you bake a cake one day, and the next morning, when you go to get a piece, you are shocked to realize you ate HALF of the cake yesterday. The day you baked it. All by yourself.
It was really yummy.
Going Full-Kiwi
6 years ago
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Western Carribean Cruise
A few highlights from our cruise:
James and his brother Matt climbing the rock wall on the ship.
The rock wall climbing champions.
Me and my love feeling fancy on formal night.
When we returned from dinner, this cute pup, wearing my sunglasses, was waiting for us.
The view in Roatan, Honduras.
A guide saw me taking the above picture and took pity on us. He took this picture for us.
All harnessed up and ready for the zip line.
This is me. I don't know how well you can tell, but the drop below was quite astounding.
My sexy man going as fast as he can on the zip line. (You get to control your own speed.)
Proof that we ate well, and had a great view while doing it.
This was our ship docked in Roatan.
I know you're all checking out my hot hubby, so you won't notice my crazy sunburned chest.
This was the beach we played at in Belize.
A view of the dock in Belize.
The other side of the dock in Belize.
We found our own beach to play on in Cozumel. Do you see the little crab by the tip of nose?
Here is little crab's close up. I liked following him around. I think he wasn't so fond of me though.
Click on the picture for a close up. Matt had just pelted James with a sand ball.
I was sad not to have any buckets to make a sand castle with, so I used the skills I had and made a sand cake. Don't you like the sea shell topper and sea weed "flowers"?
A couple of monkeys. This is James' "must keep my eyes open for the picture" look.
Queen of the world.
King of the world.
Last night at dinner. Starting at the bottom left, moving from left to right, then up and to the left again:
Jenny (sister), Becky (sister), Scott (Becky's hubby), Mandy (sister), Jason (Mandy's hubby,) up, Me (James' wife) James (coolest person in the world), Roy (Dixie's hubby), Dixie (Mom), Matt (brother), Ramie (Matt's wifey), Doug (Jenny's hubby).
Man, what a trip. We had a lot of fun but we were glad to come home to be grown ups again. Believe me, sometimes we did not act like grownups while on this trip.
The highlights of our trip that aren't photographed include me and Dixie singing Karaoke, Jason becoming the ships belly flop champion, watching Mandy plow over two old women so she could win a point for the women in the battle of the sexes game, watching the love and marriage show and laughing till our sides hurt, holding a jelly fish, seeing dolphins, playing the Quest game which included James wearing lipstick among other things, and many more fun activities.
When we got home, we compared notes with my Mom who had also just gotten home from a cruise. She's cruised a quite a bit, and we wondered if she had every cruised with Royal Caribbean. She hadn't. And from what it sounded like, Royal Caribbean is the way to go. James and I were blown away by how incredibly nice the whole staff was. Too bad they haven't paid me for this free advertising, but I would completely and totally recommend cruising with Royal Caribbean. It was awesome!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Finally!
I think everybody that is really important in our lives, now knows that we are expecting baby number 3. Because of the 3 miscarriages that I've had, I feel like I should be pregnant with number 4... but I am so excited just to be expecting. Number 4 will come in time.
I now realize that the excitement of carrying a baby doesn't get old, no matter how many babies you have. Of course, that excitement is really strong for the first two weeks of pregnancy, and then wanes dramatically as you hold your head over the toilet bowl for the next 12 weeks. After that, the baby love returns with full force.
My friend, and ultra-sound technician, Tiffany, happily and willingly did an ultra sound two weeks ago. I kept my eyes averted from the screen so that I wouldn't know if it was a boy or a girl. She put the results in a sealed envelope and I went home. James and I had originally planned to give the envelope to Dixie (James' mom) over dinner our first night of our cruise. We had determined that it would be the first and best moment with all of James' family to make the announcement. Only two of his siblings knew that we were pregnant, so it was a surprise for everybody else. Anyway, I say that was the original plan because that's not what happened. We were surprised to have almost everybody in our home the night before we left on the cruise, so we figured that would be as good a time as any. We were happy and excited to find out that baby number three is a girl.
It makes all the difference to know what you're having. I think James was slightly disappointed at first that it wasn't a boy (mostly because he LOVES the boy name we have picked out) but now that he can focus on the fact that we are having a girl, he is very excited. Lizzy has him wrapped around her finger, and he knows it, so the prospect of another little girl to love is exciting to him. James chose the name Siri Juliette. (Siri means, victorious beauty. Cool huh?) I completely gave him the choice because he really resisted the boy name that I had chosen for a while, but I was pretty insistent on the boy name, so he had agreed to it. (Little did I know how much he would fall in love with the boy name to the point that he REALLY wanted a boy so we could use it!) Anyway, I would have chosen a different girl name, but thought it was only fair to let him decide.
So, there's the news that everybody already knew! We anxiously look forward to this summer, when we will finally be a family of 5!
Stay tuned for a post about our cruise.
I now realize that the excitement of carrying a baby doesn't get old, no matter how many babies you have. Of course, that excitement is really strong for the first two weeks of pregnancy, and then wanes dramatically as you hold your head over the toilet bowl for the next 12 weeks. After that, the baby love returns with full force.
My friend, and ultra-sound technician, Tiffany, happily and willingly did an ultra sound two weeks ago. I kept my eyes averted from the screen so that I wouldn't know if it was a boy or a girl. She put the results in a sealed envelope and I went home. James and I had originally planned to give the envelope to Dixie (James' mom) over dinner our first night of our cruise. We had determined that it would be the first and best moment with all of James' family to make the announcement. Only two of his siblings knew that we were pregnant, so it was a surprise for everybody else. Anyway, I say that was the original plan because that's not what happened. We were surprised to have almost everybody in our home the night before we left on the cruise, so we figured that would be as good a time as any. We were happy and excited to find out that baby number three is a girl.
It makes all the difference to know what you're having. I think James was slightly disappointed at first that it wasn't a boy (mostly because he LOVES the boy name we have picked out) but now that he can focus on the fact that we are having a girl, he is very excited. Lizzy has him wrapped around her finger, and he knows it, so the prospect of another little girl to love is exciting to him. James chose the name Siri Juliette. (Siri means, victorious beauty. Cool huh?) I completely gave him the choice because he really resisted the boy name that I had chosen for a while, but I was pretty insistent on the boy name, so he had agreed to it. (Little did I know how much he would fall in love with the boy name to the point that he REALLY wanted a boy so we could use it!) Anyway, I would have chosen a different girl name, but thought it was only fair to let him decide.
So, there's the news that everybody already knew! We anxiously look forward to this summer, when we will finally be a family of 5!
Stay tuned for a post about our cruise.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
"I Speak Chinese"
If any of us could understand Chinese, we might be able to understand Lizzy.
Lizzy knows a lot of words, but she LOVES to talk, and this is how she talks. She does it the most when she is on the phone with her Daddy. She loves talking to him on the phone. He, of course, loves it.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Good News
Warning! Boring story to follow!
There is no doubt, and we won't deny it, that James is stuck in a dead end job. Installing cable for comcast hardly feels like a real career. Why doesn't he just quit then, you ask? The money is too good. Even if that weren't an issue, James has no idea what he wants to do. He knows what he can't and won't do, but anything that sounds appealing to him just isn't a career type of job.
We're taking steps to get James away from this job, but if our plans work out, he still has to work there for another 5-10 years, which is fine to some extent. The problem has been that this last year, a lot of changes have been made at his job that has made it worse instead of a better situation. He's had to work mandatory over time for the last 9 months. His only day off is Sunday, except on the occasions that he hasn't had to work overtime, he also gets Monday off. (This is a pain in the neck for a few reasons, but mostly because any time there is service to be done within the church, it takes place on Saturday, a day that James works.) James has had to trade in his nice vehicle for a less nice vehicle. The way that their work is assigned out has changed in such a way that James gets less jobs done = less money, and he is gone for longer hours. Now they have completely changed the way they get paid and so far the result is less money. Overall, the changes made have not been beneficial to us and have had an overall affect of James starting to resent his job.
For the last 5 years that James has worked for Pioneer, the only cable they have installed is residential. That means he gets to go into 2-5 different houses each day. (People aren't as clean as one would hope. James has put his knees into many a dog's pee and poop pile.) However, Comcast just informed Pioneer that they could choose around 5 of their employees to start installing for businesses. That means, for the technicians chosen: no dog pee or poop. Or smoke, porn, or druggies. No more being yelled at by customers, having neighbors call the cops because he is in their back yard, no more being accused of stealing prescription meds and marijuana, no more awkward feelings of installing cable while the girl who is hitting on him decides to use the bathroom right next to where he is working and purposely leaves the door open while she is doing her business.
James has always been the favorite of his bosses. I know James will be embarrassed that I'm bragging about him right now, but the fact of the matter is that he is the best employee they have, bar none. His bosses know it too, and James has the nickname of "Poster Boy" among the other technicians. I'm proud of him but I'm not surprised either. I married him because he's the best!
So, what's the good news you ask? Because James is the best, he had first dibs on being one of the technicians installing for businesses. He jumped at the chance and honestly can't wait. The money is supposed to be better, he'll probably get a nicer vehicle again, he won't have to deal with mean, nasty people, and his favorite part of the whole deal: his new schedule will be working Monday through Friday!
He starts training on Tuesday, and it will last for two weeks. The draw back here is that he will only get paid $10 an hour during training. Oh well. It will be worth it. I'm so happy to see his spirits up and excited to do something new. He deserves every good thing that comes his way.
There is no doubt, and we won't deny it, that James is stuck in a dead end job. Installing cable for comcast hardly feels like a real career. Why doesn't he just quit then, you ask? The money is too good. Even if that weren't an issue, James has no idea what he wants to do. He knows what he can't and won't do, but anything that sounds appealing to him just isn't a career type of job.
We're taking steps to get James away from this job, but if our plans work out, he still has to work there for another 5-10 years, which is fine to some extent. The problem has been that this last year, a lot of changes have been made at his job that has made it worse instead of a better situation. He's had to work mandatory over time for the last 9 months. His only day off is Sunday, except on the occasions that he hasn't had to work overtime, he also gets Monday off. (This is a pain in the neck for a few reasons, but mostly because any time there is service to be done within the church, it takes place on Saturday, a day that James works.) James has had to trade in his nice vehicle for a less nice vehicle. The way that their work is assigned out has changed in such a way that James gets less jobs done = less money, and he is gone for longer hours. Now they have completely changed the way they get paid and so far the result is less money. Overall, the changes made have not been beneficial to us and have had an overall affect of James starting to resent his job.
For the last 5 years that James has worked for Pioneer, the only cable they have installed is residential. That means he gets to go into 2-5 different houses each day. (People aren't as clean as one would hope. James has put his knees into many a dog's pee and poop pile.) However, Comcast just informed Pioneer that they could choose around 5 of their employees to start installing for businesses. That means, for the technicians chosen: no dog pee or poop. Or smoke, porn, or druggies. No more being yelled at by customers, having neighbors call the cops because he is in their back yard, no more being accused of stealing prescription meds and marijuana, no more awkward feelings of installing cable while the girl who is hitting on him decides to use the bathroom right next to where he is working and purposely leaves the door open while she is doing her business.
James has always been the favorite of his bosses. I know James will be embarrassed that I'm bragging about him right now, but the fact of the matter is that he is the best employee they have, bar none. His bosses know it too, and James has the nickname of "Poster Boy" among the other technicians. I'm proud of him but I'm not surprised either. I married him because he's the best!
So, what's the good news you ask? Because James is the best, he had first dibs on being one of the technicians installing for businesses. He jumped at the chance and honestly can't wait. The money is supposed to be better, he'll probably get a nicer vehicle again, he won't have to deal with mean, nasty people, and his favorite part of the whole deal: his new schedule will be working Monday through Friday!
He starts training on Tuesday, and it will last for two weeks. The draw back here is that he will only get paid $10 an hour during training. Oh well. It will be worth it. I'm so happy to see his spirits up and excited to do something new. He deserves every good thing that comes his way.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Lizzy is 2!
So, blogger is a bit different and all these pictures are in here backwards from what I thought I was putting them in. Oh well!
This picture is of me with an inside view to the undecorated birthday cake. It made some people sad that I didn't decorate it.
Lizzy is a thumb sucker. Of the worst kind. I kind of think it's cute, because it makes her seem like she is still my baby, but James hates it, so we've gone to extreme measures to stop it. She seemed to like the taste of hot sauce. The special, no sucking your thumb, nail polish had no effect (but it worked on Logan!). We've duct taped her thumbs, but she either just pulls it off (how?!) or she just sucks her thumb with the duct tape on it. We've just stayed on top of the situation, constantly telling her to take it out, or taking it out for her. Through this all, we've discovered that she is a very determined child, and will probably always get what she wants because she won't have it any other way.
Lizzy loves books, and to be sung to. She loves to give hugs and to be held. She is a very loving child. Every night after our bedtime routine, she squeals with delight as she runs down the hall to her room. She'll jump in bed and then insist on giving her daddy a million and one hugs. (She loves this routine so much, that she refuses to let me be the one put her to bed. Daddy needs to do it.) She cries every night when daddy ends the hugging, and turns out the light.
At Lizzy's 18 month appointment, she gave the doctor a good demonstration of her fit throwing skills. He calmly commented that it looked like she had entered "the terrible two's" a little early. It's was a "good sign" that she will come out of them earlier than most kids. I'm looking forward to that day. Lizzy is all drama; screaming at you if you look at her wrong. Really. This is most frustrating with Logan because he likes to look at her wrong a lot. He loves the screaming.
Lizzy is developing the way a normal, healthy two year old should. The only thing she is lacking is all of her teeth. She is still missing 4 teeth that she should have had a year ago, so to even consider her having her 2 year old molars is just laughable. We don't know when she'll get the rest of her teeth, but she doesn't seem to need them. She has always had an insatiable appetite, especially for apples, clementines, grapes, and tomatoes.
We love our little girl, and we feel so blessed to have had the last two years with her. We look forward to watching her grow up and become the strong, self confident woman we know she will be. Happy Birthday to my Lizzy Girl!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Strange Anxiety
I woke up this morning remembering my dream, and realized that it was a common themed dream I've been having lately. Not the same dream, just the same theme. I wish I knew what it meant.
In my dream I was in high school, but with all the same demands of my adult life. It was a Tuesday, and I came upon a huge group of my friends from band class. Seeing them triggered a memory that Candlelight was the next two nights. (Candlelight is a huge musical production that my high school puts on every year at Christmas time. It's a very big deal.) I ran up to my friend, Andrea, and double checked with her that Candlelight was indeed the next two nights. She confirmed that it was. I became very agitated because I had other obligations those two nights (my real life adult responsibilities). I knew that if I missed the concert both nights I would get a failing grade in band. And that's just lame. Who fails band? Anyway, I woke up shortly after that.
My other dreams consist of me going to band class and not being able to find my trumpet, or my music. Or there will be other concerts that are going to be in the next couple of days, but I'm worried because I know I haven't practiced, or gone to band class at all, for that matter.
It's seriously ridiculous the amount of times I've had dreams like this. I'm not sure where they stem from either. I'm sure it says something about my regular anxiety levels of feeling prepared for things... but I don't really know.
In my dream I was in high school, but with all the same demands of my adult life. It was a Tuesday, and I came upon a huge group of my friends from band class. Seeing them triggered a memory that Candlelight was the next two nights. (Candlelight is a huge musical production that my high school puts on every year at Christmas time. It's a very big deal.) I ran up to my friend, Andrea, and double checked with her that Candlelight was indeed the next two nights. She confirmed that it was. I became very agitated because I had other obligations those two nights (my real life adult responsibilities). I knew that if I missed the concert both nights I would get a failing grade in band. And that's just lame. Who fails band? Anyway, I woke up shortly after that.
My other dreams consist of me going to band class and not being able to find my trumpet, or my music. Or there will be other concerts that are going to be in the next couple of days, but I'm worried because I know I haven't practiced, or gone to band class at all, for that matter.
It's seriously ridiculous the amount of times I've had dreams like this. I'm not sure where they stem from either. I'm sure it says something about my regular anxiety levels of feeling prepared for things... but I don't really know.
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