Th 6.13.13
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| just me, the bump, and dad's b-day hat |
- depart BA...had a late night flight that went smoothly
F 6.14.13
- safely made it to the US! Welcome to Miami! went through the airport saying perdón and permiso...then reminded myself that I could now speak English
- successfully got on flight to Chicago...dropped bags, ran a few errands (including a quick Thai lunch at Joy's Noodles), then went to Greeley to see former students and colleagues
- joined some teacher friends for a little happy hour...was great to catch up!
- then went to dinner with Katie...anyone ever tried out Crosby's Kitchen? new-ish place on Southport...skip the skillet cornbread (unless they promise you it's fresh out of the oven) and go for the skillet cookies (if they promise you it'll be fresh out of the oven....ours was, and it was divine)...Katie's veggie burger was delicious, as was my BBQ salmon
Sa 6.15.13
- Kiki's wedding day!
- up early to get Meg O from O'Hare
- we really booked it to Grand Rapids and made it to the church with time to spare
- Kiks looked gorgeous
- as did those beautiful bridesmaids!
- little intermission at the McCall home...was pumped to try the nonalcoholic wine I had ordered online
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| this was taken before tasting...obviously |
- three thumbs down from the three pregnant ladies...sorry Ariel Vineyards...we couldn't find the "aromas of black currants, cherry, blueberries, and chocolate, with soft tannins and a dry finish" in your Cab Sav...
- seemed more like watered down grape juice...and was just missing something....alcohol?
- the venue was beautiful...and the weather was perfect
- I couldn't get enough of Kiki's beautiful gown...or the food...
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| Mrs. Jake La Liberte...aww...miss you Jake! |
- especially liked the mini ice cream cones and popcorn bar later in the evening
- we all got to meet Kiki's new little sweetheart niece, Lucy
- 10 SMC chicks representing! NOT BAD!
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freshman year roomies!
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- wouldn't be a SMC wedding without a little dance floor action!
- the night ended with me driving the Condon van as DD in a pretty intense rain storm...luckily everyone got to where they needed to be safely...phew!
Su 6.16.13
- Happy Father's Day, dads!
- Happy Birthday Nicole!
- after brunch at the hotel with the ladies...and a bit of last minute chill-axin in our hotel room, Lauren, Meg O and I drove our way back to Chicago and straight to her family's boat on Burnham Harbor
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| never gets old |
- thanks for driving Lauren, and thank you Condon's for letting me crash your Father's Day celebration!
- that night, my Chicago hostess, Rachael, cooked her famous enchiladas and Katie made some pretty amazing guacamole...I was in heaven...Mexican food in the States just tastes better! thanks friends!
M 6.17.13
- today I tried to fit in a billion things before my afternoon flight, like...
- visit Greeley again to say hi the rest of my former classes
- quick stop at Intelligentsia for a mocha to-go
- trip downtown for some window shopping and Sprinkles cupcakes (cannot BELIEVE this was my first time...I've REALLY been missing out...so amazing!)
- speed walk up to Fleet Feet to get some goodies for the half (FYI they do NOT carry maternity running clothes...boo)
- bus down to Belly Dance Maternity in Wicker Park to buy some pretty hot maternity jeans
- cab to Trader Joe's for obvious reasons
- back to Rachael's for lunch
- casual stroll to the El...frantic ride out to Midway Airport (realizing I'm behind)
- wait in LONG Southwest line to check bags (oops...bags aren't promised to make it because I'm not 45 minutes or more early)
- slowly get through security
- run my pregnant body down to my gate...and board as my boarding group is walking through...whew!
- why do I do this to myself?
- made it to Omaha...along with all my luggage...was surprised at the airport by Ricky, Irelynn, and Alex who jumped in the car with Grandpa (they sure do know how to make an aunt feel special)
- raced home to see the rest of the fam and to enjoy a delicious Italian feast of salad, spaghetti and/or shells and meatballs, bruschetta, and apple pie with ice cream...
- good to be home
- the kids slept over at Grandma and Grandpa's tonight...so got to help me open all of the goodies I ordered online (mostly baby things)
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| it was like Christmas! |
- after breakfast, Ricky took me on a nice little (bumpy...sorry baby!) tractor ride
- then Ricky and I went to my dad's office to pack up some returns that needed to be made, and to Taco John's for lunch
- when we got home Irelynn and I checked on the horses
- then filled up the baby pool to cool off a bit (pool was down all week...so, so sad :( that darn liner!)
- Tuesday night was taco night...just can't get enough of good mexican food!
W 6.19.13
- today, a cold I had developed upon landing in Sioux City started getting a bit worse...so bad that I could barely taste my tacos last night...and was blowing my nose much of today...grrr...must be the change in weather, lack of sleep, and mucho travelling (luckily it sort of subsided by the end of the week)
- Megan took me first to her house to let me browse her maternity selection, then to Target to help me start a registry...thanks Meg! your tips are so helpful!
- Megan and the kids stayed over for the little cookout we had with my extended family
- on the menu were brats, cheeseburgers, salad, and corn on the cob...with leftover apple pie and ice cream, along with these (amazing) snickerdoodle cookies and brownies, for dessert
- Aunt Carrie brought over fixins for root beer floats...which became my second (baby's) dessert (jk)
- was great to catch up with aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends!
Th 6.20.13
- mom and I took the kids for a hike through Stone Park for a little morning workout
- then we piled into the car for a fun afternoon of shopping with three kids (minus the 'fun' part because what kid likes to shop for bottles and burp rags?)
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| that look on Alex's face...we should've known better |
- we managed to make it through Target and the mall, with a stop at the play area...which kind of saved the day
- we also stopped to see Grandma Greer on the way home...was happy to see her, and she seemed happy to see us! especially those cute kids...
- tonight was Jerry's Pizza night...can never get enough (if you're ever in Sioux City...)
- tonight I stayed at Ricky and Becca's newly (for me) remodeled home...looks so awesome! they've done a lot of great work on their house...kids gave me the grand tour, and I got to sleep on the top bunk in the girls' room
F 6.21.13
- today we mostly just hung out, packed, and prepared for our departure
- said goodbye to the kids
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| Alex had just gotten up from her nap...and Ricky is just getting too cool for school...big 8 year old now! |
- then we were on the road early evening, en route, 14 hours, to Nashville
Sa 6.22.13
- mom and dad did it again...another all-night drive under their belts (really don't know how they do it) while I slept in the back
- we got to Nashville and all crashed for a few more hours
- until I called Amanda and told her I was ready for my hair appointment
- here she is cutting my hair, and here I am terrified:
- it actually turned out well...thanks Amanda! you've become a wonderful hair stylist ;) I'd go back to you
- after Bree made us all a tasty lunch, we went to Nashville's Tour de Fat where we saw all kinds of fun things like:
- a guys singing in a "Portaoke"
- and the restaurant where Amanda works, J. Alexander's...which so conveniently was located across from the festivals
- as soon as she described their mac and cheese, we had to quickly get one to-go (don't mention delicious-sounding food to pregnant ladies, unless you can promise it'll be in her mouth within the hour!)
- we also saw a yo-yoing, hula-hooping act
- Jeni's Ice Cream...Amanda said it was good, so I had to double check
- free hoola-hoop-ing:
- a band dressed as mummies (they were really great!)
- and because it was a bike festival, which I loved, we saw all kinds of fun bikes:
- our cousin, Jonathan, was stopping through town on his was to Indiana, so he met us at the festival, then joined us for dinner that night
- again, Bree cooked an amazing meal: stuffed chicken, sweet potato fries, and corn on the cob
- Matt and Bree even humored me by starting up the fire pit to let us make smores...mmm...
- then we watched a movie...a family favorite past-time
- we started our day off right with a Pancake Pantry brunch...seriously their buttermilk pancakes are perfection
- the rest of the afternoon was reserved for shopping with the girls...and we made a killing! added to my growing maternity wardrobe, and also bought some last minute items on the list of things to bring back to BA
- that night mom, Amanda, and Bree made pancit and lumpias (looks something like this)...a dish my mom's been making for years after some Philippine friends shared the recipe with her back in their California Navy days
- Bree made her famous creme brulee for dessert
- ended the day with another movie night!
M 6.24.13
- today we planned to go to Nashville Shores, a really nice little waterpark not far from Matt and Bree's, to soak up some sun and enjoy a little lazy river action
- unfortunately, shortly after the above photo was taken, it began raining for the second time, and this time it was more of a non-stop downpour...so sadly our day of rays was cut a bit short
- we went home to get ready for our full-on dinner at J. Alexander's
- the boys made us a surprise cocktail to sip on while we were getting ready:
- wedding cake martini's! they made mine prego-friendly ;) thanks guys!
- I think we ordered the whole menu at J's...thanks to Amanda and her wonderful waitress knowledge...we got things like prime rib, loaded baked potatoes, filet, orzo salad, crab cakes, and the most amazing desserts ever: some kind of ice cream cake and a slice of carrot cake
- we had to be rolled out...but it was so great to try so many of their amazing dishes!
- my final meal request was dad's omelets
- but lately, he's been into skillets (with real potatoes, right dad?)
- so he made both :)
- along with mom's French toast, some fresh fruit, coffee, and orange juice
- we were happy campers
- mom, dad and Amanda took me to the airport and made sure I got checked in all right
- flight to Miami was fine
- but when I arrived, my connection wasn't showing up on the screen
- after some time, I figured out that my 8:45pm flight to BA was cancelled and was rescheduled for the next day at 1:10pm
- after some debating about whether or not I should find a different flight...for example flying into Brazil first, then BA...I finally decided to take the airline up on their free hotel and meals and fly out the next day
- so I collected my luggage
- and finally caught a shuttle to the lovely airport-side Holiday Inn
- had a nice little intimate dinner at the rooftop restaurant...just me and my baby book
- then caught up on the newest HGTV shows in my hotel room that evening...all by my lonesome
W 6.26.13
- Jake so kindly e-mailed the school and institute where I'd be missing work today
- and even though my seat was surrounded by children ranging from newborn to school-aged, including one little toddler kicking the back of my seat much of the flight...I got back to BA...and I've never been so excited to see my husband
- thanks for meeting me at the airport Jake! had a great trip, but the belly and I were so happy to be with you again!
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