Snuggle Bug

I'm pretty sure that I would never have gotten tired of holding Michael. Here are just some of the pictures I took while he was sleeping.  Sometimes I would move him to his swing when he was sleeping, but other times, I would just hold him, refusing to give up the chance to snuggle with him.

These pictures of him in the yellow outfit...these are the ones I mentioned I took while I was supposed to be keeping him awake until Ann could feed him!  Technically, she gave him to me already asleep but was hoping that he would wake up.  He was really asleep.  I could pick him up and hold him in the air and he wouldn't even open his eyes.  It was also the first day I was there.  Needless to say, cuddling with the baby was more important to me then keeping him awake!

The Chickfila Experience

This post is for those of you who keep asking me, "Why do you like Chickfila so much?"  Now, I must put a disclaimer that Chickfila has upped their customer service, so technically the story I am about to tell is not the reason I  like Chickfila, but I thought it might help others realize what a great company it is.  Usually when I am in Georgia, we just pick food up and don't eat inside, but Chris, John, Michael, and I went there on Wednesday after we went to the park.  When I walked in the door there was a basket of umbrellas on the floor that had a sign that said that for your convenience on a rainy day you could take an umbrella and return it the next time you come in.  What fast food place does that?!  Then, it has been my experience in recent years that you order and they bring your food to you.  While you're eating there is constantly someone walking around to make sure you have everything you need and who will refill your drinks for you.  If you linger over your dining experience, they will come by and take your garbage for you, or if they see you getting up with your tray and can get there fast enough, they will take it from you.  Basically, it is like a sit down restaurant without having to tip and you have to give your order at the counter.  Two years ago when I was in Florida, my aunt and I had just sat down to eat and she opened her sandwich, fumbled, and dropped it on the ground.  Before we could even think what we should do, someone was beside her, cleaning up the mess and bringing a new sandwich.

So, the moral of the story is, Chickfila is a great dining experience, even if it is fast food.  And I still can't wait for the one to come to Peoria, although I am a little disappointed because it is spring and they haven't even started building it.  Sigh.  Good things come to those who wait.  Or so they say! :)

Spikey?

So, today John was sitting on the couch with me while we were watching TV.  He put his hand on my leg.  Usually he is transfixed by the television.  But he looked down for a second and then said, "Why is your leg spikey?"  I laughed and told him it was my hair.  He looked at me funny and said, "But it's spikey."  I didn't know what else to say to that.  Luckily, he went back to being transfixed by the television! :)

Smarty pants

John was eating some Smarties last night and I told him that if he eats them they will make him smarter.  He didn't believe me so I asked him if he knew what 5 +5 was.  He said no and continued to eat his Smarties.  Halfway through the pack he said, "Wait."  He held up one hand and then the other, spreading out his fingers and said, "5" showing one hand, "and 5" showing the other hand, "is 10!"  I said, "See, those Smarties are making you smarter all ready!  I might just have the smartest nephew ever!

The washing of the feet

Sunday when John was taking a bath, I joked that I was going to get in with him.  He laughed, but then I started rolling up my pants legs.  I told him it would be like putting my feet in the pool.  He thought it was the greatest thing ever.  He then made my feet sparkly with the bubbles and would wash them off.  Monday when it was bath time, he told me I would need to get my feet washed again.  It's like going to get a pedicure without actually getting a pedicure.

You can tell how hard he was concentrating in order to get it "just right." :)

A trip to the zoo, led by John

John is fascinated with maps right now, so when he found out he could get a map at the zoo, he was so excited.  This is how he walked around most of the day.  Sometimes if we were standing in front of an exhibit looking for the animal and said, "John, where is the lion?" he would point to it on his map! :)

Chris got a new camera and was experimenting.  I liked this picture of the elephant:

Then John and I got our picture taken with a baby giraffe.

Mostly, Michael was unimpressed with his first trip to the zoo.  But he was awake for the train ride and really seemed to enjoy it!

I was able to get some good smiles out of him while we rode.  I must admit, I missed all the sites while on the train, but I'm pretty sure this face was worth missing a bunch of animals!

Even at the end of the day, he was still reading the map.  And it was the first thing he got out of his room this morning.

All in all, it was a pretty good day.  It was the perfect weather.  Jeans, a t-shirt, and some flip flops with a cool breeze.  And lots of sunshine.  They have had very mild temperatures since I've been here.  Kind of crazy, but I can't say that I mind.

Things I love...

...about being in Georgia:

1. Memories. I lived in this house for 9 years and in this town for 12 years.  The longest I've ever lived in one place.
2. My nephews.  I was tasked with keeping Michael awake this evening so he would sleep tonight.  Wait until you see all the pictures of him sleeping on my chest :).  And John is such a cuddler, just coming up and giving hugs whenever he wants.
3. My brother and sister-in-law.  Chris has been in my life for almost 33 years.  That's a long time and a lot of history.  Ann has been in my life for 11 years and has become the older sister I never had.
4.  NCIS marathons.  I don't think I've ever come to Georgia without there being a marathon.  It's just fun to sit and watch them one after another.  But I have to head to bed because it has been a LONG day!

What does lack of sleep do for you?

In my life, lack of sleep causes several interesting phenomena (but, luckily, not everything at once): 

1.  I get cranky.
2.  I get really quiet.
3.  I get silly.
4.  I laugh really easily because everything becomes funny.
5.  I get a headache.

Last night I reached the laugh at everything, get really silly stage.  I don't think words will do the evening justice but lets just say this is what Emily and I decided.  Our distress word if someone is with us and is going to harm us is hippopotamus.  You can scream it as loud as you like to get your roommate to come running.  And if it's just me in distress all by myself, I should definitely start yelling rhinoceros.  It's much more effective then yelling "I've fallen and I can't get up."  And it's 3 less syllables.  Or the same amount of syllables if you decide you need to yell it twice.

Tonight I think I've reached the quiet stage.  Although I'm not sure because Emily isn't home.  We didn't discuss the contingency plan if no one was home to hear us scream.  Maybe we should do that tonight.

Guess What?!

In four days, I get to see this boy:And this boy:And all their quirks:John loves catching things with his new net. He must have caught something REALLY cool!Like a turtle!And what big ears Michael has!

Girls Night Out

Two years ago we instituted a girls' cousin get together. And it was so much fun, we did it again. Unfortunately, only four of us could make it. There are 11 girls in the family, 8 of which live in Illinois. But, we had one representative from every family unit, minus the New Mexico crew! We met in Geneva at a wine and bread place. The girls were concerned when they realized I was not going to be joining in the wine with them, but I assured them that I knew what I was getting into when we were making suggestions and that the company was more important than the place. And I was right. Although, they were even more concerned when they found out I don't eat cheese! :) But I was a trooper and put on my adventurous spirit and tried a little of just about everything put in front of me (minus the wine and Sara's mushroom meal (because I knew I wouldn't like that)).Here is Missie and Sara with their main course. Actually, technically I did try some of Sara's because I ate some of the crust! I never did sample any of Missie's sandwich. One of the guys that worked there was super helpful in the ordering process. We basically just let him order for us. The lower portion is the cheese tray. The cheeses were European. I think one was sheep, one was goat, and one was cow. The left cheese was my least favorite and the top cheese (which you can't see) was the one I tolerated the most. The white stuff on the right is pickled watermelon rinds to cleanse the palette in between cheeses. It was pretty good. The top tray is salami with honey and some type of flower. It looks kind of gross but was actually pretty good. We all thought eating a flower was kind of weird but we did it in the name of adventure!Carin and I. Sometimes it's hard to believe that we were little once and inseparable at family gatherings. Wow. Just typing that brings back so many memories. Like laying in her backyard and taking turns reading pages of books out loud.For my main course, I tried the asparagus salad with Parmesan cheese on top. I was actually excited about this because I like asparagus. Unfortunately, it wasn't so good, but sometimes even great adventures flop! I expected salad greens with asparagus, but this was just shredded asparagus in a bowl and not the best tasting asparagus ever. Oh well. The dessert was an apple tart which was amazing. Sara took a semi picture of that. Carin and I were too excited to eat it to wait for her to get her camera ready!4 1/2 hours later, we asked one of the waiters to take our picture! It was fun to try something new. And it was great to catch up on what is going on in everyone's lives. We talked about lots of girl stuff. And kid stuff. And relationship stuff. And work stuff. And food stuff. And recreation stuff. You can cover a lot in 4 1/2 hours!

Eclectic Movie Tastes?

I just went to the movie store and rented Thor and The Prince & Me 2. Why? Because I want to see both the movies. I can't help it if I'm a girl who loves cheesy teenage movies (even the part twos that don't have the original cast). And I'm a girl who had an older brother so I love action movies. It's who I am! :)

The funny thing is, the guy at the movie rental place was telling me what he liked about Thor. He was telling me how it compared to Iron Man and then he told me it has great CGI's too. FYI Mr. Movieman: I have no idea what a CGI is! But I was polite and nodded my head as he handed me my movies. Now I'm going to go google CGI!

Pink Eye Paranoia

Although I went 32 1/2 years of my life without getting pink eye, just the mention of the stuff makes me break out into a cold sweat. Yesterday I was with someone who told me that her sister had pink eye earlier in the week. The same sister I was going to see in a little while. I had an immediate urge to bathe myself in hand sanitizer. My eyes started feeling funny. And I was paranoid to put my hands anywhere close to my face. And if I accidentally did, my breathing sped up and I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. Okay, some of these things are slight exaggerations. But when the pink eye culprit was in my car, I wanted to yell--Don't touch anything! Just keep your hands folded in your lap and don't move! Don't worry, I am a good hostess and did not want to give this person a Teresa-phobia or a car phobia, so I refrained. But the effects have lingered even into today. My right eye has not felt "normal" all day. I keep checking in the mirror to see if there is any symptoms. Don't worry. Nothing yet. But somehow, I can't quite get over the paranoia. I just wonder how many months/years this paranoia is going to persist. Because it's kind of inconvenient!

All things cars

Cars are not a favorite subject of mine because I could care less as long as mine goes, but every once in a while you just have to talk about major milestones (like the first steps of a baby).

Today my car rolled over that 100,000 mark. That's lots of zeroes. It's not really an exciting milestone because it means that it's getting up there in mileage and will probably mean I'm going to have to put more work into it. And it's only a few months over 5 years. But it's still fun to watch it roll past those numbers. Actually 99,999 was pretty fun to watch too.

And just to keep talking about cars...I think I've said this before, but I really believe there is a huge unseen magnet on the I-74 bridge that causes all cars except me to want to go WAY under the speed limit. It is a highway. The speed limit is 55. It is not uncommon for people to go 35 or 40 on that bridge. So irritating. But I try to be patient and not yell at them. And I try not to fly past them the first chance I get. But I might urge them to "resist the magnet."

Reflections

I have been reading all week about Christ's triumphal entry and the events leading up to His death on the cross. I have been struck that, although He knew what the end of the week held, He did not lose focus or stop His work. He continued to preach and teach. He continued to minister to those He came into contact with. He continued to teach His disciples. He continued to challenge the teachers of the Law. He continued resolutely to the cross. What a mighty God we serve.

Today I was struck again by these passages in 1 Corinthians 15:14-20 (emphasis added):
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead...And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. BUT CHRIST HAS INDEED BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD."

I am looking forward to the Good Friday service at church tonight. It is a baptism service and I can't wait to hear testimony after testimony of changed lives through Christ! Changed lives because He did not remain dead, but was raised again on the third day. That He bore our sin on the cross and suffered death only to conquer that death three days later. Because of that, we do not have to still be in our sins. Because I have accepted Christ as Savior, I have hope in Christ and I have the promise that He has cleansed me from my sin and that I will live for eternity with Him.

I have also been listening to this song for the past couple of days and cannot get enough of it (although I should probably wait to post it until Sunday!)

See, What a Morning by Keith and Kristyn Getty:

See, what a morning, gloriously bright,
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes, tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce, "Christ is risen!"
See God's salvation plan,
Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, "Where is He laid?"
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
This voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty.
Honor and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with pow'r and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

It's probably a good thing I am home alone because I keep singing it at full volume! :)

Just some funny texts

(And no, I'm not dating anyone)

Here is the conversation between Emily and I through text tonight:
Emily: The flowers smell nice.
Me: My boyfriend got them for me :)
Emily: Oh how nice of him. Are you hanging out with him tonight? When do I get to meet him?
Me: Yes. Leaving our date now. He's a little shy. Maybe you can meet him next time.
Emily: Alright--Waiting in eager anticipation to meet him.

Here's the real story. I was at Kroger and had a sudden hankering for some pretty flowers, so I bought them. Then I met some friends at the movie theater to see October Baby again before Emily got home from work. And I bought Kinsey's ticket because she bought my ticket for The Hunger Games a couple of weeks ago and I haven't had cash to pay her back. So she was my "date." :)

Things that make me smile

1. Realizing that the person in the car behind you is singing along to the same song you are because you realize their lips are moving the same way yours are.

2. Seeing my sister get super hyper trying to get me to take a Gilmore Girls quiz on the disk to season 4.
2b. And rubbing it in her face when I only missed 2 out of 30.

3. Seeing the inconsiderate driver that practically drove on the shoulder of the road to pass someone getting pulled over 3 minutes up the road. (I realize this should not make me smile because it kind of makes me inconsiderate, but it still did!)

4. Booking my ticket to Georgia in 3 weeks to see my nephew for the first time.

5. Four day work weeks.

6. Cool weather that helps me to sleep at night.