Where Does Time Go???

I am thirty-hummmm....thirty-six years old.  Yes, I had to stop and count on my fingers the years because I can not seem to remember my age now that I am over 33.  This supports my daily question of "where does time go?"????  Often that is accompanied by one of these statements/questions: What day is it, How old am I, He/she is X years old, It's what time, It's already X o'clock, It's (insert month) already, The last time I blogged was how long ago, and so on.  I'm am sure you often feel the same way!!

Honestly though, this past year has simply dissipated before my very eyes!!!

It has in fact been a VERY busy year for us.  I'm sure you have gathered by now that we did in fact sell our home and purchase another one.  Along with that purchase came the packing, moving, storing, remodeling, moving, unpacking, wisdom teeth surgery, hospitalization, flooding, repacking, removing, re-remodeling, redecorating/updating our decor, finding a new preschool for Abby, and a little bit of sleeping here and there.  (Details to come on another page in the distant future...lets be realistic here!).











Mixed in with all of that was the day to day life of  Husband and Wife as well as a 4 and 2is year old. Some how we managed to enjoy the holidays, sneak in a trip to Florida in February, and celebrate Ben's 2nd birthday.  I hope to catch up on documenting all of that here on the Blog but I do have to admit that I have been VERY BAD at getting much on camera let a lone being organized about it.  I am praying that in the end I can pull it all together. I especially hope so for Ben's sake!!!  Poor guy is a victim of "Second Child Syndrome" (that is a real thing, right?????) as well as a victim of this move and remodel!!!






Here is a RANDOM sampling of pictures of the last year as a teaser:

 

                                          

Mission Accomplished

CONGRATULATIONS to MJ on his first official teaching job! As of 9:02 this evening MJ will be teaching 4th graders!

It is hard to believe that just 2 1/2 years ago we started the journey to this day and now it is officially here! Michael, I am so very proud of you and happy for you that you set this goal and achieved it in such a short time and with a job VERY well done. You are an amazing man, husband, father and now teacher too!!! Way to go Michael, way to go!!!

Eye Opening

I hate change. I know that it is inevitable that things will change. I know that change shows progress and growth. But none of this changes that fact that I hate change. In the end, I do pretty well in adapting and accepting change but if I had it my way very little would ever change in my world.

Tonight I realized just how much I hate change...My trusty old Tevas are just that...OLD!!! My blue pair I bought in college and my pink pair joined me shortly there after. I have lived in them summer after summer after summer. They are quick to put on, easy to clean when dirty, do well in water, never blister (I could go miles in them w/o any issues) and well, we have history. Problem is I wore them while pregnant, large and in charge pregnant, and they have not forgot those days. So now that I'm 50 lbs lighter my feet are not so happy in them and I fear it is time for a new pair.

I've been shopping for a new pair for a few years now but just haven't found a pattern that I like. And as you can tell, you have to love the pattern b/c it is a long term commitment when it comes to a pair of Tevas. But with a pending trip to Cedar Point I had to make a purchase. So off to the store I went. I picked up a cute pair of size 8 and gave the a quick try. "Hummmm, my feet must have truly grown/flattened out while preggers b/c the 8 is almost too short! Crazy" I thought. But I purchase them anyway and head home.

With Abby in bed I decided to get to know my new friends so I slipped them on for a quick stroll through the house. "Weird" I thought, "the strap doesn't seem to be in the right place and these must might be too small...and I think they are way harder than before." I dismiss these thoughts b/c, well, the last time I purchased a new pair was before Michael was around...years ago.... So off to the closet I went to grab one of my trusty old friends....

Sure enough, not event Tevas stay the same!!!!!!!!!! After a sole to sole comparison I have found that:
1) new Tevas are about 1/3" skinner than the old
2) new Tevas are about 1/3" shorter than the old
3) the outside strap on the new Tevas is about 1/2' closer to the leg than the old
4) the new Tevas are harder than the old



UUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I hate change and I'm just starting to understand how much I hate it. Kind of ridiculous that the change in a pair of flip flops left me feeling this way...

T minus 3 Days

With just under a week to go before the big party, today was a busy day of prep and hard work. A big thank you is in order for Mark and Stacey for watching Abby today so we could get some stuff done. With that, I don't have much to report on again today, but I did post pictures from our March Florida vacation...Yes, I know that it is VERY overdue!!!!

Retrospective photo of the day:

MJ and me at Julie's wedding one year ago on the 14th...I was five days overdue and still happy as a clam. Check out that belly!

The BEST Hubby EVER!!!

WARNING: this is a long one, but definitely worth the read. Please get comfy before proceeding.


I say it to myself all the time, but today you get to read it: I have THE BEST HUSBAND IN WORLD!!!! Now ladies, I know what you are thinking, "Keliann, I have the best husband in the world." Let me tell you why you are wrong ;) First, you did not use all caps to make the statement (so I meant it a little more) Second, Michael (MJ for you new readers) not only remembered that our second anniversary is shortly upon us, but he planned a PERFECT (and yes, I mean PERFECT) just-in-case-you-go-before-August-4th-anniversary-extravaganza for last Friday night. Let me give you the details and you can decide for yourself:


This journey started just over two weeks with an e-vite from MJ titled: Date Night. Needless to say, he was the only other person on the list of invited/attending (Well, Peanut is a give at this point folks!). I accepted with delight and started wondering what we might be doing since he gave no details other than date and time.

As the two weeks went by, I occasionally wondered about the night. Truthfully, I HATE surprises so I didn't want to think about it too much. Perhaps MJ was going to take me to the DSO at Meadowbrook for an evening under the stars, or it was dinner and movie in Birmingham since Harry Potter would be out that weekend. That's all I had.

Fast forward to Thursday night. MJ asked if I was excited about our pending date night and I said "sure". He was a little giddy and asked if I wanted a hint. YES silly, you know I hate to be surprised I thought. MJ then told me that we would start our Date Night by getting massages and then we would come home to get ready for the rest of the evening! I was so excited to get a back rub (and maybe even lay on my belly for a little) that I wanted to pee myself!


So, all day Friday I found it hard to focus on work, but I did manage to get a few projects done--check! I ended my day at 3 o'clock when MJ picked me up and we started our drive to Lapeer for our rubdown. I must say that the massage was to die for! I was a bit sad that they did not have a table with the belly cut out for us pregnant ladies even though they advertise the prenatal massage (soon Keliann, soon...). After our relaxing afternoon rub we drove through Rally's for a little snack...pregnant momma was hungry!

After returning home to shower for the rest of the evening, MJ put me in the can and MADE me ware a blindfold while he drove us to our next stop. All my begging, pleading and promising not to peek did me no good. I had to wear the silly blind fold. MJ knows me all too well. He figured that I was keeping track of our turns and had a small clue as to where we were so he decided to pull into a parking lot, doing a couple of turns before going any further. At that point, I was completely lost. Where in Lake Orion does the road slope down and around like this? Are we going into a tunnel? I started to laugh and MJ played dumb. Silly Michael! MJ continued to play with my sense of direction in order to ensure that I had no idea where we were headed. I found out later that he stopped in the middle of Orion road a few times to pretend that we were at a stop sign. Good work MJ, good work.

So....as we start to slow for the final time, MJ told me to take off my blind fold. WHAT!?!!? WHY ARE WE HERE?!?!?!!!! Ladies and gentlemen...we were at the Wyndgate! For you new followers, this is were we had our wedding and reception! The valet took the can and we walked inside. I was still COMPLETELY confused! We were greeted by Melissa, the fabulous event planner who took care of us two years ago. I gave her a hug and asked her what was going on. She did not say much, but lead us to one of the reception rooms. Perhaps we are here for dinner, but I though only members could come for dinner... we walked through one of the white rooms that I wanted for our reception and into the next room. This was the room with the hardwood floors where the head table and dance floor would have been. In the center of the room was a table for two. The best part was that MJ had it decorated just like our wedding: brown table cloth, green napkins, white hydrangeas with green button flowers and candles to top it all off! As soon as I realized what he had planned I started to cry!!

I hugged MJ, then wiped the tears from my cheeks. He pulled out my chair and up came the server with sparkling white grape juice--not quite champagne but oh-so-close!!! MJ raised his glass and made a toast to us and joy that the last two years had brought us. As the night went on we enjoyed the same menu from our wedding day, which was just as delicious as it was then! To top off the meal, MJ even remembered to get a mini-cake (decorated just the same) and two bumpy-cupcakes from Sweet and Savory(yes that is our cake)!! YUM, YUM, YUM!!!

We finished up our meal at the Wyndgate and headed home to change and go to Harry Potter!!! This was the one thing that I wanted to do before Peanut got here and MJ made that happen!

I can't believe that MJ pulled together such a THOUGHTFUL, DETAILED and WONDERFUL night for the two of us to enjoy together (as a couple and not as parents)! So ladies, this is why I say that I have the BEST husband EVER!

p.s. Michael, I love you so much! You never cease to amaze me--the way you pay attention to the details of our life, the way you say I love you through your actions as well as your words, the way you always manage to think of us and MAKE us take time to enjoy the little moments life gives us!!! Happy Two Years!!

Our New Friend Holly

Living with a secret this big, but yet so little, was exciting and hard. To make keeping the secrete easier we had to avoid our friends. They’re the deactivate type: they would notice if I didn’t have a drink or went home early. Added with the issue of food (the discussion of some foods repulsed me and heaven forbid someone order the fish or Mac’n Cheese, or pizza, or a burger, among other things and I vomit from the smell)—it was just easier to “be busy” when friends called. Michael and I wanted to wait until our first real doctor appointment (the first visit in November with the Midwife did not count; it was just a really expensive pee-on-a-stick visit with a “yup, your pregnant. See you in six weeks.”) to tell anyone, but decided that we would tell our parents at Christmas since my mom was coming home from Virginia.

So, up to Bronner’s we went. We decided to have Christmas ornaments made with “Grandma and Grandpa 2009…” on them. A nice young lady by the name of Holly waited on us at the counter. We picked out the large, red, shiny bulbs with a smile. Then, Holly asked us what we would like to have written on them and Michael and I looked at each other, wide-eyed and smiling. “Grandma and Grandpa 2009…” said Michael; I gave a nervous giggle and started to cry. Holly looked at me kind of confused. Michael told her that we were pregnant and she was the first person we told! She seemed excited for us, and yes a bit shocked. So weird, for the next four weeks the only people in the entire world that knew we were pregnant were Michael and I and our new friend Holly! Little does Holly know that we will always remember her!
Our Christmas gifts to our parents were a huge hit! My parents are first time Grand Parents, this will make number six for Michael’s parents, but I think they are all VERY excited!

Our latest Journey

Well, as you can tell by the blog description Michael and I have entered the world of being pregnant. Actually, I'm pregnant and he is an innocent bystander. So here it goes--how it went down.



Early last year, random talk of starting a family started to occur. To my surprise, I found Michael asking questions about what I thought it would be like when we had kids, how many I thought we would have, if I wanted boys or girls, etc. I answered them with a giggle and would ask in return what he was thinking of the topic. Sooner than later, we discussed "trying" (I quickly found out that Michael HATES the "we're trying" phrase) and decided that we wouldn't "try" nor "avoid". So be it.



Fast forward to November (I don't think you need to know any details of what happened before this point...you're all adults). By this point I had been taking my temp. (on the days I remembered to or even felt like waking up at the crack of dawn to stick a thermometer in my mouth then lay perfectly still and relax without falling back to sleep) to help figure out when I usually ovulated. Lets say that I was not as diligent as one should be when seriously trying to figure out ones cycle--I was lazy that month and had missed a day here, three days there. Thanksgiving morning I realized that my temp had "spiked" and held for the last four days....hummmm. I told Michael that I was going to pee on a stick. He was half asleep, and not very optimistic due to the repeated negative results we had had in the past, and gave me a "sure, go for it". Into the bathroom I went.



To those of you who have never had the pleasure of peeing on a stick, yes it is a little weird and yes you feel like a fool. Pee, pee, pee, pee, pee, cap and set down. "Really? Was that a little bit of a pink line? No, can't be that fast. Keliann, put your contacts in you fool!" Waiting is probably the hardest and weirdest part. Part of you wants to get excited, part of you is realistic and not getting your hopes up. "Brush your teeth because you got time to kill....." Then I decided I should go get Michael, just in case. After some coaxing, MJ got up and came in the bathroom to look. Yes, I made him look first. "SHUT UP!" "SHUT UP" For the next three minutes or so Michael continues to shout "shut up", wide eyed and fully awake at this point. I just laugh while trying to figure out if it is a happy "shut up" or an oh-sh*t "shut up" (I truly believe it was 95% happy, 5% oh-sh*t).



Michael slowly backed off the "shut ups" and asked me to pee on another one. Funny, that was the last one of the three pack. So, MJ states he is going to Rite Aid, but wait, it is Thanksgiving morning. Nothing is open this early except maybe the corner gas station and are YOU going to trust the test that is inside that dusty box? Not worth my $15. Since we were hosting dinner for 21 people that day our to do list was long and the day quickly passed. Before we knew it, our family started to arrive and the turkey needed to come out of the oven. We never made it to the store for the second (and maybe third) test. All day we smiled at our "little" secret and didn't tell a soul. Not even as my sister and Dara start questioning me about when MJ and I were going to have kids. He he he, little did they know!








Here is our 2nd annual family Turkey Day photo. Mom, you're on the phone and our "little" secret is in there too!









Needless to say, it was a perfect Thanksgiving!

A little history to get you started

Well, our together journey officially started three years ago today when Michael picked me up at Kristi’s place for our first date. Michael thought out of the box and took me to a Piston’s game. While making our way through the parking lot I joked about this not being your typical first date and Michael replied in his quick fire way, “Oh, you thought this was a date?” My heart dropped for a second, then I realized he was only joking…or was he?

We got inside and found our killer seats, well not really killer. I don’t think either one of us cared that we were in the second to last row—the beer was good, the conversation was even better and the Piston’s won the game against the Timeberwolves: 90-74. (Ok, so I had to look up the score, but I do remember the rest.). It was a great night and as they say, the rest is history!

Happy Anniversary to us!