Why Ask Why?

This week I read this article from Sports Illustrated's 8.20.12 issue.  It was fantastic!  I was in nearly in tears multiple times...gotta keep it together when you're reading on public transportation.  The guys in the story have such amazing attitudes...it's so great to see in young men who've had to deal with life-changing events.  Made me miss my days working with spinal cord injury patients on the Carle Rehabilitation Unit...

Preconception visit

**Disclaimer: This may be too much information for some readers!**

On Friday, I had a preconception visit with a nurse midwife.  Last January, my doctor suggested I make such an appointment so that I could get to know a potential pregnancy provider before actual pregnancy.  I'm so glad I did this!  I absolutely loved the midwife I chose...or actually, the midwife I was randomly assigned to.  

Basically, we're on track within about a month of when I had thought we could start trying to conceive (or TTC in the lingo).  I've been talking to one of my coworkers about this...asking for her advice on questions I should ask, etc. and she mentioned waiting 3 months to build up the necessary vitamins, minerals, etc.  That didn't seem as important to me as I have a pretty healthy diet already.  But, my midwife told me it's best to wait 2 to 3 months after stopping hormonal contraception to help build up the lining of the uterus in order to have a healthy pregnancy...now that made sense to me!

Other take-aways: I need to start taking my vitamins more regularly.  I went out and bought prenatal ones hoping that will help (plus the ones I had didn't have enough folic acid).  So far, so good!  I also asked about my upcoming Goofy Challenge race in January.  While the midwife thought I was insane, she said there's no medical contraindication, just that I might not feel so great and that I'd need to keep my heart rate under 140.  (I'll have to work on the heart rate part...I wore my heart rate monitor for the first time on Sunday and, while I'm not convinced it was entirely accurate, my HR average was 169.)  I probably won't need to worry about this as I think we'll be more likely to conceive after the new year.

When the appointment was over, the midwife said, "Well, I'll see you when you're pregnant!"  That really made it hit home...we're really starting this journey soon.  I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!

I'm a proud, proud wife!

Awhile back, John told me that I could keep up with his publications by adding an alert in Google Scholar.  I had completely forgotten about it until this appeared in my inbox last week:

 

I have absolutely no idea what it means, but I have heard some of the words before (during his doctoral defense).

Another one came today:

I'm so, so proud!

Brewers at Cubs x 2

Last week we went to two Brewers at Cubs games...on Tuesday night and Wednesday night!  Tuesday night we met a couple of friends there and had $11 tickets which were pretty great.  Wednesday night we splurged for $20 tickets and were in the first deck...not right next to the fence, but less than 20 rows back.  It was pretty sweet!  The Brewers won both nights too...can't get much better than that!

Tuesday

Wednesday - The photo on the upper right is without zoom and cropping...that's how close we were!

It is better to fail in originality 

than to succeed in imitation.

~Herman Melville, American writer and poet

I wish the students I work with would understand this...

Annie's bridal shower

Candy skewer favors

Fruit skewers

Oreo pops

This is just a sample of the deliciousness we had for Annie's bridal shower last Saturday.  The candy skewers were completely my idea.  I saw a pin on Pinterest and went with it.  They turned out well but were way more difficult than they looked!  The fruit skewers were super easy...I'd definitely do those again!  Natalie and Kathy found the Oreo pops online...and I made them with Natalie's assistance.  They were super easy, fun to decorate, and extremely delicious! 

To top it off, Annie seemed to enjoy it all...score!  Now, we just need to get her bachelorette party figured out...

Cade and Blake's baptism

The Sunday after we got back from Montana we borrowed a friend's car and headed up to Columbus for Cade and Blake's baptism.  The boys were so good during the whole ceremony, even when the water was poured over their heads.  Actually, they both seemed to like the water part.  The poor little guys were really hot and sweaty in their long baptismal gowns though.

It was great to be around Jamine, Brandon, and the boys...and their families too.  Jamine's mom says I'm officially part of the family now...and I couldn't be happier!  I look forward to watching both boys grow and (hopefully) forming a special relationship with Mr. Blake.

Jamine's side of the family

Brandon's side of the family

The sponsors: Me, Bryan, Melissa, and Jake with the Kurth's

Jamine with Blake and Brandon with Cade

Lenz Montana Trip 2012

For the third August in a row, John and I made the drive out to Montana with his parents...the first year, John's sisters went along too and we went backpacking in Glacier National Park...but these last two years, it's just been John, me, and the parents-in-law.  We had a really good trip...but I was glad to be home at the end!

Salem Sue in New Salem ND, just east of our destination for the first night, Medora ND

After breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe in Medora ND

I got a lot of reading done in the car...many, many magazines...two books completed and started another.  I also watched 5 or 6 TV shows...it was great!  We spent the majority of our time in Fort Benton and Chester, Montana.  The whole reason for the trip was so John, his dad, and his uncles could check out the wheat farm they own and help with the harvest as needed.  They had a busy few days as the harvest was well underway.  My entertainment during those days was John's cousin's 5-year-old daughter, Journey...and the wheat farm operator's kids, Wrien and Lex.  My favorite moment was when Journey got hurt on the trampoline and I was checking her out to make sure she was OK...and Lex came over with his toy stethoscope to listen to her heart...adorable and hilarious!

The Fort Benton bridge

Lex, Journey, and Wrien

Journey and me

The last morning at the farm, John was disappointed that I wouldn't get to ride in the combine with him.  Everyone else had left by then and we only had one vehicle.  John's mom and I didn't want to spend the whole day on the farm so we were going to stay in Fort Benton...but instead, John's dad came to get us around lunchtime so we could spent a little bit of time on the farm too.  It was fun!

Riding in the combine with John...he was concentrating on keeping it straight!

Miles and miles of nothing but wheat...still beautiful in its way.

After leaving the farm, we went to Yellowstone National Park for a couple of days.  The landscape at Yellowstone is so much different than at Glacier National Park...but beautiful nonetheless.  It was cool to see Old Faithful again too.

Kathy and John on the balcony of our hotel in Gardiner MT.

 

 

Old Faithful

Old Faithful at sunset

The Yellowstone National Park post office.  I mailed my mom a postcard from here.

John at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

John and I during our hike

John and his dad on the suspension bridge we crossed during our hike.

John in Hellroaring Creek

John (father-in-law) and I hiking back

Antelope

A buffalo crossing the road!

Humongous herd of buffalo

John at the Northeast Ranger Station

Leaving Yellowstone

We took a "scenic byway" from Yellowstone back to Interstate 90.  It was a very interesting route...and a little scary as clouds and fog started to roll in as we got to the highest elevations.  I want to go back and see it when it's clear though!

Below the clouds again

All in all it was a good trip...though life has been crazy since we've been back!

Hmm...

Does this make any sense to anyone else?  It sure doesn't to me!  These are headlines from two posts on the exact same day on a nurse practitioner news feed that I follow.

  

10 years

On July 28th, the C-FC Class of 2012 celebrated our 10 year reunion.  10 years, really?  It hardly feels like it!  Almost 30 classmates made an appearance...out of about 60 who I tracked down and sent invitations.  It was a lot of fun to catch up with old friends again...it's amazing how much (and yet how little) has changed.

Unfortunately, we forgot to get the cameras out until well into the night...here's a small sample of the moments we captured.