road trippin' again

After a successful first leg with my grandfather keeping me awake at the wheel, Christie has joined the cross-country crusade.

It's been an amazing few months with family, but El Paso calls. And though I never thought I'd say it, I'm looking forward to getting back. Tomorrow we'll leave Tennessee and hopefully make some good time and sprint to Texas for the night. We'll see how it goes. We'll see you on the other side.

quilting weekend in albuquerque

Don't forget to enter here for the quilt giveaway. The deadline is tonight at midnight, so hurry!

Some of my girlfriends must have known that I wasn't too keen on being back in El Paso after our super-fun San Diego trip... So, they promptly planned a Girls' Weekend to Albuquerque, NM. Why? Because we all like to quilt and there are a ton of fabric stores in Albuquerque. So really the question is, Why not? Sarah, Christie, Lindsay and I (the Crafternoon crew) hopped in a car and off we went.

And it was super-fun. I now have 6 fabric stores worth of inspiration, and a few purchases to make that inspiration come to life. Gosh, I love to sew. Who knew? After one set of purchases, we all received a free fat quarter of our choice. But our choices were pretty much hideous, all in the "southwest" vein. So we decided to split the free loot with the assignment of having to make something to remember the weekend. Mine turned into the souvenir above - note the "gem" dangling in the middle. It will hang in my new craft nook that I'm still in the process of making. ...To always remind me of:

• laughing so hard I almost peed my pants in Hallmark
• staring very indecisively among bolts of fabric... often
  
• being the first one to sleep one night because I was sooooo tired
• learning lots about friends as we played "Loaded Questions" in the car
• seeing my first transvestite hooker
• almost dozing off during an Indian ritual dance
  
• keeping Sarah happy by keeping to her well-planned schedule
• always being early out the door in the morning (four girls and one bathroom!) and yet still managing to be late places
• GPS-ing Starbucks on more than one occasion
• going into the weekend believing Albuquerque was the "gem of the southwest", only to be a little disappointed (see bullet point #5)
• but still thinking Albuquerque is pretty darn cool.
  

So here's some pictures of the weekend that include many new inside jokes (that's when you know you've arrived as a group of friends, right?) and other bits of crazy.

Twinkies... the joke that overtook the weekend

My good luck in finding European pretzels at a farmer's market

Perhaps my next quilt? Love it!

Lindsay and I with our new purchases

san diego

Our trip to San Diego was just what the doctor ordered. It was the perfect little vacation for two people who needed to just get out of El Paso for a while. It was a long drive (11+ hours), but sometimes the best conversations happen in the car.

We'd intended to stay in a hotel on the beach which we could only afford because of Jim's military connection (thank you, Navy Lodge). But a quick call to a friend opened up the opportunity to stay at his empty condo for the weekend, free of charge. And since free is cheaper that even a military discount, we went for it. So instead of staying on Coronado Island as originally planned, we spent most of our time in the charming little town of Carlsbad, CA. His place was a few blocks from the ocean, and this was the view outside our room every morning:
I pinched myself alot. While he was away, we watched his dog, Pax, who couldn't have been easier. (So if you see a dog in any pictures, don't worry, we didn't shave Roxy and dye her black.)

Some highlights of the week were a trip to Ikea, burgers from In and Out, walks along the beach, Balboa Park, dinner on Coronado Island, a guy who played the guitar with his feet, amazing flowers everywhere that smelled oh so good, shrimp tacos at Pedros Tacos, sleeping in, and just lots of quality time together.

This is my favorite picture which I think captures the trip well. I was having a hankerin' for some In and Out (seriously, you have to go) and a frappuccino, so I ran out and brought home some yumminess to share with Jim on the porch. And this is what we did for much of the trip - we hung out together, enjoying the friendship that has evolved over the past 5 years:

More pictures from the weekend:

Balboa Park

a really cute couple at Balboa Park

a phenominal guitar player

one of our many walks

a cactus that I fell in love with

Bouganvilla, my new favorite flower
(which, thanks to Lowes, is now in our backyard)

The trip was so perfect that I cried on the way home. Some people would call it pregnancy hormones, but I just didn't want it to end.

my very first baby shower

First I should mention that I was absolutely surprised. Which is kinda dumb because every year when we get together, we ALWAYS throw a shower for whomever is pregnant. But there I was, standing in the doorway as surprised as ever. Here's the proof:

The whole shower was perfect. It started with an adorably decorated table. Since the sex isn't known yet, it was a Book Shower. Which means my kid will be really really smart. So the theme was Sweet Dreams, as in reading books to your baby before bed. Such a perfect theme.
Get it? They set the table like a bed. So clever.

Then, the food. They really put a lot of thought into it. Apparently Plan A was a Mexican fiesta, since I live near the border an all. But luckily I have a blog where I mentioned that Mexican food makes me want to hurl. So they moved to Plan B: a brunch, complete with homemade Egg McMuffins. Again, brilliant.

I should mention that there a few moments where it became clear how ill-prepared I am for motherhood. As I opened book after book, there were a few familiar ones that stood out. Goodnight Moon, the Golden Books, Dr. Suess... But there were so many that I didn't know. And as soon as I opened them up, there was a chorus of moms who said in unison, "Oh, that's a good one," and at times they even broke out with the words memorized! How can I compete with that? I guess I need to study up. I only have 4 and a half months until show time, you know.

I even found out a little secret that some of my very favorite blogger friends were planning on trekking to central PA for the occasion. Which really humbled me. You guys are awesome.

(I did get to see Amy over at Vileation for a fly-by visit. Even got to meet her Jake (cute baby) and Luther (infamous dog). But somehow, I don't think a picture exists of us together. Amy, any chance you can prove me wrong?)

There were some shower games, to include this picture of my future baby:I think I have Cindy to thank for this beautiful piece of artwork.

So it was fun and later that week I packed my suitcase full of baby books and Target gift cards. And lots of love from my friends.
I do have such great friends.

catching up: homecoming '08

(Remember weeks ago when I went to Homecoming and never posted about it?  Well it's 5:30am in Germany and I'm sitting up with jet lag and a cold.  Thought I'd catch you all up while I was at it.)

(that's me, #7, in the front middle)

My final day in PA a few weeks ago was packed.

Kerri and I had to get up crazy early to drive the two and a half hours so I could play in the alumni lacrosse game. I will preface this by saying I haven't played in 9 years. And it showed. Here are some pictures that make me look like quite an athlete, but don't be fooled. I fell twice (as in spread eagle, stick flying), missed two very easy shots on goal (I'm defense, people!) and got winded faster than expected. But I had a blast.

looking for the girl I'm supposed to be covering

picking my nosebeing happy and cold all at the same time

But that was just the beginning. Afterwards and looking rather grubby with my grass-stained knees, my friend Elizabeth and I went to the Math department alumni mixer. It was good to see old professors and just generally feel smart again. Except when asked what I did with my degree and my answer was various forms of "sort of nothing".

Then the much needed shower. As Elizabeth and I grabbed our bags we made some passing joke about communal showers. Always a bad omen.

The first locker room we found had one very large and intimidating communal shower. The second one at least had two small ones. So she took one and I took the other. With every voice I heard walk down the hall, I was terrified the entire volleyball team would decend upon my sad little body, shaking in the shower.  Despite the longest 10 minutes in my life I got clean and ready for the rest of my day.

Kerri humored me with a quick walk through the science halls of Rockwell, my home away from home for four years. Did you know I was such a geek?

We caught up with old friends for lunch on the Quad and chatted about the last 9 years. We were just getting ready to leave after halftime when we ran into a bunch of upperclassmen we'd been looking for, to include Crafty P and Vileation! I lament not having more time with them. It was a crazy day and I couldn't be more peeved at myself for rushing out like I did. Silly me.

But I did get some good quality time with friends Cindy and Emily. Seeing them made the day completely worth it.

Emily, me, Kerri, Cindy

(Little did I know it looked as though I was being strangled by a snowman all day.)

Kerri and I made the trek home, watched/listened to Penn State beat Michigan in their own homecoming game, and then crashed hard. We caught the beginning of Sarah Palin on SNL and called it a night.

It was such a great day. Hopefully I can do it again next year!

the travels begin...

I'm sorry, folks. I had high hopes of blogging the weekend away, but alas... Thursday we saw all of our earthly possessions drive away in a moving truck. Friday Jim graduated from the school he's been in all summer. The weekend, as always, was jam-packed. And tomorrow we fly to Germany.

Needless to say, my computer time has been scarce. I don't know how much I'll be able to post while I'm gone, but I'll do my best. Expect pictures, pictures, pictures!

Auf Weidersehen, all!

a quick aside

While I was off gallivanting across Pennsylvania, Roxy was making a new friend. Kerri's rat terrier Samson offered to keep Roxy company, and she couldn't have been more pleased. They played and napped and barked at squirrels together. It was grand.

My favorite photo series is "Roxy finds her perfect spot".

Apparently she slept like that for an hour. I assume Sampson was on the big bed. Go figure.

As it turns out, Sampson had a good time, too. After Kerri mailed me my camera (I can be so forgetful!), this is what we found.

Thanks, Samson. Roxy said she misses you, too.

things you missed: the weekend with Kerri

Ah, my dear friend Kerri. You've met her before here. And been awed by her mad DJ skills here. And maybe even watched her/us here.


Well, once again Kerri and I were reunited for some seriously needed best friend time. This last weekend was great - as it always is with her. On Thursday we tried out a new pizza joint for dinner, the Inferno Brick Oven, and were sadly disappointed. But no worries. I salvaged the evening by shopping for shoes around downtown State College while Kerri was at worship practice.

I will say, though, that walking around a college town is a very interesting experience. I learned a few things: Uggs are still very "in", Penn State fans are intense, feeling like I look really young and blend in is a bit disconcerting, and if you're in the right place at the right time you might get a proposal from a guy hanging out a car window. Strange.

Then off to meet Kerri for her church's prayer service. I reunited with a bunch of friends from days past when I lived there working with their college ministry. It was great to see all that has happened in the last 8 years, including how God has worked in peoples' lives. All in all, it was a night of encouragement. (Your read the part about the proposal, right?)

But, Friday was a highlight for me. I got to see Kerri "gig".


Doesn't she look amazing here? We drove out to Lock Haven on Friday night to watch Kerri Lee Smith perform for a small crowd at a coffee shop. It was a late night but well worth it as I have never seen her live since college. I felt like a groupy again. Her hit of the night was Dog Shake That Squirrel, which, if you have a dog you'll totally appreciate.

After the hour ride home we dragged ourselves to bed because the next morning we had to get up EARLY to head to Grove City College for our 9 year homecoming... woohoo!

But those stories are soooo good, they'll have to wait for another post.

things you missed: Tuesday-Thursday with Becky

Hello internet friends. If you're reading this, it's because you haven't given up on me. Thanks! I've been very busy indeed with moving details. All of our earthly possessions were boxed up today. Tomorrow they drive away in a truck. The other night I had a dream that I was teaching a class to Army wives on how to move. Everything went terribly wrong as dreams do. Gratefully I awoke to probably the most stressless move I'll ever have.

But I digress.

On Tuesday, I drove the most beautiful drive. From MD to PA the trees grew more and more amazing. I love PA's rolling hills (mountains?) in the fall. That is something I will definitely miss while in TX. (Remind me to post some cactus needles falling next October.) One of my favorite parts of fall is the wind through the trees. A breeze of red, yellow, and orange leaves flittering down like confetti. I can't help but think God's throwing me my own personal party. Love it!

Then I made it to Becky's.

We have a fun story. We went to Grove City College together, but she was a few years behind me. I knew her, but not well. Many, many years later, 2006 to be exact, we randomly ran into each other on our Army post in KY. I did one of those double-takes, we caught up, and we've been great friends ever since. In fact, for 2 years she lived just down the street from me and we saw each other just about every day. And talk about crafty! This girl can sew. She can out-quilt me any day. And none of that easy patchwork stuff. She does it all. Wedding ring, log cabin, stars, applique. you name it. I didn't even know what "stitch in the ditch" was until I met her. We've spent many a night in front of Pride and Prejudiced (the long one!) with our crafts in hand.

Well she and I had a great time. I got to meet her new 5 week old and played a ton with her daughter, 2. And she even made me my favorite - tacos. We spent much of the time at her house which was fine by me. With one important exception.

On Wednesday I flew in an airplane! Yup, a Super-Cub to be exact. Her hubby Joe is a pilot and borrowed a friend's plane so I could see the trees from a totally different perspective. Man, was it awesome. He even let me "fly" as there were controls by my seat. I put "fly" in quotes because I freaked myself out, convinced I would send us into a tailspin. After about 30 seconds I pleaded that he take back the controls. Later, after a courage-lifting internal pep talk, I gave it another go and lasted about a minute and half. Flying is apparently not my thing. I just assume look out the window, thank you very much.


So a big shout-out goes to Becky who opened her farmhouse to me, complete with homemade food, cozy quilts, good conversation and memories galore! I miss you already.