Wiltfang Family Christmas

It took a few years, but we finally made it happen!  Christmas at Grandma's in Kansas City.  And all were present and accounted for except for cousin James who got pneumonia.  The trip was everything we hoped it would be...and maybe a little more.  Here were the highlights.


1.  Underwear Prank:  It all started Thursday night when the newcomers to the family, Rick and Matt, decided to partner up in our Spades tourney.  Thursday was meant to be practice for the big family tournament since the whole family wasn't present.  We knew after their Thanksgiving Spades success, Christmas was bound to get interesting.  They beat Sarah and me in the first game and the result was not pretty: their egos grew and our frustration at their untimely success multiplied.  During the second game while the boys were playing my dad and Jenny, Sarah and I decided it was time for some action.  Throughout our game with the moms, we took turns heading downstairs to the bedrooms to collect their underwear.  Sarah did an excellent job of water logging it and placing it in Grandma's deep freeze in the garage.  VICTORY!  We could hardly wait until the next day when our prank would come to fruition.  We did seek out some early success while watching the end of their Spade game.  It came down to the last hand.  The boys had bet exactly right and so had Jenny and my Dad.  It was anyone's game!  In the last hand the boys assumed they had won and claimed victory by jumping up and down and chest bumping each other.  (See, they deserved what was coming to them!)  They practically drove Grandma to an early grave as they celebrated around her.  My Dad sat calmly tallying the points.  As soon as a smile broke out across my Dad's face I knew the boys had celebrated too early.  My Dad and Jenny had stripped away their victory by 6 points.  It was too good to be true!
Fast forward to the next day.  I could hardly eat breakfast I was so excited about seeing our prank to the end.  At this point, the entire family was in on it and was quite eager to see how it would all go down.  Sarah and I were flying by the seat of our pants and our lack of plan unnerved some family members:-)  Finally, Rick decided it was time to shower.  We all waited in the kitchen giggling about how great it was going to be when he went to grab boxers and found none.  And then it dawned on me that HE WOULD NEVER SAY ANYTHING!  He was going to put those dirty boxers back on and not say a thing!  Sure enough, I know my husband well.  He came up to have breakfast and hang out as if nothing had happened.  I could hardly contain myself!  A few minutes later he cornered me in our sleeping quarters (more on those later.)
Rick:  I don't have any boxers. You didn't pack them!
Me:  What?  What do you mean?  Of course you have boxers.
Rick:  NOOO.  I DON'T HAVE ANY OF MY CHRISTMAS BOXERS.  I told you to pack them.
Me:  (Pretending to look frantically through the suitcase) Oh my gosh, I must not have packed them!  I'm sooo sorry.
Rick:  Well, can you buy me some today?
Me:  Of course!  What are you wearing now???
Rick:  The dirty ones!  Don't tell anyone.
Me:  Don't worry, I won't...

Matt followed suit by showering and not whispering a word to anyone about the lack of underwear in his suitcase.  Meanwhile Sarah and I devised a plan to take all of the frozen underwear and hang it on the trellis on the side of Grandma's house.  It was nice and cold that morning, so they'd stay preserved.  Eventually we convinced the boys to go outside and move the cars around to get Grandma's car out so she could run an errand.  They started suspecting something was up when the entire family followed them out, cameras in hand.  Sarah informed them we had a surprise waiting on the side of the house for them beating us in Spades last night.  Here was their reaction...

I hope the neighbors appreciated all the work Sarah and I put in decorating the side of the house!

2.  The Sleeping Quarters:  We knew going in that sleeping arrangements were going to be tight.  Grandma has two extra bedrooms, both already taken.  One was nabbed by my parents and the other by my aunt and uncle.  The only other room is a downstairs living room.  It's attached to a part of the basement not finished which was perfect for the cats.  So...in that room were Rick, myself, Sarah, Jenny, Matt, Rooney and Bueller.  If that doesn't say slumber party, I won't know what does!  The room was 98% mattress and 2% floor space.  Our first night in the sleeping room took us all back to our slumber party years.  We were all so giddy we were laughing uncontrollably for what seemed like hours.  And just like the good old days, as soon as it started to get quiet, someone would make a comment that would send us all into hysterics.  One particular funny one liner went like this.
Us:  It had finally gotten quiet and all that could be heard was our breathing.
Rick: I USED TO LOVE SLUMBER PARTIES LIKE THIS!
Us:  HAHAHAHA laughing so hard we couldn't breathe.  You know the kind of laughing that is no longer recognizable as your own because of how high pitched and squeaky it has become!

I distinctly remember it taking me forever to fall asleep because I couldn't stop smiling in the dark :-)

Wiltfang family fashion, we had a costume contest.  The rules, well there weren't really any rules.  Grab a green shirt or sweatshirt and go to town decorating.  Of course this became the competition of the century!  Christmas morning was probably a little more stressful than it needed to be with everyone finalizing their costumes.  Who do you think should have won?

Billy AKA Frosty the Snowman ended up taking home the big prize.  He got to go first in the lunch line!   And believe me, that was a prize worth fighting for!  There was a bit of controversy surrounding his win.  The original guidelines stated the purchase and decoration of a green shirt was necessary.  However, anyone willing to put in the effort to get into that costume deserves a prize!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE WILTFANG FAMILY!  It was a memorable one:-)

Merry Christmas 2010!

Wow, I've been so busy I haven't written in awhile.  It's hard to believe Christmas is on Saturday!  The month of December flew by!  School has been a great distraction.  It's taken a month, but the kids are finally learning my name.  I'm hearing less and less of Mrs. Fendellaaaa every day.  


This past weekend Rick and I hung out in Denver for Matt Baumgartner's 30th birthday.  It was great to hang out with friends and catch up after a few months of being away.  Saturday night was our second annual girl's Bunko night at my Aunt Becky's house.  We had a blast playing Bunko all night while eating way too much!


Thursday we'll head back to Kansas City!  I have been looking forward to a Wiltfang family Christmas for too long!  Grandma's house is going to be full to the brim with family, just the way we like it!  I'm excited for Rick to experience my family's traditions.  I hope he's ready to, as my Grandma likes to say, "drink some water and have some fun!"  


Can you believe on Thursday I'll be 12 WEEKS PREGNANT?!  I can't believe the first trimester is coming to an end.  Technically, the 13th week is the last of the first trimester, so one more week to go.  I'm anxious for my doctor's appointment January 3rd.  If only I had my own ultrasound machine and could check in on my little one whenever the mood struck.  Santa, if you're reading this, all I want for Christmas is an ultrasound machine!


12 Weeks

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close. His or her mouth will make sucking movements. Toes will curl, and eye muscles will clench. Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously.

In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity, and the kidneys will begin excreting urine into your baby's bladder.

Your baby's face looks unquestionably human: His or her eyes have moved from the sides to the front of the head, and the ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Missing the Creativity Gene

Today I took part in decorating my first gingerbread house.  Rick has been doing it for years with his sister, Maddy.  It was lots of fun.  But I was quickly reminded of my lack of creativity for such things.  As Rick was constructing a lamp post out of a candy cane and a spice drop, I was racking my brain for anything more exciting than an M&M pattern!  Alas, I didn't come up with much.  Here are the results!

This is Rick's front door.  Check out that lamp post!

This is the side I made.  I had lots of fun with patterns on the roof, but my lack of creativity down below shows!  I tried to make a fireplace with stockings in one of the windows.  It didn't exactly translate...

The light in this pic isn't great.  Rick made Rooney and Bueller in the window!

I chose to do an "F" on the back because well, it was easy!  My creativity peaked with Rudolph!

My little Gummy Bear

The 9 week ultrasound looked great!  We were relieved and overjoyed to again hear that hummingbird like heartbeat!  The fetus has doubled in size and looks a bit like a gummy bear.  The doctor said our chance for miscarriage has now dropped to 2%.  I feel like I can breathe!  And also start obsessing over baby websites...good thing I got a job!

Speaking of job, yesterday I was sitting with a four-year-old who was playing with play dough.  Out of no where he says, "My dad got cut."  "Hmmm what does that mean?" I inquired.  "He. got. cut." he responded as if he were annoyed that I didn't understand what he meant.  Lucky for me he went on to clarify,  "He got cut because he doesn't want anymore kids."  Ahhhh, yes.  Good to know!  Meeting his dad 10 minutes later was only a little bit awkward!

9 weeks:
I missed last week's update due to Thanksgiving.  But here's the latest.

Your new resident is nearly an inch long – about the size of a grape – and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She or he is starting to look more and more human. All the essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months.

Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form – as do his or her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. The eyes are fully formed, but the eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks.

Your baby has tiny earlobes, and the mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, he or she is poised for rapid weight gain.

Pure Exhaustion

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  Ours was quite eventful.  My parents and grandmother flew out Wednesday night and by early Thursday morning my mom was held captive by a severe case of altitude sickness.  First Christmas and now this!  Unfortunately she was out of commission throughout the entire weekend, eventually ending up in the ER to get fluids.  I didn't get to see much of her which was so sad!! Luckily we'll be together for Christmas.  I call dibs on hanging with mom!
After our turkey dinner and an intense round of Spades (Rick and Matt were victorious, BOO) my dad ended up driving to Vail to hang out with us Saturday.  We had a great time walking around Vail and hanging out with Laura and Adam.  We all went to see Harry Potter at the Cinebistro, a theater that serves dinner.  It was lots of fun and the movie was great!  Can't wait for the last one!  We met Laura's brother who was recovering from a ski accident.  Laura and Adam actually ended up taking him to the ER in Vail the get a few stitches.  Trip to the hospital round two!  And of course all accidents occur in threes, my cousin Jenny ended up braking her arm snowboarding in Vail on Saturday.  Sheesh. We were all lucky to survive the weekend!

I started a new job this week!  Hurray for having a reason to shower (at least three days out of the week:-)  Yesterday I worked in the pre-k room which was great.  The kids were a blast.  I was supposed to be doing a long term sub job for a woman going on maternity leave.  Unfortunately she lost her baby at 39 weeks yesterday.  Completely horrific and it just breaks your heart.  I'm not sure when she'll be back or what her plans are, so until then I'll be subbing for her Tues/Thurs.  On Wednesdays I'll be helping out as well.  I thought I would be in the toddler room, and then this morning I was told I would be helping out with the infants.  YIKES.  I know I need the experience, but it's scary in there!  I showed up at 8:30 this morning and there were 5 babies in the room.  The director was in there and literally goes, "Ok I gotta run, I'll talk to you later."  WAIT A SECOND.  There are FIVE babies in here.  WHAT DO I DO WITH THEM?  DO THEY EAT?  DO THEY SLEEP? I instantly began to sweat.  Within five minutes three out of the five were in hysterics and I was ready for bed.  Then the three month old showed up and she was hungry.  Ok great, I'll just warm up a bottle.  Except I have no clue how to work the bottle warmer and these babies aren't great at communicating.  After attempting to read the spanish instructions on the warmer, 12 years of learning the language got me no where, I began to get frantic.  My anxiety rose as the screams of the 3 month old increased in volume.  Eventually I said screw it and held the bottle under warm running water for awhile.  Luckily that worked and she calmed down as soon as the bottle hit her lips.  An hour later the second teacher arrived and I remembered how to breathe again.  Needless to say it was a LONG.DAY.  I'm glad I'm only working three days a week because I'm EXHAUSTED.

Time for bed...

George

You're never too old to play in the snow!  We're getting hit with 1-2 feet over the next couple of days so Rick and I decided to suit up and head out.  The great thing about our neighborhood is that it's on a golf course.  The course weaves throughout the woods.  We hiked around and found a perfect spot to make a snowman.  I forgot how much work it is!  But totally worth it.  Meet George.

His right eyebrow could use some attention.

Rick was kind enough to loan George his scarf.

Maybe next week we'll give George a wife!

7 Weeks

I recently downloaded a pregnancy iphone application that updates me daily on our baby's growth.  I thought it would be fun to share once a week on the blog!  It's pretty amazing how fast things develop.  

7 Weeks:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from your baby's developing arms and legs – although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling.

Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of the tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering your baby's peepers, which already have some color. You'd also see the tip of his or her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and the liver is churning out red blood cells until bone marrow forms and takes over this role.

Your baby also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into his or her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from your baby's tiny body.

Music to My Ears

Victory!!  After much stress and anxiety (mine, Rick was the calm and collected one as usual) we received great news!  We heard the heart beat.  What a completely surreal experience.  The Dr. said everything looked and sounded normal.  MUSIC TO MY EARS.  We'll go back for another ultrasound on December 3rd to make sure things are still progressing normally.  If we can make it to that ultrasound the chances of miscarriage go down to 2%.  That will be a great day!

Check out the heartbeat on the left and our tiny baby on the right.  We could even see the heart beating super fast!

Do You Smell That?

And the morning sickness has reared it's ugly head!  Yesterday Rick decided he wanted to make beef stew.  I love beef stew! What's not to like?? I was looking forward to a warm stew after the Bronco game.  My body had other ideas.  The moment Rick dropped the onions in the saute pan I felt myself turn green.  I immediately had to retreat to the bedroom where I spent the next four hours under the covers trying to suck up the smell of any detergent still left on the sheets!  I could not believe how powerful my sense of smell had suddenly become!  I could smell the stew everywhere! Rick even opened all the windows downstairs as well as one in the bedroom.  But the smell was wafting under the bedroom door and it was all I could do to not vomit all over my bed.  Even as I write this my mouth is watering remembering the scent.  ACK.  

Tomorrow we head to the doctor to get our first real ultrasound.  If this morning sickness is any indication, then we should see a healthy heartbeat!  I'm nervous, but hopeful it will all go well!  

Update on mouse situation:   Since my last post we've set six traps.  We also had the Orkin guy come out and assess the situation.  He said we don't have an infestation THANK THE LORD, but maybe one or two in the house.  He showed Rick where he thought they were entering the house (a big crack along the front of the siding) and suggested we buy some foam to fill the hole.  Rick accomplished that task...I wish I had video taped that adventure.  Dressed in his work pants, a heavy coat, gloves, and a brand spanking new head lamp, he went to work.  The work pants are now covered in foam (ie ruined) and the front of the house now has character.  We haven't seen a mouse since...fingers crossed the mouse problem is no longer a problem.  Time will tell...

Mouse-1 Mountain Man-0

I've never been afraid of killing insects.  At summer camp I was the go-to spider killer.  I'd grab a shoe or a Cosmo magazine off the bunk bed and go to work.  It never bothered me and still doesn't.  I do not, however, have the same courageous nature when it comes to rodents.  Mice especially gross me out.  They carry disease and they poop in your house.  Even the mice in Cinderella gave me a weird vibe.  So you can be sure that when I heard Rooney going nuts over by some firewood today in our living room, she got my attention.  At first, I didn't think twice.  For those of you who have met our Roo you know she likes to play, with just about anything.  So I figured she was playing with the firewood.  I kept right on checking my gmail when all of a sudden something caught my eye.  I couldn't be sure, but I feared the worst.  Whatever it was went scurrying across the living room and into a closet where we keep our DVDs.  I immediately got up and ran to see what Roo was doing.  She was covered in sawdust and frantically trying to figure out where whatever it was had gone.  My mind immediately went there.  We.have.a.mouse.  I ran over to our fireplace tools and grabbed the poker.  That seemed logical...as if I was going to poke the thing to death!  I went over to the closet and moved things around with the poker.  NOTHING.  Hmm.  Maybe I was wrong.  Maybe I hadn't seen a mouse.  It must have all been in my head.  I was having a rotten day and now I was imagining mice scurrying across my living room.  WRONG.

Fast forward to this evening.  Rick and I were watching TV when I saw it.  A GROSS.DISGUSTING.BROWN.MOUSE.  It snuck out of the closet and was bee lining it back towards the the firewood (where Rooney had seen it earlier today).  I screamed, jumped, and ran.  Immediately I notified Rick that he would be TAKING CARE OF THIS.  Which of course is when things got interesting.  Rick headed to the fireplace tools.  Ahh what will be his weapon of choice?  He chose tongs.  Interesting.  Next he grabbed a reusable grocery bag.  I asked him about his plan.  

Rick: I'm going to grab the mouse and stick it in the bag.

Me:  ohhh ok.

I immediately moved to the stairs.  Rick cautiously approached the closet and began emptying it's contents with the tongs.  Nothing.  

Me:  Do you see it?  Do you see it?

Rick:  Come here and tuck my jeans into my socks.

Me:  BE A MAN HONEY.

Rick:  I am such a vagina!  (Sorry, his words, not mine.)

A little more poking with the tongs ensued.  Along with some jumping around. Followed by screams.  Rick's, not mine.  

Rick: AHHHH I saw it. I saw it.  It's in there!

Me:  KILL IT!  GET IT! NOW! GET IT!

Rick:  It's not in there anymore.  It's gone.

Me:  WHERE DID IT GO!!?

Rick:  I have no idea.

Me: FIND IT.

This led to more searching for the mouse.  10 minutes later we came to the conclusion that it had escaped. I had heard from a friend that mice don't like tin foil.  This could be a total fallacy, but hey it was something.  So I told Rick to cover the firewood area with tin foil.  He started to move things around to lay down the foil.  And just when I thought this nightmare was over for the night and my heart rate had begun to drop I heard Rick yell...

Rick:  It came at my feet!!!!  

This sighting sent both Rick and myself running for the stairs.  

Me:  We're going to Walmart to get mouse traps.  NOW.

Rick:  Yep.

While searching for traps at the Walmart.

Rick:  I'm disappointed in myself.  I am such a girl.

Me:  I was hopeful you would step up to the plate, but honestly that's about how I figured things would go down.

Rick:  (Laughing) I think I could have had it if it hadn't come after my feet.

Me;  I know, honey.

My mountain man

Picture Worth 1,000 Words

On Friday we had a bit of a scare.  I'll refrain from sharing the gory details, they involve me home alone thinking I had for sure just experienced a miscarriage.   Rick and I spent the rest of Friday afternoon and evening paralyzed by fear, yet clinging to the hope that things were going to be OK.  One anxiety filled drive to Denver early Saturday morning, an ultrasound, and blood work later we were told I am still pregnant.  We were relieved to hear good news.  I was put on bed rest for the weekend and told to take it easy until my next ultrasound a week from Tuesday.  Unfortunately, my pregnancy is still in the early stages, so a heartbeat could not be detected from the ultrasound.  They were able to see a gestational sac and a yolk, positive signs that things are going well.  Hopefully, at the next ultrasound we will see a heartbeat.  One thing we do know, (get ready to cash in on your winnings or fork over the dough you owe depending on your pick) we are NOT having twins.  Sorry Grandma, no "Mickey and Minnie" like you suspected.  Here's our first ultrasound picture.  It isn't much to look at, but it's everything to us.  

Lucky for me, I started knitting again! At least I've got something to do to pass the time.  If you are in need of a scarf (and ONLY a scarf) holler at me!  Rick has already asked for a hat and I'm sweating just thinking about figuring that one out!

Cloud 9

I AM PREGNANT!

That's really all I have to say today.  Rick and I are over the moon excited!  

Yesterday was the longest. day. of. my. life.  I woke up bright and early (after barely sleeping all night) and went to get my blood test.  I then spent the rest of the morning shaking with anticipation!  My good friend Molly came to be with me since Rick had to work all day, and I was not about to chance getting bad news while alone in the mountains!  I made sure to keep busy throughout the morning.  I've never wanted to cook a day in my life, but I made chili for lunch and Molly made cornbread.  We also carved pumpkins which helped pass the time.  While carving my witch at approximately 1:41 PM I got the call.  I was ecstatic and so relieved to get the good news!  But then had to sit on it for three hours while I waited for Rick to call!  TALK ABOUT TIME MOVING BACKWARDS!  He finally called a little after 4:00 and I shared the great news.  We've been celebrating ever since!  

I can't thank everyone enough for your kind words of love and support and all the praying and hoping you did!  My cousin Sarah told me God was probably sick of hearing from her she was praying so much yesterday.  Rick and I would be nothing without the support of our friends and family.  We are so happy we have such wonderful news to share with you all!  Being 4 weeks pregnant, we're staying positive but realistic.  Things happen, and so we're not going to share our news with everyone.  We would appreciate if you would keep this news to yourselves as well.  No one from Rick's work knows and only our inner circle of friends have been involved in the process, so thank you so much for helping us keep this news private, at least for the next couple of months.  Mums the word!  

On a sad note, about 10 minutes after getting the news of a lifetime our most precious wedding gift, a beautiful plate Rick's aunt Marcie and her family gave us, which everyone who attended our wedding signed,  BROKE.  Ugh stab to the heart.  It was on display in our kitchen and I think when I closed the oven it jostled a spoon which hit the plate and sent it flying...This is why I shouldn't cook.  Anyway, I'm going to do my best to glue it back together.  Molly and I stared at each other in shock and my only thought was that in life, you don't get it all, EVER.  Even on your best day, plates break.  I'm just thankful I received good news prior to the plate ending it's life.  I don't think I could have taken it otherwise!

I have to get another blood test on Saturday to confirm I'm still pregnant and then we'll go from there.  Keep those positive thoughts coming!  

Happy Halloween!

Molly's scary Larry pumpkin.  That should keep that bears away!

My witch.  She looks like she has a tooth...really it's a toothpick holding her face on as a result of my cutting mishap. 

Our plate :-( 

The Waiting Game

It's Saturday, which means 4 days down and 5 to go!  The transfer procedure went well.  I had no idea what to expect (other than what I'd seen happen on "Giuliana and Bill."  Great show by the way!  They are the only couple I "know" who have gone through IVF.  And by know, I mean watched obsessively on TV.  My procedure began with a Valium.  Oh Valium, how I love thee!  Every trip to the doctor should begin this way.  The feel good drugs were followed by an acupuncture session.  The purpose of the acupuncture was to relax my entire body prior to the transfer.  That combined with the Valium, was a little slice of heaven!  I definitely entered the room full of anxiety, and by transfer time I had not a care in the world.  The procedure was actually an amazing experience.  Rick got to be in the room with me and he was able to take a few pictures.  It seems only fitting that the father be present at conception. J

The embryos are actually on the computer screen right now, but that didn't show up in the picture. They looked like water bubbles.

The ultrasound shows the two embryos making their way to my uterus.

After the procedure, I had another round of acupuncture and had to lay in bed for an hour.  For the next two days it was bed rest, bed rest, bed rest.  And if those two days were any indication of what this pregnancy could be like, then I'm in for 9 months of a very overprotective husband!  Not that I'm complaining!  We received some paperwork about what to do post procedure and one of the bullet points said I should not lay on my stomach.  No big deal when you're awake, but when you're sleeping you may or may not roll over.  Unacceptable.  Rick basically built a fortress of pillows around me so I was rolling no where!  Then to top it off, throughout the night he would shake me awake and frantically ask, "Are you sleeping on your stomach?!"  No, but thanks for checking!  At one point he even slapped me on the stomach while questioning me.  Maybe sleeping on my stomach would be safer...

Now that the transfer is over, I'm feeling good.  Anxious but excited, and very hopeful!  I had a great time while my mom and aunt were out visiting. Maybe next time they come we'll be able to leave the house a bit more!

A few weeks ago when I learned that everyone here is an avid hunter my dad thought it would be funny to add me to a mailing list to receive catalogs that are of a particular interest to men and women up in these parts.  He didn't say a word to me and waited for the catalog to arrive.  I can just imagine him in his office surfing the Internet for the perfect catalog.  Giggling to himself over how hilarious it would be when I arrive at my PO Box to find a hunting catalog.  OOH Dad!  But days went by and nothing.  More time went by and I received nothing.  Finally, after about a week and a half he couldn't take the suspense any longer and asked me if I'd received a catalog full of rifles.  Nope.  Great joke Dad!  That would have been hilarious if you had waited for me to get it.  But no, you couldn't wait and now the joke is a FLOP.  More weeks went by and the fact that this magazine had not shown up grew into a funnier joke than if his idea had gone off without a hitch.  In fact I loved making fun of the fact that his joke choked.  "Hey Dad, remember when you tried to make a joke and send me something and it NEVER SHOWED UP.  Good joke Dad."  Then FINALLY, when he thought all was lost, I went to get my mail on Thursday.  And there it was in all it's glory, a package thanking me for my interest in "The Rifles of the Henry Repeating Arms Company."  And the joke was even better than he intended, because not only was there a catalog of ridiculous rifles, but there was a bumper sticker.  That's right, a bumper sticker.  And here is what it said.

"Load on Sunday, shoot all week long."  PRICELESS.  I'd put it on my car, but I don't have the hunting equipment to back up that statement.  I'd hate to be parked at the grocery store one day and have some mountain man strike up a conversation with me about my bumper sticker.  "Hello, ma'am.  I see you're a member of the Henry Repeating Arms?  Don't you just love the quick release chamber and the smooth machined action of the Henry Golden Boy .22 Magnum when you're out in God's country hunting those whitetail bucks?  (Did that sound legit?  I literally just researched via the Internet and my spanking new catalog to compose every word of that sentence.)  MAY DAY, MAY DAY I'm a fake, a phony!  This is a joke between me and my Dad.  Guns are scary! Goodbye.  Bad idea.  So instead, it's on our refrigerator.  And I'm sure the United States Government is now watching me to make sure I'm not a terrorist, with my new found interest in weaponry.  YAY.  Thanks Dad!

Tomorrow is the big day!  Naturally, I'm a mix of emotions.  What do you do the day before your life may be forever changed?  So far I've done some laundry, exercised, and showered.  Not quite the day to remember, but I think it's important for me to just go about business as usual.

I took this picture a while ago to remember what I had to go through to get to this point.

 

The dichotomy between faith and science is not lost on me.  For the past few months I have relied heavily on both.  I feel very blessed to be living during a time when science has the ability to step in and make my dreams come true.  How odd that tomorrow my husband, my mom, and my aunt will all be present for what could be the conception of my child!  I wish I could be a fly on the wall for THAT waiting room conversation.

With butterflies in my stomach and unparalleled anticipation, I'll leave you with the following picture.  This is actually a magnet given to me by my brother's girlfriend, Laura.  It's a beautiful magnet, but more importantly the words could not be more comforting.

Let's do this thing!

The Highlights

My friend from college, Jenny, was kind enough to come out and visit me this past week.  I think I must have mentioned to her one too many times how, "I've lost my mind!!"  She pretty much jumped on the next plane to save me.  Did I mention I love her?  She kept my mind off the impending transfer doing what she does best, making me laugh.  Here are some of this past week's highlights.

Our First Fire:  In our new place we have an old school fireplace.  Rick and I have only ever lived in places with gas fireplaces, so starting a fire was going to be a new experience.  Jenny said she knew how to get that bad boy started, and we trusted her.  OUR MISTAKE.  She methodically organized paper bags (we were out of newspaper) and some of the logs the last tenant left behind.  And once it was set to her liking, she began lighting the paper.  This is where things went wrong.  If only we hadn't lit the darn thing, we would have been golden!  Immediately the fire took and began to roar.  SUCCESS!  Unfortunately, the smoke began immediately filling our tiny living room instead of snaking it's way up the chimney.  Rick walked in from work at this moment.  "What the (insert expletive here) are you guys doing?"  Hmmmm apparently we are smoking ourselves out of the house!  Turns out the flue was absolutely, positively closed.  And of course we had no idea how to get it open while the fire was ROARING.  I cannot explain how quickly smoke filled the room.  Smoke is the real deal people.  You've been warned.  Rick did what he could to open the flue, but we really had no clue what to do, and we were in panic mode once the smoke alarm went off.  That thing gets the blood pumping and triggers emergency mode in your brain!  One second we're laughing about how there's a little bit of smoke in the room and the next second we're filling mixing bowls with water to douse the flames while running around the house to open all windows and doors hoping the neighbors don't notice.  NOTHING TO SEE HERE FOLKS!  Eventually the flames were extinguished and the smoke subsided.  At least we know the smoke detectors work.  And once to panic wore off, Rick noticed there is a lever on the front of the fireplace to open the flue...PERRRRRFECT.

Shopping:  Throughout Jenny's visit we did what we do best, shopped.  One day we walked around Vail Village and did some shopping.  We went into a store looking for a dress Jenny needs for an upcoming event at UVA.  She went into the dressing room to try on the dress.  It was ADORABLE and she loved it, the only problem was she couldn't get the zipper up.  I went in to help her.  In hindsight I probably shouldn't have helped her.  If a zipper won't zip, do. not. force. it.  I forced it.  Fast forward to a broken zipper half way up the dress yet unzipped on either side of the actual zipper.  Never good.  It's time to take the dress off.  I'm sure you can guess how this turns out...Clearly Jenny wasn't going to be able to get out of the dress alone.  What are friends for?  First we tried the over the head maneuver.  No luck. Then things got serious.  Jenny began the sweat.  In her defense it was unnecessarily hot in the dressing room.  But the sweating only made things worse.  Have you ever been wearing a coat and gotten instantly hot.  You need to get that coat off, NOW.  You needed that coat off months ago and cannot get it off fast enough.  Somehow that makes it impossible to pull your arms out of the darn thing.  And at one point your mind goes there and thinks, "This is it, I'm dying in this coat."  Well, I imagine this is how Jenny felt once we realized we could not get her out of this thing.  Plan B, get help.  I went to find an employee and ask her for assistance.  Thankfully she was understanding.  Her immediate reaction.  "I'm getting the scissors."  Wait a second, you are going to cut my friend out of this dress?!  And this is when I know this experience had become blog worthy!  She left and came back with a pair of scissors.  Jenny was concerned about ruining the dress.  It was THAT cute.  So the employee tried one more time to dislodge the zipper.  No luck.  Then she handed me the scissors (am I cutting this thing off?!) and went back to the dress.  Now here I need you to picture this employee as the Hulk.  I've never seen the movie, but I know that when he turns into that crazy green monster he grabs either side of his shirt and ferociously rips it from his body while expelling a guttural roar so intense that it causes dresses to fall from women's bodies.  That doesn't happen in the movie?  Well it happens here.  The Hulk grabbed either side of the dress and tore it, freeing Jenny from it's restraint.  VICTORY!  Jenny did not buy the dress.

Strike a Pose

My friend, Jenny, has been out visiting me for the past week.  We've been on all sorts of adventures (more on that later) and spent a lot of time exploring my new surroundings.  We've also been brainstorming about what the heck I'm going to do in the mountains for the next couple of years.  Photography has been a growing passion of mine, and if I want to pursue it further I need some practice!  So we decided to head to Breckenridge for Jenny's first photo shoot.  Jenny channeled her inner super model and I tried to capture her natural beauty!  Here are some of my favorites.

If anyone is interested in channeling their inner super model, let me know!  I would love to photograph you!