It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, y'all!

Now that I have the USB cable, I've got some "catch up"blogging to do, but for now...

Thanksgiving night at the Gaylord Opyland hotel!

I HATE this picture of me, but check out Seth's face...he was NOT impressed with these horses. In fact, he was downright terrified.

Yep, pretty much the perfect picture.

Walking, walking, walking away...

Tired of walking....this is WAY better.

Oh, but wait...I can do THESE!

I'm comin' as fast as I can!

Hope you all had as nice a Thanksgiving as we did!

Give Thanks

I am thankful for my health. This time last year, I was hours away from my final hospitalization of Seth's pregnancy. Now, other than a few more baby (or chocolate) pounds to drop, I'm in good health.

I am thankful for my beautiful son. He is my joy and delight, and I am so blessed to be his mommy.

I am thankful for my husband, who works hard to provide for our family, and even harder to let me know how much he loves and appreciates me.

I am thankful for the Internet. I have made some dear, dear friends through the wonder of the world of chat rooms and blogs. So far, I've only been lucky enough to meet one "in real life" (Hi, D!), but I'm hoping to add Jill, Stacy, Mandie, Amy and others to that list as time passes.

I am thankful for my beautiful new home, in my beautiful new state. (Though according to the lady at WalMart yesterday, I have spent too much time as a Yankee to call it "my" state. She did commend me, however, for giving Seth a "fightin' chance' by getting him down here before he turned a year old. Ha!)

I am thankful for my in-laws, who are driving to us right now with our sweet boy in the backseat. It will be a good day, showing them our new home, in our new town, and continuing the tradition of spending this holiday together. 4 years and counting!

I am thankful for my life. It's crazy most of the time. Anyone who knows me knows that somehow I manage my own share of drama, and then some, and then some more. But as the picture in my sidebar depicts, Life is good. Indeed, it is.

Thank you, Father, for the blessings you have bestowed on me and those I love this year. May 2009 be a year in which we continue to serve and love You, and in which we continue to see that all we are and all we have is in You.

Filler, fodder, whatever

I know. It's pathetic. I call myself a "writer," but when faced with a time crunch, this is what I resort to:

1. Name someone that made you smile today. Seth

2. What were you doing a 8:00 this morning? parking my car. I forget how much longer the commute from my parents house is, compared to our old house

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? getting a cappuccino

4. Name something that happened to you in 1992? I entered junior high - yikes!

5. What color is your hairbrush? purple....and now I've got the Veggie Tales "O, where is my hairbrush" song in my head, and now you probably do, too! ;)

6. What was the last thing you bought? a cappuccino...but if we're talking non-food purchase, a bowling set for a one year old's birthday gift

7. Where do you keep your money? it's mostly plastic, so I'd say, my bank account

8. What was the weather like today? COLD and snowing. We're supposed to get 1-2" by tonight... but by then I'll be in Nashville, which, by the way, is supposed to have "abundant sunshine" and a high of 53 degrees today!

9. Where did you last hug take place? in my parent's living room

10. What are you excited about? seeing Jim tonight, and showing off our new (albeit messy and box-strewn) house to my in-laws tomorrow

11. Are you very random? sure

12. Do you talk a lot? define "a lot." =) Actually, yes. Sometimes SO much that I have to actually tell Jim, "Okay, I'm done now. You can say something."

13. Do you make up your own words? yes

14. Are you ticklish? oh, my, YES!

15. What is the next concert you are going to go to? nothing is on the agenda now...oh wait, we are going to the symphony on Dec. 12....but concert? I dunno. But I'm sure we'll attend some good ones, now that we're living in "Music City USA."

16. Where did you go today? Work in the morning, then Findlay, Lima, Dayton, and Cincinnati, OH; Florence, Louisville, and Bowling Green, KY; and then Nashville, TN!

17. What is something you say a lot? Rony McRonerson (said like "Tony" not "Donny"). It's a morph of Setheroni, which is short for Setheroni and Cheese(ball)

18. Are you a heavy sleeper? not at all, and most of the time, I wish I were

19. What is the best movie you have seen in the past two weeks? like I have time for movies! But I DO want to see the new 007 movie, and I DID think that last night's episode of One Tree Hill was very good. Poop on the CW for taking it off the air until January 5th.

20. What will you be doing in 24 hours? staring at the mess in my new kitchen, wondering if I'm brave enough to tackle WalMart the day before Thanksgiving.

Reader(s), I'd love to hear your 20 answers if you've got some time to kill. If you do this on your blog, please link back here so I can read all about you! Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Eureka, Take 2

two down, one to go!

It was in my attache all along. Who knew? Better blog posts coming up....but not any time soon. Sorry. I leave Tuesday afternoon to drive to Nashville, and my in-laws follow Wednesday with Seth. Not much time for blogging in there.

But I wish all my readers a happy, thankful Thanksgiving!

Coming up:

• We picked paint!
• Kris and Majorie reunite
• more Seth
• 12 days of Christmas (better known as "only 12 days of work left"
• Thanksgiving '08

Perspective

So.

Things have been a little crazy around here lately. That's not new news. But under the craziness is a deeper restlessness and weariness in my bones...in my soul.

And earlier today, I read a post on a new blog I've found (and love, by the way). And I can't believe how much I related to Emily's words.

So, if you need any further explanation as to why I'm clinging to little nuggets of happiness like finding my gold shimmery lip gloss, read this. That's where I'm am.

Jim comes home tonight (and, no, he hasn't found the USB cord, so no pictures to come any time soon), and then it's a full-on press to get 'er done by Saturday, so....see y'all on the flip side of the weekend!

Eureka!

I found it! One item down, two to go!

TSWD and a mid-week update

I stumbled across this blog a couple weeks ago, and hope to get into it regularly. It's also supposed to be on Monday, not Wednesday, but since the blog has been boring, sure to the lack of ability to upload pictures, I thought this would be a decent post to bring you all up to speed.

So, my Simple Woman's Daybook for Wednesday, November 19th:

Outside my window...snow/frost still lingers, and the temperature is hovering at 25 degrees

I am thinking...about Adrienne, Jim, and Owen

From the learning room...Seth is trying so very hard to walk and attempting to master coming back down the stairs

I am thankful for...people who paint other people's homes. Well worth the pretty penny we'll spend to have it done.

From the kitchen...fajitas. I had the fixings in the freezer, and since I only have one pan left that is unpacked, it worked pretty well. But there is nothing on the agenda tonight. Thank goodness Sara is feeding me tomorrow.

I am wearing...ivory sweater, brown and gold skirt (too lightweight for this weather, I've discovered), brown heels, and a sassy bronze necklace.

I am reading...directors' and officers' liability policies. Oh yes, I'm living it up, I am.

I am hoping...that the following items turn up (as I've discovered I don't know there whereabouts): camera USB; the porcelain figurine that was our wedding cake topper; and my shimmery gold Mary Kay lip gloss.

I am creating...a mess. Only 3 more days of chaos and boxes....well, until the chaos and boxes descend on Nashville.

I am hearing...clicking keyboard keys.

A few plans for the rest of the week...packing tonight, dinner with Sara and the girls tomorrow, pick up Jim from the airport, work, pack some more, pick out paint colors, move in (temporarily) with parents.

And there you have it. Not much else is going on that's not up in that post somewhere. Hope y'all have a happy hump-day!

Harper Brown, this one's for you...

Or your mama, as the case may be.

I have been reading this blog of sweet Kelly's for quite a while now, and today, the blog world is throwing her a shower.

So, Kelly, Scott, and Harper, here is my gift to you.

Try everything at least once. You never know what may change your life. For example, I wasn't going to get a bouncy seat. Turns out, Seth L-O-V-E-D it. I scoffed at the SwaddleMe/Miracle Blanket contraptions. I stopped laughing when he started sleeping (and has since slept) through the night at 8 weeks.

Don't pressure yourself to "sleep when the baby sleeps." This is probably the one piece of advice you'll get the most, and it's the most ignored by moms, and sometimes with good reason. I'm a structured, perfectionist, Type-A, and I functioned better, on the whole, if I spent 30 minutes throwing a casserole together, taking a shower, or tidying my living room, rather than stressing to sleep. Now don't get me wrong, there are times you are DEAD tired, and you fall asleep nursing. But my point is, if you find yourself with some energy when Harper is napping, use it doing something you love...you will sleep again someday (and probably sooner than you think).

Don't lose sight of your marriage. 'Nough said. ;)

There's more, but that's what the other 500 "shower gifts" are for. Blessings on you and your growing family.

Disconnected

So, I had the best pictorial blog entry all drafted and ready to go. It was going to be the perfect tale of why I'm not blogging right now. But then I realized that the USB cord that connect camera to computer is either a) packed or (more likely) b) in Tennessee, where it would have fallen out of my attache last weekend. Poo.

So, you'll just have to take my word for it: I'm not blogging because I've been overcome by a mess of packing boxes, bubble wrap, Styrofoam, and newspaper. The plan is to resurface next Sunday.

Wish me luck.

Expired

I'm home alone (Seth is partying at Grammie and Grandpa's), waiting for Jim to get back, packing and cleaning.

I just finished tackling the linen closet, and I found a box of pregnancy tests. It was a buy one, get two free special (whoo hoo!)

One test is missing. It was the test I took in September, when I just "knew" I was pregnant. You know, the test that was negative.

Maybe this is why:

It feels like I've been sucker-punched. The "what if" is overwhelming at the moment.

What if I'd checked the box?

What if I'd taken a "good" test?

What if a good test would have been positive, and I'd have called Dr. Gibbs at week 5?

Daina, Mandie, Val -- tell me it wouldn't have mattered. Tell me that I couldn't have prevented it. Because as the weeks come really close to one month, I can't help but ache and hurt and wonder, still, if I was just too stressed, too busy, too preoccupied.

Or maybe my body just wasn't ready....

But still.

Anyway, the tests are in the garbage.

Blek.

(Mom, if you're reading this, don't worry, I'm fine. I just had to vent for a second, you know?)

Okay, back to discovering just how many bars of Irish Spring really are hiding in the closet. Gotta love bulk buying at Costco... ;)

Oh, humor me

So here's my train of thought.

Moving to Tennessee means a whole lot of new. New pediatrician, new time zone (sheesh!), new speed limits, new TV stations, new grocery store chains (buh-bye, Giant Eagle!).

So, what better way to get familiar with Publix than to spend someone else's money? And I have that chance, if I go to this site and enter this photo contest with this photo:

Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

If you want a good read today, go here to meet Adrienne, Jim, and Owen. I have been following their story for a while, and am of course even more intrigued now that we are all going to be "neighbors."

If you have time (today, or whenever), get caught up on their incredible journey to parenthood. Or, just jump right on the bandwagon with today's excitement.

They are eagerly awaiting the birth -- TODAY! -- of a baby girl that will soon (legally) be their daughter. How exciting! Head over there to wish them congratulations.

He's made it to the big time....

I'm a big dork for being proud of this.

For not being one of the "top" names, this year or ever, for that matter, look who has made it into the Pottery Barn Kids catalog:
Not to mention that it is just SUPER cute.

I haven't really run this by Jim yet, but I think I'd like to buy a second Christmas tree when they go on sale after the holidays this year, so that we can have a "pretty" tree in our living room, and a "fun" one in our family room. I already have a tree skirt and two stocking to go with the "pretty" tree, but I think that this Seth airplane stocking has given me the inspiration for the "fun" look I want in the family room.

Whoo-hoo! I love finding things I love, at Pottery Barn, for a good price! Now I just have to decide which other ones to get, and how many..... ;)

Why don't you go take a look at this line and leave me a comment on which other ones we should get. I think I'm going to get 4 (including Seth's), and I know I'm leaning towards getting 2 of the ribbon velvet stockings, too. I'd love to hear what you guys think. Thanks in advance.

X marks the spot

I'm stealing this post from Brittani, mainly because this requires little thought, and my brain is a little frazzled right now. Plus, I've acquired a few new readers in the last few weeks, and this will give you a sneak peek into a little bit more about me.

Instructions: place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not.

(X) Gone on a blind date : Oh my....I guess it wasn't technically a "blind" date, but close enough: I went out on a date with a guy I barely knew. We sat next to each other once a week for lecture when I was....a junior? in college. HUGE mistake. He was apparently a LOT more into me than I was into him. And he was one of those types that you just can't shake, even though you try every thing in the book to get them to go away... I remember standing in our student union having friends coach me: "Monica, just tell him 'no!' Just say it!" I can easily say that HE is the reason I never after that point accepted a blind date.
( ) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die : I don't know that it bears repeating in detail, but to satisfy the morbid curiosity that this "yes" response is sure to trigger: it was when I was 19, the first summer I travelled for PCC, after a Tuesday night service, there was a huge accident between a semi and a minivan in front of the church we were at. Nathan (Carter) and I were the first people on the scene....Anyway.
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico : missions trip in 1998. I'm sad that I don't remember where exactly we went...
(X) Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country : Glad I have a reason to go back, too! Hi, McDairmants and Dillons!
(X) Been to Washington, DC : maybe this'll sound un-American, but really? DC isn't my favorite place.
(X) Swam in the ocean : Pacific, Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico
(X) Cried yourself to sleep : um, Sunday, anyone?
( ) Played cops and robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only : that's what vending machine lunches are all about
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Made prank phone calls
( ) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Stored money in your undergarments
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about : I was just thinking about this ... I was so hoping for a marriage proposal at the time...and of course, now, I'm glad I didn't get it. The donuts were sufficient. ;)
(X) Blown bubbles
( ) Been skinny dipping outdoors
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Got a speeding ticket : Not yet, but I'm sure it's coming. I was reminded on the drive home from Nashville on Sunday just how much of a lead foot I actually have. It's so much easier to "go with the flow" when we're "flowing" at 85 mph!

Titleist

So sorry. This isn't really a blog about golf balls. Or golf at all. It's merely a title-less post, and when I went to put "Title-less" in the [title] box, I thought, "hee hee...title-less. Sounds like Titleist." And there you have my baaaad humor.

But I digress. It's not that the content of this post doesn't warrant a title. (It will [eventually], I promise.) It's more that I couldn't decide between these beauties:

"Are you freakin' kidding me!?"

"Crap!"

"Is that SNOW?!"

Flying Solo

See. Aren't you glad I went with "Titleist"?

So here we go.

Thursday was go-to-Louisville day. The Plan (notice the dual capitalization here, peeps) was to leave around 3 pm and roll into Daina and Jeff's about bedtime. The Plan was for me to take a whole vacation day (I had to go to Target and the bank and pack my weekend bag and do laundry) and Jim would take a half-day. The Plan was working great until about 8:35 am when Jim called to tell me he was in the kitchen. Of our house, not his office building. Why? Why would he be in the kitchen at 8:30? This was not part of The Plan. But apparently The Plan meant nothing to Jim's (former) boss, who let him go to work!!! on Thursday, just so she could escort him right back out, permanently! without notice! Ack!

So now The Plan included Jim and I both driving (as in, he with the truck and trailer and me with the minivan) to Louisville because -- surprise! -- Jim was going to stay in Nashville and start work on Monday. I decided I didn't much like The Plan anymore.

So, off we go, earlier than expected and very much in separate cars. Boo. Stupid former boss. We drive, drive, drive, and pull into Louisville in time to enjoy not just dinner with Daina and Jeff, but also The Office, too, so I guess The Plan - Thursday Installment redeemed itself.

Friday, Jim headed to Nashville with All of The Stuff to close on our new house, and Daina and I kicked off our girls' weekend. And that deserves its own post, which it will get in a bit (but without pictures, because we are big dorks who didn't take any).

So, fast forward 10 hours, to Friday night. Jim calls, and I think the enormity of what we're doing hits us both. We decide he should drive back to Louisville to spend the night (a decision that makes more sense when you realize that the carpets you just had cleaned aren't dry yet, so you can't move in your bed yet, so you have nowhere to sleep). So, Jim drives the 2.5 hours back to Louisville. In the meantime, Daina graciously lets me cut our girls' weekend short, and it is decided that I will return to Nashville Saturday morning with Jim, to help unpack, clean, and shop for necessities.

The Plan isn't looking remotely like it did Thursday morning.

Saturday we unpack, clean, and shop for necessities. (Hey! That's what we planned to do!) We marvel at the size of our rooms, the gunk in the oven, and the absence of the microwave we were sure was above the range. (Yeah, not so much.)

Sunday, we cleaned some more, and then drove to Bowling Green, KY, for lunch and a trip to Home Depot. Wow. We are living large the hillbilly stereotype already! ;)

I kissed Jim goodbye in the Arby's parking lot, and told my butt to kiss some nerve endings goodbye, because I wasn't stopping until I was in my driveway. (As it turns out, I lied, because I stopped in Dayton, OH, for coffee when I was informed it was snowing north of Findlay!

I didn't cry at all the whole trip. Well, not until I got home to my disaster of a half-packed home, and a cold, empty bed. Listening to the strains of Seth's lullaby CD coming through the heating vent is what really pushed me over the edge. That, or him crawling around the house going "Da? Da?" in every room. Here, honey. Just play with the thousand peices of Mommy's heart that are laying here at her feet.

It's just six weeks, and we'll be together for a few hours each weekend. But oh my. There is a lot to do in six weeks.

At least now I know not to bother with a Plan.

Child labor

He did a pretty good job, don't you think?

History

With all of the family issues we've been dealing with the last few weeks, the election has not yet made an appearance on my blog.

But, seeing as history was made yesterday, I thought it fitting to at least acknowledge. And then, a Facebook friend posted this as her status, and I thought it powerful and compelling enough to steal:

"Let us not forget Romans 13:1-5 ... so act like you believe God's Word."

1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.

4 For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

Home Sweet Home

Jim'll probably cringe that I'm posting this for the world, but....whatever. I'll retract the post if he wants.

Anyways. Our home here in Ohio.

We thought we had it rented (yea! renting = no realtor commission!).

But. (Ah, the inevitable "but.") But, that arrangement fell through.

Sigh. It's okay. Really. I've not been worried about getting rid of our house here (though logic says I should be, in this market).

But worry notwithstanding, I figured it couldn't hurt to ask you interpeeps (and yes, I'm officially starting to snag that phrase from BooMama) for your intercession. Pray, please, that our house generates some interest in the next several weeks.

And, if you just so happen to know of anyone looking to rent or buy in NW Ohio, lemme know. (Hey, you never know what the six-degrees-of-separation will turn up on the Internet.

Thanks, gang.

To be continued.

9 months professional shoot