5 years!

high fives all around for 5 years of marriage!

on september 1, dave & i celebrated our 5 year anniversary.  we decided not to go all out on anniversary gifts this year.  we were bummed out because my bff and her husband were going to mexico that week and invited us along- but we had no passports and most importantly no one to watch ian- so the trip was out of the question.  since we have not been on a real live vacation SINCE OUR HONEYMOON (so seriously stop talking about your 5th vacay of the summer everyone else), we decided that maybe we can save up for one...  but who are we kidding?  our priority is to get out of debt- and that means those student loans need to be paid off... so one day.  i also haven't seen aforementioned bff in, oh, 3.5 years.  we're not bitter...  ;)

so, of course, we say we aren't getting each other gifts and we do anyway...  i got dave a cd he wanted & he got me a new pepper grinder since the traditional 5 year anniversary gift is wood.  i told him his "wooden" gift would arrive on sept. 11 when the avett brothers' new album "the carpenter" come out... get it?

anyway, our friend offered to watch ian (which is perfect because they love each other dearly) so we could hit the town to celebrate our day.  we went to a local restaurant that we had never been to before that came highly recommended- and, man, was it good.  it was recommended because of it's crazy beer selection, but we fell in love with it because of the food/mission- everything is local- the meat, the bread, the veggies- heck, even the pickles.  all the food comes from farms located in various parts of illinois.  it's sustainable living at its best.  the food was amazing.  you could really tell everything was fresh.  yum.  if you live in this area- check it out!  dinner was amazing from start to finish & we were even feeling a little sentimental & split a piece of carrot cake for dessert (we had carrot cake as part of our wedding cake).  we then spent the rest of our evening at buy buy baby- so any cool points went out the window...

dress:  modcloth "good enough to premiere"

heels:  seychelles via amazon (can usually find a good deal there)!

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happy anniversary

image

it keeps getting better.  

sorry i'm a week late... you know, we were out of town.

i love you.

and then i ran a triathlon

yes.  me. 

i don't even know when this all began, but it began with my husband.  one night we were sitting in bed and dave said, "i want us to run a triathlon."  i'm sure i thought to myself how insane he was, but he wouldn't let it go, so i did what i always do- i researched it.  and then, somehow... i agreed.  we started training in february spending 6 days a week at the gym.  we chose a race done by our local park district.  5 long months of training, and now i guess we can call ourselves triathletes.  sprint triathletes.  it was tough, but so worth it.  i had 2 goals for the race:  1.  finish.  2.  finish in under 2.5 hours.  i accomplished both!  although i was near the bottom of my age group- i didn't finish last, and i didn't finish last overall! 

swim-  400 m.  the swim was probably the toughest.  i'm not an incredible swimmer- i lack a lot of skill, and i usually end up swallowing water.  we trained pretty hard for the swimming and then discovered 2 days before the race that we had been training in a pool that was HALF the size of the pool we were actually going to swim in, and that we had been swimming HALF the distance.  really, really, really dumb.  so i basically had to swim double what i had been practicing for 5 months.  so dumb.  the water is choppy and it's pretty hard to swim w\ that many people to a lane.  i had a really tough time. 

bike-  15 mi.  i was probably the most prepared for this part.  dave & i had spent the last couple weekends doing rides and we did a few that were around 15 miles that i felt really good about.  it was definitely hard riding w\o someone to cheer you along and push you.  i had to be that for myself.  i had to keep singing "don't stop, don't give up" (from yo gabba gabba) during the tough parts- and it was tough.  very hilly!  i was pretty much dead after the ride, but i was passing people, and that made me feel good!

run-  5k.  this was definitely my weakest event as i am NOT a runner.  i unfortunately wrecked my legs during the bike and was totally unprepared to run.  :(  i ended up speed walking 95% of the run b\c i could hardly use my left leg.  it was also super muggy by that point, but i kept pressing on- i would run when i could, and then walk again.  the "run" went by super quickly, and before i knew it, i was running over the finish line into dave's arms in tears!  i did it!  and while i'm a bit disappointed with my times- i was definitely one of the slowest overall, i just know i need to keep working. 

dave's self-portrait after finishing the race.  he finished in just over 90 minutes!!

 hobbling in on my bike.  boy were my legs wobbly.

 transition 2.  bike to run.  getting my helmet off so i could hit the road again

i had slowed down and realized how close i was!

 run!  run! 

 sweet victory crossing the finish line

after!  we did it!

mommy & daddy's 30th christmas

dave & i are so blessed to have ian, and that we celebrated our 30th christmas with ian's 1st christmas.  if you were my 11 y/o niece, you'd be asking me how it's possible that we are celebrating our 30th christmas, being that we're both only 29, and then you still wouldn't get it after i had explained it 20 times...

i love buying gifts for husband- i love the thought that goes into them, i love the secret, and i love seeing his surprised face when he opens gifts!  i think i did pretty well for christmas given the fact that we set a smaller budget due to having ian to buy for!  of course, i also love getting gifts (who doesn't?)

1.  hockey gift card.  gift cards are boring to give (awesome to receive), but there was no way i was being held responsible for picking out hockey gear for him.

2.  The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by malcom gladwell.  dave is really into books about economics and how social stuff effects economics.

3.  Sigh No More by mumford & sons.  dave has been carrying on about them ever since he came to me one night and said "who the hell is mumford & sons and why won't everyone stop talking about them on facebook."  i gave him a listen, and he knew why.

4.  Capcatcher.  dave's cousin has one of these, and dave always talks about how cool he thinks it is- so i remembered to look at it last time we went to visit them.  plus, i always think a personalized gift is something you can't go wrong with!

he likes!

as far as stocking stuffers, i did a lot of the usual- small amount of candy (mike & ike's b\c i won't eat them!), chapstick, and a unique bottle of beer.  my favorite thing was soap made with beer from the beer soap company (which i read about here)...  pretty cool- and it smells really good!  dave loves trying new beers, and brewing his own beer, so i thought this was a neat twist!

the beer is called 'sex panther.'  i chose that b\c dave & i love anchorman!

dave also got some other books and a few movies including Despicable Me (which is hilarious, see it now!), clothes, a gift certificate for beer brewing and for more hockey supplies.  he did pretty well!  

dave is not as good at finding "unique gifts" (his words), but he always manages to get me things that i really enjoy, and that's what counts!  

i got- a gift card for the loft (which was only $25, but i took that, a bit of christmas cash, and a few coupons and managed to get over $200 worth of clothes), grey suede booties that i'm afraid to wear anywhere for fear the snow and rain will ruin them, and a couple of books (plus 2 more from mom & dad and one from brother):

i got tons of books...

i'm going to be busy

i also got another season of himym, another movie, a really cool uga bag.  i got some pretty cool stuff at our other christmas as well- i'm going to be spending a lot (more) time in the kitchen!!

i'd call christmas a rousing success!

it's my wedding day

a page is turned in this life, he's making her his wife
and there is no secret to the source of this much life
when the grace that falls like rain is washing them again
just a chance to somehow rise above this land

bebo norman

happy anniversary

and many more

the one where i win wife of the year and possibly go mia for a while...

we have been busy.  this past weekend started a month-long stretch of weekends totally packed full of junk!  this past weekend dave's gma was in town, so we had the entire mcfamily get together.  there are 15 of us- and one on the way.  you think that's insane, you should be @ dave's gma's house @ christmas.  there are 40 of us total (and 2 on the way).  it's a bit much, especially considering my entire extended family totals 12 on one side and 14 on the other.  this weekend we have the summer picnic for my office- i'm pretty excited about swimming, i am not exciting about buying my first post-baby swimsuit, and then wearing it.  boo.  the next few weekends i will detail more below, and then we hope to wrap things up with a visit to the beach in michigan.  we decide to forgo a vacation this year because 1.  we are poor, and 2.  we are broke.  dave's parents however are going to stay @ family friend doc's lake house, and we are all invited to stay a few days!!  yippppeeeeee!

so, as i've said already our next few weeks are going to be jam-packed and it all started several months ago- and it's almost here!  background story:  my husband studied international business and german in college- he's made a few trips to deutschland over the years, his last trip in 2004 for his internship.  while there, he made some good friends, and he has kept in touch w\ those friends since said trip.  the aforementioned friends were a couple while dave was over there, but split up while i was pregnant, much to the heartbreak of one of the friends.  we have both tried really hard to cheer up friend, but it seems they've fallen into a bit of a funk.  friend was looking for a place to vacation, and husband told him that he should come visit us here in the good ol' u.s. of a. 

he thought about it, and said, yes, i think i will come visit your family.  how long can i stay?

husband says, as long as you'd like.

friend replies via email- here is my flight itinerary. 

husband forwards flight itinerary to me- am i reading this right, he asks.

i reply, yes, husband, friend is staying with us for 3 weeks.  3 WEEKS?!

first of all, i am jealous that americans don't get 3 weeks of vacation- we're too overworked as it is.  don't even get me started on european maternity leave vs. american.  second, stay as long as you'd like in american means different to an american... BUT..

we're pretty excited.  i don't think he reads my blog, but if you do- don't get us wrong, we are soooo thrilled for you to be here.  we are now over our initial shock.  we have been hard at work on an end all be all list of things to do while he is visiting- places to go, things to see, food to eat (i'm most excited about that, as you and my scale surely know).  i have great plans to become fluent in german, and to have ian, who can't even talk yet, to be fluent in german...  i'm excited to meet someone new, and dave is excited to see a friend that he hasn't seen in years. 

i win wife of the year because i think most women would laugh in their husband's faces if they said someone was taking up residence in their home for 3 weeks, so here is my issue- where do we put our friend?  here's our situation...

2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths (our atlanta house had 3 bedrooms, but that is neither here nor there, and going on about it, won't take me back there).  we obviously occupy 1 room, and ian occupies the other.  both bedrooms have the full bath IN the room.  we obviously want our friend to feel at home, and have some privacy, but we have no extra bed- so he would have to sleep on either the couch or a blow up mattress.  and there's the issue with ian.  do we move him back into our room for 3 weeks (sleeping in his pack n play)- disrupting his sleep space, and giving us no privacy (he naps throughout the day, and goes to bed early, so we would have no where to go).  this is a tricky situation, but i think it can be worked out to where everyone benefits... help...

polishing my award until sunday....

fml - weekend edition

the weekend was created for my enjoyment.  not for me to later want to stomp and forget it ever happened.  grr.

this all started on saturday evening, which was a lot like the previous saturday evening... 

we have recently moved ian's bedtime back to where it will probably stay for the next couple years- the 7 o'clock hour.  this is nice b\c hubby & i finally have more time together- although we miss ian while he's asleep.  of course, it means we are confined to the house- and being that i am already here all day long- it doesn't make me happy.

the last 2 weekends in a row, i have found myself crying, and dare i say this as a new mother- resenting my child a bit.  Lord knows, i wouldn't trade him for the world, but between not getting to leave the house, and feeling fat all the time, a little resentment has crept into my heart.  it hurts me just to say that.  here was the situation:

last weekend we went to germanfest.  around 8:30- ian was really fussy, so we gave him his bottle, which meant bedtime was soon to follow.  plus the place was packed- and we were idiots who brought a stroller- and had to navigate through the crowds in the stroller- not fun.  so i was on edge when we got inside, and upset about how i felt like we couldn't do anything with ian, etc. 

cut to this week.  our friend israel turns 30 this week and was having a bday party w\ some other friends.  ian slept until after 5, and the party was 45 minutes away.  i had thrown in the towel on going and was crying and feeling sorry for myself because i'm a slave to my own house and i can't do anything b\c of ian.  we decided to go anyway after lots of convincing from husband- so we didn't get to crystal lake until after 7 or so.  ian actually did really well b\c he had taken a later nap- but then the mosquitoes started biting, and you just can't have your baby eaten up by mosquitoes. we were positioned right next to the off candle and covered w\ bug spray, but that wasn't cutting it.  so we had to give ian his bottle, and get on the road- and that's where the fun began...

first- i told husband i thought a mosquito bit me through the back of my pants' leg, which he said was impossible.  turns out we were both wrong- i got 5 mosquito bites through the back of my pants' leg. 

second- i have a mosquito bite on the top of my foot that is swollen, and as big around as a golf ball.  i'm seriously beginning to wonder if it was really a mosquito. 

third- we arrived home around 10 o'clock to find that we couldn't get our garage to open any higher than an inch.  after several tries we figured it's best not to break it.  we tried to get into the front door- but our door has a hotel-style latch that can't be opened from the outside.  our backdoor had all 3 of its locks locked and we have 1 window on ground level- by the front door.  we tried to finagle our way in the front door, but about 5 minutes later, i was on the phone w\ the landlord and ian was screaming.  we ended up having to drive over to the in-law's to stay the night.  we had only a onesie and 2 extra diapers- and nothing for us.  oh, and our dogs- inside. 

fourth- because of this disaster, ian didn't fall asleep until after midnight, and decided to wake up before 6!  so.  tired.

fifth.  alberto contador won le tour de france, again.  seriously.  i can't stand that guy.

so, looking at it now, it wasn't as bad as i made it out to be, but i'm really sad about my whole "resentment."  i don't resent my son.  i couldn't love anyone more than i love him, and i can't imagine my life without him.  i think i've had some serious cabin fever and just needed to get out, but it's so hard to get out w\ him, especially in the evenings now that he goes to bed so early.  it's even worse that since we've moved up here, we rarely see anyone- i feel like husband's friends treat us like we have the plague because we have a baby- it just makes me want to be in atlanta even more.  we also don't know anyone to babysit- and i'd hate to constantly ask the in-law's to give up their evenings to watch him.  it's definitely brought us to one conclusion: #11 from my 30 before thirty has got to start happening asap.  i've got to get out of the house- without baby. 

other mommies out there- ever felt anything like this?  you can either comfort me, or make me feel worse!

here's to soon to begin date nights!

coach gifts

a little while back i posted about push gifts, but you really shouldn't forget that special person in your life who brought you to the state of agonizing pain you're about to enter into- your coach.  my husband was the best coach ever.  i have to admit, i wasn't sure how he'd do, but he rose to the challenge and if it weren't for him and my l & d nurse, i probably couldn't have done it!  he was amazing.  we took a childbirth class 10 days before ian was born, and although husband was doubting its usefulness, i think in the end it really came in handy.  we learned a little bit of lamaze breathing, and once i was induced, i forgot all about it.  however, he didn't.  he remembered every step, from finding a focal point in the room to when to do the specific types of breathing (there were short, quick breaths, and slow, deep breaths).  he was also nice enough to put up with my sudden need to watch the food network once the biggest loser ended and kept it on the tv until push time (4 am).  he also helped me drag my iv stand and everything else i was attached to into the bathroom the 10 times i had to go, and when i thought my water broke, he called the nurse.  i'm embarrassed to say my water hadn't broken....  most importantly  he held my hand as i squeezed all the blood out of his while i pushed and growled and everything else, and even though he didn't want to actually see baby come out, when my nurse got so excited that she called him to "come look, you can see the top of his little head!!" he obliged. 

so of course, he needed a little love too, and so does your coach.  wondering what to get him, here are a few excellent ideas.

1.  handheld video camera.  this is what i got for husband, and it came with very simple instructions:  DO NOT FILM ME IN LABOR!  anything else is fine.  and we've used it to capture many wonderful moments, although i wish we remembered to use it more!!

this is the Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black).  it was a little out of my price range, but so cute!

i ended up going with this option instead:  

 this is the Aiptek HD-1 720P High Definition Camcorder with Built-in 1GB Storage (Silver).  definitely more in the desired price range.  it's made wonderful videos and even takes still photos.

2.  portable dvd player.  you may be sitting in the hospital for a while, and the channel selection isn't that good.  we had basic channels, 20 radio channels, food network, 20 spanish channels and 3 "how to care for your newborn" channels.  not a lot of selection.  and depending on whether you have a c or go natural, you could be there 72 hours +.  

this is the Coby TFDVD7008 7-Inch Portable DVD/CD/MP3 Player, Black 

3.  a nintendo ds or psp.  if i had things my way, i probably would've gotten this for dave.  how fun would this be?!  in the end though, the camcorder was more practical.  

Nintendo DS Lite Crimson / Black

PSP 3000 Core Pack - Black

4.  beer of the month membership.  or a beer making kit.  i know my husband would love this, and he already has a beer making kit, so he'd probably love to try new monthly brews!

you can get started here

basic brewing kit.  love this place.  great customer service!

so those are just a few ideas that your coach might love.  another great idea i just thought of was game tickets- depending on if his favorite sport is in season.  anything else you think might be a good idea, or is something you purchased yourself?  i'd love to know!!

oh, baby, it's a BABY!

may 17, 2009

i need to preface this picture by telling the story about it.  i was late, obviously.  we had been trying for a couple months w\ no success, so i already had a box of tests.  i took one on saturday, but the digital tests can be picky if they get too "sprinkled" so i got an error message.  i had one test left, so i figured i'd try it later that evening.  when i went to find the 2nd test, it was gone.  i tore our room upside down trying to figure out where i would've hidden it.  i tore the bathroom upside down.  i must have spent over an hour trying to find this test, and it had literally disappeared into thin air.  i went to bed saying i'd wait until the next morning (they say that's the best time to take the test).  the next morning i tore the house upside down again (to this day, i still don't know the whereabouts of my other test) to no avail.  so, i threw on my glasses and a jacket and hightailed it to walgreen's.  i was literally running through the store doing the potty dance.  i buy the test and get a disapproving look from my cashier, and burn rubber back home because i'm about to wet my pants.  i take the test, i'm so nervous, i lay it face-down on the counter.  it didn't even take 2 minutes for the results.  i throw the bathroom door open and husband is sitting on a chair in the loft watching tv- our eyes meet.  i start furiously nodding my head and tears are streaming down my face.  my life was forever changed.

what a difference a year makes

this week marks a very different week in our lives than what it held in 2009.  it amazes me that a year can make such a difference.  this was different in a way i could never imagine. 

what was i doing may 6-10, 2009.

the ultimate act of rebellion.  husband says if i loved him enough to have lovebirds tattooed on my foot that i should've loved him enough to have his name tattooed with the birds.  oh, please.

(omg, please forgive my ghettoes- my husband says there isn't room for pedicures in the budget.  grr)

saying goodbye to friends

(we learned on this night that nick & mandy (to our left) were expecting.  little did we know...)

joel's wife was expecting as well.  she was home "sick" ;)

we also said goodbye to this place

good riddance.  how you've broken our hearts.

and we packed up everything in the place and moved away.  far, far away.

here's husband recreating a moment from Over the Top 

this weekend was filled with lots of laughter, and far more tears.  it found us fighting over what made it onto the truck, and what got trashed.  everything became a sentimental item.  it found me sitting in my empty closet, in my empty room crying my eyes out over a place that we didn't love that would later bring us nothing but heartache.  as husband said, it was our house, but it wasn't our home.  we started the 2 day trip on saturday, may 9, and spent the bulk of sunday, may 10, making the rest of the trip.  sunday, may 10, 2009.  mother's day.  also, my husband's birthday.  the first mother's day i spent without my mother, and as my husband says, the worst birthday he can ever remember having.  

it would be another week before our lives were changed forever.

fast forward to 2010.  i'll say it again.  what a difference a year makes.  no, i don't love it here.  i'm not even sure i like it here, but it's been quite a year.  with highest highs and some lows as well, but i can tell you there's someone who's made our lives so different.  so how does this weekend end?  with husband's birthday of course.  the best husband/daddy ever, of course.  happy birthday, husband!  we love you!

more birthday fun later!!

aww, shucks

aww, i received an award from a little green birdhouse! it's so nice to be thought of, and even nicer to know that people do read my blog! i also love her blog because she's a new mommy like me, and it's nice to know you aren't alone!

so you're supposed to post 7 fun facts about yourself. link back to the award giver. and give your own award(s). i really can't think of 7 fun facts about myself, but i'll try.

1. i love sports. pretty much all of them. i love watching baseball, college and pro football and hockey. i'm not really into basketball. i'm pretty sure i wooed my husband by having him name a city and the sport, and me naming the team mascot.

2. i have no idea what i want to do for a living. i have lots of interests, but nothing that i think i could do for the rest of my life- i guess i'm constantly craving changes. i've wanted to be about 100 different things. it makes me feel irresponsible.

3. i love to eat and i love trying new foods. before we moved to chicago, husband and i were on the "atlanta restaurant tour" with our friends jess & jay. we left too many restaurants on the list!

4. i love tcm, and i love classic movies. so much that i don't have much interest in movies that come out in the present. my favorite: gone with the wind, and audrey hepburn films.

5. i just saw on facebook that my former boss just participated in atlanta's great urban race. i checked it out, and now i'd really like to participate in chicago's race in july.

6. my mother-in-law got me hooked on vera bradley bags. i'm almost embarrassed to say that. i used to think they were hideous and now i love them. i'm going to the outlet sale for a 2nd time in 2 weeks.

7. my husband and i have been married for almost 3 years and together for 8 years. during the time we were dating we lived apart (me in atlanta, him in chicago) with the exception of 2 summers, and the last 2 months before we were married. we also split up twice- once initiated by him and then by me. we got back together for good after my grandfather died and he immediately flew down just for the funeral to be by my side. i realized then that he would always be there for me. thanks, granddaddy.

geez, it took forever to think of those things... so i'm tired as the funk now, and i'm going to nominate:

Wonderfully Random! K was in my 8th grade class with crazy mrs. cooper, so i've known her for quite a while. now she's expecting her first baby, a girl, in september. i think she'll be a wonderful mommy! she's also a wiener dog mommy, although i think her wd is much more behaved than ours.

will you marry me?

april 14, 2007... he asked, i said yes.

and they lived happily ever after.
not the end.