Negative Degree Weather, Travels, and a Turnip

i'm not much for taking pictures but we got invited to a picture party last weekend and we got this picture... She did ALL cheesy poses - not really my style. I think both of us thought most of the pictures reminded us that we need to go on a diet...!

Nebraska weather has been CRAZY this week. This is DAY 3 that the school systems have been shut down from the downpour of snow and blizzard conditions. James' work was shut down for 1 1/2 days but of course - no break for state workers. I still was supposed to be at work!
I heard today that it is supposed to be negative 25 with the windchill factor (still in the negatives without the windchill). I cannot help but think my car is broken when i get in and the outside temp registers on the screen as being in the negatives. Gotta love Nebraska. Our neighbors remind my why this is even a good place to live. On Sunday after a big snow storm one neighbor was out snowblowing our driveway. Then on Tuesday after more snow, the across street neighbor was doing our drive again. Then yesterday, a 3rd neighbor was caught cleaning up more snow. Where else do you find that!??

We haven't gone anywhere exotic lately but in Nov we made a quick trip to AZ and then a trip to my parents in Hanford, CA and down to Los Angeles. Next weekend i head to Denver for a long weekend and then in Jan i am visiting my sisters in Boise. We haven't been able to see everyone we wanted but it was fun to see a few good friends. And James had never been to Hanford, CA and the Smith house. Adventures. For those who don't know about Hanford or the Smith house, there are stories. He is now finally gone thru the final initiation to being a son-in-law. My brother in laws will tell you it gives a little perspective on our family.
And on to the turnip - well, for those we haven't told (which is probably a lot of you). I am prego! And according to all of the blogs which compare the growing fetus to the size of a fruit or vegetable - the fetus is now the size of a turnip. Surely they could come up with a better fruit or vegetable than that... But thats the comparison. I am 17 weeks and i am at the stage where i am just starting to look fat rather than looking prego yet. My pants are all tight but they still mostly fit.
i know many women who LOVE being pregnant - i am not one of those.. I will never embrace getting fatter, my chest was already two sizes too large and now i've added another size on to that (and more to come i hear), the morning(afternoon & evening sickness) was almost unbearable, and i had a severe bout of backpain for a couple weeks that is apparently caused by a combination of the hormone relaxin affecting my pelvis/lower back and my stair climber workout. But i have to believe that the worst is over. :) I feel better than i have in a few months now. We are going to find out what we are having - kinda later than most people do - not til i'm 22 weeks along - so in about a month. James keeps asking what i think it is. What my "gut" thinks it is. I truly honestly have no idea. And i don't care much either way. The only thing pulling me towards a girl is they have cuter clothes to dress them in. James is praying for a boy. We'll keep you posted..

Florida Vacation!

We went to Florida last week and had a BLAST! We flew in to Tampa to see family on James' side. They live right on the canals of Tampa bay. Literally. It reminded me of Naples in Long Beach area. It was beautiful. They had wave runners and a nice boat so we did some playing!

this is their backyard:

This is us at the Tampa Bay Rays game:

After a couple of days in Tampa we drove over to Jacksonville Beach on the Atlantic coast side where the same family we visited, have condo right on the beach. It was perfect! But i ran out of battery on my camera and failed to pack the charger so you'll have to take my word for it.

Pics of the House

Here are some random pics of our house.. Hopefully as we update some things and make some changes we'll be able to post "after" pics. Let us know if you have any ideas for improvements. We love suggestions!

master bath:
master bedroom:

living room:

dining room:

family room:

A New House!

This is the front of our house - its not super beautiful but the inside has lots of potential!

This is our backyard - it has a woodsy feel. Its kinda small but on the other side of this fence is a huge commons area with trees and lots of grass. And just down the path are tennis courts, basketball courts, and 2 playgrounds as part of our HOA.

We are set to close on our home on May 29th! We'll be first time homeowners! We are super excited! We had to do some compromising - my top priority was to be near a trail - there are a lot of trails here in Lincoln. And James wanted a bit of a fixer-upper. So it has both. Everyone is invited!! There is plenty of room!

The whole purchasing process has been an adventure. James is competitive and was upset to hear that my credit score was higher than his by 2 points! Its been eating at him.

I have also been working at my new job for a couple of weeks now. Its with the Sate of Nebraska as an Administrator over "Financial Responsibility." Basically I oversee some of the collections process for the Department of Health & Human Services. Its off to a slow start but its getting better.

We can't wait to have visitors so everyone has an open invite.

The Mustache Bash

We got to attend a great birthday party of James' sisters' friends who we have gotten to know.. Everyone was required to sport a mustache of some sort. It was awesome! Handlebar, Charlie Chaplin, they were all there..... It was a great theme for a party. Here we are..very realistic, don't you think...?

Birthday Party in Oklahoma City

We decided this was the furthest any of us had ever driven for a birthday party. We drove 7 hours each way to OK City this past weekend to attend a good friend of James' surprise 30th birthday party. There were 6 of us friends from Lincoln who made the trek. And even though we drove all day Sat, played there Sat afternoon/eve and drove back the very next morning - we had a great time! Here are some pics of the quick trip..
Here is the birthday boy in the middle and Harmon & Scott that we drove down with. Kevin was SO surprised!!

We got there a little early so we had some fun before the party. Here are 4 of the 6 of us....

These trees are all over the city. I loved em.

This is at the OK City Bombing Memorial. Really neat place. The chairs were for each victim of the terrorist tragedy.

The Wizard of Oz in Nebraska

Yesterday we had a tornado watch which was then upgraded to a warning here in Lincoln. I had never heard the Tornado Sirens before but they were going off in the afternoon/evening. I kept trying to figure out where they come from. They would get louder and then quieter and then louder again. i kinda wanted to drive around and watch - i've never seen a tornado - i thought it might be like the wizard of OZ - and that didn't turn out too bad. But we stayed inside for most of it. The newspaper said that at least 3 tornadoes hit our county flipping vehicles and damaging homes. Looks like they were all just outside our city limits! Crazy. Its all fun and games until your vehicle gets flipped. But i have heard that the city of Lincoln is pretty protected because the geography is a basin so the tornadoes will skirt the city but never really hit here. Grr... other cities get all the fun.

Warning.... this is gross....

This is what i do to James - I tell him that there are toxins, and we need to get them out. His rule is - "No Nails" But i've never gotten these kind of results....

Valentines and Radio Show DJs

Friday morning i'm at home and i get a call from James:

James: Ah-chay, are you at home?
Me: Yes
James: Go downstairs and let some people in.
Me: Who?
James: Just go downstairs and let them in.
Me: I don't have any makeup on.
James: Just trust me.
So i go down in my fuzzy socks and crocs and see through the window four men - two of them in red tuxedos. I don't know that i had ever seen a red tuxedo before. My first thought - "is this a singing telegram??" But i let them in the apt complex and then notice the non-tux wearers had a microphone and the other a camera. They are from KLIN radio in Lincoln. They are holding a huge bouquet of red roses. They quickly explain to me that my husband submitted an entry of why i deserved an extra special Valentine's and we were one of four entries that were selected. His entry said something about us recently getting married and moving from AZ and that i had sacrificed a lot and hadn't found a job in Lincoln yet (and that i was bedridden and blind). They handed over the large bouquet, a smelly candle, a $100 giftcard to a spa, and a $40 gift certificate to a mexican restaurant!!! What a valentine's! Then the camera flash started going and the two DJs stepped in on either side of me.! Although this isn't how i would have wanted the whole encounter to go down, it was a great and unusual Valentine's Day.

He Passed!!

(Pictures were removed at the request of James)

James has been studying for his Series Seven test for the past few months. It was the only thing between him and a license to be a broker - the whole reason we moved to Nebraska. After hearing his stories about his horrible study habits (or no study habits) in college and hearing that most people don't pass this test the first time, I have been really impressed at how dedicated he has been about studying and wanting to know the material, not just pass the test. Today was the big day. It only takes a 70 to pass. But everyone says that this is a test you must respect. Very tough. So James passed with a ..... (drumroll) 87!!!! Can you believe!??? I am so proud. We had a little celebration tonight. We went to dinner with his family and had everyone over for dessert. Way to go James! We all knew you could do it!

Where the Buffalo Roam....

PLUS

Only in Nebraska do you meet people who have buffalo on their land and want to share their buffalo meat. A friend of mine here in Nebraska is from Hershey, Nebraska and her family has buffalo. I'm learning all sorts of things about buffalo. (Apparently if one is sick you have to take them all to the vet together - they will not be separated from the herd.) Anyways...she personally has a hard time with different types of meat so she really wanted to share the buffalo meat with me.. :) Free what? So we tried it. I wish i hadn't told James what was for dinner. I think he would have enjoyed it more... But it really wasn't too bad! And she gave us plenty for future dinners. You are all invited for buffalo burgers tonight!! Bon Apetit!

Christmas Vacation

We had so much fun in Boise playing with family. One of the highlights was this sledding adventure! Now i want a sled for my birthday!