Crack Is Wack.

Wow. Just wow.

Go Deep.

I held up traffic to get this beauty. Enjoy.

He's Here!

Check out who finally came out to play.

Need A Gift?

"Never underestimate the versatility and awesome power of a well-brewed beer. You've used it to fortify steaks, polish your impeccable wit and inspire astonishing feats of social daring. But you never dared to dream of bringing it into the shower…Introducing The Beer Soap Company, a troupe of loyal artisans refining your favorite brews into bars of soap, available now. In other words, your love for Blue Moon is no longer limited to internal consumption. The folks at Beer Soap have figured out a way to turn your favorite hops into shower-ready cleanser, with the help of a little Shea butter, some sunflower oil and enough cleaning agents to turn your favorite relaxant into something downright stimulating.Of course, carrying the faint aura of Red Stripe should make you immeasurably more popular on your next Jamaican beach jaunt, and we imagine the Killian's won't hurt next time St. Patrick's Day rolls around. At the moment, they've got more than 20 varieties on their site, and they're planning to have over a hundred by July—when apparently the market for hop-related hygiene products should really take off. But they should have more than enough for you to peruse in the meantime…Sadly, the mouthwash is still in development."

Pictures Everywhere!

Check out my other blog and take a peek at just some of the pictures that were taken by my good friend PQ.

The Big 2-9!

Well, it's official. I'm 29. My husband loves to give me a hard time about being 6 months older than him, but the truth is that I am really enjoying where my life is right now. So how did I celebrate the big 2-9 you ask?

Well, yesterday morning we woke up to a cool breeze blowing in through the house. Then my husband belted out a lovely rendition of Happy Birthday and when it was over my cat sang his version as well. Then from the closet my husband pulled 2 gifts and 2 envelopes.

From the first envelope I pulled out a letter from Parker telling me how much he loves me and how much he can't wait to meet me and that he's sorry he has made me so uncomfortable lately, but he hopes this gift can help. Then from the envelope I pulled a gift card for a 1 hour mommy massage. I cannot wait to do that!

Then the second envelope was a beautiful card from my husband. I love good cards and my husband always manages to get just the right card. I save every single one of them.

Then he handed me a gift. I unwrapped it and it was a framed letter that I had wrote to Parker telling him how much we love him and can't wait to meet him and thanking him for all the good he has brought to my life already. My husband really did good on this one. Of course I instantly started crying. It really touched my heart to have this little love letter framed. Needless to say it is now proudly displayed in Parker's room.

One more gift to go. I opened it and it was a Flip camcorder. We have been talking about getting one since we saw my sister's. These things are amazing not to mention small. If you haven't seen one, google it and check it out. It will be perfect to just toss in the diaper bag and go. I cannot wait to start capturing memories on this thing.

After we rolled out of bed we just had a casual day sort of just doing nothing in particular. It was perfect and just the way I would have pictured it. It ended with a hot shower, good dinner, a foot rub and the couch.

Thank you baby for making the big 2-9 not so painful after all. I love you more than you will ever know.

Drivers Ed.

So today my girlfriends from work took me to lunch to celebrate my birthday. Anyway, when you're parking in Soulard you don't find too many parking lots to help ease the parking situation. You typically have to drive around the block 15 times to find a spot then wedge yourself into the spot and then walk 4 miles to the restaurant.

Well, today was different. We picked this great restaurant that is typically pretty busy so you always dread finding a spot, but this time we pulled right up and about 25 feet from the front door was the perfect parking spot. It's like the clouds parted and God said "Happy Birthday Kelly". Now Shawn, she's not a big fan of parallel parking. So from the backseat we hear Pamela yell "Here. I'll do it". Shawn hops out and heads into the restaurant to get a table while Pamela runs around and hops in the drivers seat. We looked like we were performing a Chinese fire drill. So in the car you have me and Tara and our chauffeur, Pamela.

Then the parallel parking adventure begins. So she pulls forward and begins the parking process. She curbs it big time. So she pulls out again, straightens out the car and starts backing into the spot. Curb again. She did it one more time, but this time when she hit the curb she decided to just keep her foot on the gas proceeding to park on the curb. What about the front half of the car? Well while on the curb she parallel parked the rest of the car. She straightened out the front end, then the back, then the front and the back, completely wedging Shawn's car into the spot all while nearly missing a parking pole and a parked vehicle (or two). Oh, and people were waiting (and watching) for her to finish so they could pass. We hop out, she locks the doors and says "Oh, it's fine".

The end result? Check out the picture. If you click the picture to make it bigger you can see Pamela giving us the thumbs up.

Ah, PQ you made my day. Thanks for making me laugh so hard I nearly wet myself! I don't know what I would do without you.

Designated Driver.

So here I am 7 1/2 months preggers and here is my husband enjoying his drink of choice - a keg of Bud Light. Think he's taking advantage of the fact that I'm knocked up?

Just kidding. Had a blast last night baby. Hockey is much more fun in person than on t.v.

Be My Valentine.

The husband and I kept it pretty low key for Valentine's day. We're not ones to get wrapped up in that particular holiday so we pretty much treated it like a normal Saturday. We were out and about most of the day running errands.

I found out the night before that a few things from our baby registry had been discontinued, so we headed to Babies R Us to replace those items. Then we stopped for a quick bite at the Bread Co. with some friends of ours. Afterwards we were off to Target and a few other places.

By 5:00 we pulled the bacon wrapped filet's from the fridge. The hubby had marinaded them for a day or so prior so they were already falling apart! He fired up the grill while I did stuff around the house. When dinner was about ready the table was set and our stomachs were growling. My husband is an amazing cook and when he bbq's, watch out! Yum!

We sat down to a quiet dinner and enjoyed a phenomenal meal and as always amazing company. The night wrapped up with a movie and homemade chocolate-mint fondue. We dipped bananas, strawberries, angel food cake and more in to the warm and gooey chocolate until we almost popped.

It was an amazing day and I would have had it no other way!

Fashion Oops.

I just found this guys coat funny. That's all.

Usually I Don't Rant.

But seriously people? Seriously? I think this is a perfect example of why things like eating disorders exist. This is why plastic surgery exists. This is why diet pills exist. This is why bulimia exists.

Sad and shameful is what this is. And to the person who drew up this charming little number, I bet you're no "10" yourself.

F@#&ING IDIOT.

Dear Mr. Driver,

Today you were behind me on my way to work. When I looked in my rear view mirror this is what I saw. Could you possibly take the extra thirty seconds to clean off the remainder of your car? The consideration would be appreciated. I don't feel sorry for you if you wrap yourself around a tree. I do feel sorry for the other people you would wind up hurting along the way though.

Moron.

Seriously?

From ksdk.com:

By Monday afternoon, another disturbance will begin to spread snow into the area. The metro area should see mainly snow overnight Monday with accumulations easily occurring given the cold temperatures.

By Tuesday, snow and sleet are likely in the metro area with areas south seeing more sleet and some freezing rain. Significant ice accumulations are possible across the southern portion of the viewing area. The wintry mix will diminish Tuesday evening. Preliminary indications are for three to five inches of snow and some sleet in the metro area by late Tuesday. Locally higher amounts of sleet and snow are expected just to the south of the metro area with up to seven inches of snow and sleet.

Ok, call me a whiny brat, but I truly dislike snow. It's just not my "thing". I like the way it looks from inside my living room, but once I have to leave my house it's game over. My husband finds it funny to wake up, look out the window and say "Oh, it looks like it snowed last night." I then roll over and say something along the lines of "F-ing snow" and get angry. Then he laughs and says "I'm only kidding".

But now, according to every single news and radio station we are going to get hit with snow tonight and tomorrow and I have heard anywhere between 5"-8" so I am losing my mind already. F-ing snow.

The Road Ahead.

With a big night, tonight in fact, approaching plus a weekend filled with hope and big decisions I am nervous, excited and looking forward to a future filled with laughter, memories, good friends, family and new beginnings. Doug and I are gearing up to take a very large bite out of life in the near future. We are about to juggle more things than probably possible. We are getting ready to face life head on, make the biggest decision of our lives and plan a future for us. We are starting a new chapter in our lives, and no doubt it is going to be difficult and stressful at times, but in the end it is going to be the smartest thing we have ever done. The best part is that we are doing it for us. No looking back. Only forward, to the future ahead.

I know you are wondering what we are up to, but you will have to wait and see.

Brisk Morning.

This is what I was greeted by when I got into my car this morning. Talk about wake up call!

Local Celebrity.

In case I never told you, my mother-in-law is Optimus Prime. She will be signing autographs at Borders this Saturday from 12-3pm.

Real or Fake?

His hair color people! Get your mind out of the gutter.

My Home Studio.

Well, it's not fancy or anything, but I am so thrilled to have a space of my own! Thanks to the most perfect gift from Santa (aka: Doug) I am now the proud owner of a sewing machine! Plus, he gave me the cutest book of patterns by Author/Designer Amy Butler called Little Stitches For Little Ones. It's all adorable, trendy baby stuff. Diaper bags, hampers, blocks, blankets, clothes, etc. So when I opened my sewing machine the wheels in my head started rapidly turning. Where would I put this? And where would I set up shop? I need plastic bins, and organizers, and thread, and fabric....

With the baby 3 months away our spare bedroom was out of the question because it was transformed over Christmas break from a spare bedroom/office to a full-blown nursery complete with a crib, bedding, toys, shelves, etc. There is not an inch of grown-up left in that room now. And setting up shop in the dining room was out of the question. I love our dining room. Our big wooden table and buffet set up so nicely with wine glasses and more. I was not about to turn that into my sweat shop. My only other choice was the basement.

As most of you know I spent an entire day cleaning out our basement right before Thanksgiving, throwing away more stuff than I kept and to top it off I managed to throw my back out as well. It was if the clouds parted and the angels began singing. I will have my art/sewing/craft studio in the basement. I had the perfect spot.

So to the basement I went with a broom in hand. I was going to make my space. I had a big sturdy card table that was simply perfect for my work desk. It is huge and allows me SO much room to spread everything out. So I cleaned it really well and set it up in this little nook against a wall. Underneath it I laid a huge piece of scrap carpet from when we carpeted the house. Next to the card table is a wooden beam running from floor to ceiling. I decided to hammer nails into the beam creating thread/ribbon/tape holders. I already possess a hand full of Rubbermaid containers filled to the brim with art supplies that I have collected over the years. On top of that I managed to fill a few extra containers each filled with something different. Things like paint, gift bags, gift boxes, tissue paper, scrap paper, scrap book stuff, markers, paint brushes, wrapping paper, etc. I have a tall thin one on wheels with drawers for things like scissors, rulers, needles, glues, etc. It's like heaven to me. I have my own Art Mart in my house! I have been dying for my own space. I am such a project/creative/art freak and having this space now is better than drugs!

I even plugged in a little clock radio, a big lamp and hung a bulletin board as well! It is PERFECT I tell you!

So have I made anything yet you ask. No, not really. Although I did pick out a diaper bag pattern from my Amy Butler book and bought the fabric for it. Last night I even began cutting out the fabric for it. Tonight I plan on cutting out the remainder and I am hoping to start the engine on my sewing machine by Thursday/Friday!

So wish me luck!

Bye Bye 2008. Hold On To Your Pants 2009!

I didn't want 2008 to slip by without toasting an amazing year farewell. 2008 filled my life with an entire year of happiness, surprises, and promise for an incredible future.

Doug and I started the year off perfectly. We toasted to a year of promise, success, and happiness.

In January I job-hopped for a little while, never finding anything I truly liked. With the help of friends and family I stumbled upon and landed an interview for a company called Switch.

The same day as my interview Doug had all 4 of his wisdom teeth cut out. He had surgery in the morning and then I had to rush to my interview that afternoon. Plus I had to make sure that he had his medication, was tucked in bed, and mouth packed full of gauze. I was so nervous to leave him alone, but I knew I could not turn down this interview. I will never ever forget that day at Walgreens picking up his prescription. Doug was still a bit drugged up and while I was filling out insurance information he wandered off like a child. Moments later I found him in the tampon aisle just browsing away.

On February 1st I started my new job at Switch. I will never forget the phone call I received a few days prior congratulating me on filling the position. It felt so good to finally be in the real world. The night of the good news we met up with my in-laws at Hodaks where we celebrated Doug surviving surgery and my new job.

In March I turned 28. My wonderful husband surprised me with a trip to a day spa for an hour long massage and then a wonderful dinner that night. Friends later met up with us for drinks, laughs and a celebration of turning another year older.

Ah April! On the April Fools Day at 3am I woke to a dripping noise in the hallway just outside our bedroom door. There it was. The drip that started it all. We had been having a new roof put on the week prior and they didn't tarp the roof. Needless to say a typhoon rolled through that night causing our roof to leak. And not just a small leak. A domino effect sort of leak. One leak, then two, then three, then fifteen, then twenty five so on and so on. We had coolers, pots, pans, trashcans, buckets all catching water. The roofer of course could not be reached. Finally by 8am he arrived with a tarp, but the damage had been done. The house took on 5 hours of water and soaked it up like a sponge. Everything was soaked. The walls, the carpet, my closet, our hardwood floors, the ceilings, our kitchen. It was the single worst day in our lives. We were living a nightmare and didn't know if or when we would wake up. Long story short the roofer was fired and our insurance company had to step in. The day after we returned from Mexico the appraiser came to our home and after four hours we were handed a check to have our house put back together. The day the appraiser left work started and continued practically around the clock for the next two months. Our house was filled with contractors, electricians, central air/heat installers, family, friends, the smell of paint, the taste of dirt and dust, the sound of hammers, drills, saws etc. At any given point during the day you could find anywhere from 2-10 people in our house working non-stop (even on weekends). Doug and I lived in a house that was not considered livable and survived on taco bell and caffeine. I am surprised to this day that we did not kill each other. When all was said and done the house was brand new. From floor to ceiling and paint color to furniture it was brand spankin' new and beautiful. It is a home now and I still pinch myself that it is ours. We came a long way and poured a lot of sweat and tears into that house, but when I sit and take it all in I secretly count my blessings that the little mishap happened.

Then there was Mexico! 2 days after the first drip we boarded a plane with 2 other couples and headed for sunny Mexico. When we landed the boys promptly scooped up beers and Margaritas and we toasted to a wonderful week ahead. This is the first time I had seen the ocean. I will never forget walking out on to the white sand and my eyes filling up with the blue color that was the water. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. We spent a week drinking, eating, snorkeling, shopping and more. Doug made friends with a sea turtle, I wanted to be left to die in the ocean, Doug found the disco after a few beers, I decided to use tanning accelerator and paid the price, sunsets were enjoyed, walks on beaches were had, wave running had never been so fun, and the most incredible memories were made. It was by far one of the most amazing, romantic and fun trips I had ever had. It's going to be hard to top.

In mid June Doug interviewed for the St. Charles Police Department. Shortly after rumor got around that there was soon going to be an opening in the St. Louis City Aviation Department flying the helicopter. He was torn on what to do, but went with his gut and applied for the aviation position. He interviewed for that and anxiously awaited a response. With everything going on surrounding the Chief leaving they kept postponing transfers. Weeks went by and nothing. In the meantime he was offered the spot in St. Charles. He talked to the Chief there and explained his situation and the Chief told him that the spot was his, but to wait on a response regarding transfer to the aviation unit. Then on August 7th Doug was awarded the spot in the aviation unit. I have never been so happy and so proud. He was on cloud nine. It was something he worked so hard for. This was his dream come true. He was finally going to be a pilot, and not the make believe one he was when he was five. He now has the coolest job by far.

In July Doug and I decided it was time to start "trying" for a family. We met with my doctor and started our game plan. She explained to us that things like this take time and to not get too ahead of ourselves.

August 10th and three pregnancy tests later we were happy to announce we were expecting! I was only a few weeks along so we only told immediate family because if anything were to happen we would have their support. A few weeks later we spilled the beans to the remainder of our family and friends. August 30th we got to see our little peanut at our first ultrasound. There it was. Our baby. A moment neither of us will soon forget.

September 8th we celebrated our one year wedding anniversary! We spent the night enjoying great food and each others company at Remys in Clayton. It was delicious, romantic and a perfect way to celebrate a year of happiness. I sipped on water as Doug enjoyed his (and mine) complimentary champagne. We sat for hours just talking, laughing and sharing our thoughts on whats to come. A truly perfect night.

September 19th Doug turned 28. That was also the same day as my companies Field Day. I enjoyed the day off running around with co-workers in the sun, playing games and winning prizes. Then that night Doug and I went to a quaint Italian restaurant for dinner reservations to celebrate his birthday. We then capped off the night with ice cream. It was simple, nice, and as always it was spent in the best company.

On October 28th Doug and I went to our 20 week ultrasound. We sat in complete awe as the doctor made her way around my belly checking out every single square inch of our baby. For 45 minuets it was like watching a reality show from my uterus. We were told that our child was as healthy as can be and that there is no cause for any concern now or in the future. We told the nurse that we wanted to know the sex of the baby, but to please write it down on a piece of paper and place it in an envelope because we were going to dinner that night and wanted to open it together. After months of not being able to eat Mexican food Doug and I decided on Haciendas for dinner because it finally sounded so good to me (which Doug was thrilled about). We sat at a quaint little table with the envelope positioned in the center. After we ordered drinks I opened the envelope (after winning rock, paper, scissors). I pulled from the envelope a picture of our baby and the private part was circled, and from that circle read "BOY". We were having a baby boy! I looked at Doug, turned the picture around and said "baby, it's a boy!" The look on his face is something I will never forget. His smile panned from one ear to the other. His big blue eyes welled up and he was just simply the happiest he had ever been. He was finally getting his partner in crime. Everything was right in the world in the moment.

The next day when I arrived home from work the proud daddy had laid out two little gifts on our bed. They were two little baby boy onesies. He just couldn't wait.

During the month of October, November and December my belly grew bigger and bigger and our baby began kicking like crazy. Not a day went by in which we didn't talk about our baby, plan his future, decorate his room, buy him clothes and more. Doug constantly rubs my belly and talks to his son telling him all about his day in the helicopter and the score of the hockey game.

The holidays came and went. Thanksgiving was spent in Branson at the lake house. We ate, shopped, went to Silverdollar City, and relaxed by the fire. Christmas was wonderful. Doug and I shared 2 weeks of vacation together during this time. First we spent the holiday with his family, then we made the trip to Kentucky to spend time with mine. We also spent other vacation time on final touches in the nursery. Doug moved the office furniture and bookshelf out, and I did touch up on the paint, mural, etc. We are almost ready for him to get here now-I think!

2008 was an amazing year. Lots of wonderful memories were made during that time and I loved every single moment. We have so much to be grateful for and we are looking forward to a truly incredible 2009.

Traditions.

I've been tagged by PQ regarding my Christmas traditions so here we go.

Typically a few weeks before Christmas the girls on his mom's side get together for Cookie Day. It's an all day marathon of cookie baking. His aunt Tracy hosts it every year and it's a great time for the ladies to get together and chatter. Not to mention nibble on incredible cookies. We all bring our homemade cookie dough so we can pop it in the oven and be done. It's already a very time consuming day because everyone makes well over 100 cookies each and with only one oven and 20 women it gets to be a little much as it is. Some of the husbands will pop in here and there and the kids all play downstairs. And we always order pizza for lunch. It's a pretty great day and I look forward to it every year.

Christmas Eve is always at his Uncle Dan's or Uncle Rick's. They take turns hosting the holiday. We all bring a dish and wind up enjoying a lot of wine, food and conversation. Lots of laughs are exchanged and then typically we gather for gift giving. A really incredible tradition this family has is one that began with my husband's grandfather. He was an amazing carpenter. He could build anything. In fact, we recently took possession of a rocking horse, train and airplane that he built for my husband when he was a baby that will be showcased in the nursery. And I'm not talking little wooden knick-knacks that sit on a shelf. These toys are actual toys that can be played on and used by our baby as he gets older. Anyway, his grandfather started a tradition of building toy soldiers for each child. His children (and their spouses) have the big toy soldiers, his grandchildren (and their spouses) have medium toy soldiers, and his great-grandchildren have small toy soldiers. Since he has passed Uncle Dan has taken on the task of building these toy soldiers and adding them to the collection that is proudly displayed at Christmas.

Last year was Doug and my first Christmas married. We got up early and opened our gifts together at home. It was nice to have "our" time. Since we are now a family things like this matter a lot to me. We then headed over to his mom and dads to open gifts with his parents, sister, her husband and their son. If I remember correctly we spent a lot of that day putting batteries in toys and playing - a lot.

This year we will be going to Uncle Rick's for Christmas Eve and then Doug and I will be exchanging gifts together Christmas Eve night. Christmas morning we will be waking up early to join his family for breakfast and gift opening. We will then enjoy Christmas night together making dinner and relaxing - just the two of us. Later that evening we will head over to a good family friends and join in on their festivities.

And since my family lives in Kentucky we will be hitting the road on Friday to spend a few days there exchanging gifts, eating good food and relaxing with my parents and sister.

Happy Holidays everyone. Now, I tag the following people:

Jill
Kim
Kristin