busy busy busy

To say we've been busy is kindof an understatement. To sum up:

Michaels BFF from HS (grade school for that matter) came to visit- we did the usual tour . . . one more alamo pic to add to the collection!! (have I mentioned we LOVE visitors???)

Thanks Ryan Becky and Peyton for coming to stay with us . . . . and hooray for FINALLY getting to meet you!! Not long after I received a call from my costume-co boss. I used to work in the warehouse and they were SWAMPED with work and offered to fly me out to work "as soon as I want, for as long as I want" I couldn't resist the chance to see my fam and the job i miss so much. I worked crazy hours but had a blast. There are many things I've missed about my old job. . . . but I got a fill for just over two weeks! it was awesome!!! We even went to Witch-fest up at Gardner Village- Our personal theme of the year was 'troll witches'. so much fun!!!

**I'm the witch with the blue hair**

While in Utah I was also able to:
spend time with family, eat delicious food (which I didn't have to cook thank you mom and costa vida) see my friends BRAND new baby (which may have made me both very excited and very scared for my own)-



attend a dear friends wedding reception,

and stand for about twenty seconds in the snow!! (notice the beautiful fall leaves in the background . . . miss that)

It was a long time to be gone but me and my sweetie survived. I doubled the luggage I took- suitcases filled with apples, apple juice, 'fat-chick' clothes, and various other baby items (lucky for me, I have four older sisters who have all had babies and are very generous)

this years Halloween pumpkins:

very excited to get some actual trick-or-treaters since we're in a neighborhood now.

Happy Halloween!!

ugh

so, I thought the whole 'not being able to sleep' thing was supposed to happen AFTER the baby gets here?

not cool child. . . . not cool.

seriously mis-informed about pregnancy.

Ode to Alon Market

I love HEB. It's true. But why does the one closest to my house have to be the size of Rhode Island?

and it's not even the BIGGEST? why does heb plus think they need to take over the world?

Oh how I miss the 'simple' HEB's . . . I mean, who REALLY just picks up a couch along with their groceries anyway? so HEB at Alon market & blanco/west ave - I miss you. If it weren't for traffic and frozen products. . . . . . I would STILL bless you with my shopping presence.

Michael might be rubbing off on me

So, I normally don't like to get too political. . . . .mostly because I don't know anything. But, having Michael as a roommate is making that more and more difficult. {the not knowing anything about politics part} Anyway this was too interesting to me to not share-

About 2 weeks ago I had a Dr apt (not w my normal dr but nonetheless). When I filled out all the necessary (or unnecessary, you choose) paperwork I was given a packet of information. The not-feeling-like-reading part of me put this packet away assuming it was a "what to expect. . . . . /your nutrition . . ." blah blah blah. Well tonight while organizing some of the mail I came across said packet and read a little.

To my surprise it was a letter from the Doctor asking his patients to "let your Senator and House of Representatives know your concern over your healthcare rights" He stated that the healthcare proposal will "irrevocably damage the ability of physicians to provide the best care possible for their patients. . . . we regret the necessity of interjecting politics into your medical care, but without the efforts of patients like you our ability to continue this care may be lost."

The remainder of the packet included a list of Freedoms you'd lose in health care reform, as well as segments from the actual bill.

Interesting? I think so. I'm not going to lie, I am a little sckeptical of the whole thing, and rather intriqued by my own interest in the matter. Maybe I've just been hearing it for too long now. Maybe I'm scared with the government in charge of my health they would MAKE me find out what I'm having (this may or may not have been a dream of mine). Maybe I don't like waiting an hour and a half for a 5 minute appointment and don't want to share my time with the rest of south Texas. Maybe it's the fact that half of Michaels genes are growing and multiplying inside of me. . . . who knows.

5 down, 2 to go

Last weekend my sister and her family came to visit . . . . making 5 out of my 7 siblings to vacation in San Antonio to see us!!! Wow, are we lucky! {as for the other two. . . . I avoid that drive too} Some days its hard being so far away from home/family - but having visitors makes it that much easier. . . . plus we didn't have to bottle a single item of food {we don't get to eat it either so there}

ANYWAY. . . .

We loved that Sara and Jason rented a mini-van so we could all ride together! Although the boys "never got to sit in my seat." We started off the vacation with Sea World I swear I couldn't get sick of watching animals do tricks. I love it!
Colby "that was fun, but not really fun" give him a few years and five inches and he'll be ALL OVER the rides.

Then of course took a tour of the Alamo and the riverwalk.

Monday we went to the Natural Bridge Caverns. We hadn't been there before and I was kindof excited. They turned out to be pretty cool. Pretty similar to Timp Caves- without the hike- which lil ol me LOVED.

There was of course football watching {the boys WISH they'd made the drive up to Dallas- the gals, not so much} and game playing which are always fun- as well as a trip to some of our favorite restaurants. We love showing people around what little we/I know of San Antonio and it was fun to have our First visitors to stay in our house!! I'm grateful those few days were the only days this past week we haven't had a downporing rain! Realizing the vacation is over is always a little difficult but we managed. . . . not without Michael getting strep throat but somehow I escaped THAT {thankfuly}

Come see us again, we miss you!!

I don't live in Mexico

Ok, so we recently hooked up our TV antena and the converter box {remember we cancelled our cable service a few months ago - boo} and we have tv again. yay, right? Except, why are most of the channels in a language I don't understand? I realize I have a nephew that THINKS we live in Mexico . . . . . . rest assured, we don't. Or at least I thought we didn't. I find this rather annoying, seeing how I don't speak or understand the Spanish language.

We're In!

A few days late on the post, but we are in the house! Can I just tell you I LOVE it! (minus the barking dogs and the fact that our brand new trash can was ALREADY stolen -ugh I guess the Allsops and filling out police reports is an ongoing event)

I would have DIED if it weren't for my parents. My mom basically packed and unpacked my entire kitchen, cleaned the house AND apartment, all the while telling me to sit down and rest. She saved my life! {seriously} Thanks to her, the remainder of the unpacking can be done in 'shifts' and we can actually live- ie sleep and eat.

My dad was a huge help too. For starters he brought half the garden with him in an extra suit case filled with the likes of home-grown peaches, nectarines, cucumbers, tomato's and the BEST CORN EVER!! {we've been rationing it} Dad spent half his visit to Texas at The Home Depot. and the other half sweating in the heat. While here he built me a garden box. We already had bees- YAY (remember this was my problem with apartment gardening) and a BUNCH of shelving in our garage! Not to mention pack the Uhaul like a professional.

My mom and I spent our fair share of time at The Home Depot as well {which mind you would have been cut in half if a male were with us} we were in the car and had to stick all sorts of shovel handles and wire racks out the sun roof. We died laughing (as did everyone who passed us) we may be the only Texan who don't own a truck. oh well, it worked!

Luckily for Michael he has a lot of friends and the move itself didn't take very long. Now to the getting settled part-

On a side note: I cry every time I drive by Sea World (which is everyday) knowing that it'll be another 6 months before I can ride a roller coaster again. and for what? feeling like I should be throwing up- not cool. We have family coming to visit and go to sea world and I already asked Michael if HE would be pregnant that day. (anybody know where I might be able to get an operation like this done?) see you in 6 months steel eel.

I'm convinced that the baby is a girl because no male would cause this much pain to a woman. Then a friend came back with the counter argument that no woman would do this to her own kind so who knows- either way this baby is SO grounded. No TV for a week. and I am SOO hoping the nausea ends soon.