Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Finally some GOOD news

We had another appointment with Ian's Endocrinologist this morning. Three months ago when we were there it was not a good appointment. Ian hadn't grown at all at that appointment. Today however he gained 2 pounds and grew just under 1 inch. I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't be happier.

Now Ian is back up to the 3rd percentile in height which is still not good but at least he is back on the charts. At this point I will take any amount of growth small or big. If Ian can maintain the growth rate of the past three months the rest of this year we may actually be out of the woods. So for the next six months we just have to make sure Ian eats a good protein diet and gets lots of sleep and lots of exercise. The exercise and protein diet part will be easy but the sleeping thing may be a little more difficult. :)

To celebrate Ian's growth and his good behavior at the doctors Dave and I took Ian to Bob Evans for a great breakfast. Dave and I got the Homestead which is a little of everything eggs, home fries, sausage, and biscuits and gravy. Ian picked the Lil Farmers Breakfast which had eggs, sausage, home fries, and pancakes and he ate all most all of it.

Now the three of us are sitting in the living room relaxing and watching it rain outside. Something tells me this will be a very good day!

Monday, July 27, 2009

PA-C

So something really BIG happen last week while Dave and I were on vacation. My little sis found out she passed her medical boards. Steph is officially a Certified Physician's Assistant or PA-C.

She took the test on Friday the 17th and they told her that it would take about 3 weeks to get the results. Steph had spent the entire week before down at my Grandmas studying where there were no distractions and it seems it paid off for her. She passed by over 100 points which shocked her because she left the test that day feeling like she knew nothing.

So Thursday morning, Dave and I's first day in Savannah, we got a text around 10:00am from Steph saying I PASSED MY BOARDS!!!!!! :) Of course I instantly tried to call her but she wouldn't answer. It seems she was calling the rest of the family to share in the great news and who could blame her. She has been working towards this for almost 7 years.

I guess I would have to say that last week was a good week for my family, I had a great birthday, a wonderful vacation, and my sister got some awesome news. Now she just has to find a job and I'm crossing my fingers that it's in Ohio not San Diego.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Savannah Days 3 & 4

Sorry I didn't post anything Friday night but we didn't get back to the hotel until very late Friday night and we had to get up early. So I am combining Friday and yesterday's event in one post.

We got up Friday morning and headed to the Historic District to meet our tour guide for the Savannah Civil War Walk or as the Savannahians kept referring to it The War of Northern Aggression. Our tour guide was awesome he went to the University of Scottland and has his degree as a Historian but he focus on American History. He was born and raised in Savannah so he grew up learning the history of his town. We walked all over the city stopping in areas that had great importance to the War. He also talked to us allot about the days and years leading up to the war and how slavery was not the reason that Georgia and the rest of the South started the war. In fact the war was started over money. The south was producing cotton and some other exports for the entire world and the government or the North as they say was taxing them at a rate of over 50%. Now this is not to say that slavery wasn't also another reason for them but it didn't really play into things until later in the war. Even though it was hot and we were walking I greatly enjoyed the tour and I learned allot from it.

Our tour finished just down the block from St. John the Baptist Cathedral which was on my list of places to visit so we went back to it.












The outside of the Cathedral was stunning but it has nothing on the inside. It was unbelievably beautiful in there.







After that we walked what felt like a million blocks to the Moon River Brewing Company for lunch. When I was doing some research Thursday evening I found out that while Ghost Hunters was in Savannah back in 2005 they not only investigated the Sorrel-Weed home but also Moon River. Once I checked out there menu I knew we would have to go there. The food was excellent, the drinks were better and the building was really cool. We didn't have any ghost experiences but it was still nice.

We had some time to kill before our next stop so we just walked around for a while and then sat in a square while we waited for our tour of the Mercery- Williams house to start.



I only have a picture of the front of the house because they do not allow pictures inside. You might recognize this house because it was the house from the book and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The land was purchased by the great great grandfather of Jonny Mercer the musician and construction was started on the house but it stopped during the Civil War and was sold after due to low funds. Wilder purchased the home and finished the construction. There was one other family that owned the home and then the Shriner's purchased it. After the Shriner's left the house was vacant and needed allot of work. Jim Williams purchased the home and spent two years restoring it and lived there until he died. The main floor of the house is so beautiful and it's filled with art and antiques. I was disappointed that we were not allowed to see the upstairs though.

When we got out od the Mercer House storm clouds were heading in and you could here the thunder so we headed back to the car and went to the hotel for a break. Dave and I were both exhausted so we just laid around and watched TV for a few hours. Then we left, grabbed a bite to eat, and went back to the RiverWalk for the last of our souvenir's and to catch our trolley for the Ghost & Gravestones tour.

On this tour you have a tour guide who is dressed up, ours was dressed as a flapper and she had the stereotypically sotuther voice that I just loves. It was real to because she was the employee that introduced us to our Civil War guide. this tour drove us around town and our guide shared all the ghost stories and experiences of the area. We also got to make two stops. The first stop was the Sorrel-Weed house.



As I stated earlier the Sorrel-Weed house was featured on Sci-Fi's Ghost Hunters and they found it to be haunted. We were taken into the house through the slave entrance and then into the front Parlor. Our guide began telling us how guest would have been treated in the house. At one point she was saying how you would be seated on the sofa and the mistress of the house would come down the stairs to greet you. At that point two people started up the stairs and scared the guide. At first I thought it was part of the tour but after the guide went and checked she told us how the house is still a private home and those were the owners on the way in. Next we were ushered into another Parlor like room and it was odd. As soon as we walked in the room I got this heavy feeling in my chest and just felt uncomfortable. Dave and I were standing on a corner next to a window that faced the carriage house and a porch. While standing there Dave kept hearing what sounding like shuffling of feet behind him but nothing was there. He took a couple of pictures but nothing showed up. Now some of you may think we are crazy or stupid but we both believe in ghost and while I don't know if there was one there or not something strange was happening.

The next stop on our tour was to one of the cemeteries. When Sherman took the city of Savannah he put his Calvary in the cemetery and these men robbed graves, changed headstones, even took some out all together. She also told us about another story there and why they think this is haunted. Even if you don't believe in ghost I think you would have a blast on this tour because it was just fun.

This bring us to yesterday. We got up early, ate some breakfast, and checked out of the hotel but we didn't head home. Instead we headed south to Tybee Island. On the island is Georgia's oldest Lighthouse.



Dave and I climbed the 178 steps to get to the catwalk and the view was well worth the walk up. It was a beautiful day so the views were just amazing.









Once back down we did go through the other building that have been restored which were the living quarters for the light keepers family's. Once done there it was time to head home. We left Tybee around 10:30 but did not arrive home until a little after 11 last night. The drive down was almost exactly 10 hours but on the way home we got stuck on I77 in the mountains in Virginia forever. The worst part was there was no real reason for this it was just backed up and it extended our trio by two hours.

While it was nice to sleep in my own bed last night I am still a little sad that our vacation is over. Savannah was a beautiful city and we had such a great time. I would love to take the kids or at least Emma back one day because I know she would love it. I would also recommend it to anyone else. There is so much to do there that no matter what you like to do on your vacations you could find it here.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Savannah Day 2 - Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta

Dave and I were up bright and early this morning to grab breakfast at the hotel and then it was off to the Historic District. Our first stop was to Paula Deens restaurant The Lady & Sons. They don't take phone reservations you have to go stand in line to put your name in with the hostess for either lunch or dinner.



We arrived at 9:36 and the line was wrapped around two corners of the building. Luckily it was shaded and the line moved pretty quick. Thirty minutes later we had our dinner reservation for 7:15.

Next up was the Old Town Trolley tour of the Historic District. This tour was 90 minute narrated tour of the Historic District and it hit all the big attractions and most of the squares in the city. This was Dave and I's first chance to truly see the city and it is so beautiful. The squares are full of the huge Oaks trees (Georgia's State Tree) that are covered in Spanish moss.

After the tour we got off one of the stops in the City Market area and grab some lunch at Panera. We wanted something fairly quick so we could really start seeing things. We decided to head south down Bull St and the first stop was Johnson Square














Next was Wright Square











On our way to the next square we stopped at the Independent Presbyterian Church which was used to drop the feather from in Forest Gump.



The feather flew a block in a half over to Chippewa Square were forest was sitting on one of the many benches.



Following Chippewa Square we headed down to Madison Square. On the edge of Madison is the Sorrel-Weed House but there will be more on that tomorrow after of Ghost & Gravestones tour.














Monterey Square was after Madison and it is home to the Pulaski Monument.




















On the west side of Monterey Square is the only Gothic Synagogue in the United States. It's the Temple Mickve Israel.



The last stop for the afternoon was Forsyth Park and it's famous fountain.







By the time we got done in Forsyth Park Dave and I were both hot and ready for a break so we made our way back to the hotel for a few hours. We left again around 6 to make sure we had plenty of time to get back to the Historic District and make our dinner reservation. We were fairly quickly seated at our table on the third floor. Dave and I both ordered the Buffet. I got Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Mac & Cheese. Dave got the chicken, potatoes, mac & cheese, ribs, and beans. For desert I had the peach cobbler and Dave choose some sort of chocolate cake. The food was excellent and worth the 30 minute wait that morning.

After leaving The Lady & Sons Dave and I headed back to the River Walk and just strolled around. We did make one stop by the Waving Girl Statue.



This Statue was constructed after a women whose lover was shipped out to sea and for 40 years the women would stand by the river watching for her lover to come back, he never did.

So now that I have shared my pictures it's your turn to share a picture or two or more. Just head over to Candid Carries.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Savannah Day 1 - On the Road

At 4:30am this morning Dave and I left our house and hit the road for Savannah, Georgia.





After what seemed like an eternity we finally made it to West Virginia.



At some point in the West Virginia the sun finally came up but it was very overcast and there was tons of fog coming off the mountains.

Next up was the very pretty state of Virginia.



Just at the edge of Virginia and North Carolina we hit some VERY, VERY, VERY nasty fog. It didn't help that we were winding our way down the mountains and we couldn't even see the front of our car. Looking back I wish I would have taken a picture of it but I was too focused on helping Dave watch the road.

The third state on our trip was North Carolina.



About half way through NC the sun came out and the temperatures started to rise. By the time we got all the way through NC it was in the 90's and I couldn't have been happier. Up until that point I had been wearing my OSU sweatshirt. I can't ever remember needing to wear a sweatshirt in freaking July before this.

The next to last state was South Carolina.



SC was a very long state for us because we started in the northwest corner and drove southeast across the state. I did enjoy seeing all the baby Palm tress (that's what I call them but they were really just tiny palm tress).

Finally we arrived in the Peach state of Georgia.



Within minutes of entering the state we were at our hotel. Overall the ride down was not bad at all, other than the fog and one mini rain shower the weather was perfect. The best part was we only had to stop 3 times, two potty breaks and one gas break.

We are staying at a hotel in a suburb of Savannah because I got a really good deal on the room. I was expecting the room to be a normal hotel room with a bed, tv, dresser, and table so when I walked in and saw this I was pleasantly surprised;







Since we arrived a little before 3 we decided to relax a little in our room. About 4we left and went into the Historic District of Savannah. I wanted to stop by the Visitors Bureau for some maps of the city but one of the employees there was very helpful and gave us a great book with maps and all kinds of other info. Before we left the hotel we made dinner reservations at The Pirate's House for 7pm so we had some time to kill. We decided to walk a block over and check out the Riverwalk. This street follows the Savannah River and is full of little shops and restaurants.
You enter the Riverwalk by going down these crazy steep and thin steps beside the Cotton Exchange.



The sidewalks down there and in some other areas are made of crushed shells and cement.



Our first stop on the Riverwalk was the Candy Kitchen and I truly think this is the largest candy store ever. They had all kinds of chocolates, tons of pecans and peanut brittle, salt water taffys, and then the usual gummy candies, rock candy, and old fashion hard candy. One of the cool products they had were all different kinds of tins that if you purchased the tin you could fill it for free with salt water taffy so we got Emma and Ian a small tin each with the taffy in it. I picked out a bag of glazed pecans for myself and Dave got a bag of Chocolate Peanut Brittle. We also bought a bag of Paula Dean coffee for a friend of ours.

After the candy store we walked through a fee other souvenir shops and checked out the goods. We picked up two postcards at one of them. One to send to Emma and one for Ian because yesterday before bed Emma asked if we would send her one in the mail even though we will beat it home. Of course we couldn't send one to Emma and not Ian hence the two postcards. As soon as I'm done with this post I will be writing those for the morning. The rest of the time we just walked around and and checked things out.

Our last stop for the evening was dinner at the Pirates House. The building was built in the 1700's and was part of the Trustees Garden. Later it was turned into an Inn and pirates and see goers would stop in for drinks. Of course the building is said to be haunted by many ghost but the most famous would probably be Captain Flint. It is said that he died in an upstairs room and still walks the halls. Dave and I did not experience anything strange while we were there but we did have an excellent meal.

Now we are back at the hotel and I we are watching Ghost Hunters International and then we will be heading to bed. It has been a long day but a good one and we have lots of fun stuff planned for tomorrow.

Monday, July 20, 2009

My Birthday Dinner

Like I said earlier today my family was coming over to my house this evening for my birthday dinner.

As I was walking up the sidewalk to my front door I heard Emma yell to everyone in the house that I was home. As soon as I opened the door she yelled surprise. I guess she didn't realize I knew everyone was coming over. I was surprised however to see two wrapped presents, a gift bag, and a bouquet of flowers sitting on the table along with a plate of chocolate cupcakes. I knew Emma was upset that I wasn't going to have anything to open but these gifts were kind of big.





I was told by Dave that I wasn't aloud to look at the two wrapped presents because the wrapping paper was thin and I might be able to see through it. So I avoided the present table which if you know me you know how hard that was.

My mom grilled the brats, and cooked the corn on the cob here at my house but she brought the pasta salad and some chips with her. Once everyone was here we sat down and had a great meal where we talked about childhood memories and about a possible family reunion vacation next year.

After dinner it was time for me to open my presents. My brother and sister-in-law got me a gift card to Kohls, my sister got Dave and I a key chain game of Are you smarter than a 5th grader for us to play on vacation, on top of my hair cut from my mom and brother KJ she also got me a little framed saying that says I know what love is because of you. Then came the big gifts I really wasn't expecting. The kids got me an iPod dock thingy for my car which I am super excited about.



Dave got me a Wii Fit, oh and Dave got me the best birthday card ever. This of course is on top of the vacation Dave and I will leave for in just one more day.



Once all the gifts were open Emma and Ian made my mom light all the candles on my cupcakes and everyone sang happy birthday and I blew out my candles.



My mom knew that the kids wanted to get me regular cupcakes so instead of the Coldstone cupcakes she just got a small ice cream cake and a pint of cake batter ice cream for me. Needless to say I have plenty of desserts and they were all great. In fact the whole day has been great even work was pretty good today.

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to

Well it is my birthday but I don't plan on crying today i just love that saying. On second thought maybe I should cry a little because I am sitting here at work on my morning break typing this while Dave and the kids are at home today. Is something wrong with this picture?

Anyway, the ladies at work were super nice and surprised me with a potluck (Julie slipped and spilled the beans on Friday but I was surprised then)and a very nice card. So far I have had some very good doughnuts and strawberries and I can't wait to see what else is here today.

This evening my mom, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and baby brother will be coming over to my house and my mom is going to cook Turkey Cheddar Brats (Johnsinvilles of course), macaroni salad, fresh corn on the cob from the local farmers market, and for desert Coldstone Creameries Ice Cream Cupcakes. It is tradition in my family theat the birthday person gets to pick the meal on their birthday and no matter what else I have there is always corn on the cob and either a cherry pie or ice cream cake and this year wont be any differnt. Emma is a little disappointed that I will not be opening any presents because my mom paid for me to get my haior done last week which I love, My MIL sent me money with my b-day card, and then of course I have my vacation from Dave that we leave for Wendesday morning. Something tells me though that Emma will have something for me to unwrap no matter how small it is because she just can't stand the thought of me not opening anything.

Ok my break is almost over so I guess thats all for now. Hopefully I will have time to post some pictures of my new hair tomorrow before we leave for Savannah. If not I am hoping to get in at least one post while we are on vacation but who knows how things will go so if not have a great week!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

How old do you think I am?

Yesterday evening my mom called to ask what I want for my birthday dinner this coming Monday. Emma must have overheard me say something about my birthday because shortly after I got off the phone with my mom Emma asked when my birthday was. I told her that it's Monday. Then she asked me how old I will be.

Well I made the silly mistake of asking her how old she thought I was going to be instead of just answering her. She certainly had an answer for me though and it was 81! She thinks I'm going to be 81 years old.

To try and make myself feel a little better I asked Emma if I was 81 then what was daddy and she told me 30. I mean really Dave who is older than me gets to be 30, just one year shy of his real age, and I get to be 81.

When I told my friend this story this morning she said maybe Emma heard someone say that I was born in 81 and that's why she picked that number. I'm not sure if this is the case or not but I sure hope so.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Shopping Therapy

Work has been very stressful for the last month or so but this past week was by far one of the most stressful that I have had there. Every evening last week I did an hour of yoga to try and relieve that stress and while it did some it wasn't enough.

So yesterday Dave treated me to a shopping spree, well kind of. Both of us have been in need of some new summer clothes to take on our vacation next week and when Sharon called and asked for the kids Thursday evening it seemed like this weekend would be to time to finally go and get what we needed.

We started by getting Dave some new shirts and shorts at Kohls on Friday evening. Then Saturday morning I got up and headed to New York & Company. I had never been to that store before but alot of my friends shop there and they all look so cute so I thought I would give it a try. I apparently picked the perfect weekend to go because everything in the store was 50 % off which meant I made a killing. I loved the way all there clothes fit and even if they wouldn't have been on sale the prices were not bad at all. After my killing there I stopped at Victoria Secrets and bought two new bras that I was desperate for. My last stop for the day was at Target to see about a pair of sandals I had been thinking about. By that time I was starving so I grabed some lunch and headed home.

It wasn't over there though, I needed to go back to Kohls for myself this time so I went this afternoon but really didn't find anything for myself. I did however pick up a pair of sandals and a shirt for Dave.

So after a weekend of shopping and great deals I am feeling much more relaxed and ready to start a new week. I'm just praying it's not as stressful as last week was.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Yoga

When I worked for Bally Total Fitness (before Dave and I were married)one of my Operations Managers was also the head aerobics instructor. Shelly was AWESOME when it came to teaching classes. It didn't matter what class she was teaching you knew it was going to be fun and you were going to get a great workout.

My favorite class of hers was her Power Yoga class. I remember the first night she taught that class I just happen to be in the gym working out (a side note it was very difficult to go back to work to workout after spending 8 hours there that day) and I was walking around the track above the aerobics room. I kept thinking that the class going on was very strange, how could a bunch of stretches do anything for you.

Well a few weeks later Shelly talked me into trying it and I was instantly in LOVE. It was one of the most intense workouts I had ever had and at the same time it was very relaxing. It also helped immensely with my scoliosis. For the next year or so I took that class every Tuesday and Thursday evening. I was in the best shape of my life. My abs looked amazing and the rest of my body wasn't bad either. Then I got pregnant with Emma and I had to stop due to some sever back and hip issues. I remember when my OB was cutting me open during my c-section he made the comment that my abs were very strong. Too bad him cutting through them ruined that for me.

While I was pregnant Shelly left Bally's and teaching aerobics so I didn't have a class to go back to. Since then I have been trying to find something that gave me those same results both physically and mentally. I hadn't found anything until this past week. I decided to go back to Exercise TV onDemand (the videos I used last year to loose a bunch of weight) and they had a bunch of different yoga videos to try. I picked one that I thought sounded good but didn't get my hopes up. Within the first few minutes I could tell that this video was almost identical to the class Shelly used to teach.

So now I have my Yoga back but I am no where near where I used to be. I know I'm not in the same kind of shape as I was back then but I didn't realize just how bad it was until I tried to do some of the positions I used to and couldn't even come close. On the positive side I guess it gives me something to work towards.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Independence Day

Since I work for the state I am lucky enough to get the day before or the day after a holiday off if the holiday falls on a weekend. This year that meant I had Friday off for the 4th of July. I was super excited about that because every year Columbus has their July 4th celebration on July 3rd. Red White & Boom is one of the largest fireworks displays in the Midwest and is set to a wonderful soundtrack. Typically I amd rushing to get home from work so we can head down to our normal spot, but this year was going to be different.

Well it was different but not for the reasons I thought. Dave ended up stuck at work selling a car (which is great) and he didn't get home till almost 9:30. Thankfully a local TV station shows the fireworks on TV every year so we did get to see them together it was just in our living room. We did have a few minutes to kill before they started once Dave got home so we went out front and Dave helped the kids throw some of those pop things and he let off a few smokers. (most fireworks are illegal in Ohio so you are limited on what you can set off) I was able to catch this one picture of Dave and the kids. I love the look on Emma's face!



Unfortunately Dave's dealership was open on Saturday and everyone had to work. The kids and I, my family, and some friends all met here at our house and we walked the two blocks up to main street for the afternoon parade. The weather was perfect for the parade which is a change from the past few years and the rain. A good friend of mines husband runs a local skating rink and they are always in the parade. These friend also happen to take there kids to the same babysitter as us so the kids know them very well. Emma got super excited when she saw Tim in the back of a truck on the microphone being his silly self. She got even more excited when he saw her and said hi through the microphone. :)



After the parade everyone headed back to my house for some very yummy food and relaxation. Shortly after the food was ready we were surprised by Dave who got to come home early because his work was dead (big surprise). Sometime around 4ish the weather went south and it started raining. It was one of those rains that was just a constant drizzle. It stopped for a while around 7 so we decided that a little wetness was not going to stop our fun and we all headed down to the Elementary school for the festivities there. Typically Groveport has a bunch of inflatables and carnival games and rides as well as allot of food vendors but when the rain started this year a bunch of them packed up and headed home. There were still a few that stuck around and my kids had a blast.

The rain did help us get some very good seats for the show this year along one of the baseball fences. I put the kids wagon up against it and then hung a couple of large umbrellas off the fence so they had dry seats when they wanted to sit down. Here are a few pictures of some of my family and friends that sat with us this year.



We all had a really great time despite all the rain and wetness. Hopefully next year it will be dry.