For those of you that really know me, you would know that I am not an extremely religious person. I do not go to church very often and have never really read the Bible. I was baptised in the Catholic church and after making my first holy communion and reconciliation I really did not frequent church service or Sunday school. Most weekends my church pew was a hard silver bench in the dugout of some softball field in the greater Chicago land area. I spent half the year traveling with my softball team on the weekends and the other half of the year was either spent at a swim meet, or when I got old enough, working at good old Woodfield Mall.
With that little bit of background knowledge in place, I am a very strong believer in God and of the higher power that he holds. And even though I do not frequent a church I talk to God on a regular basis. I believe He works miracles everyday and that if you speak to him He will listen. I believe my Grandfather is living proof that God listens when we speak to him.
The one bit of wonder that I always have is this. In a world where we do believe in such a wonderful higher power, why do such sad things happen to people who do not deserve them? This thought has come over me tonight (or this morning, seeing as it is after 1 am) because I found out tonight that my school was broken into and vandalised this weekend. The screens were cut out of windows, classrooms were left in disarray, computers smashed, paints busted open and profanity written on boards. Granted I have not seen this yet. I received an email from my principal regarding what has happened. When I read the email, I had to keep myself from crying. Who does something like that? Who breaks into an elementary school to destroy what is the only safe haven that some children have? Why would someone want to take that joy and innocence away from children? What did they do deserve to have their things destroyed? I am lucky to say that my room was not one of the places where this damage occurred. How though, when something like this happens, do we restore that sense of security that we have worked so hard to provide for our children each day? Some of these children come from homes with violence, poverty, and extreme instability and the one place that they find safety, comfort and a sense of routine is at school. When things like this happen I feel like the kids lose some of that. Granted not all kids come from situations like that, but where I work I know that there are plenty that do.
So my prayers on this Easter are with my friends, family and children. May they all find themselves surrounded today by love and may God watch over them. Keep all of us safe and bring unto us that sense of security and love in a world that does not always make sense.
Happy Easter to all!
Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness. ~Floyd W. Tomkins
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Slacker Blogger Plays Catch Up
This right here was my fear when I started this adventure. I have been super busy this last week and therefore become a big fat slacker on keeping things up to date. So here is where I play catch up!
Saturday, my preciously perfect little niece Taylor, my SIL Erika and my mom flew in from Chicago and my dad and step mom came in from Florida. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying good company. We had a mini birthday celebration for Taylor. I wish I had the right words to describe her. I don't feel that anything I could say though would really do her justice. She is so smart and so sweet and so beautiful. I just think she is the most amazing little girl. I don't get to see her too often because she is in Chicago, but she completely melts my heart when I do. When I went into the airport to meet her and Erika she just called my name from her stroller when she saw me! LOVE IT!
So after we spent the day playing we had Mexican and turned in for the night.
Sunday my three best friends, Amber, Mary and Lauren, and Miss Martha threw Connor and I an amazing baby shower. We had a great lunch with an amazing cake followed by lots of fun and gifts. I was really happy that my to be MIL was able to make it in town. My to be FIL was in a car accident a few weeks ago and recovery is coming along slowly but surely. We were not sure if she was going to be able to travel in to see us but she made it which made me very happy. Connor is already a spoiled little boy. We received our travel system, pack-n-play, umbrella stroller, lots of clothes, some really wonderful blankets and tons of other things. Chris got the one thing that he really wanted off the registry. Why he loves these stuffed goats so much I do not know but he does.
Mary stayed with me on Sunday night. I wish we could have had more time. Mary lives just outside of Cleveland so we do not see each other very much. Having her here was so special. I miss her like crazy!
Monday brought about the new work week and the continued concerns of my co-workers over my super sexy pregnancy feet! I have developed the most swollen ankles ever! They are pretty gross! They don't hurt or anything but with this swelling, my principal and a few others at school started worrying that I was developing pre-eclampsia or something like that. There is nothing like sitting in the clinic in an elementary school having your blood pressure taken. Don't worry I am fine!
I am absolutely positive that I am fine because we had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. It was our 34 week check up. My doctor says that I am fine and so is Connor. She just assumes that I am bound to have swollen feet during the rest of my pregnancy. Next time around I have to start getting exams and all that fun stuff! I cannot believe how close it is getting!!!! About 39 days to go!
Chris also made our last major pre-baby purchase on Tuesday as well! Chris was in need of a new car and he got it! He got just the car he wanted and it was the easiest car shopping experience I have ever experienced!
The only other thing that consumes our lives at this point is playoff hockey. We went to the game last night and it was pretty disappointing. The boys are going to need to show up better tomorrow and Sunday if they are going to make it to the next round. We started off good in the series but what a mess last night was. Two good things did come out of the whole thing though: One, we got to sit about 7 rows off the glass which is always fun and two, Carrie Underwood (otherwise known to hockey fans as Mrs. Mike Fisher) played during one of the intermissions with Vince Gill! Only in Nashville!
Well that is life in a nutshell! Now for a relaxing three day weekend and hopefully two good hockey games!
Saturday, my preciously perfect little niece Taylor, my SIL Erika and my mom flew in from Chicago and my dad and step mom came in from Florida. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying good company. We had a mini birthday celebration for Taylor. I wish I had the right words to describe her. I don't feel that anything I could say though would really do her justice. She is so smart and so sweet and so beautiful. I just think she is the most amazing little girl. I don't get to see her too often because she is in Chicago, but she completely melts my heart when I do. When I went into the airport to meet her and Erika she just called my name from her stroller when she saw me! LOVE IT!
Sunday my three best friends, Amber, Mary and Lauren, and Miss Martha threw Connor and I an amazing baby shower. We had a great lunch with an amazing cake followed by lots of fun and gifts. I was really happy that my to be MIL was able to make it in town. My to be FIL was in a car accident a few weeks ago and recovery is coming along slowly but surely. We were not sure if she was going to be able to travel in to see us but she made it which made me very happy. Connor is already a spoiled little boy. We received our travel system, pack-n-play, umbrella stroller, lots of clothes, some really wonderful blankets and tons of other things. Chris got the one thing that he really wanted off the registry. Why he loves these stuffed goats so much I do not know but he does.
Mary stayed with me on Sunday night. I wish we could have had more time. Mary lives just outside of Cleveland so we do not see each other very much. Having her here was so special. I miss her like crazy!
Monday brought about the new work week and the continued concerns of my co-workers over my super sexy pregnancy feet! I have developed the most swollen ankles ever! They are pretty gross! They don't hurt or anything but with this swelling, my principal and a few others at school started worrying that I was developing pre-eclampsia or something like that. There is nothing like sitting in the clinic in an elementary school having your blood pressure taken. Don't worry I am fine!
I am absolutely positive that I am fine because we had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. It was our 34 week check up. My doctor says that I am fine and so is Connor. She just assumes that I am bound to have swollen feet during the rest of my pregnancy. Next time around I have to start getting exams and all that fun stuff! I cannot believe how close it is getting!!!! About 39 days to go!
Chris also made our last major pre-baby purchase on Tuesday as well! Chris was in need of a new car and he got it! He got just the car he wanted and it was the easiest car shopping experience I have ever experienced!
The only other thing that consumes our lives at this point is playoff hockey. We went to the game last night and it was pretty disappointing. The boys are going to need to show up better tomorrow and Sunday if they are going to make it to the next round. We started off good in the series but what a mess last night was. Two good things did come out of the whole thing though: One, we got to sit about 7 rows off the glass which is always fun and two, Carrie Underwood (otherwise known to hockey fans as Mrs. Mike Fisher) played during one of the intermissions with Vince Gill! Only in Nashville!
Well that is life in a nutshell! Now for a relaxing three day weekend and hopefully two good hockey games!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Play Date With My Little Boy
So last night I had my first play date with Connor. I was laying on the couch watching TV when he go very active. I decided that every time he kicked somewhere I would just give him a little push in that same spot and see what would happen. Well to my surprise he started kicking me back in all the places I was pushing. He did this for about ten minutes until I think he got sick of me pushing on him! It made me giggle and I think I had a permanent smile for the rest of the night! I like to think that he was playing with me but at the same time it could have just been a coincidence. Either way this event might just be the highlight of my pregnancy! I can't wait for him to get here so we can have a lot more play dates!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Feeling "American" and Weekend Review
So I came home today to the beautiful sight of the lawn mowed and Chris working in the garage! I love it when things get done. The best part about it was when Chris looked at me and said, " I'm drinking a beer, cleaning my garage and listening to Johnny Cash.. I feel so American." I thought it was pretty funny. But it was kind of nice that the weather has cooperated enough to get some outside stuff done. I know that poor Chris is tired of doing the inside honey do stuff and has been looking forward to getting his man cave in order! I added to the American feeling by coming home from work and baking brownies. All we need is a baby and a dog in the yard to make the whole equation work out. Baby... arrival in 7 weeks; Dog in the yard... not a chance in the world anytime soon!
It has been so beautiful here in Middle Tennessee this last few days. It has been like early summer. I got to get out this weekend and get a little sun on my face was nice. Saturday I participate in Walk with the Mayor at a park near my school. The students from my school were asked to be the grand marshals for the walk so a handful of teachers from my school went along as well. It was a great day for exercise and hanging out with friends. I got lots of errands done and met Chris and Brent for dinner. Then Sunday I made it out and about again to watch Kick This win their first game of the kickball season. I definitely missed playing. I would have much rather have been playing then sitting on the sideline. Oh well, if I can't play then I minus well be a cheerleader!
Today marks the beginning of week 33! Only 7 more to go! I feel good and continue to sleep well which is a big bonus. The only major pregnancy fun I have had is that I am currently looking at my ankles and one of them looks normal and the other looks like a balloon. I do not know why I find this so amusing but I do! I am getting ready for almost all of my family to come into Nashville this weekend and I cannot wait! My dad and stepmom Lora are coming in from Florida and my mom, sister-in-law Erika and my preciously perfect niece Taylor are coming in from Chicago. We are having a wonderful birthday celebration for Taylor on Saturday and then my 3 BFF's and the marvouls Miss Martha are throwing Connor and I a shower on Sunday! So as long as I can survive the week ahead I have a ton to look forward to this weekend!
It has been so beautiful here in Middle Tennessee this last few days. It has been like early summer. I got to get out this weekend and get a little sun on my face was nice. Saturday I participate in Walk with the Mayor at a park near my school. The students from my school were asked to be the grand marshals for the walk so a handful of teachers from my school went along as well. It was a great day for exercise and hanging out with friends. I got lots of errands done and met Chris and Brent for dinner. Then Sunday I made it out and about again to watch Kick This win their first game of the kickball season. I definitely missed playing. I would have much rather have been playing then sitting on the sideline. Oh well, if I can't play then I minus well be a cheerleader!
Today marks the beginning of week 33! Only 7 more to go! I feel good and continue to sleep well which is a big bonus. The only major pregnancy fun I have had is that I am currently looking at my ankles and one of them looks normal and the other looks like a balloon. I do not know why I find this so amusing but I do! I am getting ready for almost all of my family to come into Nashville this weekend and I cannot wait! My dad and stepmom Lora are coming in from Florida and my mom, sister-in-law Erika and my preciously perfect niece Taylor are coming in from Chicago. We are having a wonderful birthday celebration for Taylor on Saturday and then my 3 BFF's and the marvouls Miss Martha are throwing Connor and I a shower on Sunday! So as long as I can survive the week ahead I have a ton to look forward to this weekend!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Hockey Makes Me Happy!
I am so tired.
I am not sure that there is a word in the dictionary that truly explains how tired I really I am. But I will battle through because tonight is the last home game of the regular season here in Smashville and the one thing that I know will make me happy this evening will be hockey!
Any kind of points tonight will clinch a playoff birth for my beloved Predators! May God Bless hockey and all of it's fun and violence!
I am not sure that there is a word in the dictionary that truly explains how tired I really I am. But I will battle through because tonight is the last home game of the regular season here in Smashville and the one thing that I know will make me happy this evening will be hockey!
Let's Go Preds!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Because I Deserve It!
I feel like pregnancy comes with a lot of rules. Don't eat this. Take these pills. Don't lift that. Sleep on this side. Don't drink this. I am not going to lie, I am ready to throw these rules out the window! Since I plan on nursing I will not be able to throw all the rules out the window right away but it will begin to get easier here soon. With all the things I am not allowed to do or have, I feel like there are certain things in life that I deserve. I have not really craved anything specific during pregnancy but have found some treats that I feel are like my reward at some point in the week. Not because I did anything overly special during the week but just because I feel like I deserve it!
1.) Sweet Tea- I have never been a huge sweet tea person since I did not grow up in the south but it is something that I have come to love. I really have been good about limiting my caffeine (because it is one of my rules). I probably have a grand total of two caffeine drinks a week and you can bet that at least one, if not both, of them is a sweet tea! Sweet tea makes me happy and I think I deserve it!
2.) Ice Cream- I have always loved ice cream and that has not changed one bit! This week Chris and I went to Marble Slab. I have not over done ice cream during my pregnancy so far but with the weather getting warmer I will have to be careful! But I got my single scoop of double dark chocolate ice cream with white chocolate chips and strawberries because I deserved it!
3.) Cadbury Cream and Carmel Eggs- It is about to be Easter and that means that Cadbury Eggs are everywhere! Pregnant or not, who can resist these? Need I say more? I totally deserve this!
4.) Pre-Bedtime Naps- Everyone tells me that I am suppose to sleep when I can now because it is about to become a thing of my past. Well if that is the case then I am good at following this rule! I would have never imagined that growing a child would take so much out of you! This last two weeks I have come home from work and felt really good for about an hour and then I get really tired. So I have started napping somewhere between 5:30 and 7:00. I usually wake up before 9:00, watch some TV, make sure that I have eaten dinner, catch the news and am asleep again between 10:00 and 11:00. The pre-bedtime nap is not just something I deserve but something I think I have earned at this point!
And when pregnancy is all said and done, I am going to Subway and getting COLD Italian BMT because I have not had cold deli meat in six months and I deserve it!
Happy Thursday Everyone!
1.) Sweet Tea- I have never been a huge sweet tea person since I did not grow up in the south but it is something that I have come to love. I really have been good about limiting my caffeine (because it is one of my rules). I probably have a grand total of two caffeine drinks a week and you can bet that at least one, if not both, of them is a sweet tea! Sweet tea makes me happy and I think I deserve it!
2.) Ice Cream- I have always loved ice cream and that has not changed one bit! This week Chris and I went to Marble Slab. I have not over done ice cream during my pregnancy so far but with the weather getting warmer I will have to be careful! But I got my single scoop of double dark chocolate ice cream with white chocolate chips and strawberries because I deserved it!
3.) Cadbury Cream and Carmel Eggs- It is about to be Easter and that means that Cadbury Eggs are everywhere! Pregnant or not, who can resist these? Need I say more? I totally deserve this!
4.) Pre-Bedtime Naps- Everyone tells me that I am suppose to sleep when I can now because it is about to become a thing of my past. Well if that is the case then I am good at following this rule! I would have never imagined that growing a child would take so much out of you! This last two weeks I have come home from work and felt really good for about an hour and then I get really tired. So I have started napping somewhere between 5:30 and 7:00. I usually wake up before 9:00, watch some TV, make sure that I have eaten dinner, catch the news and am asleep again between 10:00 and 11:00. The pre-bedtime nap is not just something I deserve but something I think I have earned at this point!
And when pregnancy is all said and done, I am going to Subway and getting COLD Italian BMT because I have not had cold deli meat in six months and I deserve it!
Happy Thursday Everyone!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
800 Kids in a Hallway and 32 Weeks
If you are not a resident of middle Tennessee, then you might not know that yesterday we had really bad storms come through our area. Needless to say, being in an elementary school during a storm like this is not the best place to be. Not because of safety, but because when you have to put 800 kids and 40 plus teachers in one long hallway it is not fun. It gets really hot and you are guaranteed that someone is crying some where. I got to practice my calming mommy voice while drying tears on the scared little faces of some of my kiddos. We were all fine and there was no damage around my school or by our house. Let's hope that the spring weather does not continue like this. So far it has not been stellar.
On the more exciting side, I am officially 32 weeks as of yesterday! We are in the home stretch now and I officially get to say that I am due next month! WOW! Today Chris and I got to spend some wonderful quality time together that we normally would not have. I took a half day off of school so that we could go visit our pediatrician's office and go to the doctor as well. We liked the pediatrician we met with and really liked the way the office was set up. It is about 20 to 25 minutes from the house but I think it will be a good fit for us. Then we got to have yummy barbecue at Corky's and indulged our sweet tooth at GiGi's (an amazing cupcake shop). Then off to the doctor's office we went. Dr. Mackey says that everything looks and sounds great! We truly believe that the more pregnant I become the shorter our doctor's appointments are. I guess no news is good news though. Connor continues to be wild and I can tell each day that he is getting bigger!
Well I will close out with my 28 week and 32 week bump pictures. Sorry about my horrible non-make up face! I usually don't look my best at the end of the day!
Till next time :)
On the more exciting side, I am officially 32 weeks as of yesterday! We are in the home stretch now and I officially get to say that I am due next month! WOW! Today Chris and I got to spend some wonderful quality time together that we normally would not have. I took a half day off of school so that we could go visit our pediatrician's office and go to the doctor as well. We liked the pediatrician we met with and really liked the way the office was set up. It is about 20 to 25 minutes from the house but I think it will be a good fit for us. Then we got to have yummy barbecue at Corky's and indulged our sweet tooth at GiGi's (an amazing cupcake shop). Then off to the doctor's office we went. Dr. Mackey says that everything looks and sounds great! We truly believe that the more pregnant I become the shorter our doctor's appointments are. I guess no news is good news though. Connor continues to be wild and I can tell each day that he is getting bigger!
Well I will close out with my 28 week and 32 week bump pictures. Sorry about my horrible non-make up face! I usually don't look my best at the end of the day!
Till next time :)
28 Weeks
32 Weeks
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Life is all about what you do with plan B. Setting the stage!
So I am not to sure how good I am going to be about keeping up with this but I am going to give it a try. I am mostly creating this blog for our families, but if you are not family and find our crazy life interesting, by all means follow along!
I guess I'll start with a little background for those of you that don't really know me. I was born just outside of Chicago and lived there until I was 18. I decided to go to The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (GO VOLS!) when I graduated high school and spent five years there. No I was not on the five year plan (not saying there is anything wrong with that). I received my BA in Psychology in 2004 and my Masters in Education in 2005. In an amazing twist of fate, my best friend in the world and I were both offered jobs in Nashville the same week. So we packed up good ole 801 Gate Lane and moved to Nashville. That is the super short version of how I ended up down here.
Love found me in the world of burgers and fries! Who would have thought the combination of gourmet burgers and hockey would ever bring two people together? Well it did! I worked for 4 years slinging burgers part time to help pay for my first house and get a new car. Chris came to the restaurant I was at in the summer of 2008 after tragedy hit our staff and took over as the kitchen manager. We really did not have much interaction with each other since he worked days and when I worked it was usually at night or on the weekend. But a love for hockey started our occasional conversations, which led to our eventual first date, and the rest is history. Who would think that hockey (such a violent sport) could bring such love to 2 people's lives? It's been over two years now and I think the only thing that could make our lives better at this point would be winning the lottery, and since I don't foresee that happening anytime soon, I think we can say that life is good.
I decided to title this first entry "Life is all about what you do with Plan B" because this was a quote that I saw on a bag or coffee cup or something like that at just the right time in my life! I saw this quote three days after Chris and I found out we were going to have a baby! It was so meaningful at that point. Actually in the emotional state I was in at that point it was exactly the quote I needed to see. If you haven't figured it out yet, pregnancy was a surprise to us! We found out in early November that we were expecting our bouncing (literally) baby boy Connor. Scared out of my mind about this, seeing this quote made me feel a sense of calm. Life doesn't always go the way you planned it to and what better surprise could you ever get then finding out that you and the person you love are going to have a family of your own! So we moved forward from there. After finding out that little Connor was healthy we shocked our families with the big news and have not looked back since! Chris and I got engaged on December 24th in a beautiful snowy scene and are planning to be married at the very end of this year or beginning of next year. Until then we are focused on readying our home and our lives for Connor's arrival. He is due to be here on May 30th which for those you who are good at math is only 57 days away!
Let the adventure begin!
I guess I'll start with a little background for those of you that don't really know me. I was born just outside of Chicago and lived there until I was 18. I decided to go to The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (GO VOLS!) when I graduated high school and spent five years there. No I was not on the five year plan (not saying there is anything wrong with that). I received my BA in Psychology in 2004 and my Masters in Education in 2005. In an amazing twist of fate, my best friend in the world and I were both offered jobs in Nashville the same week. So we packed up good ole 801 Gate Lane and moved to Nashville. That is the super short version of how I ended up down here.
Love found me in the world of burgers and fries! Who would have thought the combination of gourmet burgers and hockey would ever bring two people together? Well it did! I worked for 4 years slinging burgers part time to help pay for my first house and get a new car. Chris came to the restaurant I was at in the summer of 2008 after tragedy hit our staff and took over as the kitchen manager. We really did not have much interaction with each other since he worked days and when I worked it was usually at night or on the weekend. But a love for hockey started our occasional conversations, which led to our eventual first date, and the rest is history. Who would think that hockey (such a violent sport) could bring such love to 2 people's lives? It's been over two years now and I think the only thing that could make our lives better at this point would be winning the lottery, and since I don't foresee that happening anytime soon, I think we can say that life is good.
I decided to title this first entry "Life is all about what you do with Plan B" because this was a quote that I saw on a bag or coffee cup or something like that at just the right time in my life! I saw this quote three days after Chris and I found out we were going to have a baby! It was so meaningful at that point. Actually in the emotional state I was in at that point it was exactly the quote I needed to see. If you haven't figured it out yet, pregnancy was a surprise to us! We found out in early November that we were expecting our bouncing (literally) baby boy Connor. Scared out of my mind about this, seeing this quote made me feel a sense of calm. Life doesn't always go the way you planned it to and what better surprise could you ever get then finding out that you and the person you love are going to have a family of your own! So we moved forward from there. After finding out that little Connor was healthy we shocked our families with the big news and have not looked back since! Chris and I got engaged on December 24th in a beautiful snowy scene and are planning to be married at the very end of this year or beginning of next year. Until then we are focused on readying our home and our lives for Connor's arrival. He is due to be here on May 30th which for those you who are good at math is only 57 days away!
Let the adventure begin!
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