Entertaining

We've had company all week (my dad and stepmom) hence the lack of
posting. It's been a wonderfully relaxing time... We've tried a few
new restaurants (yum!), relaxed around the house, swam, gone to the
movies (ice age 3 is so cute!) and we've ALL taken 2+ hour naps every
day!! And of course I've cooked them a few delicious meals. I love
entertaining!

Fun with friends

We had a big BBQ with friends tonight. After an hour of swimming, a
HUGE meal (including buffalo dip of course!), the kids all curled up
on their "picnic" blanket and watched little mermaid happily. A fun
sunday afternoon tradition!

Delicious happiness

My MIL makes the most AMAZING dip EVER. I could eat this stuff by the spoonful! I love it with tortilla chips or veggies (great with celery). YUM!!

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 pkgs of low-fat cream cheese
1.5 cups low-fat ranch dressing
1 cup buffalo hot sauce (I like a lot so I drizzle more on top)
1.5 cups low-fat cheddar cheese

Sooooooo amazingly delicious. And easy... leave it in the crockpot while you're off enjoying your BBQ!

Oh, and for those who asked for the fried green tomato recipe, it's easy! Just slice up the green tomatoes, dip in a little flour/salt/pepper and fry in olive oil until crispy. YUM!!

HOME!

Ahhhh!

Oh my. 11 days is too long to be spending with anyone's in-laws, no matter how much we enjoy them. We were both getting cranky by the end of the trip. And Amelia asked to go home to see Lola almost every day (but now that we're home, she's asking for her Nana's house).

But I will always love the happy memories we made. We had SO many outdoor BBQs in the amazingly cool summer weather (seriously- you northerners are so lucky! it's unbearable in FL). The kids splashed in the pool and on the slip-n-slide. Our best couple friends, Amy & Tom, got to spend 4 nights with us! Happy times!!

And I won't even get started on how MUCH food we ate. We ate & ate & ate & ate every single day. Tons of potlocks and crockpot dips (like buffalo chicken cheese dip- holy deliciousness!). I got to take a 2 hour nap almost every day. We played games with the family, watched movies, and I read 4 books. It was a lovely, relaxing time.

But man oh man, it is GOOD to be home! I love sleeping in my own bed. Checking my mail. Having my computer around. Lounging in my PJs for as long as I want. Ahhhh!

Artistic creations

My MIL thinks I must have too much spare time, but I told her I just
love play-dough. Amelia instructed me to make a family of crocodiles
and I did my best. Amelia made a "gwoss scary snake" and lots of food
creations (and informed me I had to only pretend to eat it or it would
be really really gwoss).

Random remote thoughts

We've been traveling now for 11 days... Which is a little too long to
be spending with someone elses family. Granted, I actually LOVE my
MIL. We chat on the phone 3-4 times a week and get along great. My FIL
is another story. I've posted before about how he owes us $$$$ (it's
been years and I'm guessing we'll never see it again). The money thing
isn't as much of an issue (besides the fact that things are often
tight for us) as is the fact that he lied and kept it all from his
wife!!! I refuse to be a part of that. He disrespects her, tells her
to shutup in front of us, and requires her to wait on him hand and
foot. Ugh. It makes me sick. I know there are always two sides to a
story, but this is a story I'd rather not see up close. (sorry I just
HAD to get that out)

We've had some great times though... Lots of dinners with cousins
(amelia is having sooo much fun!), snacks at Ritas (YUM!!!), and the
best part is tons of girl time with Amy!!! She's spent 3 nights with
us and we've had so much fun!! We did a little shopping, walking, and
a ton of chatting. Love her!!!

Now the AC is broke and we're trying to make the most of fans and the
slip n slide. And ritas Italian ice...

Sent from my iPhone

Comfy

Wearing my first pair of maternity pants today. Not a necessity but
definitely a pleasure!! (10 weeks on Friday, no weight gain yet)

Sent from my iPhone

Lazy summer days

Slip n sliding all afternoon with cousins
Watermelon and Popsicles
Roller skating after dinner

I love summer!!!

Something missing...

Went to dinner with my brother (the new lawyer! So proud of him!) at
PF Changs. Got our lettuce wraps with... One piece of lettuce??

Mini fried green tomatoes

Mmmm. One of my absolute all-time favorites. As in this would be an
item on my "last meal" tray.

A pesky iguana has been leisurely making his way through all my patio
tomatoes, so I decided to put a stop to it and eat them myself.
Resulting in the tiniest fried green tomatoes! With enormous delicious
flavor, though. Have I mentioned I adore this dish?!

Fathers day dinner

So happy to celebrate 2 amazing men this year... H and my stepdad (who
raised me- I call him Dad). We spent the day at a sandbar beach about
20 minutes offshore, then BBQd in style!

Seriously depressing

I felt so sad while watching the Jon & Kate + 8 divorce announcement tonight.

How can two people become total strangers like that? Actually, as we learned during our rough patch last year, it's easy. Little distances become big before you blink and next thing you know, you're doing anything you can to avoid talking about it. It's harder to be close than it is to grow apart. Thankfully, we've passed that phase (phew) but it's still a sad memory.

Two of our best friends (Australia and Doctor) are getting a divorce. The first of our married friends (and I'm sure not the last). It's hard for us to establish new roles in their relationship, since we couple-dated with them, we had our little girls together, and we vacationed with them.

Now we are re-building the relationship as individuals and it's not going as well as I hoped. Australia has completely pulled away from me as she is exploring her new single life. I am nesting with my family and she is partying with new friends and coworkers while her 3-year old daughter hangs out with her in-laws. I am not judging her... but I don't understand. I know she wants to push away the reminders of their marriage for now, but it hurts my feelings. I call, email, text her with no response. I'm not giving up on her or our friendship. Maybe this is just another phase that will one day be a sad memory.

Also known as: I really like to eat

Just glanced at my FB status updates over the last week or so and noticed a pattern... I really like to eat. Almost all of these involve food in some form (or the beach/pool).

GFF:

...cheeseburgers in paradise.

...heading out to eat garlic golden crabs with the family (welcome to KW!)

...is making a delicious lemon cake (GG's recipe of course!) and getting ready for company this weekend! Happy.

...Amelia just told me she wants to buy a dragon shirt for her daddy for Father's Day. Love the 3-year old mind!

...is eating the most delicious apple ever.

...has a belly full of B's homemade spaghetti sauce, a sparkling clean house (so clean!!) and a slight sunburn from hours in the pool. Perfect ending to a great day!

...is excited to hit the beach with friends today. And some watermelon of course.

...is thinking Amelia should be more exhausted from swimming in the pool all afternoon... instead, she is singing "Little Mermaid" to herself in bed!

...has been fishing off the dock with Amelia all morning... she is better at casting the line than I am!

...is grading exams, watching Benjamin Button, and eating watermelon.

...enjoyed breakfast with the roosters at Blue Heaven this morning.

...and Amelia had a picnic in the living room while watching SYTYCD tonight.. she said, "Picnwics are my fav-wit!"

PS. Side note... I really, really love reading people's status updates.

Guest Blog- Samira Armin Hodges

I reviewed Milestones a few weeks ago (loved it!) and now it's time for Samira's blog tour! Her first stop is here in Florida today :) You can follow the rest of the tour on her blog.

An excerpt from Milestones:

“Hazel spent the entire school year trying to track down the lost camp members, but none of them returned her phone calls or wrote her back. It was like they had disappeared off the face of the planet.”

Q. You are a new author in the industry so please take a minute and introduce yourself to all the YA fans out there and tell us a bit about yourself.. :

A. To quote Austin Powers, "Allow myself to introduce....myself". So hello! My name is Samira Armin Hodges and I'm a 29 year old medical school graduate. I am about to start my residency in Pediatrics and I live in Texas with my husband and two dogs (Carrie Bean and Cocoa Bean). My debut novel, Milestones, comes out this August 1st and I'm very excited! It is a story that I've been wanting to share with the world for some time now and I am thrilled that this dream of mine is starting to becoming a reality.

Q. If you could only use one word to describe Milestones what would it be?

A. Unpredictable. :)

Q. Tell us a little about the book.

A. Milestones tells the story of an average fourteen year old girl named Faye Martin. One day, Faye gets hit by lightning and before she can help it, her entire life takes an unexpected turn. To her surprise, she ends up at a mysterious sleep-over summer camp with a handful of other unsuspecting teenagers. It doesn't take long for the campers to begin hunting for some answers together....all in hopes to uncover the "secret" of this strange place called Camp Milestone.

Q. Is there something you want people to take away with them after reading Milestones, is there a message there?

A. Absolutely. The moral of the story is that reading is an extremely powerful tool with endless benefits.

Q. Was Milestones always meant to be a trilogy?

A. Yes, always. From the moment the story was formed, it was meant to take place over three consecutive years. And what a better way to tell it than to write it as a trilogy (one book per year). Makes sense, right?

Q. Do you have anymore books planned after the trilogy?

A. I sure do. I already have two more stories brewing -- you'd think I'm talking about a tea --- and if all goes well, I would love to share those with the YA audience as well.

Q. Will they contain any of the same characters?

A. Likely no. For reasons I cannot explain yet, the Milestones characters are unique to this trilogy. But I promise that the new, unwritten characters will also be equally entertaining.

Q. Do you have a favorite character in the story (other than Faye Martin, the main character) and why are they your favorite.

A. Wow! This is like asking me to choose a favorite child. Honestly? I have a special place in my heart for every character in Milestones. Spoken like a mom, right? Okay, let me try again. Well, I have to say that the character of Niki always warms my heart simply because she's got the best heart. Hazel is the one you can count on to always speak her mind (which goes a long way in my world) ---- and Diane? Don't overlook her. She'll become quite important in the future.

Q. And finally, can you give us any clues to the "Secret" of Milestones?

A. Hmmm.. That's a toughie. Truthfully, I feel as though it's better to go into it without any expectations. Let's just say that the story of Milestones is a perfect example of a "wolf in sheep's clothing". We'll just leave it at that. :)

Thank you so much for having me! :)
********************************************************
Thank YOU, Samira! I am so excited for your book debut and I know it will ROCK!!

yes!

I am finally starting to feel like myself again today... and hungry! Yippee!

I think it was the frozen coke icee I drank on the way home from work (my end-of-pregnancy craving with Amelia).

Rambling post, blame pregnancy brain

7w4d... Had my second OB visit (down 1 lb from the first thanks to constant nausea). The baby has grown exponentially in the last 2 weeks!

My OB has an US machine in his office so does an ultrasound at many of the visits. I had to have another one today because I have an intra.placental hemor.rhage in my uterus, which sounds a lot scarier than it is. It's basically just a big clot in the uterine wall that the body should re-absorb back over time. I made the mistake of googling it and promptly closed the page in terror. My OB assured me that we were all perfectly A-OK and to go on with our lives as normal!

Amelia and H got to see the baby today (which really still looks like a cute lil blob with a beating heart) and they were so excited! We finished the day with lunch at Subway (grilled chicken sub, YUM!) and a shopping trip before heading to the pool. Amelia started swim lessons this week and she is doing great!

Another pregnancy symptom that's been bothering me is my emotional rollercoaster ride. I feel overwhelmingly sad in one instant, feeling like my life is empty of meaningful friendships down here, then the next I am exceedingly happy and thankful for all the families we've gotten to know. A lot of it is because 4 of the couples- eight of our friends and their children!- have moved away in the last month. Three of these couples were our go-to babysitters and weekend BBQ pals. Our routine has been disrupted and we're adding new friends in the mix... always exciting but also exhausting. We've recently started hanging out with the cutest little blond family and we love them! They are huge G@tor fans so we're psyched for football season. I wish I had MK and Amy down the road... then my life would feel much more complete.

hmmm

That's how I've been feeling about food lately. Nothing sounds good. I have to force myself to eat every few hours to diminish the nausea (I didn't have this with Amelia). Dry cereal, saltines, fresh fruit.

Being pregnant with #2 is so, so different. I was re-reading some of my old blogs from my pregnancy with Amelia and they were very similar: eat, sleep, play with friends, take a nap, gym, go to dinner with friends, take another nap... I was so freaking lazy!

Now I've been trying to just get through the day with a sassy 3 year old, play in the pool with her, go to work, and make our family some nutritious meals every night (we've been making it a point over the last year to sit down as a family and eat every evening).

One night we did a vegetarian meal with ginger marinated tofu (MK remember making this for me years ago?). Amelia loved it!!!
Of course, after such a healthy meal, we topped it off with a delicious treat :)
Italian beef, salad, watermelon another night.
A favorite for our lunches... grilled cheese and tomato soup:
And finally, one of the 100 or so pictures I found on my camera. Amelia loves to get ahold of it and take a ton of silly pictures (her feet, our TV, my legs while I'm doing dishes, etc.). Silly!

Good place to spend a Sunday

Amelia's little surprise

Amelia was (as usual) fighting her nap/"quiet time" the other day. Suddenly, all was quiet and I thought she'd fallen asleep. I started to relax, finally... quiet in the house!

Then I hear Amelia... "Mommy! I have a surprise for you! A submarine! Come see your surprise!"

And, alas, I did have a submarine for a surprise... on the door. It was SO HARD not to bust out laughing at this!

Perfect in every way!

I laughed, cried, laughed and cried some more. Amelia couldn't peel her eyes from the screen (except for occasional searches for popcorn). I even heard a few laugh-out-loud chuckles from H, who is notoriously quiet in movies. Loved it!!!

blech

Been spending the last week in a nausea-induced haze. Trying to eat the meals I can and make sure they're packed with protein and fresh ingredients. Like these mojo pork chops. I thought they were a great idea but then regretted it for the next 3 hours as I miserably tried to ignore my rolling stomach. Luckily, none of our guests complained!
The one meal that is kind to me, every morning... a bowl of fresh fruit and some simple strawberry oat type cereal.
And in totally random news... Lola is the prettiest lil cat!


Trying to remind myself that there's only 6 more weeks until the 2nd trimester...

cutest spinal cord ever!

I definitely feel pregnant today.

I lost my entire breakfast of watermelon this morning while loading Amelia in the car... yech. It was just too hot, she was fighting me every step of the way ("I do it myself! Mommy you hurt my boo-boo!") and next thing I knew, I was leaning over into our yard. While my neighbors worked in theirs. Nice!

I was considerably cheered up at my OB appt this morning while looking at the cutest little spinal cord and yolk sac! We even saw the heart cells twitching- so freaking cool!!!!

Amelia & I celebrated with a Taco Bell picnic on the beach and a long hour at the beach playground. It's already so freaking hot- it's going to be a long, hot summer!

Good Day

Today I:

• ate an entire fresh mango for breakfast
• and a blackberry, raspberry, banana smoothie for lunch (mmm!)
• taught a class full of polite, interested students (trust me, a rarity)
• picked up some new books from the library (yay!)
• took Amelia on a long walk around the neighborhood
• felt the ocean breeze on that long walk
• ate a chocolate popsicle with her on the front steps of our house as the sun was going down

better

H got home from his conference and I unloaded my emotions with a few tears and hysterical rantings (he was like, "huhhh???" but so sweet about listening). He patted my back, offered to help (by mopping the floor and vacuuming) and we had a nice dinner. Amelia was an angel all night and I was (once again) wondering where the crazy tears were coming from earlier!

Gotta love the emotional roller coasters...

hormonal

I am already just exhausted. I remember this from my first pregnancy, but before Amelia, I could nap whenever I wanted, sleep until 10:30, lounge on my couch and watch TV leisurely... now I am chasing after a very, very sassy 3 year old whose mission seems to be to be as naughty as possible.

She pushes me to my very last limit... then pushes a little more. Some days I feel like I am the most horrible mother in the world because I keep losing my temper. How do I let a 3 year old get the best of me? But then I take a deep breath, step back, and try to look at the big picture (sometimes that works). And then she'll be so dang cute & sweet that I think I'm crazy for ever getting frustrated.

H has been gone a lot for work (he just went to a conference for a week) and that just makes me resentful. I know he can't help it, but I am jealous of him spending peaceful nights in nice hotels and eating at quiet restaurants with his buddies while I am doing dishes and laundry and trying to get Amelia to eat something else besides ice cream.

I've been so nauseous that none of my delicious food seems tasty (except watermelon).

And I'm tired.

But happy to be pregnant!

That'll be fun!

I decided to let go of my pregnancy musings this weekend as I headed off on vacation with my family. What wasn't there to look forward to this weekend? Beach, BBQ, my very favorite people in the whole wide world... babies would come eventually and I wasn't going to let my negative HPT get me down!

So we BBQ'd, beach-hopped, ate & drank more than we should, and had so many wonderful nights.

And after a quick Target run on Saturday with the girls, I took another test. I was shaking as I watched one... two!!! pink lines show up. Two!!!! I stumbled out of the bathroom with tears in my eyes as I held up the test for my stepmom to see. She started screaming and we went (both still squealing) upstairs to share the news with the rest of my huge, extended family. There was a lot of screaming and hugging and jumping around.

I knelt down by Amelia and told her there was a baby in Mommy's belly. She cocked her head to the side and smiled. She poked my belly and giggled, "it's gonna get bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger!" and I told her, "Yes, it is!"

And she gave me another huge smile before running off and said, "That'll be fun!"

Yes it will!

PS. I am 4 weeks 6 days along today... due February 1, 2010!

Seafood salad

We went fishing in the dark last night off the dock. Beautiful warm
breezy night with a sky full of stars and the gentle lapping of waves
against the boats docked beside us. A blue crab latched onto my moms
hook and she reeled it in. We enjoyed it with those baby royal reds
over a salad. Mmmmm.

Wedding fun

Danced alllllll night... Amelia did anyway! I've never seen a child
dance so much. The rest of the children were resting and panting on
the side of the dance floor while amelia went wild!

Beach before thunderstorm

So beautiful and peaceful. I love the keys but the beaches don't even
begin to compare to the sweet soft sand in Pensacola.

Thunderstorms

So pretty. Florida has more beautiful scenery than anywhere I've ever
imagined. I'm a little biased but it's true! Notice the tiny beach by
the cluster of sea grass.

Best. Seafood. Ever.

Joe Patti's in Pensacola is a must-go-to! You may have seen him on the
food network, but he's the most laid back guy ever still working his
counters with the hundreds of tourists cramming through there...
Fighting over the 8 lb lobster and the amazing royal red shrimp (I
swear they taste just like lobster). MK you would LOVE this place!
(bought some seaweed salad and thought of you!)

Road trip

Traveling the looooong state of Florida from the keys to the
panhandle. Stopped halfway to join my family in a big caravan of cars
and walkie talkies.

We're spending a week at the beach with all 30+ of my family members
(7 of my darling cousins). I love our family trips. We've been doing
them since I was a baby- the keys, the mountains, and the river. It's
always a week of tons of margaritas and wine, fish fries, a few
inevitable dramas, and wayyyyy too much drunken laughter (if there is
such a thing).

Now all of my cousins are adults, a few of us are married, and it's
progressing into a totally new era. My grandparents are gone and
amelia is now the baby of our family. I like making new memories and
remembering the old ones. Happy amelia is surrounded by a great big
group of people who absolutely adore her!

Sent from my iPhone

another one

Another of my girlfriends just told me she's pregnant. We all started "trying" about 4 months ago and 3/4 of us are pregnant... sigh... I'm hoping next month is it (I already know it's not this month).

PS. I know 4 months is not long, but it certainly feels that way...
PPS. Please no rude comments/emails... this journal is to represent how I feel, and to be honest, I'm feeling jealous and bummed that there's no little brother/sister on the way for Amelia yet...

oh crap

I've been eating SO much lately. This weekend alone, Amelia and I made delicious gooey ziti, egg salad, cheesey cheese-it mix, macadamia nut cookies, and of course those yummy cakes. And I ate it all.

I was scared when I stepped on my scale 2 days ago. I knew it would be bad. And it was- 5 lbs bad. That damn 5 lbs that took me almost a freaking MONTH to lose! UGHHHHHH. Why do I do this to myself?!?

So, grumbling & pissed, I pulled on my workout clothes and went out for a run. And felt like utter jiggly crap after half a mile. Woke up extremely sore yesterday- and did it again.

I was hoping it was water weight that would disappear immediately, but this morning I had gained another pound. Noooo!

Time to cut out all diet sodas (they are a really weird trigger for me gaining weight) and processed foods and start food journaling again... this sucks!

Baking Day

Amelia and I donned our aprons and made mini angel food cakes with buttercream icing yesterday. She giggled nonstop when I let her use the hand mixer (I will be cleaning up powdered sugar for weeks!).

It was the most fun I've had in ages! And the cakes are yummy and almost gone already.

Book Review- Milestones

I am so excited for this book to come out in August! Mainly because I know & love Samira :) She was one of my VERY first blogger friends, about 5 years ago. She was just starting medical school and I was starting grad school and I loved her writing, her personality, and her funny stories instantly!

Even if I didn't know her, I still would've absolutely loved this young adult book. It's the first in a trilogy and I CANNOT WAIT for the next 2! I read the book in one day.

Faye is an ordinary 14 year old girl (or is she?!) who is struck by lightening on the way home... and of all the days, her crush is right there to witness the horror! She stumbles home, where her parents inform her that she's heading to a mysterious camp for the summer.

The camp is weird. Crazy things start happening. There's a secret the campers have to figure out...

and what a secret! I NEVER would've guessed it in a million years. And that's saying a lot, considering how many YA books I've read in the last few years.

Milestones is a unique and fresh concept. It's extraordinarily written, easy to read, and the main character is so likable and easy to relate to. I felt like I was 14 the entire time I was reading this book! I am counting the days until books two and three come out... hurry up!!

4 doors that open

H got me an amazing graduation, Mother's Day & anniversary gift... a new car! Well, it's gently used (a 2006 Honda Pilot) but new to me. We got a killer deal on it, now is definitely the time to buy a car. It is shiny and pretty and absolutely huge inside. And I LOVE IT!!!

The best part is, I finally have back doors that open and a CD player that works, yeahhh!!!
There's even 3rd row seating that pops up, in case we have that pile of kids I dream about!

PS. I got H a new fishing pole for his anniversary gift... a bargain!

Where does she come up with this stuff??

I made Amelia scrambled eggs this morning for breakfast. I looked over and she was surrounded by little piles of scrambled eggs (on the floor).

"Amelia, why did you get scrambled eggs all over?!" I asked her.

"Um, I did. not. do. that. Mommy. My daddy did that," she replied.

"No, your daddy is at work... don't lie to me, Amelia," I told her firmly.

She looked at me with big, serious eyes.

She sighed, "OH Mommy. You know you want to believe it."

Good kind of sad

I had a lovely day, filled with unstoppable tears and sniffling. The good kind, from a great book and a great movie (two tear-jerkers in one day!)


The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time (probably since Hunger Games, which was my 2008 favorite). I want to warn you all first that it is not for the light hearted and it's not a "feel good," easy read.

This is a book to be read on a long, dark winter night. Huddled by the fireside and clutching a steaming cup of tea. Not because this is a warm, comforting book... on the contrary, this is a dark, cold, thought-provoking novel of the apocalypse and the resulting destroyed society and the heartbreaking relationship between a dying man and his son. (side note: I ended up giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it was simply so, so, sad).

Several reviewers didn't like the short prose (I think someone called it "too artsy"), but keep in mind that this book won a Pulitzer- and deservingly so.

It's haunting and breath-taking and I couldn't put it down. I read it in one afternoon and felt the sudden urge to rush to the grocery store and stock up on canned pears and bottled water. And bullets.

I can't wait to see the movie in October. I'm wondering how much of the book they'll censor for mass market, because several disturbing scenes in the book will forever be in my memory. ("Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said.")

To recover from the dreary Road, Amelia & I cuddled up with a big bowl of popcorn and Marley & Me... and I ended up bawling like a BABY!


It made me miss Murphy so much and I snuggled with Amelia for an extra 30 minutes before bed. Which she interpreted as playing and she "accidentally" kicked me in my face while playing "puppy." Awesome.

big fear

I just found out that a friend of mine from grad school lost her baby today. 12 weeks along and the baby just... died. She is having a D&C tomorrow to remove the baby. She was so calm about it and seemed to be coping so well.

We are (still) not pregnant, and I'm so terrified of something like this happening when we do.

My life has never been so filled with worries as it has been since I became a mom.

Happy 5 years!

What a great 5 years it's been. We've been through so much:

• 4 college graduations (3 for me, 1 for H)
• 1 amazing little baby girl (who is now an amazing little toddler)
• a big move to Key West
• a fun trip around Europe
• vacations in Seattle, San Diego, NYC, the mountains, the beaches/springs of FL
  
• many nights grilling out on our back patios
• lots of laughter
• a few tears
  
• many memories with our friends and families

Those little moments that make the happiest memories... waking up to fresh brewed coffee in the morning, Amelia climbing into bed to snuggle with us in the middle of the night, watching her splash in the ocean happily, laughing hysterically at shared memories, complaining to one another about our private pet peeves, enjoying fish H catches us, leaving little notes for the other to find, always stocking the fridge with his favorite foods, calling to say goodnight & good morning when he's working, helping each other do laundry, vacuum, and do other mundane chores that somehow become more fun together...

It's been a wonderful 5 years and I can't wait for many, many more of these anniversaries!

PS. And just like every other anniversary for the past 5 years, H is working, so we celebrated yesterday with a delicious dinner at a wonderful steakhouse in town. Tonight is a sunset cruise & sleepover with some friends of ours!

My favorite moment of the day

My schedule is perfect this summer. I teach a few days a week, from 9-2 and teach online the rest of the time. On the days I teach, Amelia goes to her preschool class which she LOVES!!! She absolutely LOVES this place, all her little friends, and she talks about them all nonstop.

When I go in to pick her up, they're usually just waking up from naps and enjoying a snack (today is was peaches and cottage cheese). I walk in the door and one of her little friends shouts, "Amelia's mommy!" because inevitably, Amelia is in the corner with kids piled around her (bossing them around). When she sees me, her eyes light up and she makes a beeline for me at lightening speed and jumps in my arms, squealing in delight. She hugs & kisses me over & over & over and won't let go, chattering happily, "My mommy! Did you have a good day, Mommy? I played with allll my friends today!" She snuggles me the entire way to the car and we chat on our way home (occasionally stopping at McDonald's for ice cream).

Those little moments fill me with such happiness... I feel like I could burst from it!

We were snuggling before bed tonight and she sleepily leaned into me and whispered, "Ohhh, Mommy, I had such a good day. Did you have a good day?" and I said, "yes, baby, every day with you is a good day," and she said, "Hey! I not a baby! I Amelia!" and then snuggled back into my chest with her baby shampooed hair, little blue lovey and cute thumb-sucking (She's still my baby, as much as her little strong-willed 3-year old self fights it).

love
love
love

yeahhhh

The best Mother's Day weekend EVER!!

I graduated from nursing sch00l, went on a sunset cruise with my nursing pals, had fun company (my cousin and his soon-to-be wife) and we spent a LOT of time floatin' around in the ocean. My favorite thing to do! With adult beverages, of course.

Check out the swing on this little island... I pretended we accidentally stumbled on the Lost island and searched in vain for Sawyer.

Happy sigh...

Mystery Solved

I was wondering why my jeans are so tight now... could've been all the wine I've consumed over the last 3 weeks. Or perhaps the delicious Southern meals my mom so graciously prepared!

Pasta with sliced tomatoes, basil, veggies:
Country fried steak:
Breakfast options on a weekday morning:
Homemade yeast rolls (my weakness!) drizzled with butter and sea salt:
Blue cheese salads to start before spaghetti:
My absolute favorite, lemon chicken. YUM!!
Southern meal, including mashed potatoes and turkey:
Cute le creuset pitcher for gravy:
Another night, another amazing meal:
This salad is so simple, yet so delicious. Slice up tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Mix in a ton of fresh cilantro, sea salt and pepper, and ranch dressing. Voila! The flavors mesh to produce a crisp, tasty salad.
I think I have this meal once every 2-3 years, so I cherish every.single.bite to the very end!
Individual blackberry crumbles:
Sirloin, fresh veggies, corn casserole (made by my dad! cute):
OMG... mouth watering, to-die-for, cooked-all-day-so-they-melt-in-your-mouth BBQ ribs!
Salmon, brown rice, steamed asparagus (gotta have a few healthy nights in there):
I love perfect little gravy boats in my mashed potatoes.
Horrible picture taken outside at a little party we went to. They had a kid's cookie decorating station and Amelia went nuts!
Amelia & my mom dug these potatoes that morning! Served alongside grilled shish-ke-bobs:
Stone crabs- DELISH!!
The most amazing meal on the PLANET. Fried conch. I cannot control myself around this delicacy!
Steamed shrimp, pasta salad:

What a delicious 2.5 weeks at home it's been!!!! I stepped on the scale and have gained... 2 lbs. Totally worth it. Without a doubt!!!

Back to the island

Driving back to the keys... 88 degrees outside, palm trees swaying,
that ocean breeze and subtle smell of sea...

But I miss the farmland,
the rolling hills,
my mama's southern cooking,
digging up fresh potatoes,
huge family dinners with multiple bottles of wine,
slumber parties with Mary Kate, waving across the fields at my aunt,
amelia's giggles on her little tractor,
and feeding the horses every morning.

I miss my family.

Sent from my iPhone

Whirlwind

Where has the last month gone? I feel so out of touch with
everything... My home (cleaning etc), chatting with friends/family (I
think amy has left me 8 messages to everyone of mine), my blog!!!

But that will all change because, holy crap, I graduate Friday and
life can slooooow on down! Thank God. I am ready to not have a huge
ball of stress in my stomach at all times!

Unfortunately, we discovered a new problem... Someone charged $742 in
my name on an old credit card of mine. Hello credit thieves. We are
disputing it but man what a huge pain in the ass!!!!

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Amelia's idea of heaven

We had to physically drag her out of that place after an hour staring
at dolls. Cute!

Mountain memories

Playing outside the cabin after breakfast of eggs, bacon, grits and
coffee. Thanks grandma!

country style breakfast

On the road with my family... Tradition to stop for breakfast at
cracker barrel after getting up at 5am!

Time to relax

Finished 90 loooooong, grueling hours of internship and now it's time
to relax in the mountains with my family! And hopefully avoid the
swine flu at the massive wedding we are attending this weekend.