Relief

Holy cow, only 10 more weeks. I can't believe how quickly time is going by during this pregnancy. Aside from a desire to sleep on my stomach again, it has been easy. I've been lucky. I know I've said this a hundred times before. I'll say it again. I feel blessed!

I had the 3 hr glucose test for gestational diabetes. It was a long day. Get into the lab at 7:30 with no coffee or food (since 10:30 the night before, not TOO bad) and get my blood drawn. Drink something similar to Sprite and sit down to wait. M came with me and we sat there reading and occasionally chatting. Every hour someone would look at me and say, 'it's time' and I'd go back and get my blood drawn again. By 10:30, it was over. I didn't feel as crappy as the first time I did it. I was all set to get a warm lunch but their cafeteria was in-between breakfast and lunch so I had to settle for cereal. Bah! By the time I got to my 11:00 appt with the midwife though, I figured it must've been good, as I only gained 1/2 a pound.

Not much happened at the appointment, we met our 3rd of 5 midwives in the group. She was pretty nice and answered all our questions but heck, that's their job! lol We go again in 3 weeks...

Other than the obvious impending birth of our child, we've been taking it easy. I have been anyhow. M is still working on the bedroom remodel and it's looking good. He should have it finished in time for my mom's visit in 2 weeks. We took a drive Saturday, looking at houses.
We are always looking even though we are planning on the remodel. You never know when you're going to get good ideas, or even when you're going to find something you like better.
We were driving through a rather populated area near the water and saw some open houses. New houses but we stopped anyway. They were brutal, who needs 4500 sq ft of living space, I ask you that? We continued on down the street and were looking at some stables and a couple farmhouses. I made M drive down to one of the farmhouses because it was gorgeous. Like something you'd see in the midwest (well, my tv version of the midwest) - wrap around porch, beautiful big lot. And there it was. The sign -For Sale By Owner. A little more than a stone's throw from the water (turns out it didn't have water access at the lot, but rather down the street). We fell in love with it. We called about it and she was showing it on Sunday. Ah heck, we went for a look. You couldn't beat the location or the house - it looked like something that belonged in the country and it was in the city. The woman selling it had the whole history - it had actually been moved from a location right next to the water back to this location. Needless to say, the walls we all cracked.. It was an odd house. At one hand you saw the potential but on the other hand, it wasn't a house you wanted to change too much. Too pretty. Too idyllic. Great price. After an hour of day dreaming, we left. It was not.quite.The.One. But it definitely turned our heads.

Rant

I know, I know. I haven't written in awhile. I'd be surprised if anyone is still checking up on here to see if there's a new post. I don't know why I've been so lazy, maybe, like my good friend Anonymous G, I just don't know why I'm posting anymore. My days are quiet and boring and I really don't want to bore everyone out there in blogland. Moreover, I bore myself right now. I guess I'm having the 29 week blahs or something.

Last Saturday night, we went out in search of the perfect Guinness yet again. Poor Irish hasn't had a decent pint since he's moved to this side of the pond. And frankly, he still hasn't. It's not like he drank the stuff that much in Ireland but, as he said, at least he knew if he went out and wanted a Guinness, there was a pretty good chance he knew a place that had a good one. There is a huge difference between a good pint/good pour and a bad one. In Ireland, it takes about 10-15 minutes to get your Guinness. Because we, as americans, like immediate gratification, finding a place that takes that long to serve you a beer is unheard of. The guinness loses it's creamy texture and sheer yumminess when it's poured like a Bud. Add that to cold and watery and it's just a bummer. Yes, we've found one place - thanks to my blogger buddy Joe we had some lovely Guinness while visiting NYC. But I find it a little expensive to fly out to NYC everytime the hubby needs his fix. I understand fixes. I always missed my tortilla chips and salsa while I was in Ireland. So, back to the story. We went out in search of Guinness and we stopped at about 4 pubs. There was some food involved ( I tend to nibble on appetizers so I can have a sip or two of the dark stuff) but there were a lot of pints. Poor Irish just isn't used to going out on the tear anymore. Let's just say he had a very rough Sunday, very, very, very rough. I'm pretty sure I heard him hack up a lung at one point. I don't miss those days. For once, I was very glad I was pregnant.

On the same day last weekend, we ate the world's best donuts. I don't even LIKE donuts usually but I have to say that these were absolutely gorgeous. If you ever come across a Top Pot donuts in your travels, stop in and have one. Oh gosh, I'm drooling just thinking of them....

Other moments this week, glucose testing for gestational diabetes. I took a 1 hr test and failed. Which means I have to go to the more extensive 3.5 hour test. This requires me to fast overnight, get up (without coffee or food) and go into the lab to have blood drawn. Then I get to drink a high sugar content drink and wait around for 3 hours while my blood is drawn once an hour. Ick. I feel really let down by my body, I have to say. I eat healthily, I workout, I don't drink soda, I drink 4 liters or so of water a day, I'd like to think that I would be able to handle a little sugar. But NOOOO. I feel very let down. I'm trying not to dwell because I've truly been lucky this whole pregnancy, not an ounce of morning sickness or any of the weird sh~t that people complain about. The fact that I still get to the gym every day and feel pretty good means a lot. If I have to watch my diet a bit because of this, I won't complain. But there's still that nagging feeling that my body should've been able to handle this. Sigh. Ah well. Hopefully I'll be able to handle the actual childbirth better than this! lol

Huh. I was going to rant about my job but it just doesn't seem like the right time now. It's Friday, after all, time to close up shop and head home. In my case, move away from my desk.
I have a lovely massage scheduled tomorrow so I'll probably forget all about my work rant by next week! You've been saved! :)

Quiet times

Finally, the weather has cooled off a notch or two. We can sleep again. Yay!

My mom was visiting last week for our birthdays. Mine is the day before hers and they both fell on the weekend, which was unusual. Because my whole life, I've probably gotten the party and the special dinner, and she's gotten the half eaten cake, etc, we decided to share the weekend. I would've loved to have given her both dinner out AND the cake but in my present state, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy either because I have to eat smaller portions. So we did cake on my day, dinner out on hers. I think she was okay with that. And I certainly was. Being a Leo, you know, it's all about ME! lol

I bought her one of those little paper hats that you get for a small child's birthday, that said "Birthday Princess" in pink with a little ruffle. She actually wore it all day, which was hilarious. We joked that people probably thought we had to check her out from the 'home' to see this lady in her mid-##'s wearing a child's tiara. We had gotten so used to it by dinner that when two men walked by the window of the restaurant and knocked on the glass and pointed at her mouthing Happy Birthday, we had no idea what they were talking about. Then we realized she was wearing the Birthday Princess hat and we all started laughing. It was sweet of them to wish her a happy day. I think she enjoyed it. Amongst other little gifts, we bought her a massage - it's so hard to buy for a parent, thinking of something that they might not do for themselves... I think we nailed it on the head with that one, she really loved it.

Interestingly enough, I got clothes. lol Irish bought me some cool maternity tops (which actually make me look more pregnant than I am - I think I'm in denial - lol) and some workout shorts. My mom bought me a realllllly soft fleecy type robe for when I have to get up in the middle of the night and feed the bun. It's gorgeous but unfortunately, the wrong size so I need to return it. She also got to satisfy herself by buying another baby outfit - she called it a layette - in yellow. Pretty cute.

Also, since she was here on the day of our 26 week appt, she came into the room with us when we saw the midwife. We had the best midwife yet, she was from the Isle of Man and had a great accent, and was the first one to acknowledge Irish in these appts. I mean, I know I'm the one that's pregnant and all but it would be nice to see anyone there be friendly to him. Well, it WAS nice. She was funny though and kept saying 'I promise we'll get to you' (to me) and then asking Irish some question about something... I had to laugh because it didn't bother me at all. She even asked my mom if this was her first grandchild... It's so nice when they have some personality - the medical staff. Unfortunately, she only works one day a week and is on call only one day a week as well, so the chance that she'd be delivering me is one in seven. Pretty slim. So next time we see a different midwife.

But I digress. So my mom was here for the appt and we all got the hear the heartbeat, really strong. I actually lost a pound, which was due to the fact that I've been watching what I eat more carefully (don't worry, I've gained 18 so the baby isn't starving). Of course, I felt like I had to explain myself when secretly I was happy that I was no longer gaining out of control. At this point, the bun is just meant to be putting on weight but even then I should only gain a pound a month. If I can keep it to a minimum, I'd be happy. Twenty five pound gain should be more than adequate.

(Oh god, I just realized this blog has become about my pregnancy. I'm sooo sorry. There IS more to me, there IS! Uh, let me think of something... lol)

One more thing, we got a call the other day, some man speaking a foreign language. He called no less than 7 times, probably more. Now, I don't know about you but if I dial the wrong number, I *may* call one more time, thinking I pushed the wrong number in there. But not SEVEN times. Irish finally told him to 'f#$% off' and surprisingly, he didn't call again. lol

That's all. I'm truly sorry at how boring this post is. I promise some excitement next time. And less pregnancy talk.

I'm MELTING....

I've just realized what the worst part of working from home is... no A/C. The best part of that, I can take cold showers all day if I want to. And eat ice cream. Well, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (only 140 cal).

The weather has been unusually warm lately. We went across the state this weekend to my home town and the hottest temp we ran into - 111 degrees (that's 44 degrees to those of you downunder). Fortunately, most of the time it was 103 and thank god we have a/c in our car. We did the drive in about 5 hours, stopped for lunch in hickville in a lovely air conditioned building. It took about 30 minutes on the road before I started to feel like the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Remember she ballooned up to the size of a big blueberry or something like that? Yeah, that's how I felt shortly after lunch. We had to stop in another exceeding small town in hickville, wa so that I could buy some... ahem.. gas-relieving tablets.. and walk it off, so to speak. It was PAINFUL. And 105 degrees there, so that was a lot of fun.

Upon arriving at our cute little boutique hotel with air conditioning, we collapsed for a nap and barely woke up in time to walk to the first reunion event. Actually, I had a really good time. I talked to alot of people - mostly the women for some reason, which I'm still wondering about. I didn't seek out to chat with too many men. Irish was a great sport and I parked him down with a few 'spare parts' as they called themselves, while the girls and I wandered around chatting with everyone. I couldn't believe it but we stayed for 5 hours. I saw people I hadn't seen in.. well, 20 years... most of them I hadn't seen in that long. I hadn't even been to my hometown in 10 years.
It was exhausting too, let me tell you. All that chat about nothing. I don't think I know much more than the following items about my fellow classmates:
1. They have all been married at least 10 years.
2. Many have at least 3 kids (which surprised me, really) and quite a few have twins.
3. The women have aged MUCH better than the men.

Let's see, I guess that's it. After all that, this was the information that was imparted. Most could not tell I was pregnant and there was not another single girl there in my 'season of life' - I guess you could say. Most had their kids young.

The next day, Irish and I took a walk through the park, before the heat of the day appeared. My hometown was host to the 1974 World's Fair Expo, so they have a lovely riverfront park. We wandered around and took breaks in the shade and it was nice to see how some things never change. After that, we drove out to my old 'hood, saw my old house, which I'd lived in for 15 years. What a nice neighborhood it was, I have to say. We drove up the hill to where the rich kids lived and I was shocked by the amount of new homes going in. And cheap. (Not that I'd ever live there but it was definitely cheap!) Finally we drove out to Couer d'Alene, Idaho - used to be a sleepy lake/beach town but it was hopping on what must have been the hottest day of the year so far. We had lunch and stuck our tootsies in the lake for a while, then ran as fast as we could back to our air conditioned hotel for another nap.

The second event on Saturday evening was a dinner/dance. There were a few different people here but mostly the same crowd. The nice part was that you could actually sit down and have a chat with whomever was at your table. I sat with a girl I'd known since pre-pre-school days and another girl I'd known since the 6th grade. Catching up with them was very cool. I'd love to keep in touch with them but you know how that goes.. Again we stayed for about 5 hours and I talked to many people. I was so relieved to go home though. It truly is exhausting. Some people haven't changed a bit (personality-wise) which is unfortunate. The same people hung out with the same people they did in high school. I can only wonder though, can you really like those same people or is it just BECAUSE they knew you then that you gravitate towards them. I tried to talk to everyone, mostly because I am a completely different person now than I was then. But you could definitely see the cliques forming, which was an interesting vision. I'm glad I'm home.

Now I can see why they only do that once every 10 years, any sooner would be far too much.

Embarrassing story #5,923,233

Ok, not my embarrassing story. But too funny to pass up. I asked Irish if I could mention it here and he said no problem.

So we bought a couple webcams. One for us and one for Irish's sister. The idea is to be able to transmit video and photos of the bun or even talk using the computer. I had set it up on my work computer and tested the microphone and ear piece. We set up the other one on the other laptop to test before L went home.

I don't know if you all know how this works but being as most of you have been in long distance relationships, you probably do. I use Yahoo Messenger to connect and then 'Invite the person to view my webcam'. Then the other person uses Yahoo Messenger to connect and Invites me to view their webcam. And then we chat or call and we can see each other while we are talking. It can be fun.

So, in my first attempt to invite Irish to view my webcam, I accidently clicked on my parent's messenger account. I didn't think anything of it, because I figured if my dad or mom accepted, they'd just see me sitting there, nothing big. Right after that, I clicked on Irish's login name and he accepted my connection. But unfortunately, we couldn't get the microphone working so I went into the other room to work on his computer. He was goofing off and the next thing I knew, he was flashing his boy bits at me on the camera on my computer!!! I said, 'uh. I think my parents might be viewing that..' and the next moment the camera was turned towards the wall and poor Irish was curled on the couch in embarrassment!

A bit later I connected again and my dad was online. I chatted with himself and my mom. My dad made a comment/joke (I can't remember what it was) that could've possibly meant that he saw something he shouldn't have but it could've easily been innocuous. We chatted about 10 minutes and got offline.

Poor Irish spent the evening wracked with embarrassment. In fact, we couldn't look at each other without bursting into laughter at the thought that my parents might've seen the Irish jewels! Of course he blames me but I told him *I* wouldn't have gone flashing my bits at any camera, I just would've gone in the other room and done it to him in person!

The house to myself....

I have an afternoon free... ahhhhhhh.... let's see, what did I do? spent a nice long hour at the gym, came home and took a nice cold shower (it's pretty warm here right now), made myself a lovely salad... earlier I did a bit of cleaning... it's so nice. Irish took his sister to do a harbor cruise, which was nice of him. He hadn't been before and I had, so I decided to take a little time for myself. Three weeks is a little long to entertain someone, especially when she doesn't seem so inclined to do much herself. It's the complete opposite of when our last guests were here - they took care of themselves and when we planned something, they seemed to enjoy it. M's sister doesn't like to ride in the car very long (that leaves out a bunch of cool places to see in this area as most are at least an hour away), she doesn't eat very exotically (can't take her out to dinner because it's hard to find plain chicken, pizza with no cheese, salmon with no sauce...), and she only wants to shop (we both hate shopping, as you may remember). Don't get me wrong, I really like her, she's a nice girl but as we've both commented, there's not a wonder that she's still single at 41 because she's a bit.too.much.work. We are looking forward to having our own space back.

Tomorrow we are having an ultrasound. We decided to do it because our new midwive suggested it. Just to see how the bun is developing. I feel him a bit more these days, although Irish hasn't felt him since that first day.. don't know if I mentioned it but it was right after partaking of a Reese's PB cup.. the little one was doing a tap dance or something. It was pretty cool but most of the time it just feels like gas. lol I still feel great, I still am going to the gym and I started a pre-natal yoga class. THAT feels really good. I hope I can keep them both up because I think it really alleviates the aches/pains and well, it keeps my mood up. Now if I could just stop gaining so much weight! lol (oh wait, I'm *supposed* to do that!)

Work is going great. I'm really enjoying working from home. I know I work more than I would if I was in the office... When I went there in mid June, I managed to head out for smoke breaks (they smoked, I just chat and wave the smoke away from myself) with the group at least 10 times a day (at 10-15min a shot, that's a lot of wasted day). Now, I don't ever get stopped in the hall or the kitchen when I'm getting coffee and shoot the breeze for a few minutes. And I almost never get people coming to my desk and talking to me either. So I probably work more than I would if I were there. Which is fine. I want to keep the job so I'm making sure they have no reason to wonder why they hired me!

My high school reunion is in a couple weeks. TWENTY years. Jaysus. I didn't think I'd ever get to be THIS age. lol I pretty much hated high school so I didn't go to the 10 year. But I'm looking forward to seeing some of the people. If nothing else, I'll get to show Irish the town I grew up in and never want to live in again. I've already re-connected with some friends from that era, it'll be fun to see them in person. And if nothing else, it'll be a lovely night out with my favorite man. :))

Pregnancy rant

Well, not really a rant per se.. Or maybe it is.

I've become addicted to pregnancy message boards. I read iVillage's and another called Babyfit, that has a good calorie counter so I can see how many calories I'm overindulging on. What constantly amazes me is that not one person has any of the minimal issues I have and not one person mentions what an amazingly easy pregnancy they're having. I'd love to see that. Maybe I should be the first.

All the typical ailments associated with pregnancy... I don't have 'em. Aside from a backache when I sit too long (not a big deal), a dull ache on the right side of my upper ribs and a fluttering right next to that achy spot, I feel good. I'm not complaining, I'm so happy that I haven't been bothered by a lot of the issues that the girls on those sites have. I'm truly blessed. But as it is with those boards, you go there for support and I guess I'd like some support for those of us who don't have problems. Because the fact that I don't have any problems, makes me feel like there must be a BIG one. lol

I spend the 30 or so days between appointments waiting for the next one so I can hear the little heartbeat. I'm patiently waiting for a kick or two to let me know things are as they should be... I don't worry that I'm behind the rest of the world (at least, I don't think I'm worried.. I'm certainly aware). I know I need to break the addiction to the message boards, certainly it's not helping at all. But I keep thinking that eventually, someday, there will be a girl on there with few issues and I'll be able to say "me too". And then we'll both get blasted by the general population and have to slink out of the room quietly. lol

Ok, that's my rant. On a happy note, because I like to end things how I feel, the weather is fantastic in town today and for the last few days and for the coming week. Maybe, for once, we'll have a clear and sunny 4th of July.

Working hard or hardly working?

I don't think this photo really does my view justice. Suffice it to say, I don't have a hard time sitting at my desk and looking out at the water. Not hard at all. It helps that I don't have a phone yet, so my electronic leash only extends as far as the laptop. I can move around all over the house, then come back to check and see if I've received any email. It's kind of nice. I'm trying to be good and conscientious, irish can't believe that I actually stay at my desk til 6pm. He's constantly inviting me to go for a walk or something during the middle of the day. I have to say 'uh.. i'm WORKing' and that sort of thing. I figure if I'm good now, I won't get questioned as much later, if I decide to take a long lunch or something. I don't want anyone wondering what I'm doing and why I'm getting paid this much to do it, I want to contribute and let everyone know I'm here!

Besides work, not much else has changed. Irish's sister will be visiting in less than a week. That should be interesting. I'm glad I'm working because she's a shopper and will want to go shopping. Irish will have "fun" doing that. I head back to Nor Cal for an overnight trip next week and we have our 22 week appointment at the doctor. Frankly, I find the appointments pretty routine, I guess we just don't have a lot of questions. All they do is take my BP and weigh me.. I keep hoping something else will happen but I guess that's off in the future sometime. We are meeting with a midwife this time, I just haven't been so thrilled with my OB and when they conveniently called to reschedule, I suggested that I'd been wanting to talk to a midwife. So, we'll see if there's any difference or just an extension of the medical side of birthing. The HMO I'm with seems pretty pro 'natural birth', low C-section rates, blah-de-blah-de-blah but it IS a medical facility so who knows what they'll be pushing.. Can you tell I've actually been reading?
I know all the moms out there will probably say the same thing my mom did "TAKE THE DRUGS" and in all honesty, I will probably need them but I'd like to go in thinking that I will try every possibility to suffer..erm..do it naturally. I don't really know my tolerance for pain since I've never really been hurt... I'll probably end up being a wuss... But it's worth a try...

Ok, before you nod off, I'll close this post and visit again soon when something exciting happens. lol

lovin' it

I just got paid for 2 weeks of goofing off. Pretty much. As you may have read in the last entry, I read a bit of documentation and "got used to" working the hours of 9-6. And then I got paid for it! Right on!

Last Sunday I had to fly to the Bay Area for work. I went on Sunday because my brother was going to be there. He's not one to travel to visit his family but he DOES visit online motorcycle friends and help them replace their motorcycle engines. If family happens to be around, he'll see us. lol Seriously, it's true. And no, I'm not bitter. lol But actually, I'm glad I made the effort (like I wouldn't) because it was the nicest time I've spent with him in years. It was just him (no wife, no kid, no computer to contend with) and we actually had a lovely conversation. It's only been a year since I've seen him but seemed like much longer since I've actually talked to him.

I had at least 3 mexican meals in the 4 days I was there... yum, yum. I'm convinced that it's just too far over the border up here in Seattle, that's why there isn't any good mexican food. With that theory though, you'd think there'd be a lot more great Canadian food. (What is that exactly?) Besides that, I visited with a couple friends and I fit right back into my old office like I'd never left (it's been 5 years). Although the department has doubled since I was there, I know everyone and it feels like a family. It's pretty cool. Still... I'm glad to be working from home (a bit too much chocolate available whenever I want it).

I got home on Wednesday night and have been trying to settle into working. I haven't had a lot to do yet but I imagine once we figure out exactly what my role is, it'll work out. In the meantime, I like working from the couch, or the deck, or my office. I like taking a break out and talking to my friend that is visiting from the Bay Area. I especially love looking out my window at the view when I should be working. Maybe next week when the kitchen is clean, I'll show you a photo of my view....

For now though, you just get a shot of the 20 week belly.

Not sure what there is to say

I started work this week. I can see this is going to be tough, disciplining myself to keep working when I am used to making my own schedule. This week, during work hours, I went to my personal trainer and had a massage (that took up 5 hours because I had to drive about 30 minutes each way and then wait 'over there' because the girl doing the massage wasn't available for an hour after my training session. I didn't want to drive 30 minutes home just to go back a half an hour later.). Then the next day, I had a long lunch date with an old high school friend, again 30 minutes drive out to meet her and a hour and a half lunch. It's weird because when I used to work in the office, I would sometimes take hour and a half lunches and it didn't bother me. But I felt a bit guilty this week, even though I don't really have anything to do at the moment. I won't be scheduling so much in the future but I can see it's going to be hard going back to that line of thinking... that my hair appts have to be in the evenings or weekends, that my yoga class needs to start as late as possible, that I have to get to the gym before my 9am start time.... On the other hand, I'm getting paid. Always a good thing. And I'm getting a salary that's probably higher than anything I can get in Seattle. And all I have to do is sit home and answer calls and emails with the occasional run out to a property to solve a hardware issue that can't be fixed over the phone. Not such a bad trade off, is it? As with most things, it's the change that takes the most getting used to, the newness of something. I'm sure in a few weeks, when I've gotten into the swing of things and I'm answering calls and emails from the comfort of my sunny deck, I'll be fine. Don't cry for me, Argentina. I'll be okay. lol

I gotta meet risiblegirl, I gotta meet risiblegirl...

I seem to think I'm some sort of champ, having actually met 4 people that I 'met' online... Risiblegirl is my latest and I have to say, she's pretty darn cute. We met for a mexican lunch during her lunch hour and she's just like her blog. Friendly, chatty, smart and pretty. I can't wait til we get together along with Anonymous G because I know they'll LOVE each other. :)) (Having met both, I'm the expert, right?) lol RG, I hope we get to see you and hubby sometime soon, thanks for meeting up!

So, other than that, I started work this week. Because it was sooner than expected, there isn't much for me to do yet. In fact, they're still working out the details of my job. But I had some reading to do and I think I managed to sit down for two hours and concentrate but that was all I could manage. I think working at home could be dangerous! In an attempt to acclimate before I actually have to sit in my home office, I have gotten up early (6:30am) and headed for the gym by 8am (job starts at 9). I haven't quite made it home by the 9am start time but since there isn't a lot for me to do, no one seems to notice. But I'm working on it. I haven't done this work thing in awhile and getting back into the swing of things is going to be a challenge. Just getting a home office set up should be interested as eventually the whole house will be a work zone. But they've sent me a printer and a docking station and a flat screen monitor, so I guess I need to make it look like I'm actually working! Might help a bit if Irish left the house for work but it's so easy to chat with him and have lunch with him and do.. other..things (blush!) with him during the workday... We'll see how all this goes. Have a great weekend everyone!

Disappointing photos...

We finally developed our photos from the cruise. For whatever reason, I don't think we captured the beauty of Alaska... it could have been the dull days - bad light - there just wasn't the contrast that there was in real life. I'll post a few here and see what I can do about the others.

Tracy Arm Fjord


Bald Eagle


Tracy Arm Fjord


Our train to White Pass


There's more.. on the other computer.. I haven't edited them yet. They might show a bit more of the majesty of the Tracy Arm Fjord. Sheer granite faces and this narrowing path between them that somehow our giant ship was able to not only able to manuever through but turn around in. The driving of that vessel was a thing of beauty, I have to say.

Besides that, I just want to mention that I am once again employed. My old boss (re: friend) hired me to work for her again. She basically created a position for me because she wanted to hire me back. And she's paying me way more than people make in this position in Seattle. I can't complain! I get to work from home (good and bad points) and I get to stay mostly local. Now, having said that, I have to go to PA in 2 weeks for 3 days and again a week later for a day. But other than that... it's pretty sweet!

On an very exciting note, I get to meet Risiblegirl tomorrow. I hope I don't call her that. lol

Back home, no photos yet

Just a quick note to let you all know we made it back safely. I think Irish and I are still reeling in wonder from the fact that we agreed to go on a cruise and found it to be exactly as we expected. Not to say that the scenery wasn't fantastic and the food plentiful, that our Irish friends weren't terrific to travel with, because they were and it was. What made two world travelers who searched out exotic faraway places on the cheap, steered away from tourist traps (for the most part, because really, Machu Picchu is a bit of a tourist trap) and other Americans because we wanted a different perspective... what made us go on a cruise is still mind-boggling to us... and I think it's going to take a week or so to recover...

I have a few photos but they are on the other computer and not uploaded yet. I promise to work on that today because it's dreary and wet outside and it seems like the perfect day to do this!

6 months in a leaky boat...

Well, not exactly. Try 7 days on a cruise ship. Not quite the same thing. We are heading out tonight to Alaska - the ship sails at 10pm. We are a little concerned about the sheep-like quality of a vacation such as this but hopefully, it won't be so bad. We've never done an organized style trip and it'll be interesting to see if we like it. But with the beautiful vistas of glaciers in the background and icebergs in the foreground (hopefully not too close!), I'm sure we can ignore the rest of it. lol Don't worry.. there will be many photos - with M's camera and our digital (charging the batteries as we speak and bringing the charger with us!) - we should have some beauty to behold.

So, that's it. I just wanted to let you all know... you get a break from checking in here until next Sunday or so... Have a great week and I'll catch up with you all later! Cheers!

Every day just gets better

Gosh, I'm so happy. Honestly. I feel blessed every day and it feels good! I was at the gym today, listening to a song I used to listen and RELATE to

Have You Seen Me Lately
by The Counting Crows

Get away from me, just get away from me
This isn't gonna be easy
But I don't need you
Believe me

You got a piece of me
But it's just a little piece of me
And I don't need anyone
These days
I feel like I'm fading away

Like sometimes when I hear myself on the radio
Have you seen me lately?
Have you seen me lately?

I was out on the radio starting to change
Somewhere out in America, it's starting to rain
Could you tell me the things you remember
About me
And have you seen me lately?

I remember me
And all the little things that make up a memory
Like she said she loved to watch me sleep
Like she said: "It's the breathing, it's the breathing in and out and in and..."
Have you seen me lately?

I was out on the radio starting to change
Somewhere out in America it's starting to rain
Could you tell me the things you remember
About me
And have you seen me lately?

I thought that someone would notice
I thought somebody would say something
If I was missing
Can't you see me?
Come on color me in
Come on color me in
Give me your blue rain
Give me your black sky
Give me your green eyes
Come on give me your white skin
Come on give me your white skin
Come on give me your white skin

I was out on the radio starting to change
Somewhere out in America, it's starting to rain
Could you tell me the things you remember
About me
And have you seen me lately?
Have you seen me lately

And I thought how different my life is now, how absolutely different I feel and I'm grateful for that. Sometimes I think if I'd actually ended my life the two or three times I thought about it, I wouldn't have been as blessed to have all the amazing things that are happening to me now.

But I digress... We've had houseguests since Saturday night - a lovely couple that we really enjoy. We've been doing the touristy things again - taking the ferry, visiting the Pike Place Market, enjoying the sunshine. They took off for a few days to Vancouver, BC and then Saturday night we leave for our cruise to Alaska! I can't believe it's already here and I'm getting excited about it. We're having phenomenal weather and I can only hope that it stays and travels with us up the coast!

Besides that, it's getting to be that time.... my 20-year high school reunion. I never thought I'd want to go, certainly when I was in high school, I had no desire to see alot of those people again but now there's plenty I want to see. I'm looking forward to it. I've actually contacted a couple people through email, just to find out how they are doing and WHAT they are doing. I'm looking forward to showing M where I grew up as well.

Finally, M got his green card approval today!! Without an interview!!! I guess they do that for some people (I don't know the criteria but we'll take it) and so he should have it sometime next week!! We are thrilled although it doesn't mean much other than he can live here legally, which he was already doing. Hopefully it'll make leaving the country (and coming back) easier. Sigh... it's soooo good! Yay!

A few thoughts on my current situation

We heard the bun again, a couple days ago. The doc used a doppler to listen to the heartbeat and this time, there it was. Can I say again how cool that is? Especially when I feel so good, so not pregnant, it reminds us when we hear the heartbeat that in another 6 months we're going to have a baby. We still look at each other occasionally and giggle - yes, giggle - because, well probably because we don't know exactly how much it's going to change our lives. Holy shit.

Then I get frustrated because this is the first thing I talk about but it's not the first thing I want people to associate with me. I've been an individual for so long - a friend, a girlfriend, a wife (well, not that long), a skier, a softball player, a traveler, a hiker, a network administrator, a reader, a goofball. I truly don't want my conversation to be focused on the bun and only the bun. Sometimes I have to catch myself and switch the conversation because I've gone on too long. I don't want to dissolve into one of those people whose role as 'mom' becomes their only role. Which isn't to say I'm not somewhat excited about my new role, it's just to say it's not *only* who I am. You know?

K. 'nuff of that. We are dog sitting this week. My friend left her 13-year old retriever with us. Gosh, she's hard work. I think she's been laying on the floor unmoving for the past 2 hours. lol We have to wake her up occasionally to see if she's alive. She's a pet. She won't move if you call her name, you usually have to stamp hard on the floor to get her attention but boy if she doesn't hear the plastic rustling when you open the english muffin bag, or when you are peeling a banana or pouring milk into your coffee. She's right there looking at you, hoping you'll drop something, anything. If you are eating and she's been looking at you for 15 minutes and you haven't looked her way, she'll put her head on your lap and stare up at you. It's a bit disconcerting. But she's 13!! You just can't teach an old dog new tricks, and frankly, we just don't want to. If you give her some of whatever you're eating though, she'll vacuum it in and then look at you for more. It's not like she even tastes it, or appreciates it, or has a bit and leaves you alone. Nope, if you gave her some, she's hoping you'll give her more. Sigh. But we love her to death. We love having her here. I keep hoping for a dog but really, this tired old dog is probably all we need.

Lucky me

I just returned from my last trip to Southern California (for work, that is). I was lucky enough, in my three days there, to see the lovely Anonymous G again. And her sweet man. They invited me up for a wonderful home cooked meal and we had a great chat. These are good people!

I *did* feel a bit like the John Goodman character in Monsters, Inc though. You know, the big fuzzy monster next to Billy Crystal's little guy? G is so petite - I felt like a serious gargantuan next to her! lol (Sure, it doesn't help being a few months pregnant but I'm not even big yet from that so I have no excuse!) I have to be sure I don't crush her with my hugs when I leave! LOL

Anyhow, that's all I have time for right now. I just wanted to say how happy and blessed I was to get to see her and her hubby again and hope I get to meet the rest of you, sometime and someplace.

We saw the bun!! We saw the bun!!

I don't know what this looks like to you, but having had the finer points shown to us, it completely looks like a baby bun to us. I had an ultrasound today, just to check out and make things are going okay, and it looks like they are! I see a head and arms and legs and a nose, etc. The bun was moving all over the place (must've been that coffee I had before I went for the u/s) - doing a little dance, so to speak. Irish and I were in awe, dumbstruck. (Well, he was a bit hungover from last night's meeting of the social group we are in, so it could have been something else that was making him pale.... lol) It all feels MUCH more real than it EVER has up to this point... JAY-sus!

Anyhow, other than that, we've had a good week at home. I finally finished one of my contracts (the next finishes next week) and it's a great feeling to finally be done! Now I can play for the whole month of May while our houseguests are here (you may be asking yourself, was she ever actually working? i thought she'd been playing the whole time!). My old boss is looking into hiring me for a permanent position up here - I wouldn't have to travel (my only no-no) - we'll see what happens with that.

Last night we went out with our social group (a local group we met online) and we met an interesting couple who spent last year in Zimbabwe. Is that cool, or what? We had a long chat with them and actually met quite a few other people... It's kind of nice to get to know some people better. Again, I would've loved a glass of wine (just one!) but I enjoyed my virgin bloody mary and my water. really. i did. (oh bun! the sacrifices I do for you! (i know, i know, it's just starting....))

Another day...another dollar....

Here I am, travelling again, this time in Irvine. Talk about a cultural wasteland! Office building after office building after office building... Still, I'm here for 2 days, teaching my class. My good friend is meeting up with me tonight and we're going out! I'm going to force her to drink margaritas, just because I can't! I'm sure she won't mind.

I'm getting a bit tired of this travelling thing. It's really my fault though. I told my employer I'd only do this contract if I could finish by the end of April. That required me to travel every two weeks. Which in theory doesn't seem too bad, until you're doing it. I wanna be home with my hubby! Waaaah!

Ok, I'm done with that.

The plans have been made. We are taking a cruise to Alaska. I don't know if I mentioned that we are having houseguests in May. Friends from Ireland. They wanted to go to Alaska for a week long cruise and we finally decided to go. I was hesitant since I can't drink... (what if it rains the whole time, what'll I do then??? lol) but I decided we should go. I think it'll be fun and it'll certainly be beautiful. Who knows what we'll do when the bun is born? We might stop travelling. Or not. I might shrivel up and die if we stop travelling. (Let me just note here that travelling for fun and travelling for work are two COMPLETELY different things and while I don't really like travelling for work, travelling for fun is a necessity! I just wanted to clear that up in case you were confused!)

So that's all for now. I'm going to my hotel and I'm going to take a nap before my friend arrives. I promise to write something more interesting next time.

Can you say 'SURPRISE'???

Just kidding... it's not really a surprise. I mean, if you have unprotected sex with your husband, eventually it's going to happen. Well, hopefully it's going to happen. If that's what you want. Which we did. We think. We are still recovering from the results. Of the pregnancy test. That said that yes, we definitely ARE going to have a little bun. (That's what M calls it, as in 'bun in the oven') Oh, did I mention we are going to have a kid??

And we were just talking about how a dog would tie us down to the house, which is why we weren't going to get one anytime soon! Suddenly, the dog isn't such an issue. lol

We've been spending the last 3 weeks getting used to the idea. Telling family only and a few friends on a need-to-know basis. You know, when you have a reputation for being a drinker, people tend to look at you funny and ask if you're pregnant when you don't drink. I didn't realize exactly HOW big my reputation as a drinker was! lol I know most people wait a while to tell people but when we started telling virtual strangers that we were, I knew it was going to be okay to start telling my friends.

So that's my post for the day. Just thought I'd share that little tidbit of news. Little tidbit is right, did you know the bun is just the size of a piece of rice at this point? Weird.