It's the simple things in life...

Yesterday was probably the first day in ten days that I was awake, alive, and actually functioning for the majority of the day. I love sleep and being lazy, but even I have hit my quota! :)

That said, I was quickly reminded though of how cool the simple things in life are. One of my first accomplishments yesterday was taking Riley Dog for a walk. It's not like we really went anywhere exciting. We just walked down our street and back (maybe 1/2 mile at most), but it was really really good to be able to be outside and breathe!...

My glee was punctuated by snow!!! In Nashville, snow of any type has been a big deal. Last year I really thought I'd moved to the equator. I was wearing shorts and a tee-shirt the day before Thanksgiving. I'm not sure that I even pulled out sweaters last year. This year, I've at least had occasion to pull on something warm and wooley. Yesterday as we were trotting along, it really really snowed. I don't mean little flakes--I mean big "looks like it's going to blizzard" flakes in rapid succession! (Now, keep in mind that lasted about five to ten minutes and there was no accumulation, but it was fun for a little while...)

Last but not least, we had breakfast for dinner. One of the funky things about feeling sick is that my appetite has been really warped. Last night I made pancakes and turkey bacon and eggs for dinner. I can't remember the last time I had that for a meal, but it tasted wonderful last night.

Today, the snow has melted. We're back to our normal sunshine with a slight chill... I need to go to the store so that we actually have food in the house to eat, and there are bills to pay (thank goodness for online banking) and lots of laundry to do... So, it's back to life as normal. Hope you're having a wonderful day where you are. Just don't forget to be excited about the little things! :)

What a wild and wacky couple of weeks we've had...

Where do I even start? Since our last visit, things here have been a bit crazy. I guess I'll start where we left off...

First, thanks for all of the well-wishes on the Rupert news. We truly appreciate all the notes/emails/calls at our exciting news.

Valentine's Day was somewhat uneventful for us... We went to lunch for Valentine's Day, then went to the the gym Thursday night, exercised, and then went home and crashed. So romantic aren't we?

Friday, the 15th, however was very cool. One of echo's clients is Brad Paisley. Long story short, we got to go see Brad, Rodney Atkins, and Chuck Wicks. It was an really good show--especially since we got to hang out at the ticketmaster suite with goodies and comfty seats! :)

We also found out, thanks to Brett's diligence, that we'd been approved for a home loan... Brett has been quite convinced that we need to have a house when Rupert arrives, rather than living here in the apartment. So, between emails about Rupert, we've been zapping each other MLS numbers trying to figure out where we want to look, and babbling with Brady, our ever-patient and forever good-humored real estate agent!

So, where's the wild and wacky? That started Saturday. I took Riley for our morning trot, got a call from Brady about places Brett and I could zoom by that afternoon, etc. We loaded up the car and went driving. Had a great day, until I started having some Rupert issues. A few phone calls to the OB on call, many tears, and some tense hours later, I finally began to feel a bit better. That was Sunday afternoon.

Needless to say, we prayed a lot. I understand that if we lose little Rupert, it just wasn't meant to be. There's nothing that can be done, nothing we did wrong, etc. Just because I understood mentally didn't make it any easier to deal with... We agreed based on all we knew and had heard from the doctor that we had a 50%/50% shot. We wouldn't be able to get an answer until Monday, so I prayed for something different to think about so that I could relax. Next time, I think I'll try to be more specific. Within two or three hours, I was shivering while wrapped up in three blankets with a 65 degree sunny afternoon outside. My body ached all over in seemingly every inch. So, I got something new to think about... a temperature, body aches, shivers, and a really nasty head cold. It did the trick. I did have something else to concentrate on, but like I said, next time, I think I'll be more specific. :)

Monday, we saw the doctor, and found out that Rupert is in fact as stubborn as his two parents. He's still hanging in there floating around as little gray blob on the screen. We felt much much better when we saw/heard that news. (I'd post that picture, but truthfully, it doesn't look any different from the first one...)

The rest of the past eight days has been a blur of antibiotics, cough syrup, sore throat tablets, sinus stuff. The verdict was a nice upper respiratory infection with ear infections--at least it wasn't the flu. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Today, I have actually been awake long enough to realize that the sun came up and went down. Not exactly the most exciting news from Franklin, but it's about as exciting as I can get. By the way, I just want to let the world know--in-writing-- that I have a wonderful husband. He's been quite self-sufficient, fed me when I was really grouchy, and didn't run screaming from the apartment when I would wake up looking very scary after hours of slumber. He gets real brownie points for the past two weeks of combat. :)

Hopefully will be back and perking along soon. M

And then life takes a turn... :)

Today's news is pretty exciting for us... We met with the doctor today, and it's official. We weren't quite planning on this much excitement right now, but we're going to have a Rupert to go with Riley!!! (I'm not sure Riley quite gets the importance of the changes that are going to start happening in HIS life, but we've got some time... :))

Here's the 1st photo of Rupert!!! (or Huckleberry if you talk to Brett). Apparently, he's in there somewhere. We could see the munchkin's heartbeat on the screen, but that was on a really really big screen. Now that I have the picture, I'm not quite sure WHAT anything is...

Anyway... apparently everything is just fine. I go to the bathroom even more than normal; I'm really tired all the sudden, and my body is expanding in all the right places. So, have fun looking at Rupert!

Check back soon for all our exciting news! :)

News from Nashville...

Well, we are quite grateful that the storms that keep blowing through aren't managing to hit us here in our corner of the world. Thanks to all of our friends and family who have called to make sure we didn't blow away! We've had wind, rain, lightening and thunder--but nothing serious. We're grateful for that AND for all the rain. According to the weather reports, we're still very very behind on the rainfall/drought count. Today, however, I'm grateful for the absolutely beautiful day. I wish I had remember to take a picture when Riley and I went for our walk. It was nice and chilly--but not too cold!

This week is Valentine's Day. Whether you love it or hate it, remember, Hallmark.com offers some really funny FREE Valentines (Or anti-Valentines as the case may be...) Just remember to treat yourself to some CHOCOLATE no matter what you think of day!
What's YOUR favorite way to enjoy chocolate?
a. Truffles
b. Cake
c. Cookies
d. By itself
e. As Frosting
f. Ice Cream
g. Brownies
h. As an IV...

Mischief from the kitchen...
Let's see, we whipped up a lemon meringue pie for a gentleman's birthday... Apparently, it's his favorite confection. I was kind of excited that I made a pie that looked good when it came out of the oven! :)

Another adventure was creating some new chocolate cupcakes. I just forgot to actually take PICTURES of them. I found a new chocolate cake recipe that I've fallen in love with. I just wanted to see if I could turn them into cupcakes successfully. Topped with beehives of buttercream and sprinkled with cinnamon they seemed to go over pretty well. Next time, I'll try to remember the pics.


Finally, I had the privilege of making Miss Abigail's first birthday party cakes. Her cake theme was based upon the great colors and images that her mom Carly picked out for the decorations, invitations, etc. It was a challenge to blend stripes, but it was fun. I hope they enjoyed!

Until Next Time... Happy Baking!

Random thoughts from the week...

Walking five miles was wonderful--until later that night and Tuesday. We're gonna need to work some more on the endurance aspect!

Work is a wonderful thing! Looking for a job would never be one of my most favorite things, but working is a lot of a fun when you haven't done it for a while... Thanks to the various services I'm working with, they've been keeping me busy with either temporary assignments or interviews for full-time gigs. So far, I've been quite a few different characters from all over and haven't killed too many people in phone transfers! I had forgotten just how hard it is to run in high heels! :) Anyway, I'm very grateful for the mischief!

New places to munch... Brett and I have been exploring some of the new restuarants in Cool Springs over the past few weeks.
- Noshville Deli... Brett loves this place. NY style deli with a hint of the 50's blended in. The salad I had was wonderful; and Brett really seemed to like the sandwich. The highlight is definitely the desserts--we HIGHLY recommend the chocolate cake and the chocolate mousse pie! :)
- Christoper's... New place in Cool Springs near the movie theather. They specialize in breakfast and brunch. Pancakes are really good. Brett's skillet was decent, but not fantastic. Interesting conversation starter at Christoper's: Orange walls with very eclectic and diverse art selections. Not sure who did the buying, but they had a wide variety of tastes!

The joy brought by $1 DVD rental machines is just undescribable! We have one in our local grocery, so if we have a couple hours during an evening, we'll grab a movie. Our latest was Rush Hour 3. Can't complain... It's just like 1 & 2, but they still make the conversations funny, add some interesting (though predictable) plot twists, and provide decent entertainment for a couple of hours.

Best new recipe... I use Gmail which has messages that scroll across the top. One such link took me to a great blog called Simply Recipes which had a fantastic Shrimp Quesadilla recipe. Nice and spicy so there's some flavor for those who like it, but best part is you just dump the ingredients in a ziploc and leave them in the fridge all day. Grill or stirfry them, dump them on a tortilla or pita, garnish as needed and MUNCH!!! Check it out at: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/006241shrimp_quesadilla.php

Best new music find... If you like bluesy music, check out my latest find--Marc Broussard. He's been around for four or five years it looks like, but he's just now getting face time in places that I hear... Give him a listen at www.marcbroussard.com!

I'm a loser where the SuperBowl was concerned this year. I'm probably the only American who didn't pay attention. I didn't even watch the commercials. I did enjoy Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl for a few minutes. It's amazing what makes for amusing TV.

Last but not least, tomorrow is Primary Day. I'm actually excited about the elections this year... I can't remember an election that I've been able to vote in where there were actually interesting choices in both parties to consider. As I used to tell my students, "I don't care WHO you vote for, just make sure you get out there and VOTE!"
- Don't know who you most agree with? try these two helps:
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21116732 (MSNBC's matrix)
- http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/ (CNN's issues/candidates site)

Until next time... Good Luck!

I think I can... I think I can...

I have never been an athletic soul. I was always the personality person who was good at school and band and clubs... My sister Natalie was always the athletic one in the family. She played basketball and enjoyed volleyball. Now she runs.

I've never run in my life. That's not exactly true... I tried out for track in high school. I figured a full-figured gal like myself would do really good at the FIELD part--you know, shot put, discus, etc. I think I could have done that part really well, it was the miles of running we had to do with the TRACK people that killed it. I lasted a week if that! After that, if I did anything it was WALKING.

Last fall, Brett and I decided that we finally wanted to get serious about taking care of ourselves. Long story short, in November we joined our gym and I joined Fit Camp. Fit camp is set up like a light version of The Biggest Loser. It lasts for six weeks and is designed for a small group of about six people who meets each day with a trainer for an hour workout, plus we keep food diaries, discuss our nutrition issues, etc. It was absolutely fantastic. Because the class was so small, we were able to try all areas of the gym--spinning, machines, water, drills in the gym, pilates, etc. I learned that I actually LOVE water aerobics, can handle machines twice a week, and of course, I still love to walk. And, after six weeks of torture, I was actually able to do it without much pain. Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, back to the reason for this post.

In the past year or two, Natalie has gotten really good and runs 5K, 10K, etc. So after her adventure in Kansas City last year, I heard about the Music City Marathon here in Nashville. Silly me, I called and sort of teased and taunted her--and of course that meant she took me up on my offer. She would run the 1/2 marathon if I would walk it.

So... I realized this morning that it is now the 28th of January. The event is at the end of April. I guess I'd better get on the stick since I haven't walked more than two miles together yet--let alone 13!

This morning, Riley and I went out for our usual walk, only we decided to go on an adventure. We walked and then took a turn here and another turn there and then went up a street and back down another just having a jolly good time. He loves to run and play. I just try to keep up. Anyway, two hours later we arrived back at the apartment. When I checked it out on Google Maps, we had walked a little over 5 miles. It took two hours, and we were pooped by then, but I don't think I've ever walked five miles together. So... I think I can. I think I can... I just might be able to put together 13 whole miles with three more months of training (and Riley pulling me along!) What an accomplishment THAT would be!

Hello... Let me introduce myself.

Greetings!
I'm Melanie. Welcome to my corner of the web.

To my friends, I hope you will drop by often to see how things are going--especially since I seem to be lousy at managing to keep up with my correspondence duties. I promise, the desire to talk is always there--it's the ability to actually get it done that I'm bad at! Yet, for some reason, you seem to love (or at least like) me in spite of myself... :) As always, thank you for that!

To those who happen to wander by on your web journeys... Welcome to you as well... Come on in and stay awhile. Hopefully you'll find something interesting to read or learn some new tidbit of information that will lead you to other great adventures.

A little bit about me would probably be helpful.
- First, amazingly enough, I can't find any decent/recent pictures of myself. I'll work on that since I think pictures are 1/2 the reason for blogging.
- Second, I'm happiest in the kitchen baking or watching movies. Music is my coffee, so I often have it on in every room. I'm a reformed Diet Coke addict. My only Must See TV is Bones on Fox. Technology is wonderful--as long as it works appropriately. I'm not overly patient when it chooses to disagree with me. I enjoy a good debate as long as all the parties are open to opposing points of view, and I love to play devil's advocate just to see what happens. Oh, and my favorite dessert of all times is a really really good dark chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache frosting and chocolate shavings as a garnish.

I'd also like to introduce the other characters in my world...

First, there's Brett, my husband extraordinare... He's a friendly computer guy who manages databases for a living. He's also a big movie and music fan, enjoys sports, and makes me laugh with his uncanny sense of humor. He's also pretty good in the kitchen, remembers to surprise me with flowers every now and then, and keeps me honest and on the straight-and-narrow most of the time!

Then there's our buddy, Riley Dog. Many people ask what kind of dog Riley is... When we got him at Animal Control, he was barely seven pounds and was the size of my foot. They told us he was a Beagle/Jack Russell mix.


A year and a half later, he's over 50 pounds and much bigger than any Beagle or Jack Russell... So we've chalked his pedigree up to a mix of hound or terrier or pointer. Anyway, he is often referred to as "His Royal Highness" because in his mind, the world revolves around him! :)

And there's my favorite munchkins... My sister, Natalie, has two lovlies--Allison and Emily. The stories that come from their adventures cause much laughter usually, so you might hear more than one or two tales about them.

Well, thanks for stopping. Hope to see you again soon!