Posts Tagged ‘wedding’
Meredith climbed out of her crib this morning. I don’t know whether to be excited for her or sad ~ probably a little bit of both! Looks like it’s time for her to make the transition to her toddler bed. This should be interesting! Lucas climbed out of his crib at almost exactly the same age, and when he did, he also stopped taking naps. Ugh. :( I’m looking forward to taking apart our crib and storing it someplace, though, so that we’ll have more room in Meredith’s bedroom. We can make it more of a big-girl room now, too. Gosh, we’ve had a crib in our house since February 2005! I so vividly remember being 30-some weeks pregnant with Lucas and looking inside his newly set-up crib, thinking, “Oh my gosh … this is where our *son* is going to sleep!” And now, we’re taking it down. This is a milestone!
In other news, yesterday morning I accidentally sewed over my left index finger with our sewing machine. Ouch. Well, it actually didn’t hurt much at all right when it happened; it just took me aback. But then, it started hurting like heck. I walked over to our neighbor’s house ~ she is a retired nurse ~ so that she could take a look at it. The needle went through my fingernail and almost completely out the back of my finger. I had been making a Christmas present and was sewing in reverse in order to close a corner, and my finger just got in the way. Our neighbor said to put ice on it throughout the day and keep that hand relaxed. I called the doctor’s office this morning to see whether I’d need a tetanus shot, but thankfully I got that shot back in October 2007. My mom tells me that sewing body parts is hereditary … she also did the same thing when she was a teenager! LOL! :) I’m glad that the needle didn’t break inside my finger. And of course, I tried to milk my injury for all it was worth. After all, it takes *two* hands to change a diaper, right? :)
And finally, a melting-mommy moment from last night. I laid down with Lucas to snuggle with him a little bit before he went to sleep. Suddenly, he leaned over to me and said, “You’re, like, kind of neat.” I just wanted to scoop him up, give him a great big hug, and never let go! It was *so* incredibly sweet. Then, I said, “I love being your mommy.” And he replied, “I love being your Lucas!”
P.S. Today marks exactly 12 years since my husband and I went out on our very first date! November 17, 1996. We went to dinner at Puccini’s in Bloomington, IN, and then watched “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” (The love song from that movie was our first-dance song as husband and wife at our wedding.) Hmm … it might be worth a grocery store trip today in order to recreate the meal we had that night ~ penne a la vodka!
I’d intended this morning to write a blog entry about our weekend trip to Cobourg, Ontario, for our friend Chuck’s wedding. But instead, I need to complain. (Here’s one picture, though ~ a family portrait that our friend Matt took in Victoria Park near the beach. So pretty!)
My head feels *so* freaking strange right now! I don’t know what’s going on, and it’s kind of weirding me out. It feels like I’ve downed a bunch of Nyquil or enjoyed way too many glasses of wine, but there’s also a headache feeling. Sometimes when I move around (walking up and down the stairs, bending down and then standing up, etc.), it’s like it takes my head a while to “catch up.” I know that I’m not describing it well. I think that I feel basically fine other than that. But … maybe it’s from the cold/flu that I had last week? I’m still trying to get over it. On Saturday and Sunday during our trip, my body ached *all* over and I felt pretty crappy. I was shivering at times, too. Thank goodness I was able to take a nap with Meredith on Saturday. I just kept popping Tylenol and didn’t tell anyone about how I was feeling, though, because I wanted to hang out with our friends and have fun discovering a new place. I did OK, and I do feel better than I did, but I feel like I’m in a fog today. I don’t feel lightheaded like I’m going to pass out, but my head does feel like a balloon filled with helium.
Well, enough venting. I know that you don’t want to hear about my aches and pains. I just hope that it gets better soon. Hopefully it’s just a sinus thing left over from this cold/flu bug and nothing serious. I’ve uploaded all of our Canada pictures to Flickr if you’re interested in taking a look (there aren’t *too* many). We had fun! Recap to come!
“Autumn wears her leaves like jewelry.” ~Author unknown
I couldn’t resist venturing out into the chilly air this morning and snapping some pictures of the beautiful fog. It was gorgeous ~ so calm and serene. Fall has truly arrived here!
Plans for today: finish my freelance editing assignment, clean, and prepare for our trip this weekend. Exciting, huh? I entered our destination into MapQuest, and it said that it’ll take us seven hours to get to our friend’s wedding. Yuck! I was thinking that it would be a much shorter trip! I hate being in the car for so long. But, I’m sure that the drive will be *very* pretty with all of the autumn colors. We’ll see what the GPS says, though. I can’t wait to take pictures while we’re there!
I’d been planning this weekend for months. Friday around lunchtime, I was going to hop into my car and drive to my friend Shannon’s house near Philadelphia. On the way, I was going to stop by our local apple orchard and pick up some honeycrisp apples for her to enjoy. We were going to have a yummy dinner together at Chick-Fil-A (which we unfortunately don’t have here in upstate New York). And I’m sure that Friday night we would have stayed up late chatting, playing with her daughter, eating the yummy birthday cake that she baked for me, and catching up. Saturday, we were going to do some fun outlet clothes shopping together and who knows what else, then drive two hours down to Baltimore to attend Lisa’s bridal shower. There, I would have gotten to meet Lisa’s sister, Laura, and fellow blogger Shanny for the very first time ~ in addition to Lisa’s family and friends (and visit a city that I’d never been to before). Afterward, I was going to stay at Shannon’s house that night and then drive back home today. But …
Plans quickly changed. I had just finished packing some last-minute items into my suitcase when my husband called about an hour before I was set to leave. He said that he had a meeting for work that he absolultely couldn’t get out of. He had to give a spur-of-the-moment presentation. Poor guy! He ended up not getting home until around 3 p.m. I totally don’t blame him, his boss, or his job. Stuff like that happens. I couldn’t just leave and take the kids with me, either, because Lucas’s carseat was in Jeff’s car (and nothing was packed for the kids ~ Jeff was going to watch them all weekend while I enjoyed a girls’ weekend out).
Driving six hours to Baltimore on Saturday would have been a *long* trip. I felt super bummed this weekend about how everything turned out. I wanted to see Lisa again (we’d only met once before in person) and have fun seeing where she lives, meeting her family and friends, watching her open her shower gifts, and support her/take part in one of the most special days of her life. The good thing is that we’ll get to see her in November for her Baltimore wedding reception. I’m definitely excited about that!
I did get to spend my birthday here at home with my family, though, which was wonderful. We ordered pizza from Four Brothers for dinner on Friday night (yay for not having to cook!). Also had fun picking up our CSA share from the farm. Saturday, we enjoyed a family apple-picking outing at Golden Harvest Farms. First honeycrisp apples and apple cider doughnuts of the season, folks! That was the highlight of my day! :) I wanted to take pictures but figured it would be too difficult running after the kids, picking apples, and holding our camera at the same time. (We need a wagon!) We picked a half bushel and also came home with some fresh blueberries and a “Fruits of the Forest” pie (totally delicious!). Afterward, we took the kids over to a great playground ~ but unfortunately I came down with quite a headache. I just wanted to go home. Took some Advil and just tried to rest after that. Still feel a little achy. :(
Now, I’m enjoying some quiet time while Jeff and the kids are at church. I went to CVS (had a 20 percent off coupon), the grocery store, and Dunkin’ Donuts this morning ~ with no children in tow! :) Even though this weekend was pretty different from how I’d originally planned, I had a blast and a terrific 33rd birthday! Thank you *so* much for all of your good wishes! I think that I’m loved. :)
I feel like we’ve been running nonstop since getting home from our vacation on Sunday. By the way, several people have asked me about how to get into Canada. One of the security officials at the border told us that all you need (if you’re driving) is a birth certificate and a driver’s license, but come June 2009 you might also need to have a passport. The law isn’t set in stone yet, though. I do know that if you’re flying into Canada, you definitely need a passport. We’re happy to know that we won’t need passports in order to attend our friend Chuck’s wedding this October. But we’ll need to double check beforehand to make sure that nothing has changed.
I think that I’ll bake some caramel-banana cupcakes for our farmers’ market tomorrow. I found the recipe in Rachael Ray’s latest magazine issue. Maybe I could also try selling my photo note cards at the farmers’ market ~ especially the ones that feature local photos. I haven’t had any luck on Etsy yet, but we’ll see. I know that I just have to be patient. In the meantime, I’ve been having fun shopping for photo-related stuff on sale online. We should get more storage space! :)
I can’t get over how *cool* our weather is! I actually turned on the furnace for a little while yesterday morning because I was freezing. In the mornings, it has been around 54 degrees! The kids wanted to play at the playground yesterday, and I actually put jackets on them. I’m not quite ready for fall, but I have to admit that my thoughts are starting to turn toward honeycrisp apples and long sleeves! :) I just called our local orchard to find out when honeycrisp apples will be ready, and they said about the third week in September. Can’t wait.
Ugh ~ I’m exhausted again today. But I just *had* to stay up until midnight watching Misty and Kerri get that GOLD! And in the pouring down RAIN! Oh, I am *thrilled* for them! While I am *incredibly* excited about swimmer Michael Phelps and his unbelievable athletic achievements, Misty and Kerri have my heart. They’re *so* amazing, and I just love watching beach volleyball. What an awesome team they make. And I’m excited to hear that they’re both planning to start families after the Olympics! It would be neat if they were both pregnant together, since they have already shared so much together! Volleyball is one sport that I don’t suck at (I actually wanted to try out for my junior high’s team but never did). It’s *so* much fun to play. I was on the edge of my seat last night. SO happy for them!
My parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary today! Back on August 4, 1973, they tied the knot in a little church in Nashville, IN ~ the same town where Jeff and I got married in June 2000. They honeymooned in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN, and today they’re jetting off to Las Vegas for a fantastic anniversary vacation. I hope that they take *lots* of pictures, because I can’t wait to see them! They’re going to visit with our cousin Jo, who lives in Boulder City, and they’re also going to see the Grand Canyon ~ including stepping out onto the glass Skywalk on the canyon’s west side. I sure hope that they have safe travels and enjoy themselves. Thirty-five years is quite a milestone!
This morning, I put Meredith onto one of our kitchen island stools in order to feed her breakfast. And that’s when I noticed a bull’s eye-looking rash on her left upper arm. CRAP. I just couldn’t believe it. First Jeff, then Lucas, and now Meredith! I called her doctor’s office immediately and took her in for a checkup. Actually, the pediatrician said that in order to diagnose Lyme Disease, the rash has to be a certain diameter. She drew a circle around Meri’s bite and said that if it gets any bigger, we should bring her back in. Her temperature this morning was 99 degrees, and she isn’t acting like Lucas was when he had it. We’re going to keep a close eye on her. When we got to the doctor’s office, it didn’t look so much like a bull’s eye anymore. So I don’t know. Hopefully it’ll be good news, but we just have to wait and see what happens. Meredith was *not* happy about being examined. She clung to me for dear life and cried a lot. But for one brief moment, she did play with the faucets in the exam room. LOL! :)
This week is going to be *very* busy. Today, I have to work on some last-minute stories for the newspaper that I do freelance work for. I’m also taking meals over to two members of our moms’ group. We need to get going with making a hotel reservation for our upcoming Montreal vacation. I have a birthday gift to purchase and wrap. I need to prepare a meal and get our house clean for some moms’ group friends who are coming over for brunch on Thursday. Saturday is our town’s historic celebration, and I’ve volunteered to make some Native American-themed dishes for that event and also for our town’s farmers’ market on Friday. Oh man … I’m tired just thinking about everything!
We’re wishing a *very* happy seventh wedding anniversary today to our good friends Christina and Ben. Congratulations, guys! If you get a chance, please stop by and wish them well on their special day. I was honored to be the reader for their outdoor wedding ceremony in Vermont. Another favorite memory was after their wedding reception, when we climbed part way up a mountain and looked up at a dazzling sky filled with sparkling stars. It was *really* gorgeous. Hard to believe that was seven years ago! How fast time flies!
I also remember when we explored the resort area where they got married and saw the largest hot tub in New England. What a claim to fame! :) For some reason, I didn’t have my swimsuit with me ~ so I unfortunately couldn’t take a dip. But I do remember dangling my feet in there, and it really was a *huge* hot tub. I’m a bit achy right now (”that time of the month,” folks!), and lounging around in a hot tub sounds *so* freaking divine at the moment. They’re so relaxing and soothing.
Down the road, when we have more time and money (HA!), we’d like to purchase a hot tub for our backyard. You know, one of those super-cool ones with a DVD player, sound system, etc. Actually, we’re thinking that it could possibly sit in our side yard, to the left of where our fire pit is. I’d *love* to have a gorgeous stone walkway leading down to it, and then the hot tub could be enclosed by a pretty gazebo with lots of flowers and nice landscaping surrounding it. (See, I have such grandiose dreams!) The walkway and gazebo could even become enclosed eventually so that we could use the hot tub year round! Jeff mentioned that we could also put a hot tub in our basement (once we get it all finished off), but outside would be so scenic and relaxing.
Anyway, I recently came across a website featuring all kinds of hot tub accessories, and that got me thinking about how nice it would be to have a hot tub at home. We’d need something to cover it, and most spa covers are just plain gray and very boring. But SpaScenes offers full-view and panoramic covers that feature gorgeous photographs! The idea is that you choose a specially designed hot tub cover that provides a scenic backdrop while you’re using your spa. It’s like affordable landscaping! :) The website says that you can easily trim the cover to fit your particular installation without any special tools (all you need is a pencil, a ruler, masking tape, and sharp scissors). The website says that these covers are highly durable, waterproof, and resistant to chemicals. I like the “Red Rock Falls” and “Garden Spring” designs the best. That way, you can blend your spa into our outdoor landscaping with ease. What a creative idea!
We’ll just have to save our pennies. And in the meantime, I’m going to keep making good use of my whirlpool foot spa! hehe :)
Today is our eighth wedding anniversary! But first … I want to talk about Lucas. He seemed a bit “off” all day long yesterday. He was pretty clingy and totally freaked out when I went into a different room. He wasn’t as active, either. But we knew that something was up when he curled up with us on the couch after dinner and quickly fell asleep in my lap. (I took advantage of that snuggling time, though, because those moments are pretty much few and far between these days!) We covered him up with a blanket and then eventually carried him upstairs to his bed.
Around 10:30 p.m. when I started to head to bed myself, I went in to check on him and he was burning up. So hot. He stirred awake and said that his ears hurt. (He has actually been saying for a few days that his ears are bothering him, but we thought that it was allergy-related.) That’s when I figured that it was probably an ear infection. Neither of our kids had experienced one yet, but I’d heard from other moms that alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen and giving lukewarm baths helps. After I took his temperature (which was just over 100 degrees) and gave him some medicine, he wanted to snuggle in our bed. I got a cool washcloth for his forehead, but he didn’t want any part of that. He did really great with drinking some water, though. I changed him into lightweight clothes, and he fell back asleep.
Around 4:30 a.m., he woke up and wanted to snuggle with me. I took him into our bonus room, and we both slept on the futon for the rest of the night. He doesn’t feel nearly as warm today, thank goodness. He seems to be doing a lot better. I hope that more medicine and a bath will help even more. I’m debating about whether to call the pediatrician because it seems like he’s feeling better now, but maybe I will just to be safe.
OK … so, like I said, eight years ago today we were walking down the aisle! We were pronounced husband and wife at exactly 4:54 p.m. Right about now, I was probably preparing to put on my wedding gown and get ready for a bite to eat for lunch and then have some pictures taken. I couldn’t wait to see how all of our wedding planning during the past year and a half would unfold. It’s amazing to think about everything that we have done together during the past eight years ~ especially being blessed with two incredible children. I seriously cannot believe that we’re approaching our 10th wedding anniversary so quickly, either! Maybe then we can go back to Quebec City (where we went on our honeymoon). And hopefully we’ll be able to go back there for our 50th anniversary in 2050! :)
Jeff left a “Happy Anniversary!” note on the dry-erase calendar on our refrigerator this morning. We’re going to have a nice dinner this evening and just hang out as a family. I really feel that it doesn’t necessarily matter what you do for your anniversary ~ but rather, the important thing is that you’re fortunate enough to just be together.
Our eighth wedding anniversary is Tuesday, but we decided to start celebrating today. :)
First, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at our local café. I ordered chicken quesadillas (served with rich sour cream and spicy salsa), and Jeff opted for a breakfast of strawberry-blueberry pancakes with sausage. We live in a very small town where everyone pretty much knows everyone else, so when we walked in by ourselves, everyone in the café shouted, “What? No children?!?” :) It was nice to linger over a yummy meal while gazing out at the Hudson River and actually having some peaceful time to talk with each other.
Afterward, we jumped back into the car and headed to Crossgates Mall for a movie. Now, get this ~ I hadn’t been inside a movie theater since July 2004, when we saw “Spider-Man.” And actually, back then I was pregnant with Lucas but just didn’t know it yet. (Having to get up and go to the bathroom about every 10 minutes during the film should have clued me in!) It was just so amazing to think about sitting in that very same theater four years ago with a tiny little one growing in my tummy ~ about to find out very soon that I would be a mommy!
We saw “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” and we both agreed that it definitely wasn’t the best of the Indiana Jones movies. Still great, though. My friend Jan told me to pay attention to the monkey’s back (during the scene where they’re swinging from the trees, I’m assuming), but I must have missed it because I didn’t notice anything. It was kind of sad seeing Harrison Ford so much older (and slower-moving), but I swear that he just gets more and more handsome with age. The ending was cute ~ definitely setting up for a sequel. And I’d forgotten how loud movies can be! We bought some bottled water (on “sale” for $3.75, LOL!), and the lady in front of me at the concession stand spent $17 on two small Cokes and a large tub of popcorn. That’s just insane. Oh, but all that butter looked so freaking good.
I gave Jeff his anniversary present, too. The traditional eighth anniversary gifts are bronze or pottery, so I got a bit creative and gave him a gift certificate to The Pottery Place. I thought that we could go there as a family and create some fun things with the kids’ hand prints, or we could also go there as a couple and make something together.
So where were our children during all of this? At home with our wonderful babysitter. :) She goes to our church and is very pretty, smart, responsible, and kind. She just completed her senior year of high school while simultaneously completing her first year of college! We knew that Lucas and Meredith were in excellent hands. I’m so glad that she was available today.
And you know what? I’m so proud of myself. My anxiety didn’t bother me one bit today. Going places and being social like that often makes my anxiety flare up, and I figured that I’d have to pop one of my “mega pills” before the movie. Nope! It’s crazy ~ going to movies never bothered me before, but for the past several years I’ve been nervous about movie theaters (especially at night). This time, however, I did just great!
So Tuesday, on our actual anniversary, I have a very special dinner lined up: frozen lasagna. :) You might laugh, but it’s actually kind of a tradition. On our first wedding anniversary, we stayed in Montauk, NY, and bought some frozen lasagna one evening at a local grocery store. Then, we came back to our hotel room and heated it up in the microwave. It was pretty neat, having a “picnic” inside. So sometimes we still do the lasagna thing to celebrate that fun memory!
Almost eight years. Wow. And we’re getting close to our 10th!
