One week left and not much holiday spirit

According to my employer, my maternity leave is called "bonding time". I received a call from the FMLA company confirming my return date to work. Ugh. I wasn't ready for THAT call. So I have one more week of bonding time with my baby...the end. Like most other mother's in this country, I work. Therefore, I am being stripped of my time with her. I feel like somebody is trying to pry my screaming baby out of my arms. By American law, we only need 6 weeks before they deem us fit to return to work. Screw that and screw them. I took 13 weeks and I STILL think that's too short. Kudos to you, California, for also saying screw that and giving mother's 6 months to cherish this time. I'm not ready, work. I'm not ready to say goodbye to sleeping in with Josie next to me in bed. I'm not ready to say goodbye to morning walks, noon naps and afternoon hikes. I'm not ready to hand you over to another person for feedings, diaper changes, laughing, snuggling, and holding. You are too young and it's too soon. I hate this.

Thanks for raining on my holiday parade, work.

Flying high with the baby

Josie is almost 3 months old now. We thought it was high time she took her first flight. Actually, it was my need to get out of town and take a little trip before I am back to work. She did great! I wish I could say the same. I ended up getting sick on the last day....but it was worth it, every moment.

Thanksgiving in Anacortes

loving the leave

I have been off of work for 6 weeks now. I really can't believe how fast it's gone by. I have only 7 weeks left to soak in all this time off!!! I am kind of freaking out about going back to work. How am I going to squeeze in my Mommy & baby hikes, coffee and yoga class? I love this life.

I am also freaking out about how fast Josie is growing. I want her to stay a puppy forever. I want her to stay a little baby and cuddle with me all the time, but sleep through the night and never cry. Can they do that?

The view from the Grandparents window

My parents made a wonderful photo album of their trip to the NW to meet Josephine. Follow this link to see the experience from their eyes.

Meeting Josephine

A month into it

Josephine is just over a month old now. She finally met her Grandpa & Grandma from Maine. What a fun week with lots of firsts. Her first trip to the pumpkin patch, her first winery, her first day at the hotsprings, and her first dinner out at the brewery. Ok ok ok...so her life is pretty sweet.

Wow....3 weeks

I can't believe my babygirl is 3 weeks old today. I also can't believe that I have been working around the clock for 22 days now. I am super surprised that my body is handling this. I just looked at the photos from the birth and can't believe how much Josie and I have changed. I have already lost 32lbs...only 10 more lbs until I am back to pre-pregnancy weight!

Josie is getting so much stronger now. She can lift her head and hold it up for a couple minutes. She has learned that pacifiers are not cool...she only wants Mommy and Daddys pinky fingers. Her focus is intense as she stares into your eyes. She loves to take hikes in the ergopack and is sleeping for longer sessions at night. This week, she's letting me sleep for 4hr intervals at night. Her crying is becoming much louder and more frequent, which tests our endurance, but she quickly comes out of it within a couple minutes.

I love being her Mommy and am savoring every moment of this. A few pics from week 3 and one from her birthday to see the changes.

One week old

Today Josephine is 11 days old. She had her 2nd doctor's appointment. Her doctor (that we LOVE) gave her a clean bill of health. She's gained almost 1lb since her birthday and all tests results are normal. The only advice she gave us was to start brushing her scalp & hair since her hair is getting much longer. Apparently, it helps to avoid cradle cap. She doesn't need to go back for 2 months. We are super pleased. Here is a slideshow of some week old pics! Click the show for a full view.

In love with Josephine Minna

Born October 1st at 9:35am in Hood River, Oregon. She weighed 7lbs 14oz. She's the most amazing and wonderful and beautiful person we have ever met.

2 days or 2 weeks?

The question of the minute...Is it time yet?? 2 more days until my predicted due date. I will be 40 weeks. My current days consist of a lot of chilling at the house, reading, stretching, trying to sleep, and catching up on a lot of movies (thanks to the free HBO weekend). A little swimming when I can. I think my next post will be a photo of our new daughter.

Completely lost focus on anything else

I can't sleep, I can't get comfortable, I can hardly focus on work, and I still have about 2 weeks left. I have been hiding out in my house during these last few weeks. A) Because none of my maternity clothes fit me anymore and I refuse to buy more....and B)It's been too hot to bother leaving my air conditioning. So here you have it. You are amongst the few who will see these photos. The rest will be buried in my hard drive for years to come.

One pic is of my baby shower (thanks to my family and friends for coming!) and the other pic was an early anniversary gift from my husband. I night in Bend, OR to see Ray LaMontagne.

5 weeks left....but I hope it's more like 4

Daily comments from people:

"Look at you! You look like you are ready to POP!"

"Wow, that's impressive."

"You should be thankful we haven't had a hot summer."

"I can still see your ankles, it can't be that bad."

"You aren't going to go into labor now, are you?"

6 week litmus test

(Caution: This post is not funny or cute or upbeat.)

I am bored. On top of my boredom, I am uncomfortable and hot. I have 6 weeks left and am literally counting the minutes. Everything about me is being tested right now. My physical pain threshold, my heat tolerance, my sitting-around patience, my mental anxiety, my self-esteem extinction and my sleep deprivation. I don't know how or why any women would want to do this more than once.

On the bright side, I am working from home full-time now, my husband is around more to help me, my stepson is doing great, and I don't have any swelling.......(yet).

T minus 8 weeks

In my mind, the countdown is on. My airline travel days are over for awhile and I am looking forward to the next 2 months of grilling, chilling, and waddling around. We just got back from Maine, which proved to be a bit much for my pregnancy stamina. Next time, my friends and family will just have to come here to visit!

Here are some recent baby-on-board photos...

Not happy about the Rainbow Connection

Our beloved Gifford Pinchot National Forest has been infiltrated with the Rainbow Gathering! This is not good. There is an influx of THOUSANDS of people squatting in our pristine wilderness. Trampling the land, filling trenches with human waste, threatening our forests with fires and blocking our passage to our favorite hiking, biking and camping spots. They call themselve peace loving hippies that lack any sort of structure, organization or real cause to fight. Somebody needs to tell them that begging, drug-use, and a complete lack of social & medical structure doesn't make you a lovable hippie...it makes you a burden on the rest of us.

Gold Beach Oregon 2011 trip

So upsetting, it made me kind of sick

I walked into the nail salon today for my pedicure:
Candy (the owner): "Hi Izzy! Look! Another pregnant lady!" As I looked at the young pregnant woman getting her nails done, her obnoxious mother yells across the room: "When are YOU due? My daughter is due is 2 weeks, isn't it great!!!"
Me: "Wow! You are counting the days, huh?" I said to the young pregnant woman. The young pregnant woman just smiled politely. I proceeded to climb into my pedicure chair as I wondered just how young that young woman is. She looked in her young 20's. Her mother sure does seem to be clingy and running the show. Poor girl. I wonder what a young 20something thinks about when they are pregnant?
Me: "So is this your first grandbaby?" I asked the obnoxious mother who doesn't let her pregnant daughter talk.
Obnoxious mother: "Oh no! I have several. She already has a 3 year old at home." A 3 year old, I thought! She is so young! Just how old is this girl? What the hell is wrong with these people. The young pregnant woman continues a conversation with her mother about the plans for her brothers' birthday...he is about to turn 21.
Candy says "Your brother is going to be 21? You should take him out to get a drink, then."
Young pregnant woman: "Oh no, I'm not old enough to do that....I am only 19".

WHAT.....THE....F**K! This is when I got really mad. I was so mad that this young girl had to have been pregnant at 15, in order to have a 3 year old and be pregnant with her SECOND baby! Then I started to get REALLY mad at the mother. How dare she strut around her teenage daughter and brag about her having babies. That poor poor girl. She was brainwashed. Then I started getting mad at all the breeder-types like that girl and her mother...and the taxes I have to pay to support their litter of children...and tolerate their rediculous "faith"...and the republican people that try to run this country. It was so upsetting, that I was making myself sick. Ech..what a waste. All I wanted was to sit in my favorite massage chair and get my feet pampered.

23ish weeks...or am I 24 weeks?

My cousin, Claire, is also pregnant with her first baby. She has made a special request for some updated belly shots. Here you go, Claire!

Opt Out

Do you remember the man last year who opted out from the new digital x-ray scan at the airport because he didn't want TSA to see his "junk", only to get irritated when they tried to touch his junk!? Even though we haven't heard much about these scanners and passengers in the news much these days, I have lots of experience. I will tell you that the more intensive pat-down really isn't a major deal. What is really the worst part is when you are approaching the TSA agent. You are watching them randomly choosing people to usher into the spaceship looking capsule and you can't help but wonder, "Am I going to be the lucky one you gets just the metal detector or am I going to have another one of those confrontations?"

I have to back-up just a bit. Let me tell you that ever since airports started introducing these new scanners, I have been Opting-Out. It may not seem like a big deal to the average traveler, but this freqent flier goes through airport security at least 6 times every month. So being a woman, who was trying to get pregnant mind you, was not thrilled about the idea of getting exposed to all that radiation, no matter how low risk the scanners claim to be.

Not all airports have purchased these scanners, including my homebase and favorite airport, PDX....so I haven't had to have that dreaded confrontation with TSA on my regular departures. I can't say the same for the rest of the country. I have had some interesting experiences that I'd like to share with you:

Chicago O'Hare International IL
Me: Excuse me, sir? I'd like to avoid the imaging system. Do I have another option?
TSA agent: Are you opting out?
Me: yes, please.
TSA Agent: (yelling at the top of his lungs over the crowd) WE HAVE AN OPT OUT OVER HERE! FEMALE ASSIST, WE HAVE AN OPT OUT OVER HERE! FEMALE ASSIST, WE HAVE AN OPT OUT!
Me: (mortified and embarassed...why is he making such a scene?!)

George Bush Airport Houston TX
Me: Excuse me, ma'am. I'm pregnant, I'd like to pass on the X-ray scan, if that's ok?
Female TSA Agent: (gets in my face angrily) Ma'am, please step out of line and over here. Let me tell you something. You are NOT allowed to speak to me unless I ask you a question! I am here to do a job for your safety and unless I am specifically talking to you, then you are NOT allowed to approach me...(she continues to carry on with her military power trip)....so lastly, MISS, I am just going to pretend that this here conversation never happened, so I am not forced to to make this anymore difficult than it needs to be. Please step through the metal detector and be on your way.
Me: (WTF?!!...I hate Texas)

Sacramento International Aiport CA
Me: Excuse me, sir? I'm pregnant...I don't think I am allowed to go through that x-ray scanner.
TSA Agent: Of course! Stay right here, let me get somebody to help you. Are you ok with a patdown? Let me get a female officer to assist you.
Me: Sure, thank you.
Female TSA Agent: Hi! My name is (insert whatever name) and I will be doing your screening. So you are pregnant! Are there any sore areas that I should be careful of?
Me: Nope, I am good. Go right ahead.
Female TSA Agent: I have a couple new girls in training, would you mind if I had them come observe? Are you running late or anything?
Me: I don't mind.
Now 3 female TSA Agents: When is your baby due? Congrats! What are you having? is this your first? Can I touch your belly? (more ooo'ing and aw'ing)...other random TSA agents stop by to congratulate me.

Denver International Aiport CO (It's crazy busy and the TSA lady directing the line looks pissed and she scares me).
Me:(Not wanting another Texas encounter) Excuse me, sir...may I ask you a question, please? I am pregnant, how do I tell the TSA woman that I can't go through the digital scanner?
Nice looking TSA Agent: (Leans down and whispers to me) Just between me and you, she's selecting people at random. Don't bring it up unless she picks you. That way you can just do the metal detector instead of the full patdown.
Me: Ok, thanks!
Pissed-off looking female TSA Agent: Ma'am, step this way (into the digital scanner time capsule).
Me: (pointing to my big belly and trying to not to shout, since she is 15 ft away) I'm pregnant..
Female TSA Agent: (interupts before I can finish)...Step over here, please. Let me get a female assist for you, it may be a few minutes, sorry about that.
Me: That's ok! Thank you! (phew)
New female TSA Agent: So when are you due? What are you having? Is this your first? Oh, I think I felt her kick! You have such pretty hair!
Original nice looking TSA Agent: Looks like she picked you, anyway. Sorry about that. We tried, didn't we?! Congrats on your baby!

In summary...there really isn't any way to tell what is going to happen when you opt out.

How should I know?

My wonderful husband is just about finished with the rebuild of our old bedroom. I wish I could say that this was the new nursery, but let's be realistic. It's actually the laundryroom/guestroom/office/nursery. It'll be finished just in time to start getting stuff for baby. There are 2 problems with this situation. First of all, we hate "stuff" and clutter. If we don't use it, we don't want it. My mother was always a person to hang on to things "just incase you ever needed it". That is one trait that didn't rub off on me. My house is teeny...we are talking 700 sq ft and we do not have room for any more stuff! As you can imagine, this creates an issue for me to actual buying anything or ask for this dreaded "stuff" at my baby shower. Second of all, I have NO idea what I will actually use once this baby comes. How the hell am I suppose to know if I will need all the rediculous things that consumer america tells me I should have. So far, my list is pretty short for a newborn. If anybody is reading this, I'd love to know what you couldn't live without for your newborns!

• something for the baby to sleep on and some sheets



• some sort of pad to change the baby on.



• breast pump and a good nursing bra



• rocking chair



• all the fixins' for my cloth diaper delivery



• swaddling blankets



• some clothes would be a good idea



• a sink tub



• an ergobaby carrier



• a lightweight car seat that relocates well



• bottles and pacifiers

So from what I can see, most of these things can fit into a dresser and on a shelf...with the exception of the rocking chair, carseat and baby bed, of course.

PS...This book isn't helping me at ALL. Too much STUFF. I want a book called "Raising babies is small spaces. All you really need." This is going to be very important considering this little girl won't even have her own bedroom until she is 2.

For my crafty friends

I recently discovered a funny and charming new author here in the NW, Jennifer Worick. I was reading one of her funny articles in a magazine all about her bizzaro (yet familiar) addiction to searching for sea glass. I ended up writing her an email and she surprising wrote me back!

This post is for my Yummy Mommy friend, Michele, because she's so crafty. I think that you and Jennifer would make amazing craft together. Check out her blog, WORD.

Had to laugh

Receptionist behind the desk- "I know who you are! I was told to expect a dark haired pregnant women, but you are HARDLY pregnant."
In my head- "Nope, I'm pretty sure I am 100% pregnant."

I was in market taste testing some soup to determine which one I would bring home. I made my choice and moved on with my shopping. I finally looked down and saw that each flavor of soup was represented on my belly. Have I always been such a messy eater but never knew because my droppings would just land on the floor? My clothes don't have a chance for the next few months.

Woman at the lumber store- "When is your baby due? (before waiting for an answer) When I was pregnant I gained 75 lbs and went 3 weeks late. I just loved being pregnant that I didn't care."
In my head - "Holy shit, lady."

Busy May to be 17

Who knew that May would be so busy for our not-so-little kid. 17 is going be a good year for him.

Morp King & Queen

Jace and his girl, Christina, won the Morp dance King & Queen. Oh right, what is Morp?...Morp is "Prom" backwards. So whatever you normally dress like at prom, this is your chance to do the opposite. They were trying to do Jersey Shore meets 80's dance party. Wicked cute, I thought!

Pre babymoon vacation

Eric and I took our last trip to Maui for a little while. I am sure it won't be long after this baby is born that we will feel the pull to go back. The trip and the weather was really fantastic, as usual. It was a much different experience for me this time not being able to keep up with the fun activities like I used to. Instead, I was feeling heavy, sweaty, swollen and tired a lot. Eric was so patient with my gripes and tried hard to make me comfortable. I admit that I don't love seeing these enlarged photos of me...but I also really wanted to capture this time for us and for this little baby. So I am trying to get over it. We will miss the island and the amazing times we had there as a couple. Next time, there will be a plus one. (You can click on the slideshow for a bigger view)

15 wks

I am not a fan of having my picture taken, however, I am making an exception these days because I know this baby will love seeing these photos. I kind of don't mind this one...it makes me laugh.

Pit stop

Frequently when I drive home from the city, I make a pit stop at Wahclella Falls, to stretch my legs. It's a super beautiful 2 mile roundtrip walk into the rainforest with 2 waterfalls. Yesterday, there was a group of friends and young lovers that had set-up a romantic afternoon that included marriage proposal. So sweet. I have to admit that my little cellphone doesn't take that bad of a photo!

Scout

My friends' daugher, Scout, is the cutest. I took this shot yesterday after we rode the carousel. I love the way it came out.

A family fun weekend

This weekend will be really special. My sister and I are heading to Northern California to visit our 93 yr old Grandpa and his girlfriend, Rhoda. I also get to spend an afternoon with one of my besties, Dawn, and her gorgeous kids. Lots of smiling to come!

Unsolicited advice and comments

A good friend (and an experienced mother) of mine wrote this me when she learned I was pregnant: "There is something called 'mompetition' and mommy guilt that you will soon learn about.... and it sucks! If someone wants to tell you that they birthed drugless, breast fed until the kids was 2, never let kid watch tv, never have sugar... blah blah blah... they are totally lying! Do whatever works for you because you are going to raise the greatest baby ever.... So, when people are trying to offer unsolicited, unnecessary, advice that you just don't feel you need, say thanks and move on." Aww..I love this lady, because she is so true. I couldn't help but chuckle, because I am already experiencing it and my husband was a victim of this when he was trying to raise his son.

Don't get me wrong, I definately will listen to your advice and take it into careful consideration. Be warned though, that I may be secretly rolling my eyes and I could publish these comments because they are too good to keep to myself.

Comment #1, "It doesn't really look like your showing, just more like you are getting fat."

Comment #2, "Only 1 kid?! Don't be silly, you have to have at least 2 kids."

What did he do THIS time?!

This month's teenage stress and anxiety has resulted in the following crimes: bringing and using drugs in our house, driving under the influence, and speeding with a restricted license with 4 teenage girls in the car (one without a seatbelt). Oh, and I forgot to mention that the none of the girls in the car are covered under insurance. I bet their parents would have LOVED knowing that. But you know what? I bet their parents have no idea where their daughters are.

It's amazing how fantastic a teenager can be for birth control. For any of you considering having children, I strongly suggest that you have a teenager stay with you for a few months to help with the decision. My poor unborn child is going to be born with an ulcer.

The cat is out of the bag.....FINALLY!

I have been bursting at the seams waiting for the time that I can tell everybody that I am FINALLY pregnant! I am turning the corner into my 2nd trimester and this little babe is due at the end of September. Daddy is doing great and has become even sweeter of a hubby, if that's even possible. My body is changing so fast and doing so many gross things that I never knew it could do (I will spare you)...acupuncture and yoga really help with my bodily stuff. But I feel amazing, the baby is developing perfect, and I am digging the comfort of my new stretchy wardrobe. More pregnancy blogs to come.....I promise!

It sure doesn't FEEL like it

Everything around me is telling me that it's mid-March, except for the fact that it has been nothing but endless rain and a raw 48ish for TOO many months! I had to look twice when I saw the wild daffodils blooming. I could only stand to look for a few seconds before I was too wet and cold to enjoy them. Come on sun...show yourself!

I don't bake

If you know me, then you know that I can cook a wicked meal. I love cooking gourmet food with lots of fresh healthy ingrediants. I rarely use recipes, because I have a decent sense of what flavors work well together. Cooking lets me totally let go of control and just go with my instincts. What I can't do is bake. There is too much exact science to it! You have to use measuring cups, and tools, and specific spoon sizes. However...every once in awhile, I have a hankering for something sweet and I don't feel like going to the store....THIS is my go-to recipe.

My Vegan Chocolate Cake (or cupcakes, if I feel like it). I like my chocolate vegan, because I think chocolate tastes better without all that animal fat. Besides, who wants to lick the bowl when it's all raw eggs and butter? yuck. I have done this recipe with organic products, but the difference in price doesn't seem to satisfy any mental blockage I have about eating cake in the afternoon.

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

I mix all the dry stuff together, then add the wet stuff. Put it in an 8x8 glass pan, Cook it at 350 for 30min and that's it! The creative part is my frosting. Sometimes it's just powdered sugar, sometimes it's nothing, but today is was PB frosting. I don't have a recipe for it, though. I just start mixing PB, powdered sugar, vanilla, and soy milk together until I get something yummy and spreadable. The cake in the oven right now...I'll take a pic when it's all finished.

OK...here it is...or was. Between me, teenagers, and a husband, it didn't last long. I'm no cake boss, but it was super yummy.

The apple doesn't fall far

My father-in-law, Bob, is that 70something yr old guy climbing that tree in Hawaii. His son, (my husband Eric), is that 40something yr old guy climbing that rock in Mexico. I can't keep up with either of them.

Soccer Mom

The high school soccer season starts tomorrow. That means really long days for our teen. Some away games don't get home until close to midnight. It's a grueling schedule, really. So I do my soccer mom duty and make him some power breakfasts he can eat on his drive to school. Eric wanted me to take a picture of them, because he was impressed with the consistency this year. I am getter better at rolling. Go Bruins!

My new faves

A long time ago, I wrote a post about some of my favorite things. Didn't Oprah get this topic started? Here is my latest 2011 version:

Roku for starters. I mean...that little box is amazing. Jace can watch unlimited episodes of Family Guy, I can watch all the weird indie-films I love, and Eric can watch his old school westerns and surf movies.

Real Simple Magazine. This cute magazing always gets my nesting juices going.

Pandora Quick Mix. We downloaded the Pandora player which streams the music much faster and in CD quality. We always have it on. I also have it on my BB to entertain me during long waits at airports or for some hiking mojo.

Go-Gurt. This one is for Jace. What a fantastic teen snack. He eats a box every few days. Since it's frozen, it takes him twice as long to eat it. And since his goal is to consume as much food in 15min as possible, this snack keeps the refridgerator fuller a little longer.

My apple slicer. Love this fruit...but sometimes I just want perfectly symmetrical slices. Oh, I also have the mango slicer, but that gadget leaves behind too much fruit. I am a master as mango slicing anyway.

My 2 can't live without makeup products by Benefit. Confessions of a Concealaholic and Dallas.

My new Sirius Sportster deck for my car. I programmed it with my favorite artists, so it alerts me whenever they are playing on other channels, so I won't miss out. Way cool.

Scunci no-slip hairbands. My mop puts these to the test day in and out. I finally can really get the hair out of my eyes.

My weekend yin/yang yoga class. I look forward to these 2 hrs every week. All my other activities are jealous.

This one is an oldy, but it's one of my all time goodies. My Philosophy skincare products I have used for years! On a Clear Day keeps my adult-o-acne down and Everyday Hope keeps me looking in my early 30s.

I realize that this list is rather superficial and uninteresting to most. That's why they are MY favorite things!

It came back.

I returned yesterday from a sunshiney, 85 degree week in Miami. I got a nice little tan, too. I was expecting to come back to the pretty spring days that we've been getting. Nope. This morning I woke up to 10 degrees. It's back. Winter. Oh joy.

Well, since I locked in the house to stay warm. There's no better time to do our taxes and plan our next vacation.

January entry of StepMothers Milk: Kind of annoyed

I have a few close friends my age that married older men with children. Some of their stepkids are young, under 6, and some are older teenagers, like mine. So this is a shout to them...Courtney, Anne, Jenn, and Sheri. The job of stepmommy is not an easy one. I never know where I stand, I rarely get to call the shots, and I am third in line for any relaxation on the sofa. This chapter of stepmommy finds me alone with my stepson for several days while my husband is off getting some "him-time". I like to call it my "annoy-time". I suppose I am one of the lucky ones who has a stepchild who likes me. He wants to stay home with me, follow me around the house, and talk to me for hours about car exhausts, cat behavior, and Family Guy interpretations. He's a curious guy with lots of questions about ...well just about everything. Today, he wanted to know what was worse than a felony and then wanted to know the definition of "irony". What tha?! At one point today, he sat on the couch and watched me paint trim. "Izzy, you better do a good job at that." "Izzy, you are leaving parts of the wood exposed." "Izzy, do you even know what you are doing?"....and that went on and on. (insert internal screaming and hair pulling).
Ok. I am done venting. This is very good training for an infant one day. I am sure I will look back one day and think about how nice it was to have an engaged teenager in our house.

Way back in 2010

Michele...I liked your post! I am going to copy you.

2010 was nuts and I can't believe all that it encompassed. There were so many difficult times and so many wonderful times that I need to write this down so I don't forget. Let's start with the difficult times. My stepson had probably the most emotionally struggling year of his life which created some of the biggest fights, unmeasurable stress, worry, tears shed at home. This really tested the strength of my new marriage. But we stuck together as a family and rode out the storm. We finally have entered the light at the end of his dark tunnel with hope for his future and well-being.

Ok, enough of the bad stuff. The incredible stuff was this....

• I began a new position at my company and celebrated 10 years of employment with 9 weeks of vacation time.
• My husband built our new bedroom and I got to decorate!
• My sister moved an hour from me.
• I fell in love with my new sport, SUP.
• I paid off my car.
• I got hooked on acupuncture and Yin yoga.
• I watched my brother get married.
• I lost weight, gained weight, lost weight again.
• I tried to start a new family (sorry Jace).
• I become an advanced pilates student.
• I saw old friends and made new ones.
• I celebrated a milestone birthday.
• And finally there was all the TRAVEL!!! I went to Georgia 2 times, Virginia, Texas 3 times, California 4 times, Canada 2 times, Idaho, Arizona 2 times, Colorado, Maine like 6 times, Florida, Massachusetts, Illinois 2 times, Hawaii, and Mexico. Yes, I have rediculous amounts of frequent flier miles (which would be useless if my husband wasn't also in love with travelling....I suppose the first class cabin helps, right Eric?).

I am curious to what 2011 will be like.