Sarah's Trip to Jax

On October 10th, Marshall dropped me off at the Austin airport at 6:45am for my 8:30am flight to Dallas. I was flying American Airlines, the company that is having the labor disputes between management and pilots. I was concerned that my flight could be delayed or canceled unexpectedly. Fortunately we took off without any problems and right on time. Dallas though was very foggy and the air traffic controller told our pilots to not land and turn around to San Antonio to refuel. So we fly south, past Austin to San Antonio. We refuel for about 20 minutes then head back to Dallas. By this time I've missed my connecting flight to Jacksonville--great. 

American Airlines had rebooked me to leave on a 12:55pm flight to Miami followed by a connector to Jacksonville. The Miami flight didn't leave until 1:45, and I was thankful I had time to find lunch in the airport and walk around a bit. I arrived in Miami without any further issues, and made it to Jacksonville around 7pm. Grandma, Grandpa, my sister Sherri and her son Kyan were all there to greet me and take me to the house. 

Wednesday night was set aside to just relax. We had goulash for dinner and banana cake for dessert. Delicious! 

Thursday the 11th we headed out for the beach around 11:45am. It was so much fun. Here's a picture of Kyan being still for 2.2 seconds. I chased him around and we played tag. The water was the perfect temperature too. We were there for close to 3 hours. I'm very proud of myself for not getting sun burnt. 

 That night Grandma, Sherri and I played Dominoes. Sherri won by 43 points, just a few tiles, but she enjoyed celebrating how much she kicked our butts.

Here's a picture of Kyan acting like a zombie. Apparently his dad plays zombie shooter games, and someone had gotten Kyan a toy pistol so he could shoot at zombies too. Kyan, who runs at the speed of light, slows down and makes a puckered mouth expression and moves his arms up and down as he comes for you. Hilarious.

 I knew Kyan wouldn't remember me from when he was 15 months old in August 2011 when we were all in Oregon together at my parents' house. I planned ahead and brought with me a box of fruit snacks to help win him over. Success! I even got a few pictures of me holding him. We called the fruit snacks "Scooby Snacks" and he was quite attentive.

 Here's Kyan trying to mimic Grandma making a silly face. I was just so glad to hold him in my lap!

 The pregnant sisters. Sherri was almost 20 weeks and I had just turned 28 weeks. My bump looks kind of pointy, doesn't it? We're both having boys, which will bring the total count to 4 boys (Kyan, Christopher, Merrick and "Blank") and 0 girls. Sherri and Ryan haven't decided on Kyan's little brother's name yet.

 Here we are again. Wow, we are going to look so different next year with little babies in our arms!

On Friday, Sherri, Ryan, who had come down late on Wednesday night, and Kyan drove back to Charlotte. Kyan was crying in his carseat to stay at Nana's house. Awe! After they left I took Grandma to El Potro, a little Mexican buffet place close to the house that we use to frequent when I lived with them. Afterwards we went grocery shopping then back to the house.

That night my dear friend Heather picked me up for dinner. Heather was my first friend in Jacksonville. I met her at Shoney's, and she trained me on how to be a waitress. We've been close ever since. We were meeting her husband Scott at the Cheesecake Factory, but before we went there, we went to my school, the University of North Florida. I wanted to just take a quick zip around the school to see any changes and what it was like now 3.5 years after graduation. It's looking great, and the new buildings look remarkable. I'm so glad I went there. :) After UNF, Heather took me to Target and picked up a three pack of onesies that she had seen before but didn't get. The top one has a turtle on it, and reads "worth the wait." Merrick certainly is!

We arrived at the restaurant and Scott joined us. We had crab ragoon for an appetizer. Poor Heather wasn't feeling well. Her stressful job had been giving her serious headaches, so she was taking it easy, hoping it would go away. I had a hawaiian pizza for dinner. When it came to think about dessert, Scott slipped away and Heather and I looked over the cheesecake menu. Turns out they had made a selection for me! Scott came back to the table with a vanilla bean cheesecake (a whole one, not a slice) with three Bambi figurines on it. I burst into tears! It was so adorable to this pregnant lady. What's even more special is that as a child, I use to have a Bambi toy that was just like the Bambi on the cake, with the butterfly on the tail and everything. Just a few days prior I had been thinking about my favorite toys growing up and where they had gone too. I had specifically recalled my Bambi toy, and here was a replica on the cake. Cue more happy pregnancy tears! I did have a tiny slice of the cheesecake, and brought the rest home to share with my grandparents.

 Here are Heather, me, the flowers Scott brought me and our Bambi cheesecake! I felt so loved. I have my huge "I can't control this" smile on my face.

Heather and Scott, who are big Disney fans, also got Merrick a Bambi toy with moveable head and legs. Again, cue the happy tears. I love it so much! That night I was blubbering to Marshall how wonderful dinner had been and how sweet Heather and Scott were to me and baby. He wished he could have been there.

I don't have any pictures of Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Grandma, Papa, and I drove to Cassadaga, Florida for psychic readings. I had a reading with Ginny, whose strength was astrology based. I already knew a lot about myself from my astrology chart, but it was a good affirmation and reminder about why I am the way I am. Grandma and Papa saw Ronnie, and were really pleased with their readings. I wanted one too, so I paid for a second one with Ronnie. During an opening prayer, he said that the room got very crowded; I had lots of spirits on the other side watching over me, but only two wanted to talk and come forward. One was my great-grandmother Kestine Marie Fischer Thiele, and the other was my great-aunt Patricia Blatchford, my grandmother's sister. I felt very honored that they wanted me to know that they were watching over me. There was more to the reading, which I took notes on and got to record on my phone, but I won't post about them here. All good stuff though. :)

That night I met up with Dan, who is Marshall's best friend from the Navy. I got a little lost getting to his condo. We went to Friday's for dinner, and got to catch up. We went back to his apartment, and goodness gracious, his cat Potter looks like a baby cougar--he was so big! Dan and I were talking, and I kept imagining Marshall there with us. He and Dan use to spend a lot to time together, just hanging out on the couch, watching movies, talking, playing video games, etc. I decided that I would work some magic in our budget and have Marshall come visit Dan for a weekend as soon as possible. Dan was all for the idea, and we have a tentative plan for him to come to Austin in March during Marshall's spring break. Marshall will be flying to Jax late on Thursday, November 29th and coming home on Sunday, December 2nd. He and Dan will have a great time together.

I had sort of talked to my friend John about picking me up on Sunday morning for breakfast and taking me to the airport, but he never responded to any of my texts while I was in Jax. Oh well, his loss. My grandparents took me to the airport, and I made it back to Austin on time without any issues. I had a fantastic trip with family and away from work. Everyone is so excited for us and our new baby. I feel incredibly blessed and loved.

No More Texas Summer Heat?!

We may not have to spend another summer here in Texas!

The foundry in Spokane, Washington that we want Marshall to work for after graduation (May 2014) offered him a summer internship for 2013. In fact, they REALLY want him to do the internship. 

We met Ed, the General Manager of Spokane Industries, on April 30th, at a Foundry Education Foundation (FEF) banquet in San Marcos; he sat to Marshall's left at our table. After completing this summer's internship at Denison, Marshall wanted to contact Ed about employment in the future. He left some messages, and apparently Ed got them. He passed Marshall's name along to the Technical Director Rod along with our story of Marshall being in school and us genuinely wanting to move to the northern Idaho area upon graduation. He really liked that Marshall was "stable" and had a family. 

Well, on Tuesday (I think it was), Rod called Marshall but had to leave a voice message. He explained who he was, that Ed had given him Marshall's name, and overall a very inviting message about wanting to see what they could do for Marshall. He left his direct phone number (no more leaving messages with the secretary) too. They were finally able to speak on the phone Friday afternoon, and that conversation definitely set us on a trajectory to change our lives forever. 

The foundry has zero robots, and Rod was quite interested in Marshall's experience with them from his Denison internship plus the extra curricular involvement he's doing with them right now with Dr. Amari on campus. Rod offered him a summer internship for 2013, and Marshall explained that he'd be interested but did come with some baggage with having a wife and baby. Rod's reaction--"Bring them; we love families!" They would set us up with accommodations and wage, and baby and I could go up there too--spend the entire summer together in the area we eventually want to move to. How much more amazing could this get?! 

Marshall's going to send Rod his resume, which I'm sure will make him like Marshall even more considering his military and computing backgrounds. Rod wrapped up the conversation by saying that he definitely wants to keep in touch with Marshall and build a relationship with him through 2014. Wow!

We went out to dinner to celebrate and talk about how this will affect our future. We see nothing but positives here. After Denison, we decided that we would not move there or take any possible job offer from them upon Marshall's graduation. We discussed what to do about next summer, and decided that if Marshall had an opportunity to do an internship out of state, we would have to all go together because I didn't want to be left here alone in Austin to raise baby during a very critical time in his development. Not to mention how lonely Marshall and I were without each other even with visits every 2-3 weekends. The only way all of us could go together would be if we found someone we trusted to house-sit for us, and we couldn't think of any viable solutions. We decided that Marshall would stay here in Austin and hope that a local opportunity for an internship would arise probably in a non-foundry industry. In the very least, we could raise our son together and he would program full time for income. Now, by going to Spokane and getting our expenses paid for plus a wage comparable to what Denison paid him, going up there sounds like the best option. We're going to talk with cousin Mitchell, who is a year younger than me, and who just moved to Austin 3 weeks ago and has been staying with us, if he would consider staying at our house for next summer. 

I texted my Aunt Lorraine, who lives in CDA, that I had good news and wanted to call. Uncle Jet and Grandma Barbara were also on speaker phone when I shared with them the news of the day and that we might be up there for the entire summer next year. We had planned on going there for a week in early August. It's going to be so amazing living closer to them; my heart rejoices because I love them so much, and they will be such a positive influence on Merrick. They were all really excited! Uncle Jet asked how me coming up for the summer would affect my job, and I said that we plan for me to be a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) after baby is born. Then thinking about it more, this would be a really good reason why I couldn't come back to work for Pentagon. My FMLA leave will be from December 21st to mid-March, but then if I went back, it would only be for 2 months and then I would be gone for the summer. 

All this excitement is the reason I'm awake at 5am on a Saturday. Can you blame me? :)

Our Son--Merrick Rainier

Most important post first, yes? We're having a son! It's been almost 4 weeks since we found out at the anatomy ultrasound. All of his measurements were slightly ahead or right on target. The report did not indicate that he was developing slowly. Although they aren't going to change my due date, if they did, it would be 12-31-12, which I wouldn't mind as my birthday is 12-13. :)

We did our gender reveal with the following pictures the following day.

It took me by complete surprise that we were having a boy instead of a girl. It took me a full week to adjust to the idea of having a little boy in our lives instead of the girl I had been envisioning. I know my family didn't appreciate me being silent on the day of the ultrasound when they were excited to find out the details, but I just wasn't emotionally in control of myself. We'll just leave it at that.

I am now in my 24th week of pregnancy, and by the first week of October I'll reach the third trimester and be 6 months pregnant. Baby will be perfectly healthy by arriving as early as my birthday to the middle of January. Obviously I'd like him sooner rather than later because I am not excited about expelling a 10 pound baby in mid-January, but it will be what it will be.

I'm feeling great, and find so much enjoyment watching my husband's face light up when he feels Merrick kick. My next appointment is on the 28th, and I will be taking the glucose test that morning. I have to drink a sugary drink in 5 minutes, then get my blood drawn one and two hours after. I learned that at the third trimester mark, the metabolism of pregnant women changes, and it is at that time when they would develop gestational diabetes, which is what they are testing for. If I fail the test, I have to be much stricter about my food choices and check my blood sugar regularly. If I pass, all is well.

Daka, Daka, Daka

 This is the view of Fremont Lake from the cabin balcony. The cabin was started in 1958 and completed in 1965, and is about 10 miles north of Pinedale, Wyoming at 7500 feet. 

 This is a picture of the Windy Range Mountains, and was taken on a little looking point on our way to Elkhart Park where we did a little hiking. Absolutely gorgeous view. 

 This is the little creek we found on our hike in Elkhart Park. It wasn't hidden or anything, but it was just a nice little babbling companion along the trail. The water is amazingly clear and it was quite cold. I love that streams like this still exist, and it makes me want to do everything possible to preserve them so we can take our children to experience them too. 

 Capitan Marshall at the helm! We took the boat out on Fremont Lake, which is pretty big. I even got to steer for a little bit! 

 We stayed at the Dawson family cabin, which was built by Marshall's great-grandfather Elias Dawson and his family. One of the coolest features of the living room is the giant map of the western United States above the fireplace. To the left is a giant buffalo head; to the right is an elk head. 

My little buddy Clark wanted a picture of him and Cabin Moose. :)

We flew to Salt Lake City from Austin, and spent the night with Marshall's cousin Jacob's family in Clearfield, which is about 30 minutes north of the airport. Jake's wife Shelley is a stay-at-home-mom with their three children: Ava, Jackson, and Ethan. Another baby girl is due in November. Jake is a nurse in the oncology department of a nearby hospital. Jacob was one of Marshall's groomsmen in our wedding too. They have a trampoline in the back yard, and Ava and I jumped on it together. :) 

Monday we drove to Newton, Utah, which was 75 minutes from Clearfield. We visited with Bermuda, Marshall's grandmother, and the Anderson clan--Doug, DeeDee, Heather, Annie, and Bonnie. Heather lives in a nearby town and came over for dinner that night. Annie is going to college less than 2 hours away starting this fall. Bonnie is going to be sophomore in high school (I think). Bermuda loves to quilt, and showed me a box of quilts that are reserved just for family. Between quilts and baby afghan blankets, I think we took home nearly a dozen! It was so generous of her to give us so many. :D 

Tuesday we left for the cabin in Wyoming, and it was a 5 hour drive. We got to go through Idaho!

After being up in this area, we both looked at each other and truly committed ourselves to doing everything possible for us to move up this way immediately after Marshall graduates. We loved the weather and the beautiful countryside. Yes, yes, we want to move to Idaho!

Wednesday was Independence Day, and we went for a hike in Elkhart Park, found the boat dock, and watched the fire works in town. Oh yeah, our little rental car Fido, a Fiat 500, got stuck in the dirt. It took 5 locals and a truck to pull us out. Oi! All during our trips back on the dirt roads going up to the cabin, we would see these little chipmunk/prairie gopher guys scamper across the road. I told Marshall they reminded me of the creatures we call Dak Rats back in North Dakota. So, every time we saw one scurry across our path, we would call out, "Daka, daka, daka" at it. It was quite fun. 

Thursday we went out on the boat and kept on relaxing. Friday morning we packed up and headed back to Newton. Saturday around lunch time we left to go to the airport. The flight from SLC to Denver went well, but we had a rain delay in Denver, so we didn't get home to Austin until midnight, then back to our house until 1pm. Our neighbor Beverly watched our cats for us, and they were happy to check out all our luggage. 

We had a fabulous trip and are so enthused about moving to Idaho in 2 years!

Holding Down the Fort

May has been a very fortunate month in our household. It started off with Marshall only having 2 final exams for his four classes and being finished on May 4th. Sarah watched the Kentucky Derby on May 5th, and Marshall began working on his car (Natasha), which has been out of commission since December. He also logged quite a few computer programming hours for his part-time job. His big task was creating a mobile app for the truck drivers to use instead of their current paperwork method.

The biggest news of all came around the middle of the month when Marshall was in contact with Denison Industries (Denison, Texas), and they negotiated terms of his summer internship. He will be employed May 29th through August 17th. The company is taking care of a fully furnished one bedroom apartment for him (that by the way it sounds is decorated nicer than our house), plus a generous weekly salary. Marshall is on the Engineering team, which consists of the Engineering Manager, one experienced engineer, a newbie, plus now Marshall. There were two other team members recently, but one retired and one was let go. Based off my own experience at the company that I work for, it sucks having a short-staffed engineering team. Marshall seems to be getting along fantastically well with everyone, even charmed the HR ladies his first day. He foresees a very possible job opportunity with Denison after he graduates in just under 2 years.

So with Marshall away, it's just me and the three cats. We're holding down the fort alright. I bought the cats new toy mice, which they seem to like better than their current collection (hurray). They miss Marshall though. Misti, who is very much a daddy's girl, actually seeks me out at times to let me pet her; that never happens.

I'm still working, and trying to have some fun during the week. This past Wednesday I went to Pluckers Wing Bar with some girlfriends and we played trivia. I had their lemon pepper wings and macaroni & cheese--absolutely delicious! We may go again next week too. This weekend I feel like browsing through stores, so I think I will go to the mall. I haven't been to a mall since Black Friday, plus I can get some exercise walking around in the air conditioning. I'm also going to meet up with my friend Candice this weekend to talk about her baby shower since she found out she's having a girl since the last time we hung out. Eek! I'm so excited. My other goal for the weekend is to retire all of our Christmas decorations including the tree and box them up. Yes, I've had Christmas in my house for six months. With Natasha's front end taken part and stuck in the garage, we couldn't pull down the ladder to the attic where all the storage boxes were. Before Marshall left he brought everything down for me. This weekend it will all get boxed up, then when he comes home next weekend, he can haul it up there. I'm not even sure if we're going to put it back up this year. Oi!

Marshall did such a great job putting Natasha back together again. The engine started on the first try; it was beautiful and horrible at the same time. Something sounded like metal popcorn (ut-oh), and he found out he needed a new water pump. Since he had to leave no later than May 28th, and Natasha wasn't fixed, we rented him a car and made plans for me to have her towed to a local specialty shop for German cars called Austin Veedub, which was Marshall's home-away-from-home in May since he was there every other day picking up replacement parts. I got Natasha over there on Wednesday, and haven't heard back from them about proceeding further and a cost estimate, so I'll call on Monday and see if there's going to be a snowball's chance in hell that they can have it ready for pick up next Saturday morning.

June promises to be an exciting month. Marshall will be home late on Friday the 8th, and we're going to lunch with his parents and some of the Lesnick family who will be in town on Saturday. Mars will drive back to Denison on Sunday the 10th. On Friday the 15th, my best friend Heather in NC flies out to spend the weekend with me. I'm so excited!!! The following weekend (23-24) is free yet, and then we get ready to leave for our Utah/Wyoming trip on July 1st!!

April Agenda

The spring semester is almost over. Marshall has three weeks of classes then finals before he's free from the bus and homework until late August!

On the 20th we have an award ceremony to attend on campus. Marshall is being awarded the Engineering Department's Leadership & Service Award, and the event is open to friends and family. His parents are coming up from Houston, and I'm taking the (much needed) day off from work. We are all very proud of him, and realize just how far he's come from this time last year.

On the 24th we will celebrate our three year engagement anniversary and same milestone of me graduating from UNF.

The first half of the month has been very busy with our trip to Lufkin and in-laws coming to Austin for Easter weekend. I also had some social events this week, which made time go by very quickly.

All in all, life is good. :)

DIY Inklings

My brother's child is due in mid-August. I was finally able to talk to my brother since the end of December because he had been deployed. He's doing great, and he and his girlfriend aren't going to start buying anything for their baby until the baby shower in June, which is in Phoenix. I won't be able to attend; however, I do intend on sending them some baby clothes and accessories. I have an inkling to make the following: 

I also have an easy pattern to make bibs too! 

If Marshall is away all summer doing an internship, and it is 100,000 degrees outside again for three months straight like last year, I'm going to stay inside in the A/C and pump out a whole mess of these cute baby items!

Early March

March has started off very well all around for both of us. We've received lots of rain, so our yard is once again green with weeds. I'm in the middle of adding new plants to the front yard right in front of the foundation. My boss gave me a $25 gift card for doing so well with one of our bigger customers at the end of February, so I decided to use it towards gardening supplies at Home Depot. I won another $25 gift card today for a contest at work. Hopefully I can finish it up this weekend now!

My youngest brother turns 17 tomorrow. Next year I'm want to do something really cool for his birthday. On my 18th birthday I got the Beatles CD I wanted and $60. Shouldn't be too hard to beat that!!

Marshall is officially on spring break. He's going to be doing his computer programmer work Friday and the weekend, then tackle his car (Natasha) during the week. I'm praying like a nun that Natasha is functional again by next week. I still have my Christmas decorations up because I can't get to the attic to bring down the containers everything goes in. Plus, it would be really nice after 3 months to no longer be a 1 car family.

This Sunday morning we have a tentative date to go play disk golf together. I've never done it, but I think it would be good exercise. May turn into our new favorite outdoors activity to do together.

My Girl Scouts event on February 25th was a huge success. We had 400 scouts and adults participate, and everything went so well. This upcoming year I've volunteered to help organize fundraising events for the Girl Scouts, and I already have a few in mind. :)

I started watching a new series (new to me at least) on Netflix from Showtime called The Tudors. I like historical based dramas, and although they don't have the history exactly correct, it's still interesting. The actors do a pretty good job as well. I'm also watching a 6 part documentary on the UK Monarchy from the Romans to present day.

Marshall's parents are planning on riding their motorcycles up to Austin Easter weekend, and we're looking forward to spending time with them. April looks to be a busy month for Marshall with lots of foundry conferences and another visit to Lufkin Industries. No official word yet on his summer internship, but it appears that the powers that be are unfortunately focusing more on the short term than the long term, and just haven't put much effort into making decisions about their summer internship program yet. We're still optimistic an opportunity will pull through for us.

Marshall's part-time job is going amazingly well. He can work up to 30 hours per week, which he's been reaching quite easily. This is a wonderful opportunity for him and our family. I'm really glad he has this positive purpose to focus on since he is half way through his college career, at a time when it is so easy to get distracted and lose sight of the finish line. We talked about this this morning, and both feel very blessed for this opportunity.

My niece/nephew Thiele will become gender specific on March 21st, so less than 2 weeks away now. My brother returned safely home yesterday from his 10 week deployment. Hurray!

Aunty Rah-Rah

I'm going to be an aunt again! My brother's going to be a father, and I should have a new family member in August this year. I continue to pray for the baby's continued healthy growth and for the new mama since Matt deployed last week. He'll be back in plenty of time before his son/daughter is born, but I'm sad he will miss ultra sound appointments and such.

Cheers to being Aunty Rah-Rah for a second time!

Tears of Joy

For us, Christmas isn't measured by how many items you received on one's wish list, but by the combination of moments throughout the day that make one happy. Based on this, I had a very wonderful Christmas.

We drove to Cypress in 2:35 on Saturday--record time. It was raining the entire time, and we haven't seen that much rain in a long time (merry Christmas, Grass and Trees). Shortly after arriving, I realized that I had forgotten our basket of items, which included the rosemary dinner rolls I had stayed up baking the night before, our homemade applesauce, and my salad for dinner. I cried. I can't believe I forgot it on the kitchen island. I wasn't going to be able to stick to WW very well without a salad. Click the "panic" button. Marshall was sweet enough to offer to take us to the grocery store and pick up a replacement salad and rolls, which we did.

Before dinner commenced, we opened crackers, put on our paper crowns, and read the jokes that came with them. Marshall's parents put a lot of effort into the meal, and everyone enjoyed it immensely. Afterwards Marshall and I took a nap, then as a family we watched A Christmas Story. When it was through we drove around the neighborhood and looked at Christmas lights. I love looking at Christmas lights, especially when you can see decorations inside the house through the windows. I like seeing other people's trees too. I have no idea what time my husband came to bed, but I was asleep by 11pm. My body got me up Christmas morning, bright and early, and the ripe time of 6:30am.

My father-in-law made us breakfast, and then Marshall woke up. Afterwards we opened presents one by one. Santa brought me a book of card game rules, an ornament, a pinball game with a prize inside and electronic kitchen timer that can track 4 different things at once. Joy gave me an amazing set of boxing targets and ladies' gloves. I've wanted these so I can do cardio and strength training indoors. Jeff gave me a Le Crueset skillet that looks amazing for stir fry vegetables! Marshall gave the the exact same timer (hehehe), fuzzy socks, and a gold plated venetian mask with diamonds on it. I absolutely love it! In fact, I wore it the entire way home to Austin yesterday.

After presents we cleaned up the now empty boxes and shredded wrapping paper. Joy and I looked through a digital scrapbook her mother had made of her time at BYU in the 1940s. We left at 2pm for Austin. On the way home, Marshall wanted to know if I still wanted to wait until Monday morning to open all the remaining gifts at our house (from my family and each other). Since we were coming back earlier than expected, we decided to continue Christmas when we arrived home.

I made french toast, scrambled eggs, and browned some left-over ham slices that was sent home with us. We lit the candles on our table centerpiece and had a nice little dinner. I had been craving french toast. Now I'm much better. :) The first presents we opened were the cat's stockings. They must have been good babies because Santa Cat brought each of them a can of Fancy Feast, something they had never had before. Maggie doesn't seem to like wet food very much because she didn't eat much of her turkey & giblet flavored treat. Misti and Santa went to town though!! Then I asked Marshall to open to other present that Santa Cat had given the Reeske Cats--it was a set of three Christmas themed picture frame ornaments with a picture of each cat in black and white already in it. Marshall thought they were adorable and wants to keep them out all year long because they also have a stand.

We opened our stockings first. Mine had two books and a gift certificate for a massage! His had new pens and a bag of his favorite cookie mix. Then we opened gifts from my family. My sister Rachael got me make-up and Marshall a three-step shaving package. My parents got Marshall a WW scale, which at first he thought was for me. I had to tell him it was for him even though it was a WW brand. It calculates BMI and body fat too. He's really excited. He also received a book light for late night reading. I received little baking loaf pans with size appropriate spatulas, mini tart/quiche pans, two mini bundt cake pans, WW chocolates, little cow clip magnets for the fridge, and an electric skillet. I can't want to go through my new WW cookbook and find recipes I can make in it.

Marshall loved all his gifts from me, and it seems his favorite is a sea sponge I picked up at Bed Bath & Beyond. He's wanted one that can really clean him up well. He liked the stand-up fan for the garage, new air hose, bamboo cutting boards and socks. I had written him a Christmas themed non-fiction story, and it came with a gift associated with the narrative. He opened the story, but read it later that night. Then he opened the present and was baffled at the wooden yo-yo. Later that night while we were in the first living room reading, I saw him get to the end of the story and pick up the yo-yo. He finally understood, and absolutely loved it. It even made him tear up, and I've never been able to do that before!! He brings me happy tears all the time, but I've never been able to do it to him.

My husband spoiled me this year for sure. He got me all the books on my wish list including a woman's health one that my friends had recommended. We now have our own Apples to Apples game too! I have a new bird house that is a wooden cabin that has a sign "Moose Lodge" and another towards the bottom that reads, "No bears allowed." I love it so much. I was the second to last present I opened, and the package was too big to contain a bird house. I was starting to wonder if I was going to receive one at all! He also got me a rack for inside the pantry door so I have even more storage. He's going to bolt it down for me today. His last gift was completely unexpected. He refurbished his '08 white Mac notebook for me that had liquid spilled on it months ago and wasn't working. I can lay my Dell 1200 laptop that I bought in September 2005 for college to rest. I was so shocked and completely overwhelmed. I had never received such a gift on Christmas before. We had a wonderful time having our little Christmas at home together.

We wanted to watch the Muppets Christmas Carol, but it wasn't on Netflix--can you believe that?! I think I'm going to look for some classic Christmas movies on DVD and start a nice collection for us to watch each year.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well!

Onto the Next Pack

Tuesday was my 25th birthday, which meant that the traditional package of 24 candles was one short of what I needed. Here's my birthday cupcake pyramid.

You can see the lovely birthday cards that I received from coworkers, Marshall's grandmother, my parents, brother and love-of-my-life. My parents-in-law sent flowers to my work. My grandmother sent me pecans from her tree in Florida. They are so delicious!

Mom got me a griddle. Making multiple breakfast quesadillas will be so much easier now!

I was able to leave work at 12:30pm and have the afternoon to myself. Marshall set me up with a 60 minute massage. After I had lunch, I went to JCPenny and found 3 three shirts plus a necklace. Everything was on sale plus I used two $10 coupons. In total I spent less than $11--woohoo! Next came a quick trip to Walmart to get ingredients for my birthday cake. I made it to my massage appointment at 3pm. I love massages. If I could afford to get one every month I will. Until then, the hubby and I will have to use our own massage table at home more often.

I wanted to go to the Driskill Grill for my birthday dinner because it was fancy and I had a $25 gift certificate. The Driskill Grill is now my new favorite "fancy" restaurant of choice. The atmosphere, service, and food were mind-blowing! I was a server for 4 years, and I'm a hard judge on servers because I've been there. I was amazed at how good our server Scott was. We of course shared that it was my 25th birthday, and guess what they did for me!

The general manager Charlie even took a picture of us in front of the adjoining Driskill Hotel's Christmas tree in the lobby.

When we came home, I had one last present and one last card to open. I bawled at how sweet Marshall's card was. I told him I purposely didn't wear mascara because I was going on a date with him. If there's a chance he can make you sentimental in a happy way, he will. Well, he gave me a clarinet! I haven't been able to find my old one, and Mom hasn't had time to look for it in Oregon. I can play again! I have to basically start from scratch, but I'm so excited to fill our house with music.

I had a wonderful birthday, and an astronomical amount of well wishes from friends and family all over the country and world! I felt really cherished, which was best of all.

Questions Answered

Here are some Q & A about us as a couple.
*When did you first meet?
June 29th, 2007

*Where was your first date?
First place we went together alone was Little Tokyo for hibachi; however, our first fancy date was to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

*When did you get engaged?
April 24th, 2009 at my college graduation party.

*What are your top three meals to cook at home?
Pecan crusted chicken, baked eggplant parm, and veggie tacos.

*What is an activity that you do together the majority of the time?
Go to the gym.

*What is your favorite TV show to watch together?
All three of the Stargate series!

*What are the three restaurants you frequent the most?
Jason's Deli, Patsy's Cowgirl Cafe, and probably Chili's.

*What are three restaurants you want to try but haven't been to yet?
A crepe place downtown, the Driskill Grill, and the Salt Lick.

*Name something you want to do in your city but haven't yet.
Take a picture with the Zilker Christmas tree in the background.

*How long have you owned your house?
On December 22, it will be two years--wow!

*What are your three next house projects?
We need to finish priming the trim around the house, install gutters, and put up a retaining wall in front of the house to cover some of the exposed foundation.

*What is your favorite CD to listen to together?
Flight of the Concords' second CD.

*What are any traditions you've started for your family?
Every birthday we get a massage. Each year I write him a fiction story for Christmas and give him a gift that relates to the story. Geez, I think that's all. I need to start some more, huh?

*How many pets do you have?
We have three cats:  Misti (female), Santa Ana (male), and Maggie (female).

*What vacations would you like to take next year?
We'd like to fly to Utah to see Marshall's mom's family and spend a few days at the family cabin in Wyoming.

*What is your dream vacation?
We'd really like to take 2 weeks and  travel to Stokholm, Copenhagen and Berlin.

*What are your career goals?
He wants to be an engineer in the manufacturing or foundry industries. I don't have any career goals at the moment because I'm going to be a SAHM within the next two years.

*What are your degrees in?
His will be Industrial Engineering--Manufacturing in 2014. My BA is in Spanish with a minor in Political Science.

*Where would you like to move to after your current city?
Ultimately I'd like to move to Couer d'Alene, Idaho, but I'm willing to move to a different city that meets the same requirements as CDA. If M gets a job offer in a different city in Texas, we'll probably take it though.

*What is key to your marriage?
I believe we have a strong marriage because we don't hold each other's faults against that person.

*What is an activity that you each like but do not do together?
He really likes paintball, but I'm afraid of bruising so I don't go with him. I love to hunt, but he has a hard time killing a fly.

*Ever thought about getting a dog?
Yes, but we don't have the time or energy for a dog. He would want a yellow lab, but I wouldn't. I prefer a medium size dog or a swiss mountain dog.

*How many children do you want?
Probably three.

*What are your current financial goals?
Pay as much as possible towards our house and contribute to my 401(k). Adding funds to our baby/car fund has been slow.

What You've Been Waiting For...

Hurray for our the annual mRs Christmas photo! This year we recreated our first date picture by wearing the same clothes and striking a similar pose. The inspiration for this photo came from my weightloss and being able to fit into the dress again, which I bought in July 2007. Wow, huh?!

I mailed out Christmas cards on Friday, so they should be arriving on Tuesday for most people I think. I really hope everyone likes them and appreciates the "homemade" aspect of them.

Preview of 2012?

Today we went to the RenFest, which is 2.5 hours away from Austin. I wanted to do 2 things:  get a Scottish music CD, and get a couple's tarot card reading like last year. I wanted the same reader as last time, and thankfully he (Frank) was there.

He shuffled the deck a few times, then cut it into three smaller decks. I chose the middle; Marshall chose the left, and the right ended up representing our relationship.

I went first. He laid out 3 rows of 3 cards, each representing 4 months of the year. The bottom or closest cards to me represented the begining of the year. My significtor was the Emperor. My first card was the 9 of Pentacles. My third card was the High Priestess. My 7th card was the Knight of Wands. Next was another Pentacles I believe. My last card was the 3 of Wands. Bottom line? 2012 is going to be a GREAT year for me. The cards say I'm going to be wrapping up a family or financial issue that I had been a part of in the first 2 months or so of the year. By April, I'm going to see my goals clearly and go after them. The spring and summer months will bring me material gain, and I'm going to be getting what I've been working towards. Things will slow down in August-September for a short period due to the Knight of Wands. This could be a minor health issue like mono or the flu compared to breaking a femur and being out of action for months. The last part of the year I also reap what I sow, sort of like watching my ships come sailing into port.

I'm particularly interested in what is going to happen during the summer because I've also been told: I see you winning something big!!  It is hard to pinpoint what exactly but I feel it is some type of recognition or promotion within your career.  I see the month of JULY associated with this. I don't know what this can be because in my correct job, there isn't any room to move up. My job is important and not in jeopardy of being eliminated, but there is no where for me to go unless I switch to a different department, and I just don't see that happening consiering I've been doing customer service for over 2 years now, and it takes a lot of time to bring a new person up to speed. On a side note, the same person who gave me the insight above in italics also had this to say today when I asked for a one tarot card draw reading: For this general read the guides are telling me to tell you "ASK FOR IT AND YOU WILL RECEIVE IT"... I see you being hesitant to ask for something whether it be in a relationship or work... But you need to ask because whatever it is .. it is ALL YOURS! Again, I have no idea would this could mean about my job!! Will I be getting a new job? Something with career advancement perhaps? I don't even know what I want my next job to be? I don't know what to ask for even if it will be all mine! *Sigh

Marshall's one year spread unfortunately did not look as rosey as mine. Bottom Line? You're going to come to some tough decisions, be depressed about them, come to a revelation, then do something stupid due to repressed desires that affects everyone and causes change, but your family is going to love you any way. Frown face. His most influential cards were the reversed Page of Cups followed the Tower card. 5 cards were reversed, Marshall figured out was like a 1 in 10 quintillion chance of happening. Poor guy has been a little disturbed all evening because of it. He's drinking wine and watching a crazy Norwegian sci-fi movie on Netflix.

Regarding our relationship, the most shocking cards were the last three representing September through December, ironically right after Marshall is suppose to do something crazy. We were to not make an attachments to trips scheduled for the later part of the year because they will end up being canceled. Do not have emotional ties to them, like going home for the holidays. Looks like we'll be taking our Wyoming cabin trip in the spring instead.

It's really odd how I'm suppose to have a great year, but Marshall isn't, and our relationship in 2012 will be about middle of the road. We know 2012 will be challenging with us planning for Marshall to be doing an internship June-mid-August in a city at least 4 hours away. If there's one thing I know, it will be that hard work always pays off. Let's see what comes true.

Detour

Plan A

Marshall finishes degree and gets job in or near Austin.

Sarah becomes a SAHM when applicable.

Pay as much of our house off as possible.

Move from Austin to somewhere with seasons (Idaho, Oregon, or Colorado) around 2019.

Plan B

Marshall finishes degree and gets job away from Austin in Texas.

Sell house and buy new house close to Marshall's job.

Sarah becomes a SAHM when applicable.

Marshall works for 4-5 years at job, then we move to somewhere with seasons (see options above) around 2020.

We've been talking more and more about what would be best for Marshall and our family once he graduates from Texas State University sometime in 2014. If he pursues the foundry industry, we don't foresee being able to stay in Austin due to the lack of employment opportunities. How would we feel about moving many years before we thought we would in Plan A? What are the drawbacks? What are the benefits? Do we really want to stay in Texas longer than necessary? By necessary I mean Marshall gets free college while in Texas, so we would not want to move out of state before he is through. I am yearning to get back to winter.

We feel that Marshall landing a job with perfect working conditions--minimal stress, constantly changing responsibilities, stimulating environment, etc--is extremely important to us. If we have to move in order to achieve this, we're not going to put up a fight. Would I love to hightail it to Idaho and build a permanent nest in the woods by Lake Coeur d'Alene? Of course! Is it worth Marshall getting valuable job experience and staying in Texas and delaying such a move? More than likely. These thoughts have been heavy on my heart lately, and I just wanted to share with you a possible detour that we may take.



Marshall's Birthday

Marshall turned 28 on July 28th (golden year), and I got him the second Flight of the Concords CD. He was actually thinking of getting me the CD just because. Ha, I got to it first!! :p The following night Marshall's dad came up from Houston as a surprise to Marshall, and we all three went to a murder mystery dinner downtown. We all had self-imposed aliases: Marshall and I were Jeremiah and Agnes Frownski, and Jeff was Popeye. He really enjoyed that one, lol. We had a great time and will probably do it again next year when they do a new mystery theme.

Here's a picture of us from our night out.

Wedding Anniversary

July 31st was our one year wedding anniversary! We had such a beautiful wedding in Idaho last year.

All the bouquets together.

The bridal party (yes, that's Jenn skipping).

Planting our unity tree.

The alter.

Sealed it with a kiss.

Uncle Jet doing the Airplane!

Marshall's parents got us a present to celebrate!

Here's Marshall getting excited about what's inside.

It's a bottle of champagne and 2 crystal flutes that have our names and wedding date on them. I have the best mother-and father-in-law. :)

End of July

Last week was very busy for me at work. I think I worked something like 50 hours, even pulling two 12-hour days back to back. We had a big audit by a huge potential client (has anyone heard of Samsung before?!) on Thursday, so we were frantically trying to get our shop looking marvelous. I think we pulled it off, lol. I won't know if Samsung liked what they saw and will be sending us business anytime soon, but at least all the craziness is over.

This past weekend I went to San Antonio to spend Saturday night with a friend from North Dakota as it is her birthday this upcoming Wednesday. We went to dinner, and I got to play with her 11 month old daughter. Of course we talked non-stop. It was nice to take a drive away from the city.

On Sunday I went grocery shopping while Marshall slept. All summer he's been preparing meals, cleaning, and doing house projects while I've been at work. I decided I would take something off his list while he slept. This week for dinner we're having:
*Lasagna with eggplant, vegetables, and ground turkey
*French onion soup
*Eggplant Parmesian
*Lemon chicken with stir fry pasta
*Grilled chicken breasts with fruit salsa
*Cobb salads

I also started working on presents for Melissa's baby shower that I'm hosting on August 7th. So far I made a receiving blanket that doubles as a towel and 2 bibs. I need to go get some more thread so I can finish up more sewing projects for her. :) I'll post pictures when I have everything completed.

Tonight has a relaxing night. We watched Sunday's episode of True Blood together. I made pico de gallo while Marshall put together the lasagna. Can't wait to have some in a little bit! Tuesday night I have a personal training session at 6pm. Wednesday is free at the moment, and Thursday is the big day--Marshall's 28th birthday! I have one present for him that he's going to love. His bigger birthday present is a murder mystery date downtown on Friday night. Shhh, he doesn't know this but his parents are coming up from Houston as a surprise. We haven't seen them since April, so it will be a really great evening with the four of us together.

Saturday I'll go to the gym after my WW meeting, but other than that the weekend is still wide open. Sunday is our one year anniversary of our wedding in Idaho. I can't wait until we move there in 8 years, lol. :p We haven't decided on what we'll do on Sunday together yet. I guess we better get crackin' on that, huh?

July is always a good month, but I feel that the end really signifies the beginning of the climb towards the holidays. Kids will be counting down the last few days of summer while parents save up to buy school supplies. Then it's all about dec'ing out the house for Halloween. We'll probably stay in Austin for Thanksgiving since I want to run the Turkey Trot 5K on that morning, and I've volunteered to work the day after Thanksgiving incase my co-worker Emily wants it off. Then of course the big event of my birthday is next--I'll be 25--followed closely by Christmas and 2012. This year will be another good one for us, but I can't wait until '12 because then we're closer to Marshall being finished with school...and babies. :D

How Time Flies

It was 4 years ago today that I met Marshall my husband. I find it amazing on how you can't remember something from yesterday, but you'll never forget the vivid memories of meeting someone for the first time.  From that first day I knew Marshall was going to have a place in my life. Now he owns my heart. :D

Listening to Advice

This is sort of an amended section to the previous blog entry regarding Marshall's school plans. My step-dad really encouraged Marshall to continue pursuing a degree. He took a look at some other options at TSU, and saw a Bachelors of Science Technology in Manufacturing Engineering Technology and Marshall's eyes lit up like I had put a giant wheel of cheese in front of him (he's a cheese lover and always says we should get one while we're at the grocery store). The classes are going to help him with this business, and overall, the degree falls right in line with his plan for Delphi Innovations. It will be another 6 semesters, but we'll make it work. I'm hoping this change will help keep him motivated. I really want to throw a graduation party for him one day, ya know?