Nonsense by Mrs. Hartman

2012-01-18T12:58:00.012-05:00

I needs to blog.
I'm working on it.
As of today, I have a 10 month old.
I attempted to take photos last night, but she thinks it's a game when I tell her to stay. Apparently to her "stay" means "go" and she books it to the edge of the bed, or whatever she's on. It's super fun - but not last night. I was frustrated. But whatever right? She's cute...

Oh, and I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this - but she LOVES music & dances. I'm afraid to show this video because near the end Neil and I are (jokingly) yelling at each other about final Jeopardy...well, more like, he's yelling at the tv...and....you'll see if you watch it 'til the end...Video: Josephine Dancin'
Turn the volume up a bit so you can hear her toy.
You see she ignores our conversation & just keeps playing her music. Precious.
So, this will have to hold you folks over until I get the time to post about the holidays...

Back it up!

2012-01-13T10:43:00.010-05:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged about the holidays of 2011 yet. Since the iphone has been in my life, I never go online at home. So. Moving on...the holidays were AWESOME! As much as I wanted to be back in CA for the holidays, it was once again nice to be here in Erie where Neil's family is. They're always a good time. And believe me, I'm going to start my campaign on Thanksgiving or Christmas 2012 in CA soon...it takes awhile to convince my husband of a good idea....we'll see what happens...

This was the weekend of Thanksgiving. Decorating the house, and putting up Josephine's pink Christmas tree - my new favorite thing. I already can't wait to deck out her room next year. I have ideas. (Thank you pinterest).
Thanksgiving day we went to Aunt Ann & Uncle Fred's place...
Here is Jos & Grandma Cindy:

The next day, we went to an annual event here in Erie called "Festival of the Trees" where all local companies come together & each decorate a tree. I've gone every year that I've lived here & it's something I look forward to. It was really great this year because it was at one of the facilities I work at, at the Convention Center. We packed up the little one & headed over...the trees were beautiful.

Oh and in this little collage, is how I set up Josephine's room for Christmas...

Onto Christmas Eve...

We decided to spend the night at Cindy's Christmas Eve Eve night...we planned on being there Christmas Eve morning anyway, why not? Plus, we wanted to test the waters of Jos sleeping at grandma's. Here are a few pictures from our time there...

Just to let you know, she slept perfectly! Yay! I didn't hear a peep out of her. I, however, didn't get any sleep. We brought Cali with us, and she had anxiety or something all night. She was restless, which kept me up all night. I don't think I've ever had more coffee in my life, then I did that day...
We literally ate allllll day, and watched Christmas movies...it was wonderful.
The next morning we had Cindy come to our house for stockings & breakfast - a tradition that was always my favorite as a kid, and would love to start having in my home from now on....

Here is Josephine playing with her favorite toy from grandma Cindy:

The following weekend was New Years Eve and we had decided, along with Erin & Leroy, that we'll just hang out - keep it low key and hope we stay up 'til midnight. There was waaaay too much food, of course. It was a good time for sure. And we did it! We stayed up to ring in the new year, watching Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve - not that we knew who the performers were. Talk about feeling old. The good news? Josephine didn't cry ONCE while Leroy was here. For some reason she breaks out into tears when she sees him - but as you can see, she's over that....

Well. That sums it up! Nothing too crazy....
I got "The Help" for Christmas, and here's just a random picture of Josephine watching it along w/me. Her outfit is cute....

Guilt

2011-12-01T20:59:00.002-05:00

I've been working a lot these last few weeks, and I've been feeling extremely guilty about it. On top of working, there's my gym time that I squeeze in when I can. After a 12 hour day today, I drove home with a heavy heart.

I kept checking the time while at work, and as the clock struck 8:00 - Josephine's bedtime, I wanted to cry. Neil is usually the one that puts her to bed & gives her last bottle, but I didn't see her at all today. Except for the 1st hour & a half of her day this morning.

Is she aware I'm not around?

I went straight to her room & watched her sleep for a couple minutes. What I really wanted to do was pick her up & squeeze her!!!!

Fall

2011-11-22T21:28:00.005-05:00

Surprisingly enough we haven't had any serious snow yet, and it's almost December. I'm shocked! And we've had the most amazing Fall weather - absolutely perfect. I mean, take a look at these trees:

Jack-o-lanterns we made:

Obsessed with pinterest, where I learned to make this wreath:
(I did add a few flowers & such...didn't take a photo though - so strange. I ended up giving this one to my friend Autumn. Plan to make more!)

I have always wanted to be considered a "crafter" but never put my craftiness into action. Well, except for quilting. Thanks to my friend Virginia, I've been quilting for 10 years or so, and still love doing that. Since pinterest is in my life, I've taken action. It's so much fun. I want to refinish every furniture piece in my house, mod podge every photo, and basically - I want to just hang out at Hobby Lobby...
My next project, Christmas stockings. Oh! And head bands for Josephine...annnnd for myself. We'll see how all of that turns out. I have a really bad habit of rough draft projects. I learn to master something, and the 1st drafts end up in the trash. Don't judge. Slight case of OCD? It's very possible.

I have been aching for CA these last few months, and I came across this shirt at Old Navy:

This shirt is meant to be in my possession. I chose not to buy it though...we're trying to save all we can to actually visit my home state. So, I texted it to the husband in hopes it'll end up under the Christmas tree this year....?
We've had some lazy days around here. It must be the weather....

We find ourselves in the living room most nights, watching anything from the Wonder Years, to Sons of Anarchy, to Arrested Development...it's nice & cozy here in the Hartman house. On occasion we'll have a visitor. But it's mostly just us. We're happy with that. :)

Driving to my friend Autumn's house after work last week, and the sky looked like this:

I didn't edit this photo one bit. Seriously? How extraordinary is that?!!!
As of last Friday, we have an 8 month old in the house. She is so dang precious!!!!!!!!!! I'll sing to her (usually Adele), and it ain't pretty - let me tell you...but she'll just smile & sway side to side. Anytime the Wonder Years intro song comes on, she'll zone in on the tv, and smile - she loves that song. She also does this shy thing. When I tell her no, she hides her face in her arm. (Breaks my heart every single time.) When someone new talks to her, she'll go all shy as well - hiding her face either in my neck, or in her arm. It is seriously the cutest thing. Here are some recent photos of the munchkin:

8 months?!! It's already going by too fast. It shouldn't be a shock to everyone that I'm already thinking about what to do for her 1st birthday party. (I haven't even started on my Christmas cards yet. Goodness.)
Sorry this post was all over the place. I just reread it, and it really just jumps all over. Sorry!

7 months (oops, never posted this...)

2011-10-28T17:18:00.013-04:00

*I just went to post a new blog about our little girl being 8 months, and here this 7 month blog sat in list to edit - unposted. Whoops.

A lot has happened in the Hartman house these last few weeks. We have a mover on our hands. Her name is Josephine and she is FAST. And since she feels the need to eat, bite, lick everything she gets her hands on - we're on watch constantly. Which is not a problem. We enjoy playing on the floor with her, and watch her little body move all over the house. I've learned that if I set myself up in a certain spot on the floor, I can keep her in the living room. She's so sweet...she'll come over, play with and climb on mommy - then venture off to her toys and play. Then repeat. Not only is she crawling, she's pulling herself up to standing. There is so much joy in her face when she accomplishes this... She'll be walking before we know it. It is freaking Neil out. He basically refuses to allow her to grow up. And admitted yesterday that he'll be crying, along with me, when we send her off to school. I get choked up just thinking about it. Um. She's only 7 months old, and these are things we're already thinking about. It's sick really.

Some pictures:

*8 month blog coming up soon....

Harry Potter Corn Maze...

2011-10-10T11:11:00.007-04:00

...Neil had been talking about this corn maze he heard about for weeks, that's in Edinboro, and we decided that we'd go....as long as it was during the day.
(Okay, let's be honest - I don't like this time of year. Well, I love the Fall weather, leaves changing, pumpkin patches, the smell in the air....what I don't like? Halloween. Scary movies. Anything creepy.)
Anyways. We went. During the day. We did find out hours before we left that it was Harry Potter themed. We almost didn't go. We both don't care for Harry Potter. But since the weather was absolutely beautiful outside, how could we not go? It turned out to be extremely fun! There were 16 mailboxes hidden in there, inside were stickers w/the characters' name on them - and the goal was to collect all 16. Neil's mom Cindy had gone the day before, and found 8. So, we set a goal to at least find 9. Sooo we're competitive...don't judge. We hunted and conquered and ended up finding all 16! Josephine just hung out in the bjorn, and even though she didn't say it - she seemed to have had a good time :)

The entrance (and exit).....and inside the maze...

Finding a mailbox.....falling behind for a photo....

Pretty trees....second-to-the-last mailbox we found....

As you can see in the above left photo, Neil took over wearing the bjorn...
She fell asleep...

Precious.
An aerial view of the maze:

Can you see it?

Munchkin had a bath later that night:

Love her.

Brooke

2011-10-10T09:53:00.005-04:00

Brooke came to visit!!!!!!!!!
First, let's discuss the day of pick up. Autumn came w/me to Cleveland and we literally spent ALL day shopping. All. Day. We ate at Cheesecake Factory, which turned out to be a mistake. We ate way too much and spent way too much. It was a good time in the end - of course. I love time spent with Autumn. :)
Well. Brooke ended up missing her flight - not her fault...some sort of mix up w/the terminal... anyways, she didn't get in until 9:30pm. Autumn & I got to the airport about an hour early. Why? Um, because we were exhausted from shopping and we really couldn't spend one more dollar... and we people watched at the airport - that's always fun. There are the strangest people at airports.
Brooke shows up! Yay! We get her bags, get to the car and make our way to Melt. Melt. Yummy Melt. The kitchen closed at 11pm, and we got there at 10:30. So we rushed to place our order. Since the bar didn't close 'til 2am, we were able to just hang out & eat & catch up. Such a good time.
The rest of the weekend was so much fun! Brooke got to meet Josephine, and spend time with her. We had girls night Friday night over at Autumn's. Even though there were some last minute no-shows, it was a great night all around. Girl talk, coffee, snacks. I meant to take pictures of this night, but all I got were pictures of the decorations (photos below). Nice, right?
What wasn't fun? The rain. The non-stop rain. Brooke loved it, but I was getting extremely frustrated. It was perfect Fall weather before she came, and then the day of her arrival - up until she left Monday - cloudy skies & rain. Annoying.
Sunday we headed north, crossed the border to the Canadian side of the Falls. Regardless of the gloom, we had such a great time. Brooke was cold. I, surprisingly, was not.
Pictures from the weekend w/Brooke:

The decor from the Fall party:

Just parked, and we eventually rode this ferris wheel:

Walking to the Falls:

The Falls:

6 month check-up.

2011-09-19T18:08:00.003-04:00

When I arrived at Josephine's 6 month appointment at 8:25 (my appt time was 8:15) - I was accepting the fact my day was going to be bit off. I don't do late. Well...45 minutes of waiting in the lobby didn't help the situation, just got me more irritated. That wasn't the first time in this office, and guaranteed it won't be the last - but I love Dr. Fadrigo, so I put up with it. We meet w/the nurse first, she weighs Jos - 15.2 lbs...gaining 2 lbs. in 2 months. Doesn't seem like a lot, but she doesn't seem concerned. The nurse leaves, stating the doc will be right in...
I take this time to shoot pictures of her, because she looks so dang cute:

When the doc finally comes in, Jos is on the table, in her I'm-about-to-crawl position, and a "whooooaaaa" comes out of the doctor's mouth. She asks "how long has she been doing that?"
Dr. Fadrigo checks out Jos, and says she's doing really well. Yay! She's in the 30th percentile in weight, and advanced in her strength...saying "I bet she'll walk by 9 months." All that means to me is trouble, trouble, trouble. I already see signs of speed, urgency and determination. I'm pretty sure we'll be chasing her all over this place.
The appointment runs well past 10:00am, and that means well past Josephine's first nap of the day. Great. She starts to show her crankiness, when the nurse comes in w/3 needles. THREE!!!! Good grief. The nurse does her thing, 1,2,3, all while Jos is looking at me w/this terrible look in her eyes like why are you doing this to me? Kills. Me. She cries, I choke up. I pick her up immediately and squeeze her and love on her. I get her dressed, and we're out the door w/7 canisters of Enfamil formula - talk about spoiled!
My day was non-stop since...
Met w/Autumn to discuss a Fall party her & I are having when my friend Brooke comes into town (next week! Eeek!). And I introduced her to pinterest.com - which is actually super new to me, but we were ooooing and awwwwing at Fall decor and foods.
I made my way to Wegmans, purchased some fruits to puree up for Josephine, and got all the makings of 3 days worth of lunches for me...
Came home.
Had about 20 minutes of down time, where I watched some tv.
Fed Josephine.
Started laundry.
Made pears and peaches for Josephine.
Discovered I need veggies for her - and don't have any in the house...great. We all know I need to get her on veggies PRONTO!
Neil came home.
Neil hunted for Baby Wise on amazon.com for purchase. (We want to change up Jos's schedule, now that she's getting older and eating more solids - so want a bit of help w/that.)
Decided to just upload it onto my Kindle.
Then I hear "Um Dawna, I broke your case." Ugh. Monster!
(He was looking for the kindle's serial number - dont know why! He just needs to log onto my account. Goodness!)
He is such a monster w/stuff. If something doesn't give way, he pushes or pulls - forcing it, and it always breaks. Always.
I immediately call Amazon. My case is pretty amazing...it has a light that pulls out of the corner, which is wonderful for night time reading. (My kindle hooks up to the case, and the power from the kindle is what lights up the case - Neil pulled on the kindle to release it from the case, and snap, the metal hinge broke off...light doesn't work.) So. Amazon. Originally, I got my case through a promotion they were doing months back - and I was sort of hoping I could get the same deal - I mean, it was 50% off the price of $60. Did NOT expect this, just hoping. The customer service agent explained they didn't have any kindle case promotions at the moment, but basically said that since I'm such a good customer, having purchased a lot of ebooks recently, she will go ahead and credit my account $25, to go towards a new case. AMAZING! I love Amazon.

As I'm finishing this off, Neil is playing his guitar to Jos - see:

Precious.

6 Months

2011-09-17T20:45:00.006-04:00

Wow.
Josephine will be 6 months old tomorrow. Where has the time gone? Last night, Neil and I were looking through photos to upload onto Cindy's birthday present of a digital frame (yeah, we were late on her gift...not happy about this lateness streak i've been on...and the month started out so well...) and we were just in disbelief that this much time has gone by. And yes, like everyone said, it has gotten better - and continues to get better each and every day.
She is one active little munchkin. Even in her small stature, she's a pistol. And once she starts to actually move - we're all in trouble. Comparing her height w/other babies - she's petite. (She was wearing size 3 month pants today, for example) It does run in both families. Not that you can tell these days, but I was once and always had been quite small. I remained under 5 feet tall until about high school...and even then, didn't surpass 110 lbs until I join competitive sports where I gained muscle. It wasn't until I got married that all the weight gain happened...but that's been in past posts, and we're not discussing that ridiculous issue right now. We're on Josephine talk....
She's been on cereal for awhile now, and eats wonderfully - shouldn't surprise anyone...
We did start her on apples a week ago. Which I made myself, thank you very much! But by the end of this week, she has broken out in a nasty rash on her bottoms - this is no bueno...especially during a diaper change. So, we continued on cereal, but stopped the apples - at least until we talk to her pediatrician, which she's scheduled for her 6 month check up on Monday. Good timing! It hurts every ounce of me when she starts to cry from the pain...(ugh, and I just felt them again as I typed that, thinking back on today - poor baby!) We stocked up on creams and lathered that cute tooshy all up! Hopefully by morning it will have subsided.
She is almost crawling. She gets on all fours:
See...

And shifts front to back, huffs and puffs - it's the cutest thing. Even when she loses control and goes splat, head first into the floor - she doesn't cry, she scrunches back together, butt in the air, and gets right back up. She does this caterpillar shift thing to get to where she wants to go. It's hilarious.

And she's sitting by herself (sort of...she falls over after awhile)

Cindy has been dying to buy her a walker. Now....we've read all the dangers, and are aware that she needs to be monitored at all times when in one...but we all know she's going to have a blast in that thing bolting from one end of the kitchen, to the other. I'm pretty sure we're going to regret this decision when are ankles are black & blue and scraped up....we just couldn't help ourselves. I had one as a baby, and so did Neil. And when my mother babysat, all the babies she watched were always rolling around the kitchen in one. She can't quite touch the floor yet, but take a look at this cuteness:

(In the background, you can see our gift to Cindy - it's a photo of us in San Diego on our 3rd anniversary.)

These last 6 months have been amazing. She is SO FUN!

Catchin' Up

2011-09-02T14:41:00.011-04:00

August was a busy month! With family coming into town, weddings, a birthday party, festivals, extra hours at work...it was a good month - that's for sure. The month started off with the Kalvelage wedding, which I posted about already. A week later our friend Erin threw a surprise party for her husband Leroy. That was a good time! Neil was in charge of keeping Leroy busy all day and I went to the house to help set up. Josephine was totally content just playing w/her toys:

Didn't get any pictures of Leroy & the surprise because I was in charge of the video camera. And then just forgot all about it for the rest of the party....
A couple days later Grandma Campbell came in from Florida...Josephine's only great-grandparent. Neil's brother Nathan and his wife Linda came in a couple days after that. Having them all here was so amazing. Cindy hosted a dinner that same week...boy did she out do herself. No surprise though. Hartman Style. Even with the 13 in attendance, there were so many leftovers, we have dinner prepped and frozen for about 5 nights. Ridiculous.
I took some pictures:

4 Generations

Uncle Nathan

(None with Aunt Linda. How is that possible? So upset right now. Just noticed this!!!!)
The weekend they were in town, it was the weekend of Celebrate Erie, or as everyone who has lived here longer then 15 years or so, call it Erie Days...we've gone every summer since we moved to Erie, and it's always an interesting time. It's a good time, don't get me wrong...but always interesting. People watching, yummy fair foods, seeing friends...we look forward to it :) This year, we made our way downtown two nights in a row. Didn't see that coming! With family going one night, and then other family members going the next...we couldn't not go. The only picture I got of the festivities? The chalk drawing our friend Joel did:

14, my favorite number! And the drawing - awesome as always. Why I didn't aim the camera towards me, and my munchkin is so strange. She was such a trooper! Both nights, just hangin' out in the bjorn w/mommy. At one point, she even fell asleep in it. Precious. And also impressive because it was LOUD. It was a great couple of nights, running into friends - like Mr & Mrs. Q., always a pleasure to see them! It was their first time seeing Jos, so it was nice we were able to see them & spend time w/them.
We had such a good time w/Nate and Linda, we were so sad to see them leave. We did so much with them. Ate a LOT - I can't even admit to what we ate....ugh....
We've had some cooler nights these last couple of weeks (minus the last few days) - I was excited to put Josephine in some super cute pajamas. For example:

Last weekend started off with Joel Quiggle's Art Show, which was so great! We left baby Jos with Grandma, and spent a couple hours hanging out w/friends and seeing ridiculous good art. All done by Joel. Along w/his older brother Davey, these guys never disappoint.
The following morning, I went to a huge Indoor Yard Sale that my boss told me about. Whether I buy anything or not, I love going to these things. It's nice to get out of the house, and the chance of good finds for my house is always an added bonus. I brought Jos w/me, and she was amazing. I originally was just going to head to this sale by myself, but when I mentioned it to my friends Taiya and Carly, they were in. Since the warehouse was near where they live, I picked them up and we headed over. I came out of there with a couple kitchen items, and a pretty great chair...that Neil dislikes, but I don't care. He says that about every item I come home with. What does he know, right?
That same Saturday, we attended our friends Selena and Tony's wedding that was actually held at Saint George's Catholic church - where Neil went to grade school, so that was fun for me to check out. This church was breathtaking on the inside w/all the stained glass.

Neil and Josephine

This past weekend consisted of a lot of hanging out w/good friends....
Sean came over on Friday, and we talked and hung out all day. I loved that. It's been awhile since we've had good quality hang out time w/this man. He's had a busy summer! I left at one point to return a redbox movie, and came home to this:

Apparently he had her laughing while I was gone. Can't believe I missed that! Which then leads me to say, my daughter is pretty stinking amazing. She is always smiling and having a good time. Unless Leroy is around. For some reason, she cries when she sees him. So sad.

Well...The next morning, I had made plans to hang out with Autumn. I was there for hours and hours...which is always so awesome. We don't even do anything. I just go to her house, bring Josephine...we drink coffee, eat and chit-chat. I just love that. We've also been spending a lot of time with the Hamps, and that night, we had them over for dinner. With their new addition on its way, it's fun being able to pass on advice to them when asked. What I learned early on in my pregnancy was that everyone and anyone is going to give you advice, whether you ask for it or not. So I've learned to give advice, when asked.
The month of August just flew by...Constant on the go, and extra hours/days at work - I'm exhausted. Which is why I'm spending Labor Day at home, with zero plans - except to make burgers for us to enjoy :)

(Just had to make phone call to the Erie Police Department because a cat and her kittens have been discovered under our shed we don't use out back. Of course, the Animal Dept. wasn't open today, due to Labor Day. Annnnnd...it makes sense why Cali constantly wants to go outside.)

Kalvelage wedding

2011-08-07T22:55:00.013-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated our friends Bryan and Christina. It was such a beautiful and fun weekend. Neil has been blessed to have Bryan as a friend since very early on in his life. Not many can say they've been friends with someone for over 25 years. Growing up, I was barely friends with someone for 25 minutes I moved around so much. I am always astonished when I hear about friendships lasting so long. I love it.
Friday night was the rehearsal, and dinner:

Neil, Trevor and Lucas

Bryan and Neil

Bryan and Christina

After the rehearsal, we headed over to Bryan's grandparents' place where it was set up beautifully for a nice dinner. It was a great time spent reconnecting with family and friends we haven't seen in awhile. Christina is such a great addition to the Kalvelage family. Neil and I both just adore her entire family. Neil ended up staying the night over at Bryans. What was going to be an all nighter of boys playing video games, turned into a little bit of game playing - and then off to bed. Proof that these boys are getting old...

The next day was the BIG day! It was a hot/humid day. All it took was me going from the house to the car, carrying Jos - and I was sweating. Bleh. Thank God for air conditioning! I picked up Cindy, and we made our way to Grace Church. Found Neil. Took this picture:

While we waited for the ceremony to start, had to keep Josephine entertained:

Ceremony:

After the ceremony, we had some time inbetween so I went home & put Jos down for a nap and got her fed. Cindy then came to my house - and we headed over to Zem Zem, a shriner's club where the reception was being held. I was really looking forward to having Josephine meet and spend time with family/friends - but she had other plans. Well...actually....this didn't surprise me. If I'm an eye shot of her, she gets upset that I'm not the one holding her - no matter where we are. Unless of course the one holding her is Daddy or Grandma. She will first give me this look like "am I okay?" and then that'll lead to "why would you do this to me? do you not love me?" kind of look. Then the tears will come. And it's not fake tears. It's serious. It actually got to the point that Grandma couldn't even hold her. I had to be the one. Trying to eat/drink with those crazy uncontrolled hands reaching - not so fun. I was sitting at Christina's family's table, and Cindy was at Bryan's...I cannot express how lovely these people are. They all offered to take Jos while I ate, deal w/the crying - and I did try it - but I didn't want to ruin everyone's time. Because when she cries - it's LOUD. Cindy ate, then like we planned - took Jos home & watched her the rest of the evening. Seriously. I have the BEST mother-in-law. Let me just say, my bicep was burning by the end of this day holding that 14 pounder. Neil and I got to dance and mingle. It was such a good time. Oh and when I say dance, I mean slow dance - and then the ladies (4 of us) danced when it was more fast tempo. It was such a great weekend!!!!! Neil and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it all....

4 Months

2011-08-01T13:16:00.004-04:00

After a bath...

Not too happy about this, but it is cute...(notice the index finger on her nose?)

Cereal messyness. It's unavoidable.

Content in her high chair, hanging with mommy, watching Veggie Tales...

Right now I hear her in her room, talking and playing - awake 30 minutes early from her nap. So, I have to make this quick. Some things we've learned this past month? Doesn't care to drink/eat her formula past 3ozs or so. Would rather talk/smile with whoever is feeding her. The rest of her feeding is always a battle. *Sigh*. Likes cereal. Hates cereal after about 5 minutes. Likes being read to some days. Hates being read to other days. Sucks her thumb when tired. Sucks her thumb when she's upset & does it to calm herself. Loves Cali & always tries to grab her face. Can roll from her back to her belly. Cannot roll from her belly to her back. Loves her owl "lovey". Loves her giraffe w/all the gadgets in place of limbs (see photo directly above). Is extremely happy to just be with either mommy or daddy. Likes watching daddy play video games (ugh). Smiles/laughs at Veggie Tales. Likes playing "under the sea" (floor play thing). Is very ticklish. As soon as I make eye contact with her, a smile just lights up across her face...that makes me melt. I love her more and more each day....

Seven

2011-07-24T09:29:00.003-04:00

7 years ago I married my best friend

In front of our bestest friends:

It's been an amazing 7 years....
A lot has happened.
Honeymooned in Mexico.
Lived in a pretty great apartment for a few years.
Moved to Erie, PA from Murrieta, CA.
Bought a house.
Had a baby.
My heart is full.

4th of July weekend

2011-07-05T13:02:00.009-04:00

It was yet another glorious 4th of July weekend here in Erie. The weather was perfect both Sunday and Monday. Which was good because we had plans.
Saturday we just wanted out of the house, so we packed up the little munchkin and headed to the mall. It was waaay too humid out to really do anything else, and since thunderstorm like clouds were threatening, we went for the "indoor" activity. I really wanted to go to Presque Isle and walk for miles, but I was too nervous we would get rained on. Anyways. To the mall we went. Who was the absolute perfect 3 month old? And who was getting gawked at the entire time? Josephine. We attached her giraffe that makes 4 different types of noises, to the stroller and people were just drooling over the cutenss. I mean really, how can ya not? Seriously. Neil & I each got ourselves a pair of sunglasses and just walked every inch of the mall, minus going in the actual stores. Too dangerous. I have a tendancy to want to buy everything. By chance though, we walked into the Shoe Dept., and I came across super cute Converse:

Cute, right? I got such a good deal on these, even Neil said: "You can't pass that up." That never happens!Sunday we went to church, then eventually headed over to Neil's uncle's house. It was such a good time! They have a gigantic backyard, and there's always lots to do. When it came time to feed little Miss Josie, she wasn't havin' it. Too distracted. So Neil took over. He has more patience then I do with her dramatic temper tantrums. If you just fight through it, she'll eventually eat... Which is true. I just hate dealing w/it in front of others. Sure enough, she drank the entire bottle. Which then leads to a happy baby. Some pictures:

I would have a love/hate relationship with such a big backyard. They do such a good job maintaining it too. I just love spending time back there. And of course, there's always this type of picture to post....he's ridiculous...

Monday I spent the entire morning doing laundry...then we headed over to the Atzert house. Did I take any photos? Nope. Not happy about it either. It was such a great time, I'm beyond upset I didn't capture of it in photos. Oh well. I always feel at home at their parties. Especially in the summer, when everyone's skin is bare and tattoos are visible for all to see. I tend to feel like a freak everywhere else I go here in Erie. It's becoming more and more common for people to be tattooed up - but not so much for the ladies. Autumn made a comment like "I wonder what the neighbors must think looking over here". Now, this is Autumn's house & she's married to Ryan who is covered in tattoos...and she really doesn't care what the neighbors think. We had a good laugh about it, as we surveyed the yard. Not only do these guys have tattoos, they are covered. Neil calls Sean "the painted man" - it's hilarious. Josephine was sooo good too! I love it. She was smiling at everyone. It was precious.

Happy 1st Father's Day

2011-06-18T20:09:00.004-04:00

Happy 1st Father's Day to Neil!!!
He is truly the best father.
His father would be proud.
His grandfather would be extremely proud.
I am so blessed, Josephine is blessed.
I have to be honest, when I was pregnant with Josephine, I was a bit nervous. Neil didn't seem to understand the pregnant-lady struggles. He definitely didn't know how to handle my emotional breakdowns. And those happened quite often. I just really didn't know what to expect once she came into the world. Especially not having an ounce of experience with babies... He really impressed me. He just jumped right into fatherhood. I don't even think I made a bottle in the 1st month of her existence. And with our washer & dryer down in the basement - Neil was on laundry duty for about 3 weeks. He hated it, but didn't complain.
As Josephine is getting older, and her personality is starting to come through - Neil is really enjoying this whole parenting thing. He loves making her laugh, and reading to her...it melts my heart to see them together.
What is so amazing? That I can leave for hours at a time and don't have to worry - at all! Since he's off for the summer, it's daddy-daughter time 3 days a week. This last week was his first week doing this...he looked a bit drained at the end of each day...and made a comment like: I really need to thank my mom...those are long days...Uh. Thanks babe...I took that as a compliment to me as well....
Happy Father's Day babe!!!!!! I love you.
This video is from day 2 of him being a daddy: Neil 03-20-11

She's 3 months old...

2011-06-18T16:40:00.006-04:00

Josephine Jimza Hartman
3 months old

We don't have any pictures of us as a family - how is that? I need to get on that....and pronto!

DownInTheDumps

2011-06-15T10:22:00.003-04:00

I took my usual Tuesday night weights class last night. I've been back at the gym, taking this class, along with one other for about 6 weeks now. I don't feel like I'm getting stronger. I didn't realize what great shape I was in before pregnancy - until now. I knew it would be hard, and continue to be hard - but man. I didn't think it'd be this hard. During the ab section of the class, I was having a heck of a time pulling off the moves. I eventually gave up, and just went back to the basic sit-up. My instructor made it a point to make a comment at the end of class that it takes a really long time to get back to doing such hard moves after a long break from doing it...especially after surgery. She had a c-section herself about 8 years ago, so she must feel my pain. Guaranteed she bounced back a lot faster - she's in incredible shape, and has been at it for like 15 years. But annnnywaaays.
I guess I thought it would easier to jump right back into it. Not to mention I'd like to get back to jogging. Pre-pregnancy, I was doing 3 miles and getting good at it. And it took me a long time to get to that point. I have to start all over again...Ugh.
I'm going to try things a little different this time around. I found this article online, and it provided a guide to follow. For example: Walk 5 mins., jog/run 1 minute - do this for 30 minutes. Once I can do that, walk 4 mins., jog/run 2 mins....and so forth... Seems pretty simple. Eventually I should be able to run the entire 30 minutes, and then progressively get faster. My ultimate goal is 3 miles in 30 minutes. I wonder if I can do this by the end of the year?
Another thing that has me downinthedumps: My mother hasn't met Josephine yet.
No comment on that really.
But you know, at the end of the day - God has blessed me with this amazing little family.
Look...I'm already feeling better. :) Josephine is SOOO fun these days. Talking and smiling. Neil sent me this picture at work today:

Seriously. I died. She looks so cute. And if someone can find me a hat that's infant size, and white - I would greatly appreciate it because this navy blue one isn't going to cut it. It doesn't match anything in her wardrobe! Goodness I love her!!! Wow. Feeling a lot better now.

phew!

2011-06-09T10:52:00.003-04:00

I made it through yet another cold winter here in Erie. Why am I blogging about this fact in June you ask? Well, it was literally cold a month ago. I was waiting for the consistency of warm days, and it's finally happened! Yippy! Of course now that the heat is here, I have something to complain about - the humidity. You have no idea what this does to my hair. Thankfully I have found a wonderful product that controls this frizz-chaos: Pureology Super Straight serum. It's amazing! The price? Not so much. I was hunting around on ebay looking for shoes, and I thought to hunt for this stuff...and look! There it was. After great communication with the seller, I found out she had only used it twice, and it didn't work for her - what?! I put a bid in, and WON!!! Yay. I got it for only $10. Okay, and another thing - unlike my husband, mr. i don't sweat, I sweat. With this humid/thick air, it's like no mercy. I have no escape. At least in CA, you can hide under a tree, and there's usually always a breeze.

Okay. Why am I complaining? This is stupid. There's no snow on the ground, and it's above 50 degrees. Shut.Up.

Jos is giggling. Good grief it's the cutest thing! And talking. When I read books to her, she talks back - I'm like, pay attention missy...she just comes back at me with a smile. Adorable.
And she's growing out of her clothes!!! Ahhhh, I need to do more shopping! She's fitting perfectly in 3 month sizes, and I'm pretty sure next week they won't fit. Well...3 month onesies & sleepers. Her 0-3 month pants still don't fit around her waist. It's hot, she doesn't need to be in pants - I know. She does have some adorable dresses that are so close to fitting her! Yay!
She's almost rolling over. She's kind of been at this stage for awhile, mainly because she likes to sleep on her side. It's so cute watching her get comfortable. When it's nap time, she always prefers her crib where she can talk to her friends that float above her in the mobile. Love her!

Tomorrow is Neil's last day of work for the summer. I'm bringing Josie in to show her off to his co-workers. Of course, Neil doesn't understand the chaos/infatuation of a new baby. When I brought this up to him, he was like "why?" I said, just inform the ladies in the office that I'm thinking about it, and you see their reaction. Of course, I was right. They are so excited. Us women and babies. Don't men understand?

Don't have any new pictures of Jos. I'll post them when I take more.
Next week the Q's are coming into town. I can't explain just how excited we are! Having good friends meet Jos is so fun. I can't wait.

Recap

2011-05-20T14:01:00.005-04:00

This is a recap of the last couple of weeks....
Our flower tree in the backyard had created quite a mess, but it looked awesome. Neil suggested we take some pictures with Josephine. Since I don't like to have my picture taken, he was the chosen one to sit w/her under the tree. Take a look:

Josephine also turned 2 months old this week. It has been sort of weird actually...like...she's our daughter. Ours. Whoa. I've dreamt of this moment, having a family. And it's here. Now. I'm living in my dream life NOW. I could not feel more blessed. Well...I guess, it could be better. For example. If I were living back in California where my closest friends live, and where my mother is. It makes me sad that some of the most important people in my life haven't even met her yet. Thankfully my sister Eva was able to come out...she is the only family member from my side that has met her. It's quite sad. Now, don't get me wrong...I have super close friends here in Erie. One in particular? My girl Autumn. I'd be lost without her. And Neil's family is undeniably the best family anyone could be married in to. We are beyond spoiled. You all know this. But my mom. My mom hasn't even held her first granddaughter yet. Ugh. I'm getting sad. Moving on...

At about 9am this morning I heard the mail being dropped in our mailbox. As I opened the door, expecting a chill to hit me, a warm breeze smacked me right in the face. Aaaaah. Warmth. I immediately started to calculate when I would be feeding Jos next, because right after that - in the stroller she will go and outside we will be. What else did I decide? To attach Cali to the stroller and have her join us. It was a challenge because she's a puller - but I did it! Our friend Joel down the street was out mowing his lawn, so we got to visit with him. I hated having to come back home! I wanted to walk for the rest of the day....

And look at this tree in our neighborhood....soooo pretty:

Oh and this is funny. I was trying to get Josephine to smile for the camera and this is picture one...then picture two....

haaaaahhaaa. Love her. She is so dramatic.
(That isn't genetic, is it?)

First Mother's Day

2011-05-09T15:16:00.006-04:00

My very first Mother's Day. It started early last week when I was presented with an unexpected gift from Neil. An Amazon Kindle. I've wanted one for a very long time. For the past few years, I've found a new love of reading so I was very, VERY excited to receive such an amazing gift such as this. I'm not a fast reader, and tend to go for the more obvious choices. Such as books-turned-into-movies...Nicolas Sparks...the Twilight Series...Little Women...Catcher in the Rye (which was a new read for me as of last year. I can't believe I had never read it before then) ...basically, easy reads. I like to mentally escape every once in awhile. And w/summer quickly approaching, I will invest most of my spare time to my favorite activity - sun bathing & reading.
Leading up to the weekend, Neil and I, with great relief have finally figured out the perfect combo that pleases our daughter when it comes to feeding time. She is one picky eater. Shocked? We're not. It has been extremely frustrating up until this point. I wonder if I was like this as a baby? We all know how ridiculous I am now. Well. Enfamil instant, ready-to-go formula + latex nipple + ventaire bottle = a happy, satisfied baby. Phew!
So, the weekend. We had weather in the 60s, sun was shining - so awesome. I would've like it more towards the 80s, but I refuse to complain. We spent as much time as we could outside. Erin and Leroy came over at one point on Saturday which was fun. It's always so nice to spend time with them. Some cute photos...

Neil and Josephine:

Do you notice the flowers blooming on the tree? Amazing. I love this tree. And Neil was showing Jos this random tulip that is growing in the middle of the yard. I keep trying to tell him to dig it up and move it, but he won't. He likes how random it is. He is so strange.

Now Mother's Day: Woke up and got my day started with coffee. Cindy was coming over and since the weather was so nice, we decided to grill. Neil got some last minute items at the store as I got the house cleaned and Josie fed, napped and dressed. It was such a great day, spending time with family. I really missed my mom of course, but I was able to talk to her a couple of times. (The 2nd time was after the Laker's game was over, and they were officially done for the season - she was actually in a good mood if you can believe it. Saying things like "...they deserved to lose..." and "I'm glad it's over with..." Ugh. What a frustrating & embarrassing series that was.) Annnyways...it was a very good day. It ended with Jacqui (Sean's g/f) coming over & watching the newest episode of Grey's Anatomy. And then a very cute moment that I caught of Josephine and her daddy:

How precious is that? Here are a couple other photos from the day:

Look how huge my head is compared to hers! haha
Oh, and take a look at this....

My sweet, wonderful, best-in-the-world mother in law - Cindy...with Cali. A pit bull. This woman was in tears when she heard we were even considering getting one. I love that she loves her. I feel truly blessed to have such a great family. Beyond blessed to have such amazing friends, near and far.

3 Years.

2011-05-05T07:59:00.003-04:00

3 years ago today I left my home state of CA. I still miss you California. My heart belongs there. I still don't feel at "home" here in Erie, PA. In the back of my mind, plans of moving back are still lingering. Who knows, God may lead us back. But for right now, I know this is where we belong. So much has happened since our arrival. House. New car. Baby.
Here are some "I'm sure you've seen these already" photos:

Last dinner w/some friends (gosh I'm tan here).

Packing up crew - minus the WOA guys...where are they?

The apt we called home

the car piled high w/misc. items

including my traveling companion for many years...Joe

Okay...so I'm missing the photos of us actually traveling the US, and then us arriving in Erie. Uh. Oh. Where could they be?! Frick. I'll post another blog about our arrival. Hopefully I didn't lose those! Being in Erie has been quite awesome actually...the 4 seasons, the friendships, the good eats, the easy living (financially)... I'm real happy to be here. Sometimes. Some days. But all in all, I love it here.

1 month

2011-04-18T11:38:00.005-04:00

My daughter is a month old.
I can't believe it.
It's been rough at times.
Calm at times.
But that's what comes with the territory, right?
We're still trying to figure her out.
Will we ever figure her out?
I'm thinking - no.
After 8 years together, my husband still can't figure me out...
We love her more than anything! <3
We were recently introduced to the book "Baby Wise".
I've only read half of it, but it seems quite simple.
Whether Josie will participate or not?
No idea.
But I'm looking forward to the sleep that comes along w/following the rules of this book.
Not that she's not a good sleeper, because she is, in 2-3 (sometimes 4-5) hour increments...
What have we discovered about our oh-so-sweet daughter?
Loves to eat.
Loves to eat so much that if we don't get her a bottle right away, a temper flares.
(We've determined she gets that from me)
Likes to sleep on her side...and is particularly picky about the softness of the blanket she is sleeping upon.... watching her snug herself into it, is quite precious.
Doesn't like a bath.
After the bath though, she smells so good...She is super squishy & I just want to squeeeeze her!
The first couple weeks of her life, she unfortunately got a real bad case of baby acne - oh and also....Thrush. Ugh. That threw a wrench into things.
Acne has disappeared, thank God. I can take pictures of her again...don't judge me.
Thrush is still there, but we got another type of antibiotics to hopefully fix it...

So. I started this post yesterday, in the middle of the day - in the middle of my 1st day of Baby Wise rules. Guess what? My daughter slept a solid sleep from 10:30pm until 5:15am. I did wake up at 4am to check to make sure the monitor was working... And Neil admitted to waking up every hour, on the hour to listen... Why I have just now been introduced to this method, is beyond me. However, I still need to finish reading the book.

Now, here are a couple of recent photos - I do need to take more, I know...but she is looking less like me, and more like Neil these days.
Daddy and Jos:

Cali and Jos:

I now need to wake my girl up for her scheduled feeding....

Miss Josephine J Hartman

2011-03-29T12:41:00.008-04:00

From the beginning...
I had an appointment on March 17th - St. Patty's day, to check on the baby, and see how much she had grown in a week. My doctor shared his concerns, after the sonogram, and suggested I get admitted that night. The plan, thin out my cervix overnight - and if my body participates, then start inducing in the morning. The accommodations were very nice, we had a great view of the lake, and we felt quite comfortable. At least I have some green on my gown, right?

The nurses prepared this bed for Neil - how nice is that?

Annnd the nurses suggested I order a lot of food before the kitchen closes at 10pm. I had to stop eating by midnight. So I did. The sandwich wasn't very good, but those cookies....yum. The cheesecake was a pressure order - the nurses basically made me order it. It was quite tasty.

I didn't get any sleep that night. Nurses and the on call doctor were in every hour on the hour. It wasn't fun. Neil however was snoring - apparently he was getting decent sleep. The fact they said, we'll wake you at 6am was hilarious. Did they think I would get any sleep? 6am could not come soon enough. They did more tests and informed me a doctor would be in by 7am to talk with me. Which doctor? They had no clue. Now, the office that I go through has 7 ob/gyns - isn't that nuts? And you just never know who's on call. The nurses don't even know. I was nervous. Mind you, I met all of them, and generally like them all...of course I would've liked my main doctor to walk in the room, but he was on call the day before. 7am rolls by, and walks in the newest member of Ob/Gyn Associates of Erie - Ms. Dr. Warner. I immediately thought of my friends Bryan and Christina who are expecting as well - she is their FAVORITE. After discussing my options w/her we decided to go ahead with a c-section - and within the hour, I was entering the operating room. Long story short, I'm a small person - small person + no dilation + big baby = complications. They were also nervous about her sugar levels - and didn't want to wait another day.
Neil - all prepped and ready to join me in the operating room:

While he was getting ready, a team of about 12 people were getting me ready. The job at hand? To numb me from my ribs to my toes. This was a challenge. I gave the anesthesiologists (yes, there were 2) a difficult time. I couldn't relax. The problem? The catheter. Yeeeouch. Just trying to sit up was super awkward and just down right painful. One of the anesthesiologists stood in front of me, practically hugging me, to get me to relax. Finally - a warm tingly feeling flowed down my legs. As soon as it happened, Dr. Warner's team went to work. It was like a blur. I do remember being very entertained by her team. Neil came in laughing at the fact I was super alert and joking around. I had a nurse right by my head giving me the play by play...and there were a few others I felt were in there, just to be in there. They were hilarious, and I enjoyed their company, that's for sure.
What I appreciated the most was how covered they kept me. There were sheets up everywhere. And whatever part of me wasn't being operated on, was covered with warm blankets. Neil didn't see anything he shouldn't - is what I'm saying. Within minutes Dr. Warner says "okay dad stand up!" Neil does. Then she says "okay dad, sit down." And then the cry. That wonderful cry. It had me in tears immediately. Dr. Warner then popped her head over the sheet and said "we made the right decision!" They put her on the scale, and the guesses began from everyone in the room. They were quite surprised that she only weighed 8lbs, 7ozs.. To me, she was tiny.
Neil went over and took some photos. Here's one:

She was extremely mad...
Neil brought her over to me, and I was surprised I could move my hands. I had heard that they tie your hands down...and have known women who have had their hands tied down during this operation. But mine were not. One of the anesthesiologists immediately took our camera and started taking photos.

I couldn't believe she was finally here...
At this point, we still didn't have a name for her. We shared what our ideas were to Dr. W, and she definitely gave her two cents...Josephine is my most favorite baby name ever! Throughout the surgery, she kept referring to her as Josephine. :) It helped us w/the decision...
They got me all wrapped up, and I was strolled down the hall to a pre-recovery area. We could hear a baby crying, and it was shocking how I just knew it was my daughter.

After little Miss and I got ourselves cleaned up, they shipped us up one more floor to our room for the next few days. Our stay at this hospital was amazing. We have zero complaints. The food was good. Accommodations were awesome. The staff went above and beyond to be there for us. This is a picture of Neil's bed:

This is Neil taking advantage of me out of bed....

Josephine and her mommy:

Isn't she squishy?
These are just the most recent photos I've taken of her:
All swaddled up... and then free of the swaddle...

Funny faces I caught...

And then precious...

She looks so different to me in the above photo. She is changing everyday.
We are learning more and more each day. What she likes (food), what she dislikes (diaper changes)...
We took some video footage of the weekend, which I really wanted to post on here - but they're not working :( Oh well...I'll try and figure it out.

Nursery

2011-03-11T15:38:00.005-05:00

When I found out we were having a girl, I was very excited to get started on the nursery. I'm not your typical girly-girl, and I knew I didn't want to deck out the nursery in over the top girly decor and pinks. I'm a jeans, tank, sandals kind of girl....ask anyone. I'll wear an occasional dress, but it's rare. Annnnyways. Enough about me.
My girlfriend Autumn was in the process of buying her daughter a toddler bed, so it worked out that I was able to buy Emma's crib off of them. We got such a good deal, how could I refuse? And it's white - perfect. From there, I was on the hunt for a dresser/changing table. I wanted vintage, and I needed it to be within our budget. I really didn't think that was possible. I started hunting in January w/zero luck. I was starting to think this just wasn't going to happen for me. I was accepting the fact that I was just going to have to find something and make it work. Ugh. It was getting really, really frustrating. It was the only piece of item I needed to feel complete. I know, how dramatic right? Well, last week I went to this children's consignment store to just look around and when I pulled up - I noticed there was this teeny tiny antique store right next door. The Blue Cupboard. My heart fluttered. The night before I said a little prayer dear Lord, if it's possible, I would like to find this dresser tomorrow. (Even though I had no plans to look. I'd already been everywhere I could think of...and was just hoping for pure randomness.) As soon as I walked in, I just knew what I was looking for was in this tiny shop. I immediately LOVED everything in there. Sure enough, I took 3 steps, and there it was. The owner was wonderful and very chit-chatty...we got to talking about what I was going to use it for. She was so excited and thought it'd be perfect. Of course, I did too. It's actually called a "buffet" and is a vintage piece - not sure how old, but it sure was sturdy. I've seen this exact style/piece online and in other stores in the area - but for a really high dollar amount. The orange tag hooked to it read 20% off. My question to Sandy was "20% off of what?" - as I felt myself melt into a depression. She says "It's 20% off of $249. I really just want it out of here, it's been here for awhile." Uh what?! I freaked. FREAKED. They even deliver for free. Who is this lady, and what store did I step into? With the room for the nursery being more on the small side, I was a bit nervous to commit w/o going home first to measure. And of course, discuss it w/Neil. I texted Neil the photo and gave him all the information - he replied with "just buy it." Again...what? Who was I talking to? Who says the Lord doesn't listen and doesn't answer prayers? 'Cuz you crazy.
Now, don't judge - I don't have anything for the walls yet.... and the lighting wasn't so great, so you can't see the stripes as well as you can in person...

the built in shelf...notice Neil's corner? / The owls were made by Virginia & Laura - amazing, right?

Books! We need more / Teeny clothes. Can't wait.

Owl lamp my boss got for me. / Tooth fairy pillow made by my girl Natalie. Love.

Quilt made by Virginia! / Mommy & me quilts I made...

How much do you love that dresser?! Love. Love. Love!
Neil's corner - I was instructed to leave those items there. Isn't my husband precious? Love him.
In the built in, in the bottom right corner you see 2 stuffed animals. I work the box office on occasion - actually quite a bit during the busy season - and those are the mascots for the basketball team and the hockey team we have. My box office co-workers already went above and beyond w/the amount they bought me - and then threw those in there. I about died when I saw them. And I love the stuffed owls, and the tooth fairy pillow - how talented are my friends?

And is anyone surprised that I found a tiny black hoodie for my daughter? Well, you shouldn't be. I did edit it a bit. I didn't like what was on there, so I went punk rock and patched it up.

So excited to start this new chapter in our lives. I have about a week left...unless she decides to come sooner. At my appointment today my doctor is giving this little one up until the 21st before he takes action. With the diabetes, "I've got a big one growing in there" and he doesn't want her getting too big. I'm really, really praying she'll just decide to come on her own....

2011-03-11T15:29:00.005-05:00

I can't wait.

Baby Shower

2011-03-08T20:01:00.003-05:00

My mother in law is the BEST!
She hosted my baby shower, and it was absolutely wonderful. It was held at The Oakwood, aka McGarrey's - my favorite restaurant here in Erie. I have a hard time with attention on me. I don't like it. So, having this shower for me, was hard to swallow. As soon as friends and family started to show up, I felt completely at ease. It was such a good time. Cindy kept things flowing, and it went off without a hitch. We ordered our food (I got the Taco Salad mmmm), and we did some low key games, chit chatted and just spent time together. Can you imagine trying to control 40+ women? I can't, but Cindy was a master at it! And then, it was time to open presents. Eeeek, my most dreaded moment of the afternoon. With the help of Erin working her tail off making sure I was never w/o a gift in hand, and we got through it real quick! I have never felt more blessed in my life.
Now...here's the thing. I handed my camera over to Eva. May not have been the best idea. Why? I set it to "intelligent auto" - which means when you're ready to take your picture, it should focus for you. But here's the issue, you have to pay attention to the screen. Now, all of us that know Eva, know her attention-span.... She always goes above and beyond what she is asked. So she took photo after photo, and actually got some really GREAT shots....but they're a bit blurry. Eh, what can ya do?

Neil showed up after all the ladies had left, to help with the carry out of all the goodies. We unloaded all of it at home - the nursery, PACKED. I felt a bit overwhelmed. I needed to start unpacking all of it right then. Eva was a trooper. She brought in her homework, and we spent the next hour or two just unpacking and ooooing and awwwing at everything. Look at this picture she took of me:

Hilarious. That's Cali's back end. She had a hard time w/this. She just loves to be close, and she couldn't get to me. Eventually she squeezed herself inbeween bags, and snuggled at my feet. Love her.

My next post, hopefully this weekend, will be about the nursery. This Friday my dresser/changing table is being delivered. I'm so excited about this find, you have no idea. I dont have anything for the walls yet, but that's alright.

EVA

2011-03-08T18:54:00.004-05:00

My older sister Eva came out the weekend of my shower - how sweet is that?!

It was so nice to finally have someone from my family come visit me here in Erie. This May we will have been here for 3 years. Can you believe it? Because I can't. It was awesome to show her my home, and take her around Erie. The trip was a great success and we did a TON!
But first, let's talk about the surprises she brought me. This entire pregnancy, I've craved foods I can only get in CA. She came w/a cooler packed with goodies. Take a look:

She actually found a mexican restaurant up in northern CA that made California burritos... Of course, she made sure they made it the way I like it. And it was AMAZING!!!! What else did she bring? Tacos and a jumbo jack from Jack in the Box. Cheeseburger from In n Out. Del Scorchio sauce from Del Taco. Mmmmmm.

What else did she bring us? Bath and Body Works goodness. We are fully stocked. Believe me. She wasn't joking around. My favorite scent, that they discontinued, but brought back as part of their "classic" series and resold recently. You should see the closet in my bathroom. I'm set for years....

Well, that Friday was a BIG day. I had a sonogram that morning, Eva and Neil joined me for that. Eva and I then went and ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Then we made our way up to Niagara Falls. It was freezing!!! (Oh, side note: I went down the wrong street, and then ended up on bridge of no return...we paid a little visit to Canada. Since I don't have a passport, I filled out some paperwork, and we made our way back. It was quite ridiculous. Why couldn't I just turn around? Oh well.) After Niagara Falls, we headed back down to Erie, with a few pit stops. Red Robin, Buffalo Mall, and a Joann's Superstore were all on the list...I told you, big day.

I'll post about my shower next - but it was a great weekend. Eva was real patient with me. Whenever I got tired or cranky, we just slowed down. What was part of the slowing down process, snacking it up while watching Grey's Anatomy. (I got her hooked.)

We were both terrible at taking photos!!! She did get some...but w/the amount that we did, we should have soooo much more.

2011-03-02T12:39:00.003-05:00

Raise your hand if you're a BIG time slacker......

Uh, hello fat, swollen hand. Gross.

I need to blog about so much. This weekend. This weekend I will sit myself down and blog. That is...if I remember. I also need to post some pictures on here. I got some pretty great gifts at my shower that I'd like to share. Not to mention the shower itself. It was wonderful. And my sister came out for a few days. It's weird to think she was even here.
And it's March - finally. Baby time. Do we have a name picked out? Nope. Is the nursery done? Nope. This usually very organized, on-top-of-it 30 year old is really losing it. I didn't want to jump ahead too much on getting stuff done, because I felt it would make the time drag on. Well guess what? That back fired big time.
Feeling stressed right about now...

36 weeks...& $26 mill in debt....

2011-02-24T13:05:00.004-05:00

This weekend I'll hit my 36th week of pregnancy. As of last Friday, they say she is weighing in at 6lbs, 10ozs. How accurate are these weigh ins anyway?! I knew I'd be getting a call from my doctor's office within a few days, and I did. They scheduled me for another sonogram on March 11th. They also told me that if I wanted, they could put me on the schedule to be induced. Nurse Amy continued to tell me what kind of options I'll have and I should discuss them w/the doctor at my next appointment. I really would like all of this to happen naturally...but the OCD, crazy planner of a person that I am likes the thought of scheduling. Of course when I mentioned this to Neil, he immediately suggested a date - "it would be so much easier for me to take off of work this week...."
Of course this made me a stress case, thinking this is all going down within 3-4 weeks - and I'm not done!!!! The nursery isn't complete, and my house is a disaster. And I can't exactly whip myself into high gear and get it all done in one weekend....I get tired quickly, not to mention my lower back isn't a fan when I'm in "get it done NOW" mode. I haven't even found the perfect dresser. Ugh. The crib is up, but we have yet to purchase the mattress - but we will this weekend. And the aftermath of my shower that I had this past weekend - is all in the nursery. I started to organize, but my body shut down on me before I could finish.
*Side note: I will do an actual post about this past weekend. It was a gooooood one! Eva came out, and the shower was incredible! I just haven't uploaded the pictures yet.

Now....onto the $26 million hole the Erie School District has gotten themselves into. Am I stressed? A little. My husband's job may be lost after this school year - I should be furious. But I'm not letting myself get to that point. How did this happen? How are they in this much debt? It makes me sick. Of course there are options...but are they really considering them? Or have they already made up their minds? 472 jobs could be lost. 472!!!!!!! I can't even wrap my brain around that number. Neil and I can and will get by. We have the Lord on our side, and we'll make it...but what about those that don't have faith? That don't have Christ to lean on for strength? On top of the fact that these kids are going to suffer the most of anyone. I just want to scream at someone. Anyone. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!! When did education get the butt end of finances? I know this is not only happening in the city of Erie. California has been struggling for years now....along w/other parts of the U.S.. Who decides on the priorities? On top of jobs being lost, they plan to increase taxes. I'm okay w/that...if it allows my husband to keep his job. But guess who won't be okay with that? The rest of Erie County.
When Neil decided to become a teacher, I felt it was a job he could be secure in - would never have to worry about being let go.... or dealing w/such issues that we're dealing w/now. If you know Neil, you know he's in anxiety/panic mode now. I finally had to lay it out for him a few nights ago....
"No more discussing your job status with anyone. What do these people know? No one knows what will happen in these next couple of months. We have the advantage of Christ on our side, and He is the only one we can lean on right now."
So, he may be playing Mr. Mom for a bit - that's alright, right? :)
In the end, the board for the District has not made a decision yet...
We need to take a step back and analyze what the next step should be, and what would be best for our family. Or, don't take a step at all. Just wait it out, see what happens.
I love Neil as a teacher. He has good and bad days - probably more bad days.... but he's good at it. He may not realize it. I just believe God placed him at Wayne for a reason. I was just warming up to the idea that he may be meant to teach at Wayne for the rest of his teaching days.... I mean, will they disect every teacher and place them where they seem fit? Or are they just going to make straight cuts? I believe if they took the time and did what was best for each school - they'd keep Neil at Wayne, without question. They wouldn't let him go.

Well.....we'll just have to see what happens.

It's 2am....

2011-02-17T02:22:00.003-05:00

....and I'm awake. I'm sure this is God's way of training my body to deal w/no sleep...but it's a bit frustrating. What am I going to do w/myself at 2am? Oh, I know...shop online. Last week when I was up at 4am, I found Steve Madden flats on ebay to bid on. These Madden flats have been on my hunt list for quite sometime now. My dog chewed up my last pair when she was a puppy, and I was devastated!!! They were perfect and broken in and have been in my life for 5 years. There was no way I could spend another $60 on another pair.
Guess how much I got them for?
$4.25.
Amazing, right? And shipping was just $5.
Best day ever.
I received them the other day, and they barely had a scratch on them!
hmmmmm....what can I shop for this morning?

My sister comes into Erie at 11am, and I can't wait.
I have many plans for the weekend. I just hope this pregnant body of mine decides to participate. I have good and bad days. I need a string of good days please.

32 weeks

2011-01-31T12:47:00.002-05:00

Can ya believe it?!
32 weeks.
So crazy.
My status?
Lower back pain. Shortness of breath. Issues "down there" still. Gained zero weight in the last month. Gestational diabetes sucks. Watching what I eat - sucks. My sugar levels are controlled, somewhat..still getting used to it.
Other than that - I'm doing good.
My daughter's status?
"She's a happy camper in there." According to my doc. Heartbeat is 153 bpm. Annnnd weighing at a whopping 4 lbs 9ozs. Neil asked the tech "Is that the average? Or is that big, small?" Tech says "......a little big." Great. So, Neil is now watching what I eat - and asking what I've eaten - and checking to see how much I'm eating, when I'm eating.
But you know what? She's healthy and looking good! That's all that matters. I have been blessed with a pretty great pregnancy w/no complications. Our girl is strong and healthy. Can't ask for much else...

Paint is up in the nursery. The gloss/matte strips turned out great! It was sort of a nightmare to get it all measured, but it worked out and I'm really happy with the turnout. Still on the hunt for a dresser. Last Friday I made an attempt to go look, but after a stop in at TJ Maxx, I was exhausted. However, I do plan to hit a couple consignment stores today. Maybe. It's cold out!

whoa.whoa.whoa.

2011-01-19T12:55:00.003-05:00

The last few posts have been quite downers.
Sorry.
I really have been blessed with an amazing pregnancy. She is super healthy, kicking around in my belly and I need to focus on the positives a LOT more.
Neil had the day off on Monday so we went to lunch at our favorite restaurant, McGarrey's, and then headed to Home Depot to pick up some gray paint for the nursery. We picked up "flat" gray, as well as "semi-gloss" gray - same shade. Neil believes the whole matte/gloss strip thing is going to be too much work and I'll stop mid-way...but I am so determined to do it! I love the look, and have been dying to do it in at least one of our rooms. The gray looks so good! This Friday we'll get the measurements done for the stripes and get the tape up...hopefully that wont take too long.
I was hunting on etsy.com - which is an every day occurance, and ran into this:

I love it so much. Ordering next week!!!!! I could spend all day on that site, mentally placing things around my house...

Week of 1/10/2011 - hated you...

2011-01-18T12:26:00.005-05:00

Last week was probably the worst week of my pregnancy. I made it 29 weeks w/o a bad one. I say that's pretty good. Let's just say that I'd rather be back in my 1st trimester, then have to deal with last week ever again. That just tells you how awful it was. It started off with a 3 hour long test on Monday at my ob/gyn office. The anticipation of the results lead to no sleep. No sleep = cranky Dawna. No bueno. Thursday I found out the results. I'm at work. I cannot stop crying. Hormones. Wow, was I losing it. I left work early. I find the nearest nail salon and get myself a manicure. (I would've gotten a pedicure, but the cheapest you can get one here is $25, and w/tip, I just didn't have that.) During the manicure, the tv was on to some talk show, and a guest was on talking about her previous pregnancy. I immediately thought, she's either going to talk about how she had gestational diabetes, or how she dealt with a hemorroid. God tends to talk to me through the strangest forms of communication. *Side note: um yeah....haha Hemorroid from hell found its way to me. Did.NOT.Help. that my week was already super lame, I now had to deal with this! Well, she discussed how she had one herself. And made the comment: "A hemorroid is your body telling you to get up and walk around." Oh. Have I been lazy? I started to think back in the last couple of weeks, and yeah....I've been doing a lot sitting around. Ooops. I've also been extremely tired lately.... It shouldn't have surprised me really, as I read about about how common they are during pregnancy. Every book/site warned me of it. I then made the conscious decision right then & there in Le Nails to be more active. That night I went to the gym with Neil & Leroy. Boy do I miss the gym. The smell almost had me in tears. I walked the treadmill for a bit. My lower abdomin was tightening, so I got off of that and went to the elliptical. Much better. The manicure + gym time didn't even help with my emotional state. I was getting real frustrated....

Friday I did get to a couple consignment stores, and found the PERFECT dresser for the nursery. But guess what? It was part of a set. And they wont separate it for a couple months...believe me, I plan to go in there in a couple weeks and see what it will take to separate it. A couple hours later I had my class w/a dietician to teach me how to check my levels and to inform me of what not to eat vs what's okay to eat. It seems pretty straight forward. Watch my carbs. That's easy. What wasn't easy? Sitting in that room for 2 hours straight. I was in so much pain!!!! Lower back pain + mr. hemy did not combine well with the most uncomfortable chair. I left there slowly, and painfully...but felt good mentally about this diet. I even went to Walgreens and picked up some supplies for my "issue" hoping to calm it down some - so I can walk like a human being in public. Well, my mood ended when I got home.... when I went to explain to my dear husband my diet, he comes back with "I don't want a chubby baby." What? He did some reading during his spare time at work. Great. He read that having pregnant diabetes can lead to big babies. Annnnnd eventually in life, there's a chance she could have diabetes. He gave me a speech about how I better stay on this diet, and really take this serious. Who was he talking to? Tears could not come down my face faster.
Oh, and to top it off, I was scheduled to work the box office that night. Wonderful.
I got myself ready and headed over to the Arena. The ladies immediately knew something was wrong, and as sweet as they are - they just comforted me and asked what was wrong. Uh. I'm thinking they regretted doing that. That lead to more tears, which lead to a bad night...mixed in with a bunch of goofing off to try and get me in a good mood. It did work, they know what to do to get me laughing. I love them. But I could not wait to get home. When I got home, I had dear friends waiting for me - the Hamps! They were over for some spaghetti and meatballs. Unfortunately, my bitchy mood didn't help and I was the WORST HOST EVER!!!! Looking back, I'm surprised they didn't walk out on me. Seriously.
I woke up Saturday, and I breathed a sigh of relief because I could tell I was in a better mood. Thankfully, because I had another night of box office work, and I had to close - which is an extra hour of work. Usually not a big deal. But when you're tired, your back hurts, and Mr. Hemy won't just leave me alone.....I knew I was in for a long night. After this long night though, I had dinner waiting for me - again - the yummiest wings ever!!!! Can you see my excitement? Can ya tell I'm pregnant? Food gets me so excited :)
By Sunday I was back to normal. Finally.
What a crappy week....
I was sad because it was the 1st time I really wasn't enjoying my pregnancy and just wanted it over with. But it's already the 2nd day into this week and I'm doing well :) I had an appointment yesterday and my girl is "a happy camper" with a strong heartbeat. Annnnd I got to question my doctor about mr.hemy and why the world seems to think preperation h is the solution 'cuz it's not. He actually said "that stuff is a joke, it doesnt work." So he prescribed me some good stuff, which seems to be working. Yippy!!!!

I promise, this is the end of this post. Sorry everyone.

dagnabbitt

2011-01-13T10:49:00.005-05:00

...it's official. I have Gestational Diabetes.

My doctors office just started this new fancy shamcy thing where you can log in online, to their site, and have all your results right there in front of you. I signed myself up today and started the hunt hoping I can find results from my test this last Monday. And there it was. 2 out of the 4 tests were high. Shit. Within 15 minutes the office calls me and the nurse was so sweet. She remembers our phone conversation from last week and just knew I wouldn't be happy with the results. I told her that I had expected her call because I had seen the results online. I then asked, frog in throat, was it something I did? With a slight laugh she said no, honey it wasn't anything that you did and it really isn't a big deal. This is the end of your pregnancy and you'll be fine. You will have to watch what you eat from now on...........

That last sentence. Ugh. Thanks to my friend Natalie's blog about cereal, I was really looking forward to picking some up! Oh well. My plan to go back to "clean" eating is in full effect now.

This week has been full of no sleep, stress about baby names - yep, Caroline is out the window...as of last weekend, and just pure crankiness. This news did not help. But what will help? Cindy and I going to consignment stores tomorrow to hunt for a vintage dresser...eeek! Praying I find one JUST right. And her gift to us (on top of throwing me my shower) is getting us a stroller. So, we'll be picking that up as well....it looks like this:

Cute, huh? Neil made the comment (as he was zipping around Babies 'r Us testing it out) "orange is my favorite color, this stroller is AWESOME." Since when was orange his favorite color? I must be rubbing off on him... :) It's a Baby Jogger City Mini.

*sigh* the tissues continue to pile up....

Ugh.

2011-01-10T16:39:00.002-05:00

Last Monday I drank the sugary/flat/orange drinky, that every pregnant woman does, an hour before my ob/gyn office took my blood, to test my sugar levels. Three days later I get a phone call from my doctor's office, and was informed that my numbers were a tad high. They needed me to come in and do another round of tests. Great.
I immediately google "what causes gestational diabetes?"
This is what I found on one site:

Who Is At Risk for Gestational Diabetes?

The following factors increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy:

Being overweight prior to becoming pregnant (if you are 20% or more over your ideal body weight).
Being a member of a high risk ethnic group (Hispanic, Black, Native American, or Asian).
Having sugar in your urine.
Impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose (blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to be diabetes).
Family history of diabetes (if your parents or siblings have diabetes).
Previously giving birth to a baby over 9 pounds.
Previously giving birth to a stillborn baby.
Having gestational diabetes with a previous pregnancy.
Having too much amniotic fluid (a condition called polyhydramnios).

Many women who develop gestational diabetes have no known risk factors.

Bullet points #1 & #2 fit my profile. I wasn't exactly skinny going into this pregnancy - but I wouldn't have considered myself obese. I had actually trimmed down quite a bit, due to eating clean and working out like a mad woman.... And I am 1/2 Filipino. So, maybe somewhat overweight + 1/2 asian = a whole chance to get this? I know, I'm strange. But I just wanted some answers. Like, could I have avoided it?

Either way...last night, starting at 7pm, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink a thing for 12 hours. I got myself up and ready to go, and arrived promptly at 7am - ready to go. Were they ready? Nope. I sat there for 20 minutes!!! There was one other person in the waiting room - waiting. Don't they know who's out here? Waiting. Hungry. Pregnant. Hello?! Then the 3 hour process began. I get my blood drawn at around 7:25am, then had to drink the orange drink AGAIN. Go back into the lobby to be called back a long hour later. Repeat 2 more times. I had my blood drawn 4 times within 3 hours. Thank goodness for 2 Entertainment Weekly magazines, a word search, and my ipod. I would've gone insane!!! (OHH! The other lady waiting with me right at 7? She was having the same tests done!!!!! She would be called in like 5 minutes after me each time.)

10:30 never looked so good. I got myself over to a diner by my house - I needed hash browns and sausage...

I should get results in about 2-3 days. I'll keep the 3 of you who read this posted.... :)

I'm 30

2011-01-04T16:40:00.003-05:00

For some reason people seem to treat me like I'm 12.
I'm sick of the "are you sure?" and "really?" type of eye brow raising questions.
Yes.
Yes I'm sure.
Is it the way I look?
The way I act? (Ok, I might give you that because I'm not the most mature 30 year old.)
The way I dress? (I do dress like I'm in high school, can't give up the jeans & hoodie)
Have I made bad decisions in my life, to have you 2nd guess me?
Ugh!
I'm so tired of having to explain things.
Don't you know the following about me?
I over analyze.
I investigate.
I research.
I double check.
I triple check.
I sometimes even quadruple check.
I'm an adult that has made pretty solid decisions in my life.
Cut me some slack.

I'm 30!!!!!!

7

2011-01-03T09:17:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I started my 7th month of pregnancy.
Here is picture:

I have an appointment today. My orange drinky is all ready to go in the fridge. Will need to down in about an hour. Really, really praying I don't have or won't get gestational diabetes. My plan was to not have any sweets in the last week (would it have mattered? No idea) - but guess what? Guess who's pregnant brain just forgot? I mean, even last night...vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup. That seems to be my vice - my only sweet treat that I want. Well, minus the last few weeks of the occasional Christmas cookie I'd nibble on. Man, what a bad time to take this test!!!!!
What else am I doing today? Going to Target to register. And by myself. Ever since I wrote a note to myself, that just stares at me when I walk in the kitchen, to "REGISTER" - it's all I can think about. And since I have today off, why not? I feel strange going w/o my husband, but Neil stated You're going to pick everything out anyway, you might as well just go. He is joining me at Babies 'r Us later this week to register though. That place can be overwhelming. I am thinking about a 3rd option, which is babyearth.com - I love this site. There are just a few things on there that I'd like, that you can't pick up at Target or Babies 'r Us...especially this high chair. This is my issue....I'm a plain and simple kinda girl. Why dear God do they not have plain and simple options in these baby departments? To find a baby crib set - that is quite a challenge so far. I've found a couple I like on overstock.com - but they're more expensive. Ugh!
Okay. Just got hungry again. Going to see if I can find a non-sugary food option to munch on....

bleh

2010-12-31T15:04:00.003-05:00

Neil's sick.
Great.
At first he just thought it was food poisoning...or just all the crap foods he's been eating, just at war. Met some friends for lunch w/o him today. Received a text requesting some crackers, soup and ginger ale. When I got home, there he was - on the couch, with chills.
How is this possible? We have avoided anyone and everyone w/the flu. He has even been sick a couple times already this last month. I caught one - and it came at me hard. It lasted 2 weeks. I was miserable. I just got over it. I am so scared to get this nasty flu.
I have gathered all my belongings: pillows, dvds, the laptop, and my word search and have hid myself in the guest room. About the word search, I've gotten into this terrible thing where I have to do 2 things at once. I can't just sit and watch tv. I have to add something to it. It's either solitaire or word search....or eating. :)

Tomorrow I will start my 7th month of pregnancy. Crazy!
Happy New Year!

My holiday season...

2010-12-27T09:42:00.010-05:00

...was strange.
Since finding out I was pregnant, I have been taking one month at a time. I also kept thinking and discussing with Neil let's wait until after the holidays to get the nursery together... We both agreed that we didn't want to start buying things for the baby and nursery until the holidays were done.

They're done.

Just like that.

For me, it wasn't all warm and fuzzy. I just really wanted them over with. First time ever. The anticipation of 2011 and baby Hartman coming into the world, just over took me completely. I'm super ready to take down all the holiday decor and the tree...NOW...It's giving me anxiety that they're still up. And it's just December 27th.

However, I do want to share what amazing things did happen over the last week....

We had some friends, Clint and Minh visit from Chicago. The original plan was to all go over to the Atzert home and hang out. But due to the flu that attacked their household, plans changed to our house. Which was fine. My house was a disaster, but I had a couple hours to hide that. And it just so happened that I made a few batches of cookies that morning. So that worked out. :)

Clint and Minh brought dinner with them - PORTILLOS!!! Yum. Clint and Neil were in charge of prepping all of that....don't worry, Neil knows his way around the kitchen. The house started to fill with yummy smells, and fill up with some of our dear friends. Bearded friends at that. See what I mean....

Neil was off, starting last Thursday - and the personality change, there's nothing like it. Vacation Neil is soooo fun! (School/work Neil sucks. Weekend Neil is okay. Vacation Neil is the BEST!) We did some last minute shopping and just hung out. Christmas Eve we headed over to his mom's house for an all day event of eating and Christmas movie watching. My kind of day! We exchanged gifts with Cindy...she got us a video camera! Nothing too extreme, but just right for us. She is so thoughtful. Her main reason for getting it for us? So I can share baby H moments with my family. Love her. She can't help but give us money. And I was sort of, somewhat hoping for it - why? Because I've had my eye on this certain diaper bag for well over a year now. I blame Natalee Gregson. She has one, and once I have my mind set - there's really nothing that will compare. As soon as I saw hers, I took a picture of it and branded the name Petunia Pickle Bottom into my brain so I wouldn't forget. And I haven't. Trying to convince Neil to purchase this expensive bag for me, just wasn't working hahaaaa....and I wasn't surprised....so I knew I'd have to save up for it. Cindy gave me enough for more then half the price. And Neil surprised me with $$ as well. Best. Gift. Ever. - especially from him. So I have more then enough! Yippy!! Neil told Cindy what I had planned on doing with the $ - and the look on her face. haha "why would you want to spend that much money on something like that?...." Hey! Don't judge! (Of course I said it in a nicer tone. And it's not that expensive. Geez. Plus, I'm CA bred, does it surprise anyone that I'm somewhat this way?) *Whining* I can do whatever I want w/my Christmas money, so there!
Okay, enough of that nonsense....

This year was different as well because we decided not to give/send gifts to our list of peeps. That was hard for me because I love shopping, especially for others. But with baby H coming - add that to Neil's money anxiety - we thought it was best. I was hoping to catch my friends in time before they started to shop, but my "on top of it" friends had already started. We received some really great gifts. Best of all? This:

by Dave Quiggle

So, so, so sorry for the bad photo.
But how amazing right? Can you see how the little one has eyelashes? Just like her mama! This gift had me in tears.
There are only 4 more days in 2010...
Cannot wait for 2011.

Happy Birthday Cali...

2010-12-16T17:37:00.006-05:00

Mama loves you!!!!!!!

She may be crazy. And doesn't behave herself like a good baby doggie when people are around. But she is my munch and I love her OHHH so much!!!!

She turned 2 years old yesterday.

Such a big girl!

Neil and I always reminisce about how when she was 4 weeks old, it was mid-January and we went to just pick a pup out of the 4 that were left...in Pittsburgh, in the middle of a blizzard. It probably took us almost 3 hours to get there, but we didn't care. Our house was purchased, and we were moving in, in like 2 more weeks. We still can't believe we did that. We arrived and was greeted by Tyson, Cali's dad. Boy was he tough looking and scary. I look at the owner and ask the obvious "is it okay to pet him?" He laughed and said, you noticed he's the only one loose in the house? Neil and I immediately fell in love with Tyson...pure sweetness just poured out of this dog. We went upstairs and there were the 4 female pups. I picked up each one, hoping and praying I would just know which one to pick...after the 3rd one I got nervous. (We definitely accepted the fact that if I didn't connect with one, we'd just head back home.) I then looked up and saw one still in it's bed, just sitting there with this look like "who are you people?" I went and picked her up, she did exactly what I wanted her to do ....she shnuggled in my neck. (Just like Balboa did when I picked her up waaaaay back then!!!!!!!) I looked at Neil and said, she's the one! As I cuddled with my new pup, sitting on the floor, there was a certain father sitting right next to me, with his face in my face - I looked at the owners again and asked "is this something I should be nervous about?" And they laughed and said "He's just hoping you'll cuddle with him..." Thinking about that now, just how close Tyson had to be with me, Cali is exactly like that. Precious! She is soooo shnuggly and always has to be close. Especially at night when we're in bed. Who needs blankets in the winter when you have a doggie heater keeping you warm? (....but needs a fan on her at night in the summer....)

We were hanging out there for about an hour or so, and were so sad that we couldn't take her home right then. A week later we closed on our house. Week after that, moved in. Day after that, made a trip to Pittsburgh. Best weekend ever. As soon as I picked her up she gave me a little kiss on my face. I melted.

Here she is, our munch...

Love her!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Cali-Cali!!!!

6.0 + 1 week

2010-12-12T09:10:00.003-05:00

This last week has been quite an interesting one. First of all, I started my 6th month of pregnancy. It's going by fast....just not fast enough. I'm feeling the little munchkin more and more these days. One morning she had me up at 6am, and I believe she was doing some sort of water aerobics in my tummy. I was enjoying every second of it. I almost woke Neil up to feel, but we all know what happens when you wake that man up...
Neil got this terrible cold over the weekend, and by this last Friday, I was infected. It might be the worst cold I've ever experienced. Throat on fire. Stuffed up nose. Foggy head. Slight fever. And it's Sunday...it's still in full effect. I can't sleep because it just gets worse when I lay down. Sucks.

On Monday, Neil got to use his fancy new snow blower. He was sick, but I can tell he was enjoying it. But check these pictures out:

You see the tissues stuffed up his nose? Poor guy. But quite precious I must say.
I always have Mondays off, and the hardest part about that entire day, while Neil was at work....just sitting here. I actually like going out and shoveling snow - ONLY because it's a great work out. That's it. But I also have a very high respect for our postal service, as they have to walk out in this weather, and I hate when the walkway isn't clear. Hate it. I would've gone out, but I know myself. I would've over done it and probably hurt myself.

And yesterday, I gave in. I took some pictures of myself. I had Neil take some, but I didn't like how those came out. So, here's what I got:

I keep hearing that I'm small for 6 months. I disagree. I feel gigantic.

3 lbs, feels like 10 lbs

2010-12-03T15:00:00.002-05:00

At my appointment today, on the scale, it stated that I gained 3 pounds in the last month. Seriously though, it feels as if I've gained 10lbs. Wait. Maybe I gained 8 lbs...I'm hoping Neil will be home soon so I can ask what my last weigh in weight was. Huh. I'm starting to get scared. Did I really gain 8 lbs?!!!! In 4 weeks. No. No. No.
Well. What can I do? Every time I even mention going back to my "clean" eating ways, I get hands waved in my face don't you do that to yourself, eat what you want, you're allowed....
I don't want to gain more then 30 lbs in this pregnancy, so far - I've gained 13 (possibly 18) pounds. I have been eating crap. And if you know me, you know I don't eat veggies, unless it's a salad. This weight? It's all belly and boobs. I just took a picture of myself, which I won't post, and I'm in disbelief. I know, this is supposed to happen. But I'm freaking out about it. I'm actually losing weight everywhere else on body. My left arm, you can actually see half the face of my "nine" tattoo, when before, you could only see the tip of the nose (if that). I know I wasn't exactly skinny before this pregnancy, but this is harder on me then I anticipated.
Don't worry, I'm not one to starve myself....I'll keep eating, every hour on the hour.... but I need to get back to the gym. At least it may help my self esteem....

Maybe if I'm in a better mood later on, I'll post a picture. Maybe.

The saddest news I got today, was that I won't have a sonogram until my 8 month mark. Not until February?!!! What are they doing to me?

name stress

2010-12-02T16:51:00.002-05:00

I have always wanted kids. Whether I would be blessed with them or not, was never sure. Still, you would think that a name would be set. Over the years, with Neil teaching and all, he's come across every kind of name you could think of. And if you know me, you'd really think one had been planned. Well, guess what? That is not the case in the Hartman household. We can't settle in on one. We always loved the name:

Caroline

Now that it's a reality. Not so much. Well, for me anyway. You can't cut it short anyway that I like. I know you think that's strange. But this is what I think about at night when I can't sleep. Then there's the song "Sweet Caroline" - it doesn't bug me now, but will it? My entire life, except the years here in Erie, I've been sung "Oh Donna" by Richie Valens as soon as I've introduced myself. It never did bug me though. I liked it. As for other names we like:

Josephine
Lorraine
Vivienne

I'm sure the list will only get longer....
And as you can see, we like older names. We don't want to create a name or go with something more modern.
Oh and sharing these name ideas with others, doesn't help the situation. Do people have opinions or what?! My mother in law warned us "Don't tell anyone what you're going to name your child, it'll only make you mad." It hasn't made me mad, just more frustrated. I like hearing others opinions on things, it's just who I am. So if you're reading this, and want to give your opinion, please feel free.
Alright. I was hoping that posting this would help me, but now all I want to do is go name hunting again.

Thankful

2010-11-25T10:24:00.002-05:00

I am super sentimental this year, and cry every time I think about what I'm thankful for... let's see if I can get through this post....

I am thankful for:
God, and all His blessings
My wonderful husband who makes me laugh and loves me, even during my crazy
Flutters in my tummy, I can't get enough
Cali, my wonderful sweet pit bull (love proving people wrong about what they think of pits with you)
My CA and NE family and friends - I miss you all so much!
Pennsylvania family and friends, thanks for making Erie feel like home away from home

I am so excited to start this holiday season, my favorite time of year. Next year is going to bring a whole new light to the season, and I can't wait....

2010-11-20T21:30:00.002-05:00

22 weeks along today.
Thanksgiving week.
Brooke Lacy birthday week.
Thanksgiving dinner w/family.
Possible Black Friday early morning outing.
Traditional Hartman turkey dinner w/mama Hartman, and Mrs. Erin Hamp (Sat. night btw).
Christmas lights!
Christmas season!
Christmas movies!
Christmas craft show at the Warner Theater.

Amazing week ahead....I love this time of year.

2010-11-15T10:31:00.003-05:00

Comment I received from my last post from our dear, sweet friend Micah:

The thought of a mini-Dawna is precious but........ she may come out (God help us all) as a mini, female, Neil Andrew!!! And yes I am sure she will shout "I HATE BABY JESUS" in the middle of church just to spite you! Only time will tell and I for one am on the edge of my seat!

I have been laughing for the last 10 minutes. Why? Because these are actual fears of mine. Neil wasn't a pleasant child....the above actually happened to my in-laws in the middle of church. My daughter could turn out to be just like me, shy and well behaved. Or....like her father. Stomping on newly planted flowers "because I felt like it". Hearing these stories about Neil's childhood always make me laugh. If our child goes down this path, hopefully we'll hold back our laughter - at least until we are hidden away behind closed doors.
Umm. I doubt it.

The anticipation is killing me.

My munchkin? It's a GIRL....

2010-11-06T05:33:00.006-04:00

Basically since month #2 I've felt I was having a girl. I would beam with excitement, and then think oh wait, what if it's a boy? I can't be disappointed... I mean, everyone knows I wanted a girl, but wasn't sure if it was possible. Hello! My sister has FOUR boys!!!!! Annnnnd Neil's family is run by males. What were my chances? Don't get me wrong, I would've been completely happy with a boy. A mini-Neil? How precious is that?
As the days, weeks progressed, my feelings only grew stronger and I would try and change them. Friday morning, the day of my appointment, I stood in front of the mirror and said it's a boy. I know it sounds silly...I just didn't want to be disappointed if the tech were to say it's a boy. My feelings of it being a girl were sooooo strong, so of course it didn't work.
It didn't help that last month Neil actually said, with much confidence "it's a girl, why do we even need to check?!" Ever since 'kid talk' he has loved the thought of having a daddy's girl....and would smile ear to ear picturing her being a mini-me. *tear
The day was finally here....boy or girl? We walked into the room, and we were asked "so, do you guys want to know what you're having?" We replied with a big "YES!" We start talking w/her and she asked if I thought the baby was one or the other...which I told her my feelings of it being a girl. She moves around my tummy and for what seems like forever she says "Well, it looks like you both are having a girl." I, of course, made her say it again. I couldn't believe I was right. Neil and I high-fived, and I started to tear up. So happy.
She was so tucked and turned the other way, that I didn't get any good sonogram photos. I do however have to go back in a week....since she was so tucked, and had her arm tucked under her chin, the tech couldn't see her heart. Her heart sounded very strong, but they like to see it. So, I go back in a week. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures then.
Annnnnnd I just realized I didn't take any photos of myself. Sorry. I do plan to go out and run errands tomorrow, so I'll attempt to get a shot in :)

Symptoms

2010-11-02T09:22:00.002-04:00

The last couple of weeks I've gained some bizarre pregnancy symptoms:

Nose bleeds
Hands falling asleep
Carpal Tunnel

I just happened to read the nose bleed one in my book, and I thought it was the strangest thing I'd ever heard! Low and behold, 2 days later, nose bleed.
Then the hands falling asleep business....I'll wake up at night, and both are just snoozing away. And as of today, my right hand is choosing to give me signs of carpal tunnel. Great.

HOW STRANGE IS THIS?!!!!!
It really is entertaining to me...like, what's going to happen next?

4 months...

2010-10-28T15:07:00.003-04:00

So I'm nearing my 5 month mark, but I wanted to talk a bit about month #4.
As soon as I woke up on the 8th of this month, I felt different. I felt normal. As the day progressed, I felt this surge of energy. It was wonderful!
And my appetite was back. Boy, was I missing that!!!!
I try and eat healthy as much as I can. A lot of the time though, I want pizza. Mmmm PIZZA. And as soon as I crave something, I pretty much need it - NOW. I have to stop myself though, because if I did that for every craving, we wouldn't have any money. I eat every hour on the hour. I feel like I can never catch up. And it doesn't help that I crave things that I can only obtain in California. For example: California Burrito from Albertos. My most favoritest burrito in the world: carne asada, french fries, cheese, sour cream. Only Albertos does it right. They don't add some crap pico de gallo, and they put sour cream in it automatically.
I mean, can someone just overnight me one? I've eaten day old CA burritos before... :)
I asked Neil for a quick trip to CA, and I said something like "to see my friends and my mom..." but in reality, I want a CA burrito :) !!!!!! j/k - sort of......

My maternity pants continue to loosen up on me, around the hip and thigh area, but tightening in the belly region. I'm losing weight in places, but gaining in others. Still. Even though my box office co-workers started saying things like "wide load coming through"...nice, right?

Well month # 4 has been tremendous, and I'm looking forward to #5. Boy or Girl? I should find out. Neil says girl. My sister Eva says girl. Shan says boy (and sticking to it!). Brooke says girl. I haven't heard many other opinions.....but next Friday, the 5th we'll see. EEEEEK! I'm so excited!!!!! (I just remembered I had a dream last night, I got a text message from my doctor saying "it's a boy" - and I immediately posted it on Facebook, without even telling Neil. Oooops!)

I am sad to say that I won't be heading out to CA before the baby is born. I'm super sad about it, but know that it's just financially not possible. With nursery preparations, fixing up of the basement, snow tires for my car, and winter boots for myself :) .....I just need to stay put. And I'm okay with that decision. I wasn't at first. You all know me, and my stubborn ways.

Cindy - my mother in law - is already in prep mode for my baby shower.... how cute is she?
Neil has been absolutely amazing.....very attentive. He has his moments, but are you surprised? This is Neil A. Hartman I married. :) I love him. xo

I don't have a new picture of my baby bump yet - and I didn't want to post the same one you all have seen. Let's face it, the only people who read this, have seen my ghetto shot on FB.... I'll take some new ones next week.

3 and 3/4

2010-10-01T11:57:00.002-04:00

I am almost at my 4 month mark...
Anything new pregnant-wise with me?
Yep.
It's called puking.
I know, gross.
And it occurs just after 5pm everyday.
Everyone who said after you hit 3 months and start your 2nd trimester, you'll feel soooo much better...
You're wrong.
In my case anyway.
I started wearing maternity pants. Originally I was focused on just switching out my work pants only...because I sit all day, and my "regular" pants were making me uncomfortable. Buuuut, I got such cute maternity jeans - and they're so ding dang darn comfortable, I just made a full transfer over to them. :) Don't judge me.
I have been losing weight - everywhere on my body but my stomach and chest. I can see a big difference in my arms. And my pants, from above my hips down, don't fit at all. I now wear sports bras during the day, and sleeping bras at night. Nightmare. These suckers haven't grown in size, just got thicker. Does that make sense? Dear God, if they eventually get a lot bigger, I may just duct tape them in. Not kidding.
Still tired/exhausted. Don't work out at all. It's sad. I really miss it.
My eating habits haven't changed. I get hungry every couple hours, but don't want to eat. Haven't craved anything really....

My sleep is nuts. I usually get a really good nights sleep...and then randomly, like last night, got up to pee at 3am, and then couldn't fall back asleep until 6am. I always make my way out to the living room, put a dvd in, and get comfortable on the couch.

I just ordered "What to Expect when Expecting" - finally. I'm really looking forward to reading it. But I have learned to have an open mind about this experience...no matter what I read, or have been told - this is my pregnancy, and it is already very different.
I've been taking one month at a time. I am the most impatient person I know....and I have to play these mind games with myself. I refuse to think about the month of March. It seems like sooooo far away. Right now, let's get to 16 weeks (which is possibly this week OR next week...I'm going with this week - fyi.) And then after that....20 weeks.
I am dying to know if we are having a boy or girl!
I hear that I possibly could find out at 4 months...but again, am not depending on that. I just focus on the 20 week mark, when my doctor told me we could find out. Eeeeek! What do I think it is? A girl. But that could just be my wishful thinking playing tricks with me. :) But I would love to have a boy as well, a little mini-Neil. A sarcastic, trouble making, boy....scary, I know.

That's it for now.
I know, I know...I need to post baby bump pictures (Nataleeeee, I know!). But right now, I just look full.

my pregnancy moments....

2010-09-16T12:36:00.003-04:00

So far, the last 8 weeks that I've been pregnant-aware, I've had some moments....

When it comes to eating, I'm hungry every 2-3 hours...and it's just a bite of something, or a snack. To find the right food to eat? Now, that's the challenge. The worst days, are the days I work. I am packing my La La Land bag FULL of stuff. Anything from apples, raisins, fruit snacks, oranges to crackers, and then there's my actual lunch. OH! And don't get me started on breakfast. I just don't want to eat anything. If we had a Del Taco here, I'd be hittin' that place up EVERY. DAY. Not kidding. Mmmmmm, breakfast burrito, add bacon please. Yum. (I did attempt to make my own burrito yesterday morning, but no bacon. It was topped off with Del Taco's del scorchio sauce, courtesy of Brooke Lacy - it was pretty dang good!)
Some have asked if I've had any caffeine headaches... nope! It's so great. And strange. I really could care less for coffee. ME?! Not want an iced carmel macciato? Nope. Weird, right? Everywhere I've read that I should stay away from spicy foods, I could get heart burn really bad. Guess what? No heart burn. This baby loves spicy! Thank God. And I know you're all thinking she must be eating hot cheetos everyday then! Buuuuut, I'm not. I'm just not craving them. I did once, and Neil went out and got me some (love him!)...but that's all.
I really and truly am a California girl because I would kill for some great Mexican food, and In 'n Out.... Annnnnnd I have literally dreamed of food. Last night for instance, dreamed we got a Jack in the Box here in Erie. I woke up craving their tacos. It's just silly.

Okay, enough about food...
As far as being sick, and having morning sickness, I really haven't had it too bad. The nausea lingers all day, but that's about it. That doesn't count the last 2 days though...throwing up, not wanting to eat a single thing! So nuts. And here I thought, since I was starting my 2nd trimester, things would start to feel normal. (So far today, I'm feeling pretty good. Hoping it won't turn for the worst as the day progresses...)
I sleep a lot. I love sleeping, so that's fine with me. Unless I'm at work, then that's an issue...but I just drink cold water, and that wakes me up a little. On occasion, I'll wake up at night to use the bathroom, sometimes twice. Which sucks because I hate the dark. There are some nights when I'll wake up, and just can't fall back asleep. That's usually when I take myself out to the living room and watch tv. Those nights are not so fun.
My lower back seems to hate me right now. If I sit the wrong way, or get up a certain way, the pain is just awful...it takes my breath away sometimes. I'm sure it's only going to get worse. So I started stretching my back out more, which seems to help. And taking baths helps out too.
Now, physically. My belly is getting thicker. It's the only place my clothes don't fit. This week, I've been wearing my "when I feel fat & bloated pants" - and those are getting snug in the belly area. It's freakin' me out a bit because this munchkin is only the size of a lime right now... Everywhere else on my body, the clothes are loose. I think it might be time to go shopping. My mother-in-law is taking me out, and I'm quite nervous about it...but also real excited. I mean, what girl doesn't love to be able to let her belly out, and not have to suck in? :)

Pregnant!

2010-09-10T17:37:00.007-04:00

Eeeeek!
I am pregnant.
It's crazy.
This whole thing came to life about 7 weeks ago, our anniversary weekend. I was a week late, and had lost some energy. I've been late before, so I didn't think too much about it. I kept thinking I'll start tomorrow, I'm sure. 6 days later, I go to Walgreens and pick up a 2 pack pregnancy test. (I told Neil I needed tampons - I know, I lied! ....but if you know Neil, he would've FREAKED if he knew what I was really buying.) I also just happened to be in the middle of packing for our camping trip...great timing Dawna. So, just as we're done packing up the car, I decide to take the test. I am literally screaming - in a whisper - at this test. The 2nd line meant you're pregnant, and it just wasn't bright enough!!!!!!! I hide the test in my purse. The hour & 1/2 drive was just awful. I was feeling gross, and tired, and just wanted to go back home....and I was dying to talk to Neil about it.
We get to camp.
Set up.
It starts to rain. Great.
It stops raining. We go sit in our chairs.
And I break the news....soooo Neil, there's something I need to tell you.
His reply: oh no, what happened?
Me: ummmmm, I think I'm pregnant.
His eyes could not of been bigger, and this look of fright came across his face.
He says: how do you know? Did you take a test?
Me: Yes, and I have it with me...do you want to see?
Neil: Yeeeeah, let's see if you read it right. (Thanks Neil) Well, it looks like you are. How do you feel? Are you okay?
Me: I'm okay, just a little freaked, and not accepting it. I need a doctor.
The rest of the evening we discussed anything and everything about it. I wasn't accepting it. Not sure what was up with that. It's not that I didn't want it. I've been wanting kids for as long as I can remember. I was at a point in my life where I thought maybe it wasn't meant to be...God showed me!!!! The rest of our time out camping, we got scared with the idea, then excited, then scared, then SUPER excited. We saw all these families everywhere, spending time together, and it made us real emotional with the idea of having that. We loved that.
We came home the next day, and I took the 2nd test - because I couldn't help myself. And sure enough - it was positive....again:

The following Monday, I called OB/GYN Associates of Erie at random because they were in Neil's health insurance book :) They were able to get me in on August 6th. The office was amazing!!!! Very happy with this... There are like 7 or 8 doctors, and they suggest I meet with all of them, because you just never know who will be on call the day I go into labor. I'm fine with that. But I do have a main doctor, Dr. Scutella. He's wonderful! Annnnd reminds me of Neil's brother - a lot. Dr. S. confirms I'm pregnant...I actually make him say it out loud by the way... and then suggests I get a sonogram to verify how far along I am. Just seeing the little peanut in there brightened up both of our faces...and the tech pointed out the heart flutter. Amazing. At just 7 weeks, you can see the heart.
At this point, we decide to only tell our closest friends, and family. I start making calls. (Of course, we told our parents the weekend I took the tests, and all grandparents involved are very happy...and very emotional about it.) My friends are so great by the way...and apparently, I'm predictable because some answered the phone "you're pregnant." Geez.
I really wanted to hold onto this news as long as possible. I wanted to complete my 3 month before I officially announced it to the world (aka Facebook)..and on here.
So...I'm 3 months (possibly 3 months & a week...Due date tentatively March 21st, or March 28) along. These last 7 weeks have been utterly strange to me. Why? Because I wasn't myself. I had no energy to do anything - let alone take my most favoritist class at the Y. It really bummed me out. I was (and still am) nauseous throughout the day, have a strange sleep pattern, and I've become even more pickier with food then I normally am. Not good. Neil has been quite wonderful in that department. He may *sigh* when I ask for a specific food item, but he goes and gets it....and does a really big *SIGH* when I ask to go out to eat - to get that certain meal that is on the tip of my taste buds....but that's my husband. I love him. It really makes me laugh. He knows I can't help the way I feel... this is something he has to deal with...and yes, that makes me laugh. If you know him, you know what I mean. <3 .
On the list for today's appointment was, hear heartbeat, see baby via sonogram, and take some blood. We did sonogram first. Immediately the tech says "Whoa, look at it move around!" You could literally see this sweet babe bend it's legs and jump. Over and over and over again. She had a hard time getting a shot, but we ended up with these:

I go back in 4 weeks... :) I really wish I could go every week. I just like being in the know.

Whether it's a boy or girl....we're extremely excited for this new chapter in our lives...
The other day, Neil started goofing around and I immediately pictured a mini-Neil...and them teaming up on me. Great.

Annnnnd look what we got in the mail last week from the Ensors!!!!!!

We can't wait for this kid to rock this shirt. We've set ground rules already....like, no eating with this shirt on.....

2010-08-23T16:52:00.005-04:00

My 2 favorite shows right now.....

I know, a lot of violence.
But another thing that is so great about these shows? Neil likes them! So, we get to watch them together. Believe me, he doesn't like much when it comes to television. And I'll basically watch anything....almost.

We're just about caught up with Dexter. Just a disc and a half left of the 4th season. I have to be careful with what time I watch it though. I can't let it be the last thing I watch before I fall asleep. For the fact I am routing for Dexter to go after the bad guy, makes me nervous as to what I'd dream about.... So, I have been playing Friends in my bedroom....just as I doze off.

The 2nd season of Sons of Anarchy could not come out soon enough! With the date of the dvd release, and the start of the 3rd season...that gives us about a week to watch season 2. Not a problem, that's for sure!

6.0

2010-07-30T10:08:00.006-04:00

When planning our 6 year anniversary weekend - it was a mess, to say the least. We just couldn't decide what we wanted to do. But then camping came up in conversation. Interesting. I love camping. I grew up camping. The issue? We didn't have a lick of camping gear. Then began the hunt for the right tent, lantern, camp site, etc....

Location: Cook's Forest. Campsite: Locust Lodge/MacBeth Camp Grounds
As we drove the 1.5 hours it took to get there, we pretty much drove in the rain the entire trip, and were trying to beat out even darker clouds that were following us... This place was amazing. So green. So quaint. This campground was definitely a LOT smaller then the others, which is why we decided on it, and we were happy we did. Here are some pictures:

We got set up, and hauled our belongings into the tent - just in time. We decided on an "electric" site just for this very reason. We brought along our portable dvd player. Boy, did it come in handy. We had a slight break around 8pm, and we quickly made dinner...

And since we were basically on the Clarion River (picture below):

We canoed!
We originally planned on doing the 10 mile trip, but it was too expensive. So, 4 mile it was... it was breathtaking....the weather was perfect. We had such a good time. (And I'm aware that these pictures look familiar to last years anniversary weekend because we canoed Lake Erie. Oh well. Maybe this is a new tradition...)

And everytime...

My husband is a doofus.

We ended up leaving a couple hours after canoeing - the air was so thick with humidity, that we both just couldn't take it. The 1st night of not sleeping was enough. Regardless, it was the best camping trip I've ever been on. Why? Besides the obvious of just being out in the forest with my best friend - they had clean bathrooms and showers, and the camp crew (the MacBeths) were so helpful and pleasant.... We already can't wait to go back in the Fall.

The anniversary weekend continued with a date night to the movies. Church on Sunday, and a visit down to the yearly "Discover Presque Isle"

2010-07-15T22:26:00.004-04:00

What a crazy week this has been.
JW on a mini-tour.
I feel like I should get into what kind of crazy ordeal they've gone through, before they even hit the road - and then it continued...but I'm just glad to put it behind us and just pray God uses these boys for the next 3 days. Without another glitch? That would be amazing.

I do, however, want to talk about the ordeal in this house - her name is Cali. What is wrong with her? Allergies. What is she allergic to? No clue. But we're officially on the road to finding out. About 93% of her life, she has been scratching, rubbing, gnawing some part of her body...and we've done just about everything. I think I even posted last fall about taking her to a dermatologist about an hour and a 1/2 away in hopes they had answers. Unfortunately, because she was still considered a puppy, they really didn't want to do too much. Hoping "she'll grow out of it." Gave us a prescription, and told us we were to keep them posted as this summer came along... Well. It's so much worse this year. After speaking with her dermatologist, we are having blood drawn and then shipped, and tested in their office. (Shhh, she has no idea. And I'm pretty sure she'd go squeeze herself under my bed if she found out.) Thankfully we can just have her vet here do the drawing of the blood, and then shipping it off.
I am scared to hear what the results are...new food? New laundry detergent for us? Throwing out of the new mulch that was put in our backyard just months ago? I have no idea what to expect. We love her, and just want what's best for her - so we'll accommodate...
Look how cute she is:

And yes, she's sleeping on my pillow. She's a very clean baby-doggie and I just love her oh so much!

2010-07-06T15:50:00.005-04:00

The weather has been tremendous!!!!! Other than a few thunderstorms, we've truly had great summer weather so far. Not that I've taken advantage of it. I haven't been to the beach yet. Shocked? I know, I am too. No tennis or bicycling or running. I'm hoping to make it out to the beach this weekend...but guess what? It's supposed to rain on Friday. BOO! Of course, the weather is great up until then...while I'm at work. Maybe I'll just bring my beach gear with me to work tomorrow, and head over there afterwards.....sounds great to me!

This past weekend was a ton of fun! (Except the actual 4th of July holiday...I'll get to that later)
Friday, Autumn, Taiya, Carly and I went to the 11am showing of Eclipse. We think, it's been out 3 days, it's the 1st showing of the day, how crowded could it get?! Autumn and I casually got breakfast at Cracker Barrel and took our precious time heading over to the theater. As we pull up, around 10:30, Autumn says "What the crap?!" Two lines. TWO LINES have formed outside of the theater. Is this a joke? We get in line. And we feel completely and totally silly. We're 30, standing in line for a movie made for teenagers....We weren't the oldest of the bunch, let me tell you...and there were even some kids there, 10 & under. To me, inappropriate. Whatever. I had bought our tickets a few days before, so we were covered...and it seems a majority of the people needed their tickets still. We got good seats, and were very, very happy about it. The movie was good. Why they make movies based from books - and then change things and leave stuff out, is just beyond me. I wish I could ask someone...
Regardless, it was a good time.
That night, the Q's came over and we hung out. Dan, Jon, and Adam were there as well. Sean was M.I.A.!!! It was soooo great to see the Q's, and spend time with them. Everytime they're here, I instantly have to remind myself I'm in Erie. And that they still live in CA. It just doesn't make sense that Shan and I have switched states...
Saturday was a blur. I really can't remember a dang thing! I do remember the Q's and Adam coming over again that night...and we did s'mores out back. Did I take pictures of this? Nope.

Now, the 4th. Everyone else had places to go, people to see....annnnnnd we didn't. We tried to be okay with it, but as we started hearing the fireworks going off, we felt a little left out. There really wasn't anywhere worth going to, to see fireworks...the last 2 years, we've gone to the Lake, but they didn't do that this year....

Welp. It's July. Anniversary Month for us Hartmans. What are we doing? We have no clue. Every year we do this to ourselves. We've come up with either camping, Niagara Falls, Williamsburg...and I just recently thought to go to Chicago. With Neil just coming back from tour the weekend before, he won't want to travel too far. So, who knows what we'll end up doing.

2010 NBA Champs/22 years later...

2010-06-18T10:04:00.006-04:00

1988 Los Angeles Lakers

The team you see above, is the team I remember watching at the age of 8. My mother, who didn't give a rip for sports or anything on tv back then....was forced to "sit on the couch and relax and watch a basketball game" by my father. He just wanted her to relax, and enjoy the night. Well, I don't think he asked for this crazy-lunatic of an NBA fan to come out of her...and to this day when he yells at her for glass-breaking-you-jump-out-of-your-skin screams, I remind him that "you did this to her." It makes me wonder what my childhood, and my life would've been like without the Lakers... without the purple and gold...? I have no clue. What is awesome about my mom is, she isn't only a Los Angeles Lakers fan, she's an all around basketball fan. No matter who is on tv, she'll sit and watch, and she'll cheer.Male or female.
My mom, as you know is straight from the Philippines, and her english is broken up, and it takes an interpreter (her kids) to let you know what she is saying...but once you get used to her slang, it makes sense... Well, she doesn't read. But what she does read, every morning, is the Sports page. She must have her coffee (with sugar and cream) and her NBA news....or you will die. No joke.
I don't know what it is about this year, and these finals, that made me want the Lakers to win sooooo bad. Maybe being so far away from home, and missing my mom (and her purple & gold outfits on game day...) ....But when I watched these last 7 games, I felt like I was home. (Side note, I am a little thankful that my mom wasn't near me because every time I'm with her for a game, my heart jumps out of my chest with her out-of-no-where screeches.) Or maybe it was the constant banter from Lakers haters that I was getting all around me...even from back home. I don't trash talk. I refuse. I will defend my favorite team of all time 'til my dying breath, but not if they played badly (which last night, wasn't pretty) ...I learned that from my mom. If they lost, but they played well, if they played hard - then that's okay.
Being out here in Erie, really makes me feel alone. Everywhere I turn, someone was letting me know how much they despise the Lakers (except Erin & Leroy!) and they just could not see the Lakers winning. They have no chance. They hate Kobe, blah blah blah. Thankfully Neil hates the Celtics just as much as I do...so he was routing for L.A....which was nice to cheer along w/someone. Until last night. He had to get up early this morning, so he went to lay down in bed during the 3rd quarter. They weren't playing good basketball, and it was getting real frustrating there for awhile...and Neil came up out of bed to say "Dawna, I'm sorry but the Lakers lost this." I couldn't believe him. Doesn't he know they always shine in the 4th? So I screamed "It's only the 3rd quarter! How dare you. GET. OUT. OF. HERE!!!"
When I was 16, there was tons of news about this 18 year old kid coming into the NBA straight out of high school...and boy did I think he was good looking & an amazing athlete. Kobe Bryant. I sat on my living room couch in South San Francisco watching the draft, just praying he'd be picked up by the Lakers. Nope. Damn Charlotte picked him. Then within the hour, on the bottom of the screen, the rolling news states "Kobe Bryant traded to the Los Angeles Lakers." I screamed. Back then of course I thought I would eventually become a Laker girl, and he and I would get married. haha.... My mom dreamed this too by the way. Sorry mom! It didn't work out like we planned!!!! (And unfortunately 2003 was not a good year for him, he committed adultery. I was literally heart broken. This sounds so dramatic, I know...but being such a huge fan, you just can't help but feel disappointment.)
Last night, I thought I was going to vomit. The final few minutes were so intense!!!! But in the end, they won and I was jumping all over my house in the dark (our lights are on a timer, and they turned off just after 11pm) and I ran in and jumped on Neil. EEK!!! So fun. I am so happy!!

I then turned on my computer, and bought a couple items. Shhh, Neil doesn't know yet. (But in reality, I haven't pulled out my "fun" money yet....) I bought a Championship shirt, and a hat. I refused to buy any Lakers gear this year because I didn't want to jinx it. Since buying my car, I have been dying to purchase a license plate frame...but couldn't. I can now. Booooyaaah!!!!!

Not sure if 2010 can get any better than this....

Confession

2010-06-08T12:19:00.004-04:00

I haven't been running.
There.
I said it.

Why?
No reason. Just no motivation.
Shannon - I have no clue how you can run on the treadmill. You are my hero. You cannot keep me on that thing past one mile. But I have a new goal, along with my previous goal of running 3 miles in 30 minutes..... Accomplish 3 miles on a treadmill. I refuse to run out in the cold, so I have to do this. I have to. (And yes, I have an ipod, and there's a tv attached to my machine...and I still can't stay on there.)

Push Up Challenge update: Last Tuesday was 55 push-ups, I took 2 breaks, but did it. And then I missed Thursday....which I'm assuming was 60 in a row. I'm in big trouble today, because that means an added 10 since I did them last....and I didn't do any over the weekend.

2010-06-01T12:51:00.008-04:00

Crazy couple of weeks.
Braces - OFF! Waahoo!!!!!

And no, I am not constantly rubbing my teeth w/my tongue. That has been my #1 question. It's crazy because I'm not. It was probably the longest (almost) 4 years of my life...but it's like, I still have them on or something. I don't know, it's hard to explain. The hardest habit would be that I don't have to cover my mouth when I laugh, and to allow myself to smile. I used to hold back smiles. Can you believe it? The biggest surprise was that I wasn't an emotional wreck. I had tissues in my pocket just in case I had a break down. But I didn't. I did however, feel like a grown up. So strange.

Last week I was able to get all my post braces stuff done. He shaved down my fangs, and fixed my chipped tooth - all in a matter of 5 minutes. How awesome is that?! Neil and I had set money aside for whatever I wanted to get done, just knowing it wasn't going to be cheap. But guess what?! It was! $170. That's it. Neil, of course, was BEAMING after he heard the news. I also didn't plan on him doing the procedure right away. But since there was extra time, which is very rare for this extremely busy dentist, he said "let's do it right now! You ready?" Was I ready? What kind of silly question was that?

Here I am....

Now, with this extra $$ in savings - we have a few options...
a) Anniversary vacation somewhere we haven't been
b) New couch, w/some decor
c) Trip out to CA (this would entail an extra few days on a trip that will soon be in works...we heard some great news over the weekend. Our dear friend Carol is engaged!)

**Side note: Just last week, I completed my 3 miles - without a break. (Yay!) But, it still took me about 37 minutes to do. I'm sloooooow...
AND - this week, doing 50 push-ups in a row...moving forward w/this 100 push up challenge. I can't do them on my toes after 30, so I bring my knees down. I was supposed to work on this challenge over the weekend, to prepare myself for the 50 this week - but I didn't. I'm in trouble.

2010-05-12T20:58:00.002-04:00

On my quest to run 3 miles in 30 minutes isn't going so well. Why? The weather. In the last 2 weeks, I've been able to run twice. The 1st time, the weather was just perfect. The 2nd, I was going against the wind - one way...and then it helped me on my way back, which of course was awesome. I did make an attempt to run on the treadmill last Thursday, and lasted .82 miles. Yep, point. eight. two. miles. Bored.
This week, due to the new schedule at the gym, I've had to switch things up a bit...
Monday - 4:30 Weights, 5:30 Kickboxing
Tuesday - 5:30 Weights, 6:30 Kickboxing
Wednesday - Day off
Thursday - 5:30 Weight, 3 mile attempt (on the treadmill...ahhhhh!)
Friday - 3 mile attempt (treadmill), 4:30 Weights

And then Saturday and Sunday I will run as well.........but I will only do so if I can run outside.

The weather has just been crappy! Back in high school, no matter what was going on outside, my coaches made us practice. I remember doing sit ups in the mud, while it hailed. No joke. But I don't have a coach. I have me. I have promised myself, and am forcing myself to hit the streets this weekend - NO MATTER WHAT!!!! We'll see how I do. Rain isn't going to hurt me. Put a rain coat on for goodness sakes!!!!!!! Geez Dawna.

Oh and my one (favorite) instructor at the gym, Deborah, has got us doing the 100 push up challenge. By July 29th, 100 push ups...training started last week. Eeek!

2 Years and counting....

2010-05-10T21:42:00.002-04:00

As of this past weekend, we have officially been in Erie for 2 years.
For some reason I can't find some of my pictures...and I'm actually frantic about it, so I'm going to use what I have....

There were a few more people that helped us pack up, not sure where they are actually. But TJ, Alex and Leroy - you were not forgotten. (Just not sure why you weren't in this photo) This was a really sad day for me. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it. In a flash, our lives were packed up and squeezed into this truck. Neil and I created a life here - knowing we'd leave it eventually because we hated it there - but still, it was our first home.

I love this photo:

Our apartment.

What we looked like for 2500 miles...

8 months after being here, we bought a house and very shortly after (a week) we brought home this little munchkin who we call Cali. Look how cute. Seriously.

And this is Neil enjoying our backyard last summer. I just noticed that he is wearing socks with his sandals. I'm slightly embarrassed right now. What is he? Asian? (I'm allowed to say that, I'm asian...but I would never do this. This is a crime! How did I not see this?!!!!!)

I need to find my pictures. There on this computer some where. Hopefully. Despite the cold winters, we have really enjoyed living in Erie. Spring, Summer, Fall, family, friends, no traffic, good food, the Lake, my job and this house....It is all that we had hoped for. God truly blessed us. We are so thankful.

May 18th

2010-05-03T10:08:00.005-04:00

Today, it was confirmed that I will have my braces (finally) removed on May 18th. How long have I had them on? Well, let's see....

As of today, roughly 3 years, 7 months and 22 days.

Day of removal: 3 years, 8 months and 7 days

I've been nervous and excited all at the same time for many things in my life, but this....This is more like FREAKING OUT and jumping out of my skin - mixed emotions to it's highest point. I almost don't want the day to come, because I don't know what I'll do with myself. I know I'll cry, that is inevitable...and I'm pretty positive it'll happen the moment my eyes awake for the day.

Until then....
(aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!)

*I've changed this post now 3 times due to schedule changes....

Team Jack

2010-04-29T17:39:00.003-04:00

Wow, I just realized what big smiles we all have on our faces. We just finished a 6.2 miles walk, running the very end of it because we wanted to finish within 2 hours... To be here, and be a part of this really meant a lot to me. I don't know Kevin and Taiya (the couple to your left) very well, but when the opportunity came to walk for this cause - Neil and I jumped right on it. As you can see, we are the only non-family members here... but we felt like family, and it will be a day I will never forget. (Taiya and Carly swear they didn't plan their outfits for the day - but come on!)

Kevin and Taiya lost their baby in child birth just about a month ago. Taiya heard of the March for Babies event, just a week before the walk...and the 2 of them decided to go for it. They got their team set up, and set a goal on an amount they'd like to raise. I mean, with only a week... they each put a low dollar amount. Kevin told me, during the walk of course, that he kept jumping up his goal because it kept being surpassed. How great is that?

The Fallons have many plans for next year already....team shirts, loading up on carbs the night before....I can already see this being a yearly tradition, and I am so happy to be a part of it.

Brooke-lyn

2010-04-24T23:18:00.005-04:00

One of my bestest friends Brooke came and surprised me on my birthday. (I know this is late, but I just now got around to uploading my photos from my camera.)

Now...my goal of taking more pictures this year - didn't exactly happen while she was here. But I did take a few...
Here we are at the Erie Zoo. It was super dreary this day...as you can see.

This is us at Niagara Falls... It was cold!!! It was so amazing though.

And here is Neil trying to feed this black squirrel. We have never seen a BLACK squirrel!! We were freaking out. And then it was actually going up to him.

**Oh, and on a side note - this is me with Flat Kobe.

2010-04-23T22:49:00.002-04:00

I just re-read my last blog.
Whoa.
Today, I was running around town trying to get pictures for my nephew Kobe - he sent me a colored picture of himself, "Flat Kobe" and I needed to take him around my community for a class project. So, today was the day. I really hope I'm not all that late returning this to him... (On the letter it said, "please return before school ends in May." What does that really mean?

Well. As I was walking along Presque Isle with my bestest friend on four legs - Cali - I started to appreciate my life, and was thanking the Lord for all that He has blessed me with. I know there is a lot I need to work on in my heart, but I do feel blessed.

I may complain a lot. I tend to be dramatic about stuff...yes, I do realize I'm dramatic... But a majority of my life has been about God's timing and living life with the attitude of the glass half FULL. Not sure what's going on with me, or with my attitude, but I don't like it.

Patience

2010-04-22T12:24:00.002-04:00

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God...
...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."

-Philippians 4:6 & 11

I have an issue. I am not a patient person. And I really feel God is teaching me patience. Actually, it's more like a Class on Patience, with a student count of ONE...and I'm on the 3 year plan. I'm not happy about it. I find myself fighting. Like, actually fighting in prayer. That doesn't make a bit of sense, I know. It ends w/laughter because who can really fight the Almighty?
It's literally one thing after another, after another....after another. From buying a house, decorating the house, to buying a car, to having kids, down to the construction of my teeth ....everything has been this waiting game. And just when we think something is going to come through - bam! There's a hold up. (Now, we have a home - and thank the Lord every chance we get for it.) But everything else... my patience is wearing thin.

I NEED HELP!!!
I am literally going crazy. I feel like, everything I ask for - gets put on the back burner.

(I know this isn't true, and I know in due time - all of the desires of my heart will be answered.)

Neil and I cannot begin to count our blessings, for we are truly blessed. This blog is mine, and mine alone - and I can vent if I want.

I just hope God will give me my degree already, and let me pass...

Thank You?

2010-04-09T11:31:00.003-04:00

So...funny story. I was asked to work today in the office. It's Friday. I never work on Fridays, but I don't dare say no at an opportunity to earn extra money. Of course. So, since the beginning of this week - we had the most amazing, perfect weather - high 70s, just gorgeous. I started to dread coming into work today.

I said a little prayer: "God, please let there be crappy weather on Friday since I have to work, and I can't embrace this Spring weather you've blessed us with."

Yeah. I said crappy.

Well, as I left for work this morning - it started to snow. Thank you Jesus...I think. Snow though? Oh well. Bad weather is bad weather, right? (At least it's not sticking....)

On a fun note, this is what I drive up to when I get home....So pretty.

Brace Face coming to an end....

2010-04-07T13:41:00.002-04:00

.....and I'm bittersweet about the whole situation. I had an orthodontist appointment last Monday, and my doctor, Dr. Cardot said "See you in a month, and we'll schedule the day to take the top braces off."
I'm slightly FREAKING out about the whole situation. So many emotions....

March Maaadness

2010-04-05T19:06:00.002-04:00

I started the month off slowly getting off the "healthy eating" train...and within hours of landing in CA, I was completely off. (There was no way I'd be in CA for 5 days, and eat healthy...who are we kidding?) Weeks that followed, I did not improve these old habits of snacking, drinking soda, laziness... nope, I did not. Why? Birthday. I had it set in my head that my Birthday week would be filled with crap eating anyway....why eat healthy now?
But guess what? Birthday week is over - and boy did we celebrate!!! I'll have to post more about it in another blog because I have a few pictures to share - that I'm just too lazy to upload at this very moment (hence the word LAZY)...but it was a good time. Ate a LOT, and didn't make it into the gym all that much. (I even slept for 3 hours today, 3pm-6pm...with no attempts to make it to my 6:30pm Weights Class....laaaazzzzy and bleh.)

Neil and I, as you all know, love food. With the history in Neil's family, he should not be eating the way he eats. And we've come to the decision to eat healthy together. When I started the year off eating "clean" I did it alone. As of tomorrow, according to him "what you cook, I'll eat." We've decided that during the week, only healthy eating. Saturdays and Sundays, we can venture off a little bit. I mean come on, Spring is here - and grilling season is around the corner.... Burgers and hot fudge sundaes... We couldn't do without!

Today is Neil's last day of Spring break, and we're ending the vacation on a sluggish, but oh so yummy note: Chinese take out! And yes, today is Monday. But vacation ending trumps Monday. So there.

*Plus my goal of becoming a runner by the end of the year isn't going to happen on it's own. But now that the weather is nice, I'll take the attempt to the streets....

Tomorrow is a new healthy day! (I hope so anyway)

March 15th, 2010

2010-03-25T14:46:00.004-04:00

I'm back tracking a little bit because I just stole the photos below from Virginia. I thought they were really fun, and I wanted to share them....

Outside of Rio Rico's, where we ate lunch - we decided to take time out & take pictures. Apparently Brooke and I thought something was funny. It was probably an attempt I had at smiling - which I have to say, I mastered on this very day. And to think, just the day before I had issues with my eyes bugging out.... and then there's Virginia and myself. Lastly, a shot of the 3 of us....

I'm still hunting for more pictures from these 5 days in CA that I can steal....

7 days...and counting.

2010-03-24T09:50:00.003-04:00

Am I really turning 30 in t-minus 7 days?

Of course one of the 1st things my husband says to me this morning is:

"In a week, you're going to be an old lady."

Gee thanks babe.

I am completely & totally disecting this photo above...

One eye is bigger than the other.

I have neck fat.

Zero cheek bones.

Zits.

One eyebrow looks raised, even though I didn't do it. Is this a condition of some sort?

(It's freakin' me out!)

And it seems my nose is getting BIGGER!!!

7 days.

CA March 2010, Mr and Mrs Freeman

2010-03-22T11:26:00.006-04:00

I made my way out to California (I can never stay away...) and I went out for one purpose....to be by Miss Jenny Murphy as she prepared for her wedding day. Through all the stresses and little sleep - I survived. The 5 days just flew by. (I would like to thank Starbucks and Redbull for helping me stay awake through those 5 days.)
My first day was non-stop. I woke up at 2:30 am, eastern standard time and headed to Buffalo, NY where I then ended up in NJ. With that....the next flight into San Diego was almost 6 hours. I had plans to sleep, but the idiot that I am, I paid the $6 for Direct TV. I got caught up in everything. The Blindside was playing on one channel, then Dexter, Nurse Jackie on another....etc.... It was ridiculous. I finally turned my ipod on, and dozed off. But that lasted about 20 minutes. The stewardess walked by, and I politely asked for "COFFEE PLEASE?" I knew my day was going to be geared by excitement, and caffeine.
As I walked my way down to baggage claim I spot Jenny before she sees me and I ran and squeezed her tightly. It was so great to finally hug her and be there with her.
We headed to Fashion Valley, got Rubios (yum), and had to deal with some returning and buying of make-up. The rest of the day is a blur...all I know is we did the following:

Purchased a 4 pack of Redbull
Stopped at her apartment to drop off my stuff
Vans Store (I needed a new pair of slip ons - they don't have a Vans store in Erie!)
Starbucks
Nails
A bunch of wedding stuff......

The rest of the week consisted of being by Jenny's side and helping her with last minute stuff and decisions. I did a couple of stuff for the wedding, calligraphy-wise...and catching up with her wonderful family that came down from Utah. I just adore the Murphy clan so much! It was so great to see them, and spend time with them. Also, my girl Kelly Wildman came down Thursday and remained in Escondido the rest of the weekend. Of all of Jenny's friends, I know Kelly. So, it was great for me to have her there. :) Getting to know Jenny's other friends, was such a blessing for me as well. She is truly blessed. These friends in her life - AMAZING.

So I didn't take many photos of this trip - I'm losing my touch, I know.... But after I realized I didn't take many, I made a vow to myself that I will never let that happen again. Seriously.
But what I did take.....
Gettin' her nails did.

Dawna and Jenny (yep, not many from my 1st day, until the day. I'll have to steal some from Rene)

Almost Mr & Mrs Freeman....too an hour later as Mr. and Mrs. Freeman....

Dancing with her father (wesssiiide Pat!)

The following day, which was my last day - I spent the 1st 1/2 with the Dunns, which I didn't get any pictures of except of their gorgeous landscaping.... We did breakfast, then church. Then afterwards, went to lunch with Gin and Brooke. I'll have to steal pictures from Virginia as well... And the 2nd 1/2 of the day was with Carol, Zach, Stella and Murphy....which I'm really upset because I didn't take any photos of our adventurous night together. We ate In 'n Out Burger for dinner (mmmmm...) and went hunting for big bags of hot cheetos. We hunted in every grocery/convenient store in San Diego it seemed...and came up empty handed. (I also needed magazines for my trip home.) Finally, in I think a Rite-Aid, by her old apartment did she dig up 2 bags that were hidden. Best bags of hot cheetoes. Ever. It was great being able to spend time with Carol, because I hardly ever get to. Strangely enough, as we were trying to figure out what to do w/ourselves for the night ahead....as we walked the streets of SD....we discovered that we were both 2 episodes behind on this season of Lost. Perfect. So, that's what we did. After all the hunting, we cozied up on the couches and relaxed (sort of) with Lost.

It was a great last day in CA.

My Jenny.....

2010-02-26T16:30:00.003-05:00

This is my Jenny. Jenny Murphy.
We met, just over 10 years ago - and since then we've had this amazing friendship. This friendship had all the elements of a good, strong relationship. We had our fights....along with all the love in the world. She is one of my bestest friends!!!!!!!
Tomorrow she will be honored, and will be front and center at her Bridal Shower. More than anything I wish I could be there - but living across the U.S. - it isn't possible. I am attending the wedding of course. Wouldn't miss that for anything. I am so beyond excited for her. And for what God has in store for her, as a "wifey" - she is going to be uh-mazing at it.

I am counting down the days until I get on my flight, to San Diego - 12 days. Five and a half years ago, she stood by my side as I got married, as my maid of honor. And boy, was she a trooper, let me tell you. And now, I just can't wait to hug her and laugh with her, and just "be" with her as she prepares for the big day....which, by the way, is in 15 days. 15 days and she will be Mrs. Ryan Freeman. Man, I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about this day, and all that it will entail.

I do have to note that we already have plans for the 1st few hours of my arrival. True Southern California style....Food, Starbucks, and gettin' our nails did.

HOLLLLLAAA!!!

What I do NOT like about Erie, PA

2010-02-24T13:18:00.004-05:00

Black ice in the winter.
Any degree below 30. (brrrr!)
The local mall.
Having to travel to Buffalo, Cleveland, or Pittsburgh for some good shopping.
Not being able to travel, due to the weather.
Stop lights/signs on almost every corner.
Pedestrians. (They never look before they cross the street, especially on State Street)
The lack of maintenance on ones self.
The humidity in the summer.
*Shoveling snow
*That I'm far away from loved ones during special occasions

(* Add ons, after 1st initial post)

What I love about Erie, PA

2010-02-24T13:07:00.005-05:00

Hartman/Orelski Family.
Friends.
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter (well, the first couple months of Winter anyway...)
Cost of living.
Being able to purchase a home, in just 8 months of living here.
Family-owned restaurants.
Romolo's chocolates.
No traffic.
The Peninsula.
Lake Erie.
My part-time job, being a part of Erie County County Convention Center Authority (ECCCA).
Trees and all the greenery.
Relaxing by the lake.
Everything is just about 10 minutes away....
WEGMANS grocery store.

What I do NOT miss about CA

2010-02-24T12:58:00.003-05:00

Traffic.
Adding "traffic" to the amount of time it takes to get anywhere.
Gazillion people.
100 degree heat.
Spring, Fall, and Winter not really existing....(Didn't know what I was missing.)
Vanity
Cost of living.

*I visit in about 2 weeks, I'm sure I'll be adding to this list as well

What I miss about CA

2010-02-24T12:52:00.002-05:00

My mom.
Friends.
Old job.
Beautiful weather, all year-round.
Disneyland.
San Diego.
Beach.
Laying out at the beach.
Reading/relaxing at the beach.
I don't have to worry about "black ice" in the winter months. (Not that winter exists in CA.)
Great shopping.
The Lakers. (Not that I've ever been to a game, but I always thought about it.)
Palm Trees.
Del Taco.
Mexican Food.
Carne Asada Fries.
Jack in the Box tacos.
In 'n Out Burger.
Normalcy of tattoos on females.
Pismo Beach, just a 4 hour drive.

I'm sure I'll add to this as I think about it some more.....

2010-02-02T09:42:00.002-05:00

According to Mr. Punxsutawney Phil, we have 6 more weeks of winter. Thankfully in 5 weeks I'll be in California. Now, this winter doesn't even compare to last year, and I haven't found myself complaining about the cold....unless I have to go out in it before 8am. Brrrrr!!!!

I can't even go to my orthodontist w/o someone in the office mentioning my CA blood, and how it's dealing with the frighid cold. "Oh, I'm doing ok. I just layer my clothes, and stay indoors as much as possible." People who know where I'm from, just look at me with this "is she crazy?" look - like they feel sorry for me. I don't feel sorry for me. Why should you? I'm doing ok. I'm braving this weather the best I can.... I get anxiety when I have to drive in it - when the weather is really bad w/snow & ice. But when the roads are clear, I'm good. Looking forward to my AWD vehicle, that's for sure. And I'm hoping it'll come w/an automatic starter.

Hey Dawna of 2010

2010-01-14T16:07:00.003-05:00

How am I doing?
I think I'm doing pretty good.
I ended last year in total frustration, just sick of my unhealthy self and my down-in-the-dumps type attitude that I've had.
I needed a change.
When it comes to HEALTHY eating, I've decided to go towards "clean" eating. My girlfriend Shannon and her family are living this way, and I've heard only good things about it. I love food, munchies, soda...but I've never thought real hard about what I was putting into my body. It was a major reality check. (For example: Last week I had a meeting down at the Convention Center, where they feed you well - always. Laid out for us were breakfast items. I'm not even sure exactly what was over there - but I avoided it. As I sat there, la la, during the meeting, I thought to myself how easily I could just down an entire bagel - covered in cream cheese, a few pieces of lemon loaf and coffee filled w/cream and sugar. Easy.) Well, 6 years and 35 lbs later, I'm unhappy and sluggish.

I had been hitting the gym 3-4 times a week, and I'm sure that's what helped me not gain any more weight. I'm going through all this pain and agony, and my jeans are still tight. I knew what the problem was. Could I admit it? Yup. Did I change my ways? Nope.

2010 was going to be different.

I would say, I've had 16 good "clean" days so far. (I didn't start right when the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31st. Too many leftovers that I mingled over. I've had a couple cheat days, but it's more like cheat dinners. This past weekend was a mess, I have to admit. My days started off just great, but as the day progressed, I gave in. And it was due to eating out. Our friend Brent was in town, and we ate out quite a bit. I easily could've ordered salads, but I didn't. Even this past Football Sunday, Autumn and I were so strong (she's eating "clean" as well), she made turkey (breast) burgers, and they were sooo yummy. We resisted the temptation of pizza. 8 boys downed 2 Party Pizzas. (Neil alone ate 10 pieces, if not more....ridiculous.) But as dinner rolled around - surprisingly these guys wanted to order Chinese take-out. Autumn and I looked at each other, and decided to give in. It was not such a great weekend for me, eating-wise. Besides the eating, it was a really fun weekend.

Along w/eating CLEAN, I have decided: no soda (but every once in great while - which happened this past Saturday night), no snacking (unless it's clean), no sweets, and no red meat...at least for 3 months. Guaranteed I'll screw up that last one due to my trip out to CA in the middle of March. But I'll just extend it through April, how's that?

I didn't even get on the scale for a starting weight because I could care less what I started at. Too depressing. Especially when you weigh almost as much as your husband.
3 weeks in, and is it crazy to say my clothes fit better? Is it too soon? Maybe it's a mental thing, but they honestly fit better.

When it comes to the YMCA, I plan to be there more often. My goal is 5-6 times, but that just depends if my schedule allows it. First week of the new year doesn't count in my book. Due to snow storms and a single car that was in the shop 4 out of the 7 days, I didn't work out but ONE day. Not that I couldn't have worked out at home....because I could have. I just didn't. Don't ask. The last 2 weeks have been better. I've gone when I was able to. With working the box office more (I need CA spending money) - it's been a bit difficult to get myself over there. Plus, it's so dang crowded right now with "new years resolution" people, even when I am there, I can't get on a treadmill. I've improved in my weight classes. I started them in the spring last year, and pulled out 3, 5, & 7 lb weights. Now, I get 5, 10, & 12 pounders.

Another goal of 2010? To become a runner. Yep. I hate it. I dislike long distance running sooo much. I'm a sprinter. Softball, basketball. Sprint. Fast. Running is so BEYOND boring to me, that I eventually just jump off the damn treadmill and seek some other cardio machine. But I never feel I get as good of a workout, as when I was on the treadmill, or while running outside. What makes me want to achieve this goal so badly? I want to be able to run outside when the weather is nice. I want to run down by the lake, and enjoy the scenary. You ask, why not run outside now? When the air is so cold, your lungs feel like they're freezing over - I take it indoors. And I don't think my feet, and ice/snow like each other all that much. I can't seem to master the balancing act when it comes to walking on this stuff!!! ("Shuffle your feet" is a constant advice I do not practice.) In the end, I want to run. I am slowly working my way into it. After much reading, I need to take it slow. I can't expect my body to just adjust, and be able to accomplish 3 miles in 30 minutes - which is what I was attempting just a month ago. (Ya know Dawna, just because you were an athlete in high school, doesn't mean your body is same as it was back then.)

The new me is just around the corner and I can't wait. My braces should be off in a few months....then I have some post braces cosmetic stuff to be done, then I'll really be a new person. I will be a more confident person.

Can't. Wait.

Catch you on the flip side Dawna of '09....

Blogs to come....

2009-12-28T16:18:00.004-05:00

*California vs PA (My heart is still split. I have a love for both & a hate for both....)

*New Way of Living (Hitting F5 on my computer doesn't work when it comes to life, darn it.)

*My puppy turned 1!

I have been slacking on my blogging - when don't I? My "New Way of Living" blog, should hopefully get me on here once a week. I think it'll hold me accountable. Plus it'll give Shannon an update on how well I'm doing ;) This involves eating better, and running....my most hated way of working out.
6 years have come and gone - in a FLASH! And I need to pull on the brakes, no joke. I'm beyond disgusted with feeling uncomfortable all the time. (Re-reading old blogs...my head could not hang any lower. How many times have I vowed to lose weight? It's embarrassing.) Turning 30 is insentive enough to get me going. And my girlfriend Jenny is getting married in April, and I'm a part of her entourage. (She is only having her sister in the wedding party...that's what happens when you have a gazillion g/fs and have been in 10 weddings....)
Neil and I have really been wanting to get involved in our community more, and just be a light in this dark city. We haven't narrowed down anything specific, but we're working on it.
Another thing I want to look into, is getting my dog Cali involved. Cali's dermatologist (yes, she has one...she has skin irritations, ok?!) told me that she would be such a great candidate to be a Therapy Dog because she is so sweet. It would give a good name to pits...and I'm really going to work on doing that. She needs a bit more training...and that doesn't involve Neil. He is the sucker when it comes to disciplining.

Are these New Years Resolutions? I don't know....maybe. But this new decade, is going to be a fresh start for this Hartman.

952 W Hartmas Lane...

2009-11-27T17:29:00.002-05:00

Neil has been putting lights up, little by little over the last few weeks. Finally, tonight we turned them on. I attempted to video tape this moment, it's kind of dark out - so bare w/me.
At one point I ask Neil "What do you think?" His reply, which you can't hear is: "There should be more, we need more." Great. Look out Christmas 2010.
You can hear me fine, but if you want to hear Neil - you'll have to turn it up a bit.
Of course, at the exact moment we want to film this, a police/ambulance siren goes off in the distance, and a car drives by. Oh well....

1/2 a Brace-Face

2009-11-25T13:44:00.003-05:00

As you can see, my bottom braces have been removed... I'm not sure how much longer my top ones will be on. (I'll drill my orthodontist next time I go in.)
In 2 weeks I get my retainer. I was so excited to be able to pick out a crazy color...but guess what? They don't do that anymore. They all come in clear. BORING!

Anyways. I'm excited!

Thank you Jesus

2009-11-18T21:14:00.002-05:00

....for this amazing weather. Last year, this very week - we were at 20 inches of snow.

Last weekend, it was in the mid 60s w/clear skies. In Erie?! I know I've only been a part of this crazy-weathered city for 18 months, but I've picked up on the chaos. We're 18 days into November, and NO snow. Do you know, people have their Christmas lights up, bright & shining? Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK people!!!! When I think of Christmas, I think of snow...I don't want the ice weather yet...I don't. Next week, sure.

We did however take advantage of the nice weather, and Neil pulled out the ladder & got himself up on the roof to hang our Christmas lights. Turned them on for a brief few minutes to test them out...then shut them right off. Next week, on November 26th - after we've stuffed our faces...we will come home, pop in a Christmas movie, (or spin Frank Sinatra on the record player), and deck out our home with Christmas cheer.

But not a minute sooner.

71 in November?

2009-11-09T11:43:00.006-05:00

I took full advantage of the beautiful weekend we just had. And from the looks and feels of it... it's continuing through today. According to the news (and my memory), it was snowing this time last year. So far, so good on this Fall season lasting - and winter not bulling it's way into November.

Friday I had the day off and decided to take Cali to the groomers for a manicure, then a walk through Frontier Park. I got a hold of Autumn and asked if she'd like to join me. And I got a very excited reply: "YES!!!" I beat her to the park by about 15 minutes and let Cali take advantage of the empty park. She was a very good baby doggie, and came when I called her. She wouldn't stay put though when I attempted to take a photo of her. These are what I ended up with...not bad, but there was a lot of yelling involved.

Then on Sunday, another gorgeous day - 71 degrees, I texted Autumn in hopes she would like to join me again for another walk - and without fail, she came with Owen and Emma in tow. It was a bit chilly down by the water, but she shnuggled up her little ones and we were off. Cali about pulled my arm off with excitement....she's working on her "walking" skills. We were not the only ones who wanted to take advantage of the weather - the peninsula sidewalks were packed with cyclists, walkers, runners, doggies - it caused slight difficulty due to the somewhat not-wide-enough path. We had quite a few run-ins with other doggies, but all canines were on their best behavior :)

2009-10-16T23:44:00.008-04:00

Natalee and Ford Gregson

When I got the call, back in January - I didn't pick up my phone. The charge on my cell was just about dead...not to mention I didn't have my charger w/me in my new home. I was at the top of the ladder, in the kitchen, with green paint just about every which way. Then a text message came "Yeah, I'm pregnant" Just like that... I instantly called her. I was able to get about 5 minutes into the conversation before my phone died, but I could tell Natalee was beaming with excitement....or maybe it was nerves. Either way, I was excited! Since we were out in CA in June, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out to see her and Ford right away. But thank the Lord, I was able to.

Growing up, it was always hard for me to hold onto friendships due to moving so much. Not many of my friendships go past 10 years old... When Natalee and I first started hanging out, it was very clear to me that we would be friends for a really, really long time. Not only is she so great, but her family was always so amazing - good thing they didn't mind me hanging around, because I would spend weekends at a time in their home. The Corpus familia - they are one of a kind and I just love them.

The very beginning of this month, I was able to take a trip out to California, with one task at hand - to spend time with Natalee and witness the new chapter in her life as a mommy. It filled my heart to see her w/Ford. Her and Eric are such great parents! Ford was only 3 weeks old when I met him, and I'm sure he won't remember me - but that's ok. My 1st day out, we took a trip to the grocery store. Boy, was Natalee nervous. I assured her that she could do this. I was there, I have her back - Ford will sleep the entire time. And he did just that. We were even able to make a pit stop at Starbucks, which we both needed desperately. The night followed by walking over to Redlands Market Night. It was a great 1st day.

(I'll talk more about my CA trip part II in another post, and add more pictures...)

The weekend ended with quality time with the Gregson family. Which was great for me. To just sit in one place w/no agenda was so relaxing. On top of the fact, everytime I have been back to CA, I only get to soak up about 2 hours of Natalee...so time spent with just her, was so nice, and it was well overdue.

37.5 hours

2009-10-16T23:36:00.002-04:00

I worked 37.5 hours this week. I haven't worked a full week in like a year & a 1/2. I thought I'd hate it, but surprisingly it felt really good. Like I accomplished something. I appreciated that today was Friday...I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Next week, I pull the same amount of hours. I'm looking forward to it. Sort of.... the reason behind the additional hours is, my boss is out for 2 weeks recovering from surgery. Now, anything and everything that could go wrong - went wrong. Not that any of it was my fault. Just technical errors. It was all silly really. The week fleeeeew by...which was awesome! Next week is payroll week. I'm just a tiny bit nervous. I don't want to screw anything up!!! We'll see what I have to post at the end of the week.

Upload FAIL

2009-10-11T17:46:00.002-04:00

I went to upload my pictures from my most recent trip to California - and guess what? The end of the usb cord that connects to the camera, has teeth marks, and is unusable. Thanks Cal.
So, my CA Trip Part II is on hold until I receive my new cord in the mail....in 5-7 days.

What is also making it's way to me via mail? My "L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Face Cream" Doesn't that sound intense? Well, it has to be. I attempted to use my usual "winter" moisturizer last year, and that was just a joke. The bitterness basically laughed in my face. After about 3 days of cracked, flaky, painful face, I went online and did some research. I even went to Macy's to ask the ladies at the counter there what I should use, beings they live in Erie, they should have an answer. They did. I listened. I got samples of a few different options. My face, still not happy. After convincing Neil that spending $38 on a face lotion was my only option - I prayed this stuff would work. If not, I'd have to use it regardless. $38!!!!
Needless to say, it worked...and beautifully! And with Fall here, and the chill in the air....my face is screaming at me for comfort. I have just a teeeeeny bit left from last winter, maybe a week's worth. I swallowed, and walked over to Neil to inform him of the bad news. I need more. After a few suggestions by Neil, like: Isn't there anything else? We decided that $20 of my "fun" money goes back in the bank 1st thing tomorrow. We split the cost. Will Dave Ramsey agree with this method? I'm afraid to ask...

Summer 2009

2009-09-21T10:30:00.010-04:00

Now that Fall is just around the corner...I thought I'd post some highlights of the summer. My plethora of pictures on my computer are all over the place. So, I'm sure I'm missing some summer moments, but that's ok. We had a great summer!!! Even though, we didn't get what we had planned done, to the house - we'll get there this winter, when we can't go outside and play.

California Trip: In La Jolla with Neil, and of course, eating at In 'n Out

Vegas w/Brooke, Kobe & Isaiah for Eva & Tony's Reception. And finally meeting Baby Elsie

Erie Seawolves game with Adam. Cleveland Indians w/the boys

Spending time w/our baby doggie, Cali

No Doubt! Erin & I had the best day in Pittsburgh

At the Peninsula, flying a kite. Anniversary day, canoeing

Dog-sitting Sullivan & Peanut Butter Cup. Fantasy Football draft, playing Vanna

Lots of time spent w/Laura & Miss Evelyn

What's crazy is, all the time I have spent with my friend Autumn, I don't have any pictures of us together. Strange. I'll have to take care of that. We also spend a lot of time with the guys... but usually just sitting around. That's boring. Who wants pictures of that? :)
Over the weekend, Neil had to go up on top of the roof to do some patch work...or something. So, I joined him and brought my camera. There was a chill in the air, and I got extremely excited for Fall. The leaves are starting to change, and I just cannot wait. Soon, my braces will be off...well, I'm thinking like 3-5 months...but I'm sure I'll still take pictures like this:

Jon Beckman is back! + The Sounds

2009-09-14T14:14:00.001-04:00

= one hell of a great weekend!

My weekends start on Thursdays, after work. So...Thursday, after work Neil, Sean and I headed to Corry to hang out with Laura for the night. It was the week of the Spartansburg Fair, so we thought we'd go & check it out. Laura is from this quaint little town, and has gone to this fair every year - since she was real young. I can see why. We parked the car at her parents house, walked 2 blocks & we were there. Who wouldn't go every night, every year when you live that close? We definitely didn't think we'd see anyone we knew - but guess what? We were wrong. Our friends Joy & Richard were there. It was so nice seeing them!!!! What was also great about this night was Laura informed us that Jon could possibly be home in just 2 or 3 days. So awesome!
After Neil filled his belly w/Fair food, and Laura got her Maple milkshake - we made our way home. It was a great night.

Adding to the weekend was the purchase of tickets for a concert in November. The Sounds! I was introduced to this band, easily less then a year ago...and I love them! It was a surprise to me, just hours before the No Doubt concert, that they were opening - and Erin & I just about jumped out of our skin hearing the news. I have been on their trail ever since just hoping they'd make there way back. And they are! Myself, along with Neil, Sean, and Sean's friend Nicole, will be driving to Cleveland on Nov. 2nd to see them. We are all so excited! The bonus is Neil is going. It's a Monday, and we all know Neil does not like to do stuff on School Nights. But with his new promise to be a better best friend to me - he agreed :) And I couldn't be happier. I just adore my husband, and I love, love, love having him by my side during events like this. It does help when he loves the band just as much as me...

9-11-01

2009-09-11T12:49:00.003-04:00

I have probably blogged about where I was on September 11th, 2001 already - but for some reason...this year I literally have spent all day thinking about it. Not sure why.

I was 21, living in Ruidoso, New Mexico with the Carey family. I was woken up by my roomate Carrie and the youth pastors daughter - can't remember her name right now. It was my day off and I had plans to sleep in...but I'm a light sleeper & I heard whispering in the hallway, then my door opens. Carrie informs me that an airplane crashed in NY into one of the towers. I'm thinking: That's just nuts, how could someone miss that tall building? She tells me that the youth pastor (can't remember his name either!) and his wife are upstairs watching the news in the kitchen.... How strange. This news is really causing people to get together before 8 in the morning? I make my way upstairs so I can be apart of the commotion. I can still remember the smell of this house - new, dust, construction like smells...the house was in it's final stages of being built. I sit myself at the bar in one of their tall chairs and get myself caught up w/what's going on. I don't think I blinked for 10 straight minutes. Look at that plane - INSIDE the building - it was the craziest thing I've ever seen. Within 15 minutes or so of me sitting there, the 2nd plane crashes into the 2nd tower...this was no accident. Is this really happening? My mouth is dry & I can't swallow.
All day today I've been thinking about: "What did I do next?" I can't remember. I can't remember leaving the kitchen. I can't remember any conversations I had about it. Nothing. I am blank. What I slightly remember is - going to work the following Thursday, and talking to my co-workers about the events that took place 2 days prior. We had the radio on overhead, instead of music...for our benefit, as well as the customers... But I can't remember anything else.

14, 13, 12, 11,

2009-09-08T22:28:00.002-04:00

10.
As of right now, I am officially a size 10. At the beginning of this year, I was a 14. Ridic. u. lous. And I'm preeeetty sure if I ate more healthy, I'd be at my goal weight by now. But I love food too much. I love it so much, that I put myself through pain. I hit the gym 4-5 times a week, and will literally kill myself... especially if I know good food is just around the corner. It doesn't make sense, I'm aware. But. Let's face it. Food is just too good. I have cut back on the snacking, controlled my portions, and don't drink soda but every couple of months or so... I'm doing better. :)

I was reading back on old posts, and man - did I have goals that I did not achieve. I was depressed over that for like 2 days. So, I'm over the goals. I'm just going to aim to be healthier. Maybe I'm meant to have curves. Whatever. I refuse to let myself get caught up in all the vanity that I'm capable of getting wrapped up in. I've been there. I'm from CA. Girls in CA, it's all they think about. That's why they're all bitchy - they don't eat. In Erie, it's not so bad... but, at the gym, I work out next to these snobby skinny girls who just look down on those that are over weight...it has been making me sick. Was I like that when I was strutting around in my size 3 jeans? Probably. I'm just 3 sizes away from fitting into my size 7s that have been hanging out in my closet. It may take me another year, but I don't care. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm more happier this way.

Hi September, you're early

2009-09-02T20:28:00.002-04:00

I love this month. September is the month that leads you right into the holiday season... the Hartmans have a gazillion birthday wishes to send off - which starts the holiday festivities. Am I ready? No. Disappointed in me? Yes. At the start of the summer, Neil and I vowed to be ahead of September. Let's purchase birthday cards early, let's get presents all ready to go... Then when Sept is done, we'll prep for Christmas. Welp. None of this happened. September is here, and well... not prepared. But moving forward...I am excited for the Fall season. The California girl in me is just itching to experience Fall to it's fullest again... I'm excited to pull out my Fall decor, and even more excited to purchase more! Yankee Candle is just calling my name, crying out for me to buy some sort of Pumpkin-Spice-Autumn-Candy-Corn smelly goodness. (I can smell it all now.) My 1st real "decorting" holiday in my own home. Feels good. (I know, I know...What about Valentines, St. Pattys, or 4th of July... I just didn't think about it, ok!?)

*Side Note* Summer was so humid, rainy, and miserable - I'm just ready for it to go away!

I also told Neil I'm going to master new dinner and dessert recipes. I'm pulling out every cookbook I have, along w/the plethora of cookbooks my mother-in-law has..and just start experimenting. I truly feel God blessed us with this home, to share with friends and family... and I want to start new traditions with them. When Neil and I dreamed about owning a home, we always invisioned friends sharing it with us...
Mmm. Hopefully I won't scare them away with my cooking....

Living Room Upgrade

2009-08-23T16:08:00.002-04:00

As of right now, I have a bunch of framed photos hanging in my living room...on one wall. I have been on the hunt for a new inspiration to liven up the 4 walls in there, taking down what I've already nailed up. I'm so indecisive, it annoys the you-know-what out of me... Until I found this poster on allposters.com:
How awesome, right? I have decided I am going to use this as my muse. Which may lead to replacing my hand made curtains, but we'll talk about that later.

...I think it's back

2009-08-21T19:33:00.002-04:00

...my mo-jo
I have been in a rut. But this past week, I think I'm starting to come around again....yay.

It all started when I went to Corry last week, and just had the best girl time with my friend Laura. I needed it. I was always accustomed to having Brooke by my side 35 hours a week, and then some, because we hung out outside of work as well. Which means, I had girl time 35+ hours a week. I light bulb went off about a week and a 1/2 ago that I haven't been able to just gab it up with someone. This is all sounding so silly, but I don't care. It's the truth. I need girl talk. And I don't mean gossiping. Just straight giggling, stress relieving, what-have-you-been-up-to GIRL chats. I left Corry that night feeling back to normal. Plus, that baby of hers - precious! Evelyn has her mom's good looks, and her dads bubbling personality - in my opinion. Laura seems to think she looks like Jon, but I beg to differ. She definitely has her mom's curly hair. Her constant question of "was-sat!" just melts my heart.

Let's speed this post up, FYI:
Friday date day with Neil - Breakfast, District 9 (soo good), grocery shopping

Saturday, JW practice, which lead into a Hartman grill out with the boys. (Also, story time with Sean. Instead of reading the suggested literature from him, he is now going to give me a 15 minute run down of these books. So much quicker, and he tells it so well.)

Sunday, Neil's NFL Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft. 6 hours. 12 guys. 12 Dynasty Teams. (Remember my job last year? I did it again, but triple the madness. oh and back pain.) Neil didn't make any "panic picks", but he still has one more draft to go...

Autumn and company hang out on Monday - baby Emma is getting so big!

Tuesday, movie night with the Hamps: Time Travelers Wife (I cried, duh)

Wednesday, another trip to Corry with Sean and Neil in tow...very fun night.

Which leads to today. I got up early to go to the gym for the 2nd morning in a row. I will continue to take my weight classes in the afternoons, but these morning workouts are pretty dang awesome. The emptiness is very desirable.
Neil officially started his school year with an "In Service" day. There was a meeting, and then he got his classroom situated. Same grade, same classroom...he's looking forward to his 2nd year.

Now, it's a Friday night - and I'm sitting here at the computer, in my house - alone. Let's hope my weekend doesn't continue like this sad, pathetic Friday night....

3 years as a metal mouth...

2009-08-19T10:50:00.005-04:00

This picture freaks me out.
When Erin came up & around the corner w/the camera, my 1st instinct was to SMILE. Never before have I done that so willingly. I’ve always been self conscious about “are my teeth showing?”.
Behind that metal, is some major progress. As of Sept 11th they will have been on my teeth for 3 years. 3 years!!? Everyone was right, the time flew by! I spoke with Dr. Cardot at my last appointment and he is very hopeful that my “final stages” are just a couple months away. Both of my bicuspids (aka: fangs) came down, and are almost fully in place. Praise God!...is ALL I have to say about that.

Reason for the freak out? I’m literally shaking just thinking about my braces not being there. They’ve sort of been a comfort to me for the last 3 years. Not that I enjoy them, or the pain that goes along with them…I’ve just grown accustomed to them, and the fact I can hide behind them. It sounds strange, I know. I’ve been hiding behind my closed mouth smile my entire life. Sealed lips for a photo op, has now turned into a shiny metal grin – which I like hiding behind. Again, strange – I know. When the braces come off, I’ll have to adjust the way my mouth curves, and perfect the amount of teeth that should properly be showing…. The fact this is stressing me out, is sort of humorous. I’m ridiculous.

So many emotions are running through me right now. Anxious – check! Nervous – check! Excited – check! Denial – check! I need a break. I feel as if the last 3 years, I have been in a whirl wind of emotions. A lot of pain, physically & mentally...

So You Think You Can Dance?

2009-08-05T21:35:00.004-04:00

JEANINE MASON

3 out of the 5 seasons that I've watched this show, I always pick out a favorite. Season 2 was Ivan, who didn't make it to the finale. Season 3 was Sabra, who ended up winning the whole thing. And this year, season 5 is Jeanine. (I didn't watch season 1 and 4)

I think she is amazing!!! And I hope she wins it all.

5 Year Anniversary

2009-07-26T16:55:00.005-04:00

This last Friday, July 24th - Neil and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. Over the years, we have had our ups and downs, but in the end we're there for each other. He is my best friend, and I love him oh so much!
This is one of my favorite photos from our wedding day:

Up close and personal, I know. But I just adore it. Not only was this day amazing for the both of us, the entire week was packed with memorable moments w/family & friends. The last 4 celebrated July 24th, I make a comment to Neil every time - "wasn't that entire week so fun?!" And we go back in time & just feel all warm & fuzzy inside. Everyone was just there for us, emotionally & physically.
Since we bought the house this year, and started budgeting our money more wisely through Dave Ramsey's budget guide - we chose to lay low this year, stay in town, save some money. Again, the brat that I am - it took me awhile to get used to that idea. I wanted to celebrate big, go out of town. We haven't had a non-family oriented trip since our honeymoon, and I am really in need of one. Maybe next year.
Neil planned the whole day: Cracker Barrel breakfast, canoeing in the lake, Sara's for lunch, movies, then dinner at Peppino's. As the day came near, we were CONSTANTLY on weather.com watching the storms come in. Would this day even be possible? Instead of my Tuesday thru Thursday work week - I worked Monday thru Wednesday, having Thursday off to hit up an amusement park in Pittsburgh called Kennywood. The rain threatened our entire drive there, and just a little bit while at the park. But the great thing about the dreary weather was, no lines! The longest we waited was 10 minutes. Neil unfortunately was getting light headed from the rides, so we didn't accomplish too much in the 5 hours we were there.
Friday morning we woke up to thunder & lightening. We were hesitant to even start our day. After my shower, I wished my husband of 5 years a "Happy Anniversary" and became super confident that we would have fun! THANK THE LORD, we did all that we wanted to!!!! Breakfast at Cracker Barrel was glorious as usual. (They had out their fall/Halloween stuff already, and I bought the cutest owl plates, owl stuffed pillow, and a coffee to match. eee!) We went home & dressed for canoeing. It was 73 degrees out...with 94% humidity. :) My hair is not so keen on humidity, but thanks to my Pureology Super Straight hair products, I was ok. The sun was shining, and that's all that mattered. We canoed, & had such a great time. It was very relaxing. Not that we could go very far in it - they had rules. Lame, right? It was fun regardless. Erie actually has an annual "Discover Presque Isle" every year, and it just happened to be this weekend! So, immediately after canoeing, we walked on over & checked out some of the vendors and mingled with the locals. There is a place right on presque isle that rents out bikes of all shapes and sizes. Neil only wanted to do it if they had the 2 seater beach cruisers (tandem bikes), and they did! It was a little rocky in the beginning...my sweet husband kept saying beforehand "Can you balance? Don't make us fall!!!" So sweet of him. Once we got the hang of it, it was very fun. I love being by the water, and the lake was absolutely beautiful today. The sidewalks are lined with trees and the cool breeze was so refreshing. Don't get me wrong, this whole bike ride experience was fun - but I'll never do it again. Single beach cruisers from now on!
After we brought the bikes back, we were hungry (all that paddling and peddling...) so we drove over to Sara's for lunch. A cold Coca-Cola sounded so refreshing to me, so I ordered that along w/a hot dog. We shared some curly fries, and Neil got a Coke float. As we were sitting there, we were discussing how there really aren't any movies we'd like to see - why not remain outside and take Cali to the park. So we did! She did very good training. :)
We then made our way home, and put ourselves together for our dinner date at Peppino's. This place was amazing!!! I ordered a steak, which might be the best thing I've tasted since my engagement dinner - which is still my favorite meal of all time (filet mignon). We were hesitant in ordering dessert because we could just go some where local & not pay so much. But when the waitress read the dessert menu & said "hazelnut cheesecake with chocolate syrup drizzled on top" I was sold. Neil said "I don't like hazelnut, I won't have any of it." But guess what? After I about went to heaven w/the 1st bite - I made him try it. I was right :) He loved it!!! And we both agreed it was worth the $8.
We didn't take too many photos of our adventurist day...I'm a little upset about it. But here are a few to enjoy:
Canoe

Our Tandem bicycle for 60 minutes:

Our princess on her way back home from playing in the park:

Today was one of the best days I've ever had.
Happy 5 years babe!!

I've lost my mo-jo

2009-07-26T00:18:00.002-04:00

I need to sort my thoughts out.
I am trying to understand what has happened in my life, to cause me to lose some of who I am. It's like I don't know how to communicate anymore. I'm boring. There was a time in my life, you couldn't get me to shut up. Talk, talk, talk, talk,talk.....
I think I was fun at one time in my life...? That people liked my company...
I don't know. Maybe it's the fact I don't have any of my best girlfriends out here for me to talk to? I'm feeling lost. I don't know what the solution could be...
I don't want to complain, or I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me. It's the strangest thing. What has happened to my outgoing personality? I feel I've been sucked dry.
Where have all my friends gone?
Why do people change?
You go from being someone's close friend - to being an acquaintance - to zero communication.
Mind you - I feel this is all my fault. I have serious issues. I take things too personal. I judge people, even though I say I don't. I get jealous over the silliest, pettiest things.

I need my mo-jo back.

Dear Estate Sales...

2009-07-19T17:49:00.003-04:00

....how I love thee.
....UNLESS you are on a budget.
I had to pass up on one of the most amazing buys today, and I'm feeling sick to my stomach about it. It was this vintage couch-sleeper, pictured below:

I had made the decision to go with Rebecca, my Estate Sale Queen of a friend - and instantly regretted it. I should've said "no". Because what happens when you have the $ to spend, you find nothing, but when you have zero dollars - you find just about everything. We have been loathing our living room furniture. It's just bulky, and I'm over it! We walk up to this house, and my eyes instantly went to this vintage flower printed recliner chair. $20!!! (Mind you, I have $50 left of my "gimme money" left - with 9 days to go before my wallet is loaded up again.) I sat in it, discovered that it rocks as well. Its in perfect condition. Awesome. Rebecca and I then make our way into the living room. My eyes instantly go to yet another chair - same print as the one in the garage, but bigger - and instead of the recliner, it swivels and rocks. Awesome. This one was marked $30. I'm just about ready to walk out of this place - I feel my throat go dry. Oh no, we then walk into this back room where my eyes fall on this couch. We immidiately go to it, sit in it, and just smile at each other - this couch is amazing. And it's a sleeper. Perfect. They're asking $85 for it. At this point, I'm just freaking out...I need to GET. OUT. As we walk out, we see a table set up for "bid on items over $10." What?! Rebecca then explains this concept to me, and I decide "why not?" What are the chances that they'll call me?! Especially since I put amounts such as:
Flower printed chair (located in garage) - $10
Flower printed chair (located in living room) - $12
Couch-Sleeper - $50
I won all 3 bids. Can you believe it? I then go to ask my darling husband if we can go pick them up - to no ones surprise, the answer was "NO, I don't even like the couch." I had to make the dreadful - also embarassing phone call to Sue Bartlett letting her know that unless my husband sees it, he wants to pass. She had another buyer on the couch, and she was honest (a.k.a. blunt) with me and said "Honey, how about you pass and let someone else take it who is 100% on taking it." Ouch.
I love the couch. It would've been perfect in my living room. I could tell you that I knew Neil would like it w/o a doubt, when I chose to put the bids in, but then I'd be lying. Neil doubts EVERYTHING. The only way I win is if I just do it. Do what I feel is right. But with our new budgeting system, I didn't do it.
I now need a "furniture-house decor" budget - no joke.

2009-07-14T19:35:00.003-04:00

About to go on a 3 mile walk with Neil and our 6 month old pup Cali...need this time and this workout!!!

Blessed to have a brother-in-law who knows computers...and can build computers. Working off one he built, and shipped to us. How nice, right? I know. We're blessed. He felt the need to build another one...and decided his old one should go to his younger brother. I can't remember the last time I worked off an actual computer that didn't sit in my lap. So nice. On top of all this nice-ness, our friend Adam had a desk that just took up space in his basement - and offered it to us! It is super nice, and fits perfect in our office. Now to get this room organized, and decorated - can't wait. I will definitely be making a pit-stop at Joann's Fabrics to pick out some fabric for curtains.

Alright, I best get going on this walk already.
It's 7:40pm - about an hour & 1/2 away from the sun setting - my favorite time of day!!!!