I can't believe it, but my due date is less than three months away! Until now, and outside of first trimester yuckiness, I have barely "felt" pregnant in the physical sense. Had TONS of emotional symptoms which isn't really surprising given my natural tendencies, but only recently is this little belly growing at alien baby pace into a pretty formidable consideration.
Yesterday I strategized a way to pick several things up off the floor by only bending down once.
I also felt the wind on the underside of my belly while I was walking outside. I was wearing a normal t-shirt, but a size larger than I would ever wear when not pregnant. And it still didn't cover. Oh, my.
I have announced it on FB, but not here, that we are having a baby girl bean. Her nursery is coming together rather nicely, complete with my bedroom suit from childhood. And it seems my anticipation of meeting her and holding her grows with my belly. Simply, words do not suffice.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
I Will
by Brandi Carlile
It's not the end of the world, it's not even over
But it will be soon
I never learned my lesson, I just changed my tune
And no one seems to notice
But you will, you will
It's no big deal
But the last thing I think of when I close my eyes
And the first thing on my mind when I arise
It is a day and you're not really in my life
You can try and you won't find it where you're looking
You can hold it 'til it's putty in your hands
And you can't break a heart that wasn't even yours to break
You can never be there for me in the end
And i will do the right thing
I will, I will, I will
You're not fooling me
I'm not the sort of girl that can't see reason
But it's nothing that a little bit of time won't heal
I know it don't come easy but I love you, I do
Coming clean means never closing curtains
I just changed my scene
Oh but you know what I mean and I will learn throughout my life
To never believe what will have been
I can try and I won't find it where I'm looking
I can hold it 'til it's putty in my hands
You can't break a heart that wasn't even yours to break
You can never be there for me in the end
But I will do the right thing
I will, I will, I will
I don't think you ever learned a thing from me
But I'm sure that you want me to learn from you
And you've drawn heavy-handed lines around morality
About yourself and I don't share your point of view
It's about time to let you go and I thought it's time to let you know
And it has to be the one that you'd regret
I have to say that I'm proud to know you
And I'll never be the same because we met
You might not miss this
I will, I will, I will
It's not the end of the world, it's not even over
But it will be soon
I never learned my lesson, I just changed my tune
And no one seems to notice
But you will, you will
It's no big deal
But the last thing I think of when I close my eyes
And the first thing on my mind when I arise
It is a day and you're not really in my life
You can try and you won't find it where you're looking
You can hold it 'til it's putty in your hands
And you can't break a heart that wasn't even yours to break
You can never be there for me in the end
And i will do the right thing
I will, I will, I will
You're not fooling me
I'm not the sort of girl that can't see reason
But it's nothing that a little bit of time won't heal
I know it don't come easy but I love you, I do
Coming clean means never closing curtains
I just changed my scene
Oh but you know what I mean and I will learn throughout my life
To never believe what will have been
I can try and I won't find it where I'm looking
I can hold it 'til it's putty in my hands
You can't break a heart that wasn't even yours to break
You can never be there for me in the end
But I will do the right thing
I will, I will, I will
I don't think you ever learned a thing from me
But I'm sure that you want me to learn from you
And you've drawn heavy-handed lines around morality
About yourself and I don't share your point of view
It's about time to let you go and I thought it's time to let you know
And it has to be the one that you'd regret
I have to say that I'm proud to know you
And I'll never be the same because we met
You might not miss this
I will, I will, I will
Monday, October 12, 2009
Satisfaction
I judged jr high all-region tryouts on Saturday. When I was a choir director, judging tryouts was one of the necessary drudgeries of the job, and honestly, one of the things I was looking forward to NOT doing again. (The directors reading this may disagree. You may love sitting for ten hours and listening to 200 different students sing the same 2 minutes of music over and over, and over. But not me.) So, why did I do it?
Well, I've been missing my kids. And I knew I would get to see some of them. And it was wonderful! I loved even the few minutes I got with them before I had to run to a meeting, seeing how they are growing into the adults they will be one day. That was one of my favorite parts of teaching -- witnessing the process of growth.
Also, I love their new director. When I decided in Sep of '08 that 08-09 would be my last year of teaching, I started praying then for the new director. We had made some major progress in the three years I had been there, foundational stuff, and I wanted the kids to have a director of some experience and achievement to help them further tap into their potential. Well, they didn't get a director with just some experience -- they got a director with loads of experience and achievement! And to top it off, she really loves them.
That was such an encouragement for me, personally, to know the work would continue. And again, because of her immense expertise, Mrs. Dunavan will grow that program at a much quicker rate and to a deeper level than I could have if I had stayed. She's just awesome.
The first major indicator of this is that TEN of her jr high kids made the all-region choir! I am so happy for those kiddos, each of them! And I will see you guys at the all-region concert!
Well, I've been missing my kids. And I knew I would get to see some of them. And it was wonderful! I loved even the few minutes I got with them before I had to run to a meeting, seeing how they are growing into the adults they will be one day. That was one of my favorite parts of teaching -- witnessing the process of growth.
Also, I love their new director. When I decided in Sep of '08 that 08-09 would be my last year of teaching, I started praying then for the new director. We had made some major progress in the three years I had been there, foundational stuff, and I wanted the kids to have a director of some experience and achievement to help them further tap into their potential. Well, they didn't get a director with just some experience -- they got a director with loads of experience and achievement! And to top it off, she really loves them.
That was such an encouragement for me, personally, to know the work would continue. And again, because of her immense expertise, Mrs. Dunavan will grow that program at a much quicker rate and to a deeper level than I could have if I had stayed. She's just awesome.
The first major indicator of this is that TEN of her jr high kids made the all-region choir! I am so happy for those kiddos, each of them! And I will see you guys at the all-region concert!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Baby Bean
...is kicking. Most of the time it feels like a few little popcorn pops...and every once in awhile, I'll get a pretty firm, "Hey! I'm down here!" It's so sweet. I can't wait until the Hunk can put his hand on my belly and experience this with me.
We will have an ultrasound tomorrow to find out the gender of Baby Bean! We have absolutely no idea, and ironically, the peanut gallery is split about 50/50 with their opinions. Not that it matters what any of us thinks, you know. :) It's kinda already decided; however, I do enjoy hearing what makes people decide something like this. Most say, "I just have a feeling..." as their eyes trail off into the distance mysteriously.
So. I guess about 50% of my friends and family will be rewarded this weekend with the knowledge that their feelings were correct. And the Hunk and I will be 100% elated, no matter what. He said that I'll probably cry. I said, yes, either that or laugh from pure joy.
We will have an ultrasound tomorrow to find out the gender of Baby Bean! We have absolutely no idea, and ironically, the peanut gallery is split about 50/50 with their opinions. Not that it matters what any of us thinks, you know. :) It's kinda already decided; however, I do enjoy hearing what makes people decide something like this. Most say, "I just have a feeling..." as their eyes trail off into the distance mysteriously.
So. I guess about 50% of my friends and family will be rewarded this weekend with the knowledge that their feelings were correct. And the Hunk and I will be 100% elated, no matter what. He said that I'll probably cry. I said, yes, either that or laugh from pure joy.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
In Honor of Fall
White Bean Chicken Chili
(There are a thousand versions of this dish out there, and I've probably made about a dozen of them. I am happy to present here, however, the version that I have enjoyed most of all. I got the basic recipe from allrecipes.com, then snazzed it up with a few more ingredients and spices.)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 lb diced chicken (cooked or uncooked)
2 cans chicken broth
1 can northern beans, not drained
1 can garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), drained
1 can corn, drained
1 7oz can green chiles, not drained
1 tsp whole cumin, toasted for a few minutes then ground (or 1 tsp ground if that's all you have)
1/2 tsp coriander (same here, whole/toasted/ground is better, but ground is fine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
sour cream and shredded jack cheese for garnish
1. In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil. If chicken is uncooked, saute that as well. Cook until onions are translucent and chicken is opaque.
2. Dump in the broth, chicken (if using already cooked chicken), beans, corn, green chiles, spices, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling.
3. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. Also those Jiffy brand corn muffins are like 89 cents at the grocery store - PERFECT as a compliment, and you can make them up while the chili is simmering.
(There are a thousand versions of this dish out there, and I've probably made about a dozen of them. I am happy to present here, however, the version that I have enjoyed most of all. I got the basic recipe from allrecipes.com, then snazzed it up with a few more ingredients and spices.)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 lb diced chicken (cooked or uncooked)
2 cans chicken broth
1 can northern beans, not drained
1 can garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), drained
1 can corn, drained
1 7oz can green chiles, not drained
1 tsp whole cumin, toasted for a few minutes then ground (or 1 tsp ground if that's all you have)
1/2 tsp coriander (same here, whole/toasted/ground is better, but ground is fine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
sour cream and shredded jack cheese for garnish
1. In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil. If chicken is uncooked, saute that as well. Cook until onions are translucent and chicken is opaque.
2. Dump in the broth, chicken (if using already cooked chicken), beans, corn, green chiles, spices, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling.
3. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. Also those Jiffy brand corn muffins are like 89 cents at the grocery store - PERFECT as a compliment, and you can make them up while the chili is simmering.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Procrastination
I guess my trend for blogging has been a sparse, if regular, creation of new entries. I do read your blogs almost daily, however, and get much enjoyment from them.
I started grad school, and that has required much of me in terms of motivation for writing. Others who have attended grad school would maybe agree with me that it is not necessarily more difficult than undergrad in terms of the intelligence required to succeed...but in terms of the sheer volume of work, it's just off the charts. I have read and written more in the last five weeks than perhaps in 6-9 hours of undergrad work.
That said, I am enjoying myself immensely! I feel like I've already learned so much, and can't wait to get started with the fall semester. But first I need to knock out what promises to be a pretty lengthy literature review paper on Borderline Personality Disorder. Like, this weekend. Because it's due Tuesday. And I haven't even started gathering sources. Oh, my.
And it seems that, just like during my undergrad work, I still believe that there is no motivator like procrastination.
Total change of subject...
Can I just say that I REALLY dislike politics? Or maybe I just dislike the talking heads that endlessly parse and spin every political event, even the most insignificant ones, ad nauseum. Can somebody PA-LEEEAASSEE just tell us what happened, without this compulsive need to tell us what they think about it or what this-or-that expert thinks about it or - worse yet - what I apparently think about it.
It goes like this..."Today, this amazing thing happened in so-and-so with whodilywho and what's-his-face..." And then they'll report verifiable facts (what used to be called news reporting) for 45-60 seconds...and then they'll go to their panel of experts. "Dr. Ambiguously-Qualified, what do you think this means for the American people?" or some other opinion-inducing question will begin a 4-5 minute discussion that is best described as a mini-episode of "The Real World: Washington D.C." And as I see it, this is just the beginning of a chain reaction...
The Right complains about how the Left distorts the facts.
The Left complains about how the Right distorts the facts.
(They BOTH distort the facts, by the way.)
And then we have otherwise civilized people yelling elected officials off of stages in high school gymnasiums...
And the non-yellers complain about the yellers...
Until, as I heard a Republican strategist say on NPR the other day, "This is no worse than the abuse President Bush took at his town hall meetings a few years ago."
That's awesome. The they-started-it defense.
When it comes to politics, I question EVERYTHING. I am uber-skeptical of every single sentence that anyone says about politics. And the more confident someone seems in their own position, the more skeptical I become. "How can you be so sure," I think, "when we possess a cultural disinterest in what actually is?" Maybe that's why I can't really land anywhere philosophically speaking. But can you blame a girl, after she has witnessed this massive comedy of errors for so long?
I started grad school, and that has required much of me in terms of motivation for writing. Others who have attended grad school would maybe agree with me that it is not necessarily more difficult than undergrad in terms of the intelligence required to succeed...but in terms of the sheer volume of work, it's just off the charts. I have read and written more in the last five weeks than perhaps in 6-9 hours of undergrad work.
That said, I am enjoying myself immensely! I feel like I've already learned so much, and can't wait to get started with the fall semester. But first I need to knock out what promises to be a pretty lengthy literature review paper on Borderline Personality Disorder. Like, this weekend. Because it's due Tuesday. And I haven't even started gathering sources. Oh, my.
And it seems that, just like during my undergrad work, I still believe that there is no motivator like procrastination.
Total change of subject...
Can I just say that I REALLY dislike politics? Or maybe I just dislike the talking heads that endlessly parse and spin every political event, even the most insignificant ones, ad nauseum. Can somebody PA-LEEEAASSEE just tell us what happened, without this compulsive need to tell us what they think about it or what this-or-that expert thinks about it or - worse yet - what I apparently think about it.
It goes like this..."Today, this amazing thing happened in so-and-so with whodilywho and what's-his-face..." And then they'll report verifiable facts (what used to be called news reporting) for 45-60 seconds...and then they'll go to their panel of experts. "Dr. Ambiguously-Qualified, what do you think this means for the American people?" or some other opinion-inducing question will begin a 4-5 minute discussion that is best described as a mini-episode of "The Real World: Washington D.C." And as I see it, this is just the beginning of a chain reaction...
The Right complains about how the Left distorts the facts.
The Left complains about how the Right distorts the facts.
(They BOTH distort the facts, by the way.)
And then we have otherwise civilized people yelling elected officials off of stages in high school gymnasiums...
And the non-yellers complain about the yellers...
Until, as I heard a Republican strategist say on NPR the other day, "This is no worse than the abuse President Bush took at his town hall meetings a few years ago."
That's awesome. The they-started-it defense.
When it comes to politics, I question EVERYTHING. I am uber-skeptical of every single sentence that anyone says about politics. And the more confident someone seems in their own position, the more skeptical I become. "How can you be so sure," I think, "when we possess a cultural disinterest in what actually is?" Maybe that's why I can't really land anywhere philosophically speaking. But can you blame a girl, after she has witnessed this massive comedy of errors for so long?
Sunday, June 28, 2009
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