A Wild Week...

Our bedroom furniture is in! We ordered it from Direct Buy, so that means we had to figure out how to get it home ourselves. We also only had five days to move it out of their warehouse before paying a fee each day, and our five days would have expired tomorrow. So guess what we did tonight? We rented a U-Haul, lured Chris to our house with the promise of Pizza King, and hefted eight boxes (equivalent to 700 pounds) of bedroom furniture up a flight of stairs. It took several attempts and almost an hour to pivot a very large dresser up the stairs, which prompted a Friends' flashback or two..."Pivot! PIVOT!"...but we did it. Well, the boys did it. I was there for my mathematical mind and mad angle-examining skills. Boys like girls with skills.

Here are some pictures, but for now I'm off to study for an Operations Strategy exam (after we return the U-Haul...because the fun never ends). I really had my heart set on making a King Cake to help celebrate Mardi Gras in class tomorrow night, but the furniture pushed it off the list. Plus, I'm fresh out of little plastic babies.

This is as put together as it will get for now...

Life is Precious...

On our way to the IU/PU basketball game today, Brent and I were about one minute behind this accident. We drove by just as the stunned participants were getting out of their cars and two men were frantically pacing around the car on cell phones - perhaps the men who had also been passengers in this car. The driver's side of the car was ripped open and we could clearly see both the victims...and it was just terrible. I'll never forget it. Please say a prayer for the families of these women tonight, because I can't even imagine how they grieve.

Life is a gift!

Meeting the Cherub

Brent and I headed north this morning to meet Miss Audrey now that she's home and cozy in her new house. Wow, she is so tiny and precious. Seriously...I could not put her down. So...I didn't! (Except for the time when I put her in Brent's arms to see if he could hold a newborn. Baby Test #1 - Passed with flying colors!) I remember last summer when Ashley told me she was pregnant, and now I can't believe the baby's here! It just flew by...but it always does if you're not the pregnant one. Congratulations again and thanks for letting me snuggle with your baby for almost 2 hours! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you're having a great Valentine's weekend!

Waiting...Waiting

Not much to report here...we had a low-key weekend involving lots of eating (whoops) and watching many movies on television. I maaaayyy have watched Apollo 13 twice...but not the entire movie each time. THAT would just be a big, fat waste of time.

On Friday evening we had our picture taken for the church directory. Our appointment wasn't until 8:20. In hindsight, I wouldn't have picked this time, because let me tell you, I'm not looking my best by 8:20 on a Friday evening. Tired and haggard would be good descriptive words to toss around here. The picture salesman was soooo nice and chatty until we said we weren't buying any pictures, and after that talking ceased and we were out of there in a "flash". (ha..ha..ha)

We enjoyed the nice weather on Sunday and I know Bonnie was happy to get out of the house on a walk. Not that I'm too worried about her happiness at this particular moment, since she and I are on the outs tonight. Why, you ask? I'll show you why.

This is the carnage of what's left of my most favorite glasses ever. You know, the ones I just got in the fall? The glasses that are to thank for tons of compliments (okay, a few) being thrown my way whenever I wear them? Yeah, those glasses. She also destroyed Brent's glasses last month. She climbed up on our nightstands and knocked them down. Who does that????

This weekend we could hear her crying but couldn't find her. This is why she was upset...she'd hopped up on the garden tub, somehow, and couldn't get down. What am I going to do with this dog? That's not rhetorical. Seriously, any tips on surviving this dog?

Enough about stupid Bonnie. The REAL news is that we're all waiting, waiting, waiting for the announcement that Baby Bigelow has arrived! It's 8:08 so if all is going according to plan, Ashley was induced beginning...8 minutes ago! I am so excited. I can't wait to hear if it's a boy or girl! Please pray for a relatively quick and easy delivery.

Sweet, Happy Life

I've been tagged by Megan to list six things that make me happy. I see that none of the people she's tagged have followed her instructions yet, so let me be the first so she knows we still love her and read her blog.

I will make this short and sweet...because the things that make us happy tend to be simple.

1. My Family - trite, but so, so true. What's life without these people?

2. My Friends

3. Books - not that I've done much free reading lately, but the thought that so many wonderful books are floating around out there is exciting.

4. Big Ideas - I carry a Dream Book around in my purse and one of my greatest pleasures is looking at the dreams of my past and adding to the dreams of my future. Imagine the possibilities! Opportunity, hope...they're infinite.

5. Being Strong and Confident- I've long ago given up the idea that stick-thin is something I aspire to be. Strong is beautiful. I bet I can carry you on my back...I don't care who you are. And I have seen now that confidence is everything. Once you've got it, it grows and you don't look back. I love that.

6. Meeting Good People - Nice to know they're still out there. Watching kindness in motion inspires me to be better.

"Welcome to the Life of a Teacher..."

...said Ashley's husband Andrew when Brent and I had a snow day last Wednesday. Indianapolis had over a foot of snow by late morning, prompting all schools and most government facilities to close down for the day. Yes, we're weenies...but if it gets us a snow day, I'll admit to that! You've never seen such happy campers than Brent, Lindsey and Bonnie on a very unexpected snow day! We made Rice Krispie treats, chicken tortilla soup, and laid around. Oh, and we made it to the gym. As Laura said, "Wait, the roads were bad enough to close work but you drove to the gym?" Yes, Laura, that's right. All in the name of fitness. While we were there, I had a very strange encounter involving a woman telling me to stop wearing my running capris because they would give me varicose veins. She just walked right over, put her hand up the pant leg of my capri, and then told me how they used to wear those pants in the '80s while doing aerobics but they weren't good for the veins. Little did she know I hadn't shaved in quite awhile (HEY, I wasn't planning on someone touching my leg at the gym, okay?), so she may have gotten quite the shock sticking her hand up my pant leg like that. Very bizarre!

Here's Brent digging Bonnie a potty-path in the backyard, or a snow tunnel as he calls it. What a good dad.

Here I am after practically wrestling the dog to the ground to get her to come inside. I had just spent 20 minutes picking ice balls out of her fur when she ran back outside again. The neighbors were out so she wanted to play. I was knee-deep in snow with those varicose-vein-causing capri pants on, but she was coming back inside no matter what. Brent watched, laughing, from the window and caught the moment on camera. What a naughty puppy. We need someone to dog-sit for ten days in March...any takers?

In other news, we surprised Rob at his birthday dinner on Saturday night at the new Baker Street in Fort Wayne. We were planning a St. Elmo's dinner with the Sinders' but Rachel was sick. Within a few hours we were on our way to Fort Wayne for the evening. I won't elaborate about the dinner yet because I do plan to start a new food blog...but more to follow on that later when I have a little more time.







Chris joined us for the Super Bowl yesterday and we had Apple Walnut salad, lasagna, and Crazy Bread. I was disappointed with the outcome of the game (sorry, you Steeler-loving Terriers...), mainly because I do love Kurt Warner. Sorry, Kurt...

Speaking of terriers, our terrier loves a house guest.

Goodnight, Bloggers. Tomorrow's February 3rd already, so we're making some progress in this very long, long winter. Until next time!

Rachael Ray, come back down to Earth

So yesterday I hop on the treadmill and open a magazine in hopes of keeping my mind occupied during 45 minutes of running that I'm really not all that crazy about. My magazine of choice on this particular day was the February issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. Reading about food while working out is probably not the best idea. I digress...anyway, the first page I turn to is "Rach's Notebook" where she gives her editorial comments. Here's what she writes:

"Each year for our wedding anniversary, John and I return to Montalcino, Italy, to celebrate with family and friends and to visit Enzo, the tree we planted on our wedding day. Just like our relationship, Enzo grows stronger with every visit."

Editor of "Little Diddy..."- Blech.

Continuing on...

"...I'm sure extravagances like travel were removed from your family budget, a consequence of the worst economy of our lifetimes. Hopefully by now, though, the idea of a long weekend or a family getaway is back on your radar."

Editor of "Little Diddy..." - What she seems to be saying is, "Readers, I know most of you are too poor to go on vacation this year but let me tell you about our yearly pilgrimage to Italy to visit our tree. Nah-nah-nah-nah boo-boo. Keep buying my magazine!" Double blech.

I flip to the back of the magazine where there is a section labeled "Vacation Ruts" with tips on how to stop taking the same old vacation every year. I know, vacation ruts are just terrible, aren't they! One Rut is entitled European Addiction. One cure is to take your family on an Arctic tour...perhaps an Alaskan cruise?

"Ugh, Mitzi, if I have to go to Europe one more time I am going to just SCREAM!"
"Oh I know, Bianca. When I went last year the Italians were SOO unacommodating!"

Am I being bitter here, or is this gross to anyone else? Rachael Ray's appeal (back in the Oprah guest star days) was her down-to-earth, common approach to cooking. She connected with the average American with her 30-Minute Meals and the "do what you feel like" attitude in the kitchen. This is a classic "Martin Dressler" case, as Big Lou calls them. Martin Dressler is a character from a novel who enjoyed some success and then just couldn't stop. Hello, Martha? (although I'll never stop liking Martha, no matter what...)

If Rachael's new refrigerated pet food line at the grocery store wasn't enough to turn me off, this magazine has officially hung up the apron for me. As I finished my run, I turned to the last page to find a recipe for Cheesy Turkey Sammies - for your dog. Triple blech. Rachael, you've just earned yourself a place on the "Not Hot" list of 2009.