Blueberry Ever After

Date Night!

2011-03-02T12:01:00.006-05:00

So Jay and I got crazy on a Monday night last week at the Bon Jovi concert in Raleigh. It was a lot of fun, despite the fact that we could pretty much touch the ceiling of the RBC center in our crappy seats! I think Jay had a really good time anyway, which made me happy since the tickets were one of my Christmas gifts to him. We sure were tired the next day but it was an awesome date night--love you honey!

Catching Up: A Few Fall Pictures

2011-01-24T17:02:00.003-05:00

Fall is for taking walks...or riding in wagons:

Playing with Nana in the leaves:

And eating Thanksgiving dinner:

Well, Luke didn't eat it so much as look at it, but at least he had fun!

New Year, New Template

2011-01-24T11:53:00.000-05:00

I realize it has been months since I posted on here and I am slowly working on getting together some updates! I am starting with a refresh of my template. At least now you have something new to look at...promise to have more posts soon!

Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-04T11:03:00.003-04:00

Sorry to shout at y'all but I am super excited to announce that after 11 months on weight watchers I finally made my goal weight today!!! I am back in my pre-pregnancy clothes and it has been interesting going through all of my winter stuff and trying it on since I was 26 pounds heavier this time last year.

So although bikini season is over, I have finally achieved my bikini quest goal. Now I just have to maintain it over the holiday season. Wish me luck!

Zoo!

2010-09-24T10:25:00.006-04:00

We had the pleasure of taking Luke on his first trip to the zoo last Friday. We met Aunt Andrea and Uncle Tom at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC and spent about 2 hours checking out all of the animals. The elephants received the most enthusiastic response from Luke. He just loved it when they flapped their ears and moved their trunks. He also really enjoyed seeing the goats in the petting zoo area. And we got to spend some time close up to the gorilla, Chaka, who put on a little show for Luke behind the glass. We were all very glad the glass was there though! After all the excitement, Luke passed out in his car seat before we had even backed out of our parking space. Can't wait to take him back again!

Luke's Bad Hair Day

2010-08-31T15:32:00.004-04:00

Apparently Luke has become obsessed with the bubble machine at daycare. As in, dunk your head in it obsessed. He came home looking like this yesterday:

Something Old

2010-08-23T16:26:00.005-04:00

One of my uncles uncovered this really cool photo of my grandparents from 1938. Seeing it really brightened my day so I had to share it here. I just love old family pictures. We lost my grandmother about 8 years ago and I still miss her terribly. I wish Jay could have met her. I so wish she could have been here to see Luke. They would have had a blast together. She was such a cool lady and so much fun to be around. I can actually see a little of myself in her in this photo which makes it extra special. Except I don't think I was ever that skinny!

Anyway, she was my "Crazy" Grandma. At least that was what I always called her. Two of her favorite sayings were "Get the hell out of Dodge" and "Stick it in your ear." She always included a silly joke at the end of her letters and cards and she would make sure to hide the answer on the back for me. She used pink foam rollers to curl her hair every night and whenever I went to see her it was very important to me to have curls like hers, so one night in a hotel room on the way to Michigan I made my poor father fill my head full of pink foam rollers before I would go to sleep. I just had to have my curls. So here's to you Crazy Grandma! I still think of you every single day. xoxo

Bikini Quest Update

2010-08-12T11:28:00.002-04:00

Good news! Finally, after 3 weeks in a row of slight weight increases, I am down 2.6 pounds this week! This puts me slightly below where I was on May 1st. Total weight lost from January 1st until now is 20.8 pounds. Yahoo! I have the bikini in my sights now and am hoping to debut it at our annual Laborless Labor Day retreat in a few weeks. We are meeting up with Courtney, Greg and Avery at Lake Lure.

5.6 pounds remain between me and my goal weight. I hope I can stay on target this time and keep moving forward. Wish me luck--the last few pounds are always the hardest to take off!

Coming Soon to a Backyard Near You...

2010-08-09T16:45:00.002-04:00

Jay graciously constructed a raised garden box for me this weekend so I can attempt some fall planting. I have a self-described brown thumb, but I am hoping to change that. I have been reading up on square foot gardening and plan to plant some broccoli, spinach, sugar snap peas and also a few herbs for fall harvesting. Wish me luck! (Don't worry, I am aware that I will need soil. Baby steps...)

Bikini Quest Fail!

2010-07-16T17:16:00.002-04:00

Sadly I have gotten pretty far off track with my healthy eating habits over the last month. I am up about 4 pounds where I was several weeks ago. It sucks but it is my own fault. We had company from abroad and of course had to take them to all our lovely american eateries complete with free refills on just about everything. Not to mention it has been so hot I get angry at the end of the day if there is not a cold cocktail in my hand.

Also, I love my new neighborhood to death, but these people are making me fat! We get invited to a party here just about every weekend. As a matter of fact, we can hardly walk Luke down the street without getting invited in somewhere for a beer. And who is going to turn down a cold beer when it is 95 degrees outside? Not this big girl!

Anyway, I am on a mission to get back on track. So please don't be upset if I turn down your beer or your banana pudding. It's nothing personal, I just have a date with my bikini ok?

1 Year Portraits

2010-06-09T15:56:00.002-04:00

Little man is starting to look like a big boy, now that he has all these teeth. He made me quite nervous during this photo shoot as he kept attempting to display his newfound walking skills on the extremely hard cement floor! Luckily we got a few decent shots in between all the toddling arround:

A Letter to My 1 Year Old Boy

2010-05-24T11:15:00.004-04:00

Dear Luke-
I had to leave you this morning to go away on a business trip. Those are the worst mornings for me, because it feels unnatural to leave you and being apart from you makes me sad. Before I go, I always sneak into your room where you are all snuggly in your crib and just wish I could climb in there with you and watch you snore your little baby snores all morning. This morning I heard you waking up on the monitor when I was down in the kitchen and although I should have been leaving, I raced upstairs to tell you good morning and get you dressed. I almost missed my flight but it was well worth it to see your sleepy little face!

In a few days you will be turning 1 year old. It makes my eyes well up to think about telling people I have a 1 year old at home. People always say they wish they could keep their babies from growing up, but watching you grow is so amazing that I would never want to hold you back. Every day you surprise me with something new you’ve learned. It seems like overnight I’ve gone from having a baby boy to a toddler. And toddle you do! You pull up on anything you can wrap your little fingers around and spend hours each week circling the coffee table, each time a little faster. I just know you’ll be taking those first steps any day now and I pray that you’ll wait for me to get home in a few days so I can see you do it.

You are getting so confident and brave now. You let go of whatever piece of furniture you’re holding onto and look over at me with an expression that says “Are you seeing this? I’m standing!” It makes me smile until my face hurts some days. I never thought I could be so proud of someone as I am of you.

We think you said your first word recently, “Daisy”. And I am not entirely sure but you may be trying to say “dog” now when you see the dogs in the morning and at night when you come home from school. You laugh when you see them and have taken to crawling straight over Roux’s belly when he is stretched out on the floor in the living room. Luckily he doesn’t seem to mind.

When I pick you up out of your crib in the mornings, you wrap your tiny arm around my neck to hold onto me. It is the best feeling in the world. I am glad our birthdays are so close together because you coming into my life last year was the best gift you could ever give me, and I get to be reminded of that every year now.

Your Daddy and I love you so much Luke. No matter what is going on around us, if you are happy, we are happy. If you are laughing we can’t help but laugh with you. And it is so hard not to spoil you, because we would give you anything to make you smile, on your first birthday and every day. I hope you always know that. You have my heart sweet angel, no matter where I am, it is always with you.

All my love,
Mama

How We Roll: Moving & Mother's Day

2010-05-11T17:39:00.004-04:00

Just a quick update from me. Things have been crazy at my house between the move, traveling for work and trying to unpack boxes in between. Let's just say I will be very happy when I get the chance to spend more than 3 consecutive nights in my house. I think next week is the week!

When moving, Jay and I are always sure to take extra special care of our valuables, as you can see here:

My first mother's day was pretty awesome. Luke got me one of the mother's necklaces that I really wanted. And I didn't even know he was keeping up with my blog like that. Our kid is advanced! After a morning at home in which no boxes were unpacked (at my request) and we sat and read the paper and skyped with all the grandparents, the boys took me out for lunch at On the Border. It was pretty awesome and I can see myself incorporating margaritas into every mother's day celebration moving forward. The best part of the day was just hanging out as a family since we have been so busy lately. I love spending time with my two favorite boys!

What Old Women Want: 2010 Edition

2010-04-20T21:58:00.004-04:00

Been thinking about my birthday wish list and came up with a few things:

One thing I'd love is a mother's necklace, something like one of these:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/43318655/custom-hand-stamped-sterling-silver-i-lo?ref=sr_gallery_10&ga_search_query=to+the+moon+and+back&ga_search_type=&ga_page=3&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/40615097/hand-stamped-sterling-silver-charm-neckl

http://www.etsy.com/listing/38847108/love-you-to-the-moon-sterling-silver-cir?ref=sr_list_6&ga_search_query=mother%26%2339%3Bs+necklace+star&ga_search_type=&ga_page=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title

http://www.etsy.com/listing/16619996/on-the-day-you-were-born-necklacepersona?ref=sr_list_23&ga_search_query=mother%26%2339%3Bs+necklace+star&ga_search_type=&ga_page=2&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title

Subscription to Food Network and/or Cooking Light magazine.
Bubble bath
A new watch
Rain barrels, gardening books (see Amazon wish list), composter.
Fabulous purse hook
A carpet steam cleaner. Is this sad? Kind of like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-ProHeat-Select-Upright-Cleaner/dp/B000ASDCWK/ref=sr_1_41?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1271817322&sr=1-41

New nonstick cookware. Now that we are going to have two kitchens I would like to shift my stainless steel gear to the basement. I like this set for upstairs:

http://www.amazon.com/Anolon-Professional-12-Piece-Nonstick-Hard-Anodized/dp/B00006910G/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1271818251&sr=1-12

One of these for the new screened in porch would be sweet:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=16807184&RN=2172

Or I'd take a wanna be equivalent such as this: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14871942&RN=2172

Giftcards are always nice!

Picture Day

2010-04-15T11:19:00.004-04:00

Here are some scans from Luke's school pictures a few weeks ago. Can you tell he just woke up? What gave it away first, the bedhead or red eyes? These were taken the day he turned 10 months old. And because I am biased and think he is gorgeous even if he did just roll out of bed and have these taken, I am posting them here!

I'm Back! Back in the Single Digits, That Is.

2010-04-01T12:00:00.003-04:00

A quick bikini quest 2010 update: I am under the 10 pound mark! Yes, after a disappointing week last week, I got back on track and am down 2 more pounds today for a total of 16.8 pounds lost since January 1st. That means I have only 9.6 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight. Hallelujah!

The best news this week is that while I was in the middle of packing for our move I pulled out a bunch of pants from the spare room closet that I haven't worn in two years and I was able to not only squeeze into, but also button several pairs. These are pre-pregnancy pants people! Maybe everything isn't squeezing back in exactly how it used to, but who cares? Yay for shopping in my own closet! It's way fun.

And since we are heading to up to the 80 degree mark and beyond this weekend maybe I will sweat off a few more pounds since I am a cheapass who won't turn on the AC until absolutely necessary!

Shamrockin' & Rollin'

2010-03-28T13:47:00.006-04:00

Last weekend, Jay, Luke and I headed up to Virginia Beach to see my brother for his birthday and oh yeah, I also ran a half marathon while I was there too! The race was St. Patrick's Day themed and had about 8000 runners so there was a lot of good people watching along the way. I am pleased to report I finished with my fastest half marathon time ever: 2:11:17. Slow in many runners' books, but shockingly fast for me, considering it was my first distance event since Luke was born. I even stopped once to use the bathroom and still beat my best time. Booya!

My Mom met us at Matt & Caroline's and rode back to NC with us. But she didn't stay long...by Wednesday she was headed to up to Massachusetts to see her parents. We are hoping she makes another appearance at our place while she is on her East Coast tour. Until then, I will be packing up the house like a madwoman, since our move is officially 1 month away. I can't believe it. So much has changed in the last year and we can't wait to start making memories in our new home in just a few short weeks!

Here are some pics from the weekend. Sorry if I am a little blurry in my race photo, I was just going THAT fast you know...

As an added bonus, here are a few pics we took at the St. Patty's Run Green 8K in Raleigh a few weekends ago. We went downtown to cheer on Amy & Jackie who both did an awesome job!

Halfway to Goal!

2010-03-11T11:04:00.003-05:00

This week's Bikini Quest Update:

Okay, so I am a little more than halfway to goal actually. 14.6 pounds down, with 11.8 left to lose. I've lost a whole stone now! I am kind of shocked. When I first started on this weight loss mission, it seemed near impossible. I thought I would have to spend the rest of my life holding onto this extra pregnancy weight. However it seems to be coming off slowly but surely, and the more I lose, the more confident I am in myself that I can really do this.

The best part is that now that my body has adjusted to the portion control I really don't feel deprived. I still get to have my glass of wine with dinner and that is good because the way work has been going lately, I have needed it! Honestly, I feel great. I was really missing feeling good about myself and I feel like I have that back now. It's pretty awesome.

Behold the Hamdog!

2010-03-05T12:35:00.005-05:00

Work has been very busy this week and has prevented me from getting to the grocery store to pick up essentials (ie. bread). Last night I decided to make burgers and fries for dinner because not only is that quick and easy, but we had all the ingredients we needed at home so I could put off shopping one more day. Or so I thought. I forgot about the whole bread/bun aspect of burgers. Seeing as we are out of bread and I am already trying to purge our freezer of extraneous food since we are preparing to move, I dug through the freezer and came out with a package of hot dog buns. Hence, the hamdogs we had for dinner were born. I think I did pretty well working with what we had last night, no?

I have to give credit where credit is due on the term hamdog though. This dates back to me and Courtney's 2007 trip to Chicago where I had to employ the same bun tactic, as can be seen in this post.

Never fear, I am getting out to the store today!

He Crawls!

2010-03-04T17:03:00.003-05:00

Note to self: babyproof the house!

9 Months

2010-02-22T09:39:00.003-05:00

Dear Luke,
You turned 9 months old on Friday. Nine months old! I can’t believe how fast this time has gone by for us. In the blink of an eye, three quarters of your first year have gone and we are rounding the corner on your first birthday. And still, every morning when I wake up I look at you and can’t believe you are mine. It is truly magical.

To say that you are growing and changing everday would be an understatement! On Saturday, you started crawling. You had been dabbling in it for a week or so leading up to that moment, making progress forward but not quite making the connection on how you got to where you wanted to be. But now you have it all figured out and you move fast and with purpose, setting out to reach something (usually something you know you shouldn’t have) and when you reach the object of your desire, you look up at Daddy and I with a huge smile, so proud of what you can do.

You also clap your hands now when you get excited and it melts my heart every single time I see it. For a few weeks you wanted to clap but when you managed to get your hands together you would clasp them and shake your fists at everyone, kind of like how the pope addresses the crowd at the Vatican. It was cute, but it is even sweeter to see your eyes light up now that you can bring your hands together again and again to show us how happy you are. We would do anything for that smile.

Your Daddy and I act like complete fools just to get the tiniest giggle out of you and it is so worth it. Just remember that when you are a teenager and embarrassed to be seen with us in public. But for now, peek-a-boo can send you into a state of absolute hysterics. You love when I take your toes and tell you about the little piggy who went to market. Watching us talk on the phone is fascinating to you. You’ll stop whatever you are doing and stare and giggle, as if to say uh-oh Mommy is talking to herself again. And when Daddy and I yawn really big and loud at the end of a long day you find it hilarious, like oh I make you guys so tired, how funny!

No matter how tired you make us we love every minute of our life with you. You have brought so much joy to my world over these last nine months. Nothing could make me more happy or more proud than being your mommy. I love you, sweet angel!

Love,
Mommy

Bikini Quest 2010 Update

2010-02-18T11:04:00.006-05:00

This week I am down again, probably mostly in part to the terrible stomach bug Jay gave me for Valentine's Day, but hey, I'll take it. Although I don't recommend that diet plan to anyone and would much rather have enjoyed the steak and lobster dinner I planned, than go to bed at 7:30pm that night feeling worse than I can ever remember feeling without being under the influence of alcohol. Fortunately, I have finally fully recovered and managed to squeak out a 4.5 mile training run yesterday with no issues, so hopefully I am back on track for this week.

My weigh in today brings me down a total of 10.2 pounds, which I am thrilled with and amazed by! I just hope I can keep up this momentum for the remaining pounds I have left to lose. It feels great to finally be at a point where people can see the change in me and it is keeping motivated to finish the quest! See you next week!

My Kind of Snow

2010-02-14T10:24:00.006-05:00

Yesterday morning we woke up to this:

And then this (Yes, we will be dropping his crib today!):

Luckily, by 3pm or so the backyard looked like this:

Now that is my kind of snow! And hopefully the last we'll see of it this season. :)

Bikini Quest 2010: Week 6

2010-02-11T11:25:00.003-05:00

I am back to report another successful week of bikini questing...down 2.6 pounds this week! Yay! I don't want it to sound like it is all sunshine and roses all the time when I am holding it down over here for the diet, because truth be told, it ain't easy. Yes, I wanted a steaming buttery hunk of garlic bread with my pasta last night...and while portion control and learning to hold back have taught me that I don't need the bread, nothing will ever stop me from wanting it!! I didn't cave though, had a nice spinach salad instead, which I am sure helped me on the scales this morning. Thank you, willpower!

I am super excited to report that I am down a total of 7.8 pounds as of today, as well as a pants size--wahoo! Want to know what feels really awesome? Needing a belt.

So, I am still not back into those pre-baby jeans yet, but this week I am one step closer. Oh, and bikini, you're next!

Pajama Party!

2010-02-08T18:29:00.004-05:00

We had a big weekend at our house! Elizabeth came over to hang out with us for a pajama party Saturday night. She got to eat a happy meal for dinner and afterward she played with Luke and helped Jay feed him his bedtime bottle. Once he was down for the night, we went upstairs to watch Peter Pan on our "big tv." We had fun with Elizabeth and hope she'll have another pajama party with us sometime!

On Sunday Luke pulled himself up on his hands and knees by himself for the first time. We were very excited and of course many pictures ensued:

Bikini Quest 2010 Update

2010-02-04T10:54:00.002-05:00

This week I am down 2 more pounds, which brings my total weight loss to 5.2! Woot! It feels so great to be able to say "I've lost 5 pounds since the beginning of the year." Somehow 5 just sounds like a better number than 3 or 4...like I am really making some progress. Still have a ways to go, but my pants are definitely getting looser and that is a wonderful feeling! Hopefully I will be able to keep at it. Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement. Watch out bikini, I am coming for you!

Merry January!

2010-01-31T14:39:00.012-05:00

I know I am several weeks behind on this Christmas post, and it is barely still January, but humor me! We spent Christmas out in Nevada with my parents and sister and even got to spend some time with my Aunt Chris and Uncle Claude too, who are wintering in AZ. We covered more ground than you'd expect in 7 days with a 7 month old, squeezing in a trip to Laughlin, NV and also a night in Lake Havasu, AZ where we got to see the original London bridge...who knew?

Luke did great on the flights out and back. We really are lucky to have such a mellow kid. The only time he got fussy was on the landings when his little ears hurt. But as soon as we gave him a bottle he settled right down. And the time change didn't throw him off too much in NV either. He let us sleep until almost 7am most mornings and the best part was the morning after we arrived home, when he slept until 9:30am. Score!

His Nana & Grandpa did a good job of spoiling him for Christmas but we did manage to fit everything in our cases to carry home. Luke's favorite toys so far have been a jack-in-the-box and spinning top, both of which he finds mesmerizing.

It is hard to believe his first Christmas is over and we have started a whole new year. 2009 was packed full of amazing surprises for us. It started out a little rocky but quickly turned into the best year of our lives. I look forward to seeing what 2010 brings for us!

The London Bridge, all decked out with holiday wreaths:

Luke was very serious that day, taking in all the sights:

Posing by the fountains:

Hey does this thing work?

Luke had lots of fun playing with Grandpa Tim:

And he loved hanging out with Great Aunt Chris:

As you can see, Uncle Claude was really impressed with all of us:

Grandpa, how does my hat look?

Jay was formally initiated into the family this year with an Inch-style stocking:

Of course, Luke had to have one too:

Waking up Aunt Becky Christmas morning:

The tree with a crapload of presents underneath!

Luke got lots of nice gifts that morning:

But of course, playing with the paper is always more fun!

Modeling his new outfit from Aunt Courtney:

We have adopted the English tradition of Christmas crackers, they are so much fun, especially after a few mimosas!

Controh-ohl! (Sung in my best Janet Jackson voice)

2010-01-21T16:19:00.003-05:00

Forgive my sad interpretation of Ms. Jackson--Week 2 of Bikini Quest 2010 has been a huge success! I am down a total of 3.6 pounds this week. Woot! I am finally under the 20 pound mark that has been hanging over my head for the last several months and it feels great. Take that, baby weight! I feel empowered, in control of my body and I am even starting to notice small changes in my waistline...hopefully I am not being too optimistic but after this week's weigh-in I feel like I'll be able to finally meet my goal this spring.

A few things I have learned in the last two weeks:

Apples really aren't that bad of a snack. (Even though chocolate would taste much better.)
Salad is my friend. (Get in my belly!)
Willpower is hard. (But doable.)

That's it for this week...hoping the trend continues!

God Bless My iPod.

2010-01-15T11:57:00.003-05:00

A Bikini Quest 2010 update...

So far, so good! I am down 1 pound as of yesterday, which isn't a whole lot, but at least it is something. I kind of blew it at lunch yesterday when I went for the grilled cheese sandwich and soup combo. But it was chilly, I was starving and that just sounded like the perfect little lunch. Until I watched them put about 4 slices of cheese on my sandwich. I knew I was in trouble, but I couldn't cancel the order at that point. I decided to go with it and get back on track today, which I am succeeding at so far.

I just got back from a lovely 3 mile run and I have to say, my running life has significantly improved since I recently splurged on my replacement iPod. Allow me to pay a brief tribute to my new running companion:

Oh iPod, how I love thee...you came back into my life and have already shaved almost a full minute off my mile pace. Where would I be without you? Probably still running now...

So that is where I am at. Overall, feeling positive about the choices I made this week and hoping this time next week I will be able to post that I am down another pound. Until then, the quest continues!

Christmas Preview (Luke's Paparazzi)

2010-01-11T09:41:00.007-05:00

I am working on catching up on holiday posts. Here is a quick preview of Luke's first Christmas. As you can see, he really loved tearing up all the paper more than seeing what was inside it!

Splish Splash Luke Was Taking a Bath...

2010-01-07T11:19:00.006-05:00

Luke has recently been upgraded to a big boy tub and just discovered he can splash his hands and toys in the water, making bathtime his new favorite activity. Check it out in the video below.

Bikini Quest 2010

2010-01-04T10:57:00.003-05:00

Like most everyone in blogland, I have some goals for the new year. Some of them are big goals, including my enormous, priority critical goal to be hot again in 2010. Sure, it is all wintery now and I have been able to camouflage my extra fat layers under big bulky sweaters and hibernate in front of the fireplace so as not to be seen or photographed too much in my current enlarged-version-of-Heather state, but come springtime what will happen to me when it is all tank tops and shorts again? I can't stay hidden under sweaters forever, and especially not in NC. It is time to get down to business. Behold my shiny new half marathon training schedule!

Week of 1/9: 4 miles
Week of 1/16: 5 miles
Week of 1/23: 5 miles
Week of 1/30: 6 miles
Week of 2/6: 7 miles
Week of 2/13: Run for Water in Africa race (5K)
Week of 2/20: 8 miles
Week of 2/27: 9 miles
Week of 3/6: 10 miles
Week of 3/13: 11 miles
Week of 3/20: Race Day!

But wait, there's more! Along with my fabulous new training schedule and countless miles of running comes you guessed it, healthier eating habits. I will be eating a lot more salads and a lot less bread and processed foods. I will use my new camelback water bottle to ensure I am taking in the recommended amount of H2O daily. I am putting it all out here for you to read, so I can keep accountable for these goals. If I am going to complete Bikini Quest 2010, I will need your support! Please help me stay strong...that means no offering of baked goods when you see me in real life. I am on a mission people.

What are your goals this year?

Merry Happy Everything!

2009-12-15T14:30:00.004-05:00

I don't know what is up with me but I am feeling extra-Christmasy this year. Maybe motherhood has truly gotten to me, but I am just filled with holiday spirit and joy and I am doing my best to spread it everywhere. I have bought toys for tots, donated to the food bank, contributed to St. Jude's, pretty much done everything shy of sitting on Santa's lap myself to thank him for such a great year. Not that I don't normally enjoy Christmas, I do, it's just that I typically don't want to hear Christmas music until I go to mass on Christmas Eve, so being exposed to it for hours on end while running errands usually makes me want to poke my eyes out with a stick.

However, yesterday I found myself humming along in the middle of Walgreens and anyone who knows me can tell you how un-Heather-like that type of behavior is. I was shocked myself when I realized what was happening. I suppose I just feel so lucky to have a happy, healthy baby and a husband who puts gas in my car so I don't have to stand out in the cold and do it myself. Really lucky. So if you catch me humming some Bing Crosby in the next couple of weeks, no I haven't lost my mind. I am just so disgustingly happy it slips out before I even realize it. I will try and contain myself but this year I can't make any promises.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T08:35:00.007-05:00

This weekend we are hosting my sister Becky, my brother Matt and his wife Caroline and Caroline's brother Wally for Thanksgiving. We have already told Wally that from now on he'll be referred to as brother-in-law because otherwise it gets too complex to explain and he kind of is one anyway right?

Becky and I started the day out with a 5 mile race that Kathleen and Amy also ran. It was pretty hilly so we definitely earned our dinner! Unfortunately the fried turkey didn't fry all the way through so we had to finish it off in the oven and it wasn't ready to eat until about 5pm. So dinner came later than expected but it was good, which probably has more to do with the beer and sangria we used to entertain ourselves while it was cooking than the actual quality of the food.

Luke is enjoying all of the extra attention he's getting this weekend from our guests and had a great first Thanksgiving Day. We gave him a bite of mashed potatoes that to Jay's great dismay he wholeheartedly rejected. He made the most disgusted of faces, an expression that said: What is this flavorless mush you are trying to force feed me? As if!

Jay, Matt and Luke just went out to brave the Walmart black Friday sales. I am happily resting at home in my warm bed with my coffee, trying to avoid the holiday crazies. Caroline and I may venture out later in the day when those 3amers are safely out of the way though.

Happy Black Friday everyone! :)

Luke modeling his indian headdress project from daycare:

Hanging with Mommy while waiting for the turkey to finish cooking:

Luke finally let Uncle Wally hold him--he was scared of the beard at first but now seems to be enthralled by it:

Uncle Matt didn't even make it as long as Luke did last night. He promptly fell asleep after dinner on the floor around 6pm. Roux took total advantage of having a new cuddle buddy!

A new list. Let's call this one things that irritate me.

2009-11-18T17:18:00.001-05:00

Burnt popcorn smell.
People that get up to go to the bathroom on the airplane after they just made an announcement that you should stay in your seat. And also people that get up to get in line for the airplane bathroom when there are already like 10 people blocking the aisle. The bathroom isn't going anywhere people, can you wait 5 minutes?
People who cut in front of you either while walking or driving, only to go slow. If you are not in a hurry, then why did you have to cut in front of me?
People who don't pick up after their dog in public.
Waking up like 30 minutes before your alarm. I can never fall back asleep and enjoy those last few minutes.
Inflatable yard decorations.

I think that's it for today...

My super lame Christmas wish list (aka what old women want)

2009-11-11T14:47:00.003-05:00

My husband requested a holiday wish list from me the other day and it got me to thinking, as I could offer nothing I truly wanted or needed off the top of my head (apart from a shiny new ipod to replace the one that went missing this summer). A few items began to occur to me this week and let's just say I feel super lame about even putting most of them out here:

New kitchen scissors. Yes, I said it.
Dish towels for the kitchen that are pretty, neutral and not stained.
Hand towels for the guest baths that are also pretty, neutral and not stained.
I still want fluffy gray bath towel sets for the master bath (see birthday wish list).
A kickass food processor, perhaps one that doesn't make it sound like a 747 is attempting to take flight from inside my kitchen, like my current one does.
Aforementioned iPod. Preferably the touch, 16 or 32GB.
A nice reusable water bottle with a spout, bpa free that doesn't drip or leak all over me, something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Camelbak-CamelBak-Better-Bottle-Limited/dp/B002HQTVXW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1257972153&sr=8-4

There are actually a couple of fun items like Wii games on my amazon list which I am too lazy to list here. But as you can see, I have the list of a Mom. Not someone else's Mom either, this is all me...when did I get this old?

Another Saturday, Another 5K

2009-11-04T09:02:00.007-05:00

So I bounced back into racing by doing back-to-back 5Ks two weekends in a row. This weekend was the Hollyfest 5K, which started about half a mile from my house. And that was a good thing, because I took my first post-baby muscle conditioning class at the gym Friday, which admittedly wasn't my best ever idea. Considering I could hardly walk down the stairs in my own house from the pain in my quads Saturday morning, I didn't have the motivation to go very far! My sister was in town though and ready to run so we headed down the street bright and early to register. Around mile marker one Becky started asking if my legs felt better yet, to which I replied, Hell No! The burning! But we made it through the hills and eventually to the finish and I came in only about a minute slower than my previous race. Not too bad when you factor in the intense firey pain in my legs for the entire course!

My official cheering squad Jay and Luke came out again. Luke was all dressed up in his Halloween gear as you can see below. It was a great day, butI've already decided I'll be taking this weekend off!

And one more pic of my little pumpkin!

I'm Back!

2009-10-26T15:57:00.004-04:00

I ran my first 5K of 2009 on Sunday afternoon, the Monster Dash, which took place in Cameron Village. It was chilly and overcast which made it a great afternoon for a run. Kathleen, Bill and Nolan also came out to the event. Kathleen ran in the 1 mile fun run, pushing Nolan in the jogger like a champion, and Bill ran the 5K and won 1st place in his age group--go Bill! I was just happy to complete the 5K standing and came in at a respectable 32 minutes, considerably faster than the 12 minute training miles I have been running lately.

Of course, it helped to know the cutest cheerer on the block was waiting for me. Jay is training Luke well in the art of cheering. I just love turning the last corner to find them yelling my name and encouraging me (well, Luke isn't exactly yelling yet but you get my point)! But they weren't the only cheerers on deck Sunday. Amy came out to support us all, and my friend and former coworker Ashely stood out in the cold as well, since her place was right around the corner from the race start. Thanks to all of my cheerers, I couldn't have done it without you!

First Day of School

2009-10-12T09:49:00.005-04:00

Well, today is my official start date, so little man is over at daycare having his first day of school! Luckily I don't travel for training until next week now, so I am right around the corner from him for his first week. He seemed quite content when we left him this morning. Hopefully he'll have a good day. As for me, I have no computer or phone for work yet, so today will be interesting. At least I should be able to go get Luke early this afternoon. This is my first day alone in the house since he's been born, which is strange, but the dogs are here to keep me company!

Lots of Firsts

2009-10-07T22:06:00.005-04:00

It has been a big couple of weeks around our house. Nana Judy has been visiting and got to witness many firsts with Luke while she was here.

He had his first rice cereal about 2 weeks ago. So far he is a pretty good eater!

Jay and I also had our first trip away together since Luke was born. Nana watched him for us while we snuck away to Charleston for our 3rd anniversary. We missed him like crazy but he and Nana had so much fun while we were gone!

Luke also had his first giggle sometime last week. It has happened since but I haven't been able to capture it on film just yet. I will be sure to post a video clip when I do! There is just nothing better than a baby giggle.

One more first is coming up next week that I am not looking forward to. First day at daycare! I have accepted a full-time position that starts Monday and I will be in Arizona for the week for training. Wish me luck, it won't be easy to leave my sweet little boy, but I know his Daddy will take good care of him while I am gone!

A Walk in the Park

2009-09-18T10:52:00.005-04:00

Last week Luke and I had the chance to catch up with my old MMC buddies, Lora and Sally and their new babies, Ryan (Lora's little boy), and Sydney, Abby & Maya (Sally's girls). We met up at Pullen Park and had a nice walk around the lake and then hung out in the sand while Ryan and the girls did some swinging and then everyone enjoyed a nice bottle. Well, everyone except for me, Sally and Lora. It was a bit early for us! It was great to see my friends and catch up with them. We'll have to do it again soon!

Busted!

2009-09-04T08:40:00.004-04:00

I love these pictures of Luke in his bumbo seat. He looks like I caught him doing something he's not supposed to. "Oh Mom, sorry about sitting up in my bumbo like a big boy. You weren't supposed to see this!"

Smokin' Hot Butts & Racks

2009-09-01T11:24:00.007-04:00

Luke and I joined Courtney, Greg and Avery at the Bikes, Boogie and BBQ festival in Gastonia last weekend. Greg and his team, "Smokin' Hot Butts & Racks" entered the competition in all four categories: chicken, ribs, pulled pork and brisket. It was their second competition and unfortunately they didn't place, although their brisket was the best I've ever tasted! Despite the loss, the festival was a lot of fun and there was plenty of good people watching to be had. Luke had a great time sitting up in his stroller like a big boy and even took a 1 hour nap in the middle of the live music, generators and fans, so Mama got to relax enjoy some cold adult beverages. It was a great day!

There were over 500 bikes at the festival:

Courtney and Avery:

Me & Luke (we were taking Mommy pictures since Jay & Greg never capture us on film!):

Sitting up like a big boy, Luke's new favorite thing!

Mom, why did you put this ridiculously large hat on my head? I don't think it's working for me.

There, now that's better!

Luke's girlfriend Avery:

Avery wearing her shorts as a hat. Okay, so it was Courtney's idea, not Avery's, but funny nonetheless!

Avery wearing her super cute Tar Heel gear!

Two Thumbs Up

2009-08-27T16:33:00.004-04:00

So Jillian Michaels has been kicking my ass with her 30 Day Shred dvd for about a month now and while I still have a love/hate relationship with her, I am starting to see some results. My cardio level is up considerably from Day 1, when 30 seconds of jumping jacks nearly had me passed out on the floor, and I have even lost a couple of pounds. Yay!

And it must really be working because the other day when I was out walking Luke, a delivery truck driver honked at me. Yes, at me! haha I thought for a while there that I had lost my touch, but it looks like Mama's still got it. That and a sweet farmer's tan from all those lunchtime walks we've been taking. Go on, you know you're jealous!

So thanks Jillian, even though I'd rather post this picture of you on my dartboard, I give your workout two thumbs up!

First Ball Game

2009-08-07T16:41:00.009-04:00

On Sunday we got to take Luke to his first baseball game! Our friends Derek and Kristy invited us to join them for a Durham Bulls game and since babies are free at the DBAP we decided to go for it. I will say the journey got off to a rough start because Luke screamed the entire way to the park, all the way down I40, the Durham Freeway and even through the parking deck. Jay and I began to think this was a bad idea, but no sooner than we crossed the street from the deck to the stadium, it was all smiles and love and rainbows again for Luke and he shocked us all by staying in a happy mood for the entire 9 innings.

My hopes were high that he would sleep all the way home since he had been so happy and active and awake for 3 hours at the game, but no dice. He decided to treat us to another cacophony of shrieks and wails all the way home. Joy. I even had to hop out at a stop light and jump in the back with him just to make it stop...for about 5 seconds.

Needless to say, once we got him home and fed him he passed out like a rock star and stayed asleep until 7am the next morning. Yay! Just long enough for me to forgive him. But at least if he was going to meltdown he did it for us and not our lovely friends with their lovely free front row seats. It was a great game apart from the Bull's loss. Thanks again Kristy and Derek!!

The seats really were awesome. We were seriously thisclose to the field! It was great--although it made the foul ball situation a little too exciting for us at times. But we managed to escape unscathed!

Nothing says male bonding like a day at the baseball park!

71 Days

2009-07-30T21:49:00.005-04:00

Dear Luke-
I just counted and you are 71 days old now--I can hardly believe it. I have been meaning to write this letter to you since you were born, but you have had other plans for me that do not include free time! Of course when I do have free time, there are plenty of other things I'd rather be doing, like watching you suck on your fingers or stare at your feet, which you recently discovered and find completely fascinating. I could spend every day watching you watch the world around you. You have changed my life so fully and completely I can't remember the way things were before you and I don't even want to try. It feels like you've been here the whole time. Your Daddy and I love you more than we ever could have imagined and we are still in awe that we brought you into the world. Did we really create this beautiful and amazing little person? It baffles us.

Since you came into our lives we watch you like you are our new tv. The funny expressions you make, every little gurgle or coo, we can't imagine anything more cute or perfect and could just stare at you for days. I find myself doing things for you that I never imagined doing for another human being before. I have never before kept a poop journal, never placed my hand on someone's chest in the middle of the night to make sure they were still breathing, and certainly never wiped someone else's bottom for them...oh how that has changed! But then you have this way of looking up at me with your big blue eyes, laying your perfect little head on my shoulder, or reaching out to gently grasp one of my fingers, and in those moments I realize I would do anything in the world for you, my little angel.

Every morning I wake up and realize I have fallen in love with you just a little bit more, and it is the best feeling in the world. My love for you is so great that even when you wake me up at 5am I feel like I could stay up all day long, with no coffee, and that is saying a lot. I can't wait to start every day with you, to see what new cool thing you are going to learn that day. On Sunday you rolled all the way over from your back to your belly by yourself and I thought I would just burst with pride for how strong and smart you are. Just wait until you can roll back the other way, I swear I won't know what do with myself!

I can't wait to show you the world little one. You are so eager to take it all in. And the world better watch out, because baby, you are so awesome the world won't know what hit it.

All my love,
Mama

PS. I still can't believe that I am someone's Mama.

Get In Shape Girl!

2009-07-29T12:09:00.003-04:00

Does anyone remember these toys from the 80s?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZhvocyYtSc&feature=related

I used to love all my Get In Shape Girl gear, especially my ribbon wand, although I didn't twirl it nearly as well as Will Ferrell. I just began my post baby workout regime this week so my mind wandered back to these toys for some reason...guess my fitness obsession started at an early age!

I began with a run on Sunday with Jamie and how sad, I only made it a mile before I had to stop and walk. I suppose that's not SO awful, considering it was already 90 degrees out and it was my first serious attempt at running in about 6 months, but man, it is hard to believe this time last year I was training for a half marathon.

I followed up on Monday with the 30 Day Shred dvd and did that again today, and Jillian Michaels is totally kicking my ass this week. I felt like I'd been hit by a bus yesterday when I woke up and I can't decide if I love Jillian or hate her. Either way, it is nice to be back in the swing of things. Hopefully I can fit into some pants with a real waist soon...what a goal!

Poop on you!

2009-07-16T16:16:00.003-04:00

Well, poop on me that is, and Jay...lots of it! It seems like Luke's new favorite trick is to poop on us. It started this weekend when Jay was changing one of Luke's diapers on the pack and play downstairs. He had quite audibly filled his diaper during a nap and when he woke up Jay grabbed him for a quick change. Unfortunately he wasn't finished because when Jay had his little legs lifted up to slide the fresh diaper in, Luke projectile pooped all over the front of Jay's t-shirt! (Thank goodness for lazy Sundays b/c we were still in our pjs) Two months of diaper changes and we've never seen anything like this. Apparently it just shot straight out, none of it even managed to hit the floor. At least he was considerate enough to get it all in one spot. I missed this as I was in the downstairs bathroom where I could hear Jay exclaiming "Dude, are you serious?"

The pooping continued on Tuesday night when Luke ripped one while sitting in my lap and it leaked out all over me in front of my lovely book club friends in the middle of Starbucks. Yeah, it was awesome. I think I really frightened some of the girls there who don't have kids yet. Luckily I had a wardrobe change for him in my diaper bag, but not one for me. So I cleaned myself up with a wet wipe and got back down to the book discussion. Hey--I don't get out much these days and I sure as hell wasn't letting my coffee go to waste!

I thought it was just peeing you had to worry about with little boys. Man, was I wrong! For all my friends withchild...be warned, this could soon be you!

Beach Baby

2009-07-06T12:17:00.009-04:00

Luke was invited down to Pawley's Island, SC for 4th of July weekend to stay with Courtney, Greg, Avery and Courtney's parents at their cabin rental, and since Jay and I are his chaperones we were lucky enough to get to tag along! It was great spending time with Greg, Court and Avery and we are so thankful to Berry and Susan for having us. We had a blast! Courtney's great Aunt Pat and great Uncle Don were also at the cabin and Jay and I thought they were truly "great" to hang out with!

Many rounds of cornhole were played, much seafood was consumed and we drank lots of Mich Ultra Cactus Lime beer, which is my new favorite thing for summer!

As you can see from the above picture, Luke found the beach very relaxing. Here are some other pics to sum up the trip:

Lunch date with Greg, Court and Avery at Big Tuna, on the Georgetown waterfront:

Fred the alligator, who lives near the Big Tuna:

Avery trying to get ahold of Court's frosty margarita:

After lunch we took Luke for his first day at the beach:

We tested out his sunglasses but decided he is still slightly too wee for them. We call this his Stevie Wonder look:

Luke also found the hammock very relaxing:

I think Avery tipped him off on it:

Aunt Pat (aka "The Original Baby Whisperer") holding Luke and Susan (aka "Meme") holding Avery:

Sunset in Georgetown on our last night at the beach:

Little Man is Getting Big!

2009-06-27T21:35:00.009-04:00

It is hard to believe our Luke will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday! The past 6 weeks have flown by, but at the same time, Jay and I can't remember a time when we didn't have Luke in our lives. It feels like he has been a part of our family forever. We have been learning a lot about each other and Jay and I can already tell Luke's hungry cry from just a plain old fussy cry, and I think we are very close to seeing a real smile soon! He has already grown out of some of his outfits, which is amazing to me.

Luke has really taken to his activity gym in the last week. Every morning I lay him there while I get breakfast and he plays for about 20 minutes or so. He is starting to make some more cooing sounds so it is fun to listen to him play! Here is a sneak peek at Luke hitting the gym:

And here are a couple of recent pictures in case you can't see the video:

Luke's Father's Day outfit

Snuggling with Daddy

Playing in the activity gym

One Month Old

2009-06-19T15:40:00.004-04:00

It is hard to believe our little Luke is already 1 month old today! The past four weeks have flown by and we have loved every minute of it. Luke is doing great and keeping me very busy, which is why I haven't had much time to post lately. Here is a quick photo of my handsome man. I will try and get back on here with a better update soon!

Bye Bye Cankles!

2009-06-05T16:11:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know I have my ankles back and I am really excited about it! I was starting to wonder if I'd ever see them again but the swelling finally went down this week. Yay!!!!!!!!

That's all for now. I of course have many new Luke pictures and updates and will try to get to those in another post soon. :)

I like your tires, they're real big!

2009-05-28T18:12:00.008-04:00

So my birthday turned out to be pretty awesome this year. First of all, Luke was here to share it with me and he is pretty much the best birthday gift ever! I even got a card from him and it was so sweet it melted my heart. I got spoiled with lots of presents, including this sweet beach cruiser bike from Jay, which was waiting for me in the living room when I woke up Tuesday. I can't wait to test it out soon when I am able to exercise again! And my parents got me the Vado HD pocket video camera, so we are super psyched about that gift. I am still learning how to use it but will try and post a video of Luke very soon. Something tells me the grandparents are going to be requesting lots of photos and video clips now that I am fully equipped. :)

Jay and I even managed to get out for a birthday dinner by ourselves while Nana Claire watched Luke for us. We went to On the Border and I had my first post-baby margarita and it. was. awesome! Although I had a buzz after about 3 sips. It has been a long time since I had any tequila! I didn't really miss drinking that much, but it does feel great to be able to hang with the adult beverages again!

Baby Blueberry Has Arrived!

2009-05-24T12:35:00.007-04:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Luke Timothy was born on May 19th at 3:27pm. He was 8 pounds 12 ounces and 22 inches long at birth. We got home from the hospital on Thursday afternoon and I don't want to jinx us, but things seem to be going pretty well for now. We are lucky because Jay's mum is here for another 3 weeks helping, so we have an extra set of hands to hold the baby while Jay and catch naps here and there. We are still sleep deprived, but it doesn't matter. The bliss of motherhood far overpowers the lack of sleep. Luke is an angel and we are so in love with him we could just stare at him for hours.

Luke had his first doctor's appointment on Friday and everything checked out fine. We are just so happy that our baby boy is finally here and healthy!

Here are some pics of the little man, who turned out to be not so little. Will try and post another update soon!

Adding to the list

2009-05-12T23:36:00.004-04:00

A baby. Yes, I would like to go ahead and have this baby, that would be a great birthday present to me!

I am due tomorrow (and it is almost tomorrow as I post this) so I am really hoping Baby Blueberry is just waiting to make an on-time appearance. I kept telling him I wouldn't mind it if he decided to come early but he is already not listening to me...I think I am in trouble!

So everyone keep your fingers crossed that he will come soon. The good news is that if he doesn't come out on his own before next Tuesday, my doctor will be seeing to it that he makes his way into the world then. I am officially scheduled for an induction on 5/19, but hoping we don't get to that point!

We'll give an update whenever he decides he's ready to join the real world!

Until then I will just keep staying busy and eating lots of spicy food. ;)

Birthday Wish List

2009-05-01T12:05:00.006-04:00

I can usually never think of anything when people ask me what I want for my birthday, but for some reason this year I have a plethora of wants. No mind that I am unemployed and withchild and Jay and I about to be broke for the next 20 years or so due to said child...I still want any and all of these things:

First and foremost, I would like a shiny new laptop that is mine, all mine. A third floor office is not going to be conducive to my jobhunting activities once baby is on the scene so this is my priority number one. Expensive? Yes. Do I want it anyway? Yes.
My heart also desires one of these snazzy little pocket video cameras from Creative Labs: http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=833&subcategory=834&product=18108. It meets two very important requirements. A) It is purse perfect. B) It plugs directly into your computer to upload videos. I think it will come in very handy for clips of Baby Blueberry!
A bicycle. I would really like one and have been wanting one for a while. Obviously not a priority in comparison to my first two wishes, but still, it would be nice.
Gray towels for my bathroom. Our master bath towels are coming up on 3 years of heavy rotation and could use a facelift. I am thinking gray would be lovely. Even some like these from (gasp!) Walmart would be just dandy: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10805354
Some cute black Merrells for summertime. I am looking for comfy, easy to slip on shoes for a soon-to-be Mom on the go, like these perhaps: http://www.merrell.com/us/#store/W/W-F/15538W-30547/
New clothes. After all these months of pregnancy, I am looking forward to having a waist again at some point this summer. I know when I reach that point, I will be in need of some new duds. All hail the gift certificate!
Bare Minerals. I want to go and get pretty with some new makeup...and I need something low maintenance.
Super Paper Mario. Yes, I am that far behind the curve when it comes to gaming. But I still want it!

I know there is more but I will leave it here for now. Let's just hope Baby B decides to make an appearance sometime soon. That will be by far the best gift I get this year!

Freezer Marathon

2009-04-28T11:48:00.002-04:00

In an attempt to plan ahead for meals after the baby gets here (in only two more weeks hopefully! Ahhhh!) I spent yesterday peforming a freezer meal marathon. I have stocked up our freezer with the following dishes:

Homemade Pizza Dough
Breaded Mac & Cheese
Sausage Lasagna
Beef Noodle Supreme
Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Chicken Bruschetta Bake
Sticky Chicken
Easy Chicken Manicotti
Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

But wait, there's more! I also plan to make a Broccoli Cheese Bake and a Chicken Casserole too. And I will keep going with the freezer meals until either the freezer is out of room or the baby arrives, whichever comes first. Swollen feet be damned!

BabyWatch '09

2009-04-24T15:48:00.004-04:00

Well I am now past the 37 week mark in my pregnancy which means that Baby Blueberry will be considered full term whether he decides to come out now or 3 weeks from now. It is hard to believe that I am almost at the end of the road. I have been so blessed and lucky to have had a relatively easy pregnancy that the time has just flown by! In fact, the only I can really complain about even now are my heinous and unattractive cankles, which I affectionately refer to as sausage feet.

But, if getting this baby means I have ugly feet for 3 weeks I think I can hang. Plus, Jay didn't even try to object when I told him that me and my fat ankles are going for a pedi next week, whether I am jobless or not! Being withchild does have its benefits...

In other exciting baby news, Kathleen and Bill welcomed their new son Nolan William into the world on April 13th! He was 10 days overdue and hanging on for dear life in there, but the doctors finally coaxed him out and I have to say he is about the cutest and squishiest little bundle of baby I've ever seen! Way to go Kathleen and Bill! I am hoping you guys have some pointers for me by the time my little guy decides to make an appearance.

That's about all the updates I have for now, so I will leave you with some squishy Nolan pics (Seriously, is he not the cutest?):

The Baby Invasion

2009-04-10T11:01:00.006-04:00

Bouncy seats, swings and changing pads, oh my! With still a little over a month to go, baby gear is slowly taking over our house. Baby Blueberry's stroller arrived last week and ever the proud Papa, Jay put it together right away. It has now taken up residence in the living room, since it is so shiny and new and pretty that I can't bear to store it in our dingy garage.

I also received my fun new diaper bag this week and have already tested out the stroller attachments. It's pretty sweet. I have to say you know you're about to be someone's mom when you get excited about a cute diaper bag that attaches to your even cuter stroller.

Now, just wait until you see the pack and play! I will save that for another post since I am sure you can hardly contain your excitement...

Mama Blueberry

We Are the Champions!

2009-04-07T11:15:00.003-04:00

Although a closer game may have been more exciting, it was so fun to watch UNC break all kinds of NCAA records during last night's championship game. I am so proud of my boys! Go Heels!!!

Boston Creme Cupcakes

2009-04-03T11:31:00.004-04:00

Last week I made some boston creme cupcakes for Jackie's Raleigh Rocks pre-race dinner. They turned out quite well and were fairly easy to prepare so I thought I'd share the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
water, eggs & oil
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups butter at room temp.
3 tbs light corn syrup
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 cups prepared vanilla pudding

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Prepare cake mix with water, eggs and oil according to package instructions. Divide among liners. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
Chop chocolate (I used chocolate chips). Transfer to microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 10 second intervals, stirring until melted. Cool. Meanwhile, on medium speed, beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in corn syrup 1 tbs at a time. Gradually beat in sugar until blended. Beat in chocolate until frosting is smooth. Reserve.
Transfer pudding to pastry bag fitted with plain tip. Insert tip 3/4" into top of each cupcake. Pipe a little pudding into each cupcake center. If desired, transfer reserve frosting to clean pastry bag fitted with large rosette tip. Pipe or spoon frosting over cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Get This Thing Off Me

2009-03-29T11:31:00.004-04:00

Poor Roux has some hot spots under his front legs right now that he won't leave alone, so we had to put the dreaded lampshade on him the other night. He was equal parts annoyed and terrified by it. See below:

And here are some photos of Daisy's favorite new way to use her bed:

She may not be the smartest girl, but we do love her!

A Shower for Blueberry

2009-03-24T17:28:00.007-04:00

Last weekend Baby Blueberry and I were spoiled rotten at a shower put together for us by Tera, Courtney, Allyson and Kathleen at Tera's house. It was an awesome day, despite the rain and cold temperatures, because so many friends and loved ones came out to spend time with me. Courtney and Avery drove all the way up from Atlanta to be here for the party, my Mom came out from Nevada, and Auntie Andrea and Uncle Tom came up from South Carolina too. I am not kidding when I say I felt special!

Thanks to all who attended. It means a lot to Jay and I that you share our excitement for our baby boy's arrival! And a special thank you to Courtney, Allyson, Tera and Kathleen for hosting. You girls are the best!

Roux likes to help hold the baby:

Avery testing out Baby Blueberry's bassinet. I think she approves:

Diaper Cake:

Tera hanging out with Avery in her party outfit:

Me & Mom:

Me & Auntie Andrea:

Allyson, Tera, Me, Kathleen & Courtney:

It's Been Awhile...

2009-03-09T17:08:00.008-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted a recipe on here so I thought I would give a shout out to this yummy shrimp pasta dish that I made for Jay and me a couple of weeks ago. I always know I have done something right when Jay tells me "You have to make this next time my parents come visit!" lol

And the best part? This is a Cooking Light recipe so you don't even have to feel guilty for loving it. I do hope you enjoy the bubbly, cheesy, yummy, shrimpy goodness that is Creamy Gruyere and Shrimp Pasta!

Creamy Gruyere and Shrimp Pasta
(Yield 6 servings)

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked cavatelli or orecchiette pasta ("little ears" pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
Cooking spray
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
Combine the flour and salt in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, stirring until melted.
Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in wine and pepper, and cook 1 minute or until shrimp is done.
Add pasta, shrimp mixture, and peas to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Garnish with the parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 459 (27% from fat)
Fat: 13.8g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.7g,poly 1.6g)
Protein: 39.6g
Carbohydrate: 41.2g
Fiber: 2.5g
Cholesterol: 210mg
Iron: 4.1mg
Sodium: 535mg
Calcium: 415mg

Baby Boot Camp

2009-03-04T09:55:00.006-05:00

In February Jay and I took a trip down to Atlanta to visit Courtney & Greg and their new little girl Avery. It was so much fun spending time with Avery at 1 month old, and learning what life with a newborn is really like. Courtney called it my "Baby Boot Camp."

The girls managed to get out for lunch one day followed by a stroll in the park with Avery. While we were out we noticed this sign at the local carwash. If you know any bald men in Canton, GA they can get a good deal on a carwash right now!

I got to help out with bathtime while I was there, and by help I really mean take lots of naked baby photos to embarrass Avery with when she gets older! And I held her each morning while Courtney got showered and dressed, so I feel well practiced at holding a newborn.

On Saturday afternoon we all ventured out to go bowling but that trip soon got cut short when we got to the lanes and were told there was a half hour wait due to a tournament and birthday party. (Who knew bowling alleys were so busy on Saturday afternoons?) So we quickly changed plans and took Avery on her first beer run at Publix and then headed back home to watch the Carolina game instead. Unfortunately Avery's UNC basketball streak ended against Maryland that day. :(

Despite the UNC loss it was a great visit and we feel so happy that we got to spend some time with the new Bayer family! I am so impressed with Courtney's mothering skills at just 1 month post partum. She already can tell Avery's hungry cry from other types of cries, is a breastfeeding powerhouse, and is so patient with Avery while trying to establish a routine for her. She is turning out to be a wonderful Mommy as I knew she would! And I am so glad I have her to look to for advice when my turn comes, which is not too far off now!

Here are some more pictures from the trip:

Roux and Maggey became good buddies during the visit. Neither Roux nor Daisy seemed too interested in Avery, which is a promising sign for us. Apart from the occasional sniff of the baby's head or foot, they were more interested in Chase and Maggey, and their toys!

Tummy time:

Chillin' in the swing:

Meeting Uncle Jay:

A MicroMass Shower

2009-02-17T17:21:00.008-05:00

On Saturday, some of the girls from my old company came together to throw me and Lora a baby boy "work" shower and it was so much fun. Thanks again ladies for thinking of us!

Everything was beautiful and Baby Blueberry is sure to love all of his gifts. But my favorite part was spending time catching up with everyone since I don't get to see these girls everyday anymore!

Here are a few pictures from the party:

The beautiful baby bump cake made by Julie Pietz:

Opening gifts:

Lora and I showing off our bellies:

Catching Up: Christmas in Spain

2009-02-09T11:35:00.022-05:00

Let me apologize for being so slack with my blogging recently. Despite being unemployed, I am keeping surprisingly busy! Plus, loading pictures into blogger has been a major PITA so this update has taken some time. But, I wanted to start catching everyone up on what has been going on with us, so let me start with our Christmas vacation. This year we hopped across the pond for the holidays, landing first in England and then traveling to Spain to spend Christmas with Jay's parents. Once again, I was blessed with beautiful weather in England. It didn't rain a drop the whole time we were there!

The first day was a whirlwind day, but I did get to meet my brother-in-law finally. He's real! And we had a nice fish and chips takeaway with Kate and Joel that night, the first of many on our trip. Yummy!

This is the very posh restaurant Carl works at, Le Manior in Oxford. He has got the cooking skillz. Jay took this same picture about 37 times while Kate and I waited in the car. We even left him and came back. I don't think he noticed.

Moving on to Spain...how would you like this view from your back garden? Not too shabby, right? This is the little village that Jay's parents live in, which is in the Murcia region of Spain. There is a castle on top of the hill in the center of town, as well as a beautiful church. The view was gorgeous at night with all the tiny houses stacked on top of each other all lit up.

Our first full day in Spain we went down to a small seaside village on the Mediterranean coast called Mazarron.

The weather was only slightly chilly, but 100% sunny and beautiful so we got to sit outside by the sea and eat lunch (more fish and chips, believe it or not) and take in views like these:

Apparently in the warmer months the beach stays chocker with people so it was nice to be able to take in the sights on a very quiet and deserted day.

Here we all are, cheesing it up for the camera and hoping the nice Spanish man doesn't decide to run away with it:

Back at Jay's parents house, here is the daytime view of the village:

After a massive dinner, we decided it would be a good idea to walk to the top of the hill to have a look at the castle. Let's just say the walk home was my favorite part of this excursion, as it was downhill! Just kidding, it was really cool to see everything up close.

We have a tradition in this family of not removing our pj's on Christmas Day so here Pete and I are in our holiday finest:

Boxing Day was our last day in Spain, so Jay's parents took us on a little trek to a monastery not far from their house. It's on top of a mountain. Joel decided to bike up the mountain. The rest of us opted to ride in the car to point, laugh and wave at him. I was seriously impressed that he brought his mountain bike all the way to Spain for the holidays. You know, not impressed enough to borrow it and exercise, but impressed nonetheless. But seriously, Joel is a superstar!

Here he comes...see I wasn't kidding about him biking up a mountain!

The view from the top:

Taking a breather:

We ran into some goats wandering the grounds of the monastery. They all had bells around their necks and made lots of music for us as they ran from the cameras.

I did have a little trouble leaving Spain, because when we landed there was no one at customs to check passports, so we just entered the country without anyone thinking to make sure we were okay...so when I went to leave I had to explain this in my very limited Spanish to the nice man who was in charge of stamping my passport on the way out. Luckily, I just had to fill out a form and he let me through, and Jay even waited on me in case they dragged me off in handcuffs! But it was all good.

We spent the night in Brighton with Rob when we got back to the UK and then headed back up to Kate and Joel's on our last day there. This time we had curry takeaways for dinner and a relaxing evening on the sofa watching a movie. Kate was even nice enough to take us to Tesco's the morning of our flight home so I could get my last minute biscuits and crisps to take home. Thanks again Kate!

We had a wonderful visit with everyone and can't wait to go back. And to think, next time we will be a party of 3!

Snow Day!

2009-01-20T12:16:00.004-05:00

Jay and I woke up this morning to 3 inches of snow on the ground and it is still coming down out there even though it is now lunchtime. Good thing we don't need any groceries right now. The last thing I feel like doing this week is armwrestling the last gallon of milk from one of the snow crazies at the grocery store! Hopefully the roads will be okay after tomorrow. Since I am now unemployed I already had a touch of the cabin fever as it was.

It sure is pretty to look at but it's also really effing cold!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-25T04:16:00.003-05:00

For the 9 of you who voted boy, good job! We just opened our Christmas envelope to find those words waiting for us this morning and we couldn't be happier. Wait until you see the beautiful blue sweater Claire knitted for him already. I can't wait to post pictures when we get home from the trip! Merry Christmas everyone!!! ;)

Is Baby Blueberry a boy or a girl? Vote now!

2008-12-11T12:16:00.001-05:00

Jay and I have the "big" ultrasound on Monday morning and we have decided to ask the doctor to keep the sex of the baby a secret, just for a few days. Our plan is to get them to put it in an envelope for us to open on Christmas day. I think it will such a wonderful surprise for us on Christmas morning and we can't wait to find out if we are having a son or a daughter!

A lot of people have asked me if I have a feeling one way or another and I honestly don't have a clue. So, what do YOU think I am having, is it a boy or a girl? Cast your vote today in my poll at the top right corner of this page.

I promise to post results as soon as we get back from Christmas vacation!!

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Run!

2008-12-08T11:24:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, Bill, Amy, Jackie, Jamie and I all ran the annual Jingle Bell 5K Run in downtown Raleigh. The best part of this race is that it didn't start until 10:30am so it wasn't as frigid cold as I had expected it to be. The course was great, mainly sticking to Hillsborough St., and a 5K felt really fast after my 11K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day!

Here are some photos courtesy of Jamie and her sweet new camera. Congrats to all the race finishers! And also a special thanks to Kathleen for being my official jacket holder while Jay slept in!

Viva Thanksgiving!

2008-12-04T16:20:00.008-05:00

For Thanksgiving, Jay and I flew out to fabulous Las Vegas to visit my parents...well, Boulder City to be exact. Check out the view from their backyard, how cool is this?!

My Mom even has two orange trees growing in her yard that had lots of yummy ripe oranges on them. Lucky!

Throughout my parents' neighborhood there are tons of these "watch for sheep" signs. A herd of big horned sheep live up on the mountain behind the neighborhood and every afternoon they make their way down to the playground to munch on some grass and drink some water. Naturally, we had to swing by and check them out.

They'll let you get pretty close if you look nice!

The night before Thanksgiving we all went to a show, "V", at the Planet Hollywood casino on the strip. It was an awesome variety show with all kinds of crazy acts, including this guy: Fast Wally.

We had all kinds of wholesome food like wings, onion rings, burgers and fries at a restaurant the Magnificent Mile shops before the show. Jay enjoyed his one pound double cheeseburger.

Thanksgiving morning, we all got up early and headed down the street to the Hacienda casino so I could run the Boulder City Turkey Trot 11K race. Mom and Jay walked me down to the start line and hung out with me until the race started.

The runners are off!

I think I can, I think I can!

And Jay came back to watch me finish. Here I come around the last bend.

I finished in about 1 hour and 19 minutes, not too bad. And you can start to see the makings of a baby bump in this picture, along with my sweet finisher's medal.

After the race, Jay and I walked back up to the casino to meet Mom & Dad who you can see hitting the penny slots in this photo. We all had a yummy breakfast buffet and then went home to put the turkey in the oven. Dinner was so delicious! I only wish I could have smuggled some of Mom's stuffing home with me. Since we were limited to carry on luggage for this trip, the packing got interesting, but we made it home with all of our stuff, even after hitting the Black Friday sales on the way to the airport. When it comes to shopping and packing I guess we are pros!

A Shower for Panda

2008-12-01T14:30:00.009-05:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving Tera, Andrew and I packed up and headed to Charlotte to help Courtney's mom host her first baby shower. It was a great party and a great weekend, and with 5 girls staying at Courtney's parents' house, we had a virtual slumber party going on. Andrew didn't seem to mind hanging with the ladies, but Berry got out of there as quick as he could Saturday morning!

Courtney's bump has really popped out in the month since I had last seen her, as you will see in the pictures below. And Panda got some great loot! That little girl is going to be the best dressed kid on the block. So long as she agrees to put her arms in her sleeves.

It is hard to imagine that the next time I will see Courtney, she'll have a baby. I still can't believe it! It has been so wonderful and special to share this time with such a treasured friend.

Courtney,
You are going to be a great Mommy, and I can't wait to meet your little girl! Love you to pieces!

xoxo

Heather

Balloons on the mailbox:

Onesies & gifts:

Andrew, aka Mr. Footie Pajamas:

Panda's cake:

Tera's fabulous diaper cake:

The beautiful Mommy to be:

Opening presents:

Exhausted Andrew:

A panda for Panda!

Heather & Courtney:

Somebody's awake!

Green Bay and UNC bibs that were hidden in the diaper cake:

Arrrrrrrrgh!!! (said in my best pirate voice)

2008-11-18T13:39:00.005-05:00

Last Friday, Jay and I packed up and headed to the outer banks so I could run the 3rd Annual OBX Half Marathon on Sunday. Jay had never been to the OBX before so I was excited to show him the sights. We were joined by Kathleen & Bill, Amy & Matt, Tera, Lee & Andrew, and Allyson, John & Elizabeth. We had an awesome house about 75 yards from the water and only 4.5 miles away from the start line of the race.

Highlights from the trip included kayaking for Jay and Kathleen on Saturday, having our friends Jackie, Jamie and a few others over for a pre-race pasta carb up dinner on Saturday night, visiting the aquarium in Manteo with Elizabeth & Andrew, and a stop at the Wright Brothers Memorial on Sunday on our way out of town. Oh yeah, and I finished the race in two and a half hours, not too shabby considering I am running for two these days!

The race had a pirate theme this year, so there were pirates galore at the expo and along the course and the finisher's medal is shaped like a treasure map. They even gave out a prize to the best runner in pirate costume. Unfortunately I didn't have time to put my look together for that. Guess there is always next year!

Hanging at the beach:

The proud race finishers (serious and silly):

The NC Aquarium:

The Wright Brothers Memorial:

Who could resist a photo opportunity like this?:

A Baby Blueberry!

2008-11-12T09:36:00.003-05:00

I think Jay and I have done a good job of telling everyone our big news, but just in case, I wanted to post it here as well. I am pregnant and we are expecting a baby in May! Here is a picture of our little blueberry. We can't wait to meet him or her in the spring!

And to answer the most popular question, yes we will be finding out if it is a boy or a girl, but not until Christmas, so check back in with us for an update after the holidays!

Thank you to everyone who has called, written and e-mailed to congratulate us. We are really excited and happy to know you are sharing in our joy!

Nerd Alert!

2008-10-29T14:14:00.002-04:00

So my favorite author, Wally Lamb, has a new book coming out soon and I can't wait to read it! His last two books She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True were so fascinating I couldn't put them down. Lamb hasn't published any fiction of his own in years, so it has been a long while since I've read something I couldn't put down.

The new book is called The Hour I First Believed and is a fictional work about the Columbine High School shootings that took place in 1999. Check out the link below for a sneak peek. I already have! (Amy, Kathleen, be sure to save a spot for me in Dorkville.)

Browse Inside this book

Get this for your site

Andrew the ladies man!

2008-10-17T09:50:00.003-04:00

Courtney and Emily came down last Saturday for a girls' weekend with me and Tera. Of course the man of the hour, Andrew, tagged along with us ladies all weekend. Here are some pictures of Andrew showing love to all his girls.

This last picture is my favorite, because I am the one who rocked him to sleep. Score!

Cruisin' on a Sunday Afternoon

2008-10-14T16:05:00.012-04:00

As many of you know, Jay and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary in September with another Caribbean cruise. This time we dragged Claire & Pete with us to Florida for a week of sailing the ocean blue (when I say dragged, I really mean we invited them along and received a very enthusiastic "Yes, we'll go!").

Our ports of call were Grand Cayman, Roatan (Honduras), Belize City and Cozumel. We had adjoining balcony rooms, smooth water and gorgeous, sunny weather for the most part. Overall, it was pretty fabulous!

I could go on and on about all the activities we did between the kayaking, snorkeling, and playing with parrots and monkeys, so I think I will just leave you with some pictures instead of all the details:

Claire & Pete on the balcony as we left Tampa:

Sailing under the Tampa Bay bridge:

Jay, Claire & Pete at Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman:

Heather & Jay at Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman:

The rain clouds that finally passed over us and headed toward the ship:

More of Seven Mile Beach:

A Happy Anniversary cake from Claire & Pete:

Arriving in Roatan, Honduras:

Parrots & monkeys at the nature park in Roatan:

Checking out the rainforest in Belize:

Feeding the monkeys in Belize:

Our ship from the shore in Belize. It was a long tender to shore!

Sunrise in Cozumel:

The end!

Happy Birthday Jay!

2008-10-01T08:57:00.005-04:00

Today is Jay's 32nd birthday and I thought a great way to celebrate would be to post this childhood picture of him. Isn't he cute?!

Credit goes to Kate for providing the photo. (If you think this is good you should see the t-shirts she had made for his 30th!)

Happy Birthday Honey! We love you. :)

The British Invasion

2008-09-29T16:51:00.010-04:00

Jay's parents arrived for a visit on September 9th and we have been having lots of fun with them. In fact, we've hardly been in North Carolina since they've arrived, we have taken them so many new places! The first weekend they were in town we took a road trip up to Washington DC. After checking into our hotel, we made a beeline for the White House, which was just a half mile away. Unfortunately it was a bit soggy out, but we didn't mind, because we were on holiday!

After checking out the White House we headed for the National Mall to view the monuments, and on the way we saw Air Force One landing at the White House. It was pretty cool, because there were actually 3 helicopters and 2 of them were decoys that didn't actually land. They came in one right after the other and all went different directions. That is not something you see everyday! After waving to George in the copter, we walked all the way to the Washington National Monument, then crossed over and saw the new WWII Memorial, which is beautiful and new since the last time I visited DC. We also took in the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial before heading to the hotel for happy hour and a yummy pasta dinner.

On Saturday we bought trolley tickets and started the day with a trip to the National Cathedral. It is either the 5th or 6th largest cathedral in the world (we got conflicting reports on that) and it is stunning. We hadn't intended to see the cathedral but it came highly recommended by our hotel concierge, and we were really pleased we took the ride out to see it in the end. After the cathedral, we went down embassy row, through Georgetown and stopped off at the Smithsonian museums, where we hit the Air & Space Museum as well as the Natural History Museum. Both were great! Again we took advantage of the complimentary happy hour and then went for dinner at a small brewery just around the corner from the hotel.

Sunday we had breakfast and planned an alternate route out of the city due to a triathlon that was taking place that day. Once we made it through the race traffic, we made one final stop at Arlington Cemetary. I had never been before so I was excited to see it, at least until we got out of our air conditioned vehicle and into the sweltering 95 degree heat. We did manage to see JFK's gravesite and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before melting into the pavement. At that point we decided to carry on home, but I think we managed to squeeze in quite a lot in just 2 days! Claire and Pete seemed pleased with the weekend, which was all we had hoped for anyway.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

It's Official!

2008-09-02T11:33:00.003-04:00

On Friday I signed up for the OBX Half Marathon! Thanks to Ashely and her $10 off coupon code, there is no backing out now. I had already been tentatively training over the last two weeks, but now that I am registered it's time to get serious! Fortunately I am not in this alone. My friends, Bill, Ashely, Jackie and Jamie are all planning to run too. Go us!

Outer banks, here we come! Please, please don't rain on us.

Sicilian Meat Feast...not so much

2008-08-28T10:52:00.004-04:00

Last night my buddy Janet came over to hang out, walk the dogs and eat pizza with me. In case you haven't already tried them, the new California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas are pretty tasty, but last night I learned that they don't always turn out like the picture on the box. After returning from a good walk that was threatened by thunder for the full 2.5 miles, we decided to try the Sicilian Recipe pizza, which CPK describes as "a taste of the old world, with a zesty blend of marinara sauce, Italian sausage, spicy ham, salami, and basil with mozzarella, fontina and parmesan cheeses." Sounds pretty good right?

Well, I had to do a double take when I removed our meat lover's treat from the box, because all I found was a few slices of ham and one, yes 1, sad little bit of sausage on the entire thing. Of course since Janet was my guest, I graciously gave her the slice with the tiny bit of sausage. Hopefully this pizza was a fluke accident as I have several more in the freezer (Jay loaded up on them in a sale). Guess we'll find out soon!

So thanks California Pizza Kitchen, but contrary to your ad pictured above, Sicily did not "conquer hungry" last night.

To put a positive spin on the evening...it was great to see Janet, and at least we never got rained on right?

Janet, I promise to do better next time you come over for dinner!

I've Been Tagged!

2008-08-15T15:41:00.003-04:00

After being challenged by Melanie, Ashely, & Tonya already today, I decided I have to respond (Also, it's Friday, and I am tired of working):

1. My uncle once: ate my breakfast sausage for me when my Dad wasn't looking so I could go outside and play. I hate breakfast sausage and was told I couldn't leave the table until it was gone. God Bless Uncle Denny!

2. Never in my life: will I own a mini-van. I mean that.

3. When I was five: I hid all of my cube steak under my seat cushion so I could finally be excused from the table after dinner, and my Mom did not find it until a week later. Man I was a stubborn eater as a child. They never left me alone at the table again after that one!

4. High school was: pretty fun actually. I loved growing up in a small town. Rednecks are funny.

5. I will never forget: the moment I realized I wanted to marry Jay. (I know, gag me, but it's true!)

6. Once I met: James Worthy . I kicked him out of my college apartment one time.

7. There’s this girl I know: who finds out on Monday if she's having a boy or a girl in January. I can't wait for that phone call!

8. Once, at a bar: I danced on stage and sang along to "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by the Georgia Satellites. Yeah, I'm pretty classy!

9. By noon, I’m usually: trying to prevent my stomach from eating itself.

10. Last night: My husband took me out dinner! Can you believe it?

11. If only I had: a maid, personal chef, a million dollars, I could go all day on this one.

12. Next time I go to church: I will pray for my heathen self.

13. What worries me most: losing those closest to me.

14. When I turn my head left I see: the Cimzia program flow. Yeah, you're jealous!

15. When I turn my head right I see: a whiteboard with some of Ashely's graffiti on it. Can you tell I am typing this at work?

16. You know I’m lying when: I suck at lying. You will know.

17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: summers, like real ones where you can lay by the pool and have no responsibility other than to be home before dark.

18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: someone kickass. I don't read Shakespeare but I would kick ass.

19. By this time next year: maybe I'll finally have a wedding album?

20. A better name for me would be: Mary. Because then I could be Mary Blueberry. And that's a great name.

21. I have a hard time understanding: basically anything that involves math.

22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: go somewhere like fashion design school. So I can get some and be rich and famous and stuff.

23. You know I like you if: I answer your calls.

24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: my husband.

25. Take my advice, never: drop your cell phone in the toilet.

26. My ideal breakfast is: Lucky Charms. I know, I'm 5.

27. A song I love but do not have is: "No Air" - The reason I don't have it is b/c it irritated the crap out of me when it first came out, but thanks to Mel, it has grown on me.

28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: not plan to swim in the lake.

29. Why won’t people: get off their cell phones and just drive? or learn how to merge for goodness sake?

30. If you spend a night at my house: bring wine. Just kidding! No, seriously, bring wine.

31. I’d stop my wedding for: nothing (it was pretty awesome).

32. The world could do without: I was going to say stupid people. But then thinking about survival of the fittest and also the sheer entertainment value, I will stick with the majority: mean people.

33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: I'd rather not even touch a cockroach, thanks.

34. My favourite blonde(s) is/are: Brett Michaels. He has the diabetes you know...

35. Paper clips are more useful than: no paper clips.

36. If I do anything well it’s: grilled cheese. I am the master of grilled cheese.

37. And by the way: My boss just told me to go home early b/c it's Friday and we can. So I am out of here!

All right, Courtney, Kathleen, whoever is reading this...you're up!

Yummy Good Deeds

2008-08-12T09:30:00.005-04:00

On Monday night, I was invited by some of my coworkers to help serve dinner at the Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill. What an honor! The Ronald McDonald House mission is to provide a home away from home for families of children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals, such as UNC. Ronald McDonald House Charities was founded in 1984, a decade after Dr. Audrey Evans and Philadelphia Eagles’ tight end Fred Hill, whose daughter had leukemia, opened the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia. In memory of McDonald’s founder and children’s advocate, Ray Kroc, RMHC was established to help seriously ill children and their families and to continue the success of the first Ronald McDonald House.

We served fresh salad, traditional lasagna, white chicken lasagna (so yummy, I have got to get Kelly's recipe for this!) and spinach lasagna with garlic bread, lemonade and sweet tea. Dinner was followed by brownies and ice cream for dessert. All in all, we served about 20 or so residents of the house. It felt so nice to get out and do something kind, especially as the guests brought their empty plates back to the kitchen and thanked us for the meal. I am sure we will be back to serve again in the future!

Jess, Anna and Emily:

Anna and Jess:

Sally and Me:

Me checking the garlic bread:

The behaviorists (Jess, Rebecca, Kelly, Sally and Dana):

The rest of us (Anna, Me, Emily & Karen):

Hangin' in Hotlanta

2008-08-05T17:33:00.007-04:00

On Monday I had a client meeting down in the ATL so I flew in Sunday morning to spend the day with Courtney. She's now almost 4 months along, so I was excited to see the start of her baby bump!

I landed in Atlanta around noon and went to pick up my rental car and head into the city to meet Court for a late brunch at Horseradish Grill. Upon arriving I handed off my keys to the valet who promptly called me back to my vehicle and told me it wouldn't start. He was having problems getting the key to turn in the ignition, so I tried it and also had no luck. Then Courtney pulled up behind my rental and she gave it a go and couldn't start it either. Since there was no manual in the car, I decided to call the rental car roadside assistance for help. The rep who answered the call proceeded to talk both me and the valet through turning the key but neither of us could get it to budge. After a bit of heated discussion with the call center rep, the rental agency called to let me know they'd be sending me a replacement vehicle.

So my advice to you is not to rent a Chevy HHR. Ever. The best part of the story is that after waiting at the restaurant for 2.5 hours, the replacement vehicle finally showed up and we realized they had sent me the exact same car, down to the hideous champagne gold paint! We just had to laugh at that point!

We hopped in my sweet ride and headed to Atlantic Station for a little shopping at H&M and AT Loft and then decided to head back to Courtney's house for dinner. Greg made us some awesome jerk chicken on the grill. Being that it was a school night we didn't stay up too late, but it was a nice visit and great to be able to mix a little fun with business.

I had a little more fun with my rental car on Monday morning on my way to the meeting. The car in front of me on the highway hit a large bird that went flying over his car and bounced off the hood of mine. Fortunately it caused no damage, but after all the rental car drama I am just happy I made it home in one piece last night!

We Went Out

2008-07-30T08:03:00.002-04:00

Last night Jay and I went out.
To a concert.
On a school night.
Can you believe it?!

The Story of My Life

2008-07-25T13:38:00.004-04:00

For any of you out there who wonder what I do at work everyday, welcome to the story of my life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv2IIuazTJc

Patio Sweet Patio!

2008-07-22T09:12:00.019-04:00

Dear Patio,
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....

Jay and I had our patio extended last week because we were tired of looking out at our lovely backyard and never spending any time out there. We went from a 10 x 10 slab to 400 square feet of stamped concrete and we are loving the new outdoor space! Of course the new patio couldn't be disgraced by our old plastic furniture so we upgraded to a new dining table and chairs, and while we were at it we got a new grill too.

The rocking chairs may be my favorite part. They came free from our friend Ashely and used to be white but thanks to a couple of cans of spray paint are now sage green to match the cushions in the new dining set. Thanks Ashely!

Here are some before and after pictures:

How Cool Is This?

2008-07-10T13:41:00.003-04:00

I came across a very cool website today: http://www.dailylit.com/. Through this site, you can sign up to have a chapter of a book e-mailed to you every day for your reading pleasure. And to top it all off, a lot of the books offered are free! So today I signed up for The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Be sure to ask me how I liked it in about 37 days from now.

Alaska, We Miss You!

2008-07-08T15:05:00.005-04:00

In late May, Jay and I rendezvoused with my parents in the Pacific Northwest for an Alaskan cruise. Looking at the pictures now, it is hard to believe we were really there. Alaska is truly wild, beautiful and unspoiled and is right up there at the top of the list of my favorite places. I have never breathed in air so clean, or sat in front of so many breathtaking views all in the same week. For a moment I was pondering picking up some real estate magazines, but that was before I got bitten by mosquitoes the size of small birds and subsequently learned that every place Jay and I fancied disappearing off to in our great 49th state is only accessible by boat or floatplane. Ahhhh...but a girl can dream, right?!

Our cruise was on the Holland America Westerdam and we left out of the Seattle port on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend for a 7 day sail. Mom and I learned a good lesson after some high seas on Monday (my birthday), which is that we will never book a cruise again that leaves land and doesn't dock anywhere for 3 whole days! We were quite ill on my birthday, but it was all resolved after a few miserable hours for both of us. Thank goodness for sea sickness patches, armbands, green apples and ginger ale! As you can tell, we tried everything!

Leaving Seattle Port:

Sailing away on Mom & Dad's balcony:

Getting further away (water is changing colors):

Fortunately the meds kicked in Monday night and by Tuesday we were back to our normal selves, just in time for our cruise through Glacier Bay National Park, which was stunning. The sun was out and the skies were blue, but not as blue as the magnificent tidewater glaciers. As we drifted by, we were surrounded by chunks of ice and some harbor seals here and there. We sat in front of Marjorie Glacier for quite a while watching it "calving" into the bay. It sounds like thunder when the ice breaks off and falls into the water below. It is one of the most surreal things I have ever seen. We felt like we had stepped inside the Discovery Channel!

Heather & Jay, waking up to calmer waters on Tuesday:

Me & Mom, looking very cold:

On our way into Glacier Bay:

Glacier Bay National Park:

Our first land stop was in Juneau on Wednesday. After Mom and I skipped off the boat and kissed dry land, we headed up to the top of Mt. Roberts via the tramway for a spectacular view of the Gastineau Channel. We were blessed again with gorgeous weather, with temperatures climbing into the eighties and the sun shining down on us all day. After taking the tramway back down, we lunched on the deck of the boat where Mom and I saw a bald eagle in flight that came right over the deck of the ship. Jay and Dad missed it, because they had already left for their floatplane glacier tour. While they were off flying the friendly Juneau skies, Mom and I made our way to a musher camp to meet some sled dogs and take a ride through the woods on a wheeled sled. Our sled driver was Iditarod musher Ryan Redington, whose grandfather founded the Iditarod race. Ryan competed in the 2007 Iditarod and finished 18th out of 82 participants. We got to experience firsthand the speed of his dog team--and we were happy the sled had seat belts!

Juneau Port:

View of our boat from Mt. Roberts tramway:

View of Gastineau Channel from top of Mt. Roberts:

Gastineau Channel:

The tram:

Musher Camp:

Some dogs from our sled team:

Our sled (it was led by 15 dogs):

Mom and I in the sled (all buckled in!):

Me with one of the puppies:

Another one of the puppies:

Want to share the experience of a wheeled sled ride through the woods with Mom and I? Click here:

Our next land stop was in Sitka, and boy was it cold that day! Chilly and overcast as it was, we really loved Sitka. It is a small island with about 9,000 year round residents and a lot of Russian heritage. Jay and I went on a bike and hike tour in the morning and then met up with Mom and Dad for some lovely fresh fish and chips in town. It was between that and the reindeer hotdogs and let's just say I couldn't talk Mom into eating the reindeer!

Our ship cloaked in fog:

Sitka harbor:

Salmonberry Lake Trail Hike:

Totem Square:

On Friday we docked for half a day in Ketchikan. Jay and I had a zipline tour booked so while we were off on our adventure Mom and Dad spent some time shopping in the downtown area. The zipline tour was so much fun. We were like little kids climbing trees again, except for normally you wouldn't jump off of a perfectly good tree and fly through the forest at high speed, but you know what I mean! After we safely completed our zipline activities we got to try our hand at a rock climbing wall they had on site too. Now, this is a lot harder than you would think when you are staring up at the phony rocks from below. Especially when your first time up is on the intermediate wall. However, I pushed through and rang the little bell when I reached the top, then repelled down to give Jay a turn. With his much longer arms and legs, it went faster for him, but still we both did it. Go us! It was a good thing we booked this excursion with Holland America, because our bus was the last one to make it back to the boat before we disembarked from Ketchikan. We high tailed it up the gangway for a nice long nap after all that hard work.

Getting ready for the zipline tour:

I don't care who you are, a helmet will always make you look dorky:

Jay getting ready to jump:

Here he comes!

My turn!

Jay on the rock climbing wall:

Last formal night on the ship:

Our waiter bringing us giant baked Alaskas:

Saturday was a lazy day because we weren't due in port at our last stop, Victoria, BC, until 6pm. We decided to find an old world style pub in the city and eat more fish and chips, because, well why not?! After dinner and some pints we strolled through town, taking in the sights, and then headed back to the boat to make sure we didn't get left in Canada, because, well it's Canada. Victoria sure was pretty though, especially all light up at night!

Anyone for fish & chips?

Victoria Harbor:

The Empress Hotel:

Courtney Street!

A pretty pink house:

Parlaiment building all lit up:

Sunday morning we were back in Seattle bright and early. We had breakfast with Mom and Dad who then had to book it to the airport to catch their flight. Jay and I stayed in Seattle for 2 more days. Why come all the way across the country and not go up in the space needle, right?! We also took the Underground Tour, which we highly recommend if you ever find yourself in the Emerald City. And to top off the trip, we got to visit with good friends Tisha and Rob and their new baby boy, Nate! After our long boat journey, Tisha and Rob made us feel at home, even though we were 4,000 miles from home. Many thanks for the hospitality!

Needle from below:

View from the top:

Downtown Seattle:

Doc Maynard's Underground Tour:

Historic trolley stop in Pioneer Square:

Heather & Tisha:

Nate!

Pike Place Market:

Chinatown:

Now that we've been home for a few weeks, we are ready to do it all over again. Stay tuned for the next trip!

Jay is in Love...

2008-05-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

...with our new flat screen tv, that is! We splurged on a new 46-inch Samsung LCD HDTV last weekend at Best Buy. It was an open box display special on the exact model Jay has been drooling over every time we entered an electronics store for the last 2 years. So, seeing as how we weren't going to get a better deal on this thing, we decided to take it home with us.

Mounting it on the wall was another story. First of all, there wasn't a wall to hang it on in our living room, and it was a tad too large to fit in our alcove. So Jay embarked on a carpentry project with a few of his friends that involved creating a false wall in our alcove, where the tv could eventually hang. It took a week of planning and a full day of measurements and construction, but in the end he was successful, as the pictures show. And on a separate note, he finally used the saw I bought for him two Christmases ago that has since been sitting in its original box in our garage collecting dust. I was very pleased!

So if you need to find us at all for the next several months, I can almost guarantee that we will parked on the sofa in front of our shiny, monstrous flat screen wonder with our feet propped up, sipping on cold beverages!

Puppies, Midgets & Penguins, Oh My!

2008-04-30T10:11:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I flew down to Atlanta to see Courtney and we had a great visit. Friday night we met Beth out for drinks at Fado and followed that by a nice sushi dinner at Genki.

Saturday morning I got to meet some of the remaining brittany spaniel puppies who were left from a recent litter. They were so cute! It was hard not to steal one and hide him in my carry on luggage going home! After we got cleaned up from playing with the puppies, we drove up to Blackstock Winery for a tasting, and while their port wine was delicious, I did not bring any home with me because I was too stubborn to check my bag! I did load up my suitcase with lots of purchases from the Georgia Premium Outlets we visited Saturday afternoon though. The highlights were the Lucky Jeans outlet, Ann Taylor, Eddie Bauer and the Gap. Yay for a new spring wardrobe!

Saturday night Courtney made us fajitas for dinner, which were accompanied by my new favorite drink: beergaritas!! (see recipe below) After dinner, we hung out in Courtney & Greg's recently finished basement, enjoying the bar and pool table. Courtney tried to distract her opponents with some serious dance skills and somewhat questionable rap lyrics, and for the most part it worked! Just ask Greg.

Sunday Greg made us the world's largest strawberry pancakes for breakfast, and then Courtney and headed to the Georgia Aquarium on our way to the airport. It was fantastic! My favorite exhibit was the Cold Water area, which includes the beluga whales, sea otters, sea lions and penguins. I also really enjoyed the tunnel aquarium, where you can see their two famous whale sharks, a hammerhead, sawfish and many stingrays. If you are ever in Atlanta, I highly recommend stopping off at the aquarium. It is currently the world's largest!

Beergaritas

1 12 oz can frozen lime concentrate

9-12 oz tequila

3 12 oz mexican beers

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and serve over ice. Yummy!

Pictures from the Pacific!

2008-04-16T10:17:00.000-04:00

Caroline forwarded me some photos from Matt today. His friend on the ship took pictures of him jumping off his ship and into the Pacific Ocean, a 35 foot drop! Jumping from the ship looks like a lot of fun and it is good to see him enjoying himself since we all miss him so much. At least we know he is on the way home now, and it won't be long before we get to see him again!

He also included some other pictures of his ship and their current view of the shoreline for us to enjoy. Check them out below:

Row Your Boat

2008-04-15T10:59:00.000-04:00

Jay is the proud new owner of a kayak in great used condition! He picked it up this weekend and already got to try it out on Harris Lake on Sunday morning. It is 14 feet long, has a retractable rudder and also a nice dry storage compartment. He is loving his new hobby and plans to take the kayak out on the water again this weekend.

I played around in the boat in the backyard when he got home Sunday afternoon. Here are some pictures:

Heather Rocks, Kathleen Rocks, Raleigh Rocks!

2008-04-08T09:02:00.000-04:00

On Saturday Kathleen and I ran the first ever Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon. We woke up to clouds and drizzle early that morning, but the race was to be held rain or shine, so Jay and I trekked to downtown Raleigh where we met Kathleen and Bill at the start line. Luckily, the rain held off and the race started right on time. Unfortunately though, due to the weather 5 of the 9 bands scheduled to play along the course didn't show, so it was a quieter race than expected. The highlight of the course was a guy on Hillsborough St. who had a one mand band and was playing "Baby Got Back" on guitar as Kathleen and I ran by. That and also the guy who played bagpipes wearing a t-shirt that read "Real Men Wear Kilts"!

Jay and Bill were our fan club, staking us out on the course in several different places, and we also got to see our friend Lee, a Raleigh police officer who works weekend races, a few times along the course as well. It's always great to see a familiar face to cheer you on, especially around the 10 mile marker!

The course was pretty flat and Kathleen and I surprised ourselves by pacing much faster than we had anticipated. I was sprinting toward the finish line as the race clock hit 2 hours and 14 minutes, and Kathleen came in right behind me with a PR of 2:16! Congrats Kathleen! Of course, we don't hold a candle to the guy who won the race at 1:16 but we are still proud of our strong finishes!

After we crossed the finish line and caught our breath, Kathleen and I changed and we all headed off to Perkins for the best part of race day...the post run breakfast! It was a great day, and I am already looking forward to my next race!

Runners at the start line:

Kathleen & Heather at the start line:

Heather & Kathleen on the race course:

Our official cheerers (b/c not everyone can be a runner!):

Heather sprints toward the finish line:

Kathleen sprints toward the finish line:

Showing off our shiny new medals:

Me & my sweet husband who woke up at the crack of dawn to cheer me on:

Kathleen & Bill:

Virginia Wine Country

2008-04-02T12:15:00.001-04:00

In February, Jay and I took a weekend trip to Nelson County, Virginia, a popular wine making area. It was really beautiful there and the trip was very relaxing. We definitely plan to go back someday. Here are some photos from the trip.

Newberry Christmas Vacation!

2008-04-02T10:51:00.000-04:00

This year Jay and I had Christmas at our house. Jay's parents came over from Spain, my parents came from Nevada, Becky came from Hickory, as did Wally and Caroline, and we also hosted our family friend Amanda from Arizona for a few days as well. It was great to have everyone at our house at Christmas and we hope they all enjoyed it as much as we did! The only people missing were Carl, Kate and Matt. Carl was stuck working in California, but Claire and Pete did get to go and see him in January when he finally got some time off.

We did get to speak to Matt and it was hard to talk to him since he was on a satellite phone, but I think we got the message across that we miss him and can't wait for him to get back home! Kate called to wish us all a Happy Christmas as well and I have to say that I admire her strong conviction not to get out of her pjs and slippers all day...I knew there was a reason we got along so well! She would have fit right in with our crazy crew!

You will notice in the photos that Claire provided all the girls with holiday themed earrings and all the guys with musical holiday ties. They went very well with our pjs! Kate even sent pictures via e-mail to prove that she did wear hers too!

Our main course for Christmas dinner was a fried turkey, which was excellent. (Of course, anything is excellent if you deep fry it!) We had to treat Claire and Pete to this American delicacy and I have to hand it to them, they are fearless when it comes to southern cuisine!

We also had a tacky holiday sweater themed New Year's Eve party, which was a lot of fun. Allyson took home the prize for worst sweater. None of us could compete with that tacky holiday cat sweater she was sporting! Congratulations Allyson!

Who knows where we will end up for Christmas this year....we are keeping our fingers crossed for Christmas in Europe. Wouldn't that be an adventure?!

Thanksgiving in Charlotte

2008-04-02T10:25:00.000-04:00

Since my Mom and Dad are no longer in NC, Jay and I went to Charlotte this year for Thanksgiving to spend the weekend with Courtney, Greg and Courtney's parents. It was a lot of fun, but the holiday got off to an interesting start. When we arrived at Berry and Susan's house, a big Roto Rooter van was parked in their driveway. Apparently they had been having some plumbing problems in the guest bathroom on Thanksgiving morning so they called to have it looked at and lo and behold, there was a dead squirrel in their pipes! Everyone had a good laugh about this, because Berry has been at war with the squirrels for years now, and they really got one up on him that day! We had a delicious meal after Roto Rooter cleared out, including my new corn casserole recipe which was a hit (see recipe below). And now we all have a great story to tell too!

We spent Friday at Childress Winery, where we had a great tour and tasting and also enjoyed a nice lunch. It was a sunny but cold day so we were thankful that the majority of the tour was indoors! All in all, Jay and I had a great visit with everyone and we look forward to doing Thanksgiving at the Hall's again in the future.

Corn Casserole

Ingredients:
1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream style corn
1 (8oz) box of corn muffin mix (Jiffy)
1 c sour cream
1/2 c melted butter
1 - 1 1/2 c shredded cheddar

Directions:
Stir together all ingredients except cheese. Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheddar. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes and serve warm.

Panthers vs. Falcons

2007-11-19T15:47:00.000-05:00

For our first anniversary, I gifted Jay with Panthers football tickets for the Atlanta Falcons game on November 11th. It was really fun to take Jay to a live game, since we had both never been to a pro-football game before (well, American football anyway)! It was a beautiful, sunny day and our seats were awesome. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a Panther victory, but unfortunately they lost to a last minute touchdown by Atlanta. Oh well! At least we got some good photos!

Working from Home is Hard

2007-11-13T15:17:00.000-05:00

The day after the City of Oaks marathon I worked from home, so I could stay in my sweatpants all day and avoid wearing real shoes. It was nice and quiet and I got a lot done! Daisy and Roux kept me company all day in our bonus room/home office. As you can see, they have a hard life!