Holiday Weekend

Here we are on Thanksgiving; The McBride Family. We were missing B's big sister Dr. Andy and her hubby Coach Matich but we managed to have a great time without them anyway. I'm so lucky to have great in-laws. Their neighborhood has all these weird fence laws, so what your seeing is us on their swing with the neighbor's house behind. Their yard with its swing, patio, furniture, landscaping and grill, is the envy of the block.

Spend the weekend cooking, eating, relaxing, watching movies (I'd recommend Muppets in Space), playing frisbee, playing Halo, doing Dance Dance Revolution, board games, and talking. I enjoyed every minute!

Casino Royale

Even though I found the new Bond to be unattractive I decided to see the movie anyway. I was not disappointed (neither were any of the professional reviewers). I think we may have found our best Bond and Bond girl ever. Definitely my favorite Bond film, even better than the Sean Connery days. No, it wasn't perfect, but yes, it was excellent. I may have to see it again this weekend. And if you like amazing physical stunts, not just car chases and things blowing up, the first 20 minutes (a foot chase thru a city in Madagascar) will delight you in a Jackie Chan-type way. A-. Go see it!

Giving Thanks

I am still basking in the glow of the holiday. I sit here at a computer in the home of my mother-in-law and her family. We arrived here in Illinios on Wednesday evening. Thursday was a fun family day of cooking and play and eating. Friday I did some shopping, got everything for Brandon's Christmas. Today I'm doing not much of anything but a little bit of helping Tori prepare for her 11th birthday party tonight. Tori is my youngest sister-in-law.
I'm thankful for:
1) A wonderful, loving, crazy family
2) Great in-laws
3) Fantastic friends
4) Good health
5) Modern medicine
6) A baby in my belly
7) A good education
8) Never going without the necessities in life
9) Delicious food
10) The ability to travel the country quickly and comfortably (unlike generations past)
11) Being able to keep in touch with loved ones online
12) The gospel of Jesus Christ
13) Online shopping
14) Holiday cheer
15) Good movies
16) Christmas music
17) A reliable car
18) A comfortable home
19) A talented, loving, ambitious husband and his enthusiasm for fatherhood
20) A great pregnancy

Thanks for reading. I'm thankful for you!

In Memorium

Yesterday we said goodbye to Uncle Danny.
At only 55, he suffered a brain aneurysm, probably from heavy smoking for years.

He leaves behind a wonderful wife and three Florida panthers (and I believe 2 dogs).
He had a wonderful sense of humor and was a good, kind man. He was a great storyteller. If that is hereditary, than he passed it on to my brother, Adam. Oh, and what stories he had to tell! I wish I could have heard them all. He will be greatly missed.

My poor grandparents, have lost 4 of their 8 children. Please pray especially for them and for my aunt Bonnie, but also for my mom and the other surviving 3 siblings.

I love you Uncle Danny and I am sorry that you never got to meet my better half, he would have loved you too.

What is that smell?

Last night we noticed a bad odor in the kitchen. It wasn't the diswasher, it wasn't the disposal. There were hardly any dirty dishes, so it wasn't old food in/on them. It didn't seem to be the fridge or the trash.
This morning we discovered it was a rotten potato in a small bag of potatoes on the counter. Rotten potatoes rank up there with old flower water on my list of worst smells. It had leaked its oozy liquid out onto my counter. I cleaned it up and disinfected, but the smell has dispursed throughout the house. I have two candles lit right now. What I'm concerned about is that some of the liquid has probably leaked down the side of the counter on to the floor next to/under the fridge. The crack between the fridge and the counter is a scary place. It is too thin to get a broom into and it is full of lint and cat hair and probably a few magnents, etc. I know for a fact there is a postcard and a dehydrated (by now) cherry tomato down there. If the potato stench isn't gone in an hour I will loose my mind. How do I get in there to clean?!

6 months along

As of yesterday, my wedding ring no longer fits. I think I may size it up a quarter size, as Brandon always swore it was too tight anyway. If it gets too tight again, I'll buy a bigger size cz ring and wear the fake one til the pregnancy is over. I just don't know if I want to wear my ring on a chain around my neck for the next three months. What do you all think? I'm okay not wearing a ring at all, but someone mentioned that they always look at pregnant women's hands for a ring and then feel sorry for those who don't have one. Weird. And though I shouldn't care what people think, maybe I kind of do. But maybe I just like an excuse to buy jewelry.

Oh, and my baby kicks back when you press on him now instead of moving away. That's his new thing as of today. So fun!

Learned a new Oklahoma word yesterday: mudding. You can probably guess what it is. In Wyoming it's called, "diggin'." In Utah it is called, "four-wheeling." Lacey says my Utah phraseology is boring.

A guy at the gym today said, "You look like you're about to pop." I said, "far from it." I bet with that kind of finesse he gets a lot of dates.

I told a friend today that we are probably going to name the baby Jonah Charles. She said (very unenthusiastically), "Jonah is good. I like Jonah." Listen babe, I wasn't asking for your approval or your opinion. Then she said (very distastefully), "Why Charles? Tell me that's a family name." Well yes, it actually is a family name but could you be any more bitchy? I didn't say that though, but hey, if you happen to read this, that is what I was thinking. Those who speak without thinking are the reason we considered keeping the name a secret. But actually, I don't think I've had any other negative comments on the name. But strangers treat you like some kind of freak if you tell them you haven't decided on a name. Sometimes they'll even press you, "Well, which names do you like? Are you trying to decide between two?" Are they just dying to hand out their unasked for opinion?? People are strange.

Last, and most fun, bit of news. This weekend we went to the Blue Man Group concert.
It was excellent!
Brandon called me the day the Oklahoma concert tickets went on sale, sounding a little bit frantic. Fortunately it was my morning off and I had an hour til the tickets went on sale. I didn't really know that much about the group, and I only learned a little more before going to see them. They are musicians and performers; great entertainers. This photo is of them with one of their instruments. Very creative. It is the only concert I've ever been to where I feel pretty confident saying that ANYone would enjoy their show. I would take a 5 year old, I would take my parents. If you ever get the chance to see them, do it.

Cocoa Butter?

Last night, while laying in bed looking at my belly, Brandon discovered a stretch mark! It's my first pregnancy stretch mark. It doesn't really look stretchy, although it is low enough that I can hardly see it, even in the mirror. It is dark reddish and looks more like a hickey or a bruise than anything, only it is pretty much a short straight line.
My mom gave birth to nine children and only has one belly stretch mark. My older sister got hundreds of stretch marks during her first pregnancy. Hopefully I've got good elastin (or is it collagen?) and more of Mom's genes. Most of my stretching will happen over the next 3 months so I will probably get more, but let's hope for the best.
I've been using an anti-stretch mark cream whenever I get out of the shower, but I'm almost out of it. I know genetics play a much bigger role than anything else, but does any body have any favorite belly creams they'd like to recommend?

List Lady requests your assistance

Attention all Mothers:
I would love you to email me a list of "new mom/baby essentials". If you are a stranger and want to participate, that is fine. You can email me thru my other webpage at: http://www.myspace.com/listlady by clicking on the "send message" button under my main photo. Can't wait to hear from all you mommies.

Baby Showers!

My wonderful, sweet sister Robin called me this morning to tell me she wants to throw me a baby shower while I'm in Arizona after Christmas. Thank you Robin! I only have a couple friends in AZ but I've got lots of relatives there and it will be nice to have an excuse to see all the female ones at once! And Robin knows how to throw a great shower (just check out her most recent blog if you don't believe me).
I'd really like to have a Utah shower because I have lots of friends there plus relatives and Brandon has tons of relatives there. The real barrier is that I am only going to be there during the week of Christmas. Nobody wants to feel like they have to buy another gift right at Christmastime, do they? And worse, Saturdays seem to be the day for showers and the only Saturday I'm going to be in town is the 23rd, the day before Christmas Eve. Ah, well.
As for an Oklahoma baby shower, that is yet to be determined. I have had several people ask about it but there are no plans. Hannah, my former co-worker from Foley's, has offered to throw one for me in January, after the madness of the holidays has passed. She doesn't know many of my friends, but I don't suppose that really matters. Right now she's my only offer for a shower, so you Okies will have to wait til January to give me baby clothes and you'll get to meet my negative, yet very sweet, 50-something, kookie former co-worker.
Fortunately, since we'll more than likely be moving out of state when the baby is less than 5 months old, we'll hold off on getting some of the big baby items for now. We're going to get a Pack n' Play (bassinet on a playpen) instead of a crib, no dresser or changing table, no fancy nursery decor or anything like that. I just want clothes, books, and the necessities (you mom's will have to let me know what all that includes). I have, of course, started an amazon baby wishlist http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/baby/ZHDO17YRNI3U . I just couldn't help myself. I love amazon!

Halloween, etc.

Coach B with his little witch wife.
So last week I made the mash potatoes again on Wednesday. Still a little pastey and this time a bit lumpy too, but again, extremely delicious. I love potatoes. I think maybe I'm using too much/many liquids. I highly recommend the Klondike Golddust potatoes I've been getting from Target.
Thursday was combined Enrichment activity for the ladies from church. I think there were 8 people there, some knitting, some tying a quilt and some of us sharing scrapbooking ideas. Mostly we were talking and eating. It was fun.
Friday night Lacey and I hung out. She got a fondue pot she wanted to try out. Hers is electric and has the best non-stick coating. We made cheese fondue first; half swiss, half something else, a little wine, a pinch of ground mustard, and a pinch of nutmeg. So heavenly! We dipped apples, cooked mini-potatoes, french bread, sausage, and tomatoes. I've been craving more ever since. Then we made up a chocolate dessert fondue and dipped pound cake, raspberries, dried sweetened cranberries (our favorite), marshmellows (my unexpected next favorite), mini oreos, and bananas (another excellent choice). It was a great girl's date night! Can't wait to fondue again!! If I had room in my kitchen I'd probably have my own fondue pot by now.
Saturday night was Halloween party night. We decided to skip on the church party as it was out of the way and catering to people with kids. Then we went to Jamon & Alisha's party where we had the most delicious black bean soup (Alisha- I still need that recipe!). Mmm! Ham, lime, cilantro, sour cream.... Can you tell that my life is focused around food??
Oh, and whenever I eat now my right ribs hurt. It feels lots better when I lift my arm up though. My baby is getting big. They say he's about 2 lbs now. I had a check-up yesterday and everything still looks great. I gained four pounds in the past four weeks and my baby is very wiggly.
Back to the parties. We were the only couple there without kids but we had tons of fun. I had a small witch and a tiny bumble bee that really buddied up with me at the park. Cute kids! Brandon enjoyed playing football with the other guys at the party, I think they were all dental students. We had a great time. My favorite costume was the fat, bald Dracula with his (fake) gut hanging out under his cummerbun (sp?).
Next we stopped in at Victoria's annual Halloween bash. It was fun. We had a good time chatting with Jenny, Shaun, Victoria, and Rachel. We saw some really good costumes. My favorites were Nacho Libre, Wonder Woman, a she-devil and Michael Meyers. There were other good ones too but I can't remember.
Studying the Renaissance this week for school has been fun. Trying to condense it all hasn't been as much fun.
Tomorrow and Saturday I work 8 hour days giving makeovers at Dillards. I was excited for it a couple weeks ago but now it just sounds exhausting. I will make it fun though so that the days go by quickly. I want it to be Christmas break so I can just sit around at relatives houses being lazy. I desperately need to do laundry, etc. here but I have no motivation. Ah, well. Life is good. Write soon.

Tuesday

Last night my mashed potatoes turned out a little more paste-y rather than fluffy. Anyone know what I did wrong? Well, I know what I did right- the flavor. I think they were the best tasting potatoes I've ever had!! I used golden (I tossed the package so I'm not sure which variety) potatoes, milk, butter, salt, chicken broth, evaporated milk. Oh so good!!!
Oh, and my baby has been kicking, dancing, swimming, moving pretty much non-stop since about a week ago. It is so fun. Not as much fun when he seems to wedge himself under my right rib. You can feel him from the outside now. Feel free to touch my belly next time you see me, he'll probably promptly kick you.
Had my two 5th graders do a word scramble during the last five minutes of tutoring instead of the regular hangman. It was a hit. Here try your luck, the topic is history:
PPRAE SWA IEVTNNDE NI CAHNI.

Today

Today was my first day back at work in a week and a half. (Last week our school district has Thurs and Fri for "Fall Break"). I can't tell you how therapeutic (sp?) it was to spend time with my mom. I didn't realize how starved I was for family-time. I miss my siblings and my parents, maybe even more now that I'm pregnant. It sucks not to be able to see them every week and to be low on cellphone minutes so I can't even talk to all of them. I should have called them all over the weekend, especially Robin, but somehow I wasn't in a talking mood on Sunday. I did try calling Sarah several times in the past week, but I can't ever get ahold of her. Please keep her in your prayers as she is having severe medical problems.
Anyway, back to today. It's been a good day. I slept in, checked my email, did the dishes, and looked good for work. English and History went well with my high schoolers and tutuoring with my elementary kids was less frustrating than usual. I must have needed that break from them. We are on to the Middle Ages in history and that should be fun to research and teach.
I have a turkey roast in the oven and I'm making real mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas to go with it. Or I could do cooked carrots, or salad... but peas would be easy and good. Brandon gets home from The Good Shepherd Clinic around 8:00, so we will eat a late dinner while watching Heroes, my current favorite show. Have you seen it? You've got to. Brandon even watches it every week and I don't know if he's EVER followed a show before.
Orson Scott Card, one of my favorite authors, writes a weekly column on his website (www.hatrack.com) called OSC Reviews Everything. I don't read it very often, but I love it. He talks about the Fall TV season and said this about Heroes, "Since the actor playing Hiro, Masi Oka, may be the most infectiously enthusiastic human ever to appear on television, he alone would be reason to watch this show. But he's not alone. " My sentiments exactly.

Off to whip some potatoes! (I'm gonna have to have a sampling of those before B gets home).

Pregnant Traveler

Here's me and Mom on Boston's Freedom Trail. Some of it is a red brick line like you see here (this part at the beginning had these cute ground markers) and some of it is a red paint line on the sidewalk/road. It is about 2 1/2 miles long and goes past a lot of historical sites, like Paul Revere's home built in the 1600s, the site of the Old North Church where they hung the "one if by land" lantern, and the building where the Declaration of Independence was written, etc. Very cool walk.
This one is in front of the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship the first Pilgrims came over on. My ancestor, William Bradford, rode on the original.

New England

Well, we stayed in Massachusetts the entire trip except for a night in New Hampshire, where the leaves were admittedly even better colors than in Mass. My favorite places in eastern Mass? Here's photos of each.

Nantucket Island. Here's the harbor.

Lexington was a quick stop but it was lovely and full of history.













Plymouth was adorable.











Concord was stunning.

To my loyal readers

Thank you for the comments and emails. It's good to know that people are still reading this. Just got home 2 hours ago from my vacation. Here is my favorite picture of me from the trip. It's at a flooded cranberry bog in Nantucket. Mom and I had a great time!

Quick Update

Even though it appears that nobody is still reading my blog from the lack of comments. Robin and Jill care, so this is for you two (Have you seen the Sonic commercial about the guy's blog that only his mom reads?).
Anyway...
On the 19th my cousin Jill, a flight attendant, had an overnight layover in Oklahoma City. I haven't seen her in probably 5 years, she is 3 years younger than me and we've never been very close. Well, we are good friends now! I picked her up at her hotel and she took me out to dinner as a birthday gift. We pigged out at the Spagetti Warehouse and then I showed her around Bricktown and the OKC Bombing Memorial. We talked a lot. It's amazing how having dad's that are brothers (with similar personalities and tempraments) gives you plenty in common. Love you Jill!
More recently:
Just finished teaching the Chinese Dynasties for history to my two high school students. Teaching history is SO fun, more fun than English lately.
Last Friday Brandon got to go down to Dallas with his cousin Jamon. They met up with Alan (B's dad) there and had a blast golfing the day away. The next day they went to the OU vs. University of Texas game. It's the big rivalry in this region of the country. There tickets were $300 each. Good thing Alan was paying. Too bad OU lost. Brandon hasn't been to a single OU game since he started going to school here three years ago. Alan decided to make his senior year memorable. They all had a GREAT time!
This past Saturday I went to my friend Jenny's wedding. It was held outdoors at a B&B in Norman. Lovely setting! There were only about 40 guests and I felt privledged to be there . I've known Jenny less than two years, but we really enjoy eachother's company. It was a beautiful ceremony and a very delicious reception.
Saturday evening, our friend Ryan, a pilot, had an overnight layover in OKC. I spent 1 1/2 hours chatting with him and two of his co-workers at the Cajun Kitchen. It was great to see him. Maybe some pregnancy hormones will have transfered to him, he and his wife Elaine, my dear friend, have been trying for a baby even longer than us. I'm glad he got to see my belly cause I don't know if he'll get another chance.
Sunday I taught in Relief Society. The lesson went really well, I ended on time, and I didn't get as nervous as last time (no sweaty armpits) and I made it thru the lesson without crying but still had the spirit there. I hope it's always that good.
Pregnancy update: my belly is steadily growing, my baby is fairly active. I've had two horrible charlie horses so far and two recent days of outrageous hormones. Overall, everything is fantastic.
Well, I gotta run pack for my New England trip. More when I get home. (Can't get photos to upload ANY way right now, sorry).

Slide Show

I made my first slide show on slide.com, very easy. I posted it on my myspace page. I will do one for on here later. Go check it out at: http://www.myspace.com/listlady
I also suggesting hitting the play button on the screen twice to hear my profile song (I don't know how to make it play automatically). It is performed by my second-cousin-in-laws, two cute BYU students with a lot of talent.

Just some ramblings

I miss my long hair. Right now my hair is at that really ugly middle stage as I try to grow it out. My pregnancy and prenatals seems to have no effect on my hair (color, thickness, or growing rate). These pictures are from last September when my hair was still long. Boo hoo.

I also must make mention of birthday season which is upon me. August was two of my sister's birthdays and one of my sister-in-laws.September was my birthday and two of my brother's. October is Grandma Donna's (pictured above), Dad's, a sister, and a brother-in-law. November is my other 3 sister-in-law's birthdays and a brother and my anniversary and Thanksgiving. Wow!

Lastly I must mention upcoming trips: New England, Illinois, Utah, and Arizona. Mom has agreed to be my travel companion for my final vacation (not a trip to see family) before I have children. We went to New York in October of 2003 and always talk about making a tradition of taking fall trips. I guess we'll plan to go again in October 2009. We are spending 5 glorious days traveling around the Boston area. Pictures and stories when I return on the 18th.

We will be spending Thanksgiving in Illinois with Brandon's mom's family. We will probably drive since the flight prices are ridiculous. Hopefully we'll get to spend a day in Milwalkee or Chicago while we're there. Grandma emailed me that all her kids will be in Mesa for Thanksgiving. Wish I'd known that a few months ago, I'd love to see my extended family!

Christmas will be spent in Utah. We will probably hole up for several days in Heber at my father-in-law's enormous cabin there. I wonder if I can snowmobile really slowly at 33 weeks pregnant? We will be spending Dec. 28- Jan. 1st in Mesa with my family. Can't wait to show off my huge belly!

Halfway Through!

My pregnancy is halfway over! I can't believe it. Here's my belly at 21 weeks. As of last week I had gained 10 lbs. How will I be able to carry 15-20 more?! I love my belly. I like the size bigger boobs too. Things have been pretty easy up to this point, let's hope they continue that way.

28

For those of you who asked about my birthday.

I had an absolutely fantastic birthday this year. It started about a month ago really. I'd told people I was shopping for a new blender. My mother-in-law told me she loved hers and that she would get me one just like it for my birthday. About a week later I got a blender, a mortal & pestal, a Led Zeppelin cd, and a dvd in the mail from amazon. She said it was much easier to do it in August than to wait til the beginning of the school year when she would be swamped. Thanks McBrides!!

Last week I decided I wanted a birthday party. I haven't had a party in a couple years and I wanted one. I decided to do a girl's night, just good food and games (It's my birthday and I'll do what I want, nobody came up with anything more appealing and I'm a geek and a homebody). I invited my five best Oklahoma girlfriends, several gals from church that I've been wanting to get to know better and about 3 other friends. I posted an invitation on evite and didn't have to do much else.

Wednesday was my actual birthday. Friday I received a great birthday package from my best friend, Jen, in Utah. Tuesday I received a birthday card and spending money from my parents, a cd from my sister Robin, and a big box from my husband's dad's wife, Linda. Wednesday morning I didn't have to work and B didn't have to be at school. We slept in late, had waffles for breakfast, and enjoyed a lazy morning. I opened my package from the Jensens and was thrilled that it was stuffed full of new maternity clothes and a few other treats. I taught all afternoon and when I got home Brandon took me to Shogun Japanese Steakhouse, a Hibachi grill place where they cook your meal right in front of you. It was highly entertaining and very tasty. He got me an amazon gift certificate (which I already ordered a dvd and cd with) and a camelbak:) I got phone calls all day from my loved ones and several seranades of the Happy Birthday song. It was a GREAT day.

Last night was my little party. Eight people (my favorite party guest #) showed up (Lacey, Megan, Alisha, Jennifer, Victoria, Jenny, Rachel, and Sandra), all my favorites, and we had a great time. There was great conversation and food (especially Alisha's from scratch chocolate cake) and we never even bothered with the games. Three of my guests were over til about 2 am! That's a late night for any of us. The birthday is finally over and I am completely satisfied. Thanks!