Pregnancy Emotions

This little pregnant lady is beginning to feel left out a bit.

My MIL bought a house, and in the backyard was a trampoline that the previous owner did not want. Jamaal instantly told his mom he would take it. She fought a little bit; she was worried about safety, and wanted us to get a net first. Do you know how much trampoline nets cost? More than we want to pay. I never have jumped on a trampoline with a net on it. Never. Then she gets concerned about the baby. At which point, I roll my eyes and let her know that the trampoline will not be around when the baby is big enough to be getting on it. There are some very small holes on the trampoline, and it looks pretty old.

I would like to get a few jumps in, but of course, I can't.

I can get over it, I'm not really that upset about it. Though this is just one of the first things that made me realize that I'm beginning to feel left out.


Later this month we are going on an annual camping trip. Jamaal, his two friends (I also consider them my friends) and I have been going every year since our second year together.

But this year will be different. It is not just the 4 of us; one of the boys invited several other people.

Normally I would not be upset. Normally, I would say the more the merrier. But this year is different. I will be surrounded by a bunch of drunk people. And now, there will be a lot of drunk people that I barely know.

I was already nervous for the 4 of us...when I found out about the new additions I got really upset. I'll bring a lot of activities for me to do, and some alcohol-like beverages (diet ginger-ale with a sprinkling of cranberry lemonade crystal light).

And, if it is as bad as I think it might be, I'll leave to go to my Aunt's apartment in Olympia. Though I'm sure I'm just overreacting.

I know that I have something very special that is mine. I know that my connection with my child will be something no one else will have. I know I am so fortunate to be able to carry a child. To get pregnant so easily. I know I'm being selfish, bratty, and a little pathetic.

I just want it all.

My recent adventures

14 weeks and 1 day.


I am now well into the second trimester. I am still at that awkward stage where I am showing enough to not fit right in my tighter pre-pregnancy clothes, but I'm not showing enough to really need to wear maternity clothes either. Most of the maternity clothes I have, I got from a lady at work, and the ones I have tried on are almost baggy on me. They are, however, comfortable. I bought a shirt at Target that I thought was really cute, I didn't try it on, but figured it would fit okay. It turns out that I'll have the same problems while pregnant that I do when I'm not. The shirt was way too long, it could be a nearly inappropriate dress, if I wore things like that. :D It also is too big in the boob area, apparently my breasts are too high on my body for this particular shirt. I will be returning it when I'm next at Target. My cousin tells me that Marshall's and Ross have good, cheap options, so soon, I'll make my way over there.


I had a pretty exciting weekend last weekend...


First off, on Friday night I dreamed that I gave birth to a Westie. The doctor put him on my chest, and then the puppy proceeded to crawl with his front legs up to my breast, and began breast feeding. Don't judge me. It was super creepy.


Side note: In nursing school we learned that if babies are placed on their mom's stomach right after birth they will make their way up mommies tummy to her breast and begin feeding. They have a crazy sense of smell and know it is what they should do. The study didn't say how long it would take the baby to travel...


So part of my dream was based in fact.


Saturday morning I packed up my car and left to go to Prosser for wine tasting/watching and hang out with girl friends. I made it just outside of Ellensburg when my car began to smoke. I thought it was going to go up in flames and take me with it. I started throwing my stuff out of the car. I was crying and panicking and on the phone with Jamaal. He remained calm (though was irritated with me) and made me open the hood and look for the culprit. There was no oil. The smoke was coming out from behind the engine and out from under the front right tire (it might have been also coming out the other side, but cars speeding past made it impossible for me to tell. He was confused by what I was telling him. It didn't quite make sense. We paid for roadside assistance through our insurance, so I hung up with him and called for a tow.


After an hour and half of waiting, the tow truck came. Jesse, dressed in khaki shorts and flip flops, put my car on a flatbed truck, and off we went to Ellensburg. Jessie, had offered to come pick me up when I told her I was stranded, and at first I thought I would just be getting my car fixed, then going home. The sooner the better.


But Jesse informed me that no auto shop worth going to was open on Saturday or Sunday. So I called up Jessie, and asked if she and Kristina could meet me in Ellensburg, and once my car was cured (on Monday) bring me back to Ellensburg. The girls were so kind to do so. When Jesse and I arrived at the auto shop in town that works on VWs, it just so happened that the owner came in to do some paperwork. I talked with him, and told him what happened and gave him the key. He said they would look at it on Monday and call me when they had a diagnosis.


I packed all of my bags. I had a small rolling suitcase and a small duffel bag, plus my purse. I had about a mile walk to make. But first, I ate at Quiznos (because the plan was to have lunch at Jessie's) and then hiked all the way to Starbucks. In flip flops. Dragging a heavy suitcase behind me. In the blaring sun. I was so thankful that I put on sun screen that morning.


I bought a Passion Tea Lemonade and a Mini Birthday Cake donut and sat down to work on some puzzles I had brought with me. I over packed a bit for an overnight trip, but it turns out, I actually benefited from having activities with me. :D


Jessie and Kristina arrived about 5-10 minutes after I had sat down. After a bathroom break, and Kristina bought a drink, we were off again. It was a nice ride to Prosser with some good conversation. By the time the three of us arrived in Prosser, it was nearly 4 pm. Most of the wineries close at 5pm. We went to one, the girls tasted some wine, then went to find a place where we could buy a glass of wine (or soda) and sit and sip. We found one, and did so. I was disappointed in my choice: a Dry Vanilla bean soda. It tasted like watered down cream soda. Thankfully, I had a single serving package of crystal light in my purse. I added a little bit of it, and it was drinkable after that.


We shared dinner with Jessie's husband at the local Mexican restaurant, and it was very good. Later that evening we walked to get some soft serve at the local ice cream place in town. It was warm out and pleasant to walk.


The next day the girls and I went into Kennewick to do some shopping, searching and ate lunch at Red Robin. This is where we parted ways. Kristina had to get back to Portland. Jess and I went to Costco, and then to our home. (Which I began calling it, since it seemed I might be there for an extended period of time. I told them that come December, they might want to get rid of me.) ;)


Once home, I took a nap, and Jess got in some much needed studying. After I woke up my mom called to let me know she was staying in Moses Lake overnight. She had been to a wedding on Saturday and to make the drive easier, she wanted to spend the night in Moses Lake, then drive home on Monday. I thought we would meet in Ellensburg, but after thinking about it, I realized that my mom would have to wait for me in Ellensburg with my two nephews, because Jess had class until 1100, so at the earliest, we would leave at 1130 or so. Jess was so kind to drive me up to a half-way point between the tri-cities and Moses Lake. My mom and nephews met us there. It worked out well. I am so grateful that my friend was willing to drive me all over the country side in a couple days.


Turns out, the heat shield in my car was getting too hot, and began to burn/smoke. The mechanic also noted that the oil was empty as well, so he had to add a little oil to the car. They bent back the heat shield so that it wouldn't get too close to the engine, and that was it.


My mom followed me home, and all went well.


It definitely could have been worse. :D

Back to life

Back to reality.

On Wednesday, bright and early, Jamaal and I left for Vegas. We had a nice relaxing time. We didn't do a ton of crazy shenanigans. We were pretty tame, as far as Vegas goes. But we did enjoy ourselves. This was our way of celebrating our 1 year anniversary of marriage (5 years total) a little early.

We walked a ton. One day, we took the tram down to the far end of the strip to go to the Stratosphere. It was ridiculously expensive to go to the top, and pricey to ride the rides. (which I didn't want to ride anyway). So we just looked around and left.

We ended up walking the entire way back to our hotel, stopping a few times on the way to check out some of the hotels.

Most nights we were back to our room by 2100, but always no later than 2230. We didn't go right to sleep, but just lazed about in our plush hotel suite.

We stayed in a corner suite in the Aria hotel. It is a new hotel, that I think opened in January of this year (but maybe opened at the end of '09). One of my favorite parts was the lobby smelt so wonderful, like vanilla and cinnamon and something else. It was like a beautiful cologne that would work for both sexes. At times it smelt very masculine, and other times it smelt feminine. At any rate, it made me forget about the cigarette and cigar smoke that lurked behind random corners.

We visited most of the hotels on the strip and did a few of the attractions. We spent most of our money on food, which was very expensive. It reiterated the fact that eating out costs a lot of money.

Friday evening, we went and saw Hot Tub Time-Machine in a theater on the strip, and had a good time there. A friend who lives in Vegas said that we were the first people she knew to go see a movie in Vegas. Oh well...she also didn't know where the theater was. (And since there were 5 others in the theater with us, we think no one else knows where the theater is either.) Ha!

To look at some of the few photos we took, check out my web album below...I'm going to try to use Picasa a little more to see if I like it...

Vegas

Day 31.

I have to admit, I wasn't testing with my ovulation strips most of this cycle. But I figured, since last cycle, I didn't ovulate until day 40/41, that I'll be okay. I still stand by that thought.

On Saturday, Day 29, I woke up nauseated, I was sooo ready to call in sick, because I was sure that I was going to puke. But since I'm working with a student at work, and Saturday was her second day, I decided to grin and bear it.

While my LH test strips continue to be negative, I am noticing increased "wetness." I'm thinking that ovulation day will be coming soon.

:D

Jamaal and I will be going to Vegas soon, and after we booked our flight, I told Jamaal that it would be condoms from here on out, until at the very least, we get to Vegas. I want to be able to have a couple drinks while I'm there, and if I were pregnant, I wouldn't drink (or would feel incredibly guilty) the entire time.

Also, I would prefer my future child to have a birthday anytime between January and October, but not around Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years. And that means conception should be after April 20th (with a due date of January 6th).

The house, the present and the future

Well not much has really been going on around here.

We have stuck with the house that is located in Auburn, but the inspector found an issue with the drain pipe coming from the washer output. (After plumbers came out to look at it, they estimated it would cost $1200-2000 to fix, which is way more than Jamaal and I will have in quite some time.) So Jamaal and I decided to change out loan to an FHA streamline which basically means that we have $10,000 to spend on updates right away. The only issue with this type of loan is that it takes a really long time to have contractors approved by the people in charge. But Home Depot came out with a program specifically for this type of loan; it's brilliant on their part because we have to use home depot product and so far the people have shown to be nothing but helpful. Home Depot actually uses contractors, which is great for the contractors to get some business, and they too have been great.

We will end up with a new fridge, a front-loading washer and dryer, brand new and good quality carpet throughout, a new gutter on the side, and insulation under the house.

It turns out that the inspector didn't go far enough under the house to see that the washer output was connected properly to sewer after all. So the whole reason for us getting this type of loan is kind of gone...however we will appreciate new carpet and that too would take us a while to afford.

So because we changed the loan type, our lender requires more time to get everything in order, which means that instead of closing on September 11th, we'll close on September 30th. The only thing that stinks about this is that I had requested a week off after the Sept. 11th closing, but now I don't want to waste that vacation, and will request a week off the second week in October. Which may or may not be handy...I know that I'm going to be crazy when we move....because September 30th is a Wednesday and Jamaal doesn't think he can get the day off, so that leaves me in charge of everything. Which, hopefully will already be packed up by then. It doesn't help that I'm on night shift and therefore my schedule is all over the place. I sleep way more than normal, so hopefully I'll be able to pull myself out of bed. ;)

On a different note, I tried to post pictures of my nephew from so long ago today, but I'm having a hard time loading the pictures....when Jamaal gets home I'll have him help me.

I've been having a lot of pregnancy dreams lately. Last night I had a dream I looked in my purse and there were like 7 months worth of birth control pill packs in there, only they were mostly empty, except for one or two pills that I had obviously forgotten to take. And it was at that moment that I realized I was pregnant. (In my dream of course.) But in real life, I'm working nights and I actually have forgotten to take my pill, two nights in a row this last month actually. The worst part is that I didn't even realize it, I mean I looked at my pack it was Friday and there were still pills for Wednesday and Thursday in there. And I actually couldn't remember not taking them. I thought I had...

While I know I would miss some things about being a young married couple, without kids, I am really starting to dream about having kids of our own. I keep talking about it with Jamaal in hopes of getting him to the same place I am. Asking him questions like: "Do you have any ideas for baby names?" (he doesn't, at least that is what he says now) "Does the fact that very few of your friends are even close to having kids, make you want to wait to have kids?" (no, he says, that's not a factor) And that's a good thing, because if we had to wait until his friends (who at this time are not dating someone steady) were thinking of having kids, we'd be quite a bit older than I'd like to be. And finally the all important question: "Do you want to have kids?" (yes, he does!)

When? he doesn't know. I think that he would like to go to Europe first. We both have family there, and if we planned it right, we could stay with family in Ireland, and in Denmark to save money. He definitely wants to go to Germany to the Audi manufacturer and look at the gorgeous Audis. So we'd have to stay in a hotel in Germany for a couple nights at least. And then we could rent a car and drive to Denmark to visit with my family. We'd have to fly from Ireland to Germany or I guess we could start in Denmark, and then go to Germany and possibly other European countries, then fly to Ireland on our way back home, and stay there a few nights with his family....

Haha what a dream....

The Honeymoon!

Jamaal and I had a really good time on our honeymoon. We were gone a total of 8 nights, which was the perfect vacation. We felt like we were gone for a month! (but it did not feel like it was dragging on and on...).

We started out at a Best Western, across the street from Disneyland. It was just a short walk from our hotel to both parks, Disneyland and California Adventure. We spent 4 days in Disneyland starting the afternoon we arrived; since we had so much time for the parks, we took our time seeing everything. We had a good time on the rides, and spent lots of money on food in Disneyland. :D

Here we are waiting in line for Space Mountain. Jamaal's first time on it.

Here is an action shot of us on the Matterhorn.

I really wanted to go to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. but since Jamaal isn't a big fan of seafood or fish, I figured we wouldn't go there. Jamaal surprised me and said we should go there because he knew I wanted to try it. We were both happy we did, because we really enjoyed the food, drinks, and even the wait staff! It was a fun experience. (And the food was amazing!) It was funny because I ordered "Bucket of boat trash" which came with shrimp, fish, and lobster claw. Well later on in the trip, Jamaal and I went to an aquarium, and there was a really huge lobster there. I said that I had eaten some of its friends, (and that I didn't like it), and Jamaal said that I hadn't. He ensured me it was crab that I had eaten. "Lobsters don't have claws, look at it," and he pointed at the huge specimen of lobster. I was pretty sure I was right, but he wore me down. Later on, we ran into another Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and the menu was posted outside. I had to check, and sure enough I was right it was Lobster Claw! I definitely rubbed that one in his face...haha.

Here he is with his special drink! Mine had blueberries in it. It was heavenly!

In the California Adventure they are coming out with a Little Mermaid ride, which I am so jealous of...I guess that means we will have to go back for that ride!!

At the ESPN Zone, Jamaal ordered a "Wipeout" inspired drink. It came with a lite up ice cube. (Which is the reason he ordered it...) But it had like Tequila and some spice in it, so that it had the worst aftertaste ever. He barely drank it.

After trying his drink...grooooosssss. :D But the food was really good.

Waiting in line for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. It's not that wild of a ride, just in case you weren't sure.

In the California Adventure they have a Bug's Life area, and I loved this bug. We look so similar don't we??? I loved the 3-D bug show, that they have. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it!

This picture we took while waiting for the fireworks. It was a very frustrating experience trying to see the fireworks, because there was no order. Jamaal and I wanted to watch the fireworks over the lake, not the ones over the castle, but they had some special thing going on where you needed a bracelet to watch them over the water. I don't know what the deal was. But, the coolest part was watching Tinkerbell fly over the castle!! And then later, seeing Dumbo fly!! It was soooo coool! I think it would be sooo much fun to be Tinkerbell!!

________________________________________

After 4 busy days in and around Disneyland, we were ready to move on. I have to say that Disneyland was really good birth control, because of the numbers of children. They were everywhere! Screaming, running, touching me while in line, it was really annoying!! Mostly it was annoying seeing the parents just stand and watch their children invade my personal space. During one line, there was a girl of about 7 or 8 years old, and she kept kicking me, scooting up close to me, and her father asked her to stop, but she just kept doing it. That is when you physically move your child a step back...
Jamaal and I also could not believe that parents would bring 2 month olds to the park. What is the point??? You can't go on any rides, the wee babe can't either. And here you've paid good money for your ticket, only to carry the child around....looking at stuff you can't do. To each his own...my children will not be going to Disneyland until about 7 or 8 or so. Unless they have displayed their maturity at an earlier age, and they are tall enough to go on everything. :D I think that's about 48 inches...

Friday morning, we checked out of our cheap Best Western hotel room, and drove about 30 minutes to Huntington Beach. After checking in, we walked a short distance down the beach. The weather was comfortable, but not very hot. This is the bridge we took from our hotel to the beach.

Jamaal was looking at places to go in and around Huntington Beach, and found an Aquarium in Long Beach about 15-20 minutes away. We decide to go one evening. We arrived there at 5:00pm, and according to Jamaal, they closed at 9:00pm. We went to the doors and were greeted by an Aquarium worker: "We will be closing at 6, but tickets are half off." We decided to still go, since it was half the price, and it wasn't that big of an aquarium. It was fun. My favorite fish is above. He was HUGE!!

The aquarium had tons of sights to see, we saw it all in 45 minutes.

This is us during the drive to the San Diego Zoo, which is an interesting story...

Jamaal looked up directions on his phone using the google maps application, and according to the phone it would take about 30-45 minutes. Well, about 30 minutes into the drive, I noticed a sign that said "San Diego--75 miles." I didn't say anything, because I had figured it would take longer than 30-45 minutes to drive there. Just a few minutes after that, however, Jamaal said that he had missed a turn. That is when I told him that I had seen a sign that said we still had a while to go. Jamaal pulled over, and did a little research on his phone, and realized that the previous location we had been going toward was an "unverified" location. We indeed had about 1.5 hours left on our journey. Before we left the hotel I had asked Jamaal when the Zoo closed: "9 pm." He replied. We finally made it to the zoo at 4:50pm. Can you guess when the zoo really closed?? Fortunately, not 5pm. But 6pm. We had only an hour to go through the entire San Diego Zoo!! Since it was such a long drive, we knew we were not going to come back again, so we decided to still buy tickets. Unfortunately, they did not discount with only an hour left. We had a good time in the zoo, there was so much to see. We definitely did not see it all in only an hour. Most of the animals were asleep for the night. And you should have seen the line to see the pandas!! It was longer than some of the lines at Disneyland!! (We were not that desperate to see a panda...)

In front of the Zoo!!

They had a ton of monkeys/gorillas/orangutans; here is me posing with one of the fake ones!

The view from our hotel room. We lounged at the pool one warm afternoon.

Here we are again in the car. This time I think on our way back to our hotel after going to Universal Studios. We really had a good time there. The rides were a lot of fun, and we really enjoyed the shows. We bought "front of the line" passes which meant that we never went into a line, we always went straight to the front. It was so fun!!

I didn't post any pictures, but we also went bowling before catching our plane home. We played 3 games, and I won 1 of them...and that was a really close game. In my defense, though, I was worried about breaking a nail!! :D It is pretty typical of him to win. We went and saw two movies during the first half: The Hangover and Land of the Lost. Both of them were enjoyable. The Hangover was hilarious. We really enjoyed it (and I did not want to see it, but did because I knew he wanted to see it).

Overall, it was a blast!! Maybe now I've learned to check when things open myself...I'm way too trusting! :D

Honeymoon here we come!

Jamaal and I decided that Disneyland would be a good honeymoon for us. We were debating on that vs. a cruise. (I also wanted to go some place tropical, but Jamaal isn't sure that he would enjoy that. Jamaal is someone who likes to do activities. He doesn't want to do nothing. I want to just lay on a beach and relax and talk, and drink...but that is not his idea of fun.) I think eventually he will want to do that with me, but he's not at that place right now.

So we were trying to figure out Disneyland vs. a cruise. Both options have a lot of activities to be done. And both can be about the same price. (Usually the cruise was a bit more expensive). The deciding factor was that we realized that on the cruise we would be paired with other couples at dinner. We would have to sit with random people, and actually talk with them...we did not want to be forced to be social....

Sounds terrible, but we aren't interested in being nice to other people and making friends on vacation...if it happens that's fine, but we don't want to be forced into that situation. So Jamaal and I decided we would go cruising with friends later on instead. We think it would be more fun that way.

Since we decided on Disneyland, we also decided that we wanted to stay someplace nice. But that meant that our 8-night trip became very very expensive very quickly. So I had an idea, we would stay at someplace cheap for 4 nights, right across the street from Disneyland, and then the last 4 nights we would stay at a nicer place right on the ocean. However travelocity was not allowing me to do this. It was very frustrating and annoying...and all of the decisions were very tough. SO I decided to speak with a travel agent. I went to DougFox in "the commons" and talked with a travel agent, and booked our honeymoon just like that. I was so relieved to get what I wanted...and now we have a vacation planned!! :D

Las Vegas Trip...etc...

January 23rd thru 26th, Jamaal and I went with his parents to Vegas. Jamaal's brother(L) will be graduating from UNLV this year, and played soccer on their team. (He's a very good soccer player, and will play professionally after graduating, either in the states or in Europe) They had a soccer banquet on the 24th, his last, so we made our way to Vegas for it. All in all, our trip was fun. The best part of it though was the room L got for us. He knows people at the Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa and Casino. So he got a deal on a Suite, only $100 per night, and let me tell you it was AMAZING!! Go check out their website: GreenValleyRanch. We stayed in a grand suite....

We settled in our room, and went down to the Casino to grab some food for Jamaal, and to check things out. When we came back these were waiting for us with a card that said "Congrats on your engagement!" It was so cool! :D

Me enjoying a strawberry. I used to think I did not like chocolate covered strawberries, but these made me change my mind. They were wonderful. I had 3 of them, and Jamaal said he didn't want any so I was ready to have the other 3. (He later changed his mind and I was crushed...but he also liked them)

These were in the minibar and were weight sensitive. The person at the front desk warned us about it. But I really wanted to know what was in "the petite intimacy lovekit--booty parlor".

These bottles were cute...

Jamaal comfy in bed...he would not wake up...

Me being a dork...

Jamaal and I...

The entryway bathroom...yes there was 1.5 bath...

The view from the door into our suite. The entryway bathroom was directly left from here.

The view from our room. The pool that you see here has sand in the shallow end...too cold to go swimming though...

The "living room" this view is from the bedroom entryway.

The master bath. The toilet had a door on it, and there are two sinks here...

The shower and the jetted tub. The shower had heated tiles on the bottom, and a tile "bench" that was great for shaving my legs!!

Our bedroom...there is a TV behind the white door you see here...

A random elephant sculpture in our "living room."

I wish I was back there!! :D

Summer fun

I just got back from Eastern WA yesterday for a family reunion. It was actually a lot of fun, I was kind of scared that Jamaal and I would be bored. But for the most part there was good conversation. Jamaal surprised me and was talkative with my family that I rarely get to see, so I guess he's finally getting comfortable with me. :D The reunion was held at my Aunt's house in Loon Lake (just north of Spokane). Her yard is pure dust, with some sparse weeds and pokey plants. And really close to her house there was a smattering of grass. So my dogs, and my feet were filthy after a couple minutes.

It was hot, and after a couple days camping out I was miserable. I was sweaty, dusty, and HOTTT! So I decided to go for a swim in my Aunt's pool. It's a 4-foot-ish above ground pool, so it's perfect for floating and a small swim. The water was freezing at first but felt oh so good. My mom and two of my aunt's went in together, and tried to get some of the guys to make us a couple margaritas, but they wouldn't. Jamaal bucked up and gave beers to my mom and one of my aunt's, but that was all he would do. (My other aunt and I do not drink beer, so we were out of luck)

We were chased out of the pool by the little kids. They wanted to splash, and we wanted to float. I went back in later, got splashed in the face and ear by one of my bratty cousins, so I got out again. It took a couple hours for the water to come out of my ear.

There was some family drama, but for the most part it was a good time. Some of the family just wouldn't survive without drama.

Tomorrow I go back to work, I have 4 twelve hour shifts to look forward to. :(

That is the price I pay for lots of time off this month.

Camping

This past weekend I went camping with my boyfriend and his best friends (and I consider them my good friends too). It was quite fun. We had some good drinks, good food, and some good conversation. And we created halo frisbee (well the guys created it) and had a blast playing it. We were out of breath after about 15minutes of playing it, and only lasted 30 minutes.

We arrived on friday and it was rather late because of traffic. But we all started drinking right away and began reminiscing. Well the boys decided to talk about high school and the way Jamaal tried to date me and how I completely would not consider it. (And I always am made out to be the bad guy) Anyway the conversation quickly turned loud, and while Bret was comparing the way I treated to Jamaal in high school to someone shoving a broken baseball bat up someone's butt, the rest of us noticed a flashlight coming straight for our camp. All of us knew that it was probably a good time for Bret to shut up, but we didn't stop him. It was the park ranger. Now...on the picnic table in our camp there was 2 gallons of rum (one almost gone) 3 half gallons of vodka, 2 half gallons of flavored rum, and more in the coolers. We got chewed out for being too loud. It was 10:20, and the quiet hours were at 10:00. And our conversation wasn't "family friendly." We all got carded, and told to keep it down. After that we were all scared of being too noisy. (especially me, because I'm paranoid.)

It was a good weekend. Some exciting firsts and adventures galore.

Keep an eye out for some camping recipes in On The Menu.

Happy 4th everyone! and more...

Oh! I keep forgetting to post this...

So this morning I woke up to thunder, lightning, and pouring down rain! Woot! Some of my prayers have been answered! ;) Now just let it rain tomorrow as well...at least now most everything is "damp" so less easy to light on fire.

My 4th of July will be filled with excitement. While every one else I know will be enjoying the lovely 3-day weekend. I will be enjoying the 3-days of working I have ahead of me. Two 12-hour shifts and then an 8 hour shift. What is glorious is that I have three 8-hour shifts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then I am off for 4 days, and will be going to Seaside, OR with my girlfriends from high school. One of whom is pregnant and needs to get out of the house, and who may be car sick, but it is worth it because this is the last time we will get together WITHOUT worrying about kids at home, or baby sitters etc. And it will be a fun joyous occasion had by all. AND she is a guaranteed DD, or DE (drunk escort, as the cost of gas is so high, we might as well walk) so us girls will be safe. And she might worry herself sick if she isn't there, because we could foreseeably get lost or burnt if left alone to make a bonfire while intoxicated! (She will probably read this, thus the reason for me blabbing on about it...) And I have thought of so many more reasons that I need to make a list of reasons why Kayleen should be there in Seaside:

1. No one is yet tied down by children, this is the last summer vaca before any babies. (Dogs I guess don't count, but I do have to search for a puppy sitter...)
2. I was able to find a puppy sitter for the Seaside trip weekend, which might not happen again! (...I am most certainly not scrounging for reasons why Kayleen should be there)
3. She will probably be nauseous at home anyway.
4. She will be able to talk about Michael to her friends and brag and brag and brag all she wants without wasting cell phone minutes...5 people at once, think of all the time you'll save!
5. We would all say "it feels like someone is missing" during every picture taking moment. (even though we will probably say that either way)
6. Gas will probably cost $10/gallon in 2 years when the next reunion will be, so come now when gas is CHEAP!!
7. How else will we be expected to fight over which movie to rent?
8. She will probably be pregnant next time as well, so there is no "next time I'll go because I won't feel as nauseated," excuse.
9. When all the pictures are posted on myspace/facebook/blogspot she will be sad she isn't in any of them.
10. Next time we are together (either for a baby shower, or hmm perhaps Christmas party?) she will feel left out of some of our new inside jokes that were conceived at the Seaside Adventure.
11. She will miss out on all the sex advice given during the Seaside Extravaganza.
12. She will miss out on throwing up into sand, or ocean. (A seaside First!! and perhaps this pregnancies first! that's something to be blogged about!)
13. The married members of the group will be outnumbered by the not-married members of the group, and therefore might be trampled on. (Save them! Make it even! Make it fair!)
14. It will be the first time in a LOOONGG time when we all can talk, chat, and socialize because all of the recent encounters have been weddings/bridal showers where one person is kind of entertaining more than just the 5 others...
15. Perhaps the penis gummies that have been collecting dust in some well-hidden place will be consumed finally, in a non-judgemental place...because "there are no prudes here!"
16. Laughter promotes good health...and that will help her baby grow!
17. She will be on Aubri's good side, and thus more likely to get a really great baby gift. (remember Aubri just got a brand new embroidery/sewing machine and can produce many a great thing from that...)
18. I'm sure others in the group will be more generous as well when it comes time to hold showers for babies.
19. Michael will be able to finish his puzzle, and then will find something else to blog about. (hopefully I don't get some list about reasons why Aubri should shut up in his blog...because it's all in fun...I saw that picture related to Kristina's blog)
20. She can punch me in the face if she's offended by number 19. And I can't hit a pregnant girl so that's not fair!
21. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, so the mere 48 hours that she will be away from Michael will be fabulous for their new marriage!
22. Think of how great that "welcome back home, honey" kiss will be!!
23. Remember that girl who moved to Iowa...she'll be there too!
24. That girl from Iowa, spent a lot of money to fly here!
25. I made a list of reasons why she should come, and have therefore thought a lot about what I would miss if she wasn't there.
26. Most of all, Seaside just wouldn't be the same without her, and she would have a lot of fun if she went, and would kick herself for not going, so she should just do it!

Love you Kayleen! Other girls, feel free and comment in other reasons if you think of any...see you all in a little over a week!! :D