Christmastime photos

Follow this link for a slideshow of photos of the last few weeks.

From the bookshelf

Last night I finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Wow. What's it about? The title sums it up quite nicely. I still need some to let it all sink in. But here's my first reaction: I cried my eyes out. I'm not talking about a few tears. I mean bawling. Like cry like a little girl and soak my pillow with tears. I've never cried so hard reading a book. Maybe it is the hormones? Geez.

Here's a quote from the beginning:

"It's hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he's okay. It's hard to be the one who stays. I keep myself busy. Time goes faster that way. I go to sleep alone, and wake up alone. I take walks. I work until I'm tired. I watch the wind play with the trash that's been under the snow all winter. Everything seems simple until you think about it ... "

Anyway, I highly recommend it. Just get some Kleenex.

Busy as a beaver!

I apologize for the lack of updating, picture-posting and story-telling. And returning messages. Boo on me :( But hooray! ... Christmas is in full swing despite the economy's attempts to curtail it. Ha. Take that financial crisis. It's a "home-did" holiday and we wouldn't have it any other way.


Meet Beaufort's newest firefighter

Jimmy got a new job. His dream job. He is now a career firefighter with the Burton Fire Department. Great job, great benefits, great co-workers. More than 50 people applied for the job. Only a handful passed the exhaustive physical testing and daunting written exams. Even fewer passed the rounds of interviews. It was down to two candidates. What made them pick Jimmy? He is the only one who stood around after he was done with the physical skills test cheering on the other candidates, who were vying for his job. The chiefs noticed this and thought he was something else. I couldn't agree more.

Hewwo, wittle baby

Baby's just hanging out. I can feel him/her move a little. However, the outside world can't feel it yet. Soon enough Baby will be kicking up a storm, I'm sure. We won't find out the sex until Jan. 14, so stay tuned. I promise to post some pics of my belly soon, which still is quite little. I have only gained a few pounds. My pants are getting tight. I'm feeling better. Less nausea, more energy.

Running with bells on our shoes

I placed second in my age group (20-24) in the Jingle Jingle 5k run Saturday on Hilton Head. Jimmy and I both finished at 24:38, which is not that impressive; however, when you take into account I'm four months pregnant, it's a nice little accomplishment. Jimmy did beat me though -- for the first time ever. We had a fun little race to the finish there. I almost got him. We finished tenths of a second apart. Way to go, baby.

A visit from Emma!

My Emma came to visit! She stopped in Beaufort and spent the weekend with us en route home to Tennesee from Florida, where she is working. It was fun, just hanging out like old times. We cooked good food, made cookies and explored a very cold, gray and wintery Hunting Island looking for birds and other wildlife. Emma gave me a cool book for a Christmas gift, which I will post about when I start reading.

Deck the halls

I'm almost done with Christmas cards. Yea, they are going to be late. I see nothing wrong with that. I am extending Christmas. Who says it needs to all be over December 26? Heh. So keep checking the mailbox. I've managed to get all my Christmas-gift-making/painting done and just need to wrap! My favorite part! (Seriously, I love wrapping.)

Headin' out West

Emma, my brother Brian and I are going out to Aspen, Colo., from Jan. 6 to Jan. 11 to visit Jennifer, Ashley, Nate and Bryan -- and Jennifer and Nate's pups! So we will get to see lots of snow and spread some cheer out West. I can't wait. It's my first trip out there! And Jennifer, Emma and I haven't been together since ... I don't even know when. Too long.

So there's that! Lots of exciting things going on here! I'll leave you with our Christmas greeting photo. Smile! And happy holidays, Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year to everyone!!

Lalala.

The year that ends in 8

Where to begin? I've had a lot of interesting experiences this year.

My intent with this post was to start at the beginning, leading up to the Baby Miracle. But that story starts years and years ago. Then I decided to start with the beginning of 2008. But I get stuck on New Year's, which has nothing to do with Baby, but so much to do with life. ... Moving on. I guess this needs to be out of order.

(That last paragraph needs to be included. It's a matter of cohesiveness. I am writing this blog for myself as much as anyone else.)

1. A Night in the Big House. (May 18)

I was arrested and spent a night in jail. Seriously! I roomed with a woman who was in there for her "third CDV" (criminal domestic violence) for "Slicing her baby's daddy's foot because he was wearing (her) kicks." My charges were not so exciting.

I was pulled over by a Beaufort Police officer for doing 5 over on Ribaut Road near downtown. He informed me there was a bench warrant out for my arrest for failing to show up for court and prove I had insurance.

Rewind to January. I was pulled over for speeding and did not have my insurance with me. The sheriff's deputy told me I did not need to go to court, but pay my speeding ticket at the magistrate's office and bring my insurance with me then. Well, I paid the speeding ticket and I brought my insurance and was told by the county officials that all was taken care of.

Back to May. I guess it wasn't taken care of. The woman who received my payment and insurance did not correctly record the information. (She later lost her job. Apparently, she was not the best employee ever, to say the least.) So they call a female officer to search me, a tow truck driver to impound my car, and a sheriff's deputy to serve the warrant, handcuff me and drive me to jail.

Among the problems that Sunday afternoon:

• The officers searched my entire car, which they were not legally entitled to do. (They can search me, and my immediate vicinity, but nothing else without a warrant.)

• They failed to read my Miranda Rights. (I later found out this is OK. They should, but don't have to, since they are so well-known by now from all the police TV shows and the like.)

• Upon getting to jail, detention center officers said I could not pay bail and leave that night because I needed to go in front of a judge. (The next day. I never saw a judge, but was escorted to an ATM in the building -- in shackles -- and paid my bond to the same people I spoke with the previous night, who asked me why I didn't just do that the night before.)

• The detention center lost my intake record. So after being fingerprinted, put in a jumpsuit, photographed, escorted to a cell, calling work to say I wouldn't be making it and calling my mom, I went sleep. I didn't want to eat the food. And yes, jail is gross and dirty and cold. The cots are uncomfortable and the blankets are more like thin, scratchy tarps. The next morning, I waited and waited to see be called down to see the judge. They said I would be one of the first ones. I waited and waited. Hours later, my mom called and they said they had no record of me being in the jail. So a very, very nice officer found me and straightened the whole thing out. She also recommended I take some legal action against the county for all this, which I still might. Meanwhile, Pam had tried to bail me out, but was too late. I thought that was very nice of her. She also checked on Bailey and brought some bagels to my house. Thank you, Pam.

• I paid $200-something for bond (the fine from the no insurance ticket in January), $400-something to get my car out of the impound, some other miscellaneous jail fees and more than $100 to reinstate my license. Money I will never see again.

• Here's what kills me. I had my insurance card with me the whole time. I had received a new card since the one in January, so had two with me. The old one and the new one. Same policy. Proof right there in my hands that the whole thing was completely whacked. I also was very polite and don't exactly look intimidating or have a criminal record, so any officer in their right mind would have never served that arrest warrant.

• I was told not so smile in my mug shot. But I did anyway. They can't take that away.

Anyway, I got out. They lost my license. Hsieh picked me up from jail. Thanks, Hsieh! I rode my bike to the DMV to get a new license and to the car impound lot to pick up my car. And shuffled off to work and did the Gazette front page that night.

All my charges were thrown out and my record is clear. I probably will not sue because I am too poor. And it was an interesting experience, for whatever that's worth.

Now, time to run.
Next up: My first triathlon or Rescue Mission Dad in Florida.

Hello, Baby!

Meet Baby! Baby is 14 weeks old and lives in my belly! He/she is starting to poke out a tiny bit, and just keeps growing!

On being pregnant: I am showing a little now. And after losing weight in the beginning due to the lack of being able to keep any food down, I finally have gained a few pounds. I am exhausted and hungry — or nauseous — all the time. Lots of fun! But I know it is worth it. I can't decide which is worse, the nausea or the fatigue. I seriously think I could just lie in bed and eat lots of bagels for the next 6 months. I hear these two wonderful symptoms ease up in the second trimester though, so there's hope. However, this week feels no different. (Fingers crossed.)

Run, Baby, run! I still am running, although I'm slowing down and crossing less miles. I was running around 35 miles a week. That's down to 15-20 miles now. Walking feels much better :). Baby already has been in 3 races though, the Beaufort Shrimp Fest 5k, Hilton Head Bridge Run 10k and the Piggly Wiggly Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10k. And we're going to Jingle Jingle 5k it up Dec. 20.

And on that note, it's 10 a.m. and time to run. Much more to come, such as the story of what a miracle Baby is. I know every child is a miracle, but Baby defies the odds.

Santa Claus, the Chick-fil-A cow and the 9-foot inflatable deputy

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for this!:

COLUMBIA — Last year, the South Carolina State Museum began a new holiday tradition. Winter Fest, a three-week long celebration of the winter season, kicks off Saturday with the Jack Frost Jubilee from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Also dropping by Saturday will be the Chick-fil-A cow and the 9-foot inflatable deputy from the Richland County Sheriff’s office. Santa Claus will make his first of three appearances at Winter Fest with special $1 hayrides rides around the museum building from 1 to 4 p.m. He’ll be back to spread holiday cheer Dec. 20 and 23.

This one is for you, Michael Gottlieb

Alternate title: Economic woes hit home.



Bateaux laid off several people yesterday, one of them being their extremely lovable, hard-working, knowledgeable and charming bar manager/beverage director, Jimmy.

So Christmas is kind of off this year. Not to mention eating and paying bills. My monthly salary, after taxes and insurance premiums, is $1,866. Our rent alone is $950. Then there are utilities, cars, dogs, prenatal care, gas, groceries, la la la ... You get the picture. As do more than a half-million other Americans who are struggling with unemployment.

I get it. I read the stories every day. I could explain to you how the market tanked, the intricacies of Wall Street, the details of the bailout plan, who's who among the congressional leaders supporting and opposing a financial rescue package -- but up until yesterday, I couldn't REALLY tell you how much it sucks. Now I can. It SUCKS. And at Christmas?! With a baby on the way?! Come on.

But no crying over spilled milk, ya know? I'm done. So it's time to pull out the resume, update it, head to job interviews, pinch our pennies and say our prayers.

And as for Christmas, we decided we are going to spend lots of time volunteering. We still have a little to give and others have a lot less. And I can't think of a better gift we could give to each other than sharing the joy of helping others. Anyone have any ideas on a good cause looking for volunteers?

On a brighter note, it's really nice outside today. Time to take the pups for a walk :)