Next few weeks

Hi Ladies!

I hope you all had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving.  We had a nice time with B's family.  I'm really feeling so much better- I haven't had any nausea for days now.  I have been exhausted the last few days, but whether that is due to the pregnancy, the stress of all the new things to come, or going out every night for the last 3 nights is anyone's guess.  Probably a little of each.  Today (Sunday) I am leaving B and Junie to drive to GR where I start work TOMORROW!!!!!!!!   Crazy.  I can't believe all the change is actually beginning.  I"m just praying for clarity, peace, and a good sense of direction in my new town :)  Oh, and that nothing happens with the closing!

I do have some Christmas posts scheduled for the next two weeks, but it'll be kind of sporadic around here.  B is keeping our computer at home, so I won't have my own in GR.  Instead I'll have to check all of my accounts from his cousin's.  I'll try my best to keep up with everyone, but with everything that is going on, I'll probably be pretty spotty with commenting and posting for the next few weeks.  I absolutely promise that I will be up and running full speed after Christmas, and, hopefully, the week before! 

We have our first midwife apt with the new group on the 15th of December, so I'll do my best to get on and fill you in on puddin.  By the way, he/she is the size of a turnip this week (5 1/2 inches long and 5 oz).  I haven't felt any movement or flutters yet, but hopefully it'll happen soon!!  We have our big ultrasound the week after Christmas (they do it in their practice at 21 weeks).  I am so looking forward to seeing the baby.  I know I'll just be treasuring those photos until he/she is actually here!

See you in a few!  Enjoy the start to your holiday season.  I can't wait to read all of your holiday posts and hear the latest blog land gossip!!

God Pause for Sunday

From Luther Seminary:
Saying thank you was probably one of the first things your parents ever taught you. A relative handed you a piece of candy or gave you a compliment and your parents were on top of you: "And what do you say?"

Most of us reached our pinnacle of thankfulness when we were four, which is why I will be your parent today.

When someone lets you squeeze into congested traffic, what do you say?

When you have to pay your taxes, what do you say?

When you realize that God created you, brought you into being and gives you every breath you take, what do you say?

When you walk, see, cry, laugh and love, what do you say?

When you look around the table at the loved ones gathered, what do you say?

When you realize that the God of all creation cares about you and died on a cross for you,
what do you say?

Dear God, thank you. Amen.

Peter Geisendorfer-Lindgren

Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Maple Grove, Minn.

Master of Divinity, 1983


Psalm 26 (NRSV)

1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you.
4 I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.
9 Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
10 those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord.

Today I am thankful for............my Lord, God, powerful and holy One and the prayers that keep me close to him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderfully happy, festive, family and food-filled day today!  Many blessings wished upon you all for safe travels, fun conversations, good wine (drink a glass for me!), and a wonderful weekend!  I hope a few of you turned on my favorite parade of the year this morning!  I won't be watching as I'll be driving 4 hours in the car instead- boo!

Today I am thankful for..........B's family for hosting Thanksgiving weekend!  It'll be fun to spend time with all of them (parents, aunt&uncle, cousins, grandmother). 

Today I am thankful for.......

CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!!!

  It's the city where I have

*made lifelong friends

*met and fell in love with my perfect husband

*ate amazing meals at favorite restaurants

*saw incredible shows (Jersey Boys and Wicked being two of my faves!)

*walked and walked and walked some more

*shopped to my hearts content

*wore winter jackets for wayyyyyy too long

*celebrated summer by attending farmer's markets and drinking at street festivals

*worked at an amazing children's hospital and became a strong, confident nurse

*adopted our precious pup

*earned a graduate degree

*experienced more than I ever dreamed possible in only 8 years

I have so enjoyed the last 8 years here, and I'm experiencing such mixed emotions about leaving.  I'm happy to start a new journey and live in our first home, sad to leave our friends and this great city, scared to leave my current job and start a new one, ready to have more space, and overwhelmed with all the many changes are happening at once.  I'm so glad I was convinced that living here right out of college would be an awesome experience- it definitely was!  I also know that coming back as a visitor will be great because I'll know all the haunts, the neighborhoods, and how easy it is to get to all my favorite shops, restaurants, and attractions. 

I'll miss you, Chi-town!

You'll always hold a huge spot in my heart!!

Love this face.............

Just look at those eyes..................she's such a spoiled baby because of them!

(please ignore the drool on the back of the couch........it comes with the wrinkles!)

Today I am thankful for the library system.  I am a voracious reader, and I could NEVER afford to buy all the books I read.  I'd seriously be broke and naked!  I love that the library system here in Chitown allows me to reserve books I want to read by going online- I hope it's the same way in GR (and I hope there is a library that is close to my house)!!  BTW- I need some new books to read..........any suggestions?

Today I am thankful for.............

chocolate pecan pie.  Seriously, one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth.  The crust was phenomenal, the chocolate didn't completely melt, so it was still slightly chunky, and the pecans added just the right touch.  You simply MUST make this.  I promise, it's not that hard and so worth the results. 

The BEST Chocolate Pecan Pie

I got tons of compliments on all three of the desserts, and my friend L made great pumkin cupcakes.  Friend Thanksgiving was just wonderful!  B ended up getting the whipped cream pie in the face because we're moving away!  It was too funny!!! 

YUM!!!!!!!!

So today I spent the late morning and early afternoon in the kitchen baking up the three desserts we are taking tomorrow night to our "Friends Thanksgiving".  I really wanted to make the apple tart that I blogged about earlier this fall, but with no oven at the place we are having dinner this year, it would have to be served cold, and it's just not as good that way.  Instead I decided to make a traditional apple pie, and it turned out beautifully!!! 

The top caved in slightly during the cooling process, so you can see the slight tear in the crust, but I think it'll get eaten anyway!  I had some leftover crust that I sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and then baked, and this crust is GOOD!!!!  I absolutely cannot wait to dig in tomorrow.

The second dessert is a chocolate pecan pie.  B didn't think that anyone would even be interested in this (he just doesn't get the interest in pecan pie at all), but I figured I'd try it out and see if it's something I'll ever want to make again.  Someone will eat it, right?

The crust on this one is different.  I"m anxious to try a tiny sliver of it to see which crust I like better to know which I would use again in the future.  I was happy with how easily both of these crusts came together, so it certainly won't be a question of which is easier.  A food processor, a refrigerator, a rolling pin- simple!

The third dessert is a pumpkin pie crumble cake.  I'm sure I'd get a much better visual if I could cut into it, so I'll try to remember to get one tomorrow while I'm serving!

It has a yellow cake base, a thick pumpkin layer, and a pecan crumble top.  It certainly smelled delish during the cooking process!!

We also made mini chocolate chip pumpkin loaves for each couple/person to take home with them.  Okay, I shouldn't say we because B did all the hard work on this one, though I did tie the bows!  These are fantastic, and I know everyone will enjoy them for breakfast Monday morning!!

If any of these recipes are extremely successful, I'll post them later this week on the blog.  I don't want to post them now for fear that they won't be good and you'll all blame me for your Thanksgiving fail!!

Today I am thankful for................a fun going away party last night with all our Chicago friends. 

This dear friend and her husband hosted it, and it was wonderful to see everyone one last time before I leave.  It hasn't hit me yet that I'm moving and will not see these people regularly, but I know I'm going to have a serious breakdown in January!  Luckily I'll get to come back in Jan or Feb for the above hostess's baby shower!  She's due two months before me in March.  You can't see it here, but her belly is just darling!!

Weekend Plans (and beyond)

We have a busy weekend ahead of us with a lot of loose ends to wrap up before the big move.  Here's how life plays out for us over the next few weeks

Friday:  Gym, packing clothes, supplies, hair stuff, books, everything I'll need for two weeks in MI while starting a new job, grocery store, dinner date with B

Sat:  Haircut at 9 (1st since May!!), UM/OSU game at 11, baking all afternoon for Friend Thanksgiving on Sunday,ensure packing is complete

Sunday:  Drive to Milwaukee to have lunch with my aunt and pick up a piece of furniture for our new house, drive home, make sure desserts are ready to go, Friend Thanksgiving dinner at 5 p.m. (this involves a VFW hall, 45 people, amazing food, tons of alcohol, and a pie in the face for one of the guests.  Definitely one of the bests nights of the year).

Monday:  Wake up super early and hit the road for Grand Rapids.  I have to have a drug screen and a physical for the hospital in order to start on Monday.  Could they have told me this earlier so that I could have scheduled it for the same day as the house inspection??  Apparently not.  So, another 6 hours in the car for a 45 minute apt.  Joy.  That night I'm meeting a bunch of my co-workers out for a going away dinner.  That will definitely be the redeeming point of the day!

Tues and Wed:  Work full days

Thursday: Say my official good-bye to Chi-town as I drive out of the city for the last time as a resident (this is sad now that I'm writing it!!)  Drive to Toledo to celebrate Thanksgiving with B's family where we'll stay until Sunday.  B will then drive back to the city with Junebug as I drive to GR to start in orientation on Monday.  It's going to be a crazy two weeks living apart, starting a new job, closing on the house, and trying to organize moving from afar.  However, I know it is SO worth it in the long run!!

So, that's my life in a nutshell.  There are going to be lists galore going on over at my house.........

Today I am thankful for.........the stress associated with moving because it means that a new adventure is coming our way.  And diet sierra mist because it's the most exciting drink I can currently partake in. 

Top Chef!

Do any of you watch this show?  B and I love it and look forward to it every Wednesday night.  Seriously, with it on right after Glee, it's probably the best night of TV for us.  The final four were revealed last night, and we could've told you it would be these three pretty much from the beginning.  We did really like Eli (who went home last night) and think that Jen is always SO down on herself, but we certainly weren't surprised last night. 

Kevin is by far our favorite.  He's a great chef, LOVES pork (as we do in our household), cooks very down to earth yet gorgeous things, is really sweet, and wins based on his simplicity.  Everything he makes we both look at each other and say how good it looks.  We're praying he wins and that we can head to Atlanta someday to eat in his restaurant.  Plus, he's a total teddy bear!!!  Just look at that face!  Okay now take one more look and tell me he doesn't look just like this man........

Yup, he's the real life incarnation of Yukon Cornelius from the Rudolf movie!!  This totally cracks B and I up every single week!!

Michael and Brian (two of the other four finalists) are brothers, and while we wouldn't mind if Brian won (Jen just doesn't stand a chance with her defeatist attitude- she needs a little more Pollyanna in her!), we are totally rooting against Michael.  While that is rude, I know, he is just such a jerk to his brother and the other contestants, and he is SO cocky.  Two more weeks to go and we'll find out the winner!! 

Today I am thankful for.......................sweet bloggers who answer questions for me even though they're busy, a tummy that is feeling significantly better in the past few days, and the yummy fruit I bought at the store yesterday.  Oh, and all kinds of cooking shows.   YUM!

One sad puppy!

Today was Junebug's visit to the vet for her spay.  B dropped her off this a.m. while I was on the phone with the new hospital and then he also picked her up this evening when she was done.  I can't believe how sad she looks, how lethargic she is, and how sad it makes me!  While I know that it is necessary for her to be spayed, it's still hard to see her acting like this, you know??  She doesn't get to eat tonight which is a good thing because she's already dry heaved twice.  Poor, poor thing!!!!!!!!  They said she can eat tomorrow, so hopefully she will also be a little more active as well.  Right now she can barely even lift her head or her paws off the ground.  She normally plops herself on the couch right between Blair and I, and tonight she is just looking soooo pathetic and laying on the floor.  Situations like this make you realize how important dogs become in a family!!!

Today I am thankful for.................FINALLY receiving my Michigan RN License.  The process took forever, and I was very concerned about not being able to start my job on time.  However, everything worked out, and I will be starting my job on November 30th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!