buy anything for my kids. Seriously, don't buy them anything. They don't need it. If they do need something, their grandparents will get it for them if I haven't gotten it fast enough.<br />
<br />
For me, I don't want candles, lotions or bath products, jewelry, clothing, or anything that will take up space in my home. If you love me, don't give me anything. If you must give me something, make it a Barnes and Noble gift card so I can download new books to my Nook and there is nothing more to clutter my house. (Amazon gift cards are also fine because I buy a lot of music from there and I find other obscure things that I can't get elsewhere.) Someone please tell my husband this.<br />
<br />
I have always loved the other side of the equation - gift giving. For many years, I have tried to put a lot of thought into what the recipient needs or wants. I always ask my family members what they would like for Christmas and birthdays and I make a list. Sometimes I end up giving gift cards but only ones that I know will get used. Gift cards aren't always a great gift. I have a $50 WalMart gift card just sitting around in an envelope because WalMart is not convenient here and even if it was, I am not a WalMart shopper. I am a Target shopper. It was a generous gift but if it's not being used, it's not a good gift. <br />
<br />
I used to travel a lot and I would buy gifts for my family and friends on every trip. I didn't just buy whatever touristy crap I could find though. I had fun finding beautiful scarves, tasty snacks, cookbooks, toys, wood carvings, etc. Each item was lovingly selected by me for each individual. Gifts are definitely one of my love languages but now I've realized that people don't need (or want) the stuff. The best gifts I have received lately are those of service. <br />
<br />
So don't buy gifts for Christmas this year, give of yourself. Make a meal, babysit, clean someone's house, send a nice handwritten letter to let a friend know you're thinking of them. If you don't get any gifts, be happy that you don't have to spend time taking care of that stuff. Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-85916933939911872132011-11-15T13:19:00.000-08:002011-11-15T13:19:47.808-08:00Posting From My PhoneI posted yesterday about my addiction to my smartphone (a Droid 2 if anyone cares) but I had never written a blog post from my phone. So here it is, a post from my phone.<br />
<br />
*So the above was written from my phone and then it went all crazy on me so now I'm on my laptop and there will probably be no more posts from my phone. The kids kept me up all night and I'm barely coherent so this is it for today.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-79190726026915276152011-11-14T23:13:00.000-08:002011-11-15T00:07:38.976-08:00I Love the InternetThe Internet is amazing. It really is. I was just thinking about all of the things we used to have that the Internet has replaced. These are all things I no longer need because I can just use the Internet: phone books, TV, DVDs (for the most part), CDs, radios, books, stores (I do 90% of my shopping online, except for groceries), even phones. <br />
<br />
I'm not saying I've gotten rid of or stopped using all of these things because I haven't but I do use the Internet as a replacement most of the time. I'm addicted to my smartphone because it has the Internet. I can read all of my favorite blogs, check my email, update my Facebook status, read books and magazines, send pictures to my friends and family, and add things to my Amazon cart, all from my phone. <br />
<br />
The one thing I haven't done with my smartphone is write a blog post. Maybe I'll try that tomorrow.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-86102214237116686122011-11-13T23:34:00.000-08:002011-11-13T23:34:24.453-08:00You Know You're a Mom When...<ul><li>You have entirely too many conversations about bodily functions.</li>
<li>You are always the last one to eat dinner.</li>
<li>You frequently have uninvited company in the bathroom.</li>
<li>You clean out your purse and find toys and/or crumbs.</li>
<li>You wake up in the middle of the night with the alphabet song or the potty song (or possibly a cartoon theme song) stuck in your head.</li>
<li>You have spit-up on your shirt and so you throw on a sweater to cover it up (since there are no other clean shirts).</li>
<li>You are constantly evaluating the "childproofness" of an item before buying it.</li>
<li>Your alarm clock has two arms and two legs and has been known to headbutt you to wake you up.</li>
<li>You wonder if animal crackers and organic fruit snacks constitute a balanced meal.</li>
<li>You dream of someday getting out of the house in under 30 minutes.</li>
</ul>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-86052927777831798552011-11-12T22:22:00.000-08:002011-11-12T22:22:29.500-08:00Saturday FunToday was a gray, rainy day here in Tacoma. But we had a fun day anyway. My parents and I took the kids down to Freighthouse Square where we had lunch. I had a yummy Vietnamese mango salad and some noodles. <br />
<br />
After lunch, we rode the Link "train" to the end of the line and back. Julian was very excited to ride the choo-choo and he didn't want to go home afterwards. He wanted to ride some more (or jump in puddles). <br />
<br />
Mati just chilled in her sling for most of the trip. I wish I had taken some pictures but I was too busy having fun with my family to get out the camera.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-18710218868012391552011-11-11T23:25:00.000-08:002011-11-11T23:25:24.139-08:00I'm An Army WifeI have been married to Brian for almost 5.5 years now and we have been separated for almost 3 of those years. I knew when I married him that deployments were likely but the reality is much harder than I imagined it would be. We are nearing the end of his third (and final) deployment. I am happy that we won't ever have to go through it again. Even though the deployments have been very difficult, I know that both of us have become stronger, both individually and together, because of them.<br />
<br />
I am proud to be the wife of a soldier and I wouldn't change it for anything. I will always be proud of Brian for the many years of service he has given to our country. <br />
<br />
Happy Veteran's Day!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-18882234539171251182011-11-11T23:18:00.000-08:002011-11-11T23:18:41.872-08:00It's the Small ThingsThis month, I find myself appreciating the little things. Here are some things I'm grateful for right now:<br />
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<ul><li>Hot showers</li>
<li>Shirts that are stain-free (I'm finding these hard to come by these days)</li>
<li>Julian's ever-expanding vocabulary (I love every new word)</li>
<li>Chocolate</li>
<li>Cloth diapers (I never have to run to the store because I'm out of diapers)</li>
<li>Phone calls from my husband</li>
<li>Baby smiles and giggles</li>
<li>Pretty burp cloths</li>
<li>Lemonade (I could seriously drink it by the gallon)</li>
<li>Being organized (I was able to easily find the papers I needed for the mortgage application)</li>
<li>My family and friends (even if I only see them on Facebook right now)</li>
</ul>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-10598019471417876032011-11-10T00:10:00.000-08:002011-11-10T00:10:51.703-08:00Decluttering UpdateI started this blog when I was in the midst of a major decluttering project. We were preparing to move and put most of our stuff in storage for a while. I originally kept track of everything leaving our home but then it got to be too much because we were so busy. <br />
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We had to be out of our apartment at the end of July and we ended up living in a hotel for a week as we emptied our apartment and then waited for Brian to deploy.<br />
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Here's all of our stuff in the POD.<br />
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We had some awesome friends come and help us get all the stuff out of our apartment and figure out how to make it all fit in the POD. We rented a hand truck from Home Depot since we lived in a second floor apartment but the guys who helped us never even used it. I was very impressed, especially when they moved our washer and dryer.<br />
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Here's the POD closed up and ready to go. I can't believe all our stuff fit in there.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW_R7pV4VcC6bVmIgiRgtfYOBnXDQwvTmSvRB4ucnCYanF8cysxsqhDctCA3quRuO5lBnp3-O5HcxynbCRifYThGkV5NEVBXZCG6zFnRMXwEK6VmWOlM500gUh1hycdmM01Vxh_pZ6xg0/s1600/IMG_1593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW_R7pV4VcC6bVmIgiRgtfYOBnXDQwvTmSvRB4ucnCYanF8cysxsqhDctCA3quRuO5lBnp3-O5HcxynbCRifYThGkV5NEVBXZCG6zFnRMXwEK6VmWOlM500gUh1hycdmM01Vxh_pZ6xg0/s320/IMG_1593.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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At the end, we had a hard time deciding what to do with a bunch of stuff. Should it go to storage or should it be shipped to my parents? Since we weren't sure, it ended up in our hotel. There was so much stuff in our hotel room that there was barely room to walk. Most of the stuff ended up being shipped to my parents' house. There were about 20 boxes total shipped starting in July until the day we left El Paso. Some of the stuff probably could have gone to storage but we just weren't sure about a lot of it since the next year of our lives was so up in the air. So we shipped my clothes and personal things; Julian's clothes, books, and some toys (including his tricycle); lots of baby stuff; most of Brian's clothes; and other miscellaneous items we didn't really want in storage. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2bjNKIFY7XIEym3mNyStEWQhTfHto6dWY_1EPXh4qWRX-wJqYpKKVzl5BiQJil3DP-Rj0F46W-e4t-Y34y66GNhEinaDVzACoOXyVf-FKrRCL1xpD8t3UWesXNkDXfszNJO5L9Q0sH9K/s1600/IMG_1609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2bjNKIFY7XIEym3mNyStEWQhTfHto6dWY_1EPXh4qWRX-wJqYpKKVzl5BiQJil3DP-Rj0F46W-e4t-Y34y66GNhEinaDVzACoOXyVf-FKrRCL1xpD8t3UWesXNkDXfszNJO5L9Q0sH9K/s320/IMG_1609.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid690wEotleRumn2NPoHPnAoGc_ifFj8BnBhRo0DanIVsLJvP8Or1PLqWcCDqIOnTsvxrBDtMOzVgxAQko6L6kBH-LPb2D7MUVrZRsNN7bNaYTjtAWikEy1HFlHV3KPJGg9O0ulAToAC40/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid690wEotleRumn2NPoHPnAoGc_ifFj8BnBhRo0DanIVsLJvP8Or1PLqWcCDqIOnTsvxrBDtMOzVgxAQko6L6kBH-LPb2D7MUVrZRsNN7bNaYTjtAWikEy1HFlHV3KPJGg9O0ulAToAC40/s320/IMG_1606.JPG" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Embarrassing photos of our hotel room with all of our junk.<br />
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We also had as much stuff as you could possibly fit in our car while there were three people riding in it. <br />
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When I arrived at my parents' house and saw all the boxes, it was pretty crazy. Fortunately, my sister was totally awesome and helped me unpack them and get everything put away somewhere before the baby came. At 8.5 months pregnant, I definitely needed the help. Now, you'd never know that we brought that much stuff with us because I've hidden most of it away in dressers or in Julian's closet. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXEIaC2XL3Ejwk4c5vZz6eJORQFtSgk8zfOKy-VTH1O3Atw6QRihPVMpWX2NanlxzdOsUZdbHZCwI6yljuf9jD3Hl1Z2PoDHz9RoW2n4e5D4VfDPYy4trgetl-P_sp1JPRwfGxpm-0lFw/s1600/IMG_1655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXEIaC2XL3Ejwk4c5vZz6eJORQFtSgk8zfOKy-VTH1O3Atw6QRihPVMpWX2NanlxzdOsUZdbHZCwI6yljuf9jD3Hl1Z2PoDHz9RoW2n4e5D4VfDPYy4trgetl-P_sp1JPRwfGxpm-0lFw/s320/IMG_1655.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is what my room looked like shortly after arriving in Tacoma.<br />
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I found so many bizarre things that we brought with us that should have ended up in storage. Two salt shakers (but no pepper), the cord for my Shark vacuum, random magnets that are part of one of Julian's toys (that's in storage), and other fun stuff. I just took an empty suitcase and filled it all up with this random stuff and shoved it in the back of the cloest.<br />
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I realized that I still had a lot of decluttering to do so I've continued to get rid of things pretty much every day (inspired by <a href="http://www.365lessthings.com/">365 Less Things</a>, one of my absolute favorite blogs). Things that have been leaving lately: maternity clothes, baby clothes that Mati has already outgrown (or hand-me-downs that are not right for this season), and toys. My mom has a free table at work and several of her colleagues are pregnant so everything has quickly found new homes. I love knowing that stuff I don't need is being used by someone else who appreciates it.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-31693341483089457652011-11-08T23:00:00.000-08:002011-11-08T23:00:28.506-08:00My ABCsI've seen this on a few other blogs lately and thought it was fun, so here goes.<br />
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<strong>A</strong>ge: 36<br />
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<b>B</b>ed size: Currently full-size but my bed that's in storage is a queen-size and I'm longing for a king-size once we buy a house.<br />
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<b>C</b>hore I hate: Anything in the kitchen.<br />
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<b>D</b>ogs: None.<br />
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<b>E</b>ssential start to my day: Getting out of bed.<br />
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<b>F</b>avorite color: Green.<br />
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<b>G</b>old or silver: Definitely silver.<br />
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<b>H</b>eight: 5'6". <br />
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<b>I</b>nstruments I play: None currently but in my youth I played piano, violin, and ukulele.<br />
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<b>J</b>ob title: Mommy.<br />
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<b>K</b>ids: Two - Julian, 2.5 and Matilda, 2 months.<br />
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<b>L</b>ive: Tacoma, WA (previous addresses: Sarasota, FL; Bellingham, WA; Arlington, VA; New York City; Pusan, South Korea; El Paso, TX)<br />
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<b>M</b>other's name: Susan<br />
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<b>N</b>icknames: Beth, Bethy.<br />
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<b>O</b>vernight hospital stays: After giving birth to my babies (and also a few days before in Julian's case).<br />
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<b>P</b>et Peeve: Hand towels that are damp so you can't really dry your hands on them.<br />
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<b>Q</b>uote from a movie: "I feel like I'm babysitting, except I'm not getting paid."<br />
<span class="linksoda"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/quotes?qt0350265"></a></span><br />
<b>R</b>ight or left handed: Right.<br />
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<b>S</b>iblings: One younger sister.<br />
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<b>T</b>ime I wake up: Whenever Julian starts yelling in my ear or sticking toys in my face, normally much earlier than I'd like to be awake.<br />
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<b>U</b>nderwear: Always.<br />
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<b>V</b>egetable I hate: Celery.<br />
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<b>W</b>hat makes me run late: A toddler who argues about everything.<br />
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<b>X</b>-rays I've had: My hand when I was in 4th grade. A gazillion dental x-rays plus some of my back and probably a few others I don't remember.<br />
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<b>Y</b>ummy food I make: Borscht (but only I think it's yummy). I really hate to cook.<br />
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<b>Z</b>oo animal: Elephants.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-12683440137300896022011-11-07T23:54:00.000-08:002011-11-07T23:54:01.862-08:00House HuntingI thought that it would be fun to look for a house. It's really not so much fun.<br />
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Here are some gems that I've seen:<br />
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1. Neon green basement and the exterior of the house covered with graffiti<br />
2. Huge indoor pool but the rest of the house was completely gutted<br />
3. Two huge bathrooms but three teeny-tiny bedrooms<br />
4. Little old lady house<br />
5. Master bedroom was actually a hair salon and the hallway was covered in scenic tropical wallpaper<br />
6. Stairwell painted to look like an aquarium<br />
7. Cedar shingles and faux brick on interior walls plus wallpaper borders stapled up in the bathroom<br />
8. Cat pee house<br />
9. Crazy layout with small rooms but a twisty slide connected to a shed in the backyard (My realtor actually went down the slide just for fun.)<br />
10. A place that should have been on Hoarders<br />
11. Cigarette smell and a weird room over the garage<br />
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Out of all the houses I've seen so far, there were only two that I sort of liked. One definitely has more space but only one bathroom and no garage. The second house had 1.5 baths and a garage but much less square footage. <br />
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I don't have a large wish list for a house. This is it:<br />
One bedroom large enough for a king-size bed (we don't have one yet but we want one in our new house), 2-3 other bedrooms, a decent-sized bathroom and kitchen, a large living area, and a fenced yard. <br />
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I just want space for the kids to run around and space for me to relax. The house doesn't have to be updated and modern but it has to have the potential to look good with not a lot of work. <br />
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I keep searching the listings hoping for something new that looks promising. I'm sure our house is out there just waiting for us to find it.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-21142624104425401032011-11-07T00:02:00.000-08:002011-11-07T00:02:08.683-08:00NaBloPoMo vs NaNoWriMo (and the art of letter writing)NaBloPoMo stands for National Blog Posting Month and I didn't read the details of it until tonight. It started November 1st and involves blogging about a specific theme every day for the month of November. <br />
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Since I got in on it a little late, I'm not exactly going to follow the rules. Instead, I am just going to try and blog every day in November. Since I missed a few days, I will write some extra posts so that I eventually have 30 posts, one for each day of the month.<br />
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NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It also occurs every November. The rules are that you must write a 50,000 word novel between midnight November 1st and midnight November 30. No one ever reads your novel unless you want them to. To get counted as a participant who completes a novel, you just upload your writing to the website and if it's 50,000 words or more, you get a little certificate. I participated in 2002 and 2004. I doubt that anyone will ever be allowed to read either of my novels. I'm not sure that I ever want to reread them. They were both completely awful. But I'm proud of myself for having participated and I'll probably do it again someday.<br />
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So writing 30 blog posts in a month is a piece of cake compared to putting out 50,000 words. <br />
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Blogging and writing novels is something I never imagined doing when I was younger. I hated writing. I actually chose my college major, mathematics, because I figured it would have the least amount of writing assignments. Seriously. I did actually like math but I disliked writing more. My university did require a writing class specific to every major so I had to write several papers about math but I'm still pretty sure that I wrote less than most other majors. <br />
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Somehow as I got older, I found that I liked writing. It's a way for me to vent my feelings when I'm mad or frustrated but also for me to express when I'm happy and grateful. <br />
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Right after Brian and I started dating, I came back to the States while he was in Korea. Each week that I was gone, I wrote him a long letter. After we got married and he left for his first deployment, I wrote to him every day for the first several months. On weekdays, I would just write a postcard (I had hundreds collected and so I'd just pick one at random each day). Then on weekends, I would write a two-page letter each day on some funky Korean stationery that I had been given as a gift. I learned to write letters from my mom who wrote me once a week while I was in college and then every day for over a year while I lived in New York. My mom's letters got me through a very hard time when I first started teaching and I hope my letters to Brian helped him while he was in Iraq. <br />
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On his second deployment, my letters to Brian were very scarce. I had a new baby and rarely found the time but I managed to send a few. This time, I didn't send a single one and I feel horrible but with two kids, things were crazy right after he left. I have time to write now but they have no more mail service so I can't send him anything. Hopefully he knows that I still love him anyway.<br />
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Someday when my kids go off to college or move away to a different city, I'll write them letters occasionally to let them know that I'm thinking of them. If I'm lucky, they might write back.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-11790942883471734602011-11-06T23:20:00.000-08:002011-11-06T23:20:08.016-08:009 WeeksI can't believe that it has been nine weeks since I gave birth to Matilda. It seems like just yesterday and yet at the same time, I feel like she's been with me forever. My life is so much better (and more difficult) with her in it. <br />
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September 4th started out like every other day. I really didn't think that it was going to be "The Day." At 9:07 am, I felt a contraction. I had been having contractions for weeks, so no big deal. For some reason, I took note of that one though. I started to keep track and they were coming about every 15 minutes. They weren't painful or even uncomfortable. After a couple of hours, I realized that the contractions were the real thing. I called my sister, Amanda, to give her the heads up since she would be the one going to the hospital with me. I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible before we left so I finished packing my hospital bag and spent some time playing with Julian. Then I took a shower and even shaved my legs. I decided to braid my hair in two braids to make sure it wasn't in my face during labor (I hate my hair getting in my face). My contractions were getting closer together, about 8 minutes apart, and they were getting uncomfortable. I was sitting on my bed talking to Amanda when a contraction hit. I felt like getting on the floor and kneeling while leaning on the bed to try and get more comfortable. <br />
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All of a sudden, I felt a pop and I realized that my water broke. A few days before, I had told someone else that they shouldn't worry about their water breaking at home because it happens to less than 10% of women. Well, it definitely happened to me. At that point, the contractions came quicker and harder. I told Amanda we needed to leave for the hospital. It was right about 2 pm. The ride to the hospital was painful. I felt every bump in the road and my contractions were coming every 4 minutes. When we got to the hospital, Amanda parked near the ER and ran in to have someone come get me with a wheelchair. It took several minutes for me to manage to get out of the car and into the wheelchair. The elevators are on the other side of the hospital so it was a long ride and very uncomfortable. <br />
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When I got up to Labor and Delivery, they put me in a triage room where I stayed forever. They had several people asking me the same dumb questions over and over again. I was so frustrated and the triage nurse kept moving the monitors on my stomach and it was driving me crazy. I was 5 cm dilated when I got there and by the time they moved me into a delivery room, I was 8 cm dilated. The only reason that they finally moved me out of triage was because I said I felt like I had to push. I would've said it earlier if I knew they would move me. There was a shortage of L & D nurses so the Triage nurse stayed with me the entire time. They let me have my way with most things (I wore my own clothes, had only a Hep-Lock, delayed cord cutting, and no Pitocin ever) but they kept those flippin' monitors on me constantly and the nurse kept moving them trying to find the baby's heartbeat. I know I yelled a few times in frustration but I really wanted to cuss her out and rip those monitors off. <br />
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For most of the time I was in labor, I just kept my eyes closed and squeezed my stress balls and tried to manage the pain however I could. I wanted to get through it without drugs and I knew it was almost over but it was so intense. Finally the nurse thought I should get up to go to the bathroom. I didn't think it was a good idea but she and the doctor said that I needed to get up. After several minutes, I managed to sit up and get my legs to the edge of the bed. At that time, another nurse walked in and asked what was going on. They told her and she said I would have the baby in the toilet if they made me go to the bathroom. That's when they all realized that I was already pushing so they swung my legs back up on the bed and about a minute later, Matilda was born at 5:20 pm.<br />
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I felt like I had just run a marathon and won a medal. It was exhilarating. Matilda was placed on my stomach and I just couldn't believe that I had given birth to her so quickly and without any pain medication. I wanted them to wait to clamp the umbilical cord but the cord was kind of short so for the first minute or so, I just looked at her lying there and touched her head. Once the cord was cut, she was put on my chest and I wanted to cry at how beautiful she was. <br />
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The pediatric nurse was impressed at her size and asked me to guess how much she weighed. I think I said 8 lbs 12 oz. She said that was probably close. It was actually 8 lbs 15 oz (1.5 lbs more than Julian when he was born). I knew she was going to be big but it was still surprising.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BYIz5zdiCr4QuXiyMckTfaj6WINGAiPfjfYpjw3XMyp-CHyMctW15D6-NMuYCcuWx9hWeoMvQvIKyOea02JCMVpEZBlHokK4yLk52RomuNqKTygvIhykbSskbbqMR3PVUQnAHDG0UXMB/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BYIz5zdiCr4QuXiyMckTfaj6WINGAiPfjfYpjw3XMyp-CHyMctW15D6-NMuYCcuWx9hWeoMvQvIKyOea02JCMVpEZBlHokK4yLk52RomuNqKTygvIhykbSskbbqMR3PVUQnAHDG0UXMB/s320/IMG_1658.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>In these last 9 weeks, she has grown so much (in fact, she has outgrown two sizes of clothing already). She is amazing and when she smiles at me, it makes my whole day brighter. I can't imagine my life without her.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzxfvE0kBZOuvBpOUl-5XC79e4Qyqj2J118YNE9_3s68KVDtZrBxIAWivPcsC2UbMotPkfakRDgSNYKJaXzMFKgqw3nES2hyphenhyphenHQE_71Xe9idcxoZuulb22FTDgquhfamN03-hwp3FL4j_2/s1600/2011-10-29_17-16-47_15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzxfvE0kBZOuvBpOUl-5XC79e4Qyqj2J118YNE9_3s68KVDtZrBxIAWivPcsC2UbMotPkfakRDgSNYKJaXzMFKgqw3nES2hyphenhyphenHQE_71Xe9idcxoZuulb22FTDgquhfamN03-hwp3FL4j_2/s320/2011-10-29_17-16-47_15.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-4718536453044837392011-08-20T08:37:00.000-07:002011-08-20T08:37:19.245-07:00My Bucket ListI finished writing this list a few months ago and have been meaning to post it ever since. I finally got around to it today. The items in bold are things that I've already done. Not sure what I'll finish next.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See penguins in New Zealand.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walk on the Great Wall of China before I turn 30.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ride an elephant in Thailand.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take a photography class.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Get a master’s degree.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Become a mom.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Visit the Egyptian pyramids.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Learn to sketch.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have high tea and take the waters in the Pump Room in Bath, England.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See the Grand Canyon.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Watch at least 10 Broadway shows.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">12.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Live in another country for a year.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">13.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rent an apartment in Venice for a month and learn to live like the locals.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">14.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kiss the Blarney Stone.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">15.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Learn to ski.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">16.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take a Hebrew class in Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">17.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stand on the shores of Loch Ness.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">18.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Relax on a beach in Hawaii.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">19.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take my kids to Disney World.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">20.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Visit at least 15 National Parks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">21.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Go on a Caribbean cruise.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">22.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Learn to drive on the “wrong” side of the road.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">23.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ride the Orient Express.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">24.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stay in a yurt in Mongolia.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">25.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spend a night in a treehouse.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">26.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Visit the Statue of Liberty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">27.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ride a double-decker bus in London.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">28.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See Stonehenge.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">29.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Visit the home of Jane Austen.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">30.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eat a baguette in Paris.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">31.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stay overnight on a boat in Halong Bay.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">32.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Read 100 books in a year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">33.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gamble in Las Vegas.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">34.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stay in a Tuscan villa.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">35.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See the Parthenon and the Colosseum.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">36.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ride the subway in New York City, London, and Tokyo.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">37.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Visit all 50 states.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">38.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Travel through India by train and bus.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">39.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grow my own vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">40.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walk the Coast to Coast walkway in Auckland, NZ.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">41.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Live with my family in an RV for a summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">42.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Go camping for a week.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">43.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">See Niagara Falls.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">44.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Attend a music festival.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">45.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take a volunteer vacation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">46.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Go on a round-the-world trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">47.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ride a camel in Morocco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-64394680358628947662011-06-30T10:29:00.000-07:002011-06-30T10:29:43.760-07:005 Years (and counting)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qo0Z7bGPo3zTQjrmX3xm6p8-cA9zaBUfuEyB4SRcYg6fjyTqOL2p5eKfECiCvCnzAN2E72AC2fL9govmfSXRoLR1NjXOAOGP0sCSxqA9PgKU9EqWKLi-ho38cLLYrbXc30HfYa6tTita/s1600/SCAN0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6qo0Z7bGPo3zTQjrmX3xm6p8-cA9zaBUfuEyB4SRcYg6fjyTqOL2p5eKfECiCvCnzAN2E72AC2fL9govmfSXRoLR1NjXOAOGP0sCSxqA9PgKU9EqWKLi-ho38cLLYrbXc30HfYa6tTita/s320/SCAN0083.JPG" width="320" /></a>Today is my 5th wedding anniversary. Some days it's hard to believe that it's been 5 years, it seems like it's just been a few months. Other times, it seems like we've been married forever and I can't really remember what my life was like without Brian. This will be only the second time that Brian and I have been together on our anniversary and hopefully we won't have to spend any future anniversaries apart from each other.<br />
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These past 5 years have been crazy and amazing all at once. Our wedding was fantastic, a small affair with just family and a few close friends. We got married at the Tacoma Nature Center in Tacoma, WA which happens to be right across the street from my high school. A good friend of ours performed the ceremony. My sister was the matron of honor and my 11 year old stepson was the best man. During our reception, we had a great time just hanging out with everyone. Brian and I left to spend our wedding night in a lovely hotel on the waterfront then the next morning we picked up my stepsons (aged 8 and 11) from my parents' house and set off down the Oregon coast. We played on the beach, dressed in jeans and hoodies since it was cold. We flew balsa wood airplanes from the Astoria Column. We checked out all the exhibits at OMSI. It definitely wasn't your typical honeymoon but we had fun. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXayFRZJ2hCaBRt43AjI3rNl-LpwU4023eKb1c96d3DBlKVkOvyiQbsS4PxsKzmQ2zn56XUF2L6lYP2xSsCE-gQ_7O_zoGvEtZEDOCR0sB66pr1DCu1lJgHXsnenymm4uO3bJg1gSiccQd/s1600/cousine-R19-E499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXayFRZJ2hCaBRt43AjI3rNl-LpwU4023eKb1c96d3DBlKVkOvyiQbsS4PxsKzmQ2zn56XUF2L6lYP2xSsCE-gQ_7O_zoGvEtZEDOCR0sB66pr1DCu1lJgHXsnenymm4uO3bJg1gSiccQd/s320/cousine-R19-E499.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A day later, Brian flew with the boys back to Virginia. We met in El Paso the day after that to find that our recently rented apartment had been burglarized and the management had changed the locks. It was after business hours so we couldn't get into our apartment. We ended up sleeping in Brian's barracks room on a twin bed. It was not my idea of fun or comfort. Needless to say, I shed some tears that night. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BPShvkqZfZyMzSiBCbYUWNWgGWuJaabg4kWlx3b_iqUl7PvmGW5R04-RIKMuwr0mAWSWqMsOwsgk5xJ4pDlxlgfYWQAj17XVBLhe9zwH8vI0RNBCCynS7uBVLIAOA3j99sCtFh5X7Pgs/s1600/cousine-R11-E265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BPShvkqZfZyMzSiBCbYUWNWgGWuJaabg4kWlx3b_iqUl7PvmGW5R04-RIKMuwr0mAWSWqMsOwsgk5xJ4pDlxlgfYWQAj17XVBLhe9zwH8vI0RNBCCynS7uBVLIAOA3j99sCtFh5X7Pgs/s320/cousine-R11-E265.jpg" width="213" /></a>Fast forward to October. I had a teaching job at at local high school and Brian was leaving on his first deployment to Iraq less than 4 months after we got married. Communication was difficult because I would go weeks without getting any phone calls or emails, then we'd get to talk for a few minutes and only get to discuss something about our finances or family, etc. It was very hard on our relationship. Brian came home in April 2007 for his R and R leave. While he was home, we found out from the news that his tour would be extended for 3 months. Fortunately part of his leave coincided with my spring break and we got to spend a little time together. He went back to Iraq. <br />
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Since he was deployed, I decided to spend my summer vacation traveling in the UK and Ireland for a month. It was a fantastic trip and I was joined by a couple of friends at different points. On my first wedding anniversary, I happened to be in Ireland in a hostel with no electricity and my rental car got stuck in the mud on the way there. I had a pay-as-you-go cell phone for the trip but for some reason, the calling cards that Brian was able to get wouldn't let him call my international number. So we emailed each other but ended up not talking on the phone for 6 weeks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpkMaCPUSpYyPgG-TdaJ3SasYb7CX5vKarjrlngK7XbHsoRBPCeEq02g2mvgE5i61OWge2BZ0pWuTT-moAJo4iLVre4P-cCQsm_4nPHPRiqGRQtSAe6Mo-EpOEEYqyQ_bPta-N54Q9O9D/s1600/SCAN0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpkMaCPUSpYyPgG-TdaJ3SasYb7CX5vKarjrlngK7XbHsoRBPCeEq02g2mvgE5i61OWge2BZ0pWuTT-moAJo4iLVre4P-cCQsm_4nPHPRiqGRQtSAe6Mo-EpOEEYqyQ_bPta-N54Q9O9D/s320/SCAN0114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Brian came home that December, shortly before Christmas. That was our first Christmas we spent together and I spent away from my family. It did not turn out well. 2008 was a better year for us since we were together for most of the year (except for our anniversary, I was in WA taking care of my grandmother while my parents were out of town) and in September found out that I was pregnant with our son, Julian. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFtK1wJ5v-0faxOvV0T3FDsAqQZlpQ9pKHzNalIvmQTSnJiT4fvTxC4uiQvbXdPGhjxT1oLfsSx1thoUwxqkJ-FUrHuZ81wKC5l7HD2tZeYOZjuYTxwgux9TJT4LP9YUYjcxPAhmskvhu/s1600/SCAN0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFtK1wJ5v-0faxOvV0T3FDsAqQZlpQ9pKHzNalIvmQTSnJiT4fvTxC4uiQvbXdPGhjxT1oLfsSx1thoUwxqkJ-FUrHuZ81wKC5l7HD2tZeYOZjuYTxwgux9TJT4LP9YUYjcxPAhmskvhu/s200/SCAN0068.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>In 2009, we found out that Brian was going to deploy to Iraq for a second time. He left less than 3 weeks before Julian was born. The day after he left, I flew to WA to be near my family when I had the baby. Brian was able to take his R and R leave when Julian was 6 weeks old and we were able to spend a great two weeks together. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VKqVV1Yi0am8YXd0Ba-zMruK4FgpsT062aFsKV9XlYbr8Dw5Z2TO41Nmzy08ImSGgk8EepHH7v2_GasgITpPs-PAYp0Lgl7DRnLYMo_57cKA1a6Qk494iUID9e73zKz0uTJt2hvIszzw/s1600/cousine-R13-E296+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VKqVV1Yi0am8YXd0Ba-zMruK4FgpsT062aFsKV9XlYbr8Dw5Z2TO41Nmzy08ImSGgk8EepHH7v2_GasgITpPs-PAYp0Lgl7DRnLYMo_57cKA1a6Qk494iUID9e73zKz0uTJt2hvIszzw/s200/cousine-R13-E296+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Julian and I returned to El Paso in March 2010 to prepare for Brian's return in May. That next month, we were able celebrate our 4th anniversary together. It ended up being a quick dinner at Olive Garden because we were worried about leaving Julian with a babysitter for the first time. <br />
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Now on our 5th anniversary, we are preparing for our second child and Brian's third deployment to Iraq followed by his retirement from the Army. We're also packing up everything to move to WA. Ideally this will be our last move since we'll be buying a house later this year. <br />
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No matter what, it has all been worth it. I have a wonderful husband that I love dearly and I wouldn't trade him for anything. I hope to have at least 50 years with him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4qC1VlFAN3_mGPKc7fhRdCuSUA5wmEX8jk3HF5plHuoH_VLmbfh8aquYfBp4yTskaiRWS4BqgVRK0AfLUmFf_L647echlcN2IaFRuHL5zRu5I2lJPW2-xTyMtrYm6OtGSQ2Py0age6Xv/s1600/cousine-R14-E305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4qC1VlFAN3_mGPKc7fhRdCuSUA5wmEX8jk3HF5plHuoH_VLmbfh8aquYfBp4yTskaiRWS4BqgVRK0AfLUmFf_L647echlcN2IaFRuHL5zRu5I2lJPW2-xTyMtrYm6OtGSQ2Py0age6Xv/s320/cousine-R14-E305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-70450277833859521682011-06-23T15:10:00.000-07:002011-06-23T15:10:02.181-07:00Garage Sale and Road TripSo I've been decluttering for a few months in preparation for our move and we finally had our garage sale last weekend. My friend had told me what it would be like but I was still totally shocked. People started arriving at 4:30 am and we were done by 9:00 am. At one point, there were so many people there at once that we couldn't pay attention to them all and some stuff walked off. Fortunately it wasn't anything worth much. We never even got to unpack all of the boxes and bags, people just rummaged through them in the middle of the driveway. <br />
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We ended up making $422 from the garage sale, then $85 later in the day from Craigslist and the pawn shop for a total of $507. Yay for us. Right after the sale, we took a bunch of stuff to the women's shelter and other stuff to Goodwill. We still have almost all of the books left since they're all in English and everyone who came to the sale spoke Spanish. I'm just going to Freecycle them this weekend. We also have the CDs and DVDs to deal with. No one was interested in them at the sale. I'm going to try them on Craigslist but if I don't get any hits in a couple of weeks, then I'll just Freecycle them. I basically just want to be rid of them at this point. The only other thing left is some costume jewelry. I never got a chance to put it out at the sale since things were so crazy and I didn't want it to get lost in the midst of everything. My goal is to have everything out of here by the time I leave for Montana in July.<br />
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Yesterday, we got back from our road trip to San Antonio and Killeen. It was fun but exhausting. We got to visit with family and friends plus go to some fun places like the zoo and the Children's Museum. We also went to the San Marcos outlets. It wasn't in our original plan but my friend told me about them and even though we didn't actually need anything, we went anyway. Our baby will be showered with plenty of hand-me-downs but I did want her to have some new clothes all her own when she joins our family. So I bought her a few outfits in each size through 18 months. Then of course I worried that I bought all these girly clothes and somehow it would turn out to be a boy but I had another ultrasound today and the tech agreed that it was a girl so I felt better. I was planning not to buy anything for the new baby but I was having such a hard time preparing for her since I can't decorate a nursery or anything like that so buying her some clothes was my only way of getting ready for her and now I think I got it all out of my system. I know that Brian really wanted her to have some things of her own too because he has a thing about hand-me-downs. I made sure that several of the outfits had something about Daddy on them since he won't be around those first few months but I can take pictures of her and email them to him everyday.<br />
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It was good to get rid of all our excess stuff to make room for our little girl. I'm still not sure Julian what Julian thinks when we talk about the baby but he realizes that something is going on and he sees that my stomach is getting huge. He pokes my stomach and says baby but we'll see what he thinks when there's a a real baby. I see him making all these connections lately with his 2 year old mind and it's awesome but I still don't know how much he understands when we tell him things. <br />
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After traveling so much this last week, I'm glad that Julian and I will be flying to Washington instead of driving. Ten hours in a car is a long time when you're pregnant and have an active toddler. Fortunately, Brian did most of the driving and I could rest a little or catch up on blog-reading with my phone (or feed Julian snacks constantly).<br />
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I'm happy to be home again and even happy to get back to packing and my to-do list. I just want to get everything finished and be finally done with it all so I can relax and get ready to meet my baby.Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-22181617877687966602011-04-18T16:02:00.000-07:002011-05-13T14:01:43.037-07:00Feelin' ArtsyI don't consider myself a very artsy person but occasionally I like to paint. The first painting I did was about 7 years ago and it was big and bold and I was getting tired of it. I just didn't like it any more and I had another painting that's been in my head for a few months waiting to get out. Instead of using a new canvas, I decided to just paint over the old one that was bugging me. <br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">Several months ago, Julian fell in love with Mickey Mouse and one night, I decided to make him a Mickey Mouse painting for his room. I did it very quickly and it was sloppy and the colors were off. So I've also been wanting to redo this one. </div><br />
Things have been a little crazy with Brian gone and a lot of stuff has gone undone because I've just wanted to nap when Julian naps. I finally decided that I needed to do something creative and get my mind off all the things that have been bugging me. So naptime was a perfect time to paint. <br />
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</div><div style="border: currentColor;">I've included the before and after shots. I find the yellow painting to be much more calm and serene than the pink and brown stripes.</div><div style="border: currentColor;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aK3BYJjNXt4EB_6nOIw9zAwiqTYxNvohDk7RxYeVOWRg2iTi48phLVh7E6Ak0-j5M2y8r-vBhsfO-eSWeCxmr1ON-WIYdbawF6QweOHLY7aIdNUCwsBP01_RPL45nFDr8En9k-Pm_aIN/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aK3BYJjNXt4EB_6nOIw9zAwiqTYxNvohDk7RxYeVOWRg2iTi48phLVh7E6Ak0-j5M2y8r-vBhsfO-eSWeCxmr1ON-WIYdbawF6QweOHLY7aIdNUCwsBP01_RPL45nFDr8En9k-Pm_aIN/s320/IMG_1261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBQkE48WEkQcdVtC6e0LHI_FINFiSadwH0KSZp1x4J2ynyhlxvw7-F0jsPu6NOosK-E9jTsbG_NKqOmbik6D13fjc5I35EnNQOCUm-q0BU7KP8q_OfdQl2qwAduhJhEC_qDXWhk7N9Rw6/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBQkE48WEkQcdVtC6e0LHI_FINFiSadwH0KSZp1x4J2ynyhlxvw7-F0jsPu6NOosK-E9jTsbG_NKqOmbik6D13fjc5I35EnNQOCUm-q0BU7KP8q_OfdQl2qwAduhJhEC_qDXWhk7N9Rw6/s320/IMG_1265.JPG" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJLhqOynw9ne7fsQlR1bQ_xbvFyudzGPu2oGKp5AqesZFBYS6WbU-_8KCBl8sayS_zwV9SBKjsbUwrTeab__9heh3HERzyIfr5ic6D7rUurSYNAHbz2EqcyNdQglF_S1WX5fQZmpPpojR/s1600/IMG_1262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJLhqOynw9ne7fsQlR1bQ_xbvFyudzGPu2oGKp5AqesZFBYS6WbU-_8KCBl8sayS_zwV9SBKjsbUwrTeab__9heh3HERzyIfr5ic6D7rUurSYNAHbz2EqcyNdQglF_S1WX5fQZmpPpojR/s320/IMG_1262.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VzStmunTQNjRTa986sVgNy84_uHzxAZYdAhuUm6o35Ns-fA-oxUb3bvAH9YvojWkn0UztdIvebM9leVoQI67J2d4LCDmwtN1dtpA0ZLKpX9yI-mJkbYW0pSGKShx3hE-Rwna-lxbkm-G/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VzStmunTQNjRTa986sVgNy84_uHzxAZYdAhuUm6o35Ns-fA-oxUb3bvAH9YvojWkn0UztdIvebM9leVoQI67J2d4LCDmwtN1dtpA0ZLKpX9yI-mJkbYW0pSGKShx3hE-Rwna-lxbkm-G/s320/IMG_1267.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: left;">While I was painting, I noticed the photos I had hanging on the wall. They were three black and white photos of waves and I liked them but they weren't anything special, I bought them at the store when I bought the frames. It occurred to me that I've taken some beautiful photos of beaches that I really like and I could just change them to black and white and put them in the frames instead. So I went on my computer and found three photos that I liked and changed them to sepia tone (it looked better than b & w), printed them out and replaced the store-bought photos. It's my new goal to have the art/photos displayed in my home be meaningful to me. I only have a few store-bought pieces left but I'll replace them slowly or just give them away when we move. They're pretty large pieces and I don't want big blank spaces on my walls right now.</div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq-Vq4-U9bkl9Rc1oElw6TGXE6B3PsM682pQmf-Q8pe3i6WiXcXZ7kqPg1H7fljcGIRbWLNQ8vBgG3EQgw14St6Dc7gTQNxGZ0_3tFNN-iKYGIzmFeYcIcTuh83uSDimZp8jz-KRdvdJ7/s1600/IMG_1270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq-Vq4-U9bkl9Rc1oElw6TGXE6B3PsM682pQmf-Q8pe3i6WiXcXZ7kqPg1H7fljcGIRbWLNQ8vBgG3EQgw14St6Dc7gTQNxGZ0_3tFNN-iKYGIzmFeYcIcTuh83uSDimZp8jz-KRdvdJ7/s320/IMG_1270.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-22970407593777020232011-04-14T09:15:00.000-07:002011-04-14T09:15:36.649-07:00Aaaahhh..... (my sigh of relief)On Tuesday, I took my second truckload of clutter over to my friend's garage for our upcoming garage sale. (Thanks, Morgan, for all your help.) I never would have guessed we had two truckloads of stuff we didn't need stashed around our apartment. There's not a huge difference in how things look in our apartment but it feels lighter to me. I feel more relaxed now. The decluttering is slowing down a bit for the moment. I think I did too much too quickly and I'm kind of burnt out but I still have two boxes in my bedroom (one for the garage sale and one for Goodwill) that I will occasionally add to until they're full. Yesterday, I decided to look at some of my sentimental clutter. I've already gone through most of this stuff once but I ignored some of it so I decided to revisit this area.<br />
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I keep all of my sentimental stuff in a wooden chest (like a hope chest). A few months ago, all of my stuff wouldn't even fit in the chest but now everything is in there and it's not even full anymore. I had some t-shirts in there that I was saving but I took them out and my friend is making a small quilt with them that I can put on Julian's bed. So I didn't really get rid of them but this way, they'll be useful instead of just taking up space. In the chest, I have two boxes of photos. One is from our wedding and the other is all other photos from my life before I got a digital camera. I'm not doing anything with these because I feel that it's a reasonable amount and they're organized in the boxes. My wedding dress is also in the chest and it takes up very little space. It's wrapped in tissue and rolled up in a travel shoe bag. <br />
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The things I really need to deal with are the paper items. The ones I decided to address first were yearbooks. I had 8 yearbooks, 4 from my own high school years and 4 from when I was teaching high school. That seemed pretty excessive to me. I looked through the yearbooks from my freshman and sophomore years in HS and decided they could go (I scanned about 5 pages that were meaningful to me). The yearbook from the last school I worked at instantly went to the recycling bin (it had no special meaning for me and was a complete waste of $50). I'm also going to get rid of the one from the first school where I taught. It has a few special memories but I'll scan those pages and I won't miss it. <br />
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For now, I'm keeping the other four yearbooks. I'm finding that the farther I get away from my high school years, the less important those memories are but I think it would be sad if my kids didn't see anything from those years (I don't have a lot of photos). I taught at another school for two years which were two of the best years of my life (when I lived in Korea, met my husband and made some great friends). Those yearbooks document some great memories and they'll be sticking around. <br />
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I've also been tackling my digital clutter this week. I deleted close to 3000 emails this week and got rid of most of the folders in my email accounts (yes, I have several but that's something for another day). I signed up for an internet backup service last week because we've had too many computer problems in the last few months and I wanted all of our pictures, music, etc saved in a more secure location so I wouldn't have to worry anymore. We're trying to go digital for most of our paperwork, music, and photos so I especially wanted the backup if we don't actually have the physical copies anymore. I've been going through a lot of folders on my computer and deleting the old files and blurry photos that I've never dealt with. It's going to take a long time to get through everything but I feel like I've gotten a good start. <br />
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'Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7204325517681793139.post-61213392974019214122011-04-10T14:15:00.000-07:002011-04-10T14:15:21.260-07:00Toddler LessonsI find it fascinating to see Julian learn something that I didn't even know that I taught him. On Thursday, we went to Toys 'R Us. We don't go there very often but he's been there a few times. Typically when we go there, we'll let him sit in the cart and play with some toy that he finds interesting and then we're leaving, we put the toy back on the shelf. But this time, we were actually there to buy him a toy. That night, Brian was going to leave for California and he'll be gone for 30 days. So I thought Julian could have a new toy to play with while Daddy is gone. After being in the store for a few minutes, Julian saw a Duplo set that he liked and so I gave it to him to hold. Pretty soon after, he saw a small train that he liked and handed me the Duplo set so he could hold the train instead. Somehow he knew that he was going to get something while we were at the store but also that he could only get one thing. I was very amused by the fact that he traded a $20 toy for a $6 toy. Then we moved to look at the Cars aisle. He is obsessed with the movie Cars and carries his toy Mater everywhere we go (I think it has taken the place of his binky). He saw a car he wanted (for $4) and gave me the train so he could have the car. As we were going to checkout, he then saw a package of Cars stickers ($2) that he wanted instead, so he gave up the car. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The whole experience was very eye-opening for me. First of all, kids don't care about the price tags on their toys. Julian would have been just as happy with the package of stickers for $2 as he was with the $20 set of Duplos. He loves stickers more than anything right now and he'll entertain himself for quite awhile just decorating the house with stickers (fortunately they come off easily). Second, Julian has learned that he doesn't get a lot of stuff. He has plenty of toys but compared to most kids we know, he doesn't have that many. His 2nd birthday is next month and it won't be a big deal. We bought him a wooden toy kitchen as his present (he already had the wooden food and the toy dishes). He got it early because I wanted him to be able to play with it for a little longer before it goes into storage while we live with my parents. On his actual birthday, he'll probably get a new book and 2 or 3 cars and that's it. We'll probably have some cake and maybe go out to dinner. We won't have a party because he's still too young to care. I think parties and holidays are overrated (just ask Brian, he calls me the Christmas Nazi but that's a post for another day). </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In case you're wondering, we bought the stickers, the car, and the train. I figured spending less than $15 wasn't that big a deal (I would've spent more on a single larger toy if that's what he had wanted). Julian got the car that day and I'm saving the other two for later in the month while Daddy is still gone.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1hy-YYxNNsV8-ti8s9ggH5r9X3QgwN95f47DmNwlHVO0H48zZ2IJU1vQFskiU4vf_zSVIGBYHcRMsP8dqa71WpAIHa-LnNbeEQSE0lRGgTyZJyA0T2kXvu9ntDRZtpN1Fc8SfIwRtkoZ/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1hy-YYxNNsV8-ti8s9ggH5r9X3QgwN95f47DmNwlHVO0H48zZ2IJU1vQFskiU4vf_zSVIGBYHcRMsP8dqa71WpAIHa-LnNbeEQSE0lRGgTyZJyA0T2kXvu9ntDRZtpN1Fc8SfIwRtkoZ/s320/IMG_1206.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06827447590592014995noreply@blogger.com0