The smell of Autumn

I love this time of year! Everything is changing and smells so fresh. It makes me want to go apple picking, eat donuts with hot apple cider and go for long walks. Anyone else feel that way?

Family

So this past week Andy and I spent 15 hours on a plane. Did we fly to Europe you say? Nope just over to Philly for the week. The trip was a bit taxing, but you couldn't beat the price, so we just caught up on our reading and sleeping. Going home is always a bit bittersweet for us. We both are so close to our families that we find ourselves counting down the hours and being devastated when it is time to leave. If you've lived far from family you'll understand this. Not that our family doesn't miss us just as much, but I find myself treasuring each conversation and hour so much more knowing that I won't be a part of it next week. This past trip we went for 9 days with the main event being Michelle (Andy's sister) marring our new brother-in-law Dave. Weddings can be times of craziness, but also such memories. It was so much fun just to be together as a family and be able to see everyone all in one place. The wedding was in Ocean City, NJ which was so fun for me since I had never been there before. What a fun place! I told Andy that we're going to have to make a point of going back. As for the rest of the week it all went by much to fast. Being in my 23rd week of pregnancy, I was very excited to have a good week. I really didn't get sick very much!!! I am paying for that today, but hopefully my body will calm down after a day of napping and taking it easy. I plan to stay on the couch for the rest of the day and try to keep something down....this is a bit hard considering the tornado that seemed to hit our apartment over the last two days. Why is it that unpacking is so much harder than packing? It takes me two minutes to pack and at least a week to get things back in order when I get home. I'll try to find the camera soon and share the pictures from the week!

Happy UnBirthday to Andy

Today started out as one of those days that just needed cheering up. Nothing major brought on the rain clouds, but we woke up with them there. So mid afternoon I decided that we needed something fun for dinner. Andy's birthday is coming on quick, but we will be celebrating this year in New Jersey with his family SOOOOOO I decided tonight was the perfect day to celebrate his 28th birthday just the two of us. It started with Andy's favorite dinner ( I tell him I'll make anything he wants and he still asks for BLT's every year...which is easy for me!!) and of course birthday cake (well I tried I can't in good conscience call it a cake....maybe a german chocolate crumble) and of course a present. To top the night off the Buffalo Bills decided to play a great game...just to make us smile! Wow! What a night! Well, we're off to eat that cake...crumble...

Autumn

The trees are changing colors, I"m craving hot cider, and baseball is suddenly getting very exciting. Yup its that time of year again....fall! I love this time of year. Everything seems to take on a new crispness (for lack of a clearer description) I actually begin to anticipate the change of seasons and get excited for what is ahead. We have much to look forward to in the next few months. Both Andy, and I will celebrate our 28th year on earth, we will be taking holidays with both families a bit early this year, my sister-in-law gets married in less than two weeks :), and the Phillies may just repeat their victory of last October. So much to look forward to. I plan to be better at capturing our adventures on film so that you can all share as well. Today we have celebrated the opening of football season by watching all three games (even though one of those is baseball). So I have abandoned my post by choosing to write ya'll ( see I've still got a bit of Houston in me ) so I better go back to my cheering section! Stay tuned for the adventures ahead!

Ps In anticipation for our exciting year ahead ( I measure years by school calendars...I know I know January is what the rest of the world goes by...but anyway) we have changed the look of our blog. I think it looks a bit more Canadian :)

Summer time Summer time Sum Sum Summer time

So the real question is where did summer go? I know that I woke up yesterday knowing that I had two months off and then this morning had a work schedule in place. Is it really September already? Did football really start today? I must admit I missed the summer of 2009. Just like in one of those movies where the lead character wakes up 10 years later its just that in my situation I missed my long awaited vacation. So I guess the real question is what did I do this summer that made it pass by so quickly. Well, the first week of freedom was met with visitors hailing from the west and east. Andy's parents as well as our good friends from Houston (Ben and Lauren) came up to Calgary to see the sights...and maybe us too. We had a great week taking in the mountains, stampede, and playing Settlers of Catan.This was when we had a fire "drill" in the middle of the night!
Olympic Park!

Hiking!
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It passed much too quickly and soon our little apartment seemed to quiet. To ease the pain of their departure we ventured to New Jersey the following weekend to attend one of Andy's high school friend's wedding. Although he had to go back for work I spent the following week in Rochester with my family. After that our roller coaster was in full swing. There was a week of VBS followed by a week long visit from one of my favorite sister-in-laws Amanda





and then a week long trip to Michigan where I caught up with old roomates



and taught dance from dawn till dusk. In between we managed to fit a few backyard BBQ's, two visits to the emergency room, playing in a baseball (softball just to clarify for Andy's sake) league, camping,




teaching dance classes in Calgary, and finally finding out our little surprise is a little pink surprise...



or at least she will be wearing pink to dance class...(we found out we are having a little girl in January for those of you who don't know yet.) All in all a great summer, but it felt more like an exciting dream than two months of activity. As for this blog, I have failed in my attempt to keep it going. Alas, no need to worry it will survive the fall. To those who have been praying for me this summer: Thank you so much! I have needed the prayers and they were worth more than you know. I am so glad that I can look back at this summer with happy memories, but also that it is in the past. Morning sickness was not expected to that degree and all I can say is that I am so grateful for the mercy that I have found in the past two weeks. Our little girl is doing very well, and has at least at this point started to like some of the food I'm giving her. She still isn't a fan of pork chops so we may just wait till she is older to try those again :) but at least she likes spaghetti now! I knew she'd come around. Anyway, I felt a bit as if Andy had lost a wife this summer, and that I had let my friends down as well. I am so grateful for the love and support you all showed....I do feel as if I am back...and ready to go!