Merry Christmas!!

Internets, how was your Christmas?


Christmas at our house was fantastic!! We decided that we were going to stay home for the holidays--yeah, that whole buying plane tickets for Thanksgiving and Christmas was not working into our budget this year. I think both Craig and I were a little sad since this was our first Christmas without either one of our families, but we made the best of it!! We fully realized that NEXT Christmas is going to be sooo different than this one!


Craig was in charge of Christmas cooking since I had to work both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas and he made a feast. Seriously. The fact that it was only going to be the two of us and not the entire armed forces did not really factor into his cooking plans. But the food (as always when Craig cooks) was delicious. We just had a very simple day with lots of rest and lots of quiet time.


Here's a couple of Christmas pics (plus the tummy picture for 27 weeks!). Finally, you are introduced to the puppy dogs! And yes, I AM rocking the snowflake pjs, thank you very much.





















I hope your Christmas was merry and bright and you were on Santa's nice list!!!

No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth

I just have been seriously late in updating!!! Sorry to all those who want to hear about my fabulous life. Are you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear all the glamazon things I have been doing? Are you?

Well, here's what's been going on: UNPACKING. And selling the crap out of Bath and Body Works products. Since not working since June, I beleive I have forgotten what it was like to work on a regular basis. And because I was hired as a part-time, holiday/seasonal worker at the local BBW, I suppose I should have been prepared to work more in the weeks before The Big Event of Christmas when shoppers come to the mall for the first time since l.a.s.t. Christmas. But the past couple of weeks have really knocked it out of me and I only work like four or five hours a day!!!!

Plus, we have had great visitors!!!!! My parents drove up the week after Thanksgiving to bring my doggies home (hooray!) and to help us unpack. They were amazing. Simply put. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! They were workhorses at getting most of the boxes unpacked and getting the post-move-in clutter out of the way. Then about four days after my parents arrived, Craig's parents arrived from Wales and ALSO helped out. Craig's dad helped finish up a lot of the half finished painting jobs, so that was also a huge help.

It was really great to have them all here at the same time. My mom and Craig's mom had a good time looking at all the baby stuff we have so far and just talking about babies in general. They both rubbed my tummy and talked to the baby. I know that some people have a real problem with other people touching their bellies while pregnant, but I haven't found many people do that to me. I don't know if I just give off a Do Not Touch Me vibe or what, but random strangers have not laid one hand on me yet.

And soon after Christmas, Sister comes to visit!!! I'm excited that so many of our family have been able to visit so soon!!!!

So now we are just taking it easy unpacking the things that are left to unpack---mostly stuff from our old house that we don't need and should throw out. All the important things are unpacked and being used. We are really settling in nicely and falling in love with our new home each day.

This morning was the first big snowfall in Cincinnati and it was wonderful to get up, grab some coffee and watch the snow fall (then I had to go to work). Fortunately, Cincinnati knows how to deal with snow so the roads were safe and clear.

Baby is still doing great--he's still kicking away and now I can feel him actually moving, like turning his body. I love it!!! I'm getting anxious to meet him!!! My third trimester starts soon and I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone.

***A (POSSIBLE) APOLOGY IN ADVANCE--we may not get Christmas cards out this year. The fact that Christmas is less than a week away has completely taken me by surprise. I'm hoping to get them out tomorrow!!!

I am Thankful

Craig, me, and The Bean were able to travel to Arkansas for Thanksgiving with my family. It was a much needed break!

Even though it's a brand new house, Craig and I wanted to put our stamp on it before our furniture arrived. So, from Thursday to Sunday night, we worked late adding to the house--I was painting (common areas--Sherwin Williams Latte; study and dining room Svelte Sage; master bedroom Techno Gray, if you are interested) and Craig set to tiling the laundry room (it was a vinyl covering before). YES, I PAINTED. Don't freak out on me please. I did my research and we picked a low/no VOC (the Harmony line from SW), was always in a well ventilated room, and took lots of breaks.

Monday was Moving Day!!! Even though all of our stuff is in boxes, it's nice to have it here finally! We spent one night in our new home and the next morning, we were off again.

My sister and my mom threw me a baby shower on Tuesday night--it was wonderful and we got a lot of really nice things for The Baby!!

Ah...my parents' home. I can (and do) say a lot of things about my parents and their habits, but one thing for sure--they certainly let you relax. And relaxation was definitely one thing Craig needed. Last week at work was a difficult one for him, on top of the hours after work he spent on the house. The poor man was exhausted and needed somewhere to completely veg out. We got here on Tuesday and haven't left the house since. We've barely gotten out of our pjs. It's been lovely.

And my puppies are doing great, as I knew they would. They love it at Nonnie and Poppie's house and I think the four of them are going to be sad to leave.

So, from my family to yours, I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and you were surrounded by loved ones.

Smell you later

HOORAY!!!!!! We closed on The House today!!!!!

I am excited for many reasons--we have a house to bring our baybee home to (and he has a NICE room. Sorry, guests, but he has a bigger room and closet than you). We have a backyard so that the two spoiled puppy dogs have a place to run around and go crazy (and even though you can't see it in the previous photos, there is wire mesh around the fence, so neither Bowski nor Barney will fling himself into the pond or chase after the nearest neighborhood child and/or dog). We have our gas range back! I can make bread in my bread machine! I HAVE A DISHWASHER AGAIN!!!!

But most of all...I am excited to be leaving the hotel and our one "open plan" room. The post title does not lie. There is some funky stuff going on at the Extended Stay and now that I work at Bath and Body Works, I have Wallflowers galore (Winter and Fresh Balsam...ahh).

Plus, we are spending Christmas here this year and I am looking forward to decorating the new house!! Isn't the front porch screaming for some Christmas lights and goodies??

In other news, Baby is still moving and grooving. He liked the whole closing process and, apparently, is as excited to get out of the hotel as we are because he was kicking away the whole time. Here's a picture of what we look like this week:

The House!!!!

We had the walk-through with the builder's representative tonight and all looks set to close next week. There are a few things left to complete on the house (range/oven still needs to be installed; dishwasher connected/garage door opener installed/fence finished), but nothing major that would potentially delay the closing.


Here are some pictures!!!

This is the kitchen, taken from the family room. The kitchen itself is probably smaller than our old house, but LOOK at the cabinet/storage space!! I'll take it! Plus, the open plan helps make the room feel bigger. The family room (you can see the pond!)

The front hallway, from the family room. The study.

Front porch

The backyard, looking to left. The backyard, looking to right. The dogs are going to have to deal with the smaller yard, but we were totally spoiled by the size of our other backyard.

There is an upstairs--we just didn't take any pictures of it. We have four bedrooms, two baths, and a loft up there.

And, then, there's the 21 week tummy picture, taken in our new kitchen!

The somewhat blank look on my face is due to the fact Craig rarely tells me when he is taking the picture (no 1, 2, 3, smile for him).

Proud Auntie!!!

Will you please look at the cuteness that is my oldest nephew (he's the fourth one from the right)????? I mean, really. He was a beautiful baby, an adorable toddler, but now this is just getting ridiculous. This is a picture of Nephew #1's soccer tournament this past weekend. His team won 2 games and lost 2. And, he's maintaining an A average in school. It's first grade, mind you, but obviously he is a genius.

Auntie is SOOO proud! And I wish that could have attended the tournament!! Auntie and Uncle Craig would have been there cheering you on. I can't wait to move into our house and get the internet up and running so at the very least, Sister and I can get on Skype and I can see my little buddies.

Auntie has tons of love for Nephew #2 as well!! So don't think he's been neglected!

20 weeks!

I am 20 weeks pregnant today, which means that this pregnancy is halfway finished, already. Now, now. Before you think to yourself "sucka, I can do math. 20 weeks=5 months. You are not pregnant for 10 months." I will just stop you right there and say, do not try to figure out pregnancy math. It just IS.

A 20 week photo for you!

The baby is moving and Craig felt him move for the first time on Halloween. He said it felt like a muscle twitch. Very "unreal." But, he loved it and always wants to feel him move.

Our house is almost finished!! We have our walkthrough next Monday and we close on 11/16, a little bit earlier than scheduled. Super excited--as much as we have enjoyed the Extended Stay America, Craig and I are both ready to leave it behind.

AND another picture for you!!! It's the front of the house!

That's about it for now--how are you?

It's a BOY!!!!

We found out we are having a son today. I'll confess--we've kinda known it was a boy for about a month, since the last ultrasound. The doctor was pretty sure of the gender then. Hee, hee.

But, now it's official!! There seriously was zero mistaking that it was a boy. My son was not shy in the least showing off his junk.

I'm still sort of in shock from finding out for realsies that it's a boy, but he is perfect. Measuring right on time, strong heartbeat (146), everything developing well.

Here's something I have learned: old wives' tales are C.R.A.P. Olden times wives must have been really stupid because they totally missed the boat on me. The old wives' tales had me all convinced I was carrying a girl--I am carrying high (like really high. Like suprise-the-doctor-with-the-height-of-my-fundus*-high). The baby's heartbeat has always been above 140. I have acne (thus, the baby girl is "stealing" my beauty). I will eat anything sweet (but, that's really not a pregnancy symptom. I will [and always have been willing to] cut you if you come between me and a brownie. May the Force be with you if said brownie is part of a warm brownie sundae. Yuuuummmm).

I'm showing now a litle bit, or at least, people are thinking I am pregnant rather than just fat. At the doctor's office today, I had only gained 5 pounds, so obviously, I was a tad bigger than I thought I was to begin with. My maternity clothes count: 1 pair of brown cords, 2 maternity shirts (1 green, 1 grey). In fact, when I bought the grey maternity shirt, I was in fact already wearing a grey shirt. The Kohl's employee observed the fact that I'm none too original in the fashion department. Ha, ha. Real &*^*# funny, lady.

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME THAT MATERNITY CLOTHES ARE SO COMFORTABLE??? Here I was, trying to close my pants with a rubber band around the button and having to change into my pj bottoms at night because the preggo tummy was bigger at night when all the while all you people who have been pregnant have been SILENT on the delicious relief of maternity clothes elastic waistbands. Since, as the Kohl's lady observed, I am no slave to fashion, I LOVE MATERNITY CLOTHES. At least, right now I do. I have a feeling that my maternity pants will become my Thanksgiving pants from here on out because I can totally pig out and still be comfortable. Seriously, is that a win-win or what?

Also, I have a job. I have come full circle, folks. I am officially a part time, seasonal worker at the local Bath and Body Works, the same company I worked for when I was a senior in high school. For minimum wage. Not to brag, but I rocked the interview (for the minimum wage job). My competition was a woman whose first question was "How many hours is this for? Because I'm on disability and I can't work too much or they will take my disability away." My other competition was a little tougher, but not by much. Thank you to my awesome references--B, I'm looking at you (here's hoping you get over the piggy flu fast, girl).

I'm looking forward to working--I am not a stay at home wife kinda gal. Don't get me wrong--I could TOTALLY get into being a Lady.Who.Lunches. The only problem is I don't know anyone To.Lunch.With (yet). Plus, I have had enough of "Cash Cab" and "Law and Order: SVU" marathons. Plus, I put my cranky pants on when I don't have anyone to talk to all day long.

Oh yes, and we have a house!!! It's that new construction I talked about a couple of posts ago. It will be finished in a couple of weeks and we close on November 18, at the latest!!!! Wheee!!! ALSO, the guy who turned us down on the first house we put an offer on called our realtor a couple of weeks ago to see what we were up to. What we were up to was putting an offer on a another house that was willing to deal, sir, so suck it.

*No, that's not dirty. Fundus=the height of the uterus. Usually at this point in pregnancy (18 weeks), the fundus is an inch or two below the belly button. Mine is an inch or two ABOVE the belly button. But then, again, I have always been an overachiever. :)

Everything is coming together

Baby update: I am sixteen weeks preggo today!! That's four months for folks like my mom who want monthly progression, not weekly. Everything still seems to be going well. I'm getting bigger. People can't tell I am pregnant, but Craig and I can. My lower tummy is definitely bigger and it gets bigger and harder at night (that's what she said*). I'm not big enough for maternity clothes, but my jean buttons are getting a little uncomfortable. I think the baby is moving quite a bit, though. This morning, I woke up and my bump was lopsided--like baby was tilted up. Is that normal at this stage? Anyone? (BTW, It's not lopsided anymore.)

An update for my previous post. We didn't get the house. The owner rejected our offer and counter offer with the statement "People in my neighborhood are just giving their houses away and I am not going to do that." Considering that your house has been on the market for seven months and in that time you have rejected two offers (including ours) and four other houses have sold in your neighborhood, good luck, buddy!

So, on to choice #2--a new construction. It's a very pretty house with a terrific layout and the builder said it's an "easy 45 days" to completion. Now, I'm not familiar with builders, but anytime someone says it's going to be easy, I get nervous. However, we really like the neighborhood and it's a straightforward commute to Craig's office. It's farther out that we were hoping for, but with all things, the farther out you get, the more you get for your money. SO, it's a bigger house than we have seen before and it's not like we would be completely in the middle of nowhere. I had my doubts about that until our realtor showed me the new Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger, and movie theater. As long as I am within a reasonable distance to things like that that make me happy, I am all good. :) Plus, there's a fancy Petsmart in the same shopping area for two incredibly spoiled doggies I know. Tonight we are going to the builder's design center to check out what the cabinets, fixtures, etc. are going to look like. We haven't put an offer in yet, but if all goes well tonight, then an offer is on the way!

We are, however, officially, homeless. Last week, I went back to AR to supervise the packing and moving of our "old" house. Let me tell you, if you ever have the opportunity to use a packing and moving service, GO FOR IT. I very literally sat on the couch while the moving team packed up everything and put it on the moving truck. It was the easiest move I have ever experienced. The relocation and the new buyers are closing today (it was supposed to be on Friday, but the buyers are a tad difficult and moved it to Monday.)

It was so, so, so nice being back in familiar surroundings with friends. Not to get all pathetic on you, but I seriously know no one up here and it was nice to be back with friends to talk to and see. I mean, the hotel cleaning staff and the maintence crew are very nice, but it just ain't the same. So much has happened since I've been away and it's only been three weeks! First off, L met me at the house with flowers, orange juice, and soda. Really, how thoughtful is she? T and J's baby girl has gotten so big and cute (she's three months); C and A's baby was born two weeks ago and tiny, tiny little (but also very cute). And J and M's baby girl was just born this weekend. Babies, babies everywhere! That makes four out of four friends who have had baby girls since June. The law of averages will let you know what I think we are having...

While we were back, T had arranged a friends get-together on Thursday for dinner. I was excited because I was looking forward to seeing people. I walk into the restaurant, see all those familiar and loved faces, and then T tells me, "SUPRISE!!! IT'S A BABY SHOWER!!!!!" I promptly burst into tears.

A little background--one day, sometime before we moved, Craig and I were driving around, just talking about the baby and moving, etc. I started to well up and cry (you will notice a prevelent theme of hormones throughout my pregnancy). I was having myself a pity party because some of my closest friends were pregnant and we were all going through the same thing at the same time and now I was moving away and that got me going on baby showers. And how I wouldn't have a baby shower because we don't know anyone in Cincinnati and it's unfair to ask people to travel this far for a shower (I wasn't planning on registering for baby stuff precisely for this reason. I have since been told that I am being stupid and to go register--we will after we find out the gender). I wasn't upset because I wouldn't be getting any gifts--it was that elementary school fear of "What if I throw a party and no one comes? What if I really don't have any friends?" Seriously. Even to this day, I am still suprised (and grateful) that people come over when I invite them.

Back to the party--there were so many gifts!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! We started opening gifts after dinner and, once again, I cried and cried. Cried because I couldn't believe I was having a baby shower, cried because people were so generous, cried because baby stuff is SO STINKING CUTE AND LITTLE. Cried because I was so overwhelmed with just the friendship that people showed us and, yes, cried a little because we were well and truly leaving this time.

It was the suprise element that made me cry so much--not the hormones, although I am sure Craig will argue that point. It turns out that the baby shower was my dear, wonderful husband's idea and T (mother of a three month old) and J (who would be in labor two days later) organized it!!!!

So, a huge, teary, deep down from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to all who attended the shower or who couldn't attend, but were there in spirit. It meant more to me that you know (but have tried to explain in this post).

*Jim and Pam are getting married this Thursday on "The Office"!!!! I am very excited. I have seen pictures of the wedding, however, and Pam is only about a month ahead of me in her fictional pregnancy--she's big. AND, John Krasinski is ENGAGED. To someone who is not me. I shun him.

Round 1

We bit the bullet and put an offer on a house!!! It's one that we saw on Wednesday night and we really loved it. It's out of our price range at the moment, but we'll see what they say to our offer.

Keep your fingers crossed.

The great thing about this is that even if the seller reject our offer or don't come down on the price as much as we need, we have a couple of OTHER houses that we are interested in as well, so it's a nice dilemma to be in, rather than putting all of our hopes into this one house. But, it would be really, really great if this one worked out!

Are you kidding me?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32999499/ns/today-parenting_and_family/?GT1=43001

OMG. I mean it. Really. I love me some fat babies, but methinks this is a bit much.

Please, little Lord Baby Jesus in the manger, do NOT let me give birth to a 19 pounder. (Fine, if it's a 19 pounder or nothing at all, I'll take it, but try not to let that happen, m'kay?)

Signed, She Who Is Afraid of Childbirth As It Is

14 week ultrasound!!

Again, PERFECT!!!!! Baby is measuring fantastic, right on time!!! I am growing such a winner here, folks! Heartbeat strong (149 bpm, down from 160 at 10 weeks, but doc says that's normal for hb to slow down as baby grows). We got to see the little heart again AND the brain. Awesome!!!

As far as gender predictions go, the doc says he could make a guess as to the gender right now, but nothing is definite. We have the Gender Ultrasound on Oct 23. Until then, you all will just have to wait. But, I can narrow it down to two choices for you. As I have said before, we can't lose either way.

If it's a girl, my side of the family will be estastic for its first granddaughter (who will be THE most spoiled baby girl ever--and I am not kidding) and my mom and my sister will probably not let a day go by without changing her outfit at least three times because girl clothes are SO MUCH FUN. Unfortunately, if it is a wee lass, she kind of looks like Skeletor right now, so the chances of her having a prom date are slim. **Yes, yes, she is the cutest Skeletor I have ever seen, but still, homegirl has got some major eye sockets going on.

Now, if it's a boy, my babydaddy's side of the family will be estastic because it will be the first grandson on THAT side of the family and I will have carried the heir (and little prince) and carried on the family name. Plus, my two nephews will have a little boy cousin to play around with AND I can steal my sister's clothes and toys (WOO HOO--she doesn't know that yet, but she will as soon as she reads this post). Sister has been incredibly, incredibly gracious and let me HAVE her baby furniture (crib and dresser). Do you know how much that shizzle costs??? My god--seriously, expensive.

Craig has been sooooo good and supportive!! He's been to both prenatal appointments and he can't wait to get into a new (to us) house so he can begin on the nursery. We already have a theme and colors picked out and he has some grand ideas about wall decor. :) He also has been very understanding when, over the weekend, I was so tired I started crying. At Oktoberfest, the biggest beerfest of the year for Cincinnati and the biggest Oktoberfest outside Germany. **Which, if you have met Craig for more than 5 seconds, you know that beer is one of his favorite things in the whole wide world.** We had already walked up and down the festival, Craig had tried the major beers offered, out of his Oktoberfest 2009 neon orange mug, of course. We ate bratwurst, roasted corn (not German, but still way delicious), pretzels, and something called Goetta balls. Strange name, but very tasty. They are deep fried sausage with rice or oats or something. Sounds gross. So not. Now, we were finished with Oktoberfest and Craig asked what I wanted to do. What I WANTED to do was go home, curl up in bed, and sleep because I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep until after dawn. But, what I said was "What do you want to do?" Craig then suggested we go to a park and walk around. At that point, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and, if you know me at all, you know that I can not help crying. I started crying because I am forever suggesting that we go for a walk and explore the parks and now that he wanted to that, I had no energy whatsoever and felt really guilty. So, there we were, in the downtown streets of our new city--me crying, Craig looking at me like I have lost my mind.

Pregnancy hormones. You gotta love them. Would you like to guess what we did--the park or the hotel??

The house hunt. We've spent the last two weekends house hunting with our realtor, Polly. We've seen some good houses and a couple that we could see ourselves in, but nothing has smacked us in the face and shouted "MOVE IN! NOW!! Bring your baby and your dogs home to me!" So, the search continues!

Baby, if you ever wondered....

wondered whatever became of me. I'm living on the air in Cincinnati. Cincinnati WKRP.

Yes, that's right. I remember the theme song to "Cincinnati WKRP," however it does not hold a candle to my favorite 80's tv show theme song--"The Greatest American Hero." Oh, and GUESS WHAT!! There is NOT actually a WKRP in Cincinnati.

UPDATE (9/26): There IS an WKRP in Cincinnati!! It's the PBS station--it's called something different on our awesome hotel tv lineup.

Anyhoo...it's week 2 already of our Cincinnati adventure. We are still living it up in the Extended Stay America and I am missing my DVR and cable. Hotel tv is not the best. It's great on college football game days because there are FIVE ESPN channels, but other than that, not much else. I'm starting to orientate myself with the city layout, too. I'm not as dependent on the GPS as I was last week. We, being the foodies that we are, have already checked out a couple of the area food stores. There's one called Jungle Jim's that has, literally, everything you could want, especially for international cooking. There was a British food aisle, so we loaded up on HobNobs, Digestives (milk AND dark chocolate!), squash (fruit juice, not vegetable), and PG Tips!

We went house hunting last weekend and saw some nice houses. Not OUR future home, I don't think (Craig may beg to differ--he really liked one house), but some nice houses. We are incredibly lucky that our "old" house sold so quickly--there's nothing stopping us from buying a new to us house immediately after closing. We are trying to figure out what area of the city we want to live in, but it's hard since wherever the realtor takes us, we have no idea where we are in relation to things like the interstate, Craig's work, the nearest grocery store, etc. The good thing is that lots of the neighborhoods have community pools, which is high up on Craig's must have list. The houses here are older than what we are used to, but the neighborhoods are well established and the house prices are actually not too dissimilar to what we are used to.

Right now, finding a house and settling in with doctors (for baby, my thyroid, and Craig's back) have been priorities. Speaking of babies, I'm now officially in my 2nd trimester!! WOO HOO!!! We made it!!! I'm still not showing all that much--keep in mind I had some extra padding to begin with, but my lower tummy is starting to pooch out a little. I have an appointment with my new OB/Gyn next Monday and we get to see the baby again!! Hooray! So far, so good as far as the pregnancy goes. I'm still tired and try to get a nap in most days, but still no morning sickness. The most severe symptom I have had has been headaches, but now going to Craig's chiro for that, too.

Tomorrow I get to go on a road trip! To Louisville to visit a close college friend who just had a baby! I'm excited. I haven't been within driving distance to any college friends ever since I moved out of Nashville seven years ago! Then, next month we are off to Nashville (DRIVING!) to see the Kings of Leon, the Vandy homecoming, and besties there, too!!

And We're Off, Part 2

We made it to Cincinnati!! The last two days have been pretty tough, but we are here and Craig has started his first day at work.

We basically had 36 hours of straight travels--
Monday
6:30 a.m, UK time (12:30 a.m. CST)--left Cardiff for Heathrow
9:50 a.m. UK--left Heathrow for Chicago
flights went well, except I had a pissy man behind me who kept complaining that I leaned my chair back and disturbed him. Sorry, honey, but if you want room, buy First Class.
6:00 p.m.--landed in NWA
7:30 p.m.--left Springdale with the Escape loaded up!
11:15 p.m.--arrived at Casa Sanchez (and saw my puppies!!!!!!)
11:20 p.m.--passed out in sweet, unconscious sleep oblivion

Tuesday
9:00a.m.--left for Cincinnati with my dad in tow
**This was interesting because all three of us have something going on that we had to get out every hour or so--me, pregnant (3 months!!! Second trimester, here I come!!!!!); Dad--hip; Craig--back
9:00 p.m EST--arrived at the hotel in Cincinnati (again, it really shouldn't take 11 hours to drive from Little Rock to Cincinnati, but with all the stops and an hour stop for dinner--Cracker Barrel, obviously--we took longer than the average bear)

Our trip to the UK was great!! The wedding was a lot of fun and the bride and groom were so happy! At Craig's parents' house, there was lots of sleeping, eating, and hanging out in our pajamas. I do always like spending time with my in-laws (really!) and they always make a fuss out of us whenever they see us.

PLUS we got our first baby presents!!!! We got the baby a small stuffed dragon, Craig's parents got us a stuffed animal from the London Zoo plus a teddy bear and some onesies and a hat; Craig's materal grandmother gave us clothes; Craig's paternal grandmother gave us a teddy bear and a Winnie the Pooh onesie. I was really suprised, actually!! I hadn't even considered buying clothes yet for the baby, but we won't see them again before the baby is born. I'll post pictures when I can of the prezzies!

And We're Off, Part 1

Today, Craig, Precious Cargo, and I are leaving for the UK to attend T and S's wedding on Saturday!

We will be gone for a week and a half, so another update when we return!

TA DA!!!!!!

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO TELL YOU PEOPLE????? SEVEN WEEKS. That's right, seven whole weeks. ME--the one who can't keep her own secrets to save her life (other people's secrets, yes. But I don't have one thing that at least one other person does not know about.)

Okay, to be fair, I haven't really kept this a secret either. Some people have known about it for a couple of weeks now, but mostly because Craig told them. It's so funny--he has been so excited about this baby. So have I, but I've been mostly freaked out about what could go wrong than anything else.

But, yesterday, we went to our first ultrasound appointment--the one I have been anxiously awaiting! AND IT WENT PERFECTLY!!! Seriously, we couldn't have asked for a better appointment. The OB had to move the ultrasound thingy around a little bit because, at first, she couldn't see anything. Of course, that freaked me out because I did go in half expecting/half prepared for bad news. But, then she moved it to the right position and there was Baby!!!

Baby measured right on time--10 weeks, 2 days. We were able to see and hear the heartbeat (Craig was really impressed by that and said that was the highlight of the whole appointment). The heartbeat was 160. If the picture is too small, click on it and it will get bigger. The head is to the left, arms/hands are in the middle, body to the right. You can't see the feet. It was really cool--Baby was moving!!

Now, however, we are faced with the fact that we are going to be mommy and daddy. Alternately the thought is exciting and terrifying. Really?? A baby? Am I ready to give up sleeping in (or sleeping at all for that matter)? Selfishly collapsing on the couch at the slightest hint of a cold? Being able to pick and leave (to go to the movies, the mall, the grocery store, New York) without a second thought? Not to mention that another human being will be totally, completely, utterly dependent on us and it will be our responsibility not to f*^* it up too much.

Then I think about all the other mothers I see out there and how much love there is between parent and child and I have to say, I think it just might be worth it.

OTHER UPDATES: we are leaving for the UK this week to attend T and S's wedding. It will be good to go over--I haven't been since 2007. Plus, Craig's grandmother had a very successful triple bypass and is now at home healing well, so we are looking forward to seeing her. She is very, very excited about her newest great-grandchild and has asked no less than five times a conversation if we are bringing her a picture of the ultrasound.

After we return from UK, we are off to Cincinnati. The house is still on the market; we have had a few viewings, but no offers yet.

My parents were in town over the weekend and stayed until this morning (they wanted to see the results of the ultrasound) and they took our puppy dogs. :( I am grateful to them because we'll be staying in a hotel in Cincinnati until we find a house and the dogs are not used to being in one room all day long. My parents are home all day and they have a big backyard, so it truly is the best thing, but I love my doggies. I will miss them. However, the dogs LOVE my parents, so I don't think they will mind as much as I do that they will be gone.

School Days

Today is the first day of school at the high school where I used to work. So, today, there will be about 900 (yes, you read that right nine freakin HUNDRED) freshmen wandering around with their parents, wide-eyed/excited/frightened, trying to locate their rooms and mostly being on their best behavior.

This is only the second First Day of School I have missed in my school going years. The first was the summer I moved back from the UK. Technically, I suppose, I missed a first day of school when I was hired six weeks into the school year in 2006, but I got there soon enough!

I love teaching freshmen. They are my favorites. Honestly. Some people look at me like I have completely lost my mind when I say that, but I love them. I love being their first point of experience with high school English because it can shape, in some part, how they feel about English for the rest of their high school years.

I also love freshmen because they are not jaded like the other kids (yet). I taught seniors my first year at the high school and I could not wait for them to leave. It was just senior-itis all year long. With freshmen, they are still young enough to be goofy (and to tolerate a somewhat goofy teacher). Plus, they get and (some) appreciate my blazing sarcasm. Yes, yes, teachers. I, too, have read the books that say sarcasm has no place in the classroom, but if you have spent more than two minutes in my presence you know that sarcasm is as ingrained in my personality as blinking.

So, to those teachers out there--Happy first days of school. Not everyone understands how hard being a teacher can be and what a calling and a joy and a privilege it is.

Before people start making comments about how teachers get the summers off and blah, blah, blah. Think of your own children, especially if they are 14 or 15 years old (or imagine what your child will be like at 14-15), multiple that by 100 or more (last year, I had 135 students) and try to imagine being in one room with them for 8 hours a day. And keeping them focused. And keeping them from writing/passing notes; keeping them awake; keeping them from walking out of the room/or possibly cussing at you. Bringing in their baggage from a rough home life/learning disabillities/the fight they had with their boyfriend/girlfriend (ah, young love. It's kinda gross). Bringing in all of their fears and insecurities. And their hopes that they actually are/can be/have the potential to be smart and capable and successful (because that's really what they want, despite all their bravado of not caring).

And you--trying to harness all of that. Into something constructive. Focusing on something that means nothing to them right now (identifying participles anyone?). Trying to get them to see that they truly are shaping their futures right now and making some decisions that impact them.

Man, some kids have been ultra hard (or "tough to love") and some have been downright a$$holes. And some have really captured my heart and just made me want to cry because getting out of bed and coming to school/not being at home will be the best thing that would happen to them all day. Some are hilarious. Some are too cool. Some are nerdy. Some have been forgotten by name or face. But, in my 10 years of teaching, I've enjoyed myself and the people I have taught alongside.

Facebook sometimes pi$$es me off.

NEW POLL!!!!

As you can see, I am a big fan of the Poll gadget here on Blogger. Expect more. I like interactive websites.

Now, onto What Pi$$es Me Off Today.

Rant on!: Facebook and some stupid updates/comments/political rantings some people feel compelled to submit.

Now that I am unemployed, I turn to the internet for most of my amusement. Therefore, I log onto Facebook about 14 times a day just to see What Is Up.

I have many Facebook.Friends because, let's face it, who DOESN'T want to be friends with me? I am not only supercool, but funny and loving as well.

Until you pi$$ me off. Then, I will de-friend your @ss in a big hurry.

**These people are not people that I speak to on a regular basis. So, if you are reading this blog, then most likely you are a member of Those Near and Dear To My Heart and are not in any way in danger of being de-friended.

The people who ARE in danger of being de-friended are people from high school who I haven't seen/thought of/spoken to in 15 years--and remind me with their updates and comments WHY I haven't seen/thought of/spoken to in 15 years. Usually, these are also people I am suprised sent a Friend Request to me because we weren't close in high school and the only thing we have in common are that we went to same said high school. This also applies to some people in college, but in far fewer numbers. : !End Rant

I have also ignored Friend Requests as well. A memorable Ignore was a former student of mine who I despised (yes, teachers can and do dislike some of their students. At least, this one does. And, I can carry a student grudge with the best of them). It felt REALLY, REALLY good to ignore her TWO Friend Requests (oh, yes. She tried to friend me twice. And I ignored her rude, horrible attitude, shouty mouth both times.).

The ball is rolling

Our house is officially on the market. We signed the paperwork last night.

AND, the Weed Killers came on Tuesday. Debbie (you remember her) told me they would be at the house before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Having explained to her yet again that I would not be at the house, she repeated they would be there before 10 a.m.

I pick up Craig'ums at the airport, we head to Starbucks for a bacon sandwich (OMG, have you had one of these? They are completely addictive), then head on home. We pull into the driveway at 9:59 a.m. And who comes right after us??? The Weed Killers. To their credit, the weeds are dying off already.

It's so nice having Craig home again. I've missed him!!! Of course, he leaves again on Monday for another week away, but still I get him for this week.

Lucky Duck

Okay, so perhaps "lucky" is not the correct term to describe Craig and the (almost) three straight weeks he has been away from home, but some positive DID happen to him today, the day of his grandfather's memorial service.

We were on the phone while Craig was at Heathrow and he heard his name being called over the intercom at his gate. He told me he would call me right back.

A few minutes later....he calls back and says, "You will never believe this. The flight has been oversold."

.....Flashback, flashback, flashback.... (wave your fingers in front of your eyes for full flashback effect)


to when I was at the airport and my flight to Cincinnati was oversold. I got bumped from the f)(*&*ng flight and had to get one the next day.

Craig continues on...

"The flight has been oversold and I've been bumped...to business class."

Man, if I were a lesser person (as in green with envy because I have ALWAYS wanted to take the flight from USA to UK or vice versa in something other than coach), I would not be happy for him. But, considering the past few weeks he's had and the week with his family under unhappy circumstances, I will be happy for him. He needs a nice flight home.

Today, I have spent all day waiting for a landscaper to come by and kill the weeds that have overtaken our front garden. At first I was hopeful that the weeds would pass for some sort of landscaping because some of them were flowering. But, no. It just looks crappy out there now. Last week, when I met with Joseph, the landscaper, he told me he would be here on Monday morning to take care of the weeds. This morning, I call Landscaping Company at 8 am because I wasn't sure time ol' Joseph would put in an appearance. No one answers so I leave a message. Four hours later, there is no call back (this from the Landscaping Company who last week called me about three times to confirm the estimate). So, I call back and leave another message at noon. Because I, despite popular belief, DO. HAVE.THINGS.TO.DO (like getting more boxes to pack up some of our clutter so we can get our house on the market and "show" worthy, which is why I need Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Weed Killer to come pronto). Apparently, this weed killer is special because it somehow knows what to kill and what to save (we do have some landscaping with bushes and stuff in there that we would like to keep alive).

I finally get a hold of Debbie, receptionist/office manager/unimpressive customer service representative. She says it's very hard to get a hold of Joseph because he is always doing estimates and busy. Well, Debbie, Joseph said he was coming by today and I just need to know When so I can kinda plan the rest of my day. She says she will get back to me.

Debbie gets back to me later--"Joseph said he told you he'd be by Monday or Tuesday morning."

Um, no, my sistah, he most certainly made no mention of Tuesday. Because I knew LAST week when Joseph was over that Tuesday morning was the one day that I had Stuff To Do, namely picking up my husband whom I have barely seen in three weeks from the airport and a lunch date planned with some of my former co-workers.

Debbie: "Well, if no one is there by 3:00 this (Monday) afternoon, they will come Tuesday morning."

Me: "Do you happen to know what time Tuesday morning? Do you think they could come before 9?" (Because I have a honey to pick up at 9:15)

Debbie: "I don't know."

Me: "Well, can you give Joseph my number and have him call me, please? I have been waiting for him today and I am not available tomorrow morning."

It is now 3:37 p.m. and no sign of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Weed Killer. And no phone call. And I am not happy.

I have devised a poll for my readers (all 6 of you). Please see right.

Grampy John

This weekend, Craig and I went to Cincinnati to look around our new home city and check out the neighborhoods/look at some houses. The trip did not go exactly as planned, however. I was a day late, due to incompetence at the airport, but we left a day early because of some sad news.

Craig's grandfather, Grampy John, passed away on Saturday night.

Craig is devastated--he was hoping that he would be able to see Grampy John one last time when we travel to the UK in August. Craig's mom called him Saturday afternoon to let him know that Grampy John had taken a turn for the worse. We immediately began making arrangements for us to get back home and for Craig to leave for the UK as soon as possible. Craig was hoping he would get there in time, but, sadly, it was not possible.

Grampy John had advanced Parkinson's and, a few weeks ago, fell and broke his hip. While in the hospital, he developed a lung infection as well. It seems like the combination of all three events was just too much for his body to handle. Craig's family was with him at the end--they say he was very peaceful. Which, I think, is all that one can pray for.

Craig is currently en route to Cardiff to be with his family. Please include John Davies, Craig, and his family in your thoughts and prayers, if you are so inclined. Craig loved his grandfather dearly and from all the stories I have heard (unfortunately, I met him when Parkinson's had already begun to affect him), he was a hell of a man. If no prayers, then perhaps raise a glass--Grampy John would have liked that, too.

Busy times

So, met with two realtors yesterday who came and took pictures of the house to put in their database (thank God these are not the pictures that will go on the internet because my house is not ready to "show" yet.). Both of the realtors were not optimistic of our chances of making any moola on the house due to the market here and the fact that the house next door to us is a foreclosure. We are hoping to break even. This after the fact that we bought the house for almost $50,000 LESS than what the original owner paid for it. Glad we are not that poor bastard. But, still, rolling in wads of cash is not in our foreseeable future.

On the bright side, we are going to Cincinnati this weekend to check it all out. We are meeting with a realtor there too to look around at the neighborhoods. The following is an illustration of the difference between (the darling, charming, sweet, intelligent, thoughtful) Missus and Mooner (Actual conversation mind you):

Me: When we look at neighborhoods, what will we be looking for? Here are the some of the things that I would like: I think a nearby park and walking trails would be nice. We need to look at the school district just in case we have a little Mooner baby and we are still around here when It begins school. I think we should look for a house with not a long commute to your office. It would be awesome if the community had a farmer's market nearby.

Him: I would like to be able to walk to a bar.

There you have it, folks.

We haven't put the house on the market yet--the realtors will get back to me tomorrow on the listing price. Then, with the relo package Craig got, if the house does not sell in 90 days, the company will buy it out. Which takes the pressure off. That is sooooo much easier than having to wait until the house sells to actually start your life in your new place, as my friend S. knows.

This past week was my dad and my sister's birthdays!!!! I went down to spend some time with them and had a really good time. On Saturday, Sister, Nephews, and I went to the downtown and looked around. It was a lot of fun and once I get the pictures from the weekend, I will post. The Nephews were REALLY cuddly this trip. I LOVED IT!!!!! Lots of "I love my auntie" hugs and kisses.

Aww!!

The hubs. He's a keeper.

To brag just a little more....here's the card.

When Craig's parents were here, the dishwasher broke. At least, that is what Craig's father said. So, me, being the-take-the-bull-by-the-horns kinda gal, started poking buttons on the thing, opening and closing it, turning it on and turning it off, taking the cover off the drain and checking for blockages and declared that YES, THE DISHWASHER IS NOT DRAINING. It made a funny noise when I turned it on then turned it off.

So the dishwasher sat there since Thursday night, unused and unloved. (The dishes that were already loaded into the dishwasher sat there, too. June Cleaver I am not. Washing dishes BY HAND?? Screw that shiz.)

My thinking is totally in line with the Facebook Quiz "What Decade Fits Your Personality Best?" Here is my answer:

Vicki completed the quiz "What Decade Fits Your Personality Best?" with the result 2000's.
You're always a step ahead of what has become the norm, whether it be technology, cultural trends, or your political beliefs. Problematic world issues have become very important to you. You're independent, creative, and intelligent because you have to be in a culture that moves at such a fast pace. You are ultra dependent on your cell phone and to-do list, and know all the latest celebrity gossip (no matter how much you know it's a guilty pleasure). If someone could describe you in one word, it would be COMPETITIVE. Getting a high GPA in school, getting that promotion in your job, winning that sporting competition, or having the most cutting-edge computer are all high priorities for you. Most likely, you strive to be "politically-correct" and involved in social activism that you feel strongly about. You're responsible in the day and a total party animal at night. You like "indie," non-mainstream, non-"sell-out" bands but you secretly listen to the Top 40 songs on your radio when you drive alone. You're modern, driven, and have high expectations for everything you do...

See--nothing about washing things* by hand. If I can't throw it in a machine to get clean, then I don't buy it.

Back to the story. Me, being productive, call a plumber to see about this non-draining POS I have in my kitchen. He is supposed to come Monday morning. So, drag my unemployed self out of bed and put on some clothes and wait for Mr. Plumber to come on over.

Mr. Plumber turns out to be a cute young pup. He is not your typical plumber and if he is, then I'm going to start looking for things to break. Craig, my darling, I do love you, but you can't fix my dishwasher and he can.

So, I take Mr. Plumber to my kitchen and go through the whole process of turning it/off and making him listen to the noise.

Mr. Plumber gives me a look, then looks in the drain, then listens. And says
"That noise IS the dishwasher draining. There's nothing wrong with your dishwasher. That will be $40."

And that is how my Monday began. How about yours?

*People excluded from this.
**Dirty dishes after Thursday were, in fact, washed by hand, but I threw nasty looks at the dishwasher.

Destin 2009

We all had a really great time together in Destin!!!

I think the family needed a big, relaxing break and I hope that the in-laws had exactly that! Craig's grandfather and grandmother are not in the best of health, so his mom and dad have been really taking on the burden of home health care and hospital visits. I'm hoping that this trip was, at the very least, a chance for them to unwind a little bit.

I think Craig's main goal of the trip was to eat as much fresh seafood as humanly possible since we live in a land-locked state about to move to another land-locked state! We ate at quite a few restaurants, found a great seafood market and cooked in one night, went outlet mall shopping (my MIL is one hell of a shopper, that I can say definitively), and just hung out together. This was the first time Craig had seen his brother in over a year, so they had a boys' night one night, too. I heard them creeping in at 3:30 (!) a.m.

The inlaws left on Friday and arrived today back in the UK. We will be going over there in August to attend T and S's wedding. I wasn't originally planning on going, but now that I am jobless (oh yeah, also resigned from my school when we returned from Destin), I'm heading off to London with Craig. We will be there for two weeks. I'm excited--I haven't been back to London since Christmas 2007.

As far as Ohio is concerned, things are chugging along. We will be going there in a couple of weeks for a long weekend to check it all out--explore the city and look around at neighborhoods. Craig's new boss has offered to take us out to dinner and meet his family to welcome us to the city. I thought that was a really nice gesture and hopefully bodes well for the relationships/work environment in the office. His current bosses are not the come-over-to-our-house-for-hot-dogs type of people.

For me, I am doing much better than my other post. I think that the anxiety of thinking about resigning from my job was worse than the actual doing of it. Craig's parents and I went to the school, cleaned out my classroom, and turned in my resignation letter the second day we returned from Destin. I had myself a little cry the night before and the actual day of I was fine.

As of this moment, I am not looking for jobs in Ohio yet. I will wait until we are up there and are settling in, then I will look for a job.

It may be a situation where I take temp jobs or an office job or something at a mall for a little while until teaching jobs start to open up. If I do that, this will be the first time EVER I have actually researched a school before accepting a job there. My first teaching job was offered to me after my first job interview; the second was in London and conducted by phone; the third was a whirlwind of activity wherein I applied, interviewed, accepted, quit the other job, started the new job in a matter of a week. It just may be nice to take a back seat and figure some things out!

Also, some people may have had trouble posting comments. I have no idea why. The setting for posting has always been on. That's sad. I want comments.

I mean, seriously. How cute can my family be???

The Princess and Auntie's Baby Dolls

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Well, we made it!!

Craig's family landed (almost) on schedule, had about two hours downtime, then off to my parents' house we went (who, I forgot to mention, were flying back from San Diego that day as well).

We set off at 4(!!!) in the morning to drive down to Destin. It took us 14 hours to get there due to two traffic jams that we ran into, but Craig's niece took it like a champ!! Actually, they all did. Jet-lagged and all.

More on the trip later, complete with pictures.

But, the big news of the week was that Craig got a promotion at work!! HOORAY!!! The job is in Cincinnati, so we will be moving pretty soon. He doesn't have his start date yet, but it's coming.

As for me, I really have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I am super excited for Craig because (1)it IS a promotion and he will be a manager now and (2) he really, really wanted this job. **For those of you who know me in real life, please don't publish anything on Facebook--my work doesn't know yet and Craig's co-workers don't know yet and I have a few of our work friends on there.

Purely from a selfish point of view, this move is not a good thing for me. I LOVE (really love) my job and there was a really cool job opportunity that just became available that is something I have been looking for since I graduated from college. I was so excited to apply for that job, but now, obviously, I can't. On the other hand, I would have to leave my job (at least for a little bit) if I got pregnant.

Plus, even though we are three hours away from my parents and sister/nephews, this is the closest I've lived to them in 15 years. With my parents' health issues and our trying to have a baby, I was really looking forward to having them close for (hopefully) a grandchild/niece/nephew/cousins. I know that's sounding selfish considering Craig's parents are all the way in the UK.

Another thing, I struggled really hard to make close girl friends here and now that I have them, I am going to leave them. Yes, yes, I can always keep in touch with them, but that's not the same as organizing a girls' night is it? Granted, many of them are now pregnant and things would change anyway. Plus, in Cincinnati, I will be closer to two of my best friends from college so I will get to see them more that I do here.

But, Craig and I have both wanted to explore the US. Living in a small town where we are is really not what Craig signed up for when he made the move to the US, so I KNEW this was coming and I was wholeheartedly in agreement. What I didn't figure on was how comfortable (for the most part) I would feel here.

One of the things I will not miss about the small town is the closemindedness and judgements that people have here. That has been one of the pitfalls of this place. So, I will be interested in moving "North" since that is not a part of the country my little ol' Southern heart has ever experienced (well, other than the three years in England). :)

Ultimately, I know this move is a good thing, so I will come around to being as excited as Craig is. I think going to the city and looking around and exploring it will help.

2 more days until Destin, then me and Andy Samburg will have something in common.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOvaCV6uQp8

I need structure.

Here are the things I should be doing:
1. Cleaning the kitchen sort of. All dirty dishes in dishwasher
2. Steamcleaning the carpets I dialled 1-800-STEAMER to get my carpets cleaner
3. Laundry
4. Putting away all the stuff Craig and I got this weekend (see previous post)
5. Cleaning the study
6. Weeding the front garden Well, this just isn't going to happen
7. Washing the dogs Outsourced to Petsmart
8. Working out Elliptical for 30 mins and going on a walk with L!

I do sooo much better on a structured schedule because without it...
here are the things that I am actually doing:
1. Checking Facebook
2. Trying to think of even more "Grease 2" song lyrics than I have already posted on D's Facebook comments without Googling for them. I already have far too many that I know off the top of my head. I am THAT sad, yes. Welcome to my blog.
3. Reading TOTAL STRANGERS' blogs. There are some I check multiple times everyday and get frustrated they don't post stuff like four times a day because I want to know what's going on with them. Some of these people make me cry--sometimes because their posts are sad, sometimes because they are happy, sometimes because they are so damn funny.
4. Playing around with my TTC chart. Oooh, I will now speak in code. Read TCOYF. TTC for three months. So far, all HPT BFNs. Waiting to O. Hate TWW. On the MDC and TCOYF boards. Trying to lengthen LP--AF on 9DPO. :( If you understood that, drop me a line sometime.

Garden 2009

This is what we've been working on for the summer--the garden. We've had a garden for the past three years, but this one by far has been the most successful. This year, we planted:
tomatoes
broccoli
peas
lettuce
beets
onions
herbs
potatoes
carrots
strawberries

(As you can also see, I have discovered Flickr and slideshows)

As for me, I am getting The House In Order for when Craig's family crosses the pond and visits at the end of the week. After his family gets in town, we'll hang out at the house for a couple of hours, then we will begin our car journey to Destin, FL for a "proper beach holiday." This road trip will be about 12 hours. Keep in mind that Craig's two and a half year old niece is also on board. She, poor thing, will in the space of 24 hours, complete a trans-Atlantic flight, a three hour car trip to my parents' house, then wake up at 3 a.m. (our time, who knows what time she'll think it is) and then be in the car for another 9 or so hours. Fun times for her!!! We've tried to make some things easier, though. Craig and I went shopping for our niece this weekend and it was SO MUCH FUN! I have two nephews, so the only kid's stuff I ever bought was "boy stuff"--cars, dinosaurs, superhero things. Shopping for a girl is so different and cute. Stores have so much more cutesy things for girls. So, here's the haul Niece received (so far--it's Monday today, they get here on Friday. Can't be sure I'm not going to get more stuff!)
1. A pink folding chair for the beach and lounging around the backyard
2. A princess beach towel
3. A blow up pool for the backyard
4. A 4th of July shirt (because what Welsh 2 1/2 year old does NOT need one of these?? Actually, we got a shirt for everyone
5. A SOOOOO cute dress from Old Navy with red, white, and blue stars on it
6. DVDs for the drive down and some inside entertainment when she gets too hot at the beach

I can't wait!!

1st post ever

Well, folks, The Missus decided to join the blogosphere. Right now, there isn't much to report. It's Friday night. Mooner is upstairs on a conference call for his M.asters of B.usiness A.dministration and The Missus is entertaining herself downstairs with a can of beer and The Food Network.


A little history for those unfamiliar:


Mooner and The Missus met on a very chance encounter one night in south London, April 2003. The (American) Missus was there teaching English to students who were NOT like Harry Potter in any way or form, trying Very Hard to stay sane. (The Welsh) Mooner had apparently picked up some Chinese take-away and decided on knock on The Missus's door. Mooner was a friend of The Missus's flatmate and had spent the night drinking with Said Flatmate. Hilariousness does not ensue and The Missus is fairly sure she yelled at Mooner to Be Quiet while she and Dear Friend Visiting from The States were trying to sleep. The Missus makes no apologies--a good night's sleep is Very Important.


Many shananigans, a few dates, and two years later, once The Missus decided to leave London Once And For All in 2005, Mooner thought that would be the opportune time to declare his Love and Affection for The Missus (keep in mind, this is three months before she takes her one-way flight back to the US). The Missus could not resist and Mooner finally had His Girl. His Girl became His Wife (aka The Missus) on May 30, 2008.


**Don't worry--The Missus will not speak in third person from here on out. The Missus finds this tiring and lame. This is just to establish W.ho Is W.ho