Random Question

Eventually I'll get around to posting more pictures from our trip to Florida (that aren't in an airport or plane), but I was too busy this past weekend. 

We've recently decided to build a new house (yay!), which means we need to sell our current house.  We sent Alex to my parents' house & busted our butts getting the house ready by de-cluttering & de-personalizing.  We put some stuff in a storage unit & donated a lot of clothing, shoes & some other miscellaneous items.  It felt really good to get the house re-organized but I am very tired today.  Luckily our house is in good condition, so we didn't have to do any big projects.  It was still a lot of work.  It also gave me anxiety about moving.  It will be the first time to move from a house to a house (instead of from an apartment to a house).  We've acquired a lot of stuff over the last six years!  I hate moving.  I start by being really organized - sorting items, labeling boxes, being very neat.  By the end I'm almost in tears, throwing whatever into boxes haphazardly & throwing away items I shouldn't just to get them out of my sight.

Ok, enough of that.  I'll just worry about crossing that bridge when I get there.

My random question of the day is - what did you do with your wedding dress?

Mine has been hanging in my closet in a garment bag since the wedding.  I always meant to get it preserved & put in one of those boxes, but it never happened.  First I didn't want to spend the money right after buying a house, going on a honeymoon, etc.  But really, when is a good time to fork over $200 for something you really can't get excited about?

Cleaning out my closet, I decided I would just get it preserved & put the box under our bed.  I still don't really feel like paying $200 but whatever - at least it won't take up room in my closet anymore.  Then I had the thought - what if I just sold it to a consignment shop?  I immediately felt guilty, but I'm not sure why.  I absolutely loved my dress.  It was exactly what I wanted.  I still love it.  But I don't think I'll ever wear it again.  If we were to ever renew our vows, I'd imagine I'll wear something more simple.  And if I have a daughter someday, what are the chances she'd actually want to wear my dress?  She might have different tastes or wear a different size.  Should I preserve it for a sentimental keepsake?  Or sell it (not really for the money), but to simplify my life & let someone else love it?  I just don't know.

So, I'm taking this to the blogging world.  Any thoughts/suggestions??

Such a great day...

Florida! (Part 1)

It seems like I always have excuses for my lack of posting but this time we've been out of town.  Alex got to take his first trip out of state!  And got to experience his first airplane ride!  We went to Florida to celebrate my mom's birthday.  I was a little stressed about flying with Alex but since we had five adults with us, I figured we could handle it. 

We flew out at 5:30 last Wednesday evening, had a layover in Dallas & then were scheduled to land in Fort Walton around 10.  Alex did great on the first flight.  My parents had an extra seat in their row, so he got to climb around & have some space.  We ate dinner in Dallas & waited for our next flight.  It wasn't long before they delayed the flight an hour for weather.  And shortly after that, we got the word that the flight was cancelled.  BOO.  Luckily my dad got up to the counter pretty quickly to rebook our flight.  The first two people got flights the next morning at 8.  Then they started telling people that everything was full.  Excuse me?  It was a huge mess.  Made even messier since we had five people & a baby in our party.  After about an hour of talking to the lady at the counter, we got a flight booked the next day.  We would leave at 2, go to Atlanta, switch from American Airlines to Delta & then head to Fort Walton to arrive around 6.  20 hours later than expected.  We were not excited but decided we were fortunate to get a flight at all.  Did I mention we had to leave our luggage checked?  Luckily I had packed a lot of Alex's stuff in our carry on bag. 

Since the flight cancellation was due to weather, we didn't get free hotel rooms.  Can't say I was impressed with the Super 8 but at least they had a crib & a hotel shuttle.  Alex fell asleep on Michael's shoulder while we finagled the flights but woke up when we headed down to the shuttle.  He was apparently re-energized by his nap & thought it was time to party.  He didn't go to sleep until 11.  He was able to get a quick nap before we headed back to the airport the next day but Michael & I were very worried about having two more flights with our tired baby.  The flight from Dallas to Atlanta was probably the roughest.  Alex did not want to sit still & got frustrated.  We just kept giving him food.  I think the boy ate about 400 cheerios.  But we survived & headed to the Delta gate in Atlanta.

Then things got REALLY fun.  Apparently American overbooked the Delta flight & three of us didn't have seats.  We were told they could send the remaining three the next day.  This is when my mom & I were almost in tears.  I have to say that I am VERY frustrated with American Airlines & I will not be flying with them again any time soon (fortunately we were flying back with Southwest, so at least I didn't have to interact with American again on the way home).  American should have called Delta to confirm the seats.  I can't figure out if the lady at the desk was just a complete moron or if she knew she should have called Delta but just wanted to get rid of us.  Not impressed either way.  The lady at the Delta counter was very nice & calm.  We started making plans for my mom & I to take Alex on the flight while my dad, sister & Michael planned to rent a car & drive from Atlanta to Fort Walton.  At the last minute, the Delta lady got approval from her manager to put us on the flight when a few people didn't show up.  We basically ran on the flight, found any open seats & took off.  I was so, so thankful it worked out!

We finally arrived in Florida, found our luggage (it was sent on the 8 am flight - we kept joking that our luggage was having a better vacation than us) & got on our way.  We missed an entire day of vacation but were just glad we made it.  (Another problem I have with airlines - they screw up your plans but somehow make you thankful in the end because it could have been worse.  Ugh!) 

One of the highlights of our travel experience (maybe the ONLY highlight of the first two days) was while we were at the Delta counter.  Tension was high & we were all frustrated.  Michael was letting Alex walk around to stretch his legs & when I turned around, this is what I saw:

It made everyone laugh, which is exactly what we needed.  Luckily, he was just the right size & we were able to carry him on.  Ha!  Love that little stinker!

I didn't take any pictures on the plane (I was too stressed out & worried Alex was going to be "that baby" & annoy everyone around him) but my mom took some.

It looks like he was drugged or something in these pictures, but I can assure you he wasn't.  I can't say it didn't cross my mind, though, when he was grumpy & irritable...

He LOVES his Grandpa!

Reading a book with Aunt Amanda & Daddy

This is actually on the flight home.  He thought the tray table was the perfect place to sit. 

Up next...  We actually get to start our vacation!

Throwback Thursday

It's Thursday & I finally remembered to post another Throwback Thursday!  Here's another look back at my prego days.

November 19^th

Michael & I decided to try to not schedule ANYTHING for this weekend.  We’ve been so busy – we needed some down time & to get stuff done around the house.  He ended up going to a soccer game on Saturday & playing golf on Sunday, but I kept the weekend open.  We cleaned & organized.  Felt better about the state of our house…

November 21^st – 37 weeks

Michael mentioned that he thought the baby had dropped a little.  I took a picture to compare to my last picture (a week before) & he’s right!  It definitely looks like the little guy has dropped down some.  So, it begins!  Michael's brother & his family came in town for Thanksgiving, so we went to Michael’s parents’ house for dinner.  I had to miss yoga, but it was fun seeing everyone.  Jonathan cooked fajitas, Michael made Rotel & Starr made apple dumplings for dessert.  Can I get an amen??  So good…

November 22^nd

Went to a client meeting in the morning.  On the way down, the elevator kind of jumped & my boss said – do not go into labor!!  It made me laugh (but the thought of being stuck in an elevator in labor with my boss is really NOT funny).  Glad that didn’t happen!!

November 23^rd

Michael & I met with a pediatrician.  He seemed nice & his office is convenient to our house.  I think we’ll try him out & see how it goes.  One more thing checked off the list!  My parents had tickets to Wicked that night but my dad didn’t want to go, so I went with my mom.  I don’t know if it was the pants I was wearing or the seat but I was really uncomfortable.  I liked the show but I forgot it was three hours long.  I was ready to get out of there!!

November 24^th

Another doctor’s appointment.  She said I’m about 2 cm dilated.  Crazy!  She told me she would be on call if I went into labor.  I told her we were planning on going to Stillwater on Saturday for the game & asked if that was ok.  She said, “Just don’t tell me about it.”  Eek!  Does she know something I don’t?  It freaked me out but I decided to go to the game as long as I felt ok.  I decided to make a pecan pie to bring to Michael’s parents’ house for Thanksgiving.  The recipe looked pretty easy.  Maybe not a good idea for an emotional (cooking challenged) woman.  I didn’t have a pastry cutter for the crust & the dough kept sticking & was really hard to get in the pie pan.  I had a little emotional breakdown.  Then I started making the filling & realized I had bought corn oil instead of corn syrup.  Big difference.  Another breakdown.  Michael tried to help & be supportive but he just couldn’t resist telling me that maybe making a pie for the first time right before Thanksgiving wasn’t the best idea ever.  That may be true but I don’t need you to tell me that!!  We ran to Walmart to get corn syrup even though it was pouring rain.  Michael ran in & came out with the syrup & a backup pecan pie.  He thought it would take the pressure off me in case my pie didn’t turn out well but it just upset me more.  He obviously had no confidence in me!  And the pecan pie he bought looked awful (what do you expect from Walmart at 9:00 pm before Thanksgiving??)  I finished the filling & put the pie in the oven.  Michael went to bed.  I ended up over baking the pie a little since the recipe said the pie shouldn’t be overly jiggly & I wasn’t sure how jiggly was too jiggly.  Overall, it turned out pretty good & wasn’t a complete disaster.  If I made the pie again, I would just buy pre-made crust dough & not bake for as long.  Live & learn!

November 25^th

Thanksgiving!!  We went over to Michael’s parents’ house.  Michael made mashed potatoes – they were really yummy.  And everyone said nice things about my pie.  They may have been fibbing but I thought it tasted good.

I started taking weekly pictures during my last month.  Here's the one from this week:

Do you think the little guy dropped a little since my last picture?

Crazy to look at these pictures now...  It feels like so long ago!

Anyway, back to the pie...  I've never really been into cooking.  I'm not especially good at it & I don't really enjoy it.  So, why did I keep getting the urge to try new recipes during pregnancy?  Nesting?  More like a good way to have an breakdown!  At least I didn't use powdered sugar instead of flour...

I actually made a pecan pie for Thanksgiving again this year for my family.  I bought a pre-made crust & it was a MUCH smoother process.  Whoo hoo!  If these cooking ordeals had happened to me a few years ago, I most likely would have never tried doing it again.  I guess I'm getting more comfortable in the kitchen...  Yay me?

Fun at the Park

It's been a very warm winter this year & we took advantage of the nice weather a few weeks ago & went to one of our neighborhood parks.  Alex LOVES to be outside, so no complaints from him.  He also loves slides, thanks to his birthday gift from Aunt Amanda.  He was one happy boy!

"Think they'll let me play?"

 Slide happiness

 So.much.fun.

 It was a windy day!

 Climbing...

 Finally got to ride that duck

 My two favorite guys

What a fun day!  Made even more enjoyable with my fancy camera.  J At this point I still was using the automatic settings but I've ventured out a little since then.  I'll keep you posted!