9 Month Update

Whew... I'm sure I'll eventually get tired of saying this, but this month has been a whirlwind! This past week was full of car buying and selling, and we're gearing up for Josh to go to some training as well as a nice jaunt to the UK. Add in regular work and whatever else the Griff Monster can throw our way, it's been full of fun :)

I couldn't quite convince G to pay attention to the camera. Josh was sitting off to the side, and since he's the most wonderfully interesting person EVER, G was either trying to get his attention or talking to his UglyDoll.

I did manage to nab one picture of him facing me and smiling, and boy oh boy does this little person look like his daddy!

He's quite the little explorer, having finally figured out how to crawl on hands and knees instead of the slightly more difficult army crawl that he was doing for so long. His fascination with drawers doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. I'm not sure there's anything else that he'll sit and play with for 20 minutes straight, but put him in front of a drawer, and it'll be opened and closed until he realizes there are other drawers in the room to open ;)

At his 9 month well baby visit, his doctor confirmed that he has pretty intense allergies, which explains why he sounds like a little bulldog all the time. Unfortunately for him, we live in the middle of flowering trees and hay fields, so he'll probably just need to get over his aversion to handkerchiefs. I'm sure Mr. Chatty McChatterson will gladly tell you all about it ;)

5 Month Update

I promise this post was actually started in December... it just took a few days to finish :)

The past month has been a bit of a whirlwind, as the holidays often are. I was able to grab G for a few minutes to take some shots with his Ugly Doll, though.

We're really starting to see his personality more and more. He continues to be a wonderfully mellow, social baby. In fact, he's pretty much happy as long as he's with people. Alone play time is not something he enjoys just yet. He rarely cries when we're out and about (even though we have definitely dragged him ALL OVER in his short little life), but it's not uncommon for him to cry the whole way home once we leave wherever we've been (a party, the bx, a market). He's quite giggly, and is already showing signs of being quite a ham to get a laugh.

Sleeping through the night still isn't happening, but we're getting closer!

The biggest milestone for this month was starting "solids." He's had carrots, oatmeal with blueberries and pears, broccoli and spinach with apples, peas with pears and spinach, and squash with bananas. So far, once he adjusts to the odd sensation, he'll happily gobble up whatever you give him.

Here's hoping the next month brings some hair!!!

Well, it's official... I now live in Germany.

The past few months were some of the best I've ever had. Living with this girl...

was completely fantastic. Staying in the states for an extra few months gave me time to not only work/save some extra money, but also a chance to really go out big. I really took the time to make memories that I will cherish. From the beach weekend in Virginia Beach to the Hurriquake party, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people.

Of course, my time there culminated with the party of the century at Jen & Dan's wedding.

Seriously, all the time and energy that went in to that shindig was TOTALLY worth it (in my opinion!). I'm so happy for my wonderful friends and pray that their love continues to strengthen them.

When the candles were all blown out and the gifts were all packed in the cars, then it came time to think about moving. The wedding was Saturday and I flew out Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday nights were (of course!) going away gatherings. After all was said and done, though, Steph drove me to the airport where my new adventure began. To help me tell this part of the tale, I'd like to introduce Gneville, my Gnome away from Home...

I got the airport ready for a long flight (mini-reese's? check!)

After checking both of my barely-under weight suitcases (thanks Lufthansa lady for giving me that second one for free!!!), and making it through security, I made it to my gate.

Once there, I was promptly informed that my flight would be delayed due to a bird flying into one of the engines of my plane on its last descent. So I did the only thing conceivable, I got a good-bye dinner at Chipotle.

Then I waited.

Once on board, the flight was pretty smooth. I had a window, so I actually slept for a good portion of the flight.

Our friend Lesli picked me up in Frankfurt, and drove me home. Once I got to the house, I emailed everyone to let them know I'd made it ok, and then I crashed for close to 5 hours.

After five days here and MANY cups of tea and coffee (it's COLD in my house!!!), I'm still having trouble getting used to the time change. I'm sure I'll get there soon, though :)



Though all of this is good, the one thing that's keeping me down is having Josh so far away. We had a plan. He was supposed to be here when I got here, and he's not, and that's tough. I suppose it'll just make our reunion that much better.

Happies

The last few months have been pretty stuffed full of random pieces of awesome that I definitely want to remember. So... here are my happies to remember:

• waking up to bake muffins for Easter sunrise communion by the Potomac
• watching the Royal wedding with a gaggle of girls before heading to work
• Josh picking me up from work and bringing cupcakes
• matching zombie shirts for Josh and me from friends
• massive movie parties
• sleeping in
• yellow swim suits and beach towels
• grouting tiles for a massive mosaic with my friends
• walking down the street to 7-11 for slurpees and ice cream
• laying by the pool reading Harry Potter (again)
• garden gnome drive-by
• party plotting
• chocolate covered banana honey popsicles from Buzz
• painting my toes while on the phone with Josh
• cooking without kitchen appliances/gadgets
• leaving the windows open
• going for a run in the rain before the sun comes up
• spending a foggy cloudy day at the beach with friends
• stealing mint from friends' gardens
• takeout and Redbox movie night

Crab Cakes and Boogie Boards

To get out of the city for a bit, to shake things up, to enjoy the end of the summer, to check somewhere off of our list of places to go, and to celebrate our impending 3rd anniversary, Josh and I took off early on Friday afternoon and hit the beach this weekend.

We stayed Friday and Saturday, and headed back after lunch and a movie on Sunday.

Between the awesome food and the gorgeous weather, it was a fantastic weekend.

We whipped out Yelp for every meal, and I for one was never disappointed.

Our hotel was situated right on the boardwalk. We could literally walk out of the lobby and onto the beach. It was WONDERFUL.

I think that we both needed a weekend away.

With Josh on a rotating night schedule, we often end up missing each other, and it's tough for us to spend real time together.

I'm pretty sure the only downside was the traffic... but it's definitely a price that I'm willing to pay ;)

Part Four, The Rest of the Trip

Josh arrived in Lubbock that evening. We spent the night with *D* and *E*, trying to catch up, trying to let go and allow the healing to slowly begin.
The next day was Thursday, Christmas Eve, and my niece *C*’s 11th birthday. As per tradition, all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc… gathered for brunch at Golden Corral (*C*’s request). It was such an amazing experience to be able to laugh and celebrate following the emotions of the day before. It was important to everyone that the day be about celebrating *C*. To add to the magic of that day, the city received the biggest snowstorm in anybody’s memory. For kids from a West Texas town, a foot of snow offered healing, comfort and joy like little else could. Throughout the day, *A*’s siblings told anyone who would listen that they were positive that *A* had snuck into the control room in Heaven and caused the miracle snow. *C* also informed me that *A* had gotten her Christmas wishes. All she had wanted for Christmas this year was snow and for Josh and I to be there.
That afternoon, we made a pilgrimage back to where *A* is buried. Josh wanted to see her. On the way home, we stopped at an awesome wooden play village to enjoy the snow. When we walked in the gate, we were all amazed to see that the snow was completely untouched. It was a wonderful day for snowballs, snow angels, and general joy. That day galvanized in all of us the resolve and assurance that we would survive. We would feel joy again. We would laugh again, and we would get through it.
The next few days passed peacefully. Christmas, tamales, presents, movies, games… Odd though it is, I can honestly say that it was one of the most wonderful, stress-free visits home that I’ve ever had. In that moment, in those hours, we were content to simply be with each other. The frustrations and drama that so easily enters most of my trips home were not there, and it was beautiful.
Josh and I left Sunday afternoon for the long drive back (he flew in, but skipped his return flight so that he could drive back with me). We drove through the night and made it back home Monday evening, just in time to go to sleep and wake up bright and early the next morning for work.

Swinging

Apparently it's going to take a little while for me to get back in the blogging swing of things. I think that's ok. I'm actually working on a collaborative project with my BFF Jenn that I'm hoping will inspire me for this blog as well.
I'm still over the moon with excitement for fall. It's getting cooler everyday, and I'm totally reveling in this blissful time of change.
Speaking of change...

Josh is now working close to home again (he'd been working at a hospital on the opposite side of the district from our home {in other words, an hour long commute one-way every time he went to work}), and he's now back to working about 15 minutes from our house, which is a HUGE stress relief for both of us. Additionally, he'll be switching back to working nights starting tomorrow night. The transition is always a little tough, but we've gotten pretty good at making it work :) All in all, it's a good switch for him at this point, I think. On top of that, he's also looking at his options for the future and making some choices that will effect the next few years. As part of that, he took the GRE this past week (and totally rocked it!). Basically, life keeps on flying by.
I finally jumped on the band wagon and got a pro flickr account. I'm hoping that it will remind/inspire me to document and organize my memories that I'm collecting. Within the past three months, I've made new friends, worked to deepen existing friendships, seen friends move away, and am preparing to send off two more friends for their next adventures. It's a nice reminder that life isn't static. It's 100% transient, and if I don't grasp what I can of it now, I'll end up missing something great.

A Time to Reflect

The seasons are changing, I'm experiencing my first real fall, and life is moving on quite well. It's funny to me to think that Josh and I have lived here almost a year. In many ways, it seems that we have been here much much longer. We have found and plugged into a wonderful spiritual community here, and we've been awesomely blessed by the friends that we've come to know and love. After a very rough job hunt, my job is going great, and I'm still very much enjoying where I am for the moment. The flexibility and understanding of my boss has enabled me to do many things that I would never have been able to do in a different location. This summer I was able to take off for a family vacation (on fairly short notice) that was, I believe absolutely what I needed. Though we've in many ways settled into a routine, we're absolutely not at a stand-still, as we're planning on moving once more in March. Our last move was made before I had settled into my job and before our community became such a huge part of our lives. As it is, we feel very disconnected from them, as we're in Maryland, and they are all in Virginia. So, after much discussion, we'll (hopefully) be crossing the Potomac next spring and settling into the place that will be our final stop while Josh is stationed here.

I keep thinking that I'll get back in the blogging swing of things, so we'll see if that actually happens J Until then... I'll be enjoying the weather!

A Little Update Con Muchos Fotos

Oh my, has it been nearly a month since I told you that the hubby might have given me swine flu and then I promptly dropped off the face of the planet?! Oh dear... that was poor planning on my part.
Well, if anything can remedy that, I'm sure a blog post of epic proportions can. Right? That's just what you were all looking forward to :D
So, where to begin? I suppose we were still enjoying the cherry blossoms at the very beginning of the month...They're all gone now, but I suppose that's ok, cause after they leave, cherry season is close at hand :)

This past weekend the hubby and I checked out the Air Show at Andrews...

Seriously, could he be any more excited about me taking that photo? Moving on... I think my favorite plane was this guy...

I didn't get it in this shot, but it may have had a jolly roger on it's tail. It was kinda a theme...

Anyway... That's been our excitement. We're pretty fascinating, I know...
In other news, I decided to do some photo exploration this morning, so I hopped in my car and went wherever it took me (turned out that my car took me to Calvert Cliffs State Park).
I made a few new friends...



Enjoyed the pretty flowers...


Gazed at the lily-pads...


Took a rest on the beach...

And fell completely in love with these little blossoms...

We're talking head over heels...

Seriously...

Which all brings me to my question of the day... Seeing as how I flunked out of Girl Scouts due to a complete dislike for insects, arachnids, creepy-crawlies, and most small woodland creatures, I have no idea what those little blossoms are. They were on small trees, and they were everywhere. Does anybody know what they are so that I can name my lovelies? I'd be very much obliged :) 

Other than that life has mostly been business as usual around here (well, other than the fact that I finally came out of my Trekkie closet to the hubby... he took it fairly well). I keep thinking longingly of my little corner of the blog world, hoping to make it back here... It hasn't consistently happened yet, but I'll keep trying :) Until then, have a lovely day.