Asheville, NC & a bday shout out

Jake had a conference in Asheville this past Monday and Tuesday and he was nice enough to invite me to tag along. We drove up Sunday afternoon and were surprised the leaves weren't changing yet. The trees were still green and lush and the air was fresh and cool. Jake was in meetings most of the two days so I just walked around town and window shopped. It was a good two days of rest and relaxation. Our hotel had mini Aveda products which made my day(s). Rosemary Mint shampoo, need I say more? I only took one picture the entire trip. I have been really bad about digitally documenting our life lately. This picture is horrible, but it is from this great little restaurant where I had lunch on Monday, Tupelo Honey Cafe. I had a grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich on Texas Toast and a bowl of Tomato soup. I sat at the bar, read my US Magazine and enjoyed the yummy food while the rain fell outside. What a cozy place and all the food looked DELISH!



Tupelo Honey Cafe - Asheville, NC

On a side note, it is my Grandma Lawrence's birthday today! We are sending her much love. I would give anything to take her out on a birthday date to Perkins and give her a hug. She is such a wonderful person and I miss her dearly.  

California dreaming



Niagara Falls - 2005

I am a total vacation snob. It's not like I have to stay at the Ritz kind of snob, but when I vacation, I want to vacation. Please don't ask me to drive to the Outer Banks or up to Williamsburg. I need a flight, a hotel stay and preferably sunny skies and warm temps. Jake can attest to this. I like to plan. This is why Jake and I get along. He lets me plan all of our vacations, every last detail. I love him for that because poor buddy might get slapped if he tried to interfere with my flight choices (just kidding...okay... kind of kidding). We (I) like to take one big trip a year and then a few small ones sprinkled here and there to fit in our beach time, Jake's ski trips, family events, etc. The baby has thrown a wrench, a very good wrench, in our plans for this year. I was planning a trip to San Diego in November when we found out baby was on the way. Well, Southern California is expensive and so is our unborn child so we nixed CA for 2010. So now we are left with a week vacation in November with nowhere to go. Jake and I said we would just play it by ear and go wherever the wind takes us. Well, that isnt flying with me anymore and I am itching to plan. I am going to try my best to refrain from rash decisions and hold out for another two weeks. If the weather is nice, I want to head up north to NYC or Boston. If the weather turns, I have no idea. Help - I need ideas. Ideas that won't break the bank and that involve a pregnant gal (aka no extreme sports, hiking, or super long flights). PS. I really do want to stay at the Ritz. Just one time before I die.

daily haps

I am still coming down off the high of knowing - It's a boy! I will randomly yell this out around the house. I know Jake is tired of hearing me say it. Although, I do catch a hint of a grin from him every time I say it. He is so excited too. Boys just don't like to show their feelings... silly boys.

My dad was very generous and gifted us with the baby's crib. It arrived yesterday and Jake got right to the point and promptly put it together in pure engineer fashion (complete with reading directions, under thirty minutes). That is really the only baby item we have in the house right now, which makes February seem very far away.

The weather here in Eastern NC is hot. Like 90+ degrees everyday hot. The mornings are cooler and the nights are pleasant which makes fall feel like its kinda sorta here. Not really though, when you are sweating carrying groceries into the house after work. I am ready for chilly (note I did not say cold, I hate cold) weather. I love jeans and boots and jackets. Boots and jackets = LOVE. I have my eye on one of each to spruce up my fall maternity wardrobe (boots & jacket). I think I am going to splurge and buy both for myself for my 30th birthday present. Come on November, momma needs a new pair of shoes!

It's a Boy!

Wow! Big news to report from yesterday - It's a boy!

We were nervous walking in to our appointment that the baby might not cooperate and hide his/her business. Well, baby g is not shy and was more than happy to show us, most definitely, that we have a boy. Or as the ultrasound tech said, "Yes indeed, 100% outdoor plumbing." This whole time I thought it was a boy... well maybe a small part of me was thinking, maybe, just maybe it could be a girl. We have a boy. It's still sinking in that my house will soon be filled with trucks and legos and light sabers. That we will have muddy boots and baseball practice. I am in love already.

busy bees

Cane Creek Tri Sprint - September 2009 (Jake & Jeff)

We have a busy weekend ahead so I need to take advantage of the night and finish some cleaning and get the car packed so we can leave after work tomorrow. Jake and my brother, Jeff, will be participating in their second annual Cane Creek Triathlon Sprint. For the record, Jeff puked multiple times because dummy ate an apple two seconds before the start (and probably cane creek water would make me barf too).  

Jeff and I are insisting we do lunch at Ice Cream & Pizza Works on Saturday. I might have to pull the "eating for two" excuse and go for a double scoop on a waffle cone for dessert.

On Sunday, Jake is off to the Panther's game and I am off to Ikea and then home. I want to pick up a few organizational items for the house and look to see if they have any good stuff in the baby department that baby g has to have.

Speaking of baby g... Monday is the big day. At 10:30am we find out if sweet baby g is a boy or a girl. I am ready to find out, but nervous at the same time. It's scary to think that my pregnancy is almost halfway finished and that in three short days we will know if we have a son or a daughter on the way :)

Picking a winner

Spring Hope's claim to fame is the annual Pumpkin Festival. I am guessing pumpkins were all the rage back in the day and it was a weekend to celebrate the fall harvest. Today, the festival has morphed into a weekend filled with local town events in the downtown depot, carnival rides and a parade on Saturday morning. The Pumpkin Festival is always the first weekend in October. Since moving to "town" we have been having a porch party on the first night (Friday) of the festival. As everyone walks into town, or parks on the street, they can stop by our house and get a little snack, drink a little beer and chit chat. It is always fun and we always seem to have a good crowd.

Each year, the local Chamber holds a recipe contest. I made my first entry last year and placed honorable mention with my pumpkin spiced whoopie cookies. I am going to enter again this year and see if I can place in the top three. My ideas for this year are (since no one but my husband reads this blog anyway): pumpkin spice crepes with spiced cream cheese filling, pumpkin pancakes or waffles, pumpkin spice doughnuts or pumpkin spice latte gelato with cookie garnish. Let's hope I can pick a winner!

three

Three years ago today, I married this hottie. He makes my heart melt everytime he calls me baby.

He has a big heart, a happy spirit and the sweetest soul of anyone I know. I am lucky to have him as my husband and my best friend.

I love you Jake - Happy Anniversary!

Stress

All of a sudden I have major baby anxiety. Is the house going to be ready in time, I need to find new living room furniture before Christmas, is it a boy or a girl, am I going to be a complete spaz of a parent, am I going to be able to drop that sweet little thing off at daycare everyday without losing it. Whoa! (joey lawrence style) I need to take a deep breath. It still hasn't sunk in completely that we are adding a new person to our life in February. I only have a slight hint of a baby bump and I haven't felt the little bugger move yet. In just a little more than a week we will know if baby is a boy or a girl. I am leaning boy, Jake is going for girl. Why all of a sudden am I blank on baby names? I have only been thinking about that exact topic for the past 23 years of my life. I am giving myself (Jake included) until October to get our backsides in gear and start thinking about registering, nursery decor, baby savings, final daycare options, etc. We have a really busy fall on the horizon and I just want to enjoy everyday and remember everything. Breathing in, breathing out.

baby daddy

This is my baby's daddy. The love of my life. My best friend. I think he is really handsome. I met Jake in March 2004. I cannot believe that was six years ago. Time flies when you're having fun. We met on a blind date. We had dinner at Outback Steakhouse in Rocky Mount, NC. I still have the shirt I wore that night. It's really tiny and doesnt fit anymore. Jake had worked outside all day and had a raging sunburn. I almost fell when I tripped over the curb. Yes, love at first sight. haha. A month after we met, Jake moved all my stuff in a U-Haul to Rocky Mount so I could live closer to work. A month after that, he packed it all back in a U-Haul and moved me back to Raleigh. Edgecombe County and Jenna Lawrence didn't mix too well. We took a week "break" after that second move. I think the moving was a tad too much a tad too soon. Looking back, all that makes me laugh. He was a good sport. This picture was taken the night he received his PE license at a reception at NCSU (July 22, 2010). Jake, you are everything to me. You make me laugh, you make me happy. I am so glad the McKirahan's thought we would make a good match, because we really do!

Front porch - before and after

We closed on our house January 18, 2008. It seemed like a really good idea at the time. Buy a fixer upper, fix er up, sell for profit and live happily ever after. Ever after, preferably, being a house with a pool closer to a city with at least one Target and a Starbucks. Oh, how naive we were (are). This house, our first house, is located in Spring Hope, NC and was built in the late 1920s.

Jake's first project was to tackle the front porch. When we moved in, half the porch was rotten and in desperate need of repair after many years of neglect.

I don't have a true "before" picture, so a midway view will have to do (Spring 2008)

Porch - after

We splurged and went with Trex decking materials. We felt this was the best decision since the porch sits almost flush to the ground and also the house is on a hill which makes drainage an issue. Jake installed a french drain and we also replaced the gutters around the porch. One note about Trex, the color isnt really uniform (at least for the Winchester Grey option) and it scratches easily. On the plus side, no splinters, no rot and covered under warranty.

labor days - I meant to post this yesterday 9/3

Happy Birthday to my bff Sara B. She turns 29 today and is celebrating this morning at the Aveda institute and most likely a venti starbucks drink ... and ... Happy Anniversary tomorrow to my sister Michelle. She has been married to my brother-in-law David for 11 years. The day they got married, hurricane Dennis decided to hit NC. The wind was blowing and the rain was pounding and it was by far the best damn reception I've ever been to! Funny, hurricane Earl is making his away across the Outer Banks as I type. Also funny is how good champagne tastes when you are underage!

I am dubbing this weekend "Labor Days" in honor of the Labor Day holiday on Monday and also because Jake and I are going to work super hard on the house. He has his list and I have mine. Hopefully, at the end of the long weekend two bedrooms willl be ready to paint, the garden will be gone, all the laundry will be clean and I'll need a nap.