Summer of Family Fun

We had the great pleasure of hosting Sharon’s parents at our home this past week. There was little sitting around as we put them straight to work once they got here. Rich got busy with various household projects including fixing a broken drawer in the kitchen, replacing lights on the front of the house as well as one on the ceiling of the great room about 18 feet up. He tried to cut back the bushes in the back yard, but got attacked by mosquitoes and called it quits after receiving several nasty bites. He also brought his projector with him and helped Sharon outline a few images on the nursery wall. Oh, and of course he prepared a few meals for us while he was here. What a treat!

Here’s one finished painting… Sharon worked diligently on the color portion and finished up the monkey the day her folks left.

Susan brought her sewing machine and reupholstered the glider that Sharon picked up at a garage sale. The rocker looks brand new and very unique with the lovely combination of fabrics that Sharon picked out. Susan put her creativity to work as she came up with several classic touches to add to the chair, buttons on the chair back, trim around the pillow, padded arm covers with pockets for bottles, books, burp cloths, or whatever might be needed at hand when baby comes. Somehow, in between house projects and trips to the fabric store we managed to put in some sightseeing and visiting. Our first stop on Friday was to check out Wheaton College and visit with friends from Mechanicsburg. We toured the Billy Graham museum while we were there as well—very interesting.

Saturday while Mark was in class, Sharon and her folks took the train into the city to check out Chicago. Top items on the list were to see some sights (which we did via boat as well as on foot), eat an authentic Chicago hot dog and have deep dish pizza (which Mark was able to partake in as well).

Since Sunday is really Mark's only day off, he likes to pretend he is on vacation.

Then on Monday night, Rich got to catch up with an old army pal who lives in the area. Sharon joined them for a dinner at a German restaurant as the guys caught up an reminisced about their escapades around Germany and Europe.

It was sad to see them go on Wednesday. Now I (Sharon) am all alone until Friday when Mark returns from his business trip to San Diego. And no, he did not feel the earthquake. He was actually flying in during the quake and had to be placed in a holding pattern until the runway was thoroughly checked for fractures.

We look forward to the arrival of Mark’s parents on Monday.

The Diary of a Mad Pregnant Woman

Yesterday Mark and I went to an all-day music fest called Ignite Chicago. We saw some of our favorite bands, including Todd Agnew, David Crowder and Mercy Me. We also got to see a few lesser known bands, like Red, Superchick and Hawk Nelson. All in all it was a fun-filled day.

I must say, the heat and the day’s activities plumb wore me out. I believe Mark made grilled cheese for dinner, then after that it’s all a blur. I vaguely remember pulling the covers over my worn out body. Next thing I know, our alarm is going off and it is time to take Mark to the train station. I can remember a time, not that long ago, when I could go to a concert and then stay out afterwards hanging with friends until early the next morning. Those days are long gone.

Here are a few picts of our day. As you can see, we got very close. Enjoy.

The Life of a Pregnant Woman

Wednesday, July 16

This summer it is imperative that I keep up with my exercise. Even though the baby is growing, I don’t want the rest of me to grow out of control along with her. So I try to walk every day and go to the high school to swim once or twice a week. Last night was a pool night. Westmont High School is in walking distance, so I got Mark to take a break from his studies to walk me over to the pool for an evening swim. I used to be able to swim for 2 to 2 ½ hours and do about 7,000 to 9,000 yards, but now I am much slower. I get in about 1,000 yards (40 laps) and do 10 minutes of deep water kicking before I am totally dog tired. It is getting to the point where I am going to half to start using the ladder to get out of the water. Pulling my awkward body up on the side of the deck is becoming humorous. At least the little old ladies in the water aerobics class get a kick out of me.

Yesterday I also made the most amazing cherry pie. I ventured out to one of the local farmers’ markets and bought some fresh cherries because I saw a good looking recipe on the cover of my latest Cooking Light magazine. Plus, I just love cherry pie. I never made a fresh cherry pie before and it proved to be quite time consuming. Just pitting six cups of cherries took almost an hour to do. But man was it ever worth it!! Yum, yum, yummy.

This morning, after taking Mark to the train station, I went to get my gestational diabetes test done. This is an hour long test where you can’t eat anything after 8 p.m. the night before or anytime the morning of the test. They make you drink a sugary sweet mixture and wait one hour before drawing three vials of blood. Hopefully I passed.