girls' weekend

A blissful long weekend in the mountains with my girls - what a wonderful thing! Mindi, Corinne and I planned a 4 day trip to Glenwood Springs and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We kept busy with margaritas and girlie chats, cave exploration and scary coaster rides, hot springs and vapor caves, mud wraps and massages, italian food and, yes, even a piercing!

I cried a little after we first arrived (my anxiety about leaving Bree for three nights) but after that I did pretty well! I must say I am very thankful for this trip - I needed some time to relax and pamper myself. (Many thanks to my loving husband for suggesting I get away on a girl trip.)

And the best thing is - I still have the rest of the week off. How could I ever go back to a 1 week spring break?

aahhh, spring break

Gotta love it. Yesterday our little family visited the Aquarium. We arrived at about lunch time and so we started in the Aquarium restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised with both the food and the atmosphere, although there was a bit of a wait to get in. Dan and I shared the bruschetta appetizer and a broiled fish platter. Bree enjoyed the sourdough bread.

We took our time touring the aquarium. The otters were sleeping, but the tiger was awake and active. Dan loved the poison arrow frogs - he spent a lot of time at that exhibit watching those little guys. The seahorses captured my attention - what interesting little creatures! Bree's favorite part, I think, were the moon jellyfish. She kept saying, "Mmmmmmm", which loosely translated means, "Wow, so pretty!"

organic - to be, or not to be?

I find myself more and more wanting to be careful about the food we eat, but find the cost of organic foods prohibitive. On a website called The Daily Green I found a helpful article called "Save on Sustainable Foods: 10 Foods You Don't Have to Buy Organic - A short list of foods that retain the least amount of pesticide residue." Here is their list of foods which you do not need to worry about being organic:
asparagus, avocado, banana, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi, mango, onion, papaya, pineapple

You may be wondering, like I was, what food SHOULD I buy organic? Again, from The Daily Green website:

"Not all of us can afford to go 100% organic. The solution? Focus on just those foods that come with the heaviest burden of pesticides, chemicals, additives and hormones. Whenever possible, deploy your organic spending power to buy organic versions of the following foods (in no particular order)."
meat, milk, coffee, peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, strawberries, lettuces, grapes, potatoes, tomatoes"

11 months

Happy birthday, baby girl! Eleven months ago you joined us in this world, and everything changed. You are growing and changing so much - every new day is a new adventure! We love you and can't imagine a world without you now. You bring such joy and love and beauty to our lives. This morning you woke up happy and singing, as you usually do, and we laid in bed listening to you and feeling so thankful. Soon you will have a big birthday to celebrate!

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."
— Albert Einstein

look who's walking

At about 10 months old, Bree started walking. She is perfecting this feat more and more each day. She still falls a lot and is often unsteady, but she almost always chooses to walk now instead of crawl. We think she is enjoying her new mobility!

Poll: Do you like roller coasters?

The very first roller coaster I ever rode was called the Wildcat. It was one of the old wooden ones at Elitch's. I was only in about the sixth grade and I cried. I got on it again, and rode that Wildcat for the entire rest of my time at the park that day and into the night, eventually loving it. I've always considered myself a person who enjoys roller coasters. My mom and I rode the Steel Eel at Sea World a few years ago - and that one scared me! They are just getting more and more intense.

A friend e-mailed me some pictures of one at Cedarpoint in Ohio. I do like roller coasters, but I don't think I'll be trying this one!!

missing Amy

A couple of years ago I lost a friend to cancer. Amy taught in the classroom next door to me when I began my teaching career, and she quickly became a dear friend and mentor. I think of her often. I thought of her today when I came across an anonymous quote from a support organization for people living with cancer:

When we come to the edge
Of all the light we have
And we must take a step into
The darkness of the unknown,
We must believe one of two things:
Either we will find something
Firm to stand on
Or we will be taught to fly.

update

A year or so ago I read a book by Sue Miller called The World Below. I really enjoyed that book, and was eager to read more by her. While I Was Gone was thought-provoking, but I can't say that I liked it as much. It did cause me to think introspectively about my own life, which is always good I think. But I had a hard time connecting to the main character, and the ending left me feeling unsatisfied.

While I Was Gone

I'm two-thirds of the way through and am not sure how I feel about this book. I think I'm hitting a slump with it, the action is stalling and I'm not sure where it is going. It has been interesting reading about a mother/wife who is at the point in her life where her daughters are grown and moved out of the house. It makes me think about how I will handle that stage of my life someday.

car seat blues

So it's time to start thinking about, and purchasing, new car seats for Brianna. She has outgrown the length limit on her infant seat, though she is still within the weight limit. What a pain! I e-mailed a bunch of mommy friends and very much appreciate their input. The nice thing about the infant seat/carrier is that she can stay in it and I can put her in the shopping cart, the sling at a restaurant, etc. Changing to a regular car seat will mean she will go in and out of it, but it will stay in the car. We are going to have to get two, one for Dan's car and one for mine.

Trying to decide what to buy is a challenge! There are so many out there and at such a range of prices. Things to consider:
weight limits - some convertible seats are made to go up to 60 lbs and so will last longer
installation - will we be able to figure out how to install it correctly? Will it damage the car upholstery?
adjustments - can we adjust the straps easily to accomodate coats, etc...
safety - has it been recalled, tested for safety? By who and what was the result?
cost - do we buy the expensive but highly rated model? (The one that tops the lists for safety and convenience is $270 - and we need two!)

Some models that have been recommended to us and we are considering:
Evenflo Triumph
Graco Comfortsport
Britax Roundabout (or Marathon)

If anyone has any other suggestions or advice - please share!

10 months old

that's my girl!

Bree has started something new. She is now getting books out of her basket and bringing them to me, then sitting down to read them together. So cute! I just love that she is already interested in books.

bildungsroman

Ever heard that word before? I learned it in my adolescent literature class a few summers ago. Here's the definition:
A Bildungsroman is a novel which concerns itself with the development of a youthful protagonist as he or she matures. It is analogous in many ways to the "Apprenticeship Novel" (the so-called Erziehungsroman) or "Education novel," which explores the youth and young adulthood of a sensitive protagonist who is in search of the meaning of life and the nature of the world.

I thought it was an interesting word - it stuck with me. I just finished reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and would say it fits this category. Twilight is about seventeen-year-old Bella, who leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, and meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human. In fact, he is a vampire. This is a vampire book.

It was a fun read. I finished it in no time - and it is a big book! (Being sick in bed had something to do with that I suppose.) The plot was simple, this was an easy read and one that took my mind off of feeling like I was run over by a truck. I wouldn't categorize it as a favorite read - but I would recommend it. It was written for the young adult crowd and is the first in a trilogy. The trilogy seems to be very popular at the moment. The movie is in production and will be out soon.

On the topic of books - I stumbled upon a very interesting blog. The author takes pictures of people reading around San Francisco. Thought it was a cool idea!

finished my book

The good thing about being sick today was that Dan took care of the baby while I rested, and I got a chance to finish my book Eat, Pray, Love. The downside to this is that I am now feeling my usual bit of sadness I get when I finish a good book. The best way I can think of to describe it is that it is like losing a companion. I look forward to my few minutes of reading each night when I have a good read. The worst case of this was this summer when I finished the seventh, and last, Harry Potter. That was actually depressing!
On to the next book - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

blah

I got it - the crud. I am so sick! I took a half day today and tried to see a doctor but could not get an appointment. Probably just as well - I think it is viral. I was so hoping to dodge this one. My concern now is to avoid passing it on to my family.

she's walking!

To our amazement, our baby girl has really started walking this weekend. She took five steps toward her daddy and clapped with us as we celebrated this feat together. Once again I am astonished by how quickly she is changing during this first year.