Well, how about that? This is the last monthly installment of our “mini anniversaries.” Next month, we’ll officially start counting in years. Pretty amazing.
I’ve found myself reflecting on where I was in my life one year ago. Have I ever expressed just how happy I am that I started blogging? At first, I started Road to the Aisle just for me. I was so excited to be engaged and getting married, and I wanted to chronicle the whole thing. I never expected anyone to read it, but once people started doing so, I remained motivated to blog because of it. I have always sort of felt an obligation to keep it up because of all of you, and I am just so glad I did.
I love going back and reading it all, but I especially love the entries in the month leading up to the wedding, and of course the wedding itself, and then the honeymoon. For whatever reason, those posts take me right back to that time, and I can feel the feelings–I can relive it all.
It’s possible I might touch on this stuff again once we hit the one year mark, but when I look back at this post, sent from my BlackBerry, right before I went inside the church to get married? I feel the anticipation all over again. And it’s funny, too, because I was standing there by myself just waiting, and trying to pass the time, and when I first thought about taking a photo and posting it on the blog, I laughed at myself. Noooo, certainly I shouldn’t do that. How stupid of me, to be thinking about my blog at a time like this. But I did it anyway. Now, it’s probably one of my favorite posts I ever put up on Road to the Aisle. And it doesn’t even contain any words! Oddly enough, it happened to post at the exact time my wedding ceremony was scheduled to start–2:00 p.m. I look at the timestamp and I can’t help but smile.
One year ago, I was preparing for a bachelorette party. Making jewelry. Hunting down late RSVPs. Designing rehearsal invitations. Trying out a spray tan. Doing funny things in my sleep. Getting licensed. Running into issues with programs (then fixing issues with programs). Indulging in a glass (or two) of wine almost every night. Bidding adieu to work for three weeks. Losing weight without even trying.
What a crazy time that was. I don’t have any desire to do it again (except for maybe the effortless weight loss; that, I could live with). I’m grateful to be living a more relaxed lifestyle this year. But wow, looking back on all of that? F-U-N.
Three weeks to the day after we mailed in our passport applications, I received mine in the mail today.
Just mine for now–we’re still waiting on Michael’s. Mine was faster because it was a renewal, while Michael’s was a first-time application.
And apparently our DIY passport photos were approved just fine, which was a relief. (I was just a teensy bit worried.)
The new passports are weird. Instead of having the photo and information on the inside of the front cover, it’s on the back of the first page. So it’s paper thin, and the photo isn’t actually pasted in there–it was clearly scanned in and printed directly on the page. According to the paperwork that came with my passport book, it also has a computer chip embedded in it somewhere so that it can be scanned to reveal all of my information. Ah, the wonders of modern technology.
I’m now free to move about the country WORLD!
I didn’t like strawberries until I was about 16-17 years old. I know, *gasp!*
But I grew up as an extremely picky eater. In fact, I’m still kind of picky, but I’m not even remotely as bad as I used to be. I don’t really remember any “bad experiences” with strawberries from my younger days, but for whatever reason, I hadn’t given them a chance in years. Then I was at a friend’s graduation party and the strawberries just looked SO GOOD. So I decided to give them a shot, and well, I’ve never looked back. In terms of fruit, they have easily become one of my favorites.
And so it is always a pleasure when I walk into the grocery store this time of year and see the HUGE displays of strawberries right as I walk in the door. It’s also around this time of year that the prices drop to 2 lbs. for $3 (usually $5 throughout the rest of the year). Not only that, but the strawberries get GOOD. So tasty.
I’ve picked up 2 lbs. of strawberries each week for the last few weeks, but we’ve been going through them too quickly. So this week, I decided to go big… 4 lbs.! Check out this huge box of delicious-looking berries:
Hell yes. Breakfast, lunches, snacks, desserts… so many possibilities.
One of my favorite things to make with strawberries is a light dessert… a little strawberry shortcake. I was turned onto this dessert a few years ago, when I was on Weight Watchers. I loved how I could “indulge” in a little something after dinner, and for so few points!
It starts with a little dessert cup, sold pre-made in (I think) most grocery stores. I top that with some fat free whipped topping, then a handful of sliced strawberries. YUM. And so… summery. I love it.
Summer is almost here… I can’t believe Memorial Day is this weekend. Wow. We’ve started summer hours at work, which is obviously awesome. We come in a bit earlier Monday through Thursday, but then we get half day Fridays. It’s quite the perk.
Other than that, not much else going on around these parts, which is why I’ve been kind of quiet on the blog for the last two weeks or so. Last week, I was mostly dead tired and didn’t feel like doing much of anything… going into work earlier every day took its toll. But this week, I’m feeling much more adjusted.
Oh! And I am constantly thinking about and waiting on that baby. Sounds like he will be here early next week at the latest (will likely resort to induction). I can’t wait!
For the last two weeks or so, I have been on edge. Waiting, watching, hoping, willing, praying. I’m excited and impatient. I’m expecting a very important phone call, you see.
I’m waiting to hear that my sister-in-law is in labor, and heading to the hospital.
It’s true that I normally get antsy whenever someone close to me is about to give birth. This isn’t unusual for me. I’m just always anxious to meet the babies! But this time, my excitement is increased tenfold. For one, this is my brother’s baby… which just seems so weird. Not only that, but little Hunter’s birth is going to be very special for me.
It’s going to be my first time witnessing a baby being brought into the world. That’s right; Trevor and Kara have asked me to join them in the delivery room.
I am beyond excited. My primary “job” is going to be to take photos–lots and lots of photos. We want to capture the emotions and the experience of the whole process, from the beginnings of labor, all the way through the aftermath of delivery (i.e. everyone getting to meet the baby).
I’ll admit that I’m a little bit nervous. Not so much about the medical stuff, but as an “amateur” at photography, I just want to make sure I don’t screw this up. The kid will only ever be born once! I am feeling the pressure to do a decent job.
More than anything, though, I am honored to be asked. I’m going to have the opportunity to watch a person take his first breath. That’s pretty freaking amazing. I’m also going to witness the moment my “baby” brother becomes a father. I sort of get all misty just thinking about it! I hope I don’t bawl. I should at least be able to hold myself together well enough to get some good pictures. :)
So now it’s just a waiting game. Kara’s doctors seemed to give the impression they thought the baby would come a little early, so they kind of set the expectation that there wouldn’t be long to wait. And well, that was like two weeks ago! The waiting has been a bit torturous!
The official due date is on Tuesday, and Kara is ready–more than ready–for this little guy to make his debut. It seems as though he might be a little too comfortable in there. We went to my cousin’s graduation party today and everyone gave the baby a good stern talking to (especially my grandma–if he doesn’t listen to her, I don’t know that he’ll listen to anyone!).
Here’s hoping he starts to make his way out very soon. He’s been baking in there long enough; he should be good and done by now. It’s eviction time.
The world is ready for you, little guy. We can’t wait to meet you.
It started off well. I skipped the gym today in favor of enjoying time outside, opting instead to take Tessa for a long walk. When we left the house, it was really nice out. Warm, and even a little bit sunny.
But just as we reached our halfway point, just as we were the furthest away from home we could possibly be while on our route, the skies decided to open up.
At first, it was just a few drops. I didn’t think much of it.
Then it started to sprinkle. It actually felt refreshing.
Then? Pretty steady rain. I thought, well, we’ll probably be pretty wet by the time we get home. But I continued to listen to my iPod, and figured we’d be fine.
But then things suddenly changed. The wind picked up, and all of a sudden, it started pouring. I was getting pelted in the face with rain, and I had to continually wipe my eyes because I was getting to a point where I was dripping wet.
When we were a little more than half a mile from home, I started to worry about my iPod and BlackBerry. I took out my earbuds and stuffed everything deep down into the pockets of my shorts. And then? We made a run for it.
Part of a shortcut to get home cuts across a school’s property, and when we were running down past the school, I started to hear thunder and saw small flashes of lightning. (Oh, and in case you’re wondering, it was still teeming rain.) I decided that it probably wasn’t a good time to go running across an open field, so I made a quick decision to bolt down toward the school and seek cover under a small overhang by one of the doors.
We waited it out for about 5 minutes, at which point I wasn’t hearing much thunder anymore. The rain was still coming down, but not quite as badly as before. And so we ran. And RAN. We took the quickest, most direct route we could, splashing through ginormous puddles and cutting across muddy grass. Don’t forget–my little dog is 11 lbs. and has approximately 6-inch legs. But she was a trooper.
When we got home, I couldn’t resist taking a few photos and a little video of just how wet we actually were. SOAKED! Completely and utterly soaked (including my knickers!). I actually wringed an impressive amount of water out of my socks, shorts, and t-shirt.
But in the end, my iPod and BlackBerry survived (thankfully!), and we made it home safely. So it was actually kinda fun. It was quite the adventure.
Oh, and for the record? It’s no longer raining. And of course it isn’t. Why would it be, now that we’re inside?
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
