Aquarium Adventure

Last week, when we had Max's side of the family in town, we all decided to be adventurous and go to the Dallas Aquarium.  And I do mean adventurous - it's hard to get our act together to take baby anywhere, let alone somewhere as exciting as the aquarium!

William was a trooper! (And I've never needed to carry a purse so big before!)

Everyone's saying hi to the monkeys.

Looking at the sting rays - and Max refuses to smile for a picture ;)

William got tired of the stroller. This is my view of him in his sling!

After the aquarium, we ate a very late lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse. I would have taken pictures, but I was too busy stuffing my face with pasta alfredo!

All in all, it was worth the hassle to get out there and do something fun! I need to schedule more adventures soon!

Three Lifesavers

One of my new mama friends asked me what product(s) I couldn't live without. It was a good question and it got me thinking. Below, my top three picks:

No Drought dry shampoo from Lush

With my hands full with baby, I just can't realistically wash my hair every day. This dry shampoo has been a quick fix that WORKS!  I'm sure it will be even more important to me once I go back to work.

Fisher Price Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper

This is what William sleeps in. Forget the pretty bassinets, this thing has been a lifesaver!! The incline is so perfect. It's so easy to rock, and the best part is - when he kicks around and gets fussy, he rocks it himself and can put himself back to sleep!!

Nescafe Clasico Decaf

I've decided against drinking any caffeine while breast feeding. But! I still miss my morning cup of coffee. This instant stuff tastes like the real thing. I can almost convince myself I'm more awake (almost....)

So... what in your life can you not live without? Do share!

Ten Year Celebration

Friday we celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary in our typical, low-key kind of way: we went out for lunch at a new Thai place in town.

It's in a strip mall and easy to pass by without noticing at all. It's pretty tiny inside, but we loved the food! I even got Max to let me take a picture:

(William was well behaved and slept contentedly through our date.) Max and I split a mango bubble tea. It was the first time I'd ever had one and it was delicious!!

This may not have been the travel adventure we had been planning for this anniversary, but it was definitely a fun adventure just being out of the house!

Ten Years and a Love Story

Today is our TEN YEAR wedding anniversary! We got married at the ripe old age of 20, and it was the best decision I've ever made!

I thought I'd share our love story in honor of this momentous occasion:

I met my husband, Max, for the first time during freshman orientation in college.

We were going around in a circle, introducing ourselves and saying where we were from. This was a tricky question for me since my family started out in California, but moved to France when I was seven. And then, to make things even more complicated, I attended a boarding school in Germany for high school.

So when it came around to my turn, I said, "California, France, and Germany," and that's how I made the nerdiest first impression with my future husband.

I didn't see much of him after that, even though we lived in the same dorm. We started hanging out rather randomly in April of that year. I sat next to him at a dorm picnic and asked him, by way of an ice breaker, if he was Canadian. He wasn't.

Our relationship really kicked off on my birthday, when we got into an impromptu cake fight, chasing each other, laughing, and getting frosting everywhere.

Shortly after that, our first year of college had ended, and I flew back to Germany to spend the summer with my family. Max and I emailed each other back and forth during that time, and checking my inbox was the absolute highlight of my day.

I half-jokingly invited him to come over and visit with me and my family. You know, because it's not like Michigan and Germany share a border or anything. To my utter surprise, he did! One day during his two week trip, we toured the World War 1 trenches, and it was there that we "officially" started dating. August 10th, 2001.

We held hands. We cuddled. We hugged. But we didn't kiss.

I had told him right off the bat that I wasn't ready to kiss him yet. (Truthfully I had never kissed anyone before, and the idea was terrifying!) He was a trooper about it!

As the months progressed, we knew we were meant for each other, and we knew we wanted to get married soon. We decided to save our first kiss for the altar.

We were married on August 10th, 2002, precisely one year after we started dating. (I like to tell people it's because we're organized, but actually it was just a coincidence!) By this time, I was more than ready to kiss him :).

So there we were, standing at the altar: his dad and my dad (both pastors) up at the front, conducting the ceremony. It occurred to me right before dad said: "You may kiss the bride" that I was going to have my very first kiss ever right in front of all of these people!

I leaned in for the kiss. I thought it was going to be a huge, romantic moment in my life. And it was! But at the time I can only remember thinking: "Gee, this is wet!" He likes to say that I wouldn't let go of him when he tried to pull away... but that's his side of the story!

I'm glad we saved our first kiss (I can hold this over my daughter's head someday...). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, though. We were lucky in that we had a short engagement. But it definitely made our story special, and I believe that it deepened our relationship. Ten years and we're still going strong!

Screaming in the Night

It was 2:38 AM and William had started to fuss. I turned on a dim light, and started nursing in the rocking chair next to my bed.

I was sleepy. William was sleepy.

I looked down at his sweet little face, and thought of my husband for the 100th time that day. He was gone for the week, attending an international psychology conference in South Africa. Mom was there to help me with the baby; she was sound asleep in the room next door, her white noise maker blaring.

As William continued to nurse, I lazily glanced toward the crib. And then? In the span of a second: my whole body tensed, I caught my breath, and let out a scream!

There was a GIANT COCKROACH climbing up the side of the crib!

I kicked off my flip flop and whacked it twice - still screaming, and still nursing.

It lay on the floor about two feet away from me. As I tried to calm down and catch my breath (the baby now wide awake), I wondered if there were any more monsters hanging out by the crib.

Two minutes passed by. I glanced down towards the offending creature. His antennae twitched. Then it twitched again. Then it started crawling!!!

It was back from the dead!! Cue more screaming and more frantic flip flop whacking. I was almost in tears as I picked it up in the dust pan to throw it away.

All this to say two things: 
1. I'm so glad my husband is back home!
2. I sure hope I don't pass on any of my phobias to William...

So tell me.... what creeps you out to the point of screaming??

Something Special

I can't believe that in less than two months, hubby and I will be celebrating our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Oh man.... I know we got married at 20, but this makes me feel old just the same!

Before we got pregnant, we had been planning a wild and exciting trip to commemorate this special day: traveling to Central or South America, for example. We had tens of thousands of frequent flyer miles in the bank and ready to go.

Well.... needless to say, we won't be globe-trekking this August - I think the baby would notice we were gone and miss us just a bit :)

BUT! Just because we won't be in South America on an anniversary adventure doesn't mean that we can't try to make it special in some way. Luckily for us, my in-laws will be in town that day so I'm hoping we can at least go out for a special dinner!

Another way to make it special? Pretty jewelry from Anjolee! They have a beautiful selection of diamond anniversary rings, diamond pendants, and diamond engagement rings. I received this lovely heart shaped pendant that I can't wait to wear on our special night:

I have a feeling it will look stunning with a little black dress!

What about you? Do you have any pieces of jewelry that you wear for special occasions?

Pampered

It's nice to have a girlfriend to go do things with. It's even nicer to have a girlfriend who has the exact same due date as you, is also having a boy, and who lives just a mile away!

Yesterday, we went out on the town for a day of pampering. Yes, we got some looks: two pregnant ladies waddling around side by side... but it was fun! We started off with lunch and chocolate milkshakes at Big State Drug, a charming little diner inside of a drug store.

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Then we went to get mani/pedis. This was a huge deal for me: I've only ever had my nails done twice in my life! I usually can't justify spending the money. But with Baby coming soon and not being able to reach my toes, I figured it was worth the splurge. And was it ever! I felt so pampered! 

I went with a super bright and cheerful color. Every time I look down at my nails, I smile!

Once we were all nice and rested and pampered, we shopped for baby! I got a super boring and practical diaper bag-- all black-- that both Max and I can carry around (nothing too girly, you know!). And we found Halo Sleepsacks at Burlington Coat Factory for just $9.99!! They sell for $20 everywhere else so we were excited!

All in all, it was a much-needed rest from getting the nursery ready. It was also so nice to gab about baby stuff and pregnancy stuff with someone who completely understood!

How do you like to pamper yourself?

A Tribute for Mom

I can't remember the last time I spent Mother's Day with my own mother. It's hard to get together when my parents live in France and I'm all the way over in Texas! I usually time our visits during summer break (ah the life of a teacher!) or during Christmas.

But this doesn't mean I love her any less!! In fact if she was here, I'd be taking her out to brunch! I'd want to spoil her silly - she deserves it for raising me so well :)

I didn't realize just how awesome my mom was until I became an adult. I remember (on one of those trips home to France) popping in an old home video. It was my ninth birthday party and my mom had gone ALL OUT! I had about ten friends over, and she had organized group games, fantastic food, t-shirt decorating, and candy necklace making. I was exhausted just WATCHING the video!

But it was the day-to-day stuff too. How she got on me to clean up after myself, how she taught me to be responsible and respectful, how she cooked home-made meals and baked in the kitchen with me.

Now that I'm an inner-city teacher, I know that a lot of kids aren't that lucky! So thank you, mom, for being the best!! I only hope I can be as great a mom as you are!!

Time is running out

Friends, my days of being a carefree 29 year old are numbered. In fact, I only have twelve more days before the big....

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Part of me thinks I should do something wild and crazy to celebrate. You know, like dye my hair pink or go crash a wedding. Twenty-nine year olds can be irresponsible like that. The other part of me thinks I should just get into my comfy pajamas and tackle number 26 on my life list:

1. 1. Go to a STOMP show.
2. 2. Ride in a limo.
3. 3. Take an art class (painting or drawing).
4. 4. Own a dog 
5. 5. Plant a vegetable garden.
6. 6. Win a free trip (to anywhere)
7. 7. See newborn kitties 
8. 8. Spoil my grandchildren.
9. 9. See a play on Broadway.
10. 10. Go on an African safari in South Africa 
11. 11. Write and publish a book.
12. 12. Own a house with a nice backyard.
13. 13. Early retirement ;)
14. 14. Host a murder mystery dinner party.
15. 15. Surprise my parents by showing up unannounced on their doorstep... in France.
16. 16. Learn how to work the sewing machine and then make stuff!
17. 17. Take a year off of life and travel with the hubby in a motorhome all over North America.
18. 18. Eat a greek salad... in Greece.
19. 19. Play a small role in a community theater/play house.
20. 20. Read "Les Miserables" en francais.
21. 21. Live really close to my sister.
22. 22. Have a reason to carry and give out business cards.
23. 23. Eat freshly caught fish.
24. 24. Go on an Alaskan cruise!
25. 25. Visit either New Zealand or Australia... or both!
26. 26. Eat an entire gallon of ice cream at once. Or, at least, as much as I can eat...
27. 27. Go on a short term missions trip.

What about you? Have you had a "hard" birthday? Do you have a life list?

What I'm Into (Lately)

I'm totally stealing this idea from Beth of Dot in the City! I love how it's a quick snapshot into my life:

What I want to read:
-I started the Plum Series by Janet Evanovich over spring break. I've finished the first book and now I want to read the rest!!

TV show worth watching:
-We love a lot of TV shows, but right now my faves are Parks and Rec, and The Mentalist.

Movie I've seen:
-The Big Year. Don't go into it expecting a comedy - it was actually a really sweet and charming story!

In my kitchen:
-My hubby loves to cook, so I humbly and gratefully eat whatever he gives me :)
-These amazing banana crumb muffins. I've made the recipe twice already!
-My first shamrock shake of the season -YUMMY!

In my ears:
-I'm totally in love with this song (remake) from the Piano Guys. Give it a listen! You'll be glad you did!



Items of note:
-Still working on putting together the nursery. I seem to have too many ideas to get started!
-I want to try this tutorial for a crib sheet.
-Trying to get back into the swing of things after an AWESOME spring break in California.

What I'm looking forward to:
-THE HUNGER GAMES!!!! I can't wait to see the movie - hopefully this weekend!
-Playing around with the new set of stamps I got recently :)
-Now that Spring Break is over, the countdown to Summer Vacation has officially begun! NINE MORE WEEKS!!!!

What have you been into lately?

Spring Break in California

I had the most wonderful time in Laguna Beach, California with my mom and my sister last week. Dad couldn't get away from his speaking engagements on the road, and my brother's job in Maine is so inflexible with time off so it was just us girls!

We lived it up:

 Cruising around in "mom's" car 

(that some nice church folk lent to her for the year!)

 Walking the private beach 

(Only a 5 minute walk from the place where my mom is staying!)

 Of course, there was plenty of ice cream involved...

(We are a bad influence on each other!)

 Eating Dim Sum with my grandma

(ALWAYS a highlight!)

Feeling the baby kick! 

And I even got to meet some celebrities!

(At Universal Studios)

PS: Why does Lisa look so cranky?

I miss it already - the beach, the salty air, the charming cafes and boutiques of Laguna... and most of all, my FAMILY!

I'm so glad I'll be popping out a baby in July, just for the chance to see everyone again :)

And now.... the Summer Vacation Countdown begins: only 50 more school days to go!!!!

Morning Glory

It's my husband's fault I'm a morning person.

I used to sleep in until the very last possible moment before getting up and getting ready for work. I would inhale my breakfast, make my tea and drink it on the go. My bedtimes would vary but I would usually be tired during the day.

Then one day about four or five years ago, Max convinced me to try going to bed at the same time (within an hour) and waking up at the same time (exactly) every day. He also persuaded me to set the alarm for EARLY - 5:45 AM! EVEN ON THE WEEKENDS!!

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I did it at first out of love and to humor him. But I admit, I was crying on the inside that whole first week of our new schedule!

But then something weird happened.... I stopped feeling tired during the day. And then, after a little while, I started to cherish my early morning times. I had at least 30 minutes to relax before work - I could linger in the shower, sip my tea, read a book, watch the news.... In fact I liked my early morning routine so much that when summer vacation rolled around, we only adjusted our schedule by a little bit - up at 7:30 or so instead of during the five o'clock hour.

And now since living in Texas (for the past 3 years or so), this is what my usual morning routine consists of:

• Waking up at 5:15 (yeah, we're in bed pretty early - between 8 and 9)
• Working out/stretching in front of the news for 20 minutes
• Jogging with the dog
• Showering/dressing
• Eating breakfast

By the time I'm ready for breakfast, I have thirty or forty minutes to catch up on blog and shop stuff before work!

I know this is all going to change once the baby comes - we're going to have to figure out a whole new morning routine. But for now this is working for us!

What about you? Are you a crazy early-morning person like me?

SHINE Project Recap

(If you're looking for Missionary Kid Monday, tune in on Wednesday!)

On Saturday, I had the chance to go to A Little Artsy (Casey's art studio) to help make blankets for the homeless of Dallas as a part of SHINE. I had a blast!!! Here's a quick little picture recap.

We made A LOT of blankets!

I chatted it up with Caroline!!

I loved meeting Sarah and Ashley for the first time!

The pizzeria next door donated LOTS of specially made heart-shaped pizza for us. Yum!

A big thanks to Casey and Ashley who organized this whole wonderful event! 

I do hope more SHINE  projects come to Dallas :)

At the end of our time there, we all got Pass it Forward cards!! 

I'm excited to think up fun ways to bless other people.

SHINE in Dallas

I have a pretty exciting day to look forward to tomorrow....

I'm so excited to see Casey again, and to meet up with Kristy, Ashley, Sarah, Mallorie, (and other bloggers!)... not to mention the SHINE girl herself!

We'll be making blankets for the Dallas LIFE Foundation to benefit the homeless of Dallas. It's a worthy cause, plus it will be fun to be doing it with bloggy friends :)

..... And I'm only a little really nervous to be meeting everyone in person.

What are your weekend plans?

PS: Did you see the two fun giveaways on my blog this week? Click here and here to win!

PPS: If you're interested in becoming a Star Sponsor for the month of March, get details here. Rates as low as $5.00!!

For me and for you!

It's so nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself when I blog! That's why I love your comments, and that's why I was happy to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award from Melissa!

Rules of the award: To share seven things about yourself and award seven more bloggers this award. Be sure to let them know you awarded them so they can pass it on!


Here we go, seven random things:


1. I can pretty much only wear leather shoes or my feet hurt too much.
2. I'm growing out my hair because my hubby likes it long (what is it with guys?!)
3. I wake up at 5:15 AM every single day, even on the weekends. (Exception: summer break)
4. I can't stand shows like The Bachelor. It's all rigged, I'm convinced!
5. I could live off of bread and cheese.
6. I want a turret in my next house :)
7. I eat the same thing for breakfast, and the same thing for lunch every day!

And now, to pass it on to seven other lovely bloggers:

Moonbeam Wishes
The Hairy Peach
My Life under the Bus
So Many Memories
Something Monumental
And They Shall Become One
Eager Hands

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

My Self-Centered Alphabet

A. Age: 29


B. Bed size: Full - hubby and I love this size!


C. Chore that you hate:  scrubbing the shower and tub


D. Dogs: Barney is our fur baby


E. Essential start to your day:  Black tea and devotions


F. Favourite color: Right now? Rusty orange


G. Gold or Silver: Silver


H. Height: 5'4


I. Instruments you play:  I used to "play" the piano. It was my 17th birthday present to quit!!


J. Job title: Special Education teacher to the Deaf/Hearing Impaired

K. Kids: Maybe someday!


L. Live: currently in DFW area in Texas


M. Mother’s name: Jan, but I call her "mom" haha.


N. Nicknames: when I was in France, it was "L'Americaine", in the States it was "Frenchie"

O. Overnight hospital stays: None thank goodness!


P. Pet peeve: stepping in something wet when I'm wearing socks


Q. Quote from a movie:  No favorite quotes but my favorite movie is Newsies


R. Right or left handed: Right


S. Siblings: A younger sister and a younger brother


T. Time you wake up: 5:15 AM unless I'm on summer vacation!


U. Underwear: umm yes. always.

V. Vegetable you hate: brussel sprouts

W. What makes you run late: checking too many blogs in the morning!

X. X-Rays you’ve had: knee

Y. Yummy food that you make: Pumpkin cheesecake

Z. Zoo animal: Elephants

Lose Your Lunch

Last week in the teacher's lounge, a few of us were swapping really gross stories - I forget exactly what about but it probably included poop. Even though I was eating, I was laughing up a storm.

It got me to thinking that nothing really grosses me out to the point that I lose my appetite (granted, that might change when I have kids someday, but for now it's true.)

But then I reached back far into the recesses of my memories and remembered ONE time where I lost my appetite... not even that night for dinner, but the next morning as well!

I was in seventh grade at the time, and some teacher had a brilliant idea to let us watch a particular movie in class. The movie they chose? Soylent Green

If you haven't seen it, then I won't ruin the ending for you - but let's just say that I never wanted to eat again.

What about you? What makes you lose your lunch?

Screaming Meat

I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm not a fan of eating anything that you've just heard scream as you put it into boiling water.

I'm talking about lobster, bien sur.

This summer when we were in Maine, we had the opportunity to go to a fish market right on the water:

It was fun to look around! I loved the variety of seafood they offered, plus they had eye-catching displays like this one:

But when I saw an employee fetching a fresh lobster for a customer....

... my husband turned to me and said: "Can you imagine if we bought all of our meat like that? Chicken? Pork? Beef?"

Gulp! So.... know of any good meatless recipes out there? {wink!}

Doing it all without collapsing

This transition from summer vacation (with 0 responsibilities) to teaching full time (with too many responsibilities) has been difficult for me.

I'm finding I need to re-learn how to manage my time. Where before I could spend five straight hours on the computer, I now feel like I only have five minutes! And I have important things to do online, you know, like blogging, commenting, and surfing pinterest.

Last Thursday between 6:40 and 7:00 AM, I was trying to: package an order, comment on blogs, and drink my tea.... all at the same time! Not surprisingly, I was five minutes late to a morning meeting at school.

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The next morning, I was so tired I almost used my foundation as deodorant!!

Until I get used to my new routine, I may have to set a timer for myself when I sit down at the computer. Like so many minutes to read blogs and comment, so many minutes on pinterest, etc.

And I really wish I could develop some type of short term amnesia and forget about all of that summer fun. It might make this back-to-school transition easier!

What about you? How do you juggle it all? Especially you crafters with kiddos?!?

PS: Don't forget! I have three giveaways ending tomorrow: here, here, and here!

Promise you won't laugh at me before reading this

I have a confession to make. Kind of an embarrassing one.

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You see, way back in the day when I first started drinking coffee I was living with a Dutch family at my boarding school. I was fourteen and trying to be polite. So when they passed me a mug of strong, black coffee, I didn't refuse it. I choked it down. As was their family tradition, they drank a half mug of coffee every Sunday after church with cold sandwiches. After a few months of discreetly wincing, I actually came to love it!

And then I turned into a complete coffee snob, looking down on anyone who "doctored" up their coffee with any cream or sugar. It was black or nothing!

And then in Maine this summer, I took a cautious plunge. I had ordered a mug of house coffee. When I took a sip, I found it to be quite strong, actually..... I thought: "Am I getting weak in my old age or is this maybe a little TOO strong?"

So even though I had just finished teasing my sister for doctoring her coffee, I poured in some cream and sugar into my own mug.

And..... ohmygosh I am such an idiot for just drinking it black these last 15 years!! HELLO YUMMY COFFEE, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?

Me and the hubby on that fateful day!

What about you? Any duh moments for you lately? How do you take your coffee?

PPS: Don't forget to enter the giveaways here, here, and here!