lucky button baby

cute little girl in a track suit

2012-02-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

our ONLY snowy day

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

We literally have gotten one genuine snowy day since "winter" began. Its so strange, and yet, I can't say that I'm that too terribly disappointed....okay maybe a little bit. At least I don't have to worry about falling. When I was pregnant for Bea, I slipped once, and it scared the ever.living.crap out of me. This time carrying a toddler around too...well, the snow can stay away!

The video is of Jason pulling Bea on her sled, and somewhere in there she barks, it cracks me up.

my little "helper"

2012-01-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Bea LOVES the fridge. LOVES. I'm pretty sure she would live in there if I would let her.

Tonight before I put the groceries away I needed to wipe down the shelves and she "helped" me.

She helped take out all the food, and then stood on it and wiped it down.

I love this girl. I just wish we didn't have to make a mess to clean the other one up.

Ah, I guess this is what living with a bona-fide toddler.

new things

2012-01-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

Hello! Happy New Year!

After a long (almost a month) visit home we are settling back in here in the Ocean State.

I've been cooking, organizing, and sewing!

Here are a few pictures from the past week.

My precious child, asleep during the 16 hour car ride home.

Stretching her legs in the front seat.

This was the day after we got home. She was a ball of energy. She never stopped moving. I think she was just glad to be home.

Tonight we drove over to Jamestown to watch the sunset.

Someone is walking.

I made Jason his very own iPad case. Not bad for a first try.

This was a HORRIBLE disney character chair from Toys 'R Us that I recovered. So much better and Bea LOVES it!

Oh and these. I think my butt is bigger already. Thanks a lot Pioneer Woman.

Hey we're having another baby!!!

2011-11-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

Today Jason, Bea and I got to hear the baby's heart beat. I love that sound. It's the first connection, it's the reassurance, it's life. It's my baby. I'm 12 weeks today, so the baby will be here in the middle of May. Now that we have gotten over the shock of being parents again, we are so very excited to meet this little one.

We didn't do anything for Halloween yesterday, but my sister let me borrow a bee costume, so we dressed Bea up in it and took pictures because I can't help myself!

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite one.

October in Rhode Island

2011-10-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

Oh how quickly it can go from giggles to big ole crocodile tears. Dad made Bea a new toy with a box and a rope which she loved until she tipped over. Poor girl.

She loves drinking out of a real cup, and making a mess.

Ah, what says fall better than pumpkins? Last Saturday we took a very short road trip over to Jamestown (near Newport). We walked around Beavertail State Park, which reminded us of a mix between Presque Isle in Marquette and Ireland. It was super windy and the swells were ginormous. We will definitely be going back.

We had an impromptu photo shoot with the pumpkins last night. Oh how I love the light, and my beautiful baby girl (who is *gulp* going to be a year in 6 weeks).

baby girl, please stop growing

2011-10-06T15:35:00.000-07:00

Baby girl, you're 10 months old and you are getting so big and so smart.

I still love waking up to your babbles in the morning (even if it takes me a little longer to get there).

You are so beautiful, precious girl. I even have strangers come up to me and tell me how beautiful you are.

Your name Beatrice means "Bringer of Joy," and it suits you perfectly. You make everyone who sees you smile. Your smirky looks, and your big gummy smiles, are enough to melt even the grumpiest of them.

Every day you amaze me. You do something new, or make a new face, or try to say "hi".

You turn pages like a pro, walk with your walker with out any help, and climb on everything like a monkey.

You make me smile every.single.day. All day long.

Thank you for letting me be your mom.

You are my heart baby girl.

I love who you are becoming....

but please stop growing.

clam chowder (and pictures of Bea)

2011-09-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

I've made a new goal to try a new recipe each week because I get so bored with our meals.

I figured that since we are now living in New England, I should at least try to make clam chowder or as is pronounced here: chowdah.

To make clam chowder you need clams, so I went to the fish market (yes, like they caught them that day) and told the man working there that I wanted to make chowder and he showed me already cooked crab meat for chowder. I shook my head at him and said, "actually, I would rather do all the work myself." I'm sure as soon as I left he called me crazy, but before he did he sent me on my way with 5lbs of clams or quahogs as they are called here.

First I let them soak in water, salt and corn starch to get rid of the sand in them.
Next, I steamed the clams until they opened.

While I was waiting for them to cool I started on the soup.

This is what the clam meat looks like out of the shells. Yup, I thought it was gross too.

I cut it up into very miniscule pieces and added it to the chowder.

On Friday night we went to Georges for fish and chips. It was a little chilly, but we braved it and sat on the deck anyway.

Hello Gorgeous.

what would she say?

2011-09-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

"hmmm...i know there is a way to open this door."

"daddy, don't go."

"yummy, the window tastes so good."

"hi mom"

"what do i do now? how do i get out of here?"

"i give up, i think I'll just sit down.""mom, seriously, STOP taking my picture.

rainy day walk to the beach

2011-09-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

holiday weekend

2011-09-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning after I put Bea down for her first nap (I'm pretty sure she was up at 5am that morning) I decided that I was going to go swimming. I wasn't sure where to go, so I just drove down ocean road, and then came back to Narragansett Beach. I knew that during the summer season they charged to get on the beach, but I saw a ton of people going in and no one taking money. I parked the monster of my truck and headed over. It was a beautiful morning and I walked right on the beautiful beach and headed right into the ocean.

I love Lake Superior, and she will always have a little piece of my heart, but the waves, oh the crashing waves. It was invigorating. I could have stayed in there all day. I definitely could get used to this.

This weekend we read books, drank coffee, went to a cookout, ate ice cream, swam, met new friends, kayaked, drank coffee, walked to the farmers market, took lots of naps, and capped the weekend off with a cookout of our own.

Narragansett beach. Lots of surfers out.

Here are a couple of pictures of our new house. This is the sunroom/dinning room/jason's office/euchre's new home.

This is our bedroom. Plenty of room to walk around and fit two dressers in it.

Bea's room/guest bedroom.

I had to put protective corners on the coffee table and for some reason Bea wants to attack them with her mouth furiously.

The second picture is a new face she makes. She mainly does it when she is concentrating. I think it is hilarious.

Bea getting ready for her first kayak ride.

We took her down the block to the salt pond and she sat in between my legs the whole time. She did great and I think she would have liked it even more if she didn't have her life jacket on, but there is NO WAY I will ever take her on the water without one. Sorry love.

It was a great first weekend in Rhode Island.

good days and bad days

2011-09-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a good day. I tried to find the post office, failed...oh well. I did find a children's consignment store that I will have to check out.

I also found a great spot. I'm not sure if I'll ever get over the fishy, rotting sea vegetation smells. Maybe it's not always like this.

I liked it so much that I had to bring Jason back for a swim with Bea at sunset.

Today I fell apart. Bea wouldn't nap, I had bad hair, I felt fat, and all of the things that I haven't had the time to think about kinda just hit me. I took two naps and after the second one, I woke up in a much better mood. Tomorrow is a new day, and I'll try again.

Point Judith Light house.

I just took off Bea's clothes because the were getting all wet and she just wanted to play.

All day long today I kept thinking, "man, it's like there is sand in your poop." Oh yeah there really was. I couldn't keep her hands out of her mouth.

It's an invasion. Pretty cool sight to see a bunch of go carts with parachutes on them coming at you.

This one was o close.

Jason and Bea.

new month, new home, and new adventures.

2011-09-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

I was originally going to title this post "how starbucks saved my day," but it's a new day.

My baby girl is 9 months old already, and for the first time in her short little life, she has her own room. I thought it was going to be harder, but I am thoroughly enjoying being able to have my room back. I missed being able to put laundry away, get clothes out when I wanted, and to just have a space that is ours again.

Our bedroom is probably the biggest one we have had since we moved from Grandville. We were able to put two dressers in there with plenty of room to move around the bed. What a luxury.

I finally feel like I made some progress on finding homes for all of our things. The kitchen was the hardest. Can you believe that there are no drawers in the kitchen at all? One whole shelf space was taken up by a silverware tray, so I found a pencil holder with three slots in it, and it just sits on the counter. I think it's great! I found places for most of our plants which really helps to make things feel more like our space.

We have a sun room which is HUGE and so great, but right now it is filled with all of the things that still need to either be put in storage (there's a shed in back) or books to be put on bookshelves that are yet to be assembled. (Oh, and we can't forget my craft stuff)

Our living room has a great bookshelf in it, where I put all of Bea's toys and books. She will just pull everything off the shelves anyway, so it works great to use that as her space. I'm sitting on a very old couch that is very comfortable, but has a strange odor that I can't quite place. Maybe I'll have to see about a couch cover.

It's so nice here. Our street is a dead end, that is off of a street that is a dead end (into a salt pond!). It's very quiet all day long, and most of the houses on the street are empty or will be after this weekend. We have a huge yard, and a backyard where Euchre can hang out. She is doing good too. I think she likes it here, I think she is still trying to figure out what's going on, but it helps that all of our stuff is here and we won't be leaving her and going anywhere anytime soon. Our house has so many windows and gets such great sunlight all day long. Most days there is also a breeze that comes through all of the open windows, and just plain makes me so happy.

Jason had to be at a meeting the day after we arrived here. The school is only 9 miles away, and yet because of the roads it takes him 25-30 minutes to get there. He's been in class planning classes 9-4 Wed-Fri, and then school will officially start next Tuesday. He seems to like the school and I guess that campus is huge. He tried to find the school off of the bike path last night, but it got too dark, and he had to turn back before he found it. He's currently claimed the sunroom as his office and doesn't seem to mind the piles of boxes everywhere, but I'm sure he'll feel more settled once everything gets put away.

I have been furiously putting things away, so I haven't had much time to think about being here and starting over with friends and grocery stores, and post offices, and all of those simple things you take for granted when you have lived somewhere so long. I had my first outing yesterday and it didn't turn out exactly how I thought it would. I needed to make a MAJOR walmart run to get some organizational things and groceries so we could eat something other that road food and protein bars. I got directions to the address of what I thought was Walmart and mapquested it from my house. Well....there was no walmart at that address, and I drove a good 20 minutes in the wrong direction. I guess it was good to sight see, but I was starving, needed to pee, and felt bad that Bea was sleeping in her carseat even though she had just gotten up an hour ago. *side note: she's been in the car so much in the month we were home and the ride here that I hated to put her in the car for ANOTHER long car ride.) I made my way back to where I had gotten off of the highway, and I made a quick decision to drive through starbucks. I am so thankful I did. I asked the girl where the closest walmart was and she says, "oh, just turn right out of here go through three lights and turn left". Really? Really? I was so thankful. I find walmart and I get out of the car and realize that I had forgotten my very large, very extensive list. Then I realized that this was not a super walmart, and although Bea was due for a nap, I needed to get groceries so we found a store and power shopped for food. I nursed Bea in the car before we left and somehow her diaper wasn't on right so she peed all over herself and me. I just had to laugh. It really was the perfect way to end our outing. I left the house at 10:30 and got home about 2:00. I'm hoping that grocery shopping doesn't take that long every time.

I think it will just take awhile to get the hang of things and where everything is, and get used to the time it takes to get there. (lots of traffic) I want to find a mom's group and hopefully make some friends and I think finding a church will help the most. I'm so thankful for Bea during this transition. She makes everything a little easier, and she makes the days pass quickly and joyfully (well most days). She is having a ton of fun crawling EVERYWHERE, getting into EVERYTHING, and pulling herself up on EVERYTHING. Last night she even slept through the night!!!!! Oh my gosh what a relief. I really don't mind getting up in the middle of the night, but I know that she needs her sleep and she's so much happier that way.

Today I think we are going to brave another outing (if I don't, I'll stay in my house on my street for forever). We are going to check out the beach (beautiful, and very New England-ish), and find the post office. Then I'll need a nap. :)

I'll keep posting our adventures and I'll keep taking pictures. Here are a couple from Monday when Debby and Denny left for Grand Rapids.

WHOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our first night here and she didn't want to sleep, so she pulled herself up on boxes instead.

Papa and Yai Yai on the day they left. We wouldn't have been able to make the move without them.

Bea's first meal out in Rhode Island. I love this look on her face. She makes it a lot.

Saying goodbye at the (very cool) train station.

Rhode Island or Bust

2011-08-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the road below, click on the pictures to see them bigger.

I was going to write a blog post about the trip, but that is going to have to wait, because it is time for bed.

See you tomorrow Rhode Island.

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{smirk}

2011-08-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously? Gorgeous. Beautiful. Joy. Pure. Joy.

2011-07-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

*click image to view larger* (I seriously recommend it!)

Oh Bea!

2011-07-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

It's a bird it's a plane....

Don't you love her granny swim suit?

I was trying to catch her doing a push up. She is so close to getting ready to crawl it's crazy.

Lake Superior

2011-07-03T01:48:00.000-07:00

7 months

2011-06-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Where did the time go little girl? Tomorrow you will be 7 months already, and I can't believe it.

I love you. Bea-do.

first camping trip

2011-06-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

We went camping last night! It was great, and Bea did awesome. She'll make a great outdoors woman!

We want to eventually go on a real hiking/camping trip, but last night was a trial run.

We went a mile down the road to our city campground Tourist Park. It's a great campground and not at all what you think of when you hear "city campground."

Taking a nap in the tent.

Snuggles with Dad.

She LOVES swinging!

She is too cute.

"I'm over it Dad."

She can't quite sit up yet, so a blanket on the ground will have to do.

Hi pretty girl.

"Mama, why am I naked? It's cold out."

Jason slept in his hammock/bat net last night. It's SUPER comfy.

I love the look on her face in this picture. She just puts up with me.

new do

2011-06-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

before.....

after!

happenings

2011-06-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying our summer up here, and getting ready for our BIG move.

I've already started purging, packing, and pricing items for our massive yard sale.

Bea has been doing great! She is usually smiling, laughing, or giving us her serious look. (something like the picture below)

She's doing great at rolling over, even though I'm still surprised when she does. She's not quite sitting up, but is getting better at it, and still no teeth!

We took a hike yesterday along the Dead river and I couldn't believe all of the different kinds of wild flowers.

This is Bea's new dress that I finished last night. I love it so much I think I'm going to have to make about a bazillion more!

Have a happy Monday!

6 months

2011-06-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

When you were born you were so little. fragile.sleepy. and you looked like this:

Today, you look like this:

Too Big. Beautiful. Serious. Joyful.

You had your first cereal today and I cried the whole time. You just seemed so old.

I'm not ready for you to grow up, even though you change every single day.

You are 18 lbs and 26 in. long.

Thank you for bringing me joy every single day.

You are beautiful in every single way, and I'm so excited to see you little person you are becoming.

She's been falling asleep with her blanket over her face. Thank goodness there are holes in it.

spring was in the air...seems winter isn't over yet!

2011-04-13T04:34:00.000-07:00

Jason's MFA reading last Friday night. He did awesome and is so close to finishing the novel! Go Jason!

We took a walk on Sunday, it was so nice, the little girl didn't even have to wear socks!

Plumb tuckered out.

We hooked up the swing in the front yard. Not sure how she feels about it.

Pure love!

4 months

2011-04-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

When you wake up in the morning babbling and talking to your self, I forget the laundry still sitting unfolded.

When you kick and splash like a crazy lady in the bath tub, I forget the screaming fit you just had.

After you laugh and smile at everything I do, I forget that it's been days since I've been to the gym.

When you sit and snuggle with me, I forget that I should have eaten an hour ago.

That smile you give me when you see me, the one you give when you wake up from your nap, makes me forget that I needed a nap too.

When you grab my fingers and won't let go, I forget about that shower I've been trying to take and the sewing I've been trying to get to.

And when I put my hand on your chest at night before I go to bed, to make sure you're still breathing, I forget what life was life without you.

Watching the first tigers game of the season with dad.

Throwing darts with dad.

Loving her new jumper!

Get a load of those cheeks.

Baby girl. I love you so much it makes my heart hurt.

I am so thankful for you.

new pictures!

2011-03-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some new pictures of the little Bea!

When I was home in March, we took a five (5) generation picture.

My Grandpa, Great Gram (almost 98), Bea, Me, and my Mom.

I love this picture. I love that she is Bea's great, great Gram.

Bea loves her dad!

She takes in the world with those big blue eyes.

She can't roll over yet, but she LOVES to stand.

Euchre wanted to be a part of the group.

She has officially found her thumb. She has woken me up many a morning with her super loud sucking.

She is one cool cat. Literally. It was freezing after we turned the corner, but I just wanted to show her the lake really quick and then we high tailed it back to the house where it was warm.

The beginnings of a musical genius? I think so.

Bread making with Aunt Rachel

2011-03-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

While I was home in Grand Rapids Aunt Rachel gave a bread making class at her house.

I took pictures while the others learned this invaluable skill.

Thanks for teaching us Aunt Rachel.

bea and dad

2011-03-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

super cute savings jar

2011-03-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Since I was feeling crafty yesterday, I went ahead and made something else.

I got a large olive jar from work and decided to turn it into our savings jar.

Below is the final product, but I took pictures of the steps I took along the way.

I printed out what I wanted the words to day in the font I wanted and then cut out the letters with an exacto knife.

I now have a stencil.

the jar.

a spare scrap of burlap i had lying around.

I taped down the stencil, and sponged paint onto the burlap.

I wasn't sure how I was going to attach the burlap to the glass...and then I remembered....the GLUE GUN!

I almost forgot that I had it. It worked great!

Then what to do with the pesky seam? Cute polka dotted ribbon of course! Attached with the glue gun again.

Just like that we have a new super cute savings jar.

my daughter has a big booty

2011-03-11T04:20:00.000-08:00

We have been using cloth diapers for the past two months or so which we love (blog post about this later), but this makes our lovely daughter's butt very large. Which in turn makes finding pants that fit very hard to find. I think I have found a solution though, two actually.

1. Buy very large carpri pants. That way they fit her legs and her enlarged bottom.

2. LEG WARMERS! My sister let me borrow a pair and they were at little tight, so I wanted to buy some different ones. Apparently either leg warmers are way outdated baby gear this year...or they were such a hit that no stores anywhere carry them anymore. So I did what I do best, and that is find someone else that has done it before me and make it better. I found a tutorial here. I used little girls knee high socks and sewed them accordingly. They are so awesome and Bea looks so cute in them.

"momma, stop taking pictures of me!"

Spring Break in GR

2011-03-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Hi there! There are a ton of pictures this time, so I did it a little different, If you click on a picture, it will take you to a new window where you can click through the pictures. It's not ideal, but that way I don't spend hours uploading 54 pictures.

Beatrice and I made the trip downstate and she did great in the car. She slept almost the whole way both there and back.

We had a great time and she got to see and get held by A TON of her relatives.

I was with her all week and I think she looks bigger. Jason hated being away from us, but he was able to get a ton of writing done on his novel.

Thanks for all the cuddles!

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week 12

2011-02-24T14:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend the sun was shining so nice, and I had just a bit of cabin fever, so I bundled up Miss Bea and put on her Diva glasses and tried to walk to the lake. It was way too windy for her little cheeks so we walked over to my friend's apartment to say hello.

Today I finally got her new stroller out of the box and put it together. Then the whole family (Euchre too) went for a nice long walk. It felt so good to get outside and get some fresh air.

This was my view from the top of the stroller.

Sometimes....body parts escape the crib...and I love it!

Oooo SMILES!

Someone found her hands this week and will not give them up.

This is my favorite picture. Her little butt is so big because of her cloth diapers so none of her pants fit her. The other day I found 18 month capri pants that fit her perfectly, and she looks like she's ready for the golf course with dad!

sled dog races!

2011-02-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

Last night Jason, Bea and I went to the start of the U.P. 200. It was 20 degrees with a 3 degree windchill and around 30 mph gusts of wind, but it was so great to be able to be there.

the U.P. 200 starts in marquette and goes all the way to grand marais and back. this race is a qualifier for the Iditarod in Alaska, and we were there to watch them take off.

we bundled Bea up as much as we could. the only thing that kept getting cold were her GINORMOUS cheeks, otherwise, jason kept her nice and toasty!

we are so lucky to live in a city like Marquette. Where else can you see a sled dog race take off and not have to drive further than 5 minutes from home.

she could not be bothered with the race.

downtown marquette. they shut down washington street and truck in snow for the start of the race.

our lives in photos

2011-02-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

jason built me a cake for my 29th birthday.

I'm pretty sure this is the first year I really did not want to turn another year older.

Can't I just stay 28 forever?

jason singing to Bea. (do you see the terrified look on her face!)

look at that grip!

grandpa and grandma came to visit a few weeks ago.

bea loved snuggling with them!

bea and grandma

she is so beautiful, but when she sleeps, she looks like an angel.

jason commiserating with bea so she wouldn't be the only one crying!

i don't think her eyes can get any bigger.

our new family picture.

we had to take a new one because we were in a commercial for our gym and they needed something a bit more recent. (i like jason's hair so much better now, It balances out the loss of facial hair!)

love those CHEEKS!

2011-02-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

2 months old!

2011-02-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Miss Beatrice turned 2 months already!

She weighed in at 12.2 lbs and was 22 in.

My sweet girl.

showing off for grandpa and grandma this weekend.

so sweet.

6th anniversary

2011-01-23T12:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday marked our 6th anniversary. What a year it has been! The biggest thing to happen this year was obviously the birth of our beautiful daughter. She has forever changed our lives for the better. We can't believe we have lived so much of our lives without her.

Jason and I feel like this year has been our year, the year everything has come together.

In January last year Jason and I joined a local gym because the price was right and we had no clue how that would change our lives.

We were given a free 1/2 hour training session and we knew that we had to keep training.

We changed our diets and began to work out regularly.

I lost almost 30 lbs before I got pregnant and to date, Jason has lost 96 lbs.

I know that my weight loss is what helped us to conceive and for that I am forever grateful.

Jason looks and feels like a new man, and the two of us couldn't be happier.

After having Beatrice, everything else in the world seems so small. We've had a great year, but there are more great years to come.

Jason has applied to PHD programs across the country, which means we could be anywhere next year.

Right now we are just waiting, and we are okay with that.

We don't need to know just now!

I am so blessed to have Jason as my husband and as the father of our daughter.

Thank you for six amazing years as my husband. I can't wait to see what our future holds.

pure. love.

making breakfast

soaking up the rays.

hiawatha resort

Bea, sporting some super cute smart wool from Grandpa and Grandma.

the indomitable pink snowman.

cozy.

bundled.

new lens.self portrait.

playing cribbage.

mom hugs.

dancing with dad.

family portrait.

dorks.

changing pad

2011-01-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Don't look too closely, but I finished Miss Bea's travel changing pad.

I will never work with oil cloth again until I get the tension fixed on my sewing machine. It looks horrible...but it is done!

Here are a couple of pictures, and a few more.

I've been meaning to write more, but life has just gotten a lot busier and while I can I'm going to cuddle with Bea! I can always write later.

seriously...those chins, and those lips!

My parents sent Bea a Smart wool hat and mittens.

(it's official, my daughter owns more smart wool than I do)

Out of focus, but hilarious.

A slight, sleepy smile.

Skyping.

Bea's quilt

2011-01-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Bea is getting her very own, very big quilt.

She helped me lay the top out today.

She is the cutest!

Bea says HI!

2011-01-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

Jason, Bea, and I are finally back in Marquette after a week and a half spent with our family down in Grand Rapids. We had a great time and Bea had a lot of firsts. She went to the movies, the mall, a bar, shopping in Holland, and met a ton of family members and did A TON of snuggling.

She is a whole month old already. I know I can't believe it. She is still lighting up our lives every day. I still am in awe of her and all of her perfectness.

Click on a picture to view it bigger.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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our first week (scroll down for pictures)

2010-12-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Well little miss Beatrice is 8 days old already! It's hard to believe that a little over a week ago this little beauty was still growing in my belly.

I don't want to ever put her down, and Jason and I just spend hours of our day just staring at her in amazement.

She is truly beautiful and perfect.

I wasn't planning on this being a blog about her birth, but I have had a request that our story be told.

So this post will be a long one, but one with lots of pictures at the end!

First of all, little miss Bea was breech for about the last 2 months of her life in my womb. This posed a myriad of concerns. She was a little bit sideways and because of that I could feel her head poking out of the side of me. This made about every position uncomfortable and sleeping was pretty much unheard of the last few weeks. Because she was breech I was referred to the OBGYNs in Marquette. They told me we could try to turn her in a procedure called an external (cephalic) version, where they would manually try to manipulate her into a head down position, or we could schedule a c-section. I was so uncomfortable that I just wanted to get her out so I just told them to schedule the c-section. When I got home that day I did not feel at peace about our decision. Jason and I decided that we would try to turn her. Because I was almost 38 weeks they wanted to do it right away....like the next morning.

That night I couldn't sit, stand, lie down, or walk without feeling miserable. I decided to take a sleeping pill and I woke up two hours later to go to the bathroom where my water decided to break. I was so happy! I knew that one way or the other we would be having a baby that day. I calmly walked into Jason's office and asked him if he wanted to go have a baby. He just looked at me. We finished packing our bags and called the hospital and got going. Being that it was 2am it took about 2 minutes to get there (gotta love small towns). I checked in and they did an ultrasound and sure enough, she was still breech. This meant that I was going to have a c-section.

If you would have asked me at the beginning of my pregnancy about how I felt about having a c-section, I'm pretty sure my answer would be that it was the worst possible scenario. On that day though, I was so happy. I was going to have my baby and I didn't have to wait another two weeks! It helped that Jason and I had known for weeks that the likelihood of having a c-section was very high, and that we were educated about what would happen.

I was the first section of the day, and I couldn't be happier about how everything went. The staff was amazing (my surgeon held my hand while they put in the spinal) and there was a specified person to stay with Jason and make sure he was okay, and she also took all of the pictures in the operating room.

My little girl was stuck, VERY stuck. It took them awhile to get her out because her feet were up by her ears and her hands were above her head. The general concencus was that she would not have turned if we had been able to try the external version, and that made me even more thankful that I didn't have to try it.

They held her up and Jason got to tell me that she was a girl. She was bloody and covered in white goo, and I fell madly deeply in love immediately and I haven't looked back since.

After they cleaned her up a little they put her on my chest and she just stared at me. After a few minutes they took her and Jason and went back to my room while I went to recovery.

Jason was so happy because he was able to bond with her skin to skin, and because he got to do it before I did.

We had a very quiet hospital stay, and by Friday I was ready to get out of there. I just wanted to be home with my stuff and my bed.

We had a rough first night, but since then she has slept for 3-5 hours between nursing, and I am getting the most sleep I have gotten in months.

We are madly deeply in love with our daughter and don't know how we lived the rest of our lives so far without her.

My family took the motor home up on Thursday, and spent the weekend taking care of us and blessing us by just being here.

Grandpa TerBeek getting to hold her for the first time.

Great Gram Troost

Aunt Andrea

We had to unwrap her to see how little she was.

She's so little!

Cuddling with mom at the hospital

Dad checking her out.

Great Grandpa Troost

Going HOME!!!!

Uncle Ross

Her cousin Sophie just loved her.

Look at those eyes!

Aunt Ashley

Saying goodbye to cousin!Auntie Jen came to visit on Sunday.

Instead of a Lions jersey we decided to support Detroit, just in another way!

Bea and Dad have been doing a lot of this the last few days.

Even mom needs to nap once in a while too!My beautiful girl. My life will never be the same ever again and I couldn't be happier that you are the reason for this. I love you so much, and the love I have for you makes my heart hurt.

Hello world!

2010-12-02T01:45:00.000-08:00

BEATRICE HARLOW SHRONTZ

Born November 30, 2010

7.5lbs 19in

pure perfection

happy thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

Meet my new niece! Laura Joy Shrontz

2010-11-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

My new niece!

LAURA JOY SHRONTZ

Born November 21, 2010

7lbs 3oz

19.5 in

Congratulations Steve and Amber!

36 weeks 1 day

2010-11-19T05:56:00.000-08:00

Had the 4th ultrasound today. The baby is still breech and is measuring at 37 weeks 6 days and 7.5 lbs. We'll have to see what the doctor says on Monday! Oh and the baby has hair!

35 weeks 2 days

2010-11-13T05:51:00.000-08:00

We are still growing a kid up here in the UP. The baby is currently stuck in the position of transverse breech. (see above picture) We are just waiting to see what that means for getting the kid out. I'll make sure I update if I find out anything else!

the bird mobile is up!

2010-11-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last night while Jason was at darts I put up the crib for the sole purpose of being able to put up my mobile.

I LOVE my mobile. I got the idea from this website. They even have a free pattern for the birds. I hand sewed and stuffed the birds and left the logistics of hanging the birds on stick up to my dad.

He didn't find just any ole sticks though. He went and cut sticks off of an over 200 year old beach tree that sits on our property.

And the crib, I LOVE the crib too. We don't really have room for a full size crib, so until we need to get a real crib, we are using the crib that my Grandpa TerBeek and his sister used. My dad fixed it up and is letting us borrow it.

Wow! Is this kid going to be loved or what?

A weekend in Grand Rapids

2010-11-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, after making the 7 hour road trip to Grand Rapids and back, I am very thankful that I will not be driving any further than 10 minutes until after the baby is born. Wow! Was that a LONG trip or what!

The reason we went home was because our families blessed us with two baby showers. It was such a blessing to see family and to be reminded yet again just how blessed we are.

In other related baby news...we had an ultrasound on Monday and it appears as if the baby is measuring slightly big...like TWO WEEKS big! The ultrasound tech estimated the weight to be around 6lbs already. Oh boy! We have 6 weeks left, and next Tuesday I'll see what my doctor says.

My mother in law threw my first shower on Saturday,and here are some pictures from that.

When you have a ginormous belly it tends to be a magnet for all sorts of things, so right before the shower I had to spot clean a couple of spots. (Can you see the ball I'm carrying in there?)

Prefold diapers and diaper covers from my mom!

My niece Ava and her new little cousin Gabrielle (Jacob and Linda's new little beautiful one!)

Another of my nieces Sophie, playing with all of the ribbons!

This is from my shower on Sunday that my mom threw for me after family pictures and a great family lunch!

Emily and Ava in their Halloween costumes.

Ringing the door bell!

Debby, Denny, Steve and Jason took the girls trick or treating, while the two pregnant ladies got to hang out at the house!

Sophie was a bee for Halloween!

I had to get a picture of this.

This is a one and a lifetime thing.

We are two weeks apart in our pregnancies, and we are both ready to see the little buggers!

And finally a picture of Sophie and me playing!

32 weeks 1 day

2010-10-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

I'd be lying if I said I was 'enjoying' these last weeks of pregnancy. I am steadily running out of room for this little one to move around in, so he/she likes to hang out up in my ribs. I wasn't sleeping either for a few weeks, but I finally have been getting some and have felt much better. I'm actually smiling during the day!

Only 8 or so weeks left! I can't wait to meet this little one who likes to hang out in my ribs! I have a feeling all will be forgiven once I see their face.

my Etsy store!

2010-10-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's official, I now have an Etsy store up and running.

I will be adding baby shoes soon, but for now there are only blankets and quilts!

Click HERE to visit my store.

30 weeks

2010-10-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

I just looked at my picture from 3 weeks ago and it seems like everything else about me has gotten bigger, except for my belly....oh well!

nesting...continued!

2010-10-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I was a crafting fool. I didn't actually sew anything yet, but I cut out a ton of things to be sewn.

I got out my stash of fabrics and decided that it was time to make something for my baby!

I'll post completed pictures later, but these are the beginnings!

These will become cloth wipes. I had the flannel already and it is slightly stained, so it will make nice wipes.

We are going to use cloth diapers and it only makes sense to use cloth wipes too.

I am making burp cloths too! I had been saving this fabric for something else, but I just had to use it for me!

And finally this is the mobile that I'm going to be making.

I am so excited about it!

I was searching for ideas and found it here.

Again more pictures to come when it's all done!

nesting

2010-10-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

It's begun, the nesting that is.

There are just a little over 10 short weeks left until this baby comes and I'm slowly getting ready.

I've washed and folded impossibly small onsies, and brought the crib upstairs.

Just 10 weeks.

happenings

2010-09-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

We've been busy up here in the UP.

Jason has been crazy busy teaching, studying for his GRE tests, and trying to figure out when he is going to finish writing his novel!

I have been busy finishing up at the farmers market, nannying, and...oh yeah, GROWING A HUMAN!

I have three months left until the little one makes it's appearance.

26weeks 5 days.

______________________________________________________________

Last weekend we surprised my mom by throwing her a 50th birthday party at Tarry Hall Skating Rink.

She was totally surprised, and never guessed a thing.

Thanks to everyone who helped and who came, it was a great party!

That look stayed on her face for about 10 minutes!

Even Sophie got to roller skate!

Hokey Pokey

The TerBeek men.

______________________________________________________________

On Sunday that same weekend we went over to Detroit to watch the Tigers beat the Orioles!

Did I mention that we sat over the bull pen and got to watch Verlander warm up before the game.

baby shrontz-23 weeks 6 days

2010-08-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

pepto bismo pink!

2010-08-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

half way there baby!

2010-07-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

We have hit the halfway point and I am really feeling it this week.

Jason and I helped a friend when her moving company pooped out on her. I know I didn't do to much but I just did it for too long, so the whole week I've actually felt like a pregnant lady. I even broke down and bought a body pillow to sleep with, now if only I could make whatever is making my allergies act up GO AWAY! The baby has started kicking the last couple of weeks which is really cool to feel. I like it that the baby lets me know that it's there!

The farmer's market has been going great. I have been getting repeat customers, lots of promises to come back, and I'm even being talked about around the community. Also, I now have tutus for sale at the U.P. Children's Museum!

It also worked out for us to come home for almost a week! We are so excited to see family! Jason hasn't seen his nieces all summer long. We'll see you Wednesday!

20 weeks 2 days.

The middle picture is a t-shirt I made, because no one has them in stock anywhere!

At the Blueberry festival in Marquette on Friday. Wearing my very cute new shirt from Mom!

In my booth at the the blueberry festival.

some new pictures

2010-06-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

there's no denying that there is a baby in there.

15 weeks and 6 days.

jason's typical attire while teaching his online class. dork. so glad he is home.

finally a picture of euchre, pretty sure she is allergic to pollen. it went down by the morning.

awesome garage sale finds

2010-06-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

I only spent $82.75 and look at all the stuff I got!

an eddie bauer high chair for $5

everything in this pile was .25 to 2.00

onesies, a couple of car sun shades, some toys, and a bunch of books

baby bjorn for $10.00

this is a boppy seat that vibrates

a graco car seat for $40

and a book shelf for $10

Thank you Mom's Club of Marquette for all the supplies!

sophie

2010-06-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

It's official! We're pregnant!

2010-06-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

I am 12 weeks today, and the baby is just about 2 inches long, and the size of a lime.

We are both doing great!

I haven't been sick at all, just SUPER tired and emotional.

Oh, and that arrow is pointing at the umbilical cord.

success at the farmers market!

2010-05-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was up at 6am after a nightmare about not bringing my table to the farmers market, so I wasn't able to sell anything. I'm pretty sure I was just a little anxious about today. I wasn't sure how well things would sell, or if I would stick out in a bad way among the home spun yarn, organic veggies, and organic lotions and potions.

I didn't have anything to worry about. Once I got my table set up in a better spot I received a lot of visitors.

I sold 3 tag blankets, 4 tutus, and 11 pairs of baby shoes. That's a really awesome way to start out the season.

I almost forgot, but the very best part of the day was that I made a contact who wants to sell my stuff at the childrens museum in marquette. Awesome!

Also, I finally got the garden planted.

We have peas, beans, corn, carrots, red peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, and pumpkins.

My reward! Flowers!

jason ran a 10k

2010-05-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Jason ran a 10K in Marquette.

He finished first in his age group, and beat the time he had set for himself.

Good job Jason!

yard sales, red benches, and tutus...oh my!

2010-05-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

just a few pictures from the UP!

my friend lisa and and i had a yard sale last weekend and between the two of us we made almost $400.

you would not believe the people we met.

there was one woman who talked to herself, and then proceeded to do a fake broadcast from our yard.

too weird.

our base of operations. sunshine and rocking chairs are a must for yard sales.

the new garden!

jason dug up a 6x14 spot for a few vegetable plants.

it's finally getting warm enough to plant things!

and my new RED and FREE bench.

i love the English department at Northern, they take such good care of jason and i.

one of the professors is moving to a smaller place and she had this bench in her back yard.

i totally love it and she said i could just have it for free!

THANK YOU KATIE!

priced shoes all ready to go for the farmers market.

i love my new logo!

40 pictures ready to go!

they look so great in their cellophane envelopes, i could sell anything in those.

more tutus!

and MORE! i just love these.

marquette farmers market!

2010-04-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

spring has finally come to marquette!

we even went camping last weekend. i'm not sure april is such a great month to be camping in. i was frozen all night long, and finally woke up at 5:30 am and stoked the fire, to keep warm.

maybe we will try again in a month or two.

this is jason's last week of school and then he's leaving in a month for another train trip. this one is only 3 weeks, and this time i am not going to meet him anywhere.

i'm going to be nannying during the summer for two different families during the day, and then work at the greenhouse again at night. then on saturday mornings i'll be selling my photographs and baby items i have made at our local farmers market.

i'm really excited about doing this, and if it goes well, i'll start an esty store!

below are some of the things i'll be selling.

baby quilts

tag blankets

tutus

shoes!

i love these! They are reversible! these two pictures are the same pair!

Ross and Ashley are Married!

2010-04-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

all of the cousins (except megs!)

our new sister (the poor girl!) we love you ashley

we even got mom on the dance floor!

i'm pretty sure this is the only picture i have of ross and ashley together

all the girls

livy dancing away the night

ross and his broken leg

decorating the church

it was a great weekend. i can't believe how pooped i was after being the mistress of ceremonies.

congratulations ross and ashley!

home for the holiday

2010-04-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Ryan with Sophie

Ross and Ashley (they're getting married in 2 weeks!!!!)

My super skinny husband!

Tim, Ross, Ryan, Sophie, Grandpa

Andrea & Dad.

Ashley & Sophie

Jason & Dad

Ava & Emily

Ava & Em

Ava LOVES Euchre!

Debby & Emily

Sophie

Great Grandma Troost & Sophie

Me, Gram, Soph, & Andrea

Me & Sophie

Ava, Me, Emily!

spring break

2010-03-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Below are some pictures from our spring break.

We drove from Marquette down to Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids to Bowling Green, KY (where we stayed with our good friend Kevin for the night), and then finally to Destin, FL.

Wow, Florida is a long way from Marquette, but we are glad that we went.

It was a great week to relax, soak up some sun, swim in the Gulf, read, run on the beach, and just hang out together.

(click on the picture to view it larger)

ice scapes

2010-02-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

fun things!

2010-02-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

jason laughed so hard when he saw that i had bought these, but i am so excited about them.

two times a week i attend a body combat class at my gym.

i don't actually hit anything other than the air, but i think i'll look better with pink "gloves" on!

also, they will keep my hands from getting so sweaty.

sewing project

2010-02-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

this is my new bag i made!

i got the instructions from this blog.

it was super easy, and looks awesome!

i'm published!

2010-02-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

my photograph is on the cover of blue earth review!

it's just a college literary magazine, but it's still pretty cool to see my photograph on the cover.

did i mention that my photo was on the cover?

5th anniversary

2010-02-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures from our anniversary weekend.

We got the same cabin we have gotten for the last two years.

It was so great to just hang out for the weekend.

Oh and we got to bring Euchre along, after all she is a part of the family now!

really? can a dog be any cuter?

sorry, there are no pictures of me. That is what happens when you are the photographer!

spring break!

2010-01-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

For our five year anniversary, Jason is taking me on spring break!

We are going to Destin, FL, and staying in this fabulous condo right on the beach.

It sounds wonderful, and I can't wait.

The pictures below are from the condo.

my, how far we've come.

2010-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

Five years ago, on January 22, 2005, I had the privilege of marrying the most wonderful man.

Five years ago.

That is what floors me.

On my wedding day, five years seemed so far away, so unattainable, and so unreal.

I love my husband, and I am so thankful for him.

I don't show him, or tell him nearly enough.

I look at where we were five years ago, and I am amazed at where we have come.

In the last five years we have accomplished so much, and none of our accomplishments would have happened without each other.

We have:

moved to Marquette, and learned how to make hard transitions a little easier, and how to make new friends and then let those same friends go

finished a master's degree, (and then started another one)

finally graduated with a bachelors of fine arts

drove around ireland

learned to accept the other for who they are

got a puppy

traveled back and forth across the country on a train for a month

quit smoking

got rid of cable TV

traveled to amsterdam, belgium, and france

started teaching college classes

changed our diet and lifestyle

joined a gym

hired a personal trainer

learned how to communicate better, and to resolve issues faster

took a road trip across the country alone

spent 4th of july in pasedena with friends and then drove home together

hiked through the porkies

snow shoed

cross country skiied

quit wearing makeup most of the time

and

worked, toiled, laughed, sweat, cried, and endured five wonderful years of marriage.

i can't wait for five more!

our honeymoon

2010-01-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

i'm back!

2010-01-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

if you couldn't tell from the post below, i finally have a computer again!

i thought that i would be a big person and go without one for a month (which i did), and that i wouldn't need to use a computer that much.

boy was i wrong!

i do everything on the computer, and i was especially lost when it came to my photos.

oh, i'd check my email on jason's computer, and i'd look a few things up, but i couldn't do anything with the 1000+ images on my camera.

so, i broke down, called (stalked) a friend who is a mac dealer, and ordered myself a beautiful 15" macbook pro.

it came in the mail on thursday, and we really haven't been separated much since!

so, the photos below are just a sampling of all of the images i have gone through the last couple of days.

i figure it's kind of like "where's waldo"? you have to try and find you or your kids somewhere in the jumble of images.

we were so blessed to be able to spend time with family and friends over Christmas and new years, we had a great time, so thank you!

(p.s. if i promised you a cd of pictures, they will be in the mail on monday!)

pictures from Christmas break

2010-01-17T03:14:00.000-08:00

exhibit pictures

2009-12-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

I did it!

2009-12-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

In case any of you were unaware, I just wanted to let you know that after 10 years off and on of college, I have finally graduated!

I am now an official card carrying member of the college graduate club.

I received a Bachelors of Fine Arts with my concentration being Photography.

It has been a long time coming, and just want to thank everyone who supported me financially, emotionally, and spiritually, and especially those of you who just let me rant about how much I hated school and how badly I didn't want to finish!

When I figure out what I'll be doing I'll let you know.

Andrea Joy and sister extraordinaire! She left her 1 month old at home to come see me!

This was my exhibit at the art museum.

My in-laws and my niece Emily.

Mom and Dad

Emily and I traded coats for a few minutes!

That's me walking across the stage, it's almost like you were there!

Steve, Emily, Katie, Jason

The Shrontz, TerBeek, Speyer girls!

...and our Christmas tree.

all of my beautiful neices!

2009-11-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

Sophia Joy - 3 weeks

Ava "bean" Grace - 18 months

Emily (baby girl) Elizabeth - 4 years

Sophia Joy! November 9, 2009. 7.7 lbs, 19"

2009-11-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

Porcupine Mountains, May 2009, Mirror Lake, 8 bunk cabin

2009-10-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

We named her Euchre!

2009-10-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

new puppy! name: to be determined!

2009-10-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

ross and ashley engagement picture teaser

2009-09-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

sailing lake superior

2009-08-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

a stormy sunday on lake michigan

2009-07-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

fly in

2009-07-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

road trip pictures

2009-07-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to see pictures of my road trip.

I'll write more on it later.

road trip: part 2

2009-07-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

Day 5 of the tremendous journey. Boy has it been a long one already, but I've seen some AMAZING things.

On monday morning I got to Glacier National Park sometime in the morning. I took the East entrance in at St. Mary and then took the Going to the Sun Road.

The road was slow going, but it was so beautiful and absolutely breath taking.

I finally made it off the road and got a campsite on the south side of Lake McDonald at Apgar campground.

I was exhausted, so I made some lunch and took a little nap before i headed out again.

I ended up taking a road outside of Glacier back into Glacier to Bowman Lake (very close to Canada)

I came back down, made a campfire, ate some dinner, read a little then went to bed.

TODAY was a totally different matter.

I woke up early, packed up camp, and headed out, looking for a shower.

I didn't have to look long, there was a KOA campground in West Glacier and paid $5 for a shower. Best money I ever spent.

I realized that I really wanted to see a lot of places on this trip, but I also really want to see my husband, and I had a TON of ground cover.

So, today was a travel day. I drove 750 miles and was on the road for way to many hours.

I am currently in a super 8 in Woodburn, OR about 20 miles N of Salem.

The best part of this trip scenery wise was 84 West along the Columbia River and the Columbia River Gorge. 170 miles of pure gorgeous.

Enjoy the pics below, sorry you can't click on them to make them bigger.

Scene from the road along the West side of Glacier.

Fire damaged trees.

St. Mary Lake in Glacier

View of a Glacier (sorry not sure which one)

On Logan's pass in Glacier

Woo Hoo! Self portrait!

I got hungry during a traffic delay, so I got some strawberries out of the cooler and ate them the rest of the way.

In lieu of Jason, I have my trusty companions, my cameras.

Lake McDonald

Back country

Bowman Lake

Not a self portrait. This was taken by a photography seminar instructor named Neil.

Self portrait

Windmills on the Columbia river. (p.s. Windmills are probably one of the only sources of energy that virtually have NO impact on the environment and do not pollute the air, or damage the land around them)

Columbia river.

Columbia River. (I waded in the river up to my knees to get pictures!)

road trip: part one

2009-06-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

My rental car at the campground in Cut Bank, Montana

The river my campsite was on in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND

Bison blocking the road in TRNP

Wild horses in TRNP

Miles and miles of train on 200S N in Montana

My view for most of the 1100 miles, lots and lots of fields.

North Dakota Bad Lands. A welcome site after one day of almost 600 miles driving through farms.

I am sitting in a Mc Donalds in Cut Bank, Montana. I am about 50 or so miles from Glacier National park. It is still early here, and I am clean, and got a full night of sleep last night, so I am a happy camper!

I'm sure some of you know, but there was a little trouble with my car just west of the Twin Cites. There is a valve that needs to be replaced and will take a week to come in. I couldn't drive my car, so I had to figure out what I was going to do.

I called my friend Samara who lives in the Suburbs of Minneapolis and she was wonderful and rushed right over to pick me up and gave me a bed to sleep in that night while I figured out what to do. I needed to rent a car, but there is a little trouble with that when you don't have a credit card.

But, after about a million phone calls to my dad and after trying every possible thing to get a car, I finally got one and was on my way on Saturday about 1pm.

I drove and drove and drove about 600 miles that day and finally made to Theodore Roosevelt National Park just as the sun was setting. The scenery was just what I needed to restore my faith in the trip.

I got one of the last campsites, set up my tent, made some mac and cheese, had a beer, read, journaled, and then tried to go to bed. That did not work out so well and I was up at 5am the next morning when the sun rose.

But I didn't care, I enjoyed it. I made two batches of coffee, read my book and tore down my campsite.

A nice couple offered me breakfast and I just couldn't refuse. When i asked her what we were having she said steak, eggs, and potatoes. I thought it sounded like heaven! She told me that she was afraid I was a vegan, she said it was because of my car, my nose ring, and because i was camping alone. Crack me up I thought it was hilarious.

After breakfast I took the scenic route out and saw a ton of prairie dogs, bison, and wilds horses. I got back on the highway and headed North west. After I was on US 2, I had planned to find a campsite and call it an early day. But there weren't any campsites. I finally found a place in Cut Bank. They had showers, a TV lounge room, and lots of traffic to lull me to sleep.

This morning I am clean and ready to head out on the road! I can't wait to get to Glacier. I will post again when i find some internet!

p.s. if you click on the pictures they should get a little bigger.

2009-06-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Jason has 3 new updates

www.mybrokenclock.blogspot.com

going "naked"

2009-06-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Being on my own these last couple of weeks has made me realize a few things about myself.

The most obvious one is that I am really messy. Seriously I'm not sure if I've always been this way or if I've just repressed the slob urges all of these years. I'm afraid of what my house will look like if I actually "let go!" So, I'm just going to do it here and there and pick up whenever I can.

I have also realized that I am a scatter brain. Okay I'm pretty sure that I have known that for a long time, but for some reason, not having jason around has made me even more so. It's possibly because I feel lost without him, or because I feel like I'm purgatory waiting for my sentence of 3 more weeks of school to be over so I can join my husband on the road.

I've also realized about myself that I don't really enjoy wearing makeup all that much. I don't know why I decided to try and "go naked," but I did and honestly it feels great! I think what I am trying to do is to look at myself, really look and make sure that I know that I am beautiful just the way I am. I think makeup is a great thing and I'm not giving it up entirely, but I have spent probably more than half my life trying to make myself look older, or prettier, or make my eyes sexier, or impress someone other than myself. I'm pretty sure I did a disservice to myself my never actually taking the time to look in the mirror with out the mask and think...yeah you're beautiful! So i am going naked (at least while I still have a tan...a girl's gotta have a little vanity...it's only healthy!)

The really important thing I realized though is that I really miss my husband. It took almost a week (gasp) to kinda freak out and realize that I wasn't going to see him for a month. Really a month. What was I thinking? It has been great though, I think it is always wise to take a little time out to make you realize just how much you need the other person. Whoever said that absence makes the heart grow fonder knew what they were talking about. Only two more weeks to go! I can't wait to get to LA!! California here i come! (p.s. If you do not know what I am talking about....let me know)

summer

2009-06-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

It finally happened! Summer finally arrived in Marquette.

The lilacs are finally blooming, and the tulips in my yard just died.

I have been keeping the doors and windows open all of the time.

I've been keeping busy while Jason is gone.

But I can't wait to be on my way. Only a little over a week left!

I included pictures from a few things.

These first two are from the sun rise I watched the other morning when I couldn't sleep.

These are from a hike in Big Bay on the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve to see a couple of water falls.

These are from Memorial Day. We had a great cookout and a ton of kiddies around. I loved it!

oh how i love the fog

2009-06-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

2009-06-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to get an update from Jason about his train trip.

new things

2009-05-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I'd be lying if I said that things got quieter around here after school was done.

Jason has been golfing a ton, as well as working at odd jobs for some of the English professors.

I have continued to babysit for Libby while her mom writes a book. I also still work at Mainstreet on the weekends.

I finished a quilt that I will have to post pictures of later.

I got a hiking backpack, finally.

Jason got a hiking hammock that is very easy to transport and super comfy.

I also started summer school on Monday. But today is the last day of the first week. So, only 5 weeks left. I can't complain about that.

In other not so good news, Jason and I having a really rough week. We had to bring Maggs back the humane society because he bit the neighbor kid on Sunday night. When Jason brought him in on Monday they told him that they would keep him in seclusion for 10 days while he was re-evaluated by a dog behaviorist. Then they would decide if he could be adopted again.

I think that is the hardest part right now. Knowing that he is just sitting in a cage at the humane society while he could be at our house. But we also know that no matter how sad we are, or how bad we want to go and pick him up, we know we can't. We can't run the risk of having a dog who bites, and one who bites for no apparent reason.

It's been a very sad week. There are still dog hairs everywhere. Random toys and treats yet to be found. And the silence. The silence is killing us. No tags clinking, no nails clicking against the hard wood floor, and no happy greeting when you come in the house. We're sorry Maggs, we really miss you.

Dad's 50th in Cedarville

2009-05-21T10:32:00.000-07:00