Holiday Bonanza and Other Adventures Part II

Part II begins!  Let's see, where did I leave off...ah, the baby shower.  Well, once the baby shower ended the Christmas festivities began.  I think we ended up having five gatherings in all, not too shabby.

Overall, Christmas break was great.  The festivities were fun, but the best part was being home and seeing our families.  We spent time in Rogers, Fort Smith, and Texas (where my mom's family lives).  I was a little afraid that we'd be running around the entire time trying to see people and get all of our "visits" in, but we actually managed to have a nice balance of visiting and relaxing.  There were many days of lounging around the house watching football (or HGTV) and, of course, lots of Starbucks visits.  The Starbucks people actually remembered us and were happy to see us back in the store (oh how I miss friendly people)!  It pays to be regulars!

ANYWHO to wrap things up, here are a few snap shots of time with family.

My mom giving the dogs their Christmas presents.  They actually unwrap them.  It's amazing.

The typical family shot.  This is my Texas family.  The fun part is trying to find my dad in the picture.

Me and Brittney looking  a little tired.

My nephew Kirby learning to take a picture with his dad's Iphone.  He's saying "cheese!" in this picture.

We had some really good times, ate some super good food, and loved on our family.  100% worth the 13 hour drive back to Ohio.

Holiday Bonanza and Other Adventures Part I

I'm back!  I decided to give my blog's background a little facelift for this new year and new phase my family is entering into.  I hope you all like my thoughtful, relaxing, coffee-filled (decaf for now) theme.

So much has happened since my last post, several holidays and lots of traveling.  We'll begin with Thanksgiving and go in chronological order.  This Thanksgiving my parents and sister came to visit Garrett and me in Ohio.  We had such a wonderful time.  Their coming was a nice break from the reality of living in Ohio and being away from our families the past several months.  My mom cooked a smattering of holiday favorites in my tiny kitchen while the guys enjoyed whatever football game was on TV.  

Aside from the Thanksgiving festivities, we also found out the sex of baby Rea and decided on a name.  After much wiggling and poking, we finally got our little peanut (as Brittney calls him) to reveal to us that he is a boy.  His name is Benjamin James Rea (James after my dad and Garrett's maternal grandfather).  We are super excited to welcome little Ben when he arrives in April (or whenever he gets here; Garrett thinks he's coming earlier).  After finding out his gender, we set out on a shopping extravaganza.  I had to register for my upcoming shower and my parents wanted to help set us up with some nursery items.  What a successful day!  We got some great items at some amazing prices (it happened to be Black Friday, so we lucked out on the cost of things).      

Our Ben at almost 21 weeks.  We think he looks like Garrett.

Here's a link to my sister's blog post about Thanksgiving and our nursery (as of November--don't worry the finished nursery photos will be posted eventually).  She has the essential pictures and light-hearted captions that are needed to fully understand our Thanksgiving holiday experience.  

After my family left, I went into a bit of a funk.  I missed them so much; Garrett and I didn't realize how much we would miss our family when we were prepping for our Ohio move.  At times, I wished they hadn't come because I had gotten used to everyday life without seeing and hanging out with them.  Needless to say, this made us long for Christmas break even more.  

We had only three weeks of school left once we got back from Thanksgiving break.  As usual, it went by fast.  Before we knew it, we were in our Subaru headed to Branson, MO to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary (Dec 17) with our great friends, Jake and Lacee.  The 11 hour drive wasn't too bad, but we were definitely ready for some relaxation once we got to Branson.  We spent almost three days and two great nights with our friends.  It was wonderful to sit face-to-face and catch each other up on what's been going on in our lives.  There's something about staying up late, by a fire, chatting that is much more fulfilling than talking on the phone.  

The morning of December 18, we all packed up and headed to Rogers.  That evening I was graced with a wonderful baby shower that Brittney, Lacee (and family), and my mom planned for me.  What a wonderful treat it was to see a lot of my friends and family right when I got home from being gone for what has felt like years.  The ladies worked so hard to plan a shower, at a not so ideal time of the year, so that I would be able to have one at all.  The shower was a hit!  Although I'm not one who likes being the center of attention, I enjoyed seeing everyone and getting to catch up.  Here are a few photos for you to drool over.  

The gift and goodies table.  Notice the scrabble name on the wall.  The ladies made that!  They're so talented.

Another scrabble shot as well as the wall hangings that Brittney painted for Ben's room.  They are super cute!

Super cute cupcakes and yummy double doozies for dessert.

One of the beautiful center pieces on the guest tables.  Lacee's mom put these together.  Each table was gorgeous.  Notice also the little chocolate scrabble pieces (Garrett loves scrabble).  What a sweet, personal touch.

Ok, I'll leave you all with those stories for now (I'd hate to overwhelm).  Be looking out for Part II of our adventures to be coming soon.

Are You Crying?

In the past few months Garrett and I have discovered I am, in many ways, a stereotypical pregnant woman (basically like the ones portrayed on TV).  The sickness part I talked about already, so today is about crying.  Everyone, I cry at the drop of a hat.  I cry at things that are absolutely not things one would cry about; thus, things that would be worth crying about, I lose it--bawling like a little baby.

For the most part, my leaking face isn't a big deal.  Being part-time, I spend most of my crying episodes at home, alone on my couch.  However, when I am out and about, I have to try not to make a spectacle of myself.  For instance, I'm at the gym doing my thing, watching HGTV, maybe a little MTV if it's worth it, or TLC when the swelling up of my chest and red eyes begin: the tenants have fallen in love with the latest remodel of their living room, the newlyweds got that perfect First Place, Timbaland's son got the Sweet 16 party he's been dreaming about for literally days, or new parents welcome to the world their brand new baby girl (Note: I have made myself watch A Baby Story several times for what I feel is good prep for our new arrival.  Not sure about my decisions, but I do know I cry and/or cringe in every episode).  With every show I end up watching, some piece of it makes me emotional, granted this could be a commercial.  (Have you seen the latest Chevy commercials! I mean come on, a girl doesn't stand a chance.)  Crying isn't a normal gym habit (unless you're on The Biggest Loser), so I do my usual suck it up facial maneuver, and look around to make sure no one thinks I'm crazy.  I am crazy though....no, I my hormones are crazy.

So, my latest crying session occurred today when I was finishing up the latest episode of Parenthood (great show by the way).  Toward the end of the show, Brittney chatted me on Gmail to say that she had updated her blog.  SO, on the next commercial break, I brought it up and started reading while the commercial played in the background.  AH!  Tears start welling up in my eyes.  Her post is so sweet.  It's about her making the invitations for my baby shower and how she's looking forward to being an aunt.  Here it is for those that want to read it (Read it now!): Brittney's Blog.  Wasn't that sweet!  Did it make you cry?  Well, I did of course.  No need to hold back the tears on this one though; I'm at home chillin' while Garrett's at some math meeting.  Ah, so sweet.  I miss my sister....now I may make myself cry.  Silly, emotional me.

This is for Brittney; we're cute.  I love her.  

Welcome Back

It has officially been three months and one day since my last blog post.  As with many things I start, when I get distracted and off track it's hard to get back on (shout out to all my past diets, workout routines, and "hobbies").  Thus, this is my attempt to get back in the game.  Enough said.

First on the list today, update on Ohio living.  Now that I've been in Ohio for a touch over 1/3 of a year (that's 4 months for those that don't like fractions), I can honestly say life is different here than in the south. For those that read my husband's blog, you're fully up to speed on these differences.  Sometimes I feel like living in Ohio is a bad joke that I'm the butt of.  People here are definitely not as friendly as those in the south (they don't even try to fake it).  Garrett and I will try to be friendly and joke with people, and they literally just stare at us, confused.  Oh, and no one waves.  An observation: when you let someone cross/turn/walk in front of while you're driving, you give a wave and they give one in return--it's only polite; well, not in Ohio it isn't.  When I wave, or give the polite nod, people give me that "what are you looking at" stare.  Thus, one of my goals while living here is to not lose my sense of humor and love of life.  Because the economy woes have hit this part of the country so hard (over many years of decline, not just the recent crisis), everyone lives like they're waiting for the next bad thing to happen; they expect disappointment and are unable to dream of a life better than the one they're currently living (I even see this in my students, crazy!).  It's sad; I almost want to give people hugs and say, "don't lose hope!"  But I don't.  I wonder what they'd do if I did?  My guess is give me, what I shall now call the "northern stare."  With all that said, I don't hate my life.  I just often feel disconnected and alone.

There have been some bright spots to life in Ohio though.  Garrett and I both love working at the University of Findlay.  We really like the people we work with, and I LOVE only teaching two classes.  My Precalculus class is really fun, most of the time (we all have our moments).  They have already added to my list of "Funny/odd things my students say and ask me."  This list consists of questions and statements such as, "Mrs. Rea, I'm hungry; do you have any chips?" and "Sorry I missed class, I have been sleeping in my car because my wife got a restraining order for spousal abuse."  Now I have the gems "Do you smell bananas?" and "What size shirt are you wearing?"

Another exciting thing that's going on with me is that I'm pregnant (the announcement was made on Facebook, as most official announcements should be)!  Garrett and I took the whole pee-on-a-stick-test the day we were finishing our drive into Ohio.  After being married for almost 6 years, we've had our share of "are we pregnant" moments with a negative result every time, so when the test was positive, I was really surprised to see a positive result.  Garrett was totally calm and I was freaked out (not in a bad way, it was a "is this real" freak out).  Anyway, after a few moments of letting reality sink in I was fine.  We are super excited to start this whole new phase of our married life.

Pregnancy is an interesting ride.  It seems like everyone has the same and different experience, if that's possible.  At the beginning of my pregnancy I was soooo nauseous.  I never got to throw up (yes, I said got to), but I felt sick all the time.  Some women feel this for a little while and it goes away, some feel it the entire time, and some never feel sick at all (lucky).  At 18 weeks, I'm currently in between the first two scenarios.  I feel fine most of the time, then it'll just hit me and all I want to do is lay on my couch.  For the most part, I'm enjoying being pregnant.  Until recently, I haven't gotten to feel any of the "perks" of pregnancy (besides getting a lot of attention from everyone who knows, which is sometimes fun and sometimes annoying).  Before I just felt fat and had nothing to show for it (that is other than a sneaky suspension that my students think I don't do laundry because I wear the only pair of pants that fit everyday), BUT now I'm actually starting to show a tiny bit and I'm pretty sure that I have felt the baby move several times.

My next ultrasound is on November 25, and this is when we'll find out the sex of our baby.  I'm super excited about this.  My parents and sister will be in town for Thanksgiving when we find out, so that means shopping!  Garrett and I have done zero shopping for this baby (mostly because, other than Walmart, there are no good places to shop in Findlay), so our ultrasound will be a good excuse to get out and spend some money.  Plus, shopping for baby will be so much more fun with others than by myself (another down side to life in Ohio).  We currently have four items for our little one, all of which have been gifts: an adorable cow pillow pal (his name is Max), a baby sock monkey, a sock monkey bib (both gift from our wonderful friends, Jake and Lacee), and a bib my sister got when she was in Europe.  I wish I had pictures of all of these adorable items, but alas, I only have one of the silly bib that was a gift from my sister.  Enjoy!

It has sleeves!  So cute.

Ok, all I'm spent.  I plan to write again before another three months passes.  Until next time, enjoy the lovely fall weather!

Food Mission!

We're on a mission!  A mission to find good food in Findlay, Ohio.  Is it possible?  Can Findlay stack up to the culinary mecca that is Rogers, AR?!!  We shall see.

When Garrett and I first moved to Fayetteville from Fort Smith (back in the day) we were so excited about the number of cool places to eat we were going to discover.  Alas, that never happened.  We found a couple of places that we liked, then settled in.  Thus, with this move to Ohio, we are determined to explore all the different restaurants here.

So far, we've done well at covering all of our restaurants bases.  We've eaten at a diverse group of places--everything from Thai to burgers.  Because of our food mission (and to the desire to stay healthy, blah blah blah), we have been working out almost everyday.  So, no worries for those that are waiting to see the new pictures of Garrett and Brooke 50 pounds later.

Here are our favorites so far:

Jack & Jin's Thai:  What a treat!  I was so excited to see that our new town had Thai food, and it ended up being good Thai food!  Because they are cheap and accessible (unlike good Thai is in Rogers), we don't feel pressure to get the same thing every time.  Thus, we've tried the following items: Pad Thai (duh!) with chicken and tofu, Pad Kee Mow, Pad See Ew, Red Curry, and the Thai fried rice.  We've tried a couple of appetizers as well, the fresh spring rolls and crab rangoons, delicious!  All of the main dishes have been fantastic.  If we had to choose our least favorite, it'd be the Pad See Ew; this dish can't withstand the more tempting and flavorful Pad Thai and Pad Kee Mow.  I'm just saying.  For those who have never had Thai food, Run!  Run to the nearest Thai place and eat up!  It's wonderful.  (For those in Northwest AR, I recommend Thep Thai in Fayetteville; it's my favorite.)  Here are a couple of pictures of the food at Jack & Jin's; try not to drool all over your computer.  (Forgive the quality of the pictures.  It's hard to not look goofy while taking pictures of your food; thus, I have to go with the quick sneak shot on my phone.)

Front: Fried Rice w/Chicken
Back: Pad See Ew w/Chicken

Front: Pad Thai w/Fried Tofu
Back: Red Curry w/Chicken (Garrett's favorite dish so far)

Jac & Do's Pizza:  This pizza joint is definitely a local dive.  It's a shack-like building that doesn't look appealing from the street.  We decided to try Jac & Do's because some local told us they had the best pizza in town.  Well, they were right!  What a gem.  Jac & Do's has been around since the 60's, so that's a testament right there.  Our first encounter with Jac & Do's included their cheesy bread sticks and a large chicken, bacon, ranch pizza (though large doesn't describe the size of this massive pizza).  We never order things like bread sticks, but felt compelled to this time; boy am I glad we did!  They were fluffy and light, like nothing I've ever had.  I wish I had one right now, mmmmmmm......  I don't have a picture of these bread sticks at this time, but I vow to go back and get them again so that I can provide you all with a picture of these magical cheese delivery objects (I'm just that giving).  Back to the pizza.  Their pizza comes on a nice thin crust, which we prefer.  The chicken, bacon, ranch pizza was an unusual order for us; we're more pepperoni or supreme kind of people normally.  The ranch pizza was fantastic though, and we have ordered it again since our first visit.  No single ingredient overpowers the pizza; it's a perfect blend of chicken, bacon, and ranch.  Because of the success of ranch pizza, I'm excited to try another kind.  Here's a lack luster picture taken of the chicken, bacon, ranch pizza.

Wilson's Sandwich Shop:  Don't be confused by the name of this little local favorite.  It is by no means a shop that sells sandwiches.  They sell a frosty-like ice cream concoction, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, coneys, and a pulled pork sandwich (ok, so there's a sandwich, but who orders that here?).  In the last ten years they added two new items to their menu: french fries and onion rings (stepping out).  If you're looking for a gourmet burger, go somewhere else.  If you're looking to feed a family of ten for until $10, then this is the place (ok, a little exaggeration there, but it is super cheap)!  We love this place because it's so simple and so affordable.  The burgers and fresh and delicious; oh, and did I mention cheap.  Our our first visit to Wilson's we got two cheeseburgers, fries, and an order of onion rings; the bill came to be $7.00.  $7.00!  Our stomachs and our wallets were very happy.  The fries and onion rings were good too, but nothing special.  The burgers are what to get when you come here.  We haven't tried the frosty malts (the ice cream thing), but we notice that everyone gets one with his/her meal.  That's a goal for next time.  Here's a picture of our first find at Wilson's.

Said fries, onion rings, and cheeseburgers.

Yummy!

Ok, that's enough for now.  I'd hate to bombard you with too much yumminess.  I'll continue with the Food Mission posts and leave you with something to look forward to.