Where do we go from here?

We are now in the stage of "where do we go from here?". I am not sure I can definitively answer that question, but we do have a few things planned that are helping us look to the future instead of dwell on the past. That doesn't mean we will ever forget what happened or the baby that we lost, just that we need to move forward and go on with our lives.

So what do we have to look forward to in the coming months?

Attending the Penn State vs. Indiana game at Fed Ex Field. We didn't attend Penn State, but I have a few friends that did and I went to a bunch of games back when I was in college. We are going with one of my friends that we haven't seen since our wedding! It will definitely be a fun time.

Hosting our parents for Thanksgiving in DC. This whole experience has really opened my eyes to the importance of family. I really miss my parents and can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks. We are lucky that our parents get along with each other pretty well despite their differences. We have spent two previous Thanksgivings together, and we always have a nice time.

Seeing Elf on Broadway at Christmas time. AJ surprised me with tickets the other night. I cried (tears of joy). Elf is my favorite Christmas movie of all time and I have wanted to see the show since the day I heard it was coming to Broadway. We are just going up for one night, but it will be a great holiday getaway.

Renting a house for a ski weekend with friends. My work friends and I just booked an awesome house in Western Maryland for a ski vacation over MLK weekend. And it is an amazing deal to boot! The house has a hot tub and a pool table and is only a few minutes away from the ski resort. It should be an epic weekend.

Vacationing in Grand Cayman with my parents. Instead of getting us a bunch of stuff we don't need for Christmas, my parents are paying for us to go with them to Grand Cayman over President's Day weekend. We haven't been on a "real" vacation since our honeymoon, so this will be a perfect escape before a stressful spring and summer (what with buying a house, moving, the bar, and all).

So where do we go from here? Apparently we go on a lot of trips and spend a lot of time with family and friends. But seriously though, being around those that love, support, and distract you really does help. And being in fun places doesn't hurt either. We will also be spending a lot of time enjoying our last few months in DC. After all of that maybe we will be ready to start trying for another baby. Until then, we are just a normal couple soaking up all the fun that we can!

A Plan

By now you have probably forgotten that I had some exciting news I wanted to share. Yesterday we finally received the documentation we were waiting for....so I can officially share the good news with all of you!

AJ was offered a job at the law firm where he worked this summer! He worked very hard and put in a lot of hours, so I wasn't too surprised when he called me the morning of his last day at work and told me the good news. We made a lot of sacrifices this summer (long distance marriage, living with my parents, etc.), so we were very happy when he received the offer.

Unfortunately, this means we will be leaving DC next summer. This is a bummer for a few reasons. I have met some wonderful people here and I will be so sad to leave them. I have a pretty great job and am just getting into a groove where I feel comfortable and appreciated. I love city life and am a tad scared of moving back to a suburban area. Ahhh! Those three things are enough to induce a small anxiety attack.

On the other hand, I am so excited to be moving closer to my family (and even more excited to not be in the same quarters!). I grew up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins by my side and am grateful that my children will have a similar close-knit family experience. I am also thrilled that we can afford to buy a house. And yes, I have already been looking. Also, I am so happy that my husband has a job. Period. In this economy, we just didn't know if he would find one. Even better, he will be working at a firm that doesn't require 80+ hours a week. That just wouldn't work for our family. Plus, he genuinely liked the firm atmosphere and the people that work there, so it really is a win-win situation for him!

As for me....hopefully I will make new friends (but, keep the old!) and find a new job back in Upstate NY. I know it will all work out in the end. For now, I am just happy that we have a plan and am so proud of my husband!

Summer Blurbs

While writing this post, I realized that I had lot of things I want to share. I tried to keep each event short and limited myself to one picture per blurb so that I (hopefully) don't bore everyone to death.

Here are the highlights of my summer!

We celebrated our second anniversary on July 5th. We attended the wedding of one of AJ's college roommates that weekend, so we couldn't do a big anniversary getaway. However, it all worked out in the sense that the wedding was an excuse to get a hotel room and get out of my parent's house for a couple days. Here we are at the reception, which was held at a beautiful country club in Rochester:

Instead of a vacation, we went wine trailing down Cayuga Lake on our way back from the wedding. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun tasting wines at a bunch of different wineries. I think we came home with 12 bottles. Oops!


AJ and I ran in a 5k the second weekend of July. I finished in 31:15. It was so humid and I wanted to die during the last mile, but I ran the whole time so I guess that isn't too bad. I was hoping to be under 30 minutes, but in the end I was just happy I didn't come in last place!


I successfully hosted a bridal shower and attended the wedding of one of my best friends. Her wedding was very unique and the trip to Charlotte was another mini-vacation for AJ and I. Here we are at the reception:

Image via Kristin Vining Photography

We also spent a few days here and there at my grandparent's cottage, which is on a small lake in Northern Pennsylvania. I love going to the lake because I feel like I have gone back in time when I am there. We play games, read, chat, swim, drink, and eat....and that is pretty much it. There is no TV, cell phones don't get service, and you are forced to relax. And honestly, how can you not relax with this view??


While at the lake, AJ also had his first experience holding and feeding a baby. My youngest cousin just turned one and we thought he should get some practice since we are hoping to have a baby sometime in the next year. I love this picture because he looks clueless and so scared. Hahaha, poor thing.


The first weekend of August my girlfriends and I road tripped down to Wrightsville Beach for a bachelorette weekend. It stormed on Friday, but we had beautiful beach weather on Saturday and had lots of fun both nights. This was my first girl's only trip and I really enjoyed myself!


I then spent a week staying with a friend in DC because I had to get in a few summer days at work and our renovation project was not (and still is not) completed. We had a nice time cooking together and I watched more trashy reality TV that week than I did all summer. It is so much more fun to watch while drinking wine with a girlfriend.

Last weekend I headed back to NY to pick up AJ and Kona. What happened that weekend deserves a post of its own! Don't you just love a cliffhanger?? (Unless we are Facebook friends...then you already know our news!)

No More LDM

The day that I have been looking forward to for the last 7 weeks is FINALLY here!

I am off to the airport to pick up my husband, which officially ends our long distance marriage. Yay!!!!! Our time apart was difficult and I can't wait to be living together and sharing our lives together once again.

Most of our weekend will be spent moving everything out of our kitchen, half bath, and dining room. While we spend the summer in NY, our landlords are doing a renovation on those rooms. When we return in August the kitchen and dining room will be one big room! I'm very excited for that. Unfortunately the bathroom will be smaller and we are losing a closet, but I still am looking forward to the changes.

On Sunday we will drive to NY and my lazy summer will officially commence (for me at least...AJ will still be working at the law firm). I am looking forward to reading the stack of books I have collected over the past few months, training for a 5k, trips to the lake, golfing, playing with Kona, spending time with my family, attending firm events, etc. I am so excited!!

Domestic Diva

If there is one thing I have learned during my first week on my own, it is that I am SPOILED. I always knew that my husband did a lot for me and was a big part of helping to keep our house /life in order, but man...I did not realize how much work it is!!

Let me run through the things I had to do this week:

Walk Kona three times a day, feed Kona twice a day, make my lunch, make tea in the morning, go grocery shopping, carry the groceries in, put the groceries away, cook dinner, do the dishes, empty the dishwasher, do the laundry, fold the laundry, take out the garbage, recycle the wine bottles (yes, multiple), get my car inspected, change my registration sticker (which is a bitch...anyone that has a car in DC can affirm this), clean up dog vom, clean the kitchen, dust the house, sweep the floors, water the flowers, make the bed, pay a bunch of bills, etc.

I do a few of those things on a regular basis, but doing all of them on my own made me feel like I didn't sit down this entire week. (Don't let me fool you, I did sit down....I even watched 3 hours of RHNJ one night, but you know what I mean!) I guess all this house work is good though, because it has helped to tire me out and I have slept pretty well each night (with the exception of the first night).

Anyway, it made me realize how lucky I am and that I am so thankful to have someone that helps me out so much! Do you all do this stuff on your own or does your significant other help you out? If you do it on your own, how do you do it on a regular basis?! I need your tips!

Countdown

As anyone who works in a school can tell you, the weeks following spring break usually involve a countdown to the end of the school year. Everyone is excited that the school year is almost over and we can't wait for summer break. I am definitely excited for the school year to be over because so many great things will happen this summer and fall, but there is one thing I am dreading that has me wishing time would stand still....

AJ starts his summer job on May 3rd.

In New York.

And I will be working here until the end of June.

I'm trying not to be a wuss, but I cry thinking about being away from him and being on my own. Then a small part of me also gets upset that I am so sad because I feel like I should be more independent and self-sufficient. Ugh. Clearly I am overly emotional about this whole situation!

Luckily we will only be apart for two months. We will see each other Memorial Day weekend for a wedding and my friends and family will be visiting throughout May and June. Kona will stay here with me and she will help keep me company. I have great neighbors and friends in DC and I know I will get to spend a lot of time with them as well.

At this point I'm just trying to stay calm and keep it all in perspective. It really isn't that awful, especially when I think of the women who are away from their husbands during a deployment. He is just going to New York, not a war zone. We will only be apart two months, not a year. We'll be together again before I know it.

It looks like I will have multiple countdowns this school year. First, a countdown to the day AJ leaves. (sad face) Then a countdown until we see each other in May. (happy face) And finally a countdown until the school year is over, which means I can head up to New York and spend the rest of the summer with my husband!! (super happy face)

Jingle Jammies

Have you seen the Old Navy commercial where they advertise "Jingle Jammies"? If not, you can watch it on You Tube here.

Now substitute "Jingle Jammies" for "Single Ladies" in the song by Beyonce and you know what has been repeating over and over in my head since Saturday.

You're welcome.

And it wasn't me that first started singing this.....it was the other person in our household! Yikes.

Babies

It has been a popular week for celebrity births!

Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett's son was born last Friday, Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen had their baby Tuesday, and the Duggars welcomed their 19th child yesterday. Thanks for bombarding me with baby stories, People!

Why am I so jealous? I know it is not the right time for us, but I can't seem to shake this feeling. Boo!

It probably doesn't help that my aunt keeps sending my pictures and videos of her super cute 4 month old....

Gah! I want one!!

Busiest Week Ever!

I can probably count on one hand the hours I spent home and awake this past week. Okay, maybe not one hand, but definitely two. Monday was the only night I didn't have something! It was the busiest week I have had in a long, long time....but it was totally worth it.

On Tuesday I worked my normal 7.5 hours, had cheer practice for 2 hours, came home to take Kona out, and then headed to a restaurant to meet with some girls to discuss Olive Kitteridge. Have you read the book? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts. I loved the book, but didn't like the story. Does that make sense? I don't want to give it away if you haven't read the book, but a bunch of the things about the story didn't sit right with me. However, the book is very well written and is presented as short stories, which I liked.

Wednesday felt like the longest day of my life. We hosted our first home basketball game, so after I work I had to supervise my girls in study hall and then prepare them for the game. The were so giddy and nervous; it was adorable. They did a great job considering it was the first game. The game was supposed to start at 5, but didn't actually start until 5:30, so I didn't get home until 7. That is a 12 hour workday! I don't know how those of you that regularly work 12 hour days do it! I was so tempted to stop and pick something up, but knew that we had food waiting to be cooked in the refrigerator. When I arrived home I cooked a couple steaks, some mushrooms, and broccoli, quickly ate, then patted myself on the back and promptly headed to bed.

On Thursday I left work a few minutes early so that we could get in line for the National Christmas Tree Lighting. Last month AJ and I both entered the lottery for tickets to the event and we luckily scored two seated tickets!

The event was hosted by Randy Jackson (who was broadcasting about 20 feet ahead of us) and included performances by Jordin Sparks, Sheryl Crow, Common and the PS 22 chorus, Celtic Woman, and a few other people. President Obama gave a Christmas message, Mrs. Obama read The Night Before Christmas, and Santa and Mrs. Claus made a quick cameo too. Here is video of the tree lighting!




By Friday I was pretty much spent, but a teacher at my school gave me tickets for the opening night of Zoolights at the National Zoo.

I wanted to go last year so I was actually really excited when she offered me the tickets. It was a lot of fun and good exercise so I am really glad we went. Ever punctual, we were able to see the opening ceremony which included "dancing lights". We of course videoed the dancing lights, but that video is 3 and a half minutes long and I am not about to try and upload that to blogger. If we are facebook friends you can see it on my page there. It is really neat....the lights flash with the music (obviously I am easily amused).


Yesterday morning I headed back to school at 7 am. I wanted to cry when the alarm went off. The three other coaches and I took the cheer girls to see a cheer competition out in Maryland and it started at 8 am. It was a great experience for the girls though and I think it motivated them to get their booties in gear. On the way home from the competition it started snowing! I came home, put on my sweatpants and did not move off the couch for the rest of the day. It was glorious.

Today we went to church, hit up the grocery store, and got our Christmas tree. Of course, getting our tree wasn't without a mishap. I refused to put the tree in my car (it probably wouldn't have fit anyway), so we decided to tie it to the roof. Everyone in the parking lot was doing it! I asked AJ if he knew how to go about this, and he assured me that he did. I followed his directions, put all the windows down and started tying that sucker down. However, we ran into a little problem. Let's look at this picture.....


Can you tell what's wrong here? No? Us either. Until we tried to get into the car. Yes, we tied the doors shut! I wanted to untie everything and start over, but AJ refused....so we CLIMBED THROUGH THE WINDOWS in the middle of The Home Depot parking lot on a busy Sunday morning. Obviously I took video of this!



Ignore my hyena laugh, please. Yes, this is my life.

Weekend Recap

Happy Sunday! I am in a great mood today and I think it is because I have had a really amazing weekend. This is a pretty long recap, so bear with me!

Friday night we met up for margaritas with Miss Mindless before heading down to Barracks Row. We ate at Jordan's 8 and I finally tried sushi! We ordered Shrimp Tempura and Lava Rolls and I liked them both. I am already looking forward to my next sushi experience. We came home after dinner and watched Monsters vs. Aliens in front of a fire. I fell asleep shortly after the movie started, but AJ tells me it was pretty funny.

I'm not sure where all our energy and enthusiasm came from, but we were up and at 'em bright and early yesterday morning.

I had seen and heard about the $1 scarf sale at Old Navy and really wanted to stock up on some Christmas gifts. We showed up right at 9 am and hit the jackpot.

I bought 10 scarves total...6 women's and 4 men's. I also bought AJ a sweater and plaid flannel shirt. There was another promotion going on where you received an extra 30% off when you used your ON/Gap/BR card, so I ended up spending only $40 total!

We then headed over to Barnes & Noble to get some coffee and I finally tried a decaf pumpkin spice latte. It tasted just as good as the real thing. I had a $15 B&N gift card left over from Christmas 2007 so I gave it to AJ so he could buy the latest book in his favorite series (The Wheel of Time). There are a few books I wanted to buy, but I hate buying books unless I know I am going to love them. Anyone else with me on this one?

Next on our list was Pet Smart. We bought training treats and a clicker in hopes that Kona can learn some manners. She knows how to sit, but other than that is pretty much a lost cause. Has anyone used clicker training? Any tips?

Then we hit up AT&T. I was eligible for an upgrade back in July, but my BlackBerry was still working and I wanted to get a few real paychecks under my belt before I splurged on a new phone. Well the day finally came....I bought an iPhone! It is just as amazing as everyone said it would be and I'm in love! What apps should I download? So far I have Nike + iPod, Facebook, UrbanSpoon, Shazam, Pandra, To Do's, Twitterrific (Yes, I'm baaaack), ESPN ScoreCenter, NYTimes, and Google.

Our early morning shopping made us super hungry so we stopped for a quick breakfast at a diner in Virginia. The food was pretty good, but still pales in comparison to may favorite diner at home. I think I've mentioned this before, but the two things I miss most about NY are diners and Italian restaurants. Sigh.

Once we made it back into DC it was almost noon and by this time people were out in swarms. Our final stop was the hardware store where we could barely maneuver the aisles....partly because the aisles are SO NARROW, but mostly because there were 30 people in a teeny tiny store. This is exactly why I like shopping early on Saturday mornings.

The rest of the day was spent finishing up cleaning the house (I helped this time) and drinking tea, eating cinnamon crumb cake, and chatting with PP&MS. It was a really fun and relaxing afternoon.

Last night we went to 5 o'clock mass followed by a wine and cheese party in the church rectory. We then went to Sonoma, a wine bar on the hill. The food was less than stellar, but the atmosphere was nice. We lounged on a couch and drank some red wine. Senator Al Franken was also dining at Sonoma last night. I wanted to get a picture, but it would have been so obvious and I didn't want to disturb his meal. I was definitely star struck though. I mean c'mon, he used to be Stuart Smalley!

Because our food wasn't that great and we weren't full, we decided to head over to Good Stuff Eatery, the burger restaurant owned by Spike from Top Chef. We split a burger, but we probably could have each eaten the whole thing because it was so yummy! I saw Spike walking through the restaurant as we were eating and wanted to say hey and/or take a picture, but I was too chicken. Lucky for me, after we left the restaurant we were standing at the corner waiting to cross the street when he suddenly ran right in front of us while trying to hail a cab. AJ said "Spike" and he turned around and said hey guys and to have a good night. Squeal! I immediately called my mom to brag. Haha.

Today we went grocery shopping and are now watching football. It is another beautiful fall day here in DC so we are planning to take Kona on a nice long walk later. I might sit outside for a while and read too. We've got to enjoy the nice weather while it is still here!

So that is our weekend in a pretty big nutshell. I hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Cleaning Day

Today was cleaning day at our house! AJ, the best househusband ever, did laundry, folded clothes, cleaned our bedroom, did the dishes, etc.

I came home from work today and promptly snuggled up on the couch because it is freezing in our house and I hate cleaning.

Here I am not cleaning:

(Note the hot rollers on the floor by the door. I know, I know, they should be in the bathroom or bedroom...but this is what works for me. I put them in my hair every morning as I am literally walking out the door. Yes, this means I wear them in the car.)

This is the picture he took of himself after taking the above picture of me.


He was not happy that I wasn't helping. Luckily, we both burst out laughing when we looked at the pictures.

I plan to take him out to dinner tonight to make up for my lack of cleaning. Fair trade, right?

Rant

I'd like to throw a question out to the universe...

Why don't people understand that I am married?

I know I don't look all that old, but I wear my engagement and wedding rings EVERY DAY and always sign my emails with Mrs. Last Name AND introduce myself as Mrs. Last Name.

Now, I know it is the culture of a lot of schools to only call people Miss Last Name (whether you are married or not) because it is easier for young kids. I am fine with being called Miss...that isn't the issue for me. But I get really annoyed when people ask me about my boyfriend. Even worse is when they act SO surprised when I mention my husband. And then people usually say something asinine that makes me even more annoyed.

Really?? You never noticed the rings? You didn't see the Mrs. Last Name signs and visual cues all over my office?

This is definitely a pet peeve.

Changed

AJ and I went on an impromptu date at Matchbox the other night. We ordered a pizza to share, and before I ate my first slice, I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on top.

Why is this significant? Before I met AJ, I never ever ever ever did this. As I was sprinkling away, AJ asked if I had told my dad that I now like Parmesan cheese and I replied that I hadn't.

We then began talking about how both of us hide certain things from our family, for fear that they will be upset that we have both changed as a result of our relationship. Does that make sense?

One of the simple things that my dad and I have always bonded over is our dislike of grated Parmesan cheese. One example....One night I was eating at my favorite Italian restaurant with my family. The man sitting at the table next to us was putting Parmesan on his pasta for almost 2 straight minutes. He literally would not stop putting cheese on his food. The smell was so strong and my dad and I were laughing so hard at how this guy was being ridiculous. It is our thing.

And now, I feel bad telling him that AJ has introduced me to the wonderfulness that is Parmesan cheese. A part of me realizes this is silly, but still...I can't help but feel a little guilty that I am not the same daughter I was a few years ago. This is obviously a really trivial example, but it got me thinking about marriage and how you change as a result.

Have you experienced this?

Good Times & Bad

Wow. I can't believe my post about going off the pill got so much attention! I think it received more comments than any other post I have written in the year and a half I've had this blog. Crazy!

I want to thank everyone for all the supportive and informative comments and emails. I was so nervous to post about my decision, but I am glad I did. I love that blogging opens up communication about various topics. Many people were not familiar with NFP and/or FAM, but are now interested in learning more. A lot of people also mentioned that they would like to know how my experience goes. I will definitely keep you all updated when I have more to report! I imagine I will have a lot to say in a month or so. If in the meantime anyone has any questions, feel free to email me.

Moving on....

Today was not good. The morning started out fine, but around 9 o'clock I got a message from AJ alerting me that his locker at school had been broken into and every single one of his law books was stolen. He was so upset. I hated that I was at work and couldn't be there for him. So far there is no word from the school or the police, but the bookstores in the area are on the lookout for anyone that tries to sell them back. The police will also be checking the surveillance cameras they have throughout the law school, so perhaps they will get a lead from there. I can't believe someone would steal his books, but they are so expensive that someone probably wants to make a quick buck. SO UPSETTING. Not only is there an obvious monetary loss, but AJ took a ton of notes in the book margins and those are all gone too.

In an effort to make him feel better (because the walk/run/walk we took wasn't cutting it), I whipped up some pumpkin cheesecake while dinner (chicken and biscuits...perfect for this fall weather) was baking in the oven. I posted about this super easy recipe last year, but it is so short and simple that I will post it again.

Mix one tub Philadelphia Ready to Eat Cheesecake filling with a 12oz. can of 100% pure pumpkin, two teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and a half teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Pour into graham cracker crust and top with cinnamon sugar. Refrigerate for an hour. Viola!

I'm also letting him control the remote tonight. I know, I'm the best wife ever ;)

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day!

Bye Bye Birth Control

I have always been weird about taking medicine. I don't know why I'm like this...but I am. I take my birth control pill every day, but I don't like to. So, this Sunday, I am going to stop.

Now don't freak (I'm looking at you, Sweet Bea). This does not mean I am going to have a baby right away. I just want to see what my body is like when it is not full of hormones. I have been on the pill for such a long time that I am kind of freaked out that everything is not working properly. I am hoping this will help me to become more aware of my body and how it works, and also to understand more about myself in general.

I put out a Natural Family Planning information request on Twitter and I immediately got a lot of responses. I did some research based on the info people sent me and am planning to start Natural Family Planning/Fertility Awareness Method tomorrow. I say both because I am not 100% on board with the religious part of NFP, but I'm trying to work towards it. So we'll see. I just like the idea of not being on the pill, so they both are applicable at this point.

For now, we are planning to use NFP/FAM to avoid pregnancy. I am hoping that I can spend the next year or two getting in shape so that when we are ready to start trying I am healthy.

So that is where I am right now. And I like it.

So Stressed

It has been one of those weeks where I am so stressed I can't handle anything. I am once again on the verge of tears.

Why?

Comcast didn't install the right kind of land line for our alarm system. Today was their fourth visit since moving day. AJ had to leave work early to meet them because otherwise they wouldn't come out until next week. They finally got the system hardwired so it could be activated.

However, ADT could not activate our system and couldn't figure out why. A few phone calls later and a raised voice from AJ and they realized they had five accounts for our address and were looking at the wrong one. They finally figured it out and now the system is working.

I am officially back to work and am currently going through orientation. The same orientation I went through last year as an intern. I am talking the same handouts, same powerpoint slides, and same lectures. For 7 hours a day. To make matters worse, I have been working there for a year and have been DOING everything they are teaching us for the last year.

I'm PMSing and am an emotional wreck.

I am so stressed about boarding Kona. We have a wedding to go to next weekend and will have to board her for a night and then AJ's sister's wedding in CA in three weeks, for which we will have to board her for five days. I wouldn't be freaking out if I could find a place I feel comfortable with, but every place I've researched seems to have horror stories attached to it and they freak me out. I miss the place we used to board her in NC. She loved going there and I know they treated her well!

AJ is beginning to interview for summer associate positions. He scheduled his first interview today for early next week. I'm stressed about buying a plane ticket and/or figuring out how two of us will use one car in different parts of the northeast (did I mention the interview is in my hometown in NY?). Plus I'm freaking out about being alone (for the night and potentially for next summer). I should be happy about his first interview, but the stress of it all is just making me crazy.

I hate being sad and grumpy. Hopefully I will snap out of it soon. Luckily I went on a power walk with Landlocked Mermaid at 6 am this morning, and that made me happy for a few hours. Speaking of LM, she has decided to go private, so if you want an invite email her. If you need her address leave me a note in the comments.

Moving: The Numbers

One:
-Broken toe (AJ, not me)
-Near death experience for Kona
-Meal cooked at home (tonight)
-Meltdown (me, following Kona's near death experience)

Two:
-Trips to Home Depot
-Visits from Comcast (plus one more in the works)
-Pieces of new furniture that have been assembled

Three:
-Days left to finish unpacking and organizing before my Gap party.
-Additional pieces of new furniture that still need to be assembled

Four:
- Times we were able to park directly in front of our new house when moving stuff (WOO HOO!)

Five:
-Neighbors met thus far

Six:
-Days since the first boxes were moved

Seven:
-Trips between the old and new place before everything was moved

Countless:
-Arguments
-Subsequent make-ups
-Boxes unpacked
-Boxes left to unpack
-Babies in our new neighborhood

An Almost Surprise

When AJ came home from work last night he opened the blinds on the window that are next to the door of our building. We rarely open these blinds because people can see directly into our apartment and it is an invitation for Kona to bark at everyone that passes by. I remember briefly thinking, hmm that's strange, but I quickly dismissed any ideas that something was out of the ordinary.

We then sat on the couch talking and snuggling with Kona, who is always desperate for attention after being home alone all day. At one point AJ asked for his computer and looked at something that I couldn't see. I asked him what he was doing, but he either didn't respond or I didn't hear what he said. I then got distracted and didn't follow up. After he put his computer away we started talking about what we wanted for dinner. I noticed that he kept looking past me instead of looking at me when we were talking. At first it didn't alarm me, but then he started doing it so frequently that I stopped in mid sentence and screamed "What are you looking at!?!".

It was then that his surprise was ruined. I knew something was up...he knew I knew something was up...so I finally squeezed it out of him. He ordered two Oxfords from Gap that were on sale for 12 dollars or something (I'm proud of him for getting a good deal!), but he felt bad only buying stuff for himself, so he bought a dress for me too! Behind me were the windows and he was keeping a lookout for the UPS truck. He had checked the status of the package on UPS.com when he was on the computer and opened the blinds on the window near the door so that the UPS man would know that we were home.

SNEAKY SNEAKY!

Now, this is a big deal because this is the longest AJ has ever been able to keep a surprise from me. He is no good at keeping secrets! This time he lasted a few days. He even hid the email confirmations so I wouldn't find them. Too funny.

Isn't he sweet!?

Snippet of Our Conversation

AJ and I bring our lunch to work every day except Friday. On Fridays we are allowed to go out to eat to reward ourselves for being frugal all week. With my summer schedule, Thursday is my Friday, so today I went out for lunch. Before lunch AJ and I were talking on gchat about what I was going to eat (a burrito...nom nom nom) and he was very jealous.

Well, I just returned back to my office and signed into my gmail, when this conversation ensued:

AJ: naughty :(
me: me??
AJ: me
me: uh oh, did you go out to eat
AJ: yes
me: its okay, you'll just have to bring your lunch tomorrow

The way he started the convo had me laughing so hard. I can't stay mad at him!* Please tell me that other people have conversations like this too.

*This is similiar to a quote in some movie, but I can't remember which one. Help!

Baby on the Brain?

Is it weird that the only thing I want from the kate spade sample sale is this bag?

Yes, it is a baby bag.

And I can't decide if I like it just because I am fond of backpacks or because I secretly want a baby.