Folks, Emma's witty writing style isn't limited to blog posts. She also comes out with some very memorable emails from time to time. Yesterday, for example, she sent me the following email regarding a breakfast muffin Gramercy Tavern had given me.
bad news
I ate your muffin.
I was starving.
It was sitting there.
All day.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Happy birthday to me!
Thank you for all the wonderful birthday wishes yesterday, and especially to my husband for such a great idea. It totally made my day. Although the hot chocolate didn't hurt either. Mmmmm, like drinking liquid heaven.
* * *
February 23 - get your game face on, it's rapping time. (She LOVES to listen to John sing rap songs. Can't-stop-laughing hilarious. If I can ever get the video to work, we'll have to post one. Blogger video is not my friend, and youtube scares me.)
February 24 - sleepy feet
February 25
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Emma's Birthday
Just thought I would let everyone know that today is Emma's birthday. Tonight we're heading to Gramercy Tavern to celebrate the miracle of February 26, 1981. Post comments here to wish Emma a happy birthday.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Patience
is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God's purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable.
--Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Patience", Ensign, Oct. 1980, 28
--Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Patience", Ensign, Oct. 1980, 28
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Ipod tag
My friend Kathyrn tagged me to list the first ten songs that come up when I press shuffle on my ipod. As we know, I'm all about sharing, so I'm happy to do so, despite the fact that this exercise will likely lower your opinion of me a few notches. I, therefore, list the songs with the following caveats: (1) I grew up in Nashville more so than anywhere else, and yes, I like country music. (2) I freely admit that I have poor/no taste in music with lyrics; until I was in eighth grade, I rarely listened to anything other than classical or religious music (my mom listened to public radio pretty much exclusively in the car), and I never really caught up, but at the end of the day, I just want to listen to what makes me happy, which is usually something that I can sing along with. (3) John and I share, so in theory something odd of his could come up.
Put Your Dreams Away, Frank Sinatra
Beautiful, Christina Aguilera
That's When I Love You, Phil Vassar
Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio
What Mattered Most, Ty Herndon
Brick, Ben Folds Five
The Phantom of the Opera
A Long December, Counting Crows
Mozart Violin Concerto #1 in B flat, 2. Adagio
Livin' La Vida Loca (Spanish), Ricky Martin
And there you go.
Put Your Dreams Away, Frank Sinatra
Beautiful, Christina Aguilera
That's When I Love You, Phil Vassar
Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio
What Mattered Most, Ty Herndon
Brick, Ben Folds Five
The Phantom of the Opera
A Long December, Counting Crows
Mozart Violin Concerto #1 in B flat, 2. Adagio
Livin' La Vida Loca (Spanish), Ricky Martin
And there you go.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Pros and Cons
Of work on the kitchen starting later than planned.
Pros
-no workmen tracking in mud/snow/ice during yesterday's storm
-another few days of consistent schedule for E before it all gets shot to . . . wherever
-use of our kitchen over the weekend
-extra time to unload all the cabinets (still not sure why it took me so long to realize that, duh, if the cabinets are being replaced, I will of course need to empty everything in them; good luck to me)
Cons
-no extra bodies around to help in a pinch when, hypothetically, someone comes to deliver four solid-core closet doors weighing 50+ pounds each but, wait, this is sidewalk delivery only, I can't take those up for you (thankfully our doorman took pity on me, down there in the freezing hallway by the service entrance with E strapped to my back for 1/2 hour waiting for the guy to drive around; he got one of the porters and brought them up for me on his lunch break)
Every cloud does have a silver lining - or four. And now, the insurance certificate that was fine the first time has been issued in a revised form, so they have carte blanche to enter (between 9 and 4 only, of course) Monday or Tuesday.
On a completely unrelated note, I've decided I have the best friends ever, including Nicole, who watched Evelyn for two hours yesterday so I could go get a mole biopsied. On her birthday. How nice of her was that? And yes, I am a total putz for not remembering her birthday.
* * *
February 20
February 21 - girlfriends are the best!
February 22 - naptime is over
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Just Like a Dishwasher
We have an expression in our family: "It's just like a dishwasher." The expression originates from my father's uncanny ability to fit an obscene number of dishes into the dishwasher. He has excellent visuospatial abilities. These abilities come in handy quite often, and always lead to someone uttering the above-mentioned phrase. Examples:
A few days before BYU 2002 graduation, as we're packing my aunt's station wagon with most of my belongings for the drive to mailboxes etc. That's a lot of boxes, true, but really it's just like a dishwasher.
A few months before my wedding, while planning how John is going to get our furniture back from rural Kansas. How big of a truck does he need for all that furniture, anyway? Will Dad be there? After all, it's just like a dishwasher.
Most recently, when asking my mother whether she honestly thinks she can fit the glider, the changing table/dresser, the hutch, and the crib all in her minivan at once. Don't worry, it's just like a dishwasher.
So, I now present to you my apartment, proof that (1) I am my father's daughter and (2) it really is just like a dishwasher.
(The only two rooms to escape renovation carnage so far? Evelyn's room and, ironically enough, the kitchen.)
Emma: I fit all the cabinet boxes in the apartment! We now have three chairs in our bedroom . . . and it was laundry day today.
John: So, basically, I can't get to my side of the bed at all, can I?
Emma: Well, if you squeeze around the faucet and sink, in theory you could get in on my side, climb over me, and get to your side that way.
It could be worse. At least the laundry is folded now.
A few days before BYU 2002 graduation, as we're packing my aunt's station wagon with most of my belongings for the drive to mailboxes etc. That's a lot of boxes, true, but really it's just like a dishwasher.
A few months before my wedding, while planning how John is going to get our furniture back from rural Kansas. How big of a truck does he need for all that furniture, anyway? Will Dad be there? After all, it's just like a dishwasher.
Most recently, when asking my mother whether she honestly thinks she can fit the glider, the changing table/dresser, the hutch, and the crib all in her minivan at once. Don't worry, it's just like a dishwasher.
So, I now present to you my apartment, proof that (1) I am my father's daughter and (2) it really is just like a dishwasher.
(The only two rooms to escape renovation carnage so far? Evelyn's room and, ironically enough, the kitchen.)
Notice how I have cleverly wedged the dining room table in between the couch and the wall with literally an inch to spare (wall, bookcase, couch, table, wall).
And behind the scenes? Three chairs now reside on the other side of our bed, leading to the following conversation.
Emma: I fit all the cabinet boxes in the apartment! We now have three chairs in our bedroom . . . and it was laundry day today.
John: So, basically, I can't get to my side of the bed at all, can I?
Emma: Well, if you squeeze around the faucet and sink, in theory you could get in on my side, climb over me, and get to your side that way.
It could be worse. At least the laundry is folded now.
* * *
And in other news, Evelyn's collection of tricks currently includes not only rolling over and sucking her tongue but also opening her mouth as wide as she can in lieu of smiling.
(February 18)
Urban legend
To become a parent, a first-time parent, at least, is (I think) to become a little obsessed with sleep. My blog posts over the last few months nicely illustrate this fact. This obsession can lead a parent to seek out information about getting one's child to sleep from a variety of sources. (Recent quote from my mother: "I really don't remember there being this many books on how to get your baby to sleep when you were little.") During such a quest, one often hears tales, legends if you will, of children who put themselves to sleep, children who "sleep through the night" at absurdly young ages, children who nap for hours at a time, etc. The other day, my friend told me she had witnessed a mother simply lay her baby on a blanket, at which point the baby put its thumb in its mouth and promptly fell asleep without further effort by its mother. Ha! I laughed in disbelief.
Today, the doorman buzzed to tell me our kitchen cabinets were here. As a brief aside, the ever-expanding list of "extra" things currently in our apartment is as follows:
-microwave
-utility bowl and drain for sink
-sink
-faucet
-cabinet pulls
-stainless panel for dishwasher
-range
-kitchen cabinets in 27 boxes (some large, some small)
It's like the Mary Poppins bag of apartments over here. Anyway, while waiting for the cabinets to be brought up from the service entrance, I made pathetic attempts to rearrange the apartment, trying my best to reinforce the delusion I currently harbor that "everything will fit" and "it will all be fine." Evelyn was on her activity mat, playing with her toys. I could hear her grunting a bit, but she wasn't really crying, so I continued pondering where I could possibly fit 6 dining chairs so I could clear the dining area for cabinets. A few minutes later, I realized she had been quiet for a while. I peeked over to see her lying on her back in the sun, thumb in mouth, asleep.
And the saddest thing of all? I had to wake her up (she wasn't completely zonked, so it wasn't that difficult), because I knew she wouldn't nap for very long, lying on the floor in the sun, once the cabinets started coming in, and I wanted her to actually get a decent nap instead of a mere catnap. Poor sleep-deprived child.
Today, the doorman buzzed to tell me our kitchen cabinets were here. As a brief aside, the ever-expanding list of "extra" things currently in our apartment is as follows:
-microwave
-utility bowl and drain for sink
-sink
-faucet
-cabinet pulls
-stainless panel for dishwasher
-range
-kitchen cabinets in 27 boxes (some large, some small)
It's like the Mary Poppins bag of apartments over here. Anyway, while waiting for the cabinets to be brought up from the service entrance, I made pathetic attempts to rearrange the apartment, trying my best to reinforce the delusion I currently harbor that "everything will fit" and "it will all be fine." Evelyn was on her activity mat, playing with her toys. I could hear her grunting a bit, but she wasn't really crying, so I continued pondering where I could possibly fit 6 dining chairs so I could clear the dining area for cabinets. A few minutes later, I realized she had been quiet for a while. I peeked over to see her lying on her back in the sun, thumb in mouth, asleep.
And the saddest thing of all? I had to wake her up (she wasn't completely zonked, so it wasn't that difficult), because I knew she wouldn't nap for very long, lying on the floor in the sun, once the cabinets started coming in, and I wanted her to actually get a decent nap instead of a mere catnap. Poor sleep-deprived child.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Officially Engaged
Any ambiguity has now been erased.
They are definitely getting married.
We're so excited to welcome Mark into the Barrett clan . . . and to eat cake. Lots and lots of cake. Yummy chocolate cake. And carrot cake. And cheesecake. No, really, we're most excited about Mark.
* * *
February 14
February 15
February 16
February 17
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day
I know many people (most people I know, actually) dislike Valentine's Day. I kind of like it. Some years, we don't do anything (see last year's Valentine's Day post), but I think it's a nice opportunity to spend some time together, if nothing else. Our tradition used to be staying in on Valentine's (as recently suggested by Caitlin in a post on this same topic), but this year, John surprised me with dinner reservations and a babysitter. Sweet! Also, this year Evelyn made valentines for everyone, so, you know, that was a load off.
(February 12)
* * *
February 11 - Straphangers, unite!
February 13
Monday, February 11, 2008
9 hours!
This week saw two milestones:
First, Evelyn rolled from back to front by herself for the first and second times. So far, we've been unable to duplicate without assistance, but at least I know she can do it. At her four-month appointment on Tuesday, her pediatrician said, "Oh, she hasn't rolled from back to front yet? She really should be doing that already." Thanks, for that. The nurse also reminded me three times that by her six-month they want her to be able to sit up in the infant scale instead of laying in it. Excuse me, but isn't sitting more of a 6-7 month thing? And that scale isn't particularly stable, after all. The only reasons I haven't changed pediatricians are (1) I think she's actually competent, just not very nurturing, (2) the nurse practitioner in the office, who is almost always the one we see or talk to when E is sick, IS very nice/understanding, so when I'm really worried, I do get a friendly face/voice, and (3) this was one of only two pediatricians within reasonable walking distance who takes our insurance. Oh, and in further updates, she is now (or was on February 5) 14 pounds, 8 ounces, 24.5 inches. That's up from 11 pounds at her 2-month appointment. The extra length has also helped her enjoy her jumperoo a lot more, but that's a topic for another day.
Second, and more exciting, Evelyn slept for 9 hours straight last night! We ended up starting sleep training ala Ferber (with a few modifications) at midnight Wednesday night. It was either sleep train or teach her new bad habits, as she had started waking more at night and being more difficult to settle, so we opted for the former. I knew she could soothe herself, given the proper motivation, because she had spent the two previous days practicing sucking her thumb.
My original idea was just to sit with her while she cried, but that upset her more, so we went for the leave and check method. We also eliminated the pacifier, which has been painful as she went to sleep initially really well with it in. She still uses it to nap in her stroller (one nap per day), but not when in her crib. Napping is a work in progress, as we've only had one nap longer than 45 minutes, but I'm hoping that will start to change in the next month or so (and she'll move from three naps to two, fingers crossed, making the stroller nap unnecessary). At least we haven't missed any naps entirely due to crying. Usually she doesn't even make it to the 10 minute check (7-9 minutes in, she'll quiet down and go to sleep). In any case, her sleeping straight through from 7:30 to 4:30 (and then back down until 7:20 after a 9-minute feeding) means that for the first time since November, I got 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I don't think I woke up even once. It was awesome.
First, Evelyn rolled from back to front by herself for the first and second times. So far, we've been unable to duplicate without assistance, but at least I know she can do it. At her four-month appointment on Tuesday, her pediatrician said, "Oh, she hasn't rolled from back to front yet? She really should be doing that already." Thanks, for that. The nurse also reminded me three times that by her six-month they want her to be able to sit up in the infant scale instead of laying in it. Excuse me, but isn't sitting more of a 6-7 month thing? And that scale isn't particularly stable, after all. The only reasons I haven't changed pediatricians are (1) I think she's actually competent, just not very nurturing, (2) the nurse practitioner in the office, who is almost always the one we see or talk to when E is sick, IS very nice/understanding, so when I'm really worried, I do get a friendly face/voice, and (3) this was one of only two pediatricians within reasonable walking distance who takes our insurance. Oh, and in further updates, she is now (or was on February 5) 14 pounds, 8 ounces, 24.5 inches. That's up from 11 pounds at her 2-month appointment. The extra length has also helped her enjoy her jumperoo a lot more, but that's a topic for another day.
Second, and more exciting, Evelyn slept for 9 hours straight last night! We ended up starting sleep training ala Ferber (with a few modifications) at midnight Wednesday night. It was either sleep train or teach her new bad habits, as she had started waking more at night and being more difficult to settle, so we opted for the former. I knew she could soothe herself, given the proper motivation, because she had spent the two previous days practicing sucking her thumb.
My original idea was just to sit with her while she cried, but that upset her more, so we went for the leave and check method. We also eliminated the pacifier, which has been painful as she went to sleep initially really well with it in. She still uses it to nap in her stroller (one nap per day), but not when in her crib. Napping is a work in progress, as we've only had one nap longer than 45 minutes, but I'm hoping that will start to change in the next month or so (and she'll move from three naps to two, fingers crossed, making the stroller nap unnecessary). At least we haven't missed any naps entirely due to crying. Usually she doesn't even make it to the 10 minute check (7-9 minutes in, she'll quiet down and go to sleep). In any case, her sleeping straight through from 7:30 to 4:30 (and then back down until 7:20 after a 9-minute feeding) means that for the first time since November, I got 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I don't think I woke up even once. It was awesome.
And if you wonder why it is that I think anyone would be interested in reading this, ever, feel free to skip over it. I actually looked back at my baby book this week to see what my mom had written about sleep training. It was informative. So, even if no one else cares, Evelyn might someday.
* * *
February 5 - this hat is not quite ready yet
February 6
February 7
February 9 - yes, I can hold my bottle myself; no, I don't want any help.
February 10 - look at all that hair!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tagged . . . again!
Apparently, getting tagged is contagious (Brooke was just tagged three times in one weekend!), but thankfully this one's on a totally different subject.
Brag About Your Husband
What is his name: John Andrew Prete
How long did you date: 17 months (including 4-month engagement)
How old is he: 28
How old are you: 26 (almost 27)
Who eats more sweets: Definitely me.
Who said I love you first: John, but not by a lot.
Who is taller: John
Who can sing better: Me. I'm more musically talented, generally. He's more athletically talented.
Who is smarter: It's a draw. I got better grades, but I think getting good grades was more important to me. He's definitely a harder, more focused worker when it comes to his career than I am and excels more in the working world.
Who does the laundry: We used to always do it together because I hate it so much that I would get insanely angry every time I had to do it myself. Honestly, I remember weekends where he was working and I wasn't, and he would beg me not to do the laundry because he knew I would end up mad. Now that I'm home with Evelyn, I do it . . . and I don't typically get angry about it.
Who does the dishes: We take turns. Since he doesn't eat at home most nights, I end up doing it more often than not.
Who pays the bills: Me. I like paying the bills.
His guilty pleasure: Politics - reading political blogs and commentaries and watching 24-hour news channels on the topic.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Right when you're looking at it or when you're laying in it? I sleep on the left side if you're looking at the bed, right side if you're laying down in it.
Who mows the lawn: No lawn! Manhattan rules!
Besides you, who is his best friend: Honestly, I don't know if he has one. Maybe his brother, Joe. He is also very good friends with Clarke Harvey and Vance Taylor, but neither of them live very close to us. In New York, we tend to hang out with a wide variety of people (and mostly as couples/families).
Who cooks dinner: Well, we really only eat together about twice a week, and we usually order out one of those two times. I probably cook a bit more, but it's because I am finicky about nutrition (only when I'm eating at home; I usually throw caution to the wind when eating out).
Who is more stubborn: Equal, but I'm louder about it in public.
Who kissed who first: John kissed me. It was 2 or 3 a.m. and I'd gotten back from Turkey the day before, so I was totally jet-lagged. The man knows how to take advantage of a good opportunity.
Who asked who out first: Me, twice. The first time was summer of 1998, when we both lived in Deseret Towers. John doesn't remember this, but the reason we met initially was because a friend of mine thought he was cute and introduced herself (of course, then she had to introduce some of us to him to get opinions on whether we thought he was cute, too). Once she had lost interest, I one day asked him when he was going to ask me out. A week or so later, we went to his sister's house for dinner (homemade pizza), and then she drove us to the trailhead to hike Y mountain. Good times. Fast forward four and half years. We were both in New York, me in my first year of law school and him interning at PwC. We had been "hanging out" (in all its glory, as referred to in this talk by Elder Oaks) for a couple weeks at the time, and I was getting impatient. So, one night, I asked him what he thought about the idea of us going on a date. At the end of the conversation, he asked me out for that Friday.
What was your first date: February 28, 2003. Neither of us ever went out with anyone else again after that second first date. John was leaving the city in a couple of months, so we decided we might as well just date each other since he wasn't going to be here much longer. We planned to break up at the end of the two months. He is very proud of the fact that he managed to push our first date off until after both Valentine's Day and my birthday (February 26), which saved him having to buy me presents for one last year.
Who proposed: He did.
Who has more siblings: Me. I am the oldest of seven (although my parents adopted the youngest two after I left home). He is the fifth of six.
Who wears the pants: We are blessed to have an income that allows us to own more than one pair of pants.
What is your favorite thing about him: He is much more laid back than I am while still being driven and successful (more successful, I think, because he's less anxious about it). He's also more natural and relaxed in social situations than I am, which helps me feel more confident. Finally, he really doesn't get mad very often, which is great, because I have kind of a short fuse.
I tag Ruth.
Brag About Your Husband
What is his name: John Andrew Prete
How long did you date: 17 months (including 4-month engagement)
How old is he: 28
How old are you: 26 (almost 27)
Who eats more sweets: Definitely me.
Who said I love you first: John, but not by a lot.
Who is taller: John
Who can sing better: Me. I'm more musically talented, generally. He's more athletically talented.
Who is smarter: It's a draw. I got better grades, but I think getting good grades was more important to me. He's definitely a harder, more focused worker when it comes to his career than I am and excels more in the working world.
Who does the laundry: We used to always do it together because I hate it so much that I would get insanely angry every time I had to do it myself. Honestly, I remember weekends where he was working and I wasn't, and he would beg me not to do the laundry because he knew I would end up mad. Now that I'm home with Evelyn, I do it . . . and I don't typically get angry about it.
Who does the dishes: We take turns. Since he doesn't eat at home most nights, I end up doing it more often than not.
Who pays the bills: Me. I like paying the bills.
His guilty pleasure: Politics - reading political blogs and commentaries and watching 24-hour news channels on the topic.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Right when you're looking at it or when you're laying in it? I sleep on the left side if you're looking at the bed, right side if you're laying down in it.
Who mows the lawn: No lawn! Manhattan rules!
Besides you, who is his best friend: Honestly, I don't know if he has one. Maybe his brother, Joe. He is also very good friends with Clarke Harvey and Vance Taylor, but neither of them live very close to us. In New York, we tend to hang out with a wide variety of people (and mostly as couples/families).
Who cooks dinner: Well, we really only eat together about twice a week, and we usually order out one of those two times. I probably cook a bit more, but it's because I am finicky about nutrition (only when I'm eating at home; I usually throw caution to the wind when eating out).
Who is more stubborn: Equal, but I'm louder about it in public.
Who kissed who first: John kissed me. It was 2 or 3 a.m. and I'd gotten back from Turkey the day before, so I was totally jet-lagged. The man knows how to take advantage of a good opportunity.
Who asked who out first: Me, twice. The first time was summer of 1998, when we both lived in Deseret Towers. John doesn't remember this, but the reason we met initially was because a friend of mine thought he was cute and introduced herself (of course, then she had to introduce some of us to him to get opinions on whether we thought he was cute, too). Once she had lost interest, I one day asked him when he was going to ask me out. A week or so later, we went to his sister's house for dinner (homemade pizza), and then she drove us to the trailhead to hike Y mountain. Good times. Fast forward four and half years. We were both in New York, me in my first year of law school and him interning at PwC. We had been "hanging out" (in all its glory, as referred to in this talk by Elder Oaks) for a couple weeks at the time, and I was getting impatient. So, one night, I asked him what he thought about the idea of us going on a date. At the end of the conversation, he asked me out for that Friday.
What was your first date: February 28, 2003. Neither of us ever went out with anyone else again after that second first date. John was leaving the city in a couple of months, so we decided we might as well just date each other since he wasn't going to be here much longer. We planned to break up at the end of the two months. He is very proud of the fact that he managed to push our first date off until after both Valentine's Day and my birthday (February 26), which saved him having to buy me presents for one last year.
Who proposed: He did.
Who has more siblings: Me. I am the oldest of seven (although my parents adopted the youngest two after I left home). He is the fifth of six.
Who wears the pants: We are blessed to have an income that allows us to own more than one pair of pants.
What is your favorite thing about him: He is much more laid back than I am while still being driven and successful (more successful, I think, because he's less anxious about it). He's also more natural and relaxed in social situations than I am, which helps me feel more confident. Finally, he really doesn't get mad very often, which is great, because I have kind of a short fuse.
I tag Ruth.
Monday, February 4, 2008
I'm it
I was tagged (for the first time ever) by Adrianne, so here goes . . .
3. When was the last time you cried? I'm actually not sure. I cried quite a bit those first three months after having Evelyn. One day when she was just shy of four weeks old (it was Halloween, actually, now that I think of it), I basically cried every time anyone looked at me. Got to play group, started crying as soon as the first person said hi. Lorinda and Nate came over to visit while Rebecca was at preschool, and the minute she walked in the door I basically started sobbing uncontrollably. It worked out, though, because she gave me carte blanche to come over to their apartment any time I wanted. I really love those guys. I think it's been at least a month now since I shed any serious tears, though.
4. Five things you were doing 10 years ago: That would be 1998, right?
* Getting ready to graduate from high school
* Commuting to Murfreesboro two times a week for calculus and physics
* Trying to convince my parents to let me go to BYU a few months early; they eventually relented, and that was when/where I met John
* Volunteering at Vanderbuilt Children's Hospital
* Eating breakfast at the Pancake Pantry on Saturday mornings after violin lessons
5. Five things you were doing (almost) 5 years ago: I'm going to interpret this as a general 2003 question, since the first three things listed happened that summer
* Interning at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York (a gig that very handily got me out of jury duty just a few months ago; or maybe it was the fact that I have two family members who were victims of a crime and testified against their attacker; or that I'm an attorney who has represented individuals on death row in a few different states; it wasn't completely clear)
* Hanging out with Eve, Amy, and Anna - OK, so this is really part of the EDNY gig, but I just have to mention those girls because I am amazed that we all still keep in touch as well as we do. I love it.
* Wondering whether I would make law review
*Attending my grandmother's funeral - one of those sadly sweet times I have attended a funeral and been sad to be separated from a friend or family member but known unequivocally that the person being eulogized was now in a joyful place
* Wondering if John was ever going to ask me out - for the record, I broke the silence first by asking him what he thought about us going on a date (not our first date - that was back in 1998); then, he asked me out
6. Five things you were doing 1 year ago:
* telling John I was pregnant (technically, like a year and a week ago)
* working my longest hours
* settling into our new apartment
* sitting through jury duty for the first time (see above)
* hoping John's replacement would get hired soon (it finally happened on December 2)
7. Seven of your favorite hobbies:
* running - I don't really enjoy it, but I like how it makes me feel afterwards.
* walking - this, I actually love
* reading
* playing the violin - I'm hoping as E gets bigger I can work a few minutes here and there back into my schedule
* singing
* baking
* right now, watching Lost - we started when we were in the hospital at the beginning of October and are still only halfway through season 2 because we only watch it together
8. Five favorite foods:
* ice cream
* cheese
* fage 2% yogurt (a new obsession, but I think it has staying power)
* peanut butter and jelly
* cheesecake lollipop tree with bubblegum whipped cream at davidburke & donatella
(and I will pause here to say that we now see why the thought of me eliminating dairy was ludicrous)
9. Five places you've been:
* China
* Macchu Picchu (Peru)
* Maceio, Brazil
* Morocco
* Turkey
10. Five Favorite Memories: Can I change the question? I don't know that I have such a short list of favorite memories. Here are five memories I treasure (of many).
* Our wedding day - it was honestly, absolutely perfect. I've never wished I could go back and redo it (although I've often wished someone else would get married, just because I like weddings, especially the cake)
* The day Evelyn was born - One minute, there were just the two of us (and John was napping, so really, I was sort of alone), and the next (well, okay, like 90 minutes later), there were three! Maybe it was the epidural (I doubt I would have been in a very contemplative mood had I still been in excruciating pain), but I found the whole experience very surreal.
* The first time John told me he loved me.
* New Year's with the Barretts - this is really a lot of memories rolled into one, but I love my family's tradition of a fancy dinner on New Year's Eve as well as the New Year's Day traditions we have
* Our vacation to Mexico last June - I don't think I've ever had such a relaxing vacation. I was terrified I'd be bored to tears without 5-6 a.m. wake up calls, changing hotels (okay, cheap hostels) every night, 3 cities in 4 days, etc, but it was actually really nice. As I told a coworker after I returned, it turns out my husband is pretty amusing; we had been seeing virtually nothing of each other for a few months before we went.
People I am tagging: Brooke and Kaedi
* * *
1. Best thing you cooked last week? Hmm, did I cook anything last week? Wait . . . yes, I did! Goulash and chocolate chip cookies. Those might have won even if they hadn't been the only things. Current favorite meal I ever cook? Pumpkin sausage pasta (lots of garlic and fresh sage). Yum.
2. If money, time and babysitting were no object, where would you go and with whom? With John and so, so many places. Right now, I'm a little obsessed with going to Vail for a weekend away. We drove through there in the middle of the night during the summer we were dating (2003). I have never seen so many bright stars. We actually pulled off the highway for a few minutes just to gaze, and I've wanted to go back ever since. I keep telling him one of these years he needs to take me for our anniversary. With a probable wedding in the family (although no engagement yet, see below), a family reunion in Canada, and a nursing baby, this year probably isn't the year, though. Maybe next year.3. When was the last time you cried? I'm actually not sure. I cried quite a bit those first three months after having Evelyn. One day when she was just shy of four weeks old (it was Halloween, actually, now that I think of it), I basically cried every time anyone looked at me. Got to play group, started crying as soon as the first person said hi. Lorinda and Nate came over to visit while Rebecca was at preschool, and the minute she walked in the door I basically started sobbing uncontrollably. It worked out, though, because she gave me carte blanche to come over to their apartment any time I wanted. I really love those guys. I think it's been at least a month now since I shed any serious tears, though.
4. Five things you were doing 10 years ago: That would be 1998, right?
* Getting ready to graduate from high school
* Commuting to Murfreesboro two times a week for calculus and physics
* Trying to convince my parents to let me go to BYU a few months early; they eventually relented, and that was when/where I met John
* Volunteering at Vanderbuilt Children's Hospital
* Eating breakfast at the Pancake Pantry on Saturday mornings after violin lessons
5. Five things you were doing (almost) 5 years ago: I'm going to interpret this as a general 2003 question, since the first three things listed happened that summer
* Interning at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York (a gig that very handily got me out of jury duty just a few months ago; or maybe it was the fact that I have two family members who were victims of a crime and testified against their attacker; or that I'm an attorney who has represented individuals on death row in a few different states; it wasn't completely clear)
* Hanging out with Eve, Amy, and Anna - OK, so this is really part of the EDNY gig, but I just have to mention those girls because I am amazed that we all still keep in touch as well as we do. I love it.
* Wondering whether I would make law review
*Attending my grandmother's funeral - one of those sadly sweet times I have attended a funeral and been sad to be separated from a friend or family member but known unequivocally that the person being eulogized was now in a joyful place
* Wondering if John was ever going to ask me out - for the record, I broke the silence first by asking him what he thought about us going on a date (not our first date - that was back in 1998); then, he asked me out
6. Five things you were doing 1 year ago:
* telling John I was pregnant (technically, like a year and a week ago)
* working my longest hours
* settling into our new apartment
* sitting through jury duty for the first time (see above)
* hoping John's replacement would get hired soon (it finally happened on December 2)
7. Seven of your favorite hobbies:
* running - I don't really enjoy it, but I like how it makes me feel afterwards.
* walking - this, I actually love
* reading
* playing the violin - I'm hoping as E gets bigger I can work a few minutes here and there back into my schedule
* singing
* baking
* right now, watching Lost - we started when we were in the hospital at the beginning of October and are still only halfway through season 2 because we only watch it together
8. Five favorite foods:
* ice cream
* cheese
* fage 2% yogurt (a new obsession, but I think it has staying power)
* peanut butter and jelly
* cheesecake lollipop tree with bubblegum whipped cream at davidburke & donatella
(and I will pause here to say that we now see why the thought of me eliminating dairy was ludicrous)
9. Five places you've been:
* China
* Macchu Picchu (Peru)
* Maceio, Brazil
* Morocco
* Turkey
10. Five Favorite Memories: Can I change the question? I don't know that I have such a short list of favorite memories. Here are five memories I treasure (of many).
* Our wedding day - it was honestly, absolutely perfect. I've never wished I could go back and redo it (although I've often wished someone else would get married, just because I like weddings, especially the cake)
* The day Evelyn was born - One minute, there were just the two of us (and John was napping, so really, I was sort of alone), and the next (well, okay, like 90 minutes later), there were three! Maybe it was the epidural (I doubt I would have been in a very contemplative mood had I still been in excruciating pain), but I found the whole experience very surreal.
* The first time John told me he loved me.
* New Year's with the Barretts - this is really a lot of memories rolled into one, but I love my family's tradition of a fancy dinner on New Year's Eve as well as the New Year's Day traditions we have
* Our vacation to Mexico last June - I don't think I've ever had such a relaxing vacation. I was terrified I'd be bored to tears without 5-6 a.m. wake up calls, changing hotels (okay, cheap hostels) every night, 3 cities in 4 days, etc, but it was actually really nice. As I told a coworker after I returned, it turns out my husband is pretty amusing; we had been seeing virtually nothing of each other for a few months before we went.
People I am tagging: Brooke and Kaedi
* * *
February 1
February 2 - you have interrupted my evil plan
. . . to vomit all over Daddy (don't feel too badly for him; the day before, I got the bodily fluid trifecta; I just went ahead and threw those pajamas away)
February 3 - oh, so, you're supposed to TOUCH the toys. Of course! This makes so much more sense now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)