Under the Water

This evening Josh experimented with an underwater case for his camera while we swam in the campus pool. He captured some funny shots that he is posting to his blog. In order to jazz up my own blog (in the competitive spirit), I thought I'd throw in a few shots too.

Blue Skies

Though it is a Saturday, I woke early this morning, and could not get myself to fall back asleep. Something we have not seen in days- the sun- showed its face today. It changes everything, charging my urge to start my garden and open the windows, along with just getting out and enjoying it. In honor of the 60 degree sunny day, I hung the butterfly that my grandpa made on our back fence.


I thought I'd include another one of these... the belly progression. Last night I was feeling pretty sorry for myself as I nursed a sore throat, and then proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach for the umpteenth time. This is becoming so common, that soon after I finished puking, I headed back outside to continue bringing in the groceries left in the car. I have tried reasoning with this babe inside me, whose kicks are becoming more persistent. But as long as the nausea is a sign that this bugger is about as healthy as can be, I'll tough out the puking.

My Best Friend

Upon arrival home from work last Friday, Josh told me to pack up a bag, and that we were hitting the road for the weekend. While he wrapped up cooking a homemade pizza for the trip, I scrambled upstairs and threw a bag together. Two hours later, and about 100 miles west we arrived in a beautiful area known as "Land Between the Lakes." We checked into the lodge at Lake Barkley State Park. I began making myself comfortable by sprawling my belly out on the bed and tuned into the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, when once again, Josh told me to get my coat on, and we were back out the door. We drove a half hour to Murray State University and there I was surprised with tickets to see (and hear!) Bela Fleck playing with two African bands (sample a bit here). The music was incredible... a beautiful blend of string instruments I had never seen before, and impressive rhythms from self-made drums. The babe inside me was jumping all over the place.
The weekend was gray, but we hiked regardless, and imagined how great the lakes will be to return to in the summer. For lunch on Saturday, we headed into the town of Cadiz and visited a diner, where the owner spoke in a hushed tone about how the formerly dry county had recently voted to allow the sale of beer. Later that evening there was a Valentine's Dance taking place at the lodge, but we decided to play a few rounds of ping pong and then return to Olympics viewing instead. The unexpected getaway was sweet, and reminded me that I am one lucky wife.

***

And now we've come around to Monday. For some reason (probably the waking early) Mondays make me sick. I attended our regular 7:30am Monday meeting, went to Spanish class, took a swim, and then on the drive home I made an emergency park job, hugged my car bumper, and proceeded to puke in the street. Ugh. I got back in the car, wiped the snot from my face, and headed home to make some lunch. It's as though this babe is keeping me in check, ensuring that I don't get too comfortable while it's housed inside!

The long short month

It seems February always moves this way for me... though it is the shortest month of the year, I feel that it inches along. In our elementary school music classes, our teacher Mr. Hobaugh annually played a dreary number composed by Franz Joseph Haydn to coincide with President's Day, noting that February is a tough month to get through, as spring has not yet arrived, and winter is wearing out its welcome. He matched the classical music with dreary slides, which never quite helped snap us out of the winter doldrums.
After a good bout of gray and cold, I am longing for a few simple things, like riding my bike free of jacket and mittens, and getting into my car without a tense body, impatiently waiting for the heat to kick in. I know my Minnesota readers are probably scoffing at my Kentucky wimpiness, but I figure that if we're not going to have much snow, what's the point of cold? And now my Virginia readers are probably scoffing at my request for snow, as they've received historical proportions of the white stuff.
But despite my complaints, we are coming off of a wonderful weekend, where my attention was largely diverted from the weather to spending time with my in-laws. They came to check up on us, and the growing belly that houses their first grandchild. We spent a good deal of time relaxing in the Crump house, but also saw an exciting Hilltopper men's basketball game and got together with some folks for a Superbowl viewing. They left this morning as Josh and I bundled up and mounted our bikes to head to work, and headed back south to Georgia. We're looking forward to the next visit, when the house will be just a tad more crowded, and the spring weather is sure to be in full force.

No more monkeys...

This is a quick little post for our niece Avery, as she just experienced a shocker after, you guessed it, jumping on the bed. She fell off and broke her... elbow. Apparently she took it extremely well at the doctor- so much so that everyone was commenting on it. And now she is wearing a little pink cast, which was immediately autographed by her friends at daycare.

SSSnowww.

Man we love it. The snow makes us crazy, and it has been driving us crazy to hear how much of the white stuff is hitting our old stomping grounds of Roanoke. Roanoke of all places! So when we were delivered a blanket of 5 inches, Josh and I were out at a nearby park, setting the cross country track for anyone else who happened to have a pair of skis to put to use. The conditions were perfect, and we made our way around the park four times, responding to people's remarks along the way. One man in particular joked, "You ain't from around here, are you." Another woman told me that they have not had snow like this in 14 years. Sigh.
The following day we headed out to our friend Scott's farm to do a bit of skiing the corn (phrase we picked up from a skier out in West Virginia, referencing snow that is almost too thin to ski) and afterward feasted on ribs (my first time eating them in maybe 16 years?). It was a wonderful weekend, that went by much too quickly. I woke early Monday for work and either felt the very drowsy effects of pregnancy, or was experiencing the Monday blues, as I tried to focus on the work at hand.

Scott and Ingrid

Ingrid and the sun