Change is here

Looking back to about 3pm on Saturday I saw myself in a very clean house, food ready to be served, friends on the way over for a party and me, a little pregnant but happily very comfortable in my environment. I'm very thankul for that last hour in a peaceful, organized environment. Because our world has already changed in the few days since then.

It starts with FedEx. (Or UPS, but the white truck pulled up first.) A box arrives. Yay! Presents! And then FedEx comes back. Again. And again. And suddenly I can't open the door all the way. Wow. Presents! Leo's Grandmother and Aunt had fun shopping for our nursery furniture and it has all arrived. (Thanks Babci and Aunt Julie!) It is exciting and surreal and crazy. A crib! In my house! Leo and I thought we would maybe move it someplace else for a little while but when I got home yesterday I found him spread out on the floor among directions, wood pieces, a screwdriver and a beer in the baby-room-to-be. He was putting together the dresser! I knew he couldn't wait! So we finished the first of many assembly evenings to come. And it was so fun! The bedding set arrived and today a stroller got here. (Thanks Kate, Jess and Meghan!) Whoohooo! And now I am having wedding flashbacks. How exciting to come home to a new package! Fortunately I learned a thing or two and the thank you cards will get a permanent spot on the coner of my desk and a place designated for all reciepts and packing slips had been arranged. Anal or not - you need to do this!

And so it has begun. Our house will no longer be a model of perfect organization, efficiency and cleanliness. It will now be overrun with baby items - possibly the most spoiled child around already and he's not even here yet. What a lucky kid! I'm glad I have a lot of time to get used to this. . .

I'm going out for a bit tonight. I wonder what Leo will put together next . . .

Another Event, Another Successful Party

Last night we had about 30 people milling in and about our house for my birthday party. I feel like I'm 10 when I say birthday party but that's what it was, sans the cake with candles, pin the tail on anything and silly hats. Mom and Ed were awesome help with the food - everyone loved the sausage and pepers and meatballs. And my penna vodka was a success as well (as usual I must say!). We have an excess of bread and desserts - both of which Leo and I can handle. Our regular party going friends came, as well as some of my friends who have never been to one of our shin-digs but had a great time. And everyone was o generous with gifts and cards - so not neccessary but so very thoughtful. I admit the beer pong is always a hit and gets people out of their shells. When Leo wanted the actiivty to be a centerpiece many parties ago I wasn't so sure. But it's actually a lot of fun and gives people something to do. What else can I say? We just got good at entertaining!

Still, I think it may be the last of the large parties for a little while. And that's ok with me. I'm ready to focus on making over the guest room and transforming it into a little boys room, finally getting that new vehicle (in which to transport the items which will transform that room) and finish up other projects before March next year. This was a nice way to welcome me into the 30's Club and into the next phase.

Birthday Surprises

There were many! First, Greg and Danielle showed up on our doorstep on Saturday to surprise me for my birthday. Yay! Well, I guess technically they appeared well before I opened the door for them as they got in earlier and headed out the back door to hide and then reappear at the front for me to find them. It was really nice to have them here and we had a great time - if only for a few short days. Sunday night we al went to mom & Ed's for my favorite - homemade lasagne. Godparents Kate and Larry were there too so it was like a little piece of home for me!

This week has been another whirlwind of activity and today was definitely no exception. We went to the doctors where we found out the gender of our littl bun in the oven. This was not a huge surprise but a wonderful piece of news all the same. We're having a little boy! This was eveident from the beginning apparently. Still, I teared up and was very happy to hear (and see) that we know the sex now. No more "its" in this house!

So now what? We have a party to prepare for this weekend. Cleaning, cooking, etc. And then the rest - so much to prepare for in general. And I have to Christmas shop?! I might get you all "Aunt", "Uncle", "Gramps" or whatever shirt would be appropriate for you. Hope you like green and blue!!!

My Next Thirty Years

Here is my theme song for today. I don't know how to play things on here - but it's the words that matter. . .

My Next Thirty Years

Think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done
Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I’m doing here
In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here,
In my next thirty years

The Videos

Jens fabulous write up of our weekend is below - here is our 2 part video documentary of the Blue Ridge Mountains including several Overlook points and a hiking adventure. And yes, Jen really did film me peeing behind a tree. Thanks Jen!

Asheville

We are back in Raleigh from a wonderful little getaway. Friday morning we climbed high into the mountains to enjoy a town called Asheville.

Asheville is about 4 hours west of Raleigh and only an hour or so southeast of Tennessee and is considered a mountain town at 2,000+ feet. And it's a great place to get away.

Friday we got there around 11:30am and found our first destination pretty easily. But we had first planned to stop at a local hotel for discounted tickets to the Biltmore. We got the tickets but visited the wrong hotel with a similar name - so no discounted tickets as planned. Lack of communication on both our parts there - but no worries. We found where we were going with relative ease. After a quick bite for lunch (at the nicest McD's you ever saw!) we were on our way to being the picture-taking tourists we haven't been in so long.

The Biltmore, in case you don't know, is the largest private residence in the US. with 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, an indoor bowling alley and swimming pool and surrounded by 228 square miles of land. Woah. It was built at the end of the 1800's so you might think it would be a bit primative - but it is extremely ornate and even included indoor plumbing and electricity. (All they are missing are some satellite dishes and wifi!) You can tour much of the house on your own and you can get some headphones to hear the history as you go through. We skipped the headphones and maybe sacrificed a little history but we did it a little quicker than most and enjoyed each others company. We finished touring the house in aboout 2 hours then we sat for a snack and short rest. We then took the paths that lead down to the gardens and greenhouses. It was getting much warmer and I was getting much more tired, but it was worth it to walk down to see it all. Leo later said the outside of the house was most impressive. I really liked the pictures of the house being built and the model of the entire house that was put together before the house existed. It is an exact replica and quite amazing being so old!

After the house we made the next stop on the windy roads through the property to the winery. This section is considerably smaller but also very organized in the way they cycle visitors through - it is the most visited winery in the US! We sat through a short film talking about the history and wine-making process then up to oversee the vats and barrels. The wine-tasing room was buzzing with noise - it sounded like a fun party going up up there - and I guess it was. You could try up to 8 wines they make right on the premises. This was pretty much lost on me - I took an itty bitty sip of a red (and it was delicious - what a tease!) so we bought a bottle for when I can celebrate and appreciate it. It will be nicely aged another 23 weeks or so!

After Biltmore we made our way to our B&B, taking a less direct route than we later discovered was necessary. Turns out the Biltmore was literally right down the road from the B&B. The house was nice. It was old, pretty decent sized and friendly, and tucked into the hills on a residntial street. It wasn't fancy and formal like many I researched on-line but I think it was ok where we ended up. The people were nice, and were able to direct us on hikes and to restuarants and had many maps and to help up find our way around. More on that later.

Our room was a nice size and the only complaint is the bathroom. The shower was basically a hand-held shower head attached in an old-fashioned tub. I knew that it would be but imagined the shower head attached to something. Alas this was not the case and showers literally had to be made while holding the damn head over yourself. This was interestesting and somewhat amusing - but only because it was a short stay. Now I know to ask more questions about such things next time in an older home.

After checking in we found our way to downtown Asheville. It was also easy to find and not too far away. We picked a pizza/ taproom place where the pizza really was awesome. The beer, I hear, was good too. :(

We walked a bit through town and found some cute shops still open at 8pm. Asheville is known for it's local arts and crafts and someday when I am sitting around with extra time and cash, I will most definetely return for some of this wonderful art. Paintings, sculptures, and everything in between. The town was super cute and is not lacking coffee shops and restuarants (and sushi places!). The only thing that surprised me a bit was the poeple. There are some wacky folks there. The artsy musical ones sitting on the sidewalks making music I can tolerate. The homeless less so, but even more scary are the random wackies with pink mohawks and skater outfits (on an overweight middle aged woman!). Too weird for me.

Saturday we woke early enough for the breakfast portion of the bed and breakfast concept. They served it at 8:30 and Leo made it out of bed in time! There was a wedding party staying there as well so the room was mostly dominated by a party that all knew eachother. But we were seated with another young couple from Atlanta. They happen to also be expecting so conversation turnd back to pregnancy and babies several times. This was their 3rd (!) so she had some tips for me. Breakfast was good; eggs, bacon, grits, homemade biscuits and muffins, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. It was a very nice way to start the day.

One of the innkeepers pulled out of of his hand-drawn maps to help us on our way into the moutains. We decided to explore on the Blue Ridge Moutain Parkway and it was a great way to spend most of the day. He described several hikes and what they were like so we could pick. Not being able to physically challenge myself too much right now, we found a perfect hike to go on where there were many paved paths and stairs in addition to easy trails to follow along a creek. We saw a nice little waterfall from the top and then trekked down the side of it and also saw from the bootom. At this point in the mountains the leaves had turned into their beautiful reds, yellows and oranges - dramatically different from the plain green we saw most of the way up the parkway. It seems that when you get to a certain elevation (over 4,000 feet) the cold does its job and makes autumn happen sooner. It was beautiful and exactly what I had in mind.

After several hours exploring the parkway and the outdoors we stopped at Mount Pisgah Inn and Restuarant and had some lunch. The view was wonderful and the food pretty good too. After, we looked at each other and decided naptime was in order before we continued on with the day. So back to our room for a little shut eye we went. Naps are blissful on vacation!

Before it got dark we ventured back to downtown once more to see some different shops and things. There were many. I didn't get anything but it was fun to window shop and even be inspired. Having some talent hidden in there myself, I was reminded of the things I used to do and thought how nice it would be to pick up drawing again. I'll let you know if my pencils take to paper again anytime soon.

Being full from our large lunch, I got some takeout sushi (how could I not) and Leo fended for himself for dinner. We were back in our room relatively early but completely spent. We played cards and watched football and read. I was asleep by 11 and was sorry I had to wake up for breakfast at 8am. But it was worth it as we sat with the other young couple again and one of the breakfast treats was a warm, thick home-made coffee cake along with an egg dish, sausage and the other morning staples.

Leo was concerned about getting home in time to enjoy Sunday Football but he did offer to stop at one of the other towns on the way home to Raleigh. Those towns are mostly good for serious furniture shopping, which we are not in the market for currently, so we just went straight home. I enjoyed a wonderful shower (in which I did not have to hold the shower head!), a leisurly lunch and luxurious nap that could have taken me well into the night if I let it. But I had to keep up with this blog before the week got started so here I am - just for you!

So that was the weekend. We had a wonderful time and absolutely perfect weather. It really was a perfect fall/ birthday trip! We will definetely go back. Next time with Baby Trend in a stroller instead of my tummy!