Mondays are great!

Today was great! It is so nice to have a day off each week from work to do whatever I want. And...I was very productive today. I cleaned the bathrooms and did laundry, made chicken stew in the crock pot, went to a Doctor's appointment to deal with a scar on my foot, and...finished the Halloween quilt! I have had this material for years and with mom's help recently figured out a pattern to use for the quilt. It isn't quite done yet, as I still have the backing to put on, but it is well on its way to being complete - maybe even in time for Halloween 2008.

Aaron had picture day today and actually wore a tie for the first time in a long time. A coworker asked if he had an interview he should know about. Funny. We'll be sure to share the photo once it comes in.

Gma Char and Gpa Jack are headed this way on Wednesday. They are due to arrive on Friday night and we are really looking forward to seeing them! It will be their first visit here, so we are busy planning all the things that we can do to share the food, culture, and charm of the south. We'll be sure to post pictures of all the great things we do and see.

On another note...I'm almost at 5 months! I can't believe that much time has already gone by. Our next Doctor's appointment is on October 7th and it is the big one...the ultrasound. Despite my best efforts, Aaron hasn't agreed to my proposal for a compromise on finding out the sex...so, I think we'll both found out whether it is a boy or a girl. We have also started a list of names and have also already started knocking each others off one at a time. For all those that have asked...here is a recent picture of me and the belly.

Redmonds Visit SC

We had a great time with mom and dad Redmond during their recent visit to SC.

Mom arrived in Charleston last Saturday and we spent the first few days just hanging out...visiting daycares, shopping, and catching up. The daycares were an interesting experience for me (since I have never visited one). Seeing the cribs lining the walls with the poor cuties in them was hard to see...clearly daycare isn't going to be fun for me. We visited 3 while mom/dad were here; one at the school where Aaron teaches and then two others in Lexington. We'll see where we end up...

Dad arrived a few days later on the bike...after a rough trip through Michigan where he was forced to deal with the remnants of Ike. But alas he made it here on Monday night - in great time. We went out to dinner on Monday for wings.Tuesday morning we walked to the near by book store, registered at Target, and hung out around the house. Dad fixed the doors so that they more easily close and lock. He also cooked us some yummy low country boil we enjoyed with friends Megan, Jackson, and Aida.
Mom helped me lay out, cut, and start sewing my Halloween quilt on Thursday and Friday. Friday we picked up some steaks at the Happy Butcher for dinner and then ditched Aaron so that dad could get a massage and mom and I could get facials. It was fabulous! We later met up with Aaron and coworkers at the bar for a few drinks.

Friday morning marked dad's departure, while mom, Aaron and I headed to Charleston.

We had Pizza for lunch on the way to Folly Beach and then spend the afternoon at the outlet mall before heading back to the hotel for Happy Hour then dinner. Saturday morning I rode the shuttle to the airport with mom and met Aaron back at the hotel. We slept in and then went downtown to visit the Farmers market and Fort Sumter tour. All in all it was a great visit, with cooler temps, and lots fun just hanging out with mom and dad! Now it's back to reality as I blog and Aaron snores in the recliner.

OOh Ahh, Still Proud to be a Chippewa.

Well, we did our best! However, despite our best efforts...the Chips fell to the Georgia Bulldogs this past Saturday. Never mind the score, we had a great time in Athens with our friends/CMU alumni. Here Aaron and I are hanging out at the tailgate.

We convinced a women to mix her red and black paint in order to come up with the maroon we needed to paint the flying c on my cheek. Here are Kristen and I - my roomie from Central. Brandi, Brooks, Aaron and Drew having fun before the game. It was great to see old friends, eat lots of good food, and root for our Chips. Thanks to our hosts for a great weekend!

Reading List Update

Well, despite my best efforts, I seem to have wavered when it comes to my reading list. I was doing so well...

Let's back up a bit. I believe that I was suppose to read "How to Live Well Without Owning a Car" in July....August was suppose to be "The Proper Care and Feeding of a Husband."

I can honestly say that I did read most of the July book. It actually had some good insight...primarily how much it truly costs to own, maintain, insure, and drive a car. What was more insightful was how much you could save if you invested the cost of having an average car (at $700 a month) over 30 years. Depending on the average return on an investment it ranged from $500,000 to $1 million! Amazing. What I didn't like about the book - well what I read of it...was that it wasn't very practical. Sure you can live well without owning a car in New York, San Fran, hell even Ann Arbor, MI or Charleston, SC...but for the majority of us with a commute that's 20-30 minutes to work and virtual no options for mass transit - that isn't as realistic. Now don't get me wrong this isn't to say that we shouldn't all - where possible - live differently (even if that means getting our lazy butts on a bike or being slightly put-out by having to account for a longer trek to get somewhere). For Aaron and I that means carpool to/from work or altering your work schedule. For instance, I only work 4 day weeks, and try to carpool two days to work with a friend...even Aaron started to carpool every day to/from work with a coworker (on his own accord I might add). Yes, we can all do these things. And, yes...I could even bike or walk to the grocery if I needed to (I must admit I don't), but none-the-less I could (proof we all succumb to laziness and convenience eventually - I promise to work on this). I would challenge you all to think about what you could do. Not only does it save money, make you feel good, and safe the planet...if everyone gets involved, all our small steps can make a difference.

As for the August book...not so much. Aaron actually requested that this be added to my list and I did have such high hopes - even picked August because it was our Anniversary month. But alas...no dice...maybe I'll try to fit it in somewhere yet this year or add it to next year's list.

I did read a book that mom gave me called the "Plain Truth." It was really good. About an Amish women who is charged with murdering her baby and the lawyer who represents her. Without given anything away, it was especially interested reading this book while pregnant. Very enlightening. It was a good, quick read and I would recommend it.

Next on the list...well the original list left September open...so, at the urging of a coworker I bought "The Culture of Make Believe." Little did I know when it arrived from Amazon that it is huge! This could be similar to Atlas Shrugged. Oh well, I am determined to get back into the swing and with no second job now, I have no good excuse.