Has It Been a Month, Already?

Well...you know what they say about good intentions. A whole month has passed since my last post. Seriously...where is the time going? I picked up Phil at the airport on Saturday and a couple of days ago here's the jist of our conversation:

Me: Do you realize that it's almost the end of June??
Phil: Yep.
Me: Then comes July and August.
Phil: Mmm Hmm.
Me: Then comes September!! She'll be here before we know it!!
Phil: Yep.

You know what they say about women talking a lot more than men, right? A classic case above. But really...she will be here before we know it.
I'm still feeling pretty good. (Although after today and tomorrow with temperatures hovering around 96, we'll see if that's still the case. Whoever invented air conditioners...bless you.) I think you can't miss that I'm pregnant (and just an aside here...who ever invented the word "prego" to say that someone's pregnant? That's a spaghetti sauce, not a dumb word for pregnant. It's like the word, hubby, for husband. But I digress...) but my friends say that people who don't know me, may not think so. Well, just great...so the majority of people in lower Bucks County may just think I'm chubby/fat. Marvelous. But I don't think you can miss it. A picture? Maybe. I feel silly taking a picture of my profile and then posting it. But maybe.
Names? We're still working on that. We've pretty much narrowed the list (which by the way, was my list which Phil promptly nixed most of) to three or so. I think we're going to wait until she's born to see if one "fits" her better than the others. Telling? Nope. We're waiting until she's born for that as well. First, since you already know it's a girl, then there's still some surprise as you wait to hear the name. And second, we're not sure we want to hear all the opinions about what people think about her name. If there's a cute little face attached to the name, you may not be so quick to say, "Ewww...why in the world did you pick that for a name?"
Never fear...our little list doesn't really have names that are what I consider to be, "out there." And looking through a baby name book...there are lots of names that are just "out there". Seriously...are there really little girls out there with names like Bathilda, Greekriana, Lefitray, Melibea, Peata, and Sedofa? Really??
Not much else is going on...just schlepping Phil back and forth to the airport for his trips. Our lease on the flat in London is up at the end of this month so as of July 1st, Phil will no longer be a resident of the UK and will be based back here at good ol' home with trips all through the summer. Planned out, he shouldn't be away more than 7-10 days at a time. Yippee! (Not that he's away...just at the length of the awayness.)
But if stuff does goes on...you'll see it here. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Because Wendy Asked Me To

My dear old friend, Wendy, included me on a list of Seven Things on her fabulous blog which I highly recommend. (www.partofmystory.blogspot.com) I tweaked it once I sat down and realized my mind was seriously blanking out. So...if it's okay with you, Schwendy...here goes.

Seven Things I Did Last Week When Visiting Mom and Dad in Ohio

1. ate mom's roast...Mmm...
2. played cards with mom (and then texted my sister with score updates thru-out the evening)
3. celebrated my dad's birthday with the fam and ate my dad's favorite cake...mom's Strawberry Torte Cream cake...oh my word.
4. went to some garage sales with mom
5. took some naps and generally lounged for a few days
6. me and mom met my oldest friend, Melissa and her mom for lunch at Panera
7. watched some hockey with dad

Such a good time with mom and dad. Saw my brother and his family as well when they came over for dad's birthday dinner. The older I get, the more I realize the gift God gave me when he put me in this family. Just love them!

I'm Still Alive and She's Kicking

I never thought I'd be one of those people. Someone who starts a blog, faithfully writes, starts to have months between posts, and then before you know it, it's been a year and a half since the last post. It's not that bad, but had to stop the downward slope. My fans (all three of you) have been clamoring for an update...so here goes.

She's kicking...that's right...we found out last week that we're having a little girl. So exciting!! She'll be the first girl on my side of the family and Grandma Peura has already sent 10 blankets/quilts that she's made. :) She'll be the warmest girl in the Northeast. We've ordered the nursery furniture, cleared out the bedroom that will become the nursery to get ready to paint, picked out the crib bedding, and are throwing around potential names. We're keeping the final name to ourselves until she's born, but for the lady who asked me this week if we're naming her Philipina...no, I can tell you right now that no, we're not.

Phil's still traveling much but getting home when he can. He was home last week when friends of ours from Australia came over to stay with us for the week. What a good time we had showing them the area... New York including a Broadway show (where I might add, that both Phil and I kept falling asleep in the middle of...sorry Phantom...he had jetlag and I'm pulling the pregnancy card), Philly, Lancaster, New Hope, a Phillies game (where I really felt the baby kicking or poking me. Phil said she was just using her finger to comment on how lousy the Phillies were playing the Mets that night...but no, not our sweet girl), eating a cheesteak, Rita's Water Ice, Tastycakes, pretzels, Chickies and Pete's crab fries. The whole experience. And the baby got her first gifts...a stuffed animal mascot of Sydney's rugby team and the tiniest little pair of Ugg boots that you've ever seen.

And just how much is Phil traveling? Just in the month of May he will head to Paris, then London, back home for a week, then Hong Kong, then Tokyo, then Singapore, back to Hong Kong, back to Paris, over to Tunisia, back to Paris, and then back home in early June. Whew!! Pretty soon his passport is going to feel like an encyclopedia with all the extra pages that have had to be added.

How have I been feeling? Actually...I can not complain! This has been a very easy pregnancy so far. I never got sick or felt like getting sick. So far...not much of anything the book says you may experience. Do I look pregnant? Hmm...depends on who you ask. I think I do...I can really only wear maternity jeans/pants now but am still in regular tee shirts. Most people think I don't. One of these days, I keep getting told (really...all the advice started weeks ago...whether wanted or not) one of these days I'm just going to pop out. I'm 20 weeks exactly today so I guess it should start happening soon.

That's it in a nutshell. I shall try and be more regular with my posts. It's just that my life at the moment is not that exciting. Example? Today's schedule...got up, ate a bowl of cereal, checked email, got a shower, finished cleaning out the closet, ate lunch, got the mail, looked at the grocery circulars, a little Facebook, sent out some emails, started to make a dessert for dinner out tomorrow but realized that I bought the wrong box of pudding, emptied the dishwasher, filled the dishwasher, went to the store to buy the right box of pudding, stopped at Peppi's to pick up a personal pizza for dinner, ate dinner, made the dessert for tomorrow night, watched a little Golden Girls reruns, updating the blog. See? Riveting. But I still promise to do better. My fans deserve nothing less.

Back From Europe and Did I Mention...

No...I did not just get back. I've been back since the 3rd but lots going on here. More on that later. But first, I give you my trip to see Phil. I left on Jan. 28th to fly over to London. Unfortunately, in order to get the upgrade to envoy class with our miles, I had to first fly to Charlotte, NC. A very nice city, I'm sure, but not when it adds several hours to your 7 and1/2 hour flight. Although...I was seated next to a very yappy USAir pilot who was headed home after an overseas flight. I learned so much. Did you know that pilots have a sleeping area up near the cockpit on international flights and they like to wear the most outrageous pajamas they can find? Nope, I didn't either. He's on the lookout for some pink flannel ones with bunnies on them. Nope, I'm not making this up.

Phil arranged for a driver to pick me up and met us outside of our flat. (London-speak for apartment.) I was pretty tired after only sleeping about an hour on the flight so while he went to work, I showered and then went to sleep. The next day I walked over to the London Museum At the Docklands which isn't far from Phil's work. Very interesting! It covered the history of London from the Roman times all the way till today. We had dinner with one of Phil's work colleagues and his wife. Love my fish and chips. Did find out that the Black Pudding that Michael was trying to get me to try (I know...he just doesn't know that I hardly ever try something new) is actually blobs of dried animal blood. I mean really...who eats that stuff? See...that's why I don't like to try new things.

The next morning Phil and I flew over to Paris where Phil had to work at the offices over there. On Friday while Phil worked, (I know...my life is so hard.) I walked over to the Grevin, a wax museum not far from our hotel. I have this thing for wax museums. Back in '06 when Phil and I first went to London for a quick vacation, the top thing on my list was Madame Tussaud's wax museum. I'm not sure why I like them but they fascinate me. This one was much smaller yet still interesting, but had lots of French people that I had no clue who they were. Still...a nice way to spend a few hours.

On Saturday we headed to the airport to pick up Phil's parents. They were coming for a week's vacation, half in Paris and then half in London. We showed them the famous sites of Paris and then we drove over to Disneyland Paris the next morning. My father-in-law is a big fan of Disneyworld so we knew he would enjoy this. And what may I add is worse than sweating up a storm at Disneyworld in the middle of humid June? How about Disneyland Paris in February when you're so cold that you can't stop shaking? We had a day of snow, (standing on Main Street you couldn't see the castle at the end of the road through all the snow.) and another day of cold rain. I would wear three layers under my coat including Phil's sweatshirt with hood and wrap a scarf around my face and neck under the hood. I looked like an Eastern European immigrant from the early 1900's but vanity goes out the window when you're so cold that you can't feel your fingers.

It was a fun trip, even though I couldn't ride most of the rides. And why not?? Well...Phil and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting a baby in September! I know...I'm still a bit stunned. I've been feeling pretty good, yet pretty tired. But not tired enough it would seem to say no to vacation. So...this Sunday we leave for a sunny, warm Caribbean cruise. Phil is so done with gray, rainy London that all he wanted was to go somewhere warm and where the sun was out. I'm hoping the motion of the boat doesn't make me feel sick, but at this point, I'd take the warm anywhere we can get it (as I look outside and see the 15 or so inches of snow still on the ground from last week's storm).

We're leaving from Ft. Lauderdale and then heading to San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts. Phil's looking forward to some diving. I'm looking forward to a deck chair in the sun with my name on it. I may sleep away this vacation but at least I'll be warm doing it.

Still Here...But Not For Long

Yeah....I know. The previous post talked about our upcoming Christmas party (and yes, my Christmas tree is still up. Don't judge me.) and here it is the last week in January. My fans have been clamoring for more. (Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Wendy.) It's just been that kind of month.

I thought about what I could write about...my exhausting schedule (but who wants to read about my fascinating tv line up each night)...my exotic foods that I've been eating (peanut butter or chicken salad sandwiches)...my busy social calendar (Bible study on Wed. morning with an occasional trip to Panera everyone once in a while) and realized that nope...can't imagine many people interested in that.

But fear not, another trip is coming soon. I leave Monday (and here's where I add that my previous non-stop trips abroad were taken for granted...nothing like making an overseas trip longer by a nice 3 hour layover in lovely Charlotte, NC) for London to spend some time with Phil. Whoo hoo! I've been on the internet and have my list of museums ready and waiting.

After a few days in London, we'll head over to Paris to spend a couple of days at...wait for it...EuroDisney. Nothing says French culture like Mickey Mouse. Should be fun, but I have to say the thought of walking around a Disney park with a coat on is a strange one. Pictures and blogs galore when I get back. And hopefully none explaining the story of how our wallet or money from our wallet got stolen!

Christmas Party

Saturday night was our annual Christmas party with our sunday school class. (I was going to write s.s. class because the words sunday school make me feel like I'm 6 again, but s.s. sounds a bit Nazi-ish so we'll stick with the former.) As stated in the previous post, we host everyone at our house for the potlucks to end all potlucks with everyone bringing their signature dish. Terri's ham, Dan with any kind of beef, Kristi's pineapple stuffing, Faith's mac and cheese, Pam's vegetables, Ashley's chocolate dessert, you get the idea. So. Much. Food.

And after eating we gather 'round the family room for the "gift" exchange. The only rule is that it should be no more than $5 so it usually ends up being crap that's lying around your house that you want to get rid of. You have your obligatory scented candles and your stuffed animals, etc. The ones that get the laughs like the fart machine, the Toasty Wrap (a generic snuggie), the garden gnome (which has a long and storied past that I won't go into detail here but his fame spreads far and wide clear down to Florida...hey Aytons!), and of course..."The Head." I've gotta add that the biggest laugh was a few years ago when Ashley pulled out of a gift bag this gigantic rack of deer horns and as she was holding it up and looking it over with a very curious stare, Faith yells out, "Nice rack, Ashley!"

But anyway..."The Head" is this seriously ugly speckled ceramic head that Rob found years ago when cleaning out a deserted building at our church property. (I know...really.) This thing has been passed around for years and nobody wants to pick up a heavy box or gift bag for fear that you've now inherited "The Head".

Well, it was Phil's turn to pick a gift and he got a bit concerned with how heavy it was. But as he tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box out came a sign that stated, "A Wonderful Dinner for Two." The next sign, "Step 1 Use this rub on some beef, chicken, or pork. Slap it on the grill and cook it how you like." Cool...he'd gotten the gift from Dan who is famous in these parts for his homemade bbq sauce and his prowess on the grill. Next sign, "Step 2 Use this BBQ sauce to complete the meal and make it delicious!" All right! Final sign with a tealight candle taped to it, "Step 3 Light the candle, put it under "The Head" and enjoy the romance." Aw man...That's right. Underneath all the tissue paper was "The Head". So now begins the creative thinking in order to disguise it in next year's exchange.

The gift that was fought over the most? Two tickets for a dinner of wings over at Bud and Paula's house to watch an Eagles game with them. And this is quite the experience if you've never been with Bud during an Eagles game. There are pre-game songs, the jumping on the couch for a touchdown dance, the Eagles fight song with arms flapping like wings, and the volume...oh, the volume. You will never see or hear anything like it. And it was a hot item.

Bobby and Emily added a new game this year that was bit like Taboo and then ends in charades. I'll just say that thanks to Kristi, "Herbie the Elf" will now become a tradition that will be passed for years to come.

The party ended a bit before midnight but my "party" is still going on. One more tradition that started years ago? As people leave, some hide the "gifts" that they don't want (ie the crap) in places all over my house so for days I find little treasures everywhere. Darn you, Rob.

Christmas In NYC

Phil flew home from London on Tuesday night and then hopped on a train early Wed. morning for a couple of days of meetings in New York. We decided I'd take a train up on Friday morning and meet him for a fun day in NYC. (Although the phrase "fun day in NYC" does not usually come out of the mouth of Phil.) He hates NYC. Must've been the 2 hour + commuting each morning and night for a couple of years that jaded him. Go figure...

Regardless, I got on the 9:14 am express train on Friday that got me in to Penn Station around 10:30 am. And the obvious that hit me (literally, actually) as I stood in the taxi line? I picked the coldest day of the year so far to come to NYC. They said it wasn't getting over 30 degrees but the wind chill made it feel like 9. Yep...9 degrees. And I think that was even generous.

I met Phil at the hotel he was staying at near Rockefeller Plaza. After finishing up one more work call, we bundled up (and here I add that yes, I may have looked like a dork with my ski headband covering my ears, but I was willing to sacrifice my fashion-sense for non-frozen ears), and made our way to the big tree in Rockefeller Plaza. It's a big tree. Didn't spend too much time looking at it, though, 'cause as I said before, it felt like 9 degrees outside.

We went into a COSI to warm up and get something hot to drink and a little snack. Mmmm...hot mulled cider and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. A little taste of heaven. We made it into our seats for the 1:00 pm show of Radio City Music Hall's Rockettes. What a fun show. Loved it.

After the show we went to a late lunch at Del Frisco's for some of the best filet mignon I've had in a while. So good. And the salad, the warm bread, the mashed potatoes, and the strawberry cheesecake...I think you could've rolled me out of there. Our last stop before grabbing a cab to back to Penn Station? Just across the street to Magnolia's Bakery which is well-known for their cupcakes. So with a 6-pack of cupcakes in a carry-out box we made our way back to the train station.

And I'm glad to report that a near-disaster was avoided when I nodded off somewhere before our stop in Trenton and the rustling of the plastic bag alerted me to the fact that our cupcakes were headed to a collision with the floor of the train. The cupcakes were saved and all was fine.

And tonight? We are hosting our annual Christmas party with our Sunday School class. Everyone brings their signature dish and we have the potluck to end all potlucks. Seriously...so much food. And the highlight? The "gift" exchange with a cost limit of $5...or in other words, what crap do you have laying around your house that you'd love to get rid of. Should be a fun night.