Genius and a Broken Back.

I threw out my back yesterday. And yes, your image of a 45-year-old, chubby man, half-bent with his hand on his lower back-that's about how I looked yesterday! Apparently, my body caught up to the fact that I'm a parent now and decided to make me feel old. I bent down to pick Lili up, and when I came back up, I almost fell over! So I spent the day in recovery (i.e. TV, naps, Tommie cooking dinner....not so horrible overall). Today I'm feeling much better, though not entirely healed from the pain nor the sore pride.

Secondly, our good friend, Clark Orr, is a design genius. He designed the shirt you see to your left. That shirt is for Johnny Cupcakes. He also designs for more people and bands than you could ever imagine. Check out his website here and his blog.


Just thought I should shout out since his designs are incredible.

It's Time for More, More, More!

So I finally have our camera back, and that means MORE PICTURES! Hooray! Shall we begin?

First off, we have a picture of my new haircut. If you'll notice, it's also tinted a purply/red with blonde highlights.
This haircut was inspired by a haircut I saw in a magazine called SWELL, which is also a purveyor of awesome surf/beach/snowboard/casual clothes that are just on the verge of too expensive for me. Which means I'm always wanting something from that magazine....Though I think it will be a few more weeks before my hair is the length of this photo, here is the picture that inspired me:

Some of you may also have noticed the picture to your left on Tommie's facebook profile. I wanted to share this picture too because it vaguely highlights one of the crafts I just finished! I'll have to post a better picture soon, but I made a baby sling! Basically, it's a long piece of cloth with rings on it to adjust the tightness...but it's a handsfree way to "wear" Liliana while we're out and about. As you can see from the picture, she likes it enough to fall asleep! I decided to make it when I looked them up on MAYAWRAP and realized I'd be shelling out about $70 to buy a new one. I Don't Think So! If you ever want to make one, you can ask me how, or click here for directions.

Finally, here is a picture of my mom, myself and my smiling daughter! Three generations of Gubser women. I thought it was especially cute since Liliana was grinning. She's also wearing one of the cloth diapers and cute diaper covers we got for her. So it's a doubly-good picture.

In the days to come I'm sure I'll post pictures of our new Honda Pilot, which I love. It's black with heated leather seats, three rows of seating with a super easy way to put down the back chairs for extra room. It's a little more of a "family-style" car, but it's better than a minivan by far! So, I have to hand it to Tommie for finding something so functional (haha-get it? fun-ctional?). Anyway....

God has been blessing us a ton lately, just in little ways that we're learning to enjoy. There will be a post on that in the near future I think too. So, here is your daily (or however often I decide to post) dose of Bozich life, check back in for the promised future posts and more!

Things to Come

So, I have all these great blog posts planned, but Tommie is out of town with the laptop I normally use AND the camera with all my pictures on it! :) So, I'll just tell you what's going on and promise pictures for later.

I got my haircut about two weeks ago and finally am LOVING it! I dyed it a reddish-purple/brown and got blonde highlights in the front. It's pretty fierce, but it took me about two weeks to decide how much I love it! I actually got it cut the same evening we went to see Caedmon's Call with Derek Webb! What an awesome show. That was one of the first dates on their tour, so check their websites to see if they're coming your way and GO SEE IT! They're awesome live, as usual. Andrew Osenga is playing with Caedmon's and their new album too, but he has a new solo album that's really good as well, so I just suggest checking it all out.

We also sold our Element, and actually, Tommie and my brother in law Mike are in Birmingham today to pick up our new, black, Honda Pilot! The guy who bought the Element happens to also live in Birmingham, where we bought our new Pilot, so the boys took a roadtrip to exchange vehicles. While their down there, they get to see friends and ALSO PICK UP STUFF FROM PUBLIX! I can't tell you who much I miss that grocery store! I'm getting them to get me Mojo sauce, which I can't believe they don't sell out here.

Liliana is trying to roll over lately, and though I have to push her the rest of the way, I'm awfully impressed with our little girl! She's cracking me up and becoming more fun by the day.

I also finally have decided to make our wedding photo book-a year and a half after the event. The new iLife from Mac makes it SO much easier than the online program I was trying to use before. I'm so looking forward to having some pictures in hand from our wedding!

I think that's about it for now. I've done some other fun things that have slipped from my memory already, but I'll post more later!

So Many Pics, So Little Time

1.) Dividing Our Hearts Between Homes
This past weekend, Tommie and I had the pleasure of accompanying our youth group to Divide, Colorado, for their winter retreat! Tommie led worship and I just got to go with Liliana. We definitely live in a beautiful part of the country. Part of me still misses my home in the South though....but pictures like this make me more at home here in CO. Here's what Divide looked like on our drive home on Sunday:2.) I'm Mixed
Obviously, I'm not actually mixed. There was a girl at the camp though who was in my small group who was AWESOME at braiding hair. I got her to do mine and then subsequently had to answer questions as to whether or not I was mixed. She said she thought I was Puerto Rican. So there ya go.

3.) Liliana's A LumberJane
Lili had thee awesome chance to wear this sweet blue vest that Kristin got her for Christmas. If you'll notice, she's wearing coordinating blue snow boots as well. It was rather cold out though, so her face doesn't quite express how much fun she had wearing this vest...in fact, it doesn't really express any amount of fun, rather anger at being awake and cold when she should have been warm and napping.
4.) From Snow to Surf in Under an Hour
That's right, Liliana got to swim for the first time this weekend! At first, for about the first 3-4 minutes, she wasn't so sure she liked it. After that though, her smiles were HUGE as I imagine she thought she was in a giant bathtub. The water, despite being "heated", was a little bit chilly, so we got out after about 15 minutes. It was still awesome though.


















Those are all the pictures I'm going to share from this weekend, but suffice it to say, we had an amazing time. The kids in the youth group are amazing and definitely are growing in Christ. We also had a great time getting to know the youth leaders, most of whom are our age and in our lifegroup (bi-weekly community group). I even had the chance to lead one of the small groups and remembered how much I truly love working with youth and kids. I think I might start praying about teaching a Sunday school class or working with the youth on Thursday nights. So, all in all, a wonderful time with wonderful pictures to share!

Enjoy!

She's A Beauty.

January at a Glance

Clearly, my life is entirely different this month than all the months of my life preceding it. It's been fun though, and I thought I should give a quick update (including fabulous pictures) of what's been going on:

1.) Liliana is bigger. By bigger, I definitely mean FATTER! :) It's fantastic to see her little body get all pudgy and then to see her lose the pudge so quickly as she grows longer by the day. Here she is with her fat little cheeks, cuddled into the swing that has become our lifesaver. She truly loves this swing and will stop crying almost immediately if we put her in it.

2.) I'm losing my baby fat while Liliana is gaining hers. I'm now only 10 lbs. heavier than before I got pregnant. That's not bad for a month and a half after baby, but it still make me sad that I don't fit in my favorite jeans yet. Thanks to my awesome, and taller, sister Kristin though, I'm borrowing some cute jeans until I hopefully do fit into my own pants again one day. Thanks sis!

3.) Not only is Liliana getting bigger in size, she's growing up a bit too. She's starting to eat a little more at each feeding and a little less often, meaning she's sleeping longer in between!!! That's awesome for us because that means we're finally starting to get a decent night's sleep. In fact, our little girl is so big, she's now sleeping in her own room. That's right, after a few tears from my mommy eyes, Liliana has made it into her crib. She's learning to fall asleep by herself and to stay asleep long enough for Mommy and Daddy to not want to hurt themselves in the morning. Congrats little baby.

4.) Lili is also starting to edge her way into the cloth diapers and diaper covers we got for her. As you can see from the picture, she is still kind of small for them, so they look ENORMOUS. I'm excited about them though and had to put her in one today since we finally got everything put together for them. For your viewing pleasure:
She's also starting to smile a lot more!!! Kristin has some good pictures of my little girl's grin while she's taking a bath. Seriously, Lili LOVES the bathtub! She floats around with the biggest smile I've ever seen. Anyway, I'll try to get some of those pics from Kristin.

5.) In other news, I've nearly finished writing my pregnancy memoir. That means for all you girls out there contemplating getting pregnant, not wanting to get pregnant but curious about what it was like for me, or just wanting to hear about our story, it's headed your way! I'm going to try to find a way to host it somewhere so that you can read it online. I think I can do that from Tommie's website, so keep your eyes peeled for my announcement when it's posted. It should be up by Valentine's Day. ( I still have to edit it to make sure it's exciting enough for you to read)

6.) I've started back to work and it's been easy and great, so all praise to God for that. I was nervous.

7.) We're planning on selling our cars to downsize, but also to up the number of seats in our cars. Right now, if we take Lili (which of course we always do), we can only take one other person in our four-seater cars. So we're hopefully going to sell them both and get one car that can fit eight: THE HONDA PILOT. It's a great car that I think we'll test drive today. Please be praying that all goes well and this deal goes through!

8.) We're also hoping to sell our house in Dunedin, FL, to the renters who have been renting it for the past 2 years. They're an awesome couple and we think this would be a great deal for both families. Please pray that this deal also is completed in God's timing. (we're hoping before the end of February)

That's about it for now. January has been a blur and I can only imagine life will continue to feel that way as new things are coming into our life all the time. We're excited for what God has for us this year and we look forward to sharing those things with you. We'd also love to hear about what God is doing in your lives and how your lives are changing, so feel free to leave a post or e-mail me!!!

Yes Please. If you haven't seen the original, just imagine Jerry O'Connell as Tome Cruise, making no sense-it's about the same thing.

The Bozichs Strike a Claim

Okay, so I'm new at the whole movie-editing thing, but I gave it a shot, and here's my first try! Check it out::

We Are Now A Family of Three (Four Kind Of...)

So, it finally happened! On December 10, 2007, our dear sweet Liliana Kelleen Bozich came into the world! And my how she's changed it already.

Right now she's sitting next to me, crying her eyes out, trying to avoid the sleep that's dogging her little tiny body. If she'd just close her eyes I think she'd pass out, but she refuses. She also has this infatuation with having my finger or Tommie's finger in her mouth as she falls asleep-which is cute but actually kind of annoying and impractical. So I'm kind of trying to wean her off of that. Although the crying is starting to make me crazy, so I might just slip my finger in her mouth after all. I seem to have no resolve...

Anyway, Lili is finally here and Tommie and I couldn't be more excited about it. Life has changed for us dramatically in the past three and a half weeks. Notably:

1.) I feed Liliana every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That means nighttime is a relative concept for me. I seem to be awake almost as often as I'm asleep when it's dark outside. Tommie's awesome though and has been a great partner at night for me, changing diapers and putting a sleepy and sometimes grumpy Lili to sleep. All in all, this is my least favorite thing, but it's not that bad.

2.) Leaving the house takes much more preparation and time than it ever has. Now we are responsible to get Maple's things (if she's coming) and Liliana's things before we leave. I can only imagine what it will be like when there are more of us...

3.) Liliana's crying is a daily noise, unfortunately. The thing is though, that's how babies communicate and they're going to do it no matter what. So we've started to get kind of used to it. There are times though when I think I might pull my hair out if she doesn't quit. That's when I'm glad Tommie's around.

4.) Laundry has to happen at least twice a week. That girl can poop, spit up and pee with the best of 'em.

5.) I've never loved someone as quickly and easily as I love our daughter. It's funny because you might assume it's a huge revelation, but for me it's just been the way it is....I just love her.

6.) For no apparent reason, Liliana loves Johnny Cash. I'm serious. Particularly the song, Ghost Riders In The Sky. Remember how I said she was crying her eyes out? Well she's stopped now. Ghost Riders in the Sky is playing and she's got her eyes closed and pacifier slowly slipping out of her mouth. Now I can only hope she doesn't notice when the pacifier is totally out and that Johnny works his magic just a little longer this morning.

Well, I have quite a few things to try and get done today and Lili's naptime is a precious commodity. SO, that being said, trust that the mommy chronicles and more stories of my life are yet to come.

A Long Awaited Post

So I'm not really sure how many people read this blog, though I think it is likely under ten people. But for those ten people (or less), I know there are times when I am slow to post and you must anxiously be awaiting another update on my life and my family. Right?!

Well, here you have it.

To the left you will see a picture of me at 38 weeks pregnant. (40 weeks is when the due date is...) That basically means, 8 1/2 months. This picture was taken on Friday of last week I think... Despite what you may be rationalizing ("it's not that big, etc.), it IS big! My tummy is huge now and I think it gets bigger and bigger at least every three days if not more. Our baby is fully cooked and is now simply putting on the adorable baby fat that keeps it warm out of the womb. So, I guess it's understandable that my belly would be getting HUGE. I'm decently uncomfortable now, but it still hasn't been bad. Other than wishing more family is in town, I'm totally hoping baby comes a little early.

In other news, Tommie has launched his newest CD! It is definitely the best I have ever heard from him and it will be a favorite in my car for sure. He chose to put this effort out under a different name-KELLEEN, which as you may have noticed, also happens to be my middle name. Anyway, if you want to listen to his CD, check out www.myspace.com/kelleenmusic You can also buy a digital version on that site. OR, you can wait till just after Christmas and order your hard copy of the CD that can be shipped to you. Either way, I suggest the purchase, it's awesome! Also, feel free to tell all your friends.

In the arena of Christmas preparations, you might be interested to know that we bought a $10 LIVE Christmas tree this year! The coolest part was, we had to drive out to the mountains, hike around and chop it down ourselves! It was so fun. We went with Kristin and Mike, who also got a tree, and my parents, who did not get a tree thanks to my mom's allergies. It was so much fun and we ate awesome wings down at the Red Rocks Ampitheater in Morrison after our little jaunt. It was perfect. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if it had snowed a bit while we were out. But, it didn't and it was still great. We came home and decorated our cute tree and put up some Christmas decor...I think I'll wait till the evening to get some shots of all of that and share those pics later this week.

That should have you about caught up with life right now. More to come as more life goes whizzing by.

Forget Etiquette, Let's Talk About Money.

Most families talk about money. They talk about how they don't have enough. They talk about how they need just a little bit more for this or that. They talk about how once they have enough, that will be so nice and they finally won't want anything else. (*wink, yeah right!)

Most people consider money daily. We consider whether or not what we're doing at this moment is wasting or gaining us money. We consider whether or not the Starbuck's we're drinking was really worth the money we paid for it ($4!?).

Not to be left behind the curve, Tommie and I also consider money routinely. It's funny, God has provided so amazingly for us, and yet, we're not rich. Isn't that funny? God's greatest plan for us seems not to have us in a mansion right now with a giant swimming pool that would make my burgeoning belly seem light as air, a golden toilet to ensure my "poo" don't stink, or any of the other amenities I sometimes believe I have a right to. It seems, at this moment, God's plan for us is to be OK. We have enough for what we need.

I was thinking about all of this because we finally have almost finished paying for our kitchen. Our kitchen costs just a little under what it will cost us to have our baby. It made me think, if I had realized that before, would I still have wanted to remodel our kitchen? I think I would most definitely say, yes. Our other kitchen was nasty. I mean, actually nasty. But at the same time, we have some friends on a mission trip in Africa right now and they are seeing kids who got a second pair of the clothes for the first time in their lives this week. Now, that will make you think a bit about where you spend your money! Ha.

I often waver between guilt and satisfaction over my purchases and conveniences. I wonder if I've truly chosen what God would have me choose. I think when it comes down to it though, it's my attitude about money that matter most, not necessarily my actions with my money. After all, it is my attitude that will direct my actions. So, that being said, I look to Colossions, where our small group has been studying for the past couple weeks, and look at the verse that says, "Fix your mind on things above. Don't just consider the things here on earth." Monetarily speaking, that means trusting God with my money, purchasing items that forward his will, knowing what his will is so that I could possibly purchase those items, and above all, knowing that money isn't what will save and provide for me in this life-despite what it may seem.

Money will never make my life better. It may make it easier, but that's not necessarily better. God's plan is infinitely better. His provision-right on time, every time with exactly what we need. He has provided luxuries and he has provided chances to give so much it hurts us sometimes. It is his attitude we seek.

A Morning at Peaberry's

So this morning Tommie had an appointment at 7:30. He met with an investment planner at Starbucks. I attempted to sleep until about 7:45, wake up with 15 minutes to spare for work, and then hit the ground running.

It didn't happen. :)

Instead, after one of the most sleepless nights I've had in recent history, Maple decided 7:20 was when I needed to not just wake up, but to get out of bed, play with her, let her outside and feed her. It was kind of funny, because while I was holding her, desperately begging her to stay in bed with me for just 15 more minutes, I was coming to the realization that in one month my life will likely resemble this morning very much...except that it will probably look that way most mornings, with a baby in ADDITION to the puppy.

I didn't freak out, but I did start to think, maybe I ought to cherish these last few mornings I have relatively to myself-moments where I'm not feeding something, picking up something's poo, etc. That's when I decided that when Tommie got home, I was taking off. I decided to go to this coffee house that we've been wanting to try for a while-Peaberry's. It's a small Colorado chain that reportedly has the best chai in town. Plus, they have free wi-fi, which I'm utilizing right now to post this (and to purportedly be doing my morning work).

It was funny though, because when Tommie got home, I told him my plan and he said, "That sounds great!" (could he be nicer?!) I asked him to please watch the dog and to make sure she doesn't chew up the armchair, the 2 x 4s we have in the dining room, my socks, the bathroom trash or any of the other items she's taken to attempting to destroy in the past month. He readily agreed and kind of sent me on my way. But as I was leaving, I was looking at my little puppy who was following my every step with a wagging tail and hopeful eyes....as she stood at the door, her little eyebrows begging to come with me, I started to not want to go. I started to wonder if Tommie would know that she would want to go outside in a little bit. I started to think that we have a pretty good time during the day, despite that fact that she's so much responsibility. I started to wonder if Tommie would make sure she has the amount of water she likes, like I do-or if he would be able to hear her scratch at the door to go outside or if his music would make him accidentally ignore her. I started to think she might miss me....and you know what? I started to think I might miss her.

I also started to think about my slight apprehension about becoming a mom, adding one more responsibility to a life I thought was going to be relatively uncomplicated at 22, and I started to think, I'm going to love this little person 100x more than my puppy. I'm going to hate my responsibility in the same way I was contemplating not going to Peaberry's today. They're MY little responsibilities...and I want them to be happy, to be healthy, to be mine. I think I'm smart to take a morning away, and I think I'm going to cherish those little responsibilities just a little bit more tomorrow morning when I'm the one keeping the beast from destruction...and probably the mornings in January when I'm feeding the baby, changing diapers and working all in one.

SALT LAKE CITY BABY!!!

That's right, Tommie and I are back from our jaunt in Salt Lake. We had a great time hanging out with Tommie's brother, Kenny, recording Tommie's newest album and just being tourists.

To the left, you can see we visited Temple Square-haven of the Mormons. It was an interesting visit. It felt like what it might feel like to be a visitor in a VERY big Baptist church actually. We had a few people explain a few different things to us and overall, we thought it was interesting, but not a place we spent all day. We did try to look up some genealogy in their library though. That proved to be incredibly difficult and not at all aided by the fact that our "helper" was a Mormon "sister" from Fiji. She apparently was doing her 2 year service there in Salt Lake but had yet to perfect the intricacies of speaking English quickly while explaining a complex online research system. Funny. Seemed like all the "sisters" in the library had similar issues.

We also had our first encounter with the ever-popular SLC fast food chain, SCONECUTTERS. This restaurant, open 24hrs a day, purports to serve you any number of ethnicities of food on a, you guessed it, scone. Tommie, for instance, had a "sloppy scone." I had a "sconeburger." We could have also enjoyed "french dip scone," "scone gyro" or a variety of other options. Interestingly enough, the doughy substance on which they placed our food seemed to resemble less a scone than it did fry bread. Either way, we were very pleased with our lunch choice-if not simply for its uniqueness-and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. (plus they had horseradish in packets like ketchup and mustard...could things have gotten ANY better for me?!?! I think not...)

I would also like for you to "meet" Amos, Maple's nemesis for the weekend. He is a 4-month-old Boxer puppy that belongs to Kenny's roommate. He was VERY eager to play with Maple. Unfortunately for our little weiner dog, he has little concept that his enormous paws should probably not whap Maple in the head as an invitation to play. She did her gremlin growl almost every time she saw him. Needless to say, they were separated most of the weekend with one being outside, the other inside or one in one room and the other upstairs. Actually though, I stayed at Kenny's place on Tuesday to do some work and was left alone with the two pups. After leaving Amos outside for most of the morning and being subjected to his pathetic lonely cries, I let him inside and let the two dogs go at it for about 10 minutes. After that, they seemed satisfied that they had let each other know where they stood...then they both proceeded to place their heads in my lap at the same time and fall asleep-with Amos snoring loudly of course. So, the story has a happy ending-Amos and Maple became friends. And then she left the next day and doesn't have to worry about him anymore.

The studio and the people we met involved with Tommie's album were incredible and we have some great pictures from that, but I'll save that for Tommie to share and post. So look forward to installment 2 of SLC Baby to show up here any day now.

Goin' West...Again!

As some of you know, Tommie's been in Salt Lake City since Monday, recording his new album and hanging out with his brother, Kenny, who calls SLC home.

I get to fly out to SLC tonight to shop for a crib at IKEA and to just hang out for the weekend and drive home with my puppy and hubby on Tuesday/Wednesday. I think it should be pretty sweet!

We're going to visit the Mormon Temple (the building with the spires), which is what the addresses in SLC are based on. (220 W 400 N...of the temple, etc.) The Mormons also have some of the most complete genealogical records in the world, so we may stop by the genealogy library and see if we have anything interesting going on there.

Other than that, we'll be hanging out with Kenny, getting to know his awesome girlfriend, Raychel, and playing with his boxer puppy, Amos. It should be a blast and we'll post pics as soon as we can!

I Promise--UNDEROATH

So, I guess it's lame to put up a picture of concert tickets, but still, I hadn't been to a concert here in Denver until Saturday...so I was excited!

Tommie and I had the awesome opportunity to go see Underoath at the Fillmore Theater (which is an incredible venue...it even has crystal chandeliers and everything!). Since Kenny plays in Aaron's (the drummer for UO) side project, we managed to get the tickets gratis, which made the night that much more enjoyable.

The picture to the right is ACTUALLY a picture of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, a band out of Birmingham that features, Dallas, the ex-screamer/singer for UO. I thought it was so telling that these guys were from the 'Ham because they all took off their shirts toward the end of their set and continued to rock it hard...I thought it was fantastic.


I don't know if you can see the picture to my left very well, but since Aaron (again, the drummer for UO) was the one who got us our tickets, he also hooked us up with a sweet spot to watch the show. We got to sit in "front of house" which is where the soundboards and stuff are in the middle of the venue. That also meant Preggo here had a seat during the show and we didn't have to bump shoulders with the cute little sweaty moshing emo kids. Plus, it was awesome to see all the sound equipment and such. Oh, an everyone bragged on Kenny, Tommie's brother, because Aaron had gotten a blood infection about three weeks ago and so Kenny filled in as the drummer of UO on tour for two weeks and apparently ROCKED IT! So congrats to him for being such a fierce drummer.

Finally, to your right is a pic of Underoath, which was the most incredible band of the night...which is good, because they were the headliners. They had background videos, very fantastic lights and the best music of the night. They may scream, and that may not be cool with some people, but they also are incredible musicians and it was AWESOME to see them live. I especially like the keyboardist/synth guy, he's on the left of the stage. He usually only has one hand on the keys and the rest of him is shaking like a polaroid picture. It's awesome.

So, here's to Underoath for an amazing show, here's to Aaron and Kenny for making sure we got to see it for free, here's to the Fillmore for a venue that doesn't stink and here's to Denver for making my first show here wonderful!

Top 5...

Here, without further ado:
TOP 5 THINGS I COULD THINK OF TO POST ON MY BLOG!

1. I was very proud of these cookies. Tommie & I made and iced them for my sister and brother-in-law's birthdays. They're orange halves, just to clarify in case you have no artistic eye. :) We're not the best icers in the world, and it was frustrating! But the finished product made me proud!

2. Tommie is now officially inundated with work. His website is AWESOME: www.coldorangemedia.com. Also, he is planning to go to Salt Lake City at the end of October to record a new album with his brother and some guys up there. I've heard the scratch tracks and I think our ears will be VERY happy with the results!

3. My belly is continuously getting bigger. This is me, yesterday, at about 29 weeks. In case you didn't know, babies are born at 40 weeks, so you do the math! We're getting closer every day. We've finally picked a boy name and a girl name, so we'll be ready whenever baby Bozich shows up!

4. Our kitchen is NEARLY done! The cabinets are in, we have a stove and microwave, the floors are down...Now we just need countertops and a sink! Not surprisingly, those are important items in a kitchen. I estimate 2-3 weeks before the final product. (I hope that's not too optimistic)

5. The mountains they are a-callin'! Tommie went camping a couple of weekends ago and kept telling me how GORGEOUS the mountains are. Of course, I actually haven't been up there since we've moved, just because I haven't really had reason to go. Well, snow is starting to hit the highest peaks and I'm not going to miss my chance to see the beautiful aspen trees as they change colors. Tommie is going to be working inflatable bouncy games tomorrow near Boulder and I've decided Maple and I will go on a roadtrip near him! We HAVE to see the mountains! :) So, a packed lunch and a state park later and I should have my hit of those gorgeous hills for now.

I hope you enjoyed your top 5!

Nanny State-Is She A Libertarian Now?!

The other day, while flipping through our broad array of standard cable channels, I happened upon our county PBS channel. There was a guy talking about how the U.S. Government was turning into a "Nanny State."

Simply the term intrigued me, but as he went on to talk about what he meant, I knew I at least had to read his book. It is David Harsanyi's premise that the government is ever-so-slowly creeping into our personal liberties under the guise of "doing what's good for you." This "nannyist" legislation ranges from mandatory seatbelt laws to making it a question of government as to whether or not a restaurant outside of Decatur, GA, can serve a hamburger on a bun of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (barf!).
Now, don't get me wrong, some of the legislation that he demeans clearly has benefits-clean air laws, for instance. I HATE going to restaurants with smoke. Actually, the author seems to have no problem with restaurants themselves saying they are "NON-SMOKING" restaurants. his problem is the fact that the government is making it THEIR business to tell the restaurants what they can and can't have in their business, even if ALL or most of their customers smoke or don't mind it in their place of business.
Another issue he brought up was the government deciding what you could and couldn't do in your own car. Did you know there is legislation in several states that is underway that hopes to ban smoking in cars? I'm not exactly sure of the reasoning, but it seems a little crazy to me. The restrictions on what people can and can't serve children at school is also really interesting.
Overall, Harsanyi's argument is that the American people aren't total morons. They know that wearing a seatbelt is probably a better idea than not wearing it. They know that eating a giant bowl of trans-fat goodness for breakfast isn't the best idea. But here's the thing: in a nation where we say "liberty" and "freedom," boneheads who want to drive without their seatbelts on after eating a trans fat meal from a fast food restaurant on their way to a party where they'll smoke all night...well they ought to have the FREEDOM to do it!
I'm not a libertarian. Yet. His arguments have their merits and their downfalls. All I'm saying is, it is certainly an interesting conversation.
I checked out this book from our library and finished it in two days. I recommend it, even if you think it might make you mad, it's at least interesting to ponder thoughts on liberty and freedom-thoughts I haven't had in a long time.

New Kitchen, No Food, New Way of Life?

Imagine the picture to the left being Tommie, eating pizza with a cheesy grin-so many pizzas in fact, it is almost a certainty his heart will explode from clogs and clots any day. Or, I guess since it is a picture of a girl, you could think of it as me. But I thought it was more fun to think of it as Tommie....

Anyway, this is my introduction to my post about kitchen remodeling! I have the fortunate placement in this world to have a mother who is a fabulous kitchen and bathroom designer. Typically though, her kitchens are astronomically expensive. But seeing as I am blood (and her favorite daughter...?), she graciously designed a kitchen for our condo that greatly enhances its aesthetic and actual value, all while ensuring we won't be paying for it for the rest of our lives!

Here's the trick though, in order to put a new kitchen in, you must take the old kitchen OUT. That means that for the past 5 days we have had no stove, no sink, no floor and no cabinets. So the already "multi-use" baby room/tommie's office has also become our kitchen cabinets and the storage place for our only appliance that can be used for cooking: the amazing microwave! Needless to say, we have anxiously accepted any and all offers to eat at other people's places any night we can. Otherwise, I fear the pizza fantasy above just might come true.

Thankfully, things are moving along on our kitchen and we're putting down our new slate floors in the next two days. That's even more exciting because that means we can pick up our new appliances and put them in on the floor so we can COOK! So hopefully the pizza will become a thing of the past (at least for a week or so) as we cook on our new Kennmore black, glass-top stove that we purchased at a bargain from Sears. (thank you Labor Day sales...and I guess thank you to whoever is being remembered on Labor Day, which I really can't remember who that is...)

So, I know kitchens may not be your #1 thought, interest or daydream, but until we're cooking again and avoiding the glory of fast food every day, I will be anxiously dreaming of our new cucina.

So What Am I Supposed to be Doing?

I've had an awful lot of time to think this week so far. Despite the fact that I'm technically supposed to have 20 hrs. of work a week from Student Life, I currently have had almost NO projects to work on this week. This is mostly due to the fact that my primary supervisor's dad passed away last week and he has been otherwise occupied, understandably. So, I've waited patiently (mostly) at the computer each day during my designated hours, hoping someone from the office will IM me or e-email me a project that desperately needs to be worked on. I'm afraid this might continue until next week when my boss is slated to return. We shall see. BUT, like I said, in the meantime, I've had plenty of opportunities to think and examine the question: "What Am I Supposed to be Doing?"

1.) I should be doing work for Student Life. That is what I am getting paid for. I have worked on and off on certain projects for them during this time, but even after requests for more, it seems I have exhausted my usefulness until my supervisor returns.

2.) I should be doing something "job-related." This would entail searching for other freelance writing opportunities, writing articles to be submitted to various magazines and online publications, even working on a book idea that I've had for about 4 years. Tommie keeps suggesting I organize my thoughts for this book idea that I've had....it's a scary thing to think though. I always wonder, is this really a book that needs/ought to be written? Won't it just be one more spine on a bookshelf among authors no one knows or cares about? Same goes for submitting magazine articles...what if they turn me down? What if no one cares about them? What if I'm a substandard writer and never knew it until an editor lets me know in no uncertain terms?
As far as the freelance opportunities, I think I've found a few that I might pursue as I wait for the return of my boss this week, just to ensure I'm working for someone.

3.) I should be doing something "Godly." Lately I have had the feeling that God is requesting, perhaps even requiring, more of me. This is a vague feeling that seems to have no obvious solutions. In fact, it seems only to have the vaguest of symptoms. I find myself sitting, reading CNN.com or Kallie and Buck's blog for the thousandth time, wondering, shouldn't I be fulfilling some Godly purpose set before me, or growing deeper in my relationship with Christ? Is is narcissistic to think that God has a "special" something for me?
Beyond that, I begin to examine the sad state of my personal spiritual pursuits. Why is it that despite all of my "free time" I seem to be neglecting Scripture, prayer, ministering to and with others? I think there is a fear in me, brought on by other experiences, that despite any regimen of "faith" I get into-20 min. of Bible study a day, 30 min. of prayer, etc.-that these things will leave me feeling no closer to God or my savior Christ. That instead they will make me wonder why obedience is not leading to desire as I was once taught that it does. However, there is a knowledge, deep inside me, that if sought God as he sought me, I would find Him where he always resides. If I realized that a regimen is not a relationship, if I spoke to Him about these things...then perhaps we would have a place to begin.

*So those seem to be the most obvious solutions to my "time" issues this week. I am thinking about all of them. Pursuing them in various forms and to varying degrees. I think change is always on its way, but sometimes you feel it more, and this is one of those times. It's probably coincidental that fall is also coming-one of my favorite seasons-but I will allow the coincidence to inspire me to follow the season change into one of my own. :)

Preggers...

Life with a baby in the belly is interesting to say the least. As of the past few weeks, the child inside (not to be confused with my "inner child") has made itself increasingly known. I've felt the baby kick, seen the baby kick and Tommie has even been able to feel it kick when it's not being shy for its daddy.

Also, while at Target the other day (my favorite store for so many reasons, not the least of which is their awesome baby stuff) I was getting kind of nervous that maybe my shirt was a little low. I kept getting these looks from people and I was wearing a scoop neck shirt, so I asked Tommie, "Is my shirt too low or something?" He said that he had noticed people looking too....Then, in another instant, after another person walked by with that funny look, it dawned on him, "They're looking at your belly!" And so they were. The baby has made its appearance, and apparently everyone is taking notice!

There are a few internal downfalls to this business of baby-bearing however. I have recently become the burping QUEEN! Everything I've read and all the doctors I've spoken to say that during pregnancy indigestion is common-let me tell you, IT'S COMMON! I was so uncomfortable the other night after dinner...my stomach just felt really funny, and no matter which way I laid I couldn't get comfy. Finally I burped SO loud, and I felt great! I'm sure that's Tommie's favorite part of all of this...

To see if I can counteract some of the down sides to pregnancy, I've decided to step up my physical activity. I was swimming laps for a while in my first trimester, but now that we've moved I don't have a pool I can easily do that in, so I've decided to do some workout DVDs! (it brings back memories of doing "workout" DVDs with Neesh and Tara in HH...) Anyway, I think these DVDs are pretty good, and it's funny because I definitely seem out of the age range of the people on them. I'm a little young I suppose.

I LOVE the Erin O'Brien DVD, although it's put together with weird production. She's funny and uses things around the house like the couch and walls and stuff to do the different exercises. She even has a section where your "partner" can join you and help you work out. Needless to say, I have yet to get Tommie to join me, but he graciously said he would eventually, so we'll see how that goes. The Leisa Hart DVD can be a little boring, but the salsa dance section is pretty fun and actually gets you sweating a little without realizing it!

If you're pregnant(and if you are, you should DEFINITELY have told me this by now) or know someone who is (far more likely), I would recommend each of these. I hear the more you exercise and the better shape you're in before labor, the better and easier it is. We'll see.

My belly continues to grow, and when Tommie gets back from being on tour with his brother Kenny in California, I'll steal the camera back from him and let you see just what I mean.