When I last wrote in November, we were readying ourselves for the arrival of my husband's family for Thanksgiving. We had a great visit with T's dad, mom, and two brothers. While they were here we toured base, including the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum, which I had not yet been to. It is fairly small (especially compared to the gargantuan Air Force Museum at Wright-Patt), but has some fun stuff to see. The geographer in me especially enjoyed the old maps of the Edwards area when it was still Muroc Army Airfield in the 40's. If you've ever seen the movie "The Right Stuff," you'll enjoy some of the exhibits they have featuring Chuck Yeager and Pancho Barnes. I liked the ejector seat the most, because I have the attention span of a toddler and love stuff you can touch and sit on.
We took our second trip to Red Rock Canyon State Park, and all I can say about that is I am surprised that no one died. Our golden retriever Tess was this close to leaping off a cliff. It did make for some great photo ops though.
On the last day of their visit we perused the beaches near LAX, including Hermosa and Redondo Beach. I love the ocean and the waves and the sand, but all the congestion and crowds make me want to have an anxiety attack. I also found myself sticking out like a pale hokey Midwesterner, as most of the other women on the beach were bronzed and dressed like they were prepping for a magazine cover shoot. Oh well.
Christmas was quiet and cozy. It was just us and the dogs at home. It's blissful not to have to go anywhere or do anything over the holidays, at least every once in a while. We watched Home Alone for the first time in ages, and watched the dogs fight over their new toy, a rainbow octopus.
They each grab onto a leg and pull. It has a couple holes in it now. For Christmas day dinner, I made Paula Deen's Red Wine Beef Stew, with a bourbon red velvet cake for dessert. It makes me hungry just thinking about it.
In mid-January we went on a Southwestern road trip to see the Grand Canyon and our friends at Holloman AFB in New Mexico. The Grand Canyon is, in a word, epic.
If you've never been, put it on your bucket list. January is the ideal time to go because the crowds are low and hotels are cheap. It was a little chilly, but being tough Minnesotans, we didn't mind it too much. We also enjoyed White Sands while we were in New Mexico. It's just, well, a lot of white sand...but fun to thrash around in and take pictures.
Our favorite part of the trip was visiting with our friends and their kids. We played games, watched the boys run around, and just enjoyed each other's company.
Not too long after that trip, probably the biggest development of the winter was revealed - we are expecting our first baby!! I am due in early September. We are overjoyed and so excited. It is definitely overwhelming - it feels like there is so much to do in a short time, stuff you don't even think about beforehand. For instance, we need to buy a new car for T, because his current one is a 2 door that you can't get a box out of comfortably, let alone an infant in a car seat. Also all of a sudden what I thought was a large house has shrunk, as our garage fills with boxes and the office now contains some of the old guest room furniture as we try to make room for our future nursery. Buster (our lab) seems to sense the pregnancy already and has become my full-time security guard. He follows me from room to room, staring me down like I might try to make a run for it at any moment. I think it's pretty cute, he will be very protective of our child when he or she is born. I'm enjoying watching my belly grow and don't even mind the morning (or in my case, night) sickness too much. A big bonus has been the disappearance of my migraine headaches as I've progressed along in the pregnancy. I get the occasional headache, but nothing like before. Now if only I could figure out how to stay pregnant forever! That Duggar lady might be onto something...
Well, that brings us up to the present day! In the months ahead there will be lots of preparations for baby, a trip to Minnesota to visit family and friends, a Lady Antebellum concert, and hopefully some baseball games and weekend getaways squeezed in. I aspire to be much more diligent with my blog posts as well. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend :)
